PM GOES TO LADAKH

In a strong message to Beijing, and also to boost the morale of troops

deployed along the LAC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Ladakh Friday

morning and directly addressed the soldiers there.

Underlining that valour and strength are a precondition for peace, Modi

reminded troops that "India has emerged stronger after every attack".

Making an unannounced visit to Ladakh after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

deferred his inspection of the situation on the ground, the Prime Minister,

addressing troops at Nimu near Leh, paid rich tributes to the soldiers who

died or were injured while defending the Galwan Valley - 20 Indian Army

personnel were killed in clashes with Chinese troops on June 15.

"Aapki shaurya gathayein ghar-ghar mein goonj rahi hain aur Bharat Mata ke

dushmano ne aapki fire bhi dekhi hai aur aapki fury bhi (Stories of your

valour are echoing in every house. Mother India's enemies have seen your

fire and fury)," he said, referring to the Leh-based XIV Corps, also known

as the Fire and Fury Corps that guards the LAC.

The Prime Minister spoke at length on the end of the era of expansionism,

sending China a strong message over massing of troops along the LAC. "In the

centuries past, expansionism has tried to destroy mankind. Whenever anyone

has been driven by expansionism, world peace has been threatened," he said.

"History is witness that such forces have been wiped out, or have been

forced to turn around. This has been the global experience. Based on that

experience, the entire world decided against expansionism. Today the world

is committed to development and welcomes competition in development," he

said.

In his address, Modi said "everybody accepts that peace and friendship are

important for the progress of every country, world and mankind" but "we also

know that the weak can never ensure peace, the weak can never initiate any

step towards peace".

"If India is increasing its strength on water, land, air and space, then its

aim is the welfare of mankind. The intention is the same in developing the

latest arms and ammunition, bringing in the latest global technology for the

forces. And India's pace of modern infrastructure development carries the

same message," he said.

IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH INDIA TO LOWER TEMPERATURES THROUGH MILITARY AND

DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS: CHINA

Prime Minister Modi made no mention of China, but the message was not lost

on Beijing. Chinese embassy spokesperson Ji Rong, in a Twitter post, said:

"China has demarcated boundary with 12 of its 14 neighbouring countries

through peaceful negotiations, turning land borders into bonds of friendly

cooperation. It's groundless to view China as "expansionist", exaggerate &

fabricate its disputes with neighbours."

"No party should engage in any action that may escalate the situation at

this point," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian shortly

after PM Modi arrived in Ladakh.

The Chinese Foreign Office also said Beijing will take necessary measures to

uphold the rights of Chinese businesses in India.

Zhao made the observations in response to a question about India's

additional scrutiny of imports from China due to the recent border dispute.

"Artificial blocks to bilateral cooperation violated the rules of the WTO

and would harm India's interests," he cautioned.

WHY PM DIDN'T NAME CHINA, AGAIN, ASKS CHIDAMBARAM

Former Union Minister P Chidambaram on Friday questioned Prime Minister

Narendra Modi for not naming China as an "aggressor" while speaking in Leh

during the day, wondering aloud if he had done otherwise in his telephonic

talks with US and Russian presidents.

"For the third time in a week, the PM did not name China as the aggressor.

Why? What is the purpose of talking about an unnamed 'enemy' to the people

of India and the jawans in Ladakh?" the senior Congress leader tweeted.

He said that the country wants to know if Modi named China as the intruder

or not while talking to Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The Congress leader also alleged government silence on satellite images

"showing Chinese troops occupying key positions in places hitherto

considered as undisputed Indian territory".

"The PM has still not answered our questions about where the violent clashes

took place on June 15 between Chinese and Indian troops and if the Chinese

have intruded Indian territory at several points," the former Union Minister

said.

Calling China a "modern day devil", Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the leader of

the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's

Ladakh visit will "invigorate" the armed forces but demanded that the

government acknowledge Chinese intrusion into Indian territory.

ITALIAN MARINES' CASE: CENTRE ACCEPTS INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL'S AWARD

A day after an International tribunal ruled that India didn't have

jurisdiction to try two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian

fisherman in Kerala, the Centre on Friday moved the Supreme Court seeking

disposal of the case pending before it.

In an application filed in the top court, the Centre said it has accepted

the award of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) under the United

Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"...the Republic of India has taken a decision to accept and abide by the

Award passed by the said Tribunal which would have the bearing on the

continuance of present proceedings before this Hon'ble Court," the Centre

submitted. "India being a Party to the UNCLOS, in accordance with the

provisions of the UNCLOS and the Rules of Procedure agreed by the Parties,

the Award is final," it said.

The tribunal has ruled that India was entitled to compensation and asked

India and Italy to consult on the amount of compensation due. Italy had

ealier offered Rs 1 crore to the family of each of the killed fishermen.

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

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from

worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 6,49,823 (+22,721) / 1,11,91,681 (+2,06,883)

Total Deaths 18,669 (+444) / 5,29,127 (+5,088)

Total Recovered 3,94,319 (+14,417) / 63,30,671 (+1,89,913)

Active Cases 2,36,835 (+7,860) / 43,31,883 (+11,882)

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

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

Cases

1 USA 28,90,588 / 1,32,101 /

12,35,488 / 15,22,999

2 Brazil 15,43,341 / 63,254 /

9,78,615 / 5,01,472

3 Russia 6,67,883 / 9,859 /

4,37,893 / 2,20,131

4 India 6,49,889 / 18,669 /

3,94,319 / 2,36,901

5 Spain 2,97,625 / 28,385 / N/A

/ N/A

6 Peru 2,95,599 / 10,226 /

1,85,852 / 99,521

7 Chile 2,88,089 / 6,051 /

2,53,343 / 28,695

8 UK 2,84,276 / 44,131 / N/A

/ N/A

9 Mexico 2,45,251 / 29,843 /

1,47,205 / 68,203

10 Italy 2,41,184 / 34,833 /

1,91,467 / 14,884

11 Iran 2,35,429 / 11,260 /

1,96,446 / 27,723

12 Pakistan 2,21,896 / 4,551 /

1,13,623 / 1,03,722

18 Bangladesh 1,56,391 / 1,968 /

68,048 / 86,375

109 Sri Lanka 2,069 / 11 /

1,863 / 195

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

Deaths)

State / Confirmed Cases / Active Case / Recovered /

Deceased

Maharashtra 1,92,990 / 79,911 / 1,04,687

/ 8,376

Tamil Nadu 1,02,721 / 42,958 / 58,378

/ 1,385

Delhi 94,695 / 26,148 / 65,624 / 2,923

Gujarat 34,686 / 7,840 / 24,941 / 1,905

Uttar Pradesh 25,797 / 7,451 / 17,597 /

749

West Bengal 20,488 / 6,200 / 13,571 /

717

Telangana 20,462 / 9,984 / 10,195 /

283

Karnataka 19,710 / 10,606 / 8,807 /

293

Rajasthan 19,052 / 3,331 / 15,281 /

440

Andhra Pradesh 16,934 / 9,096 / 7,632

/ 206

Haryana 16,003 / 4,057 / 11,691 /

255

Madhya Pradesh 14,297 / 2,655 / 11,049 /

593

Bihar 11,111 / 2,816 / 8,211 / 84

Assam 9,800 / 3,455 / 6,328 / 14

Odisha 8,106 / 2,364 / 5,705 / 37

Jammu and Kashmir 8,019 / 2,825 / 5,075 /

119

Punjab 5,937 / 1,514 / 4,266 / 157

Kerala 4,965 / 2,098 / 2,839 / 26

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

US & CHINA SPAR OVER PLA DRILLS IN SOUTH CHINA SEA

China on Friday rejected criticism by the US defence department of its plan

to hold military exercises in the South China Sea, and suggested that

Washington was to blame for increased tensions in the region. The Pentagon

said in a statement on Thursday that conducting military exercises over

disputed territory in the South China Sea was "counter-productive to efforts

at easing tensions and maintaining stability".

China announced last week it had scheduled five days of People's Liberation

Army's drills starting July 1 near the Paracel Islands.

"The military exercises are the latest in a long string of PRC actions to

assert unlawful maritime claims and disadvantage its Southeast Asian

neighbours in the South China Sea," the Pentagon statement said, referring

to the People's Republic of China. Vietnam and the Philippines have also

criticised the planned Chinese drills, warning it could create tension in

the region and impact Beijing's relationship with its neighbours.

Philippine foreign affairs secretary Teodoro Locsin warned China "it will be

met with the severest response, diplomatic and whatever else is appropriate"

should the exercises spill over to Philippine territory.

IRAN WILL NOT DISCLOSE CAUSE OF MYSTERIOUS NUCLEAR SITE FIRE

An online video and messages purportedly claiming responsibility for a fire

that analysts say damaged a centrifuge assembly plant at Iran's underground

Natanz nuclear site deepened the mystery Friday around the incident even as

Tehran insisted it knew the cause but would not make it public due to

"security reasons."

The multiple, different claims by a self-described group called the

"Cheetahs of the Homeland" included language used by several exiled Iranian

opposition organizations, as well as focused almost entirely on Iran's

nuclear program, viewed by Israel as a danger to its very existence.

The disparate messages, as well as the fact that Iran experts have never

heard of the group before, raised questions about whether Natanz again had

faced sabotage by a foreign nation as it had during the Stuxnet computer

virus outbreak believed to have been engineered by the U.S. and Israel.

Tehran's reaction so far show Iranian officials are increasingly taking the

possibility seriously.

"If it is proven that our country has been attacked by cyberattacks, we will

respond," warned Gen. Gholam Reza Jalali, the head of Iran's military unit

in charge of combating sabotage, according to a report late Thursday by the

Mizan news agency.

THE REST

========

KERALA CM CONDEMNS OSTRACISATION OF RETURNEES

Coronavirus (Covid-19): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Friday

condemned in strong language the reports of ostracisation and unfair

treatment meted out to people returning to the state either from abroad or

other parts of the country.

He promised strict action by the government against persons who indulge in

troubling and denigrating those needing to enter quarantine after returning

to the state.

"The responsibility of our state and our people is to welcome those coming

from abroad or other states in the country and provide them all help they

need. To drive them away instead does not fit humanity. We know that some of

them travelling to the state will be infected. We have to be careful not to

let it spread to others. That's why we need quarantine," the Chief Minister

said at his daily press briefing.

He cited the case of a woman and her two children, aged seven and four, who

travelled to their home in Kottayam district from Bengaluru. They were

reportedly not allowed to enter their home, by her own family and by her

in-laws, for nearly eight hours despite completing 14 days of quarantine.

The woman was forced to take the help of the district administration.

"Humanity is the biggest weapon we have in fighting against the pandemic.

This disease can happen to anyone. The disease is the enemy, not the

patient. We must never forget this," the CM said.

VIKAS DUBEY, THE GANGSTER BEHIND KILLING OF 8 POLICEMEN IN KANPUR

Vikas Dubey, the main accused in the killing of eight police personnel in

Kanpur on Friday is facing at least 60 criminal cases in Dikru village under

the Chaubeypur police station.

Dubey is also accused of killing Santosh Shukla, a Minister of State-rank

BJP leader, inside a police station in 2001. Other cases registered against

him are murder, robberies and kidnappings.

Dubey is said to have owned about half a dozen properties in the village and

wielded tremendous clout in the region as well as in the corridors of power.

Eight police personnel, including a DSP, were gunned down in the village on

Wednesday. The attackers fled, snatching weapons from the dead and the

wounded policemen.

Meanwhile, no one in the village admitted to knowing Vikas Dubey personally

or having seen him.

HRD POSTPONES JEE MAIN, NEET 2020, TO BE HELD IN SEPTEMBER

The JEE Main, the gateway exam for admission to the NITs, will now be held

over six days between September 1 and September 6. NEET, meant for

undergraduate medical programmes, will be held on September 13. JEE

(Advanced) will be held on September 27. HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal

announced the fresh dates during a webinar Friday.

As many as 9 lakh candidates have registered to take JEE Main and

approximately 16 lakh for NEET. According to sources in the National Testing

Agency (NTA), JEE (Main) results would be announced mid-September and NEET

results are expected in the first week of October.

Both entrance tests have been postponed for the second time since the

COVID-19 lockdown was imposed.

AIR POLLUTION DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING 74-DAY LOCKDOWN PERIOD: STUDY

The lockdown prompted by the Covid-19 outbreak from March 25 to June 8

helped to significantly reduce air pollution levels in Delhi, Mumbai,

Kolkata and Bangalore, according to an analysis of the CPCB Air Quality

Index data from the 74-day duration.

"The lockdown period helped us understand the effects of anthropogenic

(human-generated) emissions to our environment. All four cities managed to

better their 2024 NCAP target by around 30 per cent, with Kolkata bettering

their target by over 50 per cent during the lockdown. This period is a

marker for policymakers on how they can achieve what has been planned for in

the coming four years, in a relatively shorter period," said Ronak Sutaria,

CEO Respirer Living Sciences.

The analysis showed that Mumbai's PM 2.5 average during the lockdown was 20,

while the average was 40 in 2017, 47 in 2018 and 36.1 in 2019. Mumbai had to

achieve a target of 28.

Kolkata's average PM 2.5 during the lockdown was 22 as opposed to 69.3 2017,

86.2 in 2018 and 57.7 in 2019. The city's target was 48.5.

Delhi's PM 2.5 average during the lockdown was 49. It was 101.3 in 2017, 121

in 2018 and 109.2 in 2019. Similarly, Bangalore's PM 2.5 average during the

lockdown was 23; it was 46.1 in 2017, 47.4 in 2018 and 36.7 in 2019.

Similar reductions have been found in PM 10 levels during the lockdown in

the four cities.

VACCINE BY AUGUST 15: SCIENTISTS SAY ICMR CLAIM ABSURD AND RISKY

An official claim by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) that it

envisaged the "launch" of a Covid vaccine for "public health use latest by

August 15" has drawn sharp criticism from the scientific community and

sparked fears that its safety and efficacy could be compromised to meet the

"near impossible" timeline.

The August 15 timeline is mentioned in a letter that ICMR director general

Balram Bhargava wrote to the 12 hospitals selected for carrying out clinical

trials of Covaxin, a candidate vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech, a

Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company.

The letter, dated July 2, has created a furore because of the unrealistic

timeline, and the language used. "It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for

public health use latest by August 15, 2020 after completion of all clinical

trials. You are strictly advised to fast-track all approvals related to

initiation of the clinical trial, and ensure that the subject enrolment is

initiated no later than July 7, 2020," Bhargava said in the letter, before

sounding a warning. "Kindly note that non-compliance will be viewed very

seriously."

The August 15 deadline flies in the face of publicly announced timelines for

the possible readiness of this vaccine, including the vaccine developer's

own estimate and the timeline provided to the regulatory body, Drug

Controller General of India.

Even AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, the head of the clinical research group

of the national task force on COVID-19, seemed surprised.

"It will be a very challenging and difficult task, considering that we have

to look at both efficacy and safety of any vaccine that is

introduced."Guleria said.

Shaheed Jameel, a well-known virologist and chief executive of the Wellcome

Trust-DBT Alliance that funds health research in India said August 15

timeline was "ridiculous". "I fear the global scientific community would be

laughing at us for this. It should not have happened. India is a serious

player in science. Who is going to trust us if we behave like this? Who is

going to believe us even if we indeed come up with a good vaccine tomorrow?.

And I am appalled at the kind of language used in the letter. It is not a

letter, it reads like a threat," Jameel said.

INTEL CAPITAL PICKS UP 0.39% STAKE IN JIO PLATFORMS FOR RS 1894.50 CR

Reliance Industries (RIL) on Friday announced a stake sale of 0.39 per cent

in its digital services subsidiary, Jio Platforms, to Intel Capital for Rs

1,894.50 crore.

The latest fundraising comes two weeks after RIL announced that it had

turned net debt-free well ahead of its deadline of March 2021. As of March

31, Reliance had a net debt of Rs 1.61 trillion.

Intel Capital is an arm of Intel, the world's largest semiconductor

manufacturer. It joins 11 other investors, including sovereign funds and

private equity firms, which now collectively own 25.09 per cent in Jio

Platforms.

INDICATORS

Sensex 36,021 (+178), Nifty 10,607 (+56), Trading Value NSE ,(Rs.crores)

48,721

(US Stock Markets were closed yesterday on account of Independence Day)

US$-Rs. 74.34 GBP-Rs. 92.66, Euro-Rs. 83.54, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.23, Can$-Rs.

54.80, Aus$- Rs. 51.54

GBP 0.80 /US$, Euro 0.88 /US$, Jap.Yen 107.50 /US$, Aus$ 1.44 /US$, Sing

1.39 /US$, Bang Taka 83.35 /US$, Can$ 1.35 /US$, Mal Ring 4.28 /US$,

Pak Re 166.88 /US$, Phil Peso 49.49 /US$, Russian Rouble 70.99 /US$, NZ$

1.53 /US$, Thai Baht 31.07 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 26.98 /US$, Norway NOK 9.49

/US$

Bitcoin - USD 9,082

Dollar Index 97.17 Brent Crude 42.80 BDI 1,894

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,775 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,751 / 4,651

Silver (Rs. Per KG) 48,610

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Imagination is more important than knowledge. - Albert Einstein

OFF TRACK

The young woman really thought she'd been very patient, through a protracted

period of dating with no talk of marriage.

One night her steady boyfriend took her to a Chinese restaurant. As he

perused the menu, he casually asked her, "So . . . how do you like your

rice? Boiled? Or fried?"

Without missing a beat, she looked over her menu at him and replied clearly,

"Thrown."