INDIA DISMISSES CHINA'S CONCERNS ON MILITARY EXERCISE WITH US

India on Thursday rejected China’s opposition to an India-US joint military exercise being held near the LAC and said New Delhi does not give a veto to any third country on such matters.

China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday opposed the holding of the latest edition of the India-US exercise “Yudh Abhyas” at Auli in Uttarakhand, 100km from the LAC and said the drills violate border management agreements signed by China and India in 1993 and 1996.

“Let me emphasise that the exercises that are going on with the US in Auli have nothing to do with the 1993 and 1996 agreements,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a weekly media briefing in response to questions on the position taken by China.

In a tacit reference to China’s actions in Ladakh sector of the LAC where Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a standoff since May 2020, Bagchi added, “But since these [exercises] were raised and we are talking about them and it was raised by the Chinese side, let me emphasise that the Chinese side needs to reflect and think about its own breach of these agreements of 1993 and 1996.”

61% TURNOUT IN GUJARAT POLLS PHASE I

As the end of the first phase of voting for the Gujarat state Assembly, carried out in 89 constituencies across 19 districts, nearly 61 per cent of voters turned out to cast their votes. In the elections held in 2017, the turnout recorded in the first phase on the same seats was 68%.

The opposition Congress submitted six different complaints, one of them related to "booth capturing" in Surendranagar district, to election authorities.

However, Surendranagar collector KC Sampat, who is also the district election officer, said a probe revealed no such incident took place and the booth in question was being monitored at the district level through a live webcast.

A complaint was also submitted to the office of the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer about television channels running interviews of voters coming out of booths, which could influence people who will exercise their franchise in seats going to polls on December 5 in the second phase, said Gujarat Congress spokesperson Hiren Banker.

"The Congress has also complained that live telecast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rallies (organised by BJP as part of campaigning for 2nd phase) in different parts of Gujarat also violated the Model Code of Conduct because voting was going when the rallies were being aired," said Banker.

Additional CEO of Gujarat Kuldeep Arya, however, clarified that telecast of the PM's rallies organised in other parts of the state (not covered by the first phase polling) as well as airing of interviews of voters do not violate any rule.

"As per rule, one can hold rallies where silence period is not in force. We can not stop TV broadcast at selected places. EC guidelines are very clear about it. Interviews by voters after polling is also allowed. They are not considered opinion polls," said Arya.

The second phase of voting on December 5 will cover the remaining 93 seats in the 182-member assembly and counting of ballots will place on December 8.

G20 PRESIDENCY BEGINS: INDIA SAYS IT WILL BE THE VOICE OF GLOBAL SOUTH

As India assumed the G20 presidency on Thursday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said New Delhi will seek to emerge as the “voice of the Global South”, and work to “depoliticise” the global supply of food, fertilisers and medical products.

Jaishankar said it would also be India’s endeavour to make consensus on key global issues “more relevant” through a wider process of consultation. “As the mother of democracy, India’s G20 presidency will be consultative, it will be collaborative and it will be decisive,” he said.

“We do think there are issues out there which need to be brought to the table… How do you keep the sustainable development agenda? How do countries deal with debt? How is it that climate change is not affected by a lack of additional resources? These are all issues today and our intention is to be a champion of the global south and find ways and that’s why the majority of our guests who were brought in… are actually from the global south,” Jaishankar said.

PM Modi said the previous 17 presidencies of the G20 delivered significant results for ensuring macro-economic stability, rationalising international taxation and relieving debt-burden on countries. “However, as India assumes this important mantle, I ask myself: can the G20 go further still? Can we catalyse a fundamental mindset shift — to benefit humanity as a whole? I believe, we can,” he declared..

IN SUPREME COURT, CENTRE DEFENDS REDRAWING J&K SEATS

Defending the power of the Delimitation Commission, constituted to readjust constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre on Thursday told Supreme Court that the J&K Reorganisation Act of 2019 mandates the Commission to do it.

Opposing a plea challenging constitution of the Commission, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench of Justices S K Kaul and A S Oka that the 2019 law does not preclude establishment of Delimitation Commission by the Centre and provides for two alternative mechanisms to carry out delimitation for J&K.

The bench on Thursday reserved its verdict.

The petitioners — Haji Abdul Gani Khan and Mohammad Ayub Mattoo — had argued that under the 2019 Act, only the Election Commission is empowered to conduct the delimitation exercise.

Countering this, Mehtra submitted that the 2019 law says “…delimitation of constituencies may be determined by the Election Commission” and that the “readjustment of constituencies…shall be carried by the Delimitation Commission…”. Using the expression ‘may’ “signifies a non-mandatory responsibility/power of the Election Commission to carry out delimitation and…usage of the expression ‘shall’ confers mandatory responsibility on the Delimitation Commission to carry out the delimitation”.

The petitioners had also argued that delimitation cannot be carried out on the basis of the 2011 Census but must be carried out as per 2001 Census or await “the first Census after 2026.”

Mehta, however, said “the govt’s idea was to immediately give democracy to the newly formed Union Territory… For that to wait till 2026, or to do it as per 2001, was found to be legislatively unwise.”

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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WILLING TO TALK TO PUTIN IF HE WANTS TO END UKRAINE WAR, SAYS BIDEN

US President Joe Biden said he would talk with President Putin if the Russian leader expresses a desire to end his invasion of Ukraine, but Biden said he would only do so in consultation with Nato allies. “I’m prepared if he’s willing to talk to find out what he’s willing to do,” Biden said during a news conference at the White House following a three hour meeting with President Emmanuel Macron of France.

Biden made the statement after condemning Putin for the invasion of Ukraine, calling the Russian president’s actions “sick. ” Biden has resisted talking to Putin since the Russian leader launched the invasion in February, while Macron has kept lines of communication with Putin open.

Also, in a joint statement, the two leaders said they were committed to holding Russia to account “for widely documented atrocities and war crimes, committed both by its regular armed forces and by its proxies” in Ukraine.

They also vowed to coordinate on their concerns regarding “China’s challenge to the rules-based international order, including respect for human rights and to work together with China on climate change ”.

CHINA SET TO EASE ‘ZERO-COVID’ RULES AFTER WAVE OF PROTESTS

China is set to announce an easing of its Covid-19 quarantine protocols in the coming days and a reduction in mass testing, sources told Reuters, a marked shift in policy after anger over the world’s toughest curbs fuelled widespread protests.

Cases nationwide remain near record highs but the changes come as some cities have been lifting their lockdowns in recent days, and a top official said the ability of the virus to cause disease was weakening.

Health authorities announcing the easing in their areas have not mentioned the protests which ranged from candlelit vigils in Beijing to street clashes with police in Guangzhou.

The measures due to be unveiled include a reduction in the use of mass testing and regular nucleic acid tests as well as moves to allow positive cases and close contacts to isolate at home, sources said.

That is a far cry from earlier protocols that led to public frustrations as entire communities were locked down, sometimes for weeks, after even just one positive case.

THE REST

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WON’T ABANDON VIZHINJAM PORT PROJECT: KERALA CM

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said the govt would not abandon the Vizhinjam seaport project, which has been facing fierce protests from fishermen, come what may. “If the project is abandoned, it would badly damage the credibility of the state,” Vijayan said while addressing a govt function.

Referring to the fishermen protest against the construction of Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL), which is spearheaded by the clergy of the Latin Catholic Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram, the Chief Minister said, “This move (the agitation) is not against the govt. This is to thwart the progress and unity of the state. That would not be allowed even if the protest comes in any attire. Don’t think that the govt can be threatened. The Vizhinjam port would happen.”

Vijayan said when the LDF govt came to power in 2016, construction of the port had gone ahead significantly. “There would be differences between the LDF and UDF on policies. But if a govt abandons a project commenced by a previous govt, nobody would come to invest in our state. The govt has addressed six out of seven demands of the agitating fishermen, but the demand that the project should be suspended cannot be accepted,’’ he said.

HAD SPARED YOGI WHEN I WAS CM: AKHILESH YADAV

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has told the BJP that its govt in Uttar Pradesh should not be so harsh on the Opposition party that it would become vindictive when it returns to power.

“Those who are committing injustice, I want to tell them that the CM’s (Yogi Adityanath) file had come to me (when I was in power). It was said in the file that he should be booked and proceeded against. But we are socialists. We do not engage in the politics of hate and vindictiveness. We returned the file. Now do not harden us so much that when we come to power, we will do what you are doing to us,” the former chief minister said at an election rally in Rampur on Thursday.

Rampur, the Assembly seat vacated by Azam Khan following his conviction in a hate speech case, will go to the polls on December 5. Adityanath will address a rally in the city on Friday.

Yadav’s statements come in the context of cases booked on Khan and the alleged use of coercive police powers in the run-up to the bypoll.

JNU CAMPUS DEFACED WITH ANTI-BRAHMIN SLOGANS, ADMIN CONDEMNS

Several walls on Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus were defaced on Thursday with anti-Brahmin slogans.

The administration has condemned the incident, saying that School of International Studies and Grievances Committee has been asked to inquire and submit a report to Vice Chancellor Santishree D Pandit at the earliest Some of the slogans on the wall are “Brahmins Leave The Campus”, “There Will Be Blood”, “Brahmin Bharat Chhodo” and “Brahmino-Baniyas, we are coming for you! We will avenge.”

Hours after the incident, the administration issued a statement, saying such incidents will not be tolerated as JNU belongs to all.

A JNU teachers’ body too posted a tweet condemning the act of vandalism, and holding responsible the “left-liberal gang” for it.

FACE-RECOGNITION AT 3 AIRPORTS

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia yesterday launched DigiYatra, a facial recognition technology for air passengers. Besides Delhi, the facility was today simultaneously introduced for Bengaluru and Varanasi airports.

DigiYatra will be launched at four more airports, Hyderabad, Pune, Vijayawada and Kolkata, by March next year. It would later be rolled out at other airports, said Scindia. It will be available for willing passengers taking domestic flights. In Delhi, DigiYatra will be available for passengers taking domestic flights from Terminal 3 (T3).

To use the facility, one-time registration on DigiYatra app is required using Aadhaar-based validation and a self-image capture. The project has tremendous advantages of improving passenger convenience and ease of travel, Scindia said.

The minister said that keeping in mind privacy issues, there was no central storage of personally identifiable information (PII). A passenger’s ID and travel credentials are stored in a secure wallet in the passenger’s smartphone itself. The uploaded data will utilise blockchain technology and all the data will be purged from the servers within 24 hours of use. With DigiYatra, India will now stand in the ranks of world-class airports, said Scindia.

'TOTALLY APOLOGISE, BUT...': ISRAELI FILMMAKER ON 'KASHMIR FILES'

Offering a "total apology" if his remarks on The Kashmir Files had been misinterpreted, Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid has said his aim was not to insult the Kashmiri Pandit community or those who had suffered.

Lapid, who was the international jury chair at the recent International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and stirred massive controversy by terming the Vivek Agnihotri film "vulgar" and a "propaganda", reiterated that he only criticised the film for its "series of cinematic manipulations".

"I didn't want to insult anyone. My aim was never to insult the people or their relatives, who have suffered. I totally apologise if that's the way they interpreted it," Lapid, who has left the country since his remarks at the closing ceremony of the 53rd edition of the festival in Goa this week, said.

"But at the same time, whatever I said and I said clearly that for me and my fellow jury members, it was and it is a vulgar propaganda movie that didn't have a place and was inappropriate for such a prestigious competitive section. I can repeat it again and again," he added.

"I have enormous respect for the tragedy, victims, survivors and for whoever suffers there. It (my remarks) was not at all about this. I'll repeat these words 10,000 times if I have to say that I was not talking about the political issue, historical equation, or disrespecting the tragedy that happened in Kashmir," he said.

"I was talking about the movie and that such serious topics deserve, in my opinion, a serious film," he added.

FOOTBALL WORLD CUP: JAPAN STUN SPAIN 2-1, KNOCK GERMANY OUT OF THE WORLD CUP

Croatia 0-0 Belgium (Group F) (Points: Croatia 5, Belgium 4)

Canada 1-2 Morocco (Group F) (Points: Canada 0, Morocco 7)

Japan 2-1 Spain (Group E) (Points: Japan 6, Spain 4 (GD +6))*

Costa Rica 2-4 Germany (Group E) (Points: Costa Rica 3, Germany 4 (GD +1))*

*In Group E, Germany is placed behind Spain as the latter has a better Goal Difference

Japan had stunned Germany once in this World Cup. They did it again on Friday – this time, also upsetting Spain in the process. And they did it at the same venue as well – the Khalifa International Stadium.

In one of the most dramatic evenings in World Cup history, the Asian giants staged an incredible second-half comeback, beat the 2010 world champions Spain 2-1 and, in the process, knockout the 2014 world champions Germany, who exit the World Cup in the group stage for second time in a row.

As fortunes of all four teams in Group E swung from one extreme to another, Japan topped the pool with six points ahead of Spain, who were level on points with Germany (4) but sneaked into the last 16 ahead of their European rivals owing to a superior goal difference. Costa Rica, who were in contention to progress for a few minutes when they led Germany but lost 4-2, finished at the bottom of the group with three points.

MOROCCO FANS CARRY THEIR TEAM INTO LAST 16

Morocco’s red-clad army of fans added an extra decibel or two to the last bars of the national anthem before kick-off, sounding a deafening warning to Canada as they willed their team to victory in their Group F game on Thursday and top spot in the standings. It was a spine-tingling start to yet another match where Moroccan supporters, many of whom live and work in Qatar, packed out the stadium and nearly raised the roof, handing their side a distinct advantage.

An early goal added to the clamour as the north Africans quickly set about beating Canada and securing their place in the next round, finishing ahead of 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia and eliminating the highly fancied Belgium who are second in the FIFA rankings.

Belgium’s World Cup never got off the ground as they were unable to find the spark that took them to third place in 2018, and they spent much of their time batting away questions of infighting within the squad as they bowed out on Thursday.

ENG BATTER PAK ON RECORD-SETTING FIRST DAY OF RAWALPINDI TEST

Four of England's top five batsmen smashed rapid hundreds in a record-breaking day of batting as the visitors racked up 506-4 on the opening day of the first test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

It is the first time in test cricket that 500 runs have been scored on the first day.

On a flat track and against a Pakistan attack that included three debutants, England's batting looked like a continuation of their victorious campaign at the T20 World Cup in Australia. There were only 75 overs bowled yesterday! England scored through the day at 6.74 runs an over!

Openers Zak Crawley (122) and Ben Duckett (107) combined in a 233-run stand. Number three batsman Ollie Pope made 108 while Harry Brook, was unbeaten on 101 off 81 balls. Ben Stokes was batting on 34 when bad light stopped play.

This is England’s first test tour of Pakistan since 2005.

INDICATORS

Sensex 63,284 (+184), Nifty 18,812 (+54), Trading Value NSE (Rs.crores) 61,705

Nasdaq 11,482 (+14) Dow 34,395 (-195), S&P 4,077 (-4)

(US$-Rs. 81.17 GBP-Rs. 98.82, Euro-Rs. 84.97, UAE Dhm-Rs. 22.09, Can$-Rs. 60.46, Aus$- Rs. 55.26

GBP 0.82 /US$, Euro 0.95 /US$, Jap.Yen 136.09 /US$, Aus$ 1.46 /US$, Sing 1.35 /US$, Bang Taka 100.43 /US$, Can$ 1.34 /US$, Mal Ring 4.40 /US$,

Pak Re 223.24 /US$, Phil Peso 56.16 /US$, Russian Rouble 61.01 /US$, NZ$ 1.57 /US$, Thai Baht 34.87 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 36.49 /US$)

Bitcoin - USD 16,987

Dollar Index 104.76 Brent Crude 86.61 BDI 1,355

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,798 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,318 / 4,875, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 69,800

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor. - Truman Capote

OFF TRACK

"Why are you so upset?" 

"My wife introduced me to her psychiatrist this morning." 

"So what?" 

"So she said to him, 'Doctor, this is my husband. You know, one of the men I've been telling you about'."