‘UNITED WE STAND’ IS OPPOSITION’S SLOGAN

With a call for unity, top leaders of 26 opposition parties began crucial deliberations on Monday to chalk out their joint programme aimed at defeating the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, who were seated next to each other, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, chief ministers M K Stalin, Nitish Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren and RJD chief Lalu Prasad were among those who attended the dinner meeting where discussions were held to finalise the agenda for the formal talks starting Tuesday morning.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar was the only leader among the invitees not present at the meeting at Taj West End Hotel and he would arrive today along with his daughter Supriya Sule.

The leaders sat in front of a huge banner with “United We Stand” slogan, which was also put on posters that dotted the streets of Bengaluru with pictures of opposition leaders.

Among others at the meeting hosted by Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah were Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Akhilesh Yadav (SP), Farooq Abdullah (NC) and Mehbooba Mufti (PDP), besides Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), D Raja (CPI) and Jayant Chaudhary (RLD).

The Congress asserted that Opposition unity would be “a game changer” for the Indian political scenario.

Talks of unity notwithstanding, differences among opposition parties, especially those who have been traditional rivals remain, and reconciling political interests will be a challenging task. Arriving for the Opposition meeting, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury ruled out any alliance with the TMC in West Bengal and said that secular parties along with the Left and the Congress will take on the BJP as well as the TMC in the state. Yechury, however, added that the endeavour is to reduce the split in opposition votes and they will chalk out a plan to fight together.

The BJP, which has been targeting these parties over their differences, on Monday called it a “meeting of opportunists and power-hungry” leaders and said such an alliance will not do any good for the country at present or in the future.

But Congress general secretary organisation KC Venugopal said the 26 opposition parties are here to move forward unitedly and give a solution for people’s problems and to address the concerns over this “dictatorial govt’s actions”.

The total strength of the opposition parties attending this meeting is around 150 in Lok Sabha.

38 PARTIES TO ATTEND NDA MEET IN DELHI TODAY

Several new BJP allies, including Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), OP Rajbhar-led SBSP and the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), will join a key meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in New Delhi today as the ruling party eyes a grand show of strength amid a get-together of opposition parties in Bengaluru ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

At least 38 parties are expected to attend the NDA meeting.

The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) became the latest entrant to the NDA with its leader Chirag Paswan meeting BJP president J P Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday.

The Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, NCP led by Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal (RLJD) led by Upendra Kushwaha and the Jana Sena led by Pawan Kalyan will be among the new entrants that will be attending the NDA meeting. "Thirty-eight parties have confirmed their participation in the NDA meeting to be held Tuesday evening," Nadda told reporters.

After losing a number of its traditional allies such as the JD(U), Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Akali Dal, the BJP has succeeded in making alliances with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, now recognised as the real party, the Ajit Pawar-led faction of NCP, OP Rajbhar-led SBSP in UP and Jitan Ram Manjhi-led HAM and RLJD.

TMC leader Derek O’Brien said political parties at the Bengaluru meeting “were clearly setting the narrative” while the “BJP is reacting”. He claimed that out of the NDA allies, eight do not have a single MP, nine have one MP each and three have two MPs each.

Kharge took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he had claimed that he alone is enough to take on the Opposition, then why was he feeling the need to get 30 parties together.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said attempts are being made to breathe new life into the NDA “which had become a ghost”.

SC HEARS DELHI ORDINANCE CASE, MAY REFER IT TO A CONSTITUTION BENCH

The Centre on Monday defended the Delhi Services Ordinance, 2023, that gave wider powers to the Lt Governor with regard to bureaucracy, saying it had to be promulgated urgently to save the administration of the Capital from getting “paralysed” when a large number of international events were happening here in view of India’s G-20 Presidentship.

A three-judge Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud said the Delhi Govt’s petition against the ordinance needed to be referred to a Constitution Bench. “What they (Centre) have done is that by using power under 239AA (7), they have amended the Constitution to take services out of the Delhi Govt’s control. Is that permissible? I don’t think either of the Constitution Bench judgments has covered that,” the CJI noted.

In its affidavit, the MHA also levelled serious allegations against the Delhi Govt. It said: “The officers working in the Vigilance Department came to be specifically targeted by the elected govt and complaints were received from Special Secretary (Vigilance) and two other officers, pointing out a serious incident of trespassing on the said officer’s chamber and taking unlawful custody of certain files.”

And as appointment of a new Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) chairperson continues to hang fire, the court asked Delhi SM Arvind Kejriwal and Lt Governor VK Saxena to rise above political bickering and finalise the name of the power regulator after discussing names of former judges for the post.

Senior Advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for Delhi govt, reacted with scepticism: “I will come back. In the context in which Your Lordships is seeing these matters, I don’t think it’s realistic… We will approach them tomorrow.”

Taking exception to Singhvi expressing doubts about the outcome, Senior Advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the L-G, agreed with the SC’s suggestion: “What Your Lordships have said is their constitutional duty and they must do it.”

Salve said he is confident about his client and added: “I will advise him to rise above all politics and sit as the constitutional functionary”.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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HIGH TEMPERATURES IN EUROPE US, JAPAN

Temperatures reached new highs on Monday as heatwaves and wildfires scorched parts of the Northern Hemisphere, forcing the evacuation of 1,200 children close to a Greek seaside resort.

Health authorities have sounded alarms from North America to Europe and Asia, urging people to stay hydrated and shelter from the burning sun.

Europe , the globe’s fas-test-warming continent, was bracing for its hottest-ever temperature on Italy ’s islands of Sicily and Sardinia, where a high of 48°C is predicted, according to the European Space Agency. The United Nations validated the European heat record of 48. 8°C set in Sicily in 2021.

Ahead of meeting Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua in Beijing, US climate envoy John Kerry urged China to partner with the US to cut methane emissions and coal-fired power. China reported a new high for mid-July in the northwest of the country, where temperatures reached 52. 2°C in the Xinjiang region’s village of Sanbao, breaking the previous high of 50. 6°C set six years ago.

In Japan , heatstroke alerts were issued in 32 out of the country’s 47 prefectures, mainly in central and southwestern regions.

California’s Death Valley, often among the hottest places on Earth, reached a near-record 52°C Sunday afternoon.

In Rome , temperatures hit 39°C on Tuesday, narrowly missing the record of 40. 5°C set in August 2007.

Little reprieve is forecast for Spain , where meteorologists warned of “abnormally high” temperatures on Monday, including up to 44°C in the southern Andalusia region in what would be a regional record.

RUSSIA HALTS BLACK SEA GRAIN DEAL, RAISES FOOD SECURITY FEAR

Russia halted participation on Monday in the UN-brokered deal that lets Ukraine export grain through the Black Sea, spreading a sense of dread in poorer nations.

Moscow pointed at a failure to meet its demands to implement a parallel agreement easing rules for its own food and fertilizer exports. “Unfortunately, the part of these Black Sea agreements concerning Russia has not been implemented so far, so its effect is terminated,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres signalled that Russia’s withdrawal meant that the related pact to facilitate Russia's grain and fertilizer exports was also terminated. “Today’s decision by the Russian Federation will strike a blow to people in need everywhere,” he told reporters.

Moscow said it would consider rejoining the grain deal if it saw “concrete results” on its demands but that its guarantees for the safety of navigation would meanwhile be revoked.

THE REST

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JAISHANKAR & DEREK O’BRIEN AMONG 11 TO BE ELECTED UNOPPOSED TO RS

External affairs minister S Jaishankar and Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien are among 11 MPs set to be elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in the July 24 polls.

With no contest against six candidates fielded by TMC in WB, none against three BJP candidates in Gujarat, and no opposition to the lone BJP nominee in Goa, no voting will be held on the seats on July 24. TMC has already won one bypoll to the RS arising due to the resignation of former Goa CM Lui-zinho Faleiro in April.

DRUG TRAFFICKERS: SHAH PROPOSES SEIZURE OF ASSETS, PUBLIC SHAMING

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday pitched for harsher punishment, including confiscation of assets of those involved in drug trade and their public shaming, saying such action will act as a strong deterrent. “We need to move ruthlessly towards the confiscation of assets,” he said, while addressing a conference on ‘Drug smuggling and national security’ during which he also watched through video-conferencing destruction of more than 1.40 lakh kg drugs in various parts of the country.

Shah said it was the aim of the Modi govt to create such an India where not even a single youth was addicted to drugs and to achieve that, it was necessary for both the states and the Centre to work together. “Harsher punishment will act as a strong deterrent as it will send a stronger message,” he said.

AJIT PAWAR, WITH MLAs IN TOW, MEETS SHARAD PAWAR AGAIN

For the second day running, NCP MLAs from the Ajit Pawar camp met Sharad Pawar, seeking his blessings and guidance to keep the party united. The second meeting of the breakaway faction comes in the backdrop of anger expressed by NCP legislators, who were not part of the party MLAs who met Sharad Pawar on Sunday.

On Sunday, Ajit and other senior party ministers made an impromptu visit to Sharad Pawar and sought his blessings.

The MLAs reportedly said that their decision to support Ajit Pawar by dumping Sharad Pawar is a major risk, especially when they have no ill feelings against Sharad Pawar. At such a time, when senior ministers visit him (Sharad) and apologise, they should have taken all MLAs along.

Realising their concerns, Ajit and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel chose to make yet another visit to Sharad Pawar along with the MLAs. All MLAs touched the feet of Sharad Pawar on Monday.

After the meeting, Patel said, “We again requested him to find a way to keep the party united. He did not reply to us today as well.

DEADLINE MISSED, 23 STATES, UTs LOSE 1.44 LAKH PMAY UNITS TO UP

Aiming to construct 2.95 crore houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) by March 2024, ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections, the Centre has withdrawn the allocation of 1.44 lakh houses from about two dozen states and Union Territories which failed to sanction the houses by June 30, and given these to Uttar Pradesh as additional allocation.

These states and UTs are: Gujarat, Tripura, Odisha, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Ladakh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh.

The Centre has set a target of constructing 2.95 crore houses by March 2024. However, these states and UTs together failed to sanction a total of 1,44,220 houses within the deadline of June 30.

On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh, which was initially allocated 34.72 lakh houses, had sought the Centre’s approval for additional houses.

‘13.5CR OUT OF POVERTY IN INDIA IN 5 YRS, RURAL ADVANCE FASTEST’

Nearly 13. 5 crore people moved out of multi-dimensional poverty between 2015-16 and 2019-21 in India, with the fastest reduction seen in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan, showed a report released by govt think tank Niti Aayog on Monday.

The report showed that India registered a significant decline of 9.89 percentage points in the number of multi-dimensionally poor from 24.8% in 2015-16 to 14.9% in 2019-2021.

In Maharashtra, it dipped from 14. 8% to 7. 8% as around 87. 4 lakh people came out of multi-dimensional poverty during the period.

Rural India witnessed the fastest decline in poverty from 32.5% to 19.3%. In the same period, urban areas saw a reduction from 8.7% to 5.3%.

DELHI POLICE TO DEPLOY ITS FIRST 19 ‘MARKSWOMEN’ FOR G20 SUMMIT

Among the many layers of security for the G20 Summit later this year will be 19 “markswomen” of the Delhi Police who have just completed a four-week specialised training session, conducted by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at its training centre in Karera, Madhya Pradesh.

In a first, the Delhi Police decided to send these 19 women, all commandos with its Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit in Zamrudpur, for the “marksman” course.

The course started on June 19 and ended on July 15. “They were trained in the basic principles of firing as marksmen. Now, all 19 women are trained to hit a target of 4 cm from a distance of 100 yards,” said an officer.

AFTER VIRAL VIDEOS, KEDARNATH OFFICIALS SEEK TO LAY DOWN LAW

Following several incidents of people making “objectionable” videos in the premises of the Kedarnath temple, the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has put up signboards warning people of legal action if they are caught taking photos or videos inside the temple.

The large boards put up outside the temple announce in Hindi and English that “photography and videography are strictly prohibited”. Another signboard warns people that they are under CCTV camera surveillance.

Last month, Uttarakhand police registered an FIR against a woman after a video showed her showering money on Shivalingam in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. More recently, a travel vlogger’s video showing her proposing to her partner outside the temple also created a controversy.

A BENGALURU MAN MARRIED 15 WOMEN UNTIL ARREST

While investigating the case of a Bengaluru resident who allegedly cheated women on matrimonial websites, Sub-inspector Radha M of Mysuru police said it was a “shocker” for investigators to find out that he had married 15 women. However, what really stunned the SI was the further discovery that he was in “discussions” with another nine women who were apparently ready to marry him.

Mahesh K B Nayak (35), who has studied only till Class 5, had allegedly been posing as a doctor or an engineer on matrimonial websites for the past 10 years to lure women into marrying him. Last week, he was arrested after a software engineer he had married earlier this year filed a complaint.

ELI LILLY DRUG SLOWS ALZHEIMER’S BY 60% FOR MILDLY IMPAIRED PATIENTS IN TRIAL

Eli Lilly’s experimental drug donanemab slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s by 60% for patients in the earliest stages of the brain-wasting disease, according to trial data presented at a medical meeting on Monday.

For those patients, the drug slowed cognitive decline by nearly twice the rate Lilly reported in May for the trial’s overall treatment group. The full analysis showed results were less robust for older, later-stage patients as well as those with higher levels of a protein called tau that has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease progression.

The findings underscore that “earlier detection and diagnosis can really change the trajectory of this disease,” said Anne White, president of neuroscience at Lilly.

ALCARAZ HAS THE BEST OF OF EACH OF BIG 3?

A few weeks back Roger Federer was startled when he heard the lavish praise heaped on Carlos Alcaraz by his ex coach, the Croatian Ivan Ljubicic; that Alcaraz has a bit of Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Federer’s response was not to put so much pressure on the kid – “He said that? … It’s a lot to live up to”. On a windy Sunday evening, after losing an epic Wimbledon final, Novak Djokovic would also bring up that comparison.

“I haven’t played a player like him ever, to be honest. I think people have been talking in the past 12 months or so about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself. I would agree with that … I didn’t expect him to play so well this year on grass, but he’s proven he’s the best player in the world.”

Djokovic’s assessment will only add to the ever-evolving hype swirling Alcaraz’s multidimensional game with evidence of all three of the sport’s greatest players – he has shown similarities to Nadal’s lateral movement and fight; Federer’s forehand and audacity; and Djokovic’s backhand and temperament on the big stage.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity. - Keshavan Nair

OFF TRACK

I believe that one becomes stronger emotionally by taking life less personally. If your employer criticizes your report, don't take it personally. Instead, find out what's needed and fix it. Like if your girlfriend laughs at your tie, don't take it personally. Just find another girlfriend.