INDIA-CHINA BORDER TENSIONS: 'CONTINUATION OF CURRENT SITUATION WILL VITIATE

TIES'

A day after Indian and Chinese diplomats agreed to "sincerely implement the

understanding on disengagement and de-escalation" along the Line of Actual

Control, New Delhi drew the red line Thursday, saying "continuation of the

current situation would only vitiate the atmosphere for the development of

the relationship" between the two countries.

Amid reports of satellite images showing Chinese structures back at the site

of the June 15 clash in Galwan Valley and massing of PLA troops in the

Depsang plains, Anurag Srivastava, spokesperson for the Ministry of External

Affairs, said "both sides remain deployed in large numbers in the region" of

the Galwan Valley "while military and diplomatic contacts are continuing".

Describing the Wednesday meeting between diplomats under the Working

Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs

(WMCC) as a "significant development" and referring to the agreements and

understanding reached between the Foreign Ministers on June 17 and Army

Commanders on June 6 and 22, Srivastava said, "We expect the Chinese side to

sincerely follow up on this understanding and ensure the expeditious

restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas."

Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong, in an interview to PTI, said his

country was ready to work with India to properly deal with the border

standoff. He said "suspicion and friction" was a wrong path that goes

against the fundamental aspirations of people of the two countries. Saying

India and China are able to properly manage their differences, Sun called

upon New Delhi to avoid taking actions that may "complicate" the situation

in eastern Ladakh. He went on to add that at present, the overall situation

in the China-India border areas is "stable and controllable." "We hope the

Indian side meets the Chinese side halfway, avoids taking actions that may

complicate the border situation, and takes concrete actions to maintain

stability in the border areas," he said.

BJP, CONG TRADE BARBS ON 45TH ANNIV OF EMERGENCY

Launching an attack on the Congress (mainly the Gandhis) on the 45th

anniversary of the Emergency today, the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narandra

Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, reminded it of "excesses" during the

controversial phase.

Shah, in an interesting tweet related to the grand old party's internal

functioning, claimed Congress leaders are feeling "suffocated" and

frustrated" and that during the recent CWC meet "senior members and younger

members raised a few issues but were shouted down". "A party spokesperson

was unceremoniously sacked", the "sad truth is leaders are feeling

suffocated in the Congress," Shah said.

It didn't end there. Armed with "documentary proof", Union Law Minister Ravi

Shankar Prasad said the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received huge donations from

China, which he said was the reason for sustained attack against the Prime

Minister by senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on issues related

to the LAC faceoff.

"They (Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi) are attacking the Modi government and

supporting China because of these donations to the RGF," Prasad said, also

suggesting it to be the reason for the Congress push for comprehensive free

trade agreement that led to "33 times increase" in trade deficit in favour

of Beijing at the cost of India.

The Congress hit back at the BJP for what it called a "disinformation and

sinister campaign" against the party and Rahul Gandhi. Senior leader Anand

Sharma put out a list of the BJP's engagements with the Communist Party of

China.

Congress communication department head Randeep Surjewala said, "Please stop

living in 2005 and start answering questions in 2020."

He said the issue today is that the "Chinese have made fresh transgressions

in the Galwan Valley. Chinese army has made serious build-up in the Depsang

area. Why is the government mum about further Chinese presence in the

eastern Ladakh area? In the national interest. the nation wants to know the

answers for these questions instead of diversionary tactics of the BJP

government."

He claimed that the RSS held consultations with the Communist Party of China

in 2009 and a year earlier the BJP received a Chinese delegation and held

confabulations with them.

"Is it also not correct that in January 2011, the then BJP president Nitin

Gadkari took a delegation of the BJP to China and held detailed

consultations. Were they anti-India consultations? Is it not correct that in

2014, the BJP sent a 13-member MP-MLA delegation for studying the Chinese

political system. were those anti-India activities. but today is not the

time to discuss all those. today is the day to discuss about fresh Chinese

incursions. instead of diversions," he said.

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

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from

worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 4,91,115 (+18,185) / 97,10,205 (+1,83,081)

Total Deaths 15,308 (+401) / 4,91,783 (+6,811)

Total Recovered 2,85,671 (+13,983) / 52,79,579 (+1,04,174)

Active Cases 1,90,136 (+3,801) / 39,38,843 (+72,096)

Serious / Critical Cases - N.A. / 57,619 (-802)

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

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

Cases

1 USA 25,04,588 / 1,26,780 /

10,52,293 / 13,25,515

2 Brazil 12,33,147 / 55,054 /

6,73,729 / 5,04,364

3 Russia 6,13,994 / 8,605 /

3,75,164 / 2,30,225

4 India 4,91,170 / 15,308 /

2,85,671 / 1,90,191

5 UK 3,07,980 / 43,230 / N/A

/ N/A

6 Spain 2,94,566 / 28,330 / N/A

/ N/A

7 Peru 2,68,602 / 8,761 /

1,56,074 / 1,03,767

8 Chile 2,59,064 / 4,903 /

2,19,327 / 34,834

9 Italy 2,39,706 / 34,678 /

1,86,725 / 18,303

10 Iran 2,15,096 / 10,130 /

1,75,103 / 29,863

11 Mexico 2,02,951 / 25,060 / 1,49,318

/ 28,573

14 Pakistan 1,92,970 / 3,903 /

81,307 / 1,07,760

17 Bangladesh 1,26,606 / 1,621 /

51,495 / 73,490

105 Sri Lanka 2,010 / 11 /

1,602 / 397

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

Deaths)

State / Confirmed Cases / Active Case / Recovered /

Deceased

Maharashtra 1,47,741 / 63,342 / 77,453 /

6,931

Delhi 73,780 / 26,586 / 44,765 / 2,429

Tamil Nadu 70,977 / 30,067 / 39,999 /

911

Gujarat 29,578 / 6,318 / 21,506 / 1,754

Uttar Pradesh 20,193 / 6,463 / 13,119 /

611

Rajasthan 16,296 / 3,077 / 12,840 /

379

West Bengal 15,648 / 4,852 / 10,190 /

606

Madhya Pradesh 12,595 / 2,434 / 9,619 /

542

Haryana 12,463 / 4,885 / 7,380 /

198

Telangana 11,364 / 6,446 / 4,688 /

230

Andhra Pradesh 10,884 / 5,760 / 4,988

/ 136

Karnataka 10,560 / 3,714 / 6,672 /

170

Bihar 8,488 / 1,952 / 6,480 / 56

Assam 6,647 / 2,601 / 4,034 / 9

Jammu and Kashmir 6,549 / 2,492 / 3,967 /

90

Odisha 5,962 / 1,647 / 4,291 / 24

Punjab 4,769 / 1,457 / 3,192 / 120

Kerala 3,727 / 1,761 / 1,941 / 23

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

US SHIFTING MILITARY TO FACE CHINESE THREAT TO INDIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA:

MIKE POMPEO

The Chinese threat to India and Southeast Asia is one of the reasons the

United States is reducing its troop presence in Europe, US Secretary of

State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday in response to a question at the Brussels

Forum virtual conference.

Pompeo was asked why the US had reduced the number of troops it has based in

Germany. The US Secretary of State said that if US troops were no longer

there, it was because they were being moved to face other places. The

actions of the Chinese Communist Party meant there were "threats to India"

and countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and the

South China Sea. The US military is "postured appropriately" to meet these

"challenges of our time", he said.

Pompeo noted that the Trump administration had carried out a long overdue

strategic posture review of the US military two years ago. The US had

carried out a fundamental relook at the threats it faced and how it should

allocate its resources, including intelligence and military and cyber.

Speaking about the Chinese threat, he cited the "bloody border confrontation

with India," Beijing's South China Sea activity and its predatory economic

policies as evidence.

Asked whether Huawei was part of the Chinese "surveillance state," Pompeo

said Chinese security force personnel worked on the top floor of the company

headquarters and Chinese law required Huawei to pass any data, including

personal data, to the Chinese Communist Party whenever the latter asked. He

said there was more evidence that he could not state in public.

DEMOCRACY UNDER THREAT DURING PANDEMIC, GLOBAL LEADERS WARN

Over 500 political and civil society leaders, Nobel laureates and rights

groups, on Thursday warned that some governments were using the coronavirus

pandemic to "tighten their grip on power," undermining democracy and civil

liberties.

In an open letter signed by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine

Albright, actor Richard Gere and Nobel Peace Prize laureates Shirin Ebadi,

Lech Walesa and Jose Ramos-Horta, among others, the authors called the

ongoing pandemic a "formidable global challenge to democracy."

"Democracy is under threat, and people who care about it must summon the

will, the discipline, and the solidarity to defend it," the authors wrote.

"At stake are the freedom, health, and dignity of people everywhere."

The letter - the aim of which is to raise "awareness and mobilise citizens"

was initiated by the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy

and Electoral Assistance (IDEA).

IMRAN KHAN DRAWS FLAK FOR CALLING OSAMA BIN LADEN A 'MARTYR'

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has drawn flak for calling the slain

al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden a "shaheed" or martyr, leading

parliamentarians to seek an apology.

Speaking in parliament on Thursday amid rising criticism of his handling of

the Covid-19 pandemic, Khan connected the issue to the US criticism of

Pakistan's role in the war on terror. "They came into our country and killed

Osama Bin Laden, martyred him, all the world criticised us instead." Khan

said Pakistan supported the war on terror but US continued to blame

Pakistan.

Slamming Khan's speech, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari of PPP said, "I can only

compare this to how the state of Pakistan sent soldiers to fight in Kargil.

They sent them to their deaths and we did not even acknowledge them."

Khawaja Asif of the opposition PML-N said Khan's speech was "riddled with

errors on history and politics". He said Osama "brought terrorism to my

country. He destroyed my country and Imran Khan has declared him a shaheed".

THE REST

========

THUNDERSTORM, LIGHTNING KILL 110 PEOPLE IN BIHAR, UP

Thunderstorms and lightning have wrought havoc in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh

over the past two days, claiming 110 lives, leaving at least 32 injured and

causing widespread damage to property, officials in the two states said on

Thursday.

The lightning strikes were more devastating in Bihar, where 83 people have

lost their lives since Wednesday, according to the figures released on

Thursday by the Disaster Management Department in Patna.

REMAINING BOARD EXAMS FOR JULY CANCELLED, CLASS 12 TO HAVE OPTION OF RE-TEST

With the Covid graph rising steadily, the remaining Board exams for students

of Classes 10 and 12 in schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary

Education (CBSE) and Council for Indian School Certificate Examination

(CISCE) will not be held as scheduled in July.

Instead, the students will be assessed on a special marking scheme. If they

are not satisfied with the results based on this system, they can appear for

the exam whenever it is scheduled later.

However, Class 10 students of CBSE will not have the second option - for

them, the remaining exams have been scrapped.

The Board and the Council informed the Supreme Court of this decision

Thursday during the hearing on a plea seeking cancellation of the remaining

exams. The examinations, which were stalled in March due to the pandemic,

had later been rescheduled to be held between July 1 and July 15.

The CBSE will announce results based on the marking scheme by July 15 so

that students can seek admission to higher education institutions on time.

VISIT TO COVID CENTRE NOT MUST, BACK TO OLD SYSTEM IN DELHI

Days after Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal made it mandatory for all

positive patients in Delhi to visit a Covid Care Centre for clinical

assessment to determine if they can opt for home isolation or not, the order

was "modified" on Thursday. The earlier system, which allows assessment at

home by a "home isolation team", has been reinstated.

"The patient shall be allowed home isolation if, as per the assessment of

home isolation team sent by the district surveillance officer, the patient

is mild/ pre-symptomatic/ asymptomatic and has a residence of two rooms or a

separate room and a separate toilet for the patient," said a statement

released by the L-G Secretariat.

The AAP government had opposed the new protocol, which came into effect on

June 22, saying it was "nearly impossible" to implement it. Both Chief

Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had

criticised the move and raised the issue with the Centre.

TRADE BODIES SAY NEED TIME TO STOP RELIANCE ON IMPORTS FROM CHINA

As several ministries move to block imports and investments from China

following the recent border clashes along the border where 20 army men were

killed, the industry is concerned about the adverse impact on several

sectors. From pharmaceuticals to telecommunications and automobiles,

industry associations are of the view that "knee-jerk" offensive against the

neighbouring country till alternative vendors are finalised or domestic

capacities are built will hurt companies and the economy.

Federation of Indian Export Organisation's (FIEO's) President, Sharad Kumar

Saraf, and Director General, Ajay Sahai, hinted on Thursday that a "blanket

ban" may not be feasible. The India Cellular and Electronics Association and

the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association are among other trade and

industry associations which have echoed these views.

Import consignments from China at Indian ports have been facing hurdles over

the last fortnight, with clearances being held up by customs authorities.

This may have inadvertently affected imports of crucial components and raw

materials used by manufacturers in several industries here.

Among those impacted are certain pharmaceutical firms, which have been

unable to receive their consignments of essential raw materials like active

pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and key starting materials (KSMs) from the

Mumbai port. China accounts for nearly 70 per cent of the bulk drugs

imported by Indian pharma companies.

An Automotive Component Manufacturers of India (ACMA) representative said

that, given that the industry is emerging out of a lockdown, a "knee jerk

reaction" may disrupt the value chain and impact the recovery process.

REMDESIVIR ENDORSED AS FIRST DRUG AGAINST COVID-19 IN EUROPE

Remdesivir, which has been shown in trials to speed the recovery time of

people hospitalised with COVID-19, has received its first approval to treat

the coronavirus from the European Medicines Agency, AP reported. "Remdesivir

is the first medicine against COVID-19 to be recommended for authorization

in the EU," the agency said. The regulatory agency says it was granting a

conditional marketing authorization for remdesivir to be used in treating

adults and adolescents older than 12 with pneumonia who require oxygen.

PRIVATE SECTOR TO BE ALLOWED TO BUILD ROCKETS, PROVIDE LAUNCH SERVICES: ISRO

CHIEF

The private sector will now be allowed to carry out space activities like

building of rockets, satellites and providing launch services, ISRO chief K

Sivan said on Thursday.

He said the private sector could also be part of the inter-planetary

missions of the ISRO.

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved participation of the private sector in the

entire range of space activities, including planetary exploration missions.

Sivan, however, added that ISRO's activities are not going to reduce and it

would continue to carry our space-based activities, including advanced

research and development, inter-planetary and human space flight missions.

HINDUSTAN UNILEVER TO DROP 'FAIR' FROM 'FAIR & LOVELY'

FMCG major HUL on Thursday said it will drop word 'Fair' from its popular

skin care brand Fair & Lovely, citing its commitment towards a more

inclusive vision of beauty. The company has announced to stop the usage of

word 'Fair' in the brand name as part of its rebranding exercise and is now

waiting for regulatory approvals, Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) said in a

statement.

According to HUL Chairman and Managing Director Sanjiv Mehta, in addition to

the changes to Fair & Lovely, the rest of HUL's skincare portfolio will also

reflect the new vision of positive beauty.

LIVERPOOL CROWNED PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

The 30-year wait is over. Liverpool are the champions of England again.

Liverpool clinched its first league title since 1990 on Thursday, ending an

agonizing title drought without the players even having to take the field.

Instead, the Premier League crown was secured when Chelsea beat second-place

Manchester City 2-1, a result that means City can no longer catch Liverpool

with seven games remaining.

For the city of Liverpool, this has been a party three decades in the

making, but the ongoing restrictions caused by the coronavirus meant fans

were unable to celebrate in large crowds. Only a few dozen fans were outside

Anfield as the final whistle blew at Stamford Bridge, setting off fireworks

and chanting.

After a dominant campaign that was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic,

Liverpool became England's earliest-ever champion - and the latest. No team

since the inception of the country's league system in 1888 has clinched the

title with seven games remaining. And no team has been crowned Premier

League champion in June.

INDICATORS

Sensex 34,842 (-27), Nifty 10,289 (-16), Trading Value NSE ,(Rs.crores)

68,567

Nasdaq 10,017 (+108) Dow 25,746 (+300), S&P 3,084 (+33)

US$-Rs. 75.29 GBP-Rs. 93.51, Euro-Rs. 84.54, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.49, Can$-Rs.

55.19, Aus$- Rs. 51.74

GBP 0.80 /US$, Euro 0.89 /US$, Jap.Yen 107.18 /US$, Aus$ 1.45 /US$, Sing

1.39 /US$, Bang Taka 83.34 /US$, Can$ 1.36 /US$, Mal Ring 4.27 /US$,

Pak Re 167.33 /US$, Phil Peso 49.97 /US$, Russian Rouble 69.28 /US$, NZ$

1.55 /US$, Thai Baht 30.86 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 26.58 /US$, Norway NOK 9.67

/US$

Bitcoin - USD 9,231

Dollar Index 97.36 Brent Crude 41.49 BDI 1,738

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,762 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,821 / 4,721

Silver (Rs. Per KG) 48,460

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It's what we do

consistently. - Anthony Robbins

OFF TRACK

You all know Albert Einstein? They now say he had as many as ten

girlfriends. So I guess E equals more than mc squared. Think about it.

That's ten names. Ten phone numbers. Ten birthdays. You'd have to be a

genius!