PUTIN DIALS MODI, SAYS UNABLE TO ATTEND G20 MEET

In their first conversation after the Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t attend the G20 summit, PM Narendra Modi reviewed progress with him on a number of issues of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on issues of mutual concern, including the recent BRICS summit in Johannesburg. Putin, who rang up Modi, conveyed his inability to attend the September 9-10 G20 summit here and informed that Russia would be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. While expressing an understanding for the decision, the PM thanked Putin for Russia’s consistent support to all initiatives under India’s G20 presidency, said an official news release. The two leaders agreed to remain in touch.

The Russian President also again warmly congratulated the PM on the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon’s south pole. They reaffirmed the willingness to further develop bilateral cooperation in space exploration. The Kremlin said the two leaders discussed the results of the XV BRICS summit, especially the expansion of BRICS, which “will undoubtedly contribute to the growth of its influence in international affairs”.

OPPN ALLIANCE TO MEET THIS WEEK IN MUMBAI

INDIA bloc will assemble for the third time in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1 with a key discussion point being the post of convener and possibly chairperson of the alliance. Although former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is a favourite to lead the bloc with someone else, potentially Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, as the convener, top sources said Sonia may not however be willing. The final agenda for the September 1 INDIA meeting will be finalised at a dinner of 26 party leaders in Mumbai’s Grand Hyatt hotel on August 31.

The naming of the INDIA convener is on the agenda for the upcoming Mumbai meet but whether it would be finally discussed would depend on whether the 26 parties arrive at a consensus on who should convene the bloc.

Nitish Kumar on Monday reiterated that he was not interested in any post. “I do not want anything,” Kumar said in Patna today, close on the heels of NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s meetings with nephew Ajit Pawar, who recently ditched the opposition partners to join the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra. Opposition leaders remain wary of senior Pawar’s politics with Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) publicly stating that the NCP founder’s closed-door meetings with Ajit were confusing the MVA cadres.

With Pawar and Nitish playing their own cards, it remains unclear whether the matter of convenership will be taken up at the Mumbai meeting.

‘CENTRAL GOVT ONLY BODY THAT CAN CONDUCT CENSUS’: CENTRE TO SC ON BIHAR CASTE SURVEY

The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that the Census Act, 1948, empowers “only the Central Government” to conduct a Census.

In a short affidavit filed in the Bihar caste survey matter, the Centre said, “Census is a statutory process and is governed by the Census Act, 1948. It is submitted that the subject of Census is covered in the Union List under Entry 69 in the Seventh Schedule. In exercise of the powers under the said Entry, the Central Government has made the Census Act, 1948. The said Act empowers only the Central Government to conduct Census under section 3 of the…Act…”

The government said it is filing the affidavit “only with a view to place the Constitutional and legal position for consideration of this court”.

The government said it is “committed to take all affirmative actions for upliftment of SCs/STs/SEBCs and OBCs in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and applicable law”.

Earlier in the day, the Centre filed another affidavit stating in paragraph 5 that “no other body under the Constitution or otherwise is entitled to conduct the exercise of either Census or any action akin to Census”.

An SC bench is currently seized of petitions challenging the Patna High Court order allowing the caste survey. The centre has contended that it is clearly in violation of the nine-judge SC bench decision in the privacy case wherein it was held that the State cannot encroach on the privacy of individuals without a law to back it. The survey was carried out on the basis of an executive order, they point out.

ISRO SET TO LAUNCH SOLAR MISSION ON SEPT 2

Having scripted a success story with its latest moon mission Chandrayaan-3, the ISRO has now set eyes on the sun. The state-run space agency on Monday announced that the Aditya-L1 Solar Observatory spacecraft — to explore different solar activities in real time and study their influence on space weather —would be launched at 11.30 am on September 2.

Taking off from the spaceport at Sriharikota, ISRO’s workhorse PSLV XL rocket would place Aditya-L1, the first space-based Indian observatory, in a low earth orbit. Subsequently, the orbit will be made more elliptical and the spacecraft would be eventually launched towards the Lagrange point (L1) by using onboard propulsion. The total travel time from launch to L1 would be about four months.

Lagrange points are the positions in space where a small object tends to stay, if put there. Between the sun-earth line, there are five Lagrange points (L1 – L5). A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the advantage of continuously viewing the sun without any occultation/eclipses. This will enable the ground control to observe solar activities and its effect on space weather in real time.

The spacecraft will carry seven “made in India” payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle and magnetic field detectors. While four payloads will directly view the sun, the remaining three payloads will carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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BIDEN WIDELY SEEN AS TOO OLD FOR OFFICE: POLL

Americans actually agree on something in this time of raw discord: Joe Biden is too old to be an effective president in a second term.

Only a few years his junior, Donald Trump raises strikingly less concern about his age. But they have plenty of other problems with Trump, who at least for now far outdistances his rivals for the Republican nomination despite his multiple criminal indictments. Never mind his advanced years —if anything, some say, the 77-year-old ought to grow up.

A new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds much of the public oddly united in sizing up the one trait Biden cannot change.

In the poll, fully 77% said Biden is too old to be effective for four more years. Not only do 89% of Republicans say that, so do 69% of Democrats. That view is held across age groups, not just by young people, though older Democrats specifically are more supportive of his 2024 bid.

In contrast, about half of US adults say Trump is too old for the office, and here the familiar partisan divide emerges — Democrats are far more likely to disqualify Trump by age than are Republicans. What’s clear from the poll is that Americans are saying out with the old and in with the young, or at least younger.

Meanwhile, Trump will stand trial on March 4, 2024 in federal court in Washington for trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat, a federal judge ruled on Monday, setting up a crowded schedule for the former president next year as he campaigns to recapture the White House.

UK AIRPORTS HIT BY FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS OVER ‘TECHNICAL ISSUE’

Hundreds of flights across Europe were cancelled Monday after Britain’s air traffic control service experienced a “technical issue” that caused widespread disruption on one of the country’s busiest travel days of the year.

More than 200 flights departing from Britain were cancelled, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, along with 271 that were scheduled to arrive in the country Monday. Many other flights would be delayed by more than eight hours, “which will inevitably result in a cancellation,” Cirium added.

NATS, Britain’s National Air Traffic Service, said a technical problem had affected its ability to automatically process flight plans, which meant that the information had to be entered manually.

While British airspace was not closed at any time, NATS restricted the number of flights departing from airports to maintain safety while its engineers tried to fix the problem. The delays hit during a particularly heavy travel period, as people returned from summer vacations or extended trips on Monday’s “bank holiday,” or national day off, in Britain. Customers were advised to check the status of their flight before traveling to airports.

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SCRAPPED ARTICLE 35A TOOK AWAY FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS: CJI

Article 35A of the Constitution has deprived people not residing in Jammu and Kashmir of some key constitutional rights, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said yesterday. Equality of opportunity, employment in the state government and right to buy land -- "all this this article snatches away from citizens... Because the residents (of Jammu and Kashmir) had special rights, the non-residents were excluded," he said. He also agreed with the Centre that the Indian constitution is a document that is "on a higher platform than the J&K Constitution".

His observations came during the 11th day of hearing of the petitions challenging the scrapping of Article 370, which granted Jammu and Kashmir its special status.

Article 35A, which was also scrapped in August 2019 along with Article 370, allowed the legislature of the erstwhile state to define "permanent residents" and provide them with special rights and privileges in terms of public employment, immovable property and settlement.

"There is a direct right under Article 16(1) which was taken away was employment under the state government. Employment under the State Government is specifically provided under Article 16(1). So while on the one hand Article 16(1) was preserved, on the other hand, Article 35A directly took away that fundamental right and was protected from any challenge on this ground," the Chief Justice said.

Similarly, Article 19 recognizes the right to live and settle in any part of the country. "Hence all the three fundamental rights were essentially taken away by 35A... Power of judicial review was taken away," he added.

NUH: COPS DISALLOW YATRA, DEVOTEES ALLOWED TO PRAY

Checking at borders, ferrying devotees to Nalhar temple — Haryana’s Nuh district saw heavy police deployment Monday amid calls that the Jalabhishek yatra would be taken out. Police reiterated that the yatra did not take place and that they only allowed the Jalabhishek programme with locals and a few VHP members.

It was during the jalabhishek yatra in July that violence broke out in Nuh and adjoining areas, leaving six people dead.

ADGP Mamta Singh said: “There was no yatra. We had told them we would not hamper the jalabhishek programme and people offered it without any issue like any other Monday. Around 700-800 people offered jalabhishek today. Our denial was only for the yatra.”

HINDUISM JUST FALLACY, BRAHMINISM CAUSE OF ALL DISPARITIES IN SOCIETY: SP’S SWAMI PRASAD MAURYA

In a controversial remark on Monday, Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya said Hinduism is just a “fallacy” and Brahminism is the cause of all disparities in society. Earlier this year, Maurya had triggered a row by claiming that certain verses of the Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas “insult” a large section of society on the basis of caste and demanded that these be “banned”.

On Monday, in a post in Hindi on ‘X’, he said, “The roots of Brahminism are very deep and the cause of all the disparity is also Brahminism itself.” “There is no religion called Hinduism, Hindu religion is just a fallacy (dhokha). In real meaning, the Brahmin religion has been termed the Hindu religion, and there is a conspiracy to trap Dalits, tribals and backward people of this country. If there was a Hindu religion, tribals, Dalits and the backwards would have been given respect, but what an irony,” Maurya said.

Maurya had defected from the BJP and joined the SP in 2022, a month ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

Hitting out at Maurya without taking his name, BJP leader Dinesh Sharma said, “In the 2024 (Lok Sabha polls), the public will completely destroy the parties that insult ‘Sanatan Dharma’, and the opposition will have to face defeat on all the (80) seats in the state.” Sharma further said the SP leader’s statement was “unfortunate” and alleged that it violates democratic norms and constitutional rights. “This statement shows the frustration of the SP,” he added.

Samajwadi Party leader I P Singh said, “Mr Swami Prasad Maurya should refrain from speaking on religious issues every day. You had accepted Buddhism years ago, (but) it does not mean that you should criticise Hinduism continuously.”

HALT ROUTINE MOCK TESTS, KOTA COACHING CENTRES TOLD

Authorities in Rajasthan’s Kota district have asked coaching institutes to stop conducting routine tests of students preparing for NEET and other competitive exams for the next two months in the wake of suicides by a number of aspirants. Over two lakh students move to Kota annually to prepare for competitive exams, such as JEE for engineering and NEET for admission to medical colleges.

According to authorities, 22 students preparing for competitive exams in the district have ended their lives so far in 2023 — the highest for any year. Last year, the figure was 15. Two students ended their lives on Sunday, in a span of four hours.

ROVER PRAGYAN ENCOUNTERS 4-M-WIDE CRATER, ALTERS PATH

ISRO on Monday said the Pragyan rover exploring the lunar south pole came across a four-metre diameter crater positioned three metres ahead of its location on Sunday, but it was turned around successfully.

“The Rover was commanded to retrace the path. It’s now safely heading on a new path. #Chandrayaan_3,” the ISRO posted on X. With only 10 days remaining for the completion of one lunar day, which will mark the end of mission life of Pragyan, ISRO scientists are working to cover a maximum distance of the uncharted south pole through the six-wheeled rover. The rover has two scientific payloads to analyse the mineral and chemical composition of lunar soil.

RIL SUCCESSION PLAN: NITA AMBANI STEPS DOWN, ISHA, AKASH & ANANT TO JOIN RELIANCE BOARD

Setting the succession plan at Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) in motion, Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani’s three children — Akash, Isha and Anant — were recommended for appointment to the RIL board as non-executive directors on Monday, while his wife, Nita Ambani, stepped down from the board.

Anant currently heads the energy businesses of RIL and its global operations in renewable and green energy, Isha is in charge of the retail division, and Akash is the Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm.

Their appointment to the board of RIL, India’s most valued company with a market capitalisation of Rs 16.52 lakh crore, paves the way for more key roles for them in the group.

“I shall groom and empower all the Next-Gen leaders at Reliance and prepare them for the challenges and opportunities of the future. I shall especially mentor Akash, Isha and Anant so that they can provide collective leadership and dependably take Reliance to greater heights of growth and value in the decades ahead,” Ambani said at the Annual General Meeting of RIL on Monday. “I shall continue to perform my duties and responsibilities as Chairman and Managing Director for five more years, with greater vigour,” he said.

On RIL’s future plans, Ambani said: “Our first priority is to deliver a fully-integrated, end-to-end solar PV manufacturing ecosystem. This will be one of the largest, most technologically advanced, flexible, and most cost-competitive solar giga factory globally, and will be converting sand into Solar PV modules.”

“Our concurrent priority is to set up our battery giga factory by 2026. It will manufacture battery chemicals, cells and packs, leading all the way up to containerised energy storage solutions, and will include a battery recycling facility to deliver a truly integrated ecosystem,” he said.

AN INDIA-PAK JAVELINE RIVALRY, MINUS THE TOXICITY

As Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem made track and field history by finishing one-two in the javelin throw at the World Championship, a new India-Pakistan sporting rivalry was born that lacks the edge of a cricket game between the two neighbours. The morning the video of Chopra calling out his long-time friend from across the border Nadeem for a celebratory frame at the arena where they left the rest of the world behind went viral, the usual toxicity that follows a close cricket encounter between India and Pakistan was missing.

Nadeem’s coach and Pakistan’s five-time national javelin throw champion Syed Hussain Bukhari spoke about the power-shift in the sport with the emergence of the sub-continent as the new hub of world-class javelin throwers. India’s Kishore Jena finished fifth, followed by DP Manu.

“India has three throwers but javelin throw is also picking up in Pakistan. Recently, Muhammad Yasir won a bronze medal at the Asian Athletics Championships. We are also leaving no stone unturned in unearthing the next Nadeem. Both Chopra and Nadeem are role models. Every second athlete wants to be a javelin thrower. Both countries are now working hard to become a force in javelin and in Budapest we saw the result,” Bukhari says.

“I felt good that Arshad threw well. We spoke and discussed how both our countries are growing now. Earlier there were European athletes but now we have reached their level,” Chopra said. Nadeem shares a special bond with the Indian champion as was evident from the picture of Chopra and his coaches that he posted on social media.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Life is not fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not. - Oscar Wilde

OFF TRACK

On a lonely, moonlit country road a young man's car engine started to cough. Immediately pulling over to a scenic little spot he said to the young lady next to him, "That's funny, I wonder what that knocking noise was?"  

"I'll tell you one thing for sure," said the girl coolly, "It wasn't opportunity."