SCO STATES TO WORK ON UNIFIED TERROR LIST

The ‘Delhi Declaration’ of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has called for a unified list of terrorist, separatist and extremist organisations whose activities are prohibited on the territories of the SCO member states.

The declaration was issued after the virtual summit held in new Delhi on Tuesday.

Besides the Delhi Declaration which mentioned terrorism and radicalisation, the Council of SCO Heads of State issued a separate statement “countering radicalisation, which was leading to terrorism, separatism and extremism”. It reiterated that any act of terrorism was criminal and unjustifiable. It also emphasised the inadmissibility of states using terrorist, separatist and extremist groups and their accomplices to implement particular political and geopolitical goals.

32 MLAs AT AJIT PAWAR'S MEET, 18 AT SHARAD PAWAR'S

Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar appeared to be ahead in numbers game with more NCP MLAs supporting him than his uncle and party president Sharad Pawar as the warring factions held their separate meetings on Wednesday to show their strength, escalating the battle between them to control the outfit.

As many as 32 of the 53 NCP MLAs attended the meeting called by the Ajit Pawar group, while 18 MLAs were present at the conclave addressed by the NCP chief.

Ajit Pawar reminded his 83-year-old uncle that it was time for him to retire from active politics. "In the BJP, leaders retire at 75, when are you going to stop?....Everybody has his innings. The most productive years are from 25 to 75 years,” 63-year-old Ajit Pawar said.

He also blamed Sharad Pawar for the NCP losing out on the chance to have its own chief minister in Maharashtra in 2004. “We had more MLAs than the Congress in 2004, but our senior leader allowed the Congress to bag the CM's post,” he said.

”For us, Saheb (Sharad Pawar) is a deity and we have deep respect for him. IAS officers retire at 60. Even in politics, BJP leaders retire at 75. You can see the example of L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi,” Ajit Pawar said. ”You are 83, aren't you going to stop? Give us your blessings and we will pray that you live a long life,” he added.

Addressing his faction's meeting, the senior Pawar criticised his nephew for going with the BJP for power, despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling the NCP a "corrupt" party. The veteran politician objected to his big photo adorning the stage at the meeting convened by the  Ajit Pawar group, said those using his image are aware that they have nothing else to show.

On the Ajit Pawar-led faction approaching the Election Commission and staking claim to the party symbol, Sharad Pawar assured his supporters he won't allow anyone to snatch the party symbol.

He also warned the Ajit Pawar faction, saying every single ally of the BJP has eventually faced "political destruction" and they will meet the same fate.

MUSLIM LAW BOARD ON UCC: MAJORITARIAN MORALITY CAN’T SUPERSEDE MINORITY RIGHTS

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Wednesday wrote to the Law Commission of India, reiterating its opposition to the UCC while underlining that “majoritarian morality” must not override religious freedom and rights of minority communities. “Majoritarian morality must not supersede personal law, religious freedom and minority rights in the name of a code which remains an enigma,” the AIMPLB wrote to the Law Commission in a 100-page representation.

This was in response to the Law Commission seeking views from the public on June 14 on the UCC, saying it was examining the matter.

AIMPLB spokesperson S Q R Ilyas said, “In the representation, we have answered how the justifications being given by some people and the political parties in favour of the UCC are useless.”

In its response, the AIMPLB also argued that the Constitution itself is not uniform since it secures special rights for certain groups.

The response also argued that Muslim personal law is “directly derived from the Holy Quran and Islamic laws and this aspect is linked with their identity”.

WITH ATTACKS ON CHURCHES, MANIPUR STRIFE GETTING COMMUNAL COLOUR

With Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga expressing his dismay over burning of churches and Christian missionaries in Kerala expressing their solidarity with tribal Kuki-Naga groups, the violence in Manipur, which broke out on ethnic lines on May 3, appears to be getting a communal hue as a fight between majority Hindus (Meitei) and tribal Christians (Kuki-Naga).

More than 40 churches have reportedly been vandalised and torched across the state as the majority of tribals are Christians.

However, leaders in the ruling BJP, while claiming that pluralism is integral to the Meitei society, said a failed attempt is being made to “give communal colour” to the violence which erupted as a result of a court verdict.

Sources in the govt said efforts are on to reconcile the issues by holding meetings with leaders of the two communities engaged in violence against each other and a lasting solution would be arrived at soon.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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UKRAINE, RUSSIA ACCUSE EACH OTHER OF N-PLANT ATTACK PLOT

Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Wednesday of plotting to sabotage the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, further raising tensions over one of the war’s main flash points, even as analysts said the immediate risk of serious harm appeared low.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, citing the country’s intelligence service, said that Russian troops who seized the plant in March of last year have placed objects that look like explosives on the roof of several of its power units, possibly with the intent of simulating an attack and blaming it on Ukraine. He did not elaborate and the claim could not be independently confirmed, but Ukrainian officials have been increasingly ratcheting up warnings of nuclear sabotage. “The only source of danger to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is Russia and no one else. ” Ukraine's health ministry on Tuesday released guidelines in the event of an emergency.

In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov raised the specter of a potentially “catastrophic” provocation by the Ukrainian army at the nuclear plant, which is Europe’s largest. “The situation is quite tense. There is a great threat of sabotage by the Kyiv regime, which can be catastrophic in its consequences,” Peskov said in response to a reporter’s question about the plant. He also claimed that the Kremlin was pursuing “all measures” to counter the alleged Ukrainian threat.

The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency has officials stationed at the Russian-held plant, which is still run by a Ukrainian staff that oversees crucial cooling systems and other safety features. Experts based at the plant said on Wednesday that they had seen no indications of explosives but that more access is needed to be sure. IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said the most recent inspection of the plant found no activity related to explosives, “but we remain extremely alert.”

THE REST

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GOVERNOR SHOULD NOT SPEAK POLITICS, SAYS TN BJP CHIEF ANNAMALAI AMID RN RAVI ROW

Amid a cold war between the Tamil Nadu govt and Governor R N Ravi, state BJP President K Annamalai’s statement on Wednesday that the gubernatorial head should not speak about day-to-day politics has added spice to the issue. Annamalai also said that although the governor’s criticism of the ruling faction will be beneficial for the BJP, he should abstain from making such statements.

While speaking about the Governor’s recent run-ins with the state govt and the subsequent reaction of the DMK cadres, Annamalai said the party wants Ravi to reply to each of their questions but it is not his job to do that as he is not a politician.

Annamalai was reacting to the DMK posters at prominent areas of Chennai questioning the Governor’s order, which was later put in abeyance, dismissing Senthil Balaji from the council of ministers. “Where will it stop if the Governor starts replying to everything? Will the govt accept if he (Ravi) meets the media daily and comments on all the issues happening in the state? Definitely, they won’t,” Annamalai said.

15 SHIV SENA MLAs TO REJOIN UDDHAV?

Just 12 months after 40 Shiv Sena MLAs rebelled against party president and then chief minister Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and joined Eknath Shinde to form a govt with the BJP, some of them are reported to have shown interest in returning to the mothership.

This startling development comes two days after Ajit Pawar, who many of these MLAs considered their bete noire, was sworn in as Maharashtra's Dy CM.

Two Shiv Sena MLAs, speaking on condition that they would not be identified by name for this report, confirmed to Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com that as many as 15 of them who had rebelled against Uddhav in June 2022 have shown interest in "ghar wapsi".

Prominent among these 15, the reports claim, are Shiv Sena chief whip Bharatshet Gogawale, Sanjay Rathod, cabinet minister Gulabrao Patil, Sanjay Shirsat and Sandeepan Bhumre.

Both Gogawale and Shirsat described this as canard spread by the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray camp to weaken the SS-BJP-NCP govt.

"The thought has not even crossed our mind. I think the SS-UBT is spreading lies to weaken Shinde saheb," Gogawale said.

BJP ALLY AIADMK COMES OUT AGAINST UCC

Amid a raging debate over the proposal for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country, the principal Opposition of Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK, a BJP ally, on Wednesday reiterated its opposition to the UCC.

When asked about his party’s stand on the UCC, AIADMK general secretary and Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Edappadi K Palaniswami or EPS told reporters, “Our stand on UCC is explained clearly in our election manifesto of 2019. Read it carefully, and you will understand it clearly.”

The AIADMK manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections stated, “AIADMK will urge the Govt of India not to bring any amendments to the Constitution for a Uniform Civil Code that will adversely affect the religious rights of minorities in India.”

BILL ON DATA PROTECTION GETS CABINET APPROVAL, TO BE PRESENTED IN PARLIAMENT

The Union Cabinet Wednesday approved the draft data protection Bill, paving the way for its introduction in the Monsoon session of Parliament. If passed, the law will become India’s core data governance framework, six years after the Supreme Court declared privacy as a fundamental right. The Bill is one of the four proposed legislations in the IT and telecom sectors to provide the framework for the rapidly growing digital ecosystem.

The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022, approved by the Cabinet, is learnt to have retained the contents of the original version of the legislation proposed last November, including those that were red flagged by privacy experts.

THINK TANK CPR LOSES ITS TAX-EXEMPT STATUS

Four months after its license for receiving foreign donations was revoked, the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), one of the country’s leading public policy think tanks that works with several state govts and Central ministries, has lost the tax exemption status it had for almost five decades.

This “debilitating blow,” as CPR’s President Yamini Aiyar called it, comes after the think tank received a show-cause notice from Income Tax (IT) authorities last December alleging it was carrying out activities “not in accordance with the objects and conditions” under which it was registered.

These activities listed by the IT authorities — mentioned in the notice and reiterated in the cancellation order — include its “involvement” in the Hasdeo movement against coal mining in the Chhattisgarh forests and receipts to the tune of Rs 10.19 crore (since 2016) for its Namati-Environmental Justice Program, which were allegedly mostly used to file “litigation and complaints” rather than do research.

The crux of the IT Department’s argument is that supporting litigation is not a charitable activity and, thus, CPR stands to lose its tax exemption.

CPR denies these allegations.

NO NEPALI GORKHA RECRUITMENT INTO INDIAN ARMY 3RD TIME IN A ROW

For the third time since last June, the Indian Army will not be recruiting any Gorkha soldier from Nepal amid the ongoing deadlock between the two countries over the Agnipath scheme, ThePrint has learnt.

In August 2022, the Nepal govt blocked recruitment of Nepalese Gorkhas for the Army’s 43-battalion-strong Gorkha Regiment under the Agnipath scheme, claiming that it violated the 1947 Tripartite Agreement signed between the two countries and the UK.

The scheme, which was unveiled last June, is a new recruitment policy under which the armed forces are recruiting individuals below the rank of officer.

All recruitment for the armed forces at the soldier level, which had come to a standstill during the Covid-19 pandemic, is now taking place through the Agnipath scheme.

TEN YEARS OF RIGOROUS IMPRISONMENT FOR 10 IN TABREZ ANSARI LYNCHING CASE

A court in Jharkhand’s Seraikela-Kharswan district on Wednesday sentenced 10 people to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in the Tabrez Ansari lynching case of 2019.

Accusing him of trying to steal a motorcycle, a mob beat up Ansari on June 17 of that year. A video showed that the 24-year-old man was purportedly made to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Jai Hanuman’ in the Saraikela Kharsawan district of Jharkhand. He died five days later.

The incident had led to a political furore at the national level.

Additional District Judge-I Amit Shekhar had convicted the 10 and acquitted two other accused persons due to lack of evidence on June 27 last.

Pronouncing the quantum of punishment on Wednesday amid tight security through video conferencing, the court awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment to all the convicts under IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

INSTAGRAM UNVEILS THREADS APP, A SERIOUS THREAT TO ELON MUSK'S TWITTER

Meta Platforms Inc.’s Instagram officially unveiled Threads, an app designed as a direct rival to Twitter, launching the most serious threat yet to Elon Musk’s struggling social-media site.

On Threads, people can post text and links and reply to or repost messages from others. The app will let users port over their existing follower lists and account names from Instagram, Meta’s photo and video-sharing app that counts major brands, celebrities and creators among its more than 2 billion users.

“There should be a public conversations app with 1 billion-plus people on it,” Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday in a post on Threads. “Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn’t nailed it. Hopefully we will.”

BOLLYWOOD’S HALF-YEARLY REPORT CARD: A HANDFUL OF HITS AND STRING OF FLOPS

The first six months at the cinemas were largely disheartening as the big ticket films, which were expected to pull people to the theatres fell flat on the face.

The first big release of the year, Aasmaan Bhardwaj’s Kuttey, starring the likes of Tabu, Arjun Kapoor, and Radhika Madan, gave the year a dull start (Rs 4.65 cr). But, the trade rejoiced as people swarmed into the cinema halls to watch SRK’s Pathan, resulting in new box office records. The Siddharth Anand directorial became the highest-grossing Hindi film with a total collection of Rs 543.05 cr. It also became the fastest Hindi film to hit Rs 100 crore, Rs 200 crore, and Rs 300 crore nett box office.

Just when trade experts and film industry insiders were celebrating this uptick, Kartik Aaryan’s Shehzada tanked at the box office and could only add Rs 32.20 cr to the total earnings of the film industry. After Kartik, it was Akshay Kumar who disappointed his fans and they rejected his film Selfiee. It had a lifetime collection of Rs 16.85 cr. Though Ranbir Kapoor’s Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar (Rs 149.05 cr) and Rani Mukerji’s Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway (Rs 21.67 cr) saw a decent footfall, the films that followed didn’t give audience a reason to venture out of their homes.

Ajay Devgn failed to work his magic with Bholaa (Rs 82.04 cr) and Salman Khan couldn’t take advantage of his fandom as his fans blatantly rejected Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (Rs 110.53 cr). Smaller films like Zwigato, Bheed, Gumraah, and Afwaah barely sold any tickets.

ICC TEST RANKINGS: ASHWIN, JADEJA HOLD ON TO TOP SPOTS

Team India and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin remained number one in the respective ICC Test Rankings even as New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson replaced Joe Root as the top-ranked batter.

The Indian team, which lost the World Test Championship final to Australia last month, continues to hold on to its top spot.

Ashwin also held on to his world No 1 spot among bowlers. The senior off-spinner has 860 points and is followed by Australia skipper Pat Cummins, who has moved two spots to second with 826 points.

Another Indian who has remained static on number one is Ravindra Jadeja, who leads the all-rounders' list with 434 points. While Ashwin too remains on the second spot, Akshar Patel has dropped to fifth among all-rounders.

AJIT AGARKAR IS THE NEW CHIEF SELECTOR

Former Indian cricketer Ajit Agarkar was named the chairman of the BCCI's selection panel on Tuesday. Agarkar, who has played 26 Tests, 191 ODIs and four T20Is for India. He was part of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning squad. Since his retirement, Agarkar has donned many hats, including that of chief selector for Mumbai team as well as assistant coach of IPL side Delhi Capitals (DC). Agarkar has also taken up commentary job during various key tournaments.

The other four members of the selection panel include  Shiv Sundar Das, Subroto Banerjee, Salil Ankola, Sridharan Sharath. BCCI mentioned that Agarkar was chosen as the chairman of the panel based on the number of matches he has played.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm. - Henry David Thoreau

OFF TRACK

A one dollar bill met a 100 dollar bill and said, "Hey, where've you been? I haven't seen you around here much."

The hundred answered, "I've been hanging out at the casinos, went on a cruise and did the rounds of the ship, back to the United States for a while, went to a couple of baseball games, to the mall, that kind of stuff. How about you?"

The one dollar bill said, "You know, same old stuff, church, church, church."