INDIA PUSHES FOR EARLY DISENGAGEMENT IN 8-HR TALKS WITH CHINA

India on Sunday pressed for an early disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh at the 13th round of military talks with China that lasted for around eight-and-half hours, sources in the security establishment said.

It is learnt that a major focus of the Corps Commander-level talks was to complete the stalled disengagement at Patrolling Point 15 (PP-15).

There was no official comment on the negotiations that took place on the Chinese side of the Chushul-Moldo border point in eastern Ladakh.

The talks took place in the backdrop of two recent incidents of attempted transgressions by the Chinese troops - one in the Barahoti sector of Uttarakhand and another in the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh.

The two sides held the 12th round of talks on July 31. Days later, the two armies completed the disengagement process in Gogra, which was seen as a significant forward movement towards the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the region.

The Indian delegation at Sunday's talks was led by Lt Gen PGK Menon, the Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps.

NEEDLESS PANIC, ENOUGH COAL STOCK: GOVT

After several states, including Delhi, Rajasthan and Punjab, flagged blackout possibilities citing coal shortage at power plants, the Centre on Sunday said coal stock at power plants was sufficient for over four days and fears of power disruption were misplaced.

Power Minister RK Singh on Sunday hit out at Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) and Tata Power for their “baseless SMSes to customers creating unnecessary panic about the situation”.

Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said ample coal was available in the country to meet the demand of power plants. Power Minister RK Singh reiterated the assurance.

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said unless the Centre acknowledged coal shortage, it would have a major crisis at hand that would hit the industry and the larger economy.

Sisodia drew parallels between medical oxygen crisis during Covid second wave and the coal shortage, saying, “Several states, including Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, even Gujarat have flagged the coal shortage issue but the Centre is busy proving that CMs are lying. Turning a blind eye to the problem won’t solve anything. Unless they admit to the problem, there will be a massive crisis at hand.”

The Coal Ministry in a statement said, “Any fear of disruption in power supply is entirely misplaced. Coal stock at power plant-end is about 72 lakh tonne, sufficient for four days and at Coal India- end, it is over 400 lakh tonne which is being supplied to the power plants.”

SUPREME COURT SHOULD SCRAP SEDITION LAW: EX-JUDGE ROHINTON FALI NARIMAN

Retired Supreme Court Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman on Sunday said India's sedition law should be struck down by the top court, adding that the colonial decree along with those like the tough anti-terror law UAPA was harmful to the country's democracy.

"I would exhort the Supreme Court to not send sedition law cases pending before it back to Centre. Governments will come and go (but) it is important for the court to use its power and strike down Section 124A and the offensive portion of UAPA. Then citizen here would breathe more freely," said Justice Nariman said while speaking at a function organised by Viswanath Pasayat Memorial Committee.

He added that India's rank in the Global Law Index is 142 because of the draconian and colonial laws that still exist.

He spoke about the history of Sedition law in the UK and India and said that Supreme Court must strike down sedition provisions. "We had China and Pakistan wars. Thereafter we introduced the draconian legislation - Unlawful Activities Prohibition Act. Disaffection continues in the statute book and UAPA is a draconian act as it has no anticipatory bail and has a minimum five years imprisonment. This act is not under scanner yet. This too has to be looked into along with the sedition law," Justice Nariman said.

KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 2,21,505

New Cases in last 24 hours: 19,017

Recovered in last 24 hours: 21,583

Change in no. of Active cases in last 24 hours: -2,759

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 193 (4,50,814)

Daily Tests (Saturday): 12,83,212

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 1.5%

Percentage of Population Vaccinated (At Least One Dose / Two Doses): 51.1 % / 20.0%

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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TAIWAN REJECTS CHINA’S ‘PATH’, SAYS ‘WON’T BOW TO PRESSURE’

Taiwan will keep bolstering its defences to ensure nobody can force them to accept the path China has laid down that offers neither freedom nor democracy, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Sunday, in a riposte to Beijing that its government denounced. Claimed by China as its own territory, Taiwan has come under growing military and political pressure to accept Beijing’s rule, including repeated Chinese air force missions in Taiwan’s air defence identification zone, to international concern.

Addressing a National Day rally, Tsai said she hoped for an easing of tensions across the Taiwan Strait, and reiterated Taiwan will not “act rashly”. “But there should be absolutely no illusions that the Taiwanese people will bow to pressure,” she said in the speech outside the presidential office in central Taipei. “We will continue to bolster our national defence and demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves in order to ensure that nobody can force Taiwan to take the path China has laid out for us,” Tsai added. “This is because the path that China has laid out offers neither a free and democratic way of life for Taiwan, nor sovereignty for our 23 million people.”

Responding some nine hours after she spoke, Beijing offered condemnation, saying the country must be “reunified” and that seeking independence closes the door to talks.

ABDUL QADEER KHAN, MAN WHO BUILT PAKISTAN’S NUCLEAR BOMB AND ‘GAVE AWAY SECRETS’

Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan died Sunday at the age of 85 in Islamabad. He was considered the father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, and is known by the title Mohsin-i-Pakistan (saviour of Pakistan).

But he was also seen as a controversial figure, who was accused of giving nuclear technology to “rogue states”.

He came into the limelight when Pakistan tested its first atom bomb on 28 May 1998, just two weeks after India’s Pokhran-II tests on 11 and 13 May that year.

In 2004, Khan was named in the global nuclear proliferation scandal in 2004 that involved the sale of nuclear secrets to North Korea, Iran and Libya. He was accused by then-army chief and President Pervez Musharraf of running a nuclear material dissemination network.

Shortly after Musharraf’s announcement, a recorded confession by Khan was circulated in which he took full responsibility for all nuclear proliferation. He was arrested in 2004 and kept under house arrest till 2009. However, he later retracted his confession. He also accused Musharraf of waging a vendetta against him.

Just last month, Khan had expressed disappointment in Imran Khan’s government of Pakistan, accusing it of not enquiring about his health.

PM Imran Khan did, however, tweeted after his demise, calling him a “national icon”.

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MAHA GOVT CALLS BANDH ON MONDAY OVER LAKHIMPUR VIOLENCE

The three partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra have appealed to the people to wholeheartedly support Monday's state-wide bandh called by them to protest the killing of four farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri.

The shutdown has been called by the ruling allies -- the Shiv Sena, the NCP, and the Congress.

"The BJP-led central government has allowed the loot of agriculture produce through the three newly-enacted farm laws and now the kin of its minister is killing farmers. We have to show solidarity with the cultivators," NCP spokesman and state minister Nawab Malik said. The MVA demands that Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Misha be sacked, Malik added.

PRIYANKA RAISES LAKHIMPUR KHERI AT VARANASI RALLY

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi being felicitated during the ‘Kisan Nyay’ rally in Varanasi.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Sunday accused the BJP-led central government of shielding Union minister Ajay Mishra and his son Ashish in the Lakhimpur Kheri case. Launching the party’s 2022 UP election campaign from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi, she said only BJP leaders and their “billionaire” friends are safe in the country.

Priyanka began her speech at the party’s Kisan Nyay rally by invoking Goddess Durga. “I am on a fast and I will start my speech with the stuti (prayer) of Maa,” she said. The Congress general secretary recited two shlokas in Sanskrit and led people in chants of ‘Jai Mata Di’.

Priyanka attacked the BJP on multiple fronts — from the farmers’ stir to inflation and unemployment — and urged people to usher in “parivartan (change)” in the state by replacing the Yogi Adityanath government.

MoS’ SON IN 14-DAY COURT CUSTODY

Union MoS Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra, an accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri killings, was sent to judicial custody for 14 days in the wee hours of Sunday. Ashish was arrested on Saturday after 12 hours of questioning. The police were dissatisfied with his responses on where he was on the day of the violence. An application for police remand would come up for hearing on Monday.

IMMORAL TO TURN LAKHIMPUR EVENTS INTO ‘HINDU VS SIKH’ BATTLE: VARUN GANDHI

“An attempt to turn #LakhimpurKheri into a Hindu vs Sikh battle is being made. Not only is this an immoral & false narrative. It is dangerous to create these fault lines & reopen wounds that have taken a generation to heal. We must not put petty political gains above national unity,” Varun Gandhi, the BJP's MP from Pilibhit tweeted on Sunday.

He said that the “struggle for justice in Lakhimpur is about the cruel massacre in the face of an arrogant local power elite. It has no religious connotations.” “To use the word Khalistani liberally to describe the protesting farmers was not only an insult to the generations of these proud sons, but it is also extremely dangerous for our national unity if this provokes the wrong kind of reaction,” he added.

OVER 700 "TERRORIST SYMPATHISERS" DETAINED IN J&K AFTER CIVILIAN KILLINGS

Security forces have detained over 700 people in Jammu and Kashmir in response to the killing of seven civilians, in six days.

Several of those detained are believed to have links to the banned Jamaat-e-Islami or are suspected overground workers (OGW), and come from Srinagar, Budgam or other areas in southern Kashmir.

The murders have sparked outrage in the already tense Kashmir Valley, with opposition leaders fiercely critical of the administrations' apparent inability to stop the attacks and locals living in fear.

Police have attributed the recent attacks to "The Resistance Front" - reportedly an offshoot of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba. On Thursday the Home Ministry sent a team of senior officers to Kashmir to supervise operations.

HINDUS CONVERTING FOR MARRIAGE ARE COMMITTING WRONG, SAYS RSS CHIEF

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said that Hindus who were converting to other religions for marriage were committing a wrong. He said this was happening for small selfish interests and because Hindu families were not giving their children the values of pride for one’s religion and traditions.

“How does conversion happen? How do our girls and boys embrace other religion? For small selfish interests, for marriage. It’s another matter that those who do it are wrong. But aren’t we preparing our children,” Bhagwat said during an event in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, where he addressed RSS workers and their families.

Bhagwat’s statements on conversion come at a time when several BJP-ruled states have brought laws against alleged “love jihad” or what they call religious conversion for marriage.

Bhagwat spoke at length about Indian family values and preserving them.

MOOD HAS CHANGED, CONSUMERS BULLISH ON ECONOMY: RBI

There has been a huge change in public sentiment since the August monetary policy meet of the RBI. People are less pessimistic about the state of the economy on all fronts and are optimistic about spending. When it comes to future expectations, consumers are optimistic about the economy, employment, income and spending. However, they are still wary of prices a year from now.

“Consumers reflected lower pessimism on the prevailing general economic situation, employment scenario as well as household income and expenditure…,” according to the bank’s September 2021 round of the survey. The results of the RBI survey in terms of future expectations is one of the most optimistic after the pandemic cast a shadow on consumer confidence.

Overall, the consumer confidence index improved to 57.7 in September from 48.6 in July. Consumer confidence for the one-year ahead period also improved. The future expectations index moved to 107 in September from 104 in July. An index value above 100 is a sign of optimism.

CENTRE IMPOSES STOCK LIMITS ON EDIBLE OILS TO SOFTEN PRICES

The Centre on Sunday imposed stock limits on traders of edible oils and oilseeds, barring importers and exporters, till March 2022, to check rising domestic prices and give relief to consumers.

Edible oil prices in the domestic retail markets have shot up sharply by up to 46 per cent in the last one year due to global factors and local tight supply situation, as per government data.

“The Centre’s decision will soften the prices of edible oils in the domestic market, thereby bringing relief to consumers across the country,” the Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

RIL BOOSTS SOLAR BIZ WITH ₹9K CR DEALS

Mukesh Ambani’s $10-billion renewables dream will take wings with acquisition of Norway-based solar panel manufacturer REC Solar Holdings and a 40% stake in Sterling & Wilson Solar, a Shapoorji Pallonji group company, with a combined deal value that will be more than Rs 9,300 crore.

Reliance New Energy Solar (RNESL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries (RIL), on Sunday acquired 100% shareholding of REC Solar Holdings AS (REC Group) from China National Bluestar (Group) Co, for an Enterprise Value of $771 million (Rs 5,800 crore).

Simultaneously, RNESL also executed definitive agreements with Shapoorji Pallonji and Company (SPCPL), Khurshed Daruvala and Sterling & Wilson Solar (SWSL) to acquire 40% stake post-money in SWSL through a series of transactions. Altogether, the transactions could entail total investment of up to Rs 3,900 crore, depending on the price at which the open offer is made.

These are the first steps in green energy by the oil-to-retail and telecom giant.

TAXING BIG TECH WHERE IT EARNS PROFITS

A majority of the world’s nations have signed a historic pact that could force multinational companies to pay their fair share of tax in markets where they operate and earn profits. One hundred and thirty-six countries, including India, agreed Friday to enforce a minimum corporate tax rate of 15%, and an equitable system of taxing profits of big companies in markets where they are earned. Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have not yet joined the deal.

The move is part of an evolving consensus that big multinationals are funnelling profits through low-tax jurisdictions to avoid paying taxes. The biggest impact is likely on Big Tech companies that have largely chosen low-tax jurisdictions to headquarter their operations.

The decisions effectively ratify the OECD’s two-pillar package that aims to ensure that large multinational enterprises (MNEs) “pay tax where they operate and earn profits”.

Pillar One aims to ensure a fairer distribution of profits and taxing rights among countries with respect to the largest MNEs, including digital companies. This would entail reallocation of some taxing rights over MNEs from their home countries to markets where they have business and earn profits, regardless of whether firms have a physical presence there.

Pillar Two seeks to put a floor on competition over corporate income tax, through a global minimum corporate tax rate that countries can use to protect their tax bases.

The 15% floor under the corporate tax will come in from 2023, provided all countries move such legislation. This will cover firms with global sales above 20 billion Euros ($23 billion) and profit margins above 10%. A quarter of any profits above 10% is proposed to be reallocated to the countries where they were earned, and taxed there.

IPL QUALIFIER 1: VINTAGE DHONI TAKES CSK INTO IPL FINAL

The old warhorse Mahendra Singh Dhoni produced a nostalgic little innings to take Chennai Super Kings' band of old men to their 9th Indian Premier League final after beating Delhi Capitals by four wickets in Qualifier 1, in Dubai, on Sunday.

The CSK team has appeared in 12 of the 14 IP Editions so far – they were out for 2 years.

The Delhi Capitals though have another shot at making it to the final when they meet the winner of the Eliminator between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, to be played today.

Needing 13 off the last 5 balls, Dhoni hit a square cut, got a bit of luck going his way for his second 4, got a run via wide ball next, and then pulled Delhi’s best bowler Tom Curran for the most-celebrated T20 boundary in recent times.

Before that, he dispatched Avesh Khan for a six over mid-wicket.

Curran and Avesh did not bowl badly, but it was one of those days when the cricketing Gods wanted the 40-year-old to finish it in style. His 18 not out off six balls saw the former champions home with 173 for 6 in 19.4 overs.

It was all about turning the clock back for the former India captain who has struggled to finish in the last few years.

Robin Uthappa (63 off 44 balls) turned the clock back to his halcyon days, being the pace setter in the company of the irresistible Ruturaj Gaikwad (70 off 50 balls).

Earlier, Delhi skipper Rishabh Pant showed no signs of his self-confessed "nervousness" while firing an unbeaten 51 off 35 balls, which propelled Delhi Capitals to a competitive 172 for 5.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Success comes not from having certainty, but being able to live with uncertainty. - Jeffrey Fry

OFF TRACK

Three men are sitting stiffly, side by side, on a long commercial flight.

After they're airborne and the plane has levelled off, the man in the window seat abruptly says, distinctly and confidently, in a loud voice, "Admiral, Royal Navy, retired. Married, two sons, both surgeons."

After a few minutes the man in the aisle seat states through a tight lipped smile, "Admiral, Fleet Air Arm, retired. Married, two sons, both Judges."

After some thought, the fellow in the centre seat decides to introduce himself. With a twinkle in his eye he proclaims, "Master Gunnery Sergeant,  Royal Navy, retired. NEVER MARRIED, two sons, both Admirals.