THE GAMES BEGIN

At 8 pm sharp local time Friday, the lights dimmed and the fireworks went off. And the country obsessed with punctuality could finally begin the Olympic Games a year later than originally scheduled.

It was surreal outside the National Stadium, sombre and strange inside. Roughly a thousand people lined up on the narrow lane leading to the cavernous facility. They had been banned from entering the stadium during the Olympics because of the sharp rise in Covid-19 cases — so, the Tokyoites jammed the streets.

They waved at every bus heading in the direction of the stadium, posed in front of the rings, and clicked pictures every time the pyrotechnics went off from the roof.

There were protesters, too. Not in huge numbers but loud enough to be heard inside the stadium. Every time there was a lull in the music, the protesters outside could be heard. “Go to hell, IOC!” they chanted, directing their anger at the International Olympic Committee, who, at the moment aren’t too popular there.

Inside, it was a muted, pensive ceremony with dark backdrops that only got gloomier after Seiko Hashimoto, the Tokyo 2020 president, welled up during her speech. Hashimoto, seven-time Olympian, was born in 1964, the year Tokyo hosted what is regarded as one of the greatest Games ever. She promised the athletes they will “remember this moment forever”.

There wasn’t any synchronised banging of the drums, like at Beijing 2008. Nor the rib-tickling humour of Rowan Atkinson from the London Olympics. And neither was it the one big party that Rio threw, which made the city forget all its problems in the lead-up.

For the thousands of athletes, there was no holding back. They entered the arena waving their flags, smiling and dancing and taking selfies. The Indian contingent, led by the legendary Mary Kom and hockey captain Manpreet Singh – for the first time, the Olympics has one male and one female flag bearer for each nation – strutted out in their trademark blue blazers.

PEGASUS PARALYSES PARLIAMENT, TMC MP SUSPENDED FOR REST OF SESSION

The Pegasus snooping row disrupted Parliament for the fourth straight day with Trinamool Congress MP Santanu Sen suspended from the Rajya Sabha for unruly behaviour. Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated Opposition uproar over the issue leading to adjournments for the day.

In the Rajya Sabha, the govt motion to suspend Sen was adopted by a voice vote amid Opposition queries as to why it was not listed in the day’s business. Sen had on Thursday snatched and torn up IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s statement rejecting the snooping charges.

Demanding the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah and a judicial probe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed the alleged use of Pegasus spyware on some Indians as treason. “My phone was tapped. This is not a matter of Rahul Gandhi’s privacy. This is an attack on the voice of people. Pegasus was used against the Supreme Court and to scuttle the Rafale investigation,” Rahul reiterated, demanding a judicial inquiry by the Supreme Court conducted on PM Modi as “no one else can authorise the use of Pegasus.”

BJP’s Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said the law of the land prevailed in India and no one’s phone was tapped illegally. “If anyone has any doubt that some agency is doing it illegally, he or she can complain and lawful action will be taken,” he said, adding: “We will now wait for Rahul Gandhi to submit his phone for investigation to proceed.”

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi's comment, in response to a reporter’s question, that "only the corrupt need to fear Prime Minister Narendra Modi" provoked a back-handed compliment from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who remarked it was "good to see him speaking the truth".

When reporters asked Rahul whether he was worried, he replied: "I am not afraid. I don't get intimidated. In this country, if you are corrupt and a thief, you will be afraid of Modi. If you are neither of those, you have nothing to be afraid of," he said.

ROAD AHEAD MORE DAUNTING, NEED TO RECALIBRATE PRIORITIES: MANMOHAN SINGH

In 2016, as India marked the 25th anniversary of the opening up of the economy, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the prime architect of the historic 1991 liberalisation, had famously said the country tends to act when there is a crisis. And when it is over, status quo takes over, he had said.

On Friday, marking the 30th anniversary of the economic liberalisation, Singh sounded a warning. He said the road ahead is even more daunting than during the 1991 economic crisis and the nation would need to recalibrate its priorities to ensure a dignified life for all Indians.

“As finance minister in 1991, I ended my budget speech by quoting Victor Hugo, ‘No power on Earth can stop an idea whose time has come’. Thirty years later, as a nation, we must remember Robert Frost’s poem, ‘But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep’,” Singh said.

JAISHANKAR MEETS TOP AFGHAN PEACE NEGOTIATOR ABDULLAH

Afghanistan’s key peace and reconciliation leader Abdullah Abdullah met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi Friday as the Afghan govt forces prepare a massive retaliation plan against the Taliban.

According to sources in the Afghan govt, the Ashraf Ghani dispensation is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that some of its key regional partners, including India, rallies behind Kabul as it goes for a “full-fledged retaliation” against the Taliban with the support of the US, notwithstanding the withdrawal of American troops by 31 August.

Jaishankar had met the Afghan President in Tashkent, Uzbekistan earlier this month and had assured him of India’s support for peace, stability and development of Afghanistan.

Abdullah’s visit comes ahead of the Delhi visit by the Afghan Army Chief Gen Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai next week.

KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 4,03,312

New Cases in last 24 hours: 39,498

Recovered in last 24 hours: 35,134

Change in no. of Active cases in last 24 hours: +3,823

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 541 (4,20,043)

Daily Tests (Wednesday): 20,27,833

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 1.7%

Percentage of Population Vaccinated (At Least One Dose / Two Doses): 25.1% / 6.7%

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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WHO URGES COLLABORATION ON VIRUS ORIGIN AFTER CHINA REJECTS INQUIRY PLAN

The World Health Organization called on Friday for all countries to work together to investigate the origins of the coronavirus that caused Covid-19, a day after China rejected plans for more checks on labs and markets in its territory.

The WHO this month proposed a follow-up to earlier investigations in China. But Zeng Yixin, vice minister of China's National Health Commission, said on Thursday Beijing would not accept the proposal as it stood.

When asked about China's rejection, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told a U.N. briefing in Geneva: "This is not about politics, it's not about a blame game.

"It is about basically a requirement we all have to try to understand how the pathogen came into the human population. In this sense, countries really have the responsibility to work together and to work with WHO in a spirit of partnership."

TALIBAN SAY THEY WON’T MONOPOLISE POWER BUT PRESIDENT GHANI MUST GO

The Taliban say they don’t want to monopolize power, but they insist there won’t be peace in Afghanistan until there is a new negotiated govt in Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani is removed.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Taliban spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, laid out the insurgents’ stance on what should come next in a country on the precipice.

Shaheen said the govt’s repeated demands for a ceasefire while Ghani stayed in power were tantamount to demanding a Taliban surrender. Before any ceasefire, there must be an agreement on a new govt “acceptable to us and to other Afghans,” he said.

THE REST

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RAIN BATTERS WEST MAHARASHTRA

More than 73 people have died in Maharashtra since Thursday evening as rain described as “unprecedented” by the state govt caused landslides and house collapses in the western and southern areas of the state. Over 7,000 were rescued in badly hit Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur districts.

Among the dead were eight admitted to a Covid hospital in Chiplun, Ratnagiri, who were killed when water entered the premises.

Sections of the Konkan Railway track were also washed away. A Konkan Railway official said two trains were stuck at Margao. The line is expected to be operational by Saturday.

The Mumbai-Goa traffic road is expected to be severely affected over the next few weeks, with part of the Vasisthi river bridge washed away.

The Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, as well as National Rescue Defence Force and State Rescue Defence Force have been deployed for rescue operations

NO TIMELINE FOR COMPLETION OF COVID VACCINE DRIVE: GOVT

Responding to a questions by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who asked whether the govt proposed to complete the exercise of full vaccination of all adults by 2021 end, Minister of State for Health Bharati Panwar said, “The Covid-19 vaccination is an ongoing and dynamic process, which is being guided by National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 on the basis of concurrent scientific evidence. In view of the dynamic and evolving nature of the pandemic, no fixed timeline at present can be indicated for the completion of the vaccination drive, however, it is expected that beneficiaries aged 18 years and above will be vaccinated by December 2021.”

The govt said between August 2021 to December 2021, a total of 135 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccine were expected to be available.

J&K: DRONE CARRYING 5 KG IED MATERIAL SHOT DOWN

Jammu and Kashmir Police shot down a drone carrying a 5 kg improvised explosive device (IED) material in “ready to use” condition near the International Border at Gurah Pattan, in Akhnoor sector of Jammu, early Friday, the police said.

Carrying IED in “ready-to-use condition”, it was an assembled hexa copter with parts made in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Mukesh Singh told the media. Only its fuse had to be connected with the wire for causing the explosion, he added.

Preliminary analysis of the drone revealed that the payload is dropped from it through a string. The string found with the drone shot down on Friday was similar to the one seized near the crater caused on the roof of an IAF station building last month, Singh said.

J&K DGP Dilbag Singh said frequency of drone activity has increased in the Kathua and Akhnoor sector over the last eight months. “This is a new kind of threat. Countermeasures have been taken at all vital installations.”

WILL WORK AS A TEAM, SAY NAVJOT SINGH SIDHU, CAPT AMARINDER SINGH

Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh on dais, the new PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu yesterday stressed that Punjab’s “real issues” needed to be resolved. Speaking at his installation as the new Punjab Pradesh Congress chief, Sidhu gave a call to the Congress workers to empower the common man through the Punjab model envisaged by him.

After months of deadlock, Captain and Sidhu were seen together on the stage, indicating efforts by the party high command to put up a show of unity. Even as both leaders announced they would work as a team in the run-up to the Assembly elections, their body language on the stage showed a certain discomfort.

Speaking at the event, the CM however referred to his ties with Sidhu’s family. “When Sidhu was born in 1963, I was in the Army. When I left the Army in 1970, my mother asked me to join politics. She said meet Bhagwan Singh Sidhu (father of Navjot Sidhu). He helped me enter politics,” he said.

Hitting out at his critics, Sidhu said: “I have no ego, I will work with all party workers shoulder to shoulder. The Congress stands united today, contrary to what the Opposition says.”

ON DEBUT, ZOMATO SERVES LISTING-DAY GAINS OF 65.5%

Zomato on Friday made a strong start on the bourses, with its shares ending at Rs 125.85, a 65.59 per cent premium against its issue price of Rs 76 per share on the BSE.

On the BSE, the stock listed at Rs 115, a 51 per cent rise over its issue price. It touched an intra-day high of Rs 138.

The counter saw a huge trading volume, with nearly 740 million equity shares changing hands cumulatively on the NSE and the BSE during the day. “The stellar debut of Zomato’s on the domestic bourse after attracting robust subscription is a testimony to the fact that investors are willing to bet big on new-age technology companies which have the characteristics of a disruptive business model. It is also a tribute to Indian entrepreneurship,” said S Ramesh, MD & CEO, Kotak Mahindra Capital Company.

Zomato’s market capitalisation hit the Rs 1 lakh crore-mark in intra-day trade. With Rs 98,732 crore market-cap, Zomato stood at 49th position in market-cap rankings on the BSE at the end of the day.

Zomato’s IPO had received a strong response and generated bids worth Rs 2 lakh crore as it was subscribed over 38 times last week.

SC DISMISSES VI, AIRTEL PLEAS SEEKING CORRECTION OF AGR DUE CALCULATION

In a blow to the telecom sector, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the petitions of Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel seeking correction of alleged errors in calculating the dues linked to adjusted gross revenue (AGR). With an accumulated debt of Rs 1.8 trillion, Vodafone Idea is likely to be the most adversely hit by the court verdict.

Vodafone Idea, which has been struggling to remain a going concern, calculated its remaining AGR dues at around Rs 21,500 crore after making a payment of Rs 7,800 crore. However, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had arrived at around Rs 58,000 crore as total AGR liability for Vodafone Idea. DoT’s calculation was around Rs 28,700 crore more than Voda Idea’s.

Bharti Airtel too had contested the DoT calculation of Rs 43,980 crore total AGR liability for the telco. Bharti Airtel said it had to pay Rs 13,000 crore more, having already made a payment of Rs 18,000 crore. The DoT calculation exceeded Bharti Airtel’s by around Rs 12,980 crore.

The Supreme Court on Monday had observed that it had said not just once but twice and thrice that the AGR dues can’t be re-computed, and reserved the order.

Vodafone Idea counsel Mukul Rohatgi said the AGR figures were not cast in stone and SC had the powers to correct the arithmetic error. The counsel had urged that the calculations be placed before DoT for the department to take a call.

Bharti Airtel's counsel had said that there were cases of duplication and that payments made were not accounted for in the computation of AGR dues.

DAYS AFTER ‘LOVE JIHAD’ PROTESTS, NASHIK COUPLE TIES KNOT

Days after a Nashik family called off a function to solemnise their 28-year-old daughter’s wedding to a Muslim man as per Hindu rituals following protests by their community members, the couple tied the knot Thursday.

The family had to call off the July 18 wedding after a copy of the invitation card got circulated in several WhatsApp groups, triggering protests, messages and calls, including from “strangers”, for the ceremony to be cancelled. The protesters described the marriage as a case of “love jihad”.

Following the protests, the bride’s father, Prasad Adgaonkar, a prominent city-based jeweller, had cancelled the marriage under pressure. After the media highlighted the issue, the family said, several social organisations and politicians, including Minister of State Bachchu Kadu, extended support to the couple and Rasika Adgaonkar and Asif Khan finally tied the knot as per rituals of both the religion at a hotel in Nashik Thursday. “There was so much negativity and hate earlier but when the people got to know the truth, we received outpouring support. We were really happy the way people understood what was being said in those messages on social media was wrong and it was not a case of a love jihad or forced conversion,” Adgaonkar said.

The jeweller said that Rasika and Asif knew each other for the last eight years and both of them had informed their family about their wish to get married.

SRI LANKA WIN 3RD ODI

A rejigged Indian team promised a lot but delivered little as Sri Lanka beat the visitors by three wickets in the third and final match of the series on Friday.

While India won the three-match ODI series 2-1, the exciting rookies who were blooded on the day still have a long way to go before they can come close to challenging the big boys after the Sri Lankan spinners made full use of a rain break to bowl out Shikhar Dhawan's men for 225 in 43.1 overs out of a possible 47.

It wasn't defendable, especially for an attack that had four debutant bowlers as Avishka Fernando (76 off 98 balls) anchored the chase, laying the foundation with a 109-run stand with Bhanuka Rajapaksa (65, 56 balls).

The only silver lining would be a big-hearted effort from left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya (2/34 in 8 overs), including a back of the hand delivery that reared up awkwardly and lobbed off Dhananjaya de Silva's gloves. Rahul Chahar (3/54 in 10 overs) was also impressive as he delayed the inevitable with some impressive stuff towards the end.

The 227-run chase as per DLS method was finally completed in 39 overs as it was Sri Lanka's first ODI win at home against India in nine years and first victory against them since 2017 ODI at Dharamsala.

The three T20 internationals follow now, on July 25, 27 & 29.

INDICATORS

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance. - Harrison Ford

OFF TRACK

A pious man, who had reached the age of 105, suddenly stopped going to synagogue. Alarmed by the old fellow's absence after so many years of faithful attendance, the Rabbi went to see him. He found him in excellent health, so the Rabbi asked, "How come after all these years we don't see you at services anymore?"

The old man lowered his voice. "I'll tell you, Rabbi," he whispered. "When I got to be 90, I expected God to take me any day. But then I got to be 95, then 100, then 105. So, I figured that God is very busy and must've forgotten about me, and I don't want to remind Him!"