CHINA CONFIRMS: BOTH ARE TAKING STEPS TO EASE LAC SITUATION

A day after it emerged that Indian and Chinese troops have begun moving back

from standoff positions at different points in the Galwan and Hot Spring

areas of Ladakh, Beijing said on Wednesday that the two sides have started

implementing the "positive consensus" reached by senior commanders of the

two countries on June 6 and are taking steps to "ease" the situation along

the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

This is the first official response from the Chinese government, while the

Indian side has not issued any statement so far.

Meanwhile, the two sides held Major General-level talks, which lasted over

four hours, on Wednesday. Sources said the Indian side pressed for

restoration of status quo ante, reiterating that troops should move back to

the positions held in April-end, before the standoff began. The Indian side

also sought reduction in the number of Chinese troops in the region.

In Beijing, asked about reports of troops on both sides disengaging and

moving back to their previous positions, Chinese foreign ministry

spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing that both the countries are

taking steps to ease the situation along the borders. "Recently, the

diplomatic and military channels of China and India held effective

communication on the situation along the border and reached positive

consensus," she said. "The two sides are following this consensus to take

actions to ease the situation along the borders," she added.

On Monday, Beijing had said both sides agree that there is need to implement

the "consensus" among the leaders of the two countries, and ensure that

"differences do not escalate into disputes".

The movement at the border has been perceived as the first possible sign of

de-escalation along the LAC. However, Indian officials have cautioned that

it should be seen as a "first step" towards a long, phased and gradual

process of disengagement, and there should be no expectation of immediate or

quick withdrawal of troops and weaponry.

INDIA FAKED RIVER BOUNDARY, SAYS NEPAL PM, SLAMS ADITYANATH REMARK

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli told parliament Wednesday that India had

claimed the country's territory by presenting a "fake" Kali river - the

river defines the India-Nepal boundary - and stationed its Army there.

He said Nepal was determined to reclaim Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura,

territories it claims were encroached by India and now figure in its maps.

Oli also slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's reported

remark that Nepal should not repeat the mistake which Tibet made. He said it

amounts to undermining Nepal's sovereignty.

Oli said that India was building dams along the border that would result in

submergence of many areas on the Nepal side. "You cannot do it as per law,

and as a good neighbour. We have warned India on the issue many times, and

we are not going to tolerate any such unjust behaviour," he said.

On Adityanath's reported remarks, the Prime Minister said that if this has

been reported correctly, it amounts to undermining Nepal's sovereignty and

"that is condemnable".

On June 3, news agencies quoted Adityanath as saying that Nepal should not

repeat the mistake made by Tibet. He said India and Nepal may be two

different political entities, but they have one common soul. "The two

countries have cultural, historical and mythological links that go back

several centuries and Nepal should remember this," he was quoted having

said.

RECOVERED CASES MORE THAN ACTIVE CASES: HEALTH MINISTRY

For the first time since the outbreak of Covid-19 in India, the number of

'recovered' cases exceeded the number of 'active' cases on Wednesday.

"For the first time, the total number of recovered patients has exceeded the

active cases. The recovery rate now stands at 48.88%," the health ministry

said in a statement.

Experts said a comparison of the cumulative data of active and recovered

cases may not give a correct picture of the course of the pandemic. The

number of daily deaths may be a more reliable metric, they said. "Only if

the death rate starts coming down, then that is significant," said Dr K

Srinath Reddy, member, ICMR Covid task force, and president, Public Health

Foundation of India. "Internationally, countries such as Spain and Italy are

opening up as the death rate shows a consistent dip."

RAHUL GANDHI SLAMS PM MODI ON CHINA ISSUE, BJP HITS BACK

The Congress on Wednesday stepped up its attack against the government over

the alleged Chinese intrusion in Ladakh with senior party leader Rahul

Gandhi questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the issue. "The

Chinese have walked in and taken our territory in Ladakh. Meanwhile, the PM

is absolutely silent and has vanished from the scene," Gandhi tweeted on

Wednesday.

BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in turn hit out at Gandhi,

saying he should understand that strategic issues involving China must not

be raised on Twitter. "We want disputes to be resolved peacefully. We will

say one thing very humbly that today India is the India of 2020 and not

1962. Today's India is of a courageous leader like Narendra Modi and not of

Congress leaders," he said.

On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi had, in a sarcastic tweet aimed at Rajnath Singh,

questioned: "Have the Chinese occupied Indian territory in Ladakh?"

BJP's MP from Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal. took it upon himself to rebut

the Congress leader in a post yesterday. "Yes, Chinese occupied Indian

Territory as under," Namgyal tweeted.

He went on to list areas that he claimed were occupied on Congress watch,

including Aksai Chin in 1962 during Congress regime.

COVID-19 DASHBOARD - (Nos. IN INDIA / Nos. WORLDWIDE)

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from

worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 2,87,140 (+12,375) / 74,52,809 (+1,34,678)

Total Deaths 8107 (+388) / 4,18,919 (+5,271)

Total Recovered 140979 (+6813) / 37,49,886 (+1,47,285)

Active Cases 138054 (+5174) / 32,84,004 (-17,878)

Serious / Critical Cases - N.A. / 53,815 (-208)

Top impacted nations so far: (And some of India's Neighbours)

Country, Total Cases / Total Deaths / Recovered Cases / Active

Cases

1 USA 20,66,401 / 1,15,130 /

8,08,494 / 11,42,777

2 Brazil 7,75,184 / 39,797 /

3,96,692 / 3,38,695

3 Russia 4,93,657 / 6,358 /

2,52,783 / 2,34,516

4 UK 2,90,143 / 41,128 / N/A

/ N/A

5 Spain 2,89,360 / 27,136 / N/A

/ N/A

6 India 2,87,155 / 8,107 /

1,40,979 / 1,38,069

7 Italy 2,35,763 / 34,114 /

1,69,939 / 31,710

8 Peru 2,08,823 / 5,903 /

98,031 / 1,04,889

9 Germany 1,86,866 / 8,844 /

1,70,700 / 7,322

10 Iran 1,77,938 / 8,506 /

1,40,590 / 28,842

11 Turkey 1,73,036 / 4,746 /

1,46,839 / 21,451

15 Pakistan 1,13,702 / 2,255 /

36,308 / 75,139

19 Bangladesh 74,865 / 1,012 / 15,900 /

57,953

100 Sri Lanka 1,869 / 11 /

1,122 / 736

Top 18 impacted Indian States so far: (Total No. of Confirmed case / No. Of

Deaths)

State / Confirmed Cases / Active Case / Recovered /

Deceased

Maharashtra 94,041 / 46,087 / 44,516 /

3,438

Tamil Nadu 36,841 / 17,182 / 19,333 /

326

Delhi 32,810 / 19,581 / 12,245 / 984

Gujarat 21,554 / 5,464 / 14,743 / 1,347

Uttar Pradesh 11,610 / 4,318 / 6,971 /

321

Rajasthan 11,600 / 2,772 / 8,569 /

259

Madhya Pradesh 10,049 / 2,730 / 6,892 /

427

West Bengal 9,328 / 5,117 / 3,779 /

432

Karnataka 6,041 / 3,108 / 2,862 /

69

Bihar 5,698 / 2,730 / 2,934 / 34

Haryana 5,579 / 3,339 / 2,188 /

52

Andhra Pradesh 5,247 / 2,300 / 2,869

/ 78

Jammu and Kashmir 4,507 / 2,785 / 1,671 /

51

Telangana 4,111 / 2,138 / 1,817 /

156

Assam 3,286 / 2,029 / 1,249 / 5

Odisha 3,250 / 957 / 2,282 / 11

Punjab 2,805 / 518 / 2,232 / 55

Kerala 2,162 / 1,239 / 905 / 18

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

======================

SOUTH KOREA TO CHARGE DEFECTOR GROUPS OVER NORTH LEAFLETS

South Korea's government said Wednesday that it will press charges against

two activist groups that have been floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets and

bottles filled with rice to North Korea for allegedly breaking the law by

sending unauthorized materials to the rival nation.

The announcement by Seoul's Unification Ministry came a day after North

Korea announced it was cutting off all communication channels with South

Korea over its inability to prevent North Korean defectors and other

activists from flying the leaflets across the border.

Yoh Sang-key, the ministry's spokesman, told reporters the two organizations

to be charged had "created tensions between the South and North and brought

danger to the lives and safety of (South Korean) residents in border areas."

Seoul's pursuit of legal action against the groups is likely to trigger a

debate over freedom of expression and whether President Moon Jae-in's

liberal government is sacrificing democratic principles to keep alive his

ambitions for inter-Korean engagement.

MERKEL, MACRON URGE EU TO PREPARE FOR NEXT PANDEMIC

France, Germany and four other EU countries on Tuesday urged the European

Union to take a greater role in preparing for any future pandemic, conceding

that coronavirus responses had fallen short.

There should be a "common European approach" to such challenges in future,

wrote France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Angela Merkel along with the

leaders of Spain, Poland, Belgium and Denmark.

They addressed their letter and policy paper to European Commission chief

Ursula von der Leyen, in the strongest attempt yet by the bloc's most

powerful leaders to spur the EU executive to fix the disunity displayed

during the crisis, especially in its earliest days.

THE REST

========

KEJRIWAL DIALS DOWN ON TUSSLE WITH L-G, BUT UPS ESTIMATE ON BED NUMBERS

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal piped down his government's war of

words with the Centre and Lieutenant Governor over coronavirus handling on

Wednesday, though nearly doubling the projection of beds needed in the

Capital by July-end if people from other states continue to be admitted to

its hospitals.

Kejriwal said his administration will implement Lt-Governor Anil Baijal's

order scrapping its decision to reserve beds in the Capital for Delhi

residents and to treat patients from across the country in "letter and

spirit".

While Deputy CM Manish Sisodia Tuesday said Delhi was looking at 5.5 lakh

cases and requirement of 80,000 beds by July end, Kejriwal said that figure

took into account only Delhi residents. Counting people from other states

who might take treatment here, the requirement will be over 1.5 lakh beds by

then and 65,000 beds by July 15, the CM said.

He said his assessment was based on the fact that people from other states

accounted for over 50% occupancy in Delhi hospitals during non-Covid times.

At the same time, Kejriwal repeatedly stressed on the need to set aside

bickering. A day after Sisodia said the BJP had forced the L-G's hand and

"would be responsible for deaths on account of Covid in the city", the CM

said, "The Centre has taken a decision and the L-G has implemented an order.

There is no room for disagreements now. The challenge we are staring at is

unprecedented. The decision of the L-G has to be implemented in letter and

spirit. There is no dispute on this subject anymore and I want to make this

clear to everyone, including our own government and party."

The CM also made a conciliatory gesture towards the media, thanking it for

pointing out shortcomings in the healthcare system. "In eight days, over

1,900 people have got beds. over 100 to 150 may have had to run around to

get one. There are around 4,200 beds vacant in hospitals, but private ones

are mostly full. We are not perfect, not everything is right with the

system, but not everything is bad either. This is not the right time for

politics, BJP vs AAP, or AAP vs BJP. If we keep fighting, corona will win."

BID TO LURE MLAs, DESTABILISE GOVT: RAJASTHAN CONG

The Congress in Rajasthan on Wednesday claimed attempts are being made to

destabilise "a democratically elected government" by luring MLAs, even as

the party shifted at least 107 Congress and independent MLAs to a resort on

the outskirts of Jaipur.

The development comes ahead of Rajya Sabha polls on June 19. In a letter to

Alok Tripathi, Director General of Anti-Corruption Bureau, Government Chief

Whip in Rajasthan Assembly Mahesh Joshi wrote he has come to know that

"dirty attempts are being made to lure our MLAs and independent MLAs

supporting us, along the lines of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, to

destabilise a democratically elected government which is dedicated to public

service".

He said these attempts "are not only directly against democratic values, but

also against public aspirations, illegal, immoral, condemnable and

punishable by law".

PHOTO OF VILLAGERS LISTENING TO AMIT SHAH ON LED SCREEN TICKS OFF TWITTER

A photo of villagers huddled around an LED TV, affixed to a bamboo shrub, in

remote West Bengal has set off a storm of reactions on Twitter at a time

when large parts of the state are struggling to recuperate from the

devastation of Cyclone Amphan and India grapples with the coronavirus

crisis.

The BJP had set up 70,000 flat-screen television sets and 15,000 giant LED

screens across the state for Union Home Minister Amit Shah's virtual rally

on Tuesday that set off its campaign for assembly elections due next year,

party sources had told journalists.

But the image also drew consternation from the party's political opponents

Congress and Aam Aadmi Party.

Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Rakesh Sachan said the BJP cannot send Rs

7,500 to the poor and the labourers hit by the coronavirus lockdown, or

arrange transport for them but was going all out to promote its election

campaign.

The Aam Aadmi Party said, "LED screens instead of ventilators. The country

is really changing."

PARENTS MOVE SC AGAINST CBSE DECISION TO HOLD CLASS XII EXAMS IN JULY

Worried about community spread of Covid-19, four parents of Class XII

students have moved the Supreme Court against the Central Board of Secondary

Education's (CBSE) decision to hold examinations of remaining papers between

July 1 and 15.

They have challenged the May 18 CBSE notification that announced a fresh

schedule for holding examinations for remaining papers. They urged the court

to direct the CBSE to declare this year's Class XII results "on the basis of

examination already conducted and to calculate it on an average basis with

the internal assessment marks of the remaining subject".

Highlighting the rise in Covid-19 cases, the petitioners said the pandemic

would be at its peak in India and it would not be safe for students to

assemble at examination centres in large numbers. They sought to highlight

that Delhi University has cancelled first year and second-year examinations.

Even IITs have cancelled their examinations, including those of final-year

students, on account of the pandemic, they said. Some states have cancelled

all university examinations, they added.

INDIA DENIES VISAS TO US TEAMS ADVISING US CONGRESS ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS

The government denied visas to teams of a non-governmental advisory body to

the US Congress after its denouncement of the state of religious freedom in

India.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said this in a letter on June 1 to

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who had raised the observations made by the United

States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), in Parliament

in December 2019.

In April this year, the USCIRF had recommended to the US administration that

India be designated a "country of particular concern". It was the first time

since 2004 - when its recommendation came against the backdrop of the

Gujarat riots in 2002 - that the USCIRF had sought this.

In his letter to Dubey, Jaishankar wrote, "We have denied visa to USCIRF

teams that have sought to visit India in connection with issues related to

religious freedom, as we do not see the locus standi of a foreign entity

like USCIRF to pronounce on the state of Indian citizens' constitutionally

protected rights."

The minister added, "USCIRF has been known to make prejudiced, inaccurate

and misleading observations regarding the state of religious freedom in

India. We do not take cognisance of these pronouncements and have repudiated

such attempts to misrepresent information related to India."

S&P RETAINS INDIA'S SOVEREIGN RATING AND OUTLOOK

Global rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) has affirmed its rating on

India's long-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit at the lowest

investment grade with a stable outlook, saying the country's economy remains

"a long-term outperformer versus peers at a similar level of income".

The rating action by S&P has come days after Moody's Investors Service

downgraded India's rating by a notch.

S&P, however, said the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak posed a significant

challenge to the country's economic growth trajectory. It said the economic

growth and the fiscal situation of the Centre and states would improve by

next year, and hoped the reforms initiated by the government would bear

fruit in the long run.

The rating agency projected the economy to contract 5 per cent in the

current financial year, but said it would grow by 8.5 per cent in 2021-22.

Similarly, the fiscal deficit of the Centre and states may shoot up to 11

per cent of the country's GDP in FY21, and come down to 8.5 per cent the

next financial year. It also expected the country's current account deficit

to stand at 1.1 per cent of GDP in 2020-21 and then fall to 0.5 per cent

next year.

NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar said, "S&P has shown mature

understanding of the Indian economic situation and appreciated the

resilience and growth potential of the economy."

INDICATORS

Sensex 34,247 (+290), Nifty 10,116 (+70), Trading Value NSE ,(Rs.crores)

52,954

Nasdaq 10,020 (+67) Dow 26,990 (-282), S&P 3,190 (-17)

US$-Rs. 75.33 GBP-Rs. 95.08, Euro-Rs. 85.60, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.50, Can$-Rs.

56.23, Aus$- Rs. 52.67

GBP 0.78 /US$, Euro 0.87 /US$, Jap.Yen 107.34 /US$, Aus$ 1.42 /US$, Sing

1.38 /US$, Bang Taka 83.24 /US$, Can$ 1.33 /US$, Mal Ring 4.25 /US$,

Pak Re 163.88 /US$, Phil Peso 49.89 /US$, Russian Rouble 68.56 /US$, NZ$

1.52 /US$, Thai Baht 31.12 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 26.32 /US$, Norway NOK 9.27

/US$

Bitcoin - USD 9,771

Dollar Index 96.03 Brent Crude 40.77 BDI 764

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,734 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,695 / 4,595

Silver (Rs. Per KG) 48,200

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Besides learning to see, there is another art to be learned - not to see

what is not. - Maria Mitchell

OFF TRACK

The two ladies were sitting in the living room, waiting for their hostess,

who was slightly delayed. The daughter of the family was with them, on the

theory that she would keep the visitors occupied during the wait.

The child was about six years old, snub nosed, freckled, buck-toothed and

bespectacled. She maintained a deep silence and the two ladies peered

doubtfully at her.

Finally, one of them muttered to the other, "Not very p-r-e-t-t-y, I fear,"

carefully spelling the key word.

Whereupon the child piped up, "But awfully s-m-a-r-t!"