INDIA, CHINA START PARTIALLY PULLING BACK FROM GALWAN VALLEY

Twenty days after the deadly clash between Indian and Chinese troops at

Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), there is a minor

breakthrough as both sides have started to pull back from the flashpoint.

A minimum buffer zone of 3 km between the two armies was suggested and

agreed upon in the series of Lieutenant General-level meeting on June 2, 22

and 30.

There has been some movement from both sides at PP-14, the spot of the clash

on the night intervening June 15-16. Both sides will verify the spots after

72 hours. War-like stores of either side remain as they were. At Gogra Hot

Springs and at the north bank of Pangong Tso some vehicles of the People's

Liberation Army (PLA) have moved back, hence the Indian side is stopping

short of terming it as a dis-engagement for now.

The pullback is being seen as a 'baby step' towards the restoration of

status quo ante which would include pulling back men, equipment and heavy

weapons to the level of April 2020. Also, this would mean allowing the

Indian Army to patrol in disputed areas like east of the 'Finger-4', at the

north of Pangong Tso, a 135 km glacial melt lake. The PLA has been stopping

Indian patrols.

On the Indian side, the military is still waiting and watching as each move

can be reversed by the PLA at its will. Sources said the pullback at Galwan

could have been necessitated due to the heavy flow of water in the narrow

valley. This is the snow-melt period in this high-altitude dry plateau. With

the mountain being tree-less, the flow of snowmelt is unimpeded hence the

rapid current.

DOVAL-WANG TALKS PRECEDED PULL-BACK OF TROOPS FROM LAC; BOTH SIDES ISSUE

STATEMENTS

Signalling movement in efforts to resolve the military standoff along the

Line of Actual Control (LAC), National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and

Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to each other

Sunday and "agreed" it was "necessary to ensure at the earliest complete

disengagement of troops along the LAC" and "de-escalation from India-China

border areas for full restoration of peace and tranquillity".

In its statement Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs said Doval and

Wang "agreed" that both sides "should complete the ongoing disengagement

process along the LAC expeditiously".

Keeping the Galwan Valley incident in mind, the MEA statement underlined

that the two sides "should also ensure a phased and stepwise de-escalation".

It said they "re-affirmed that both sides should strictly respect and

observe the Line of Actual Control" and "should not take any unilateral

action to alter the status quo" and "work together to avoid any incident in

the future that could disturb peace and tranquillity in border areas".

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, in its statement, said both sides "welcomed

the progress" achieved in the recent military and diplomatic meetings,

agreed to stay in dialogue and consultation, and stressed the importance to

promptly act on the consensus reached in the commander-level talks between

Chinese and Indian border troops, and "complete disengagement of the

front-line troops as soon as possible".

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also said both sides "agreed" to strengthen

communication through the mechanism of the SRs, hold meetings of the Working

Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs

without interruption, consistently improve and strengthen

confidence-building measures and "prevent more incidents that undermine

peace and tranquility in the border areas".

Statements of both sides had a common line: to "not allow differences to

become disputes".

Both statements also invoked the understanding between Modi and Xi at the

Wuhan and Mahabalipuram informal summits on maintaining peace and

tranquility. The MEA referred to "guidance from the consensus of the

leaders" and the Chinese Foreign Ministry to the "important consensus

reached by leaders" of the two countries.

In a clear reference to the recent retaliatory steps taken by the Indian

government - from banning Chinese mobile apps to keeping Chinese companies

out of the roads and power sectors - Beijing said: "As Wang Yi stressed, for

both China and India, achieving development and revitalization is the top

priority where we share long-term strategic interests. Both sides should

adhere to the strategic assessment that instead of posing threats, the two

countries provide each other with development opportunities. Both sides

should pay great attention to the current complex situation facing

China-India bilateral relations, and work together to overcome and turn it

around as soon as possible."

COVID-19, GST WILL BE FUTURE HARVARD CASE STUDIES ON FAILURE, RAHUL'S DIG AT

GOVT

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday targeted the government over rising

coronavirus cases, saying future Harvard Business School case studies on

failure would include the government's handling of Covid-19.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the former Congress chief also

tweeted a clip which included portions from the PM's addresses to the nation

on the Covid-19 crisis, including his remarks that the Mahabharata war was

won in 18 days and the war against coronavirus would take 21 days.

The clip also showed a graph of rising coronavirus cases, making India the

third worst-hit nation in terms of infection count.

"Future HBS case studies on failure: 1. Covid19. 2. Demonetisation.3. GST

implementation," Gandhi tweeted along with the clip.

KUWAIT APPROVES EXPAT QUOTA BILL; 8 LAKH INDIAN MAY HAVE TO LEAVE

A total of 8 lakh Indians may be forced to leave Kuwait as its National

Assembly committee has approved a draft expat quota bill seeking to reduce

the number of foreign workers in the Gulf country. The National Assembly's

legal and legislative committee has determined that the expat quota bill is

constitutional.

According to the bill, Indians should not exceed 15 per cent of the

population. This could result in 800,000 Indians leaving Kuwait, as the

Indian community constitutes the largest expat community in the country,

totalling 1.45 million, the Gulf News reported, citing a Kuwaiti newspaper.

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

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from

worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 7,20,250 (+22,497) / 1,17,40,100 (+1,83,312)

Total Deaths 20,174 (+474) / 5,40,677 (+3,901)

Total Recovered 4,40,150 (+15,259) / 66,42,771 (+1,07,276)

Active Cases 2,59,926 (+6,764) / 45,56,652 (+72,135)

TOP IMPACTED NATIONS SO FAR: (AND SOME OF INDIA'S NEIGHBOURS)

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

Cases

1 USA 30,40,833 / 1,32,979 /

13,24,947 / 15,82,907

2 Brazil 16,26,071 / 65,556 /

9,78,615 / 5,81,900

3 India 7,20,346 / 20,174 /

4,40,150 / 2,60,022

4 Russia 6,87,862 / 10,296 /

4,54,329 / 2,23,237

5 Peru 3,05,703 / 10,772 /

1,97,619 / 97,312

6 Spain 2,98,869 / 28,388 / N/A

/ N/A

7 Chile 2,98,557 / 6,384 /

2,64,371 / 27,802

8 UK 2,85,768 / 44,236 / N/A

/ N/A

9 Mexico 2,61,750 / 31,119 /

1,59,657 / 70,974

10 Iran 2,43,051 / 11,731 /

2,04,083 / 27,237

11 Italy 2,41,819 / 34,869 /

1,92,241 / 14,709

12 Pakistan 2,31,818 / 4,762 /

1,31,649 / 95,407

18 Bangladesh 1,65,618 / 2,096 /

76,149 / 87,373

109 Sri Lanka 2,077 / 11 /

1,917 / 149

TOP IMPACTED INDIAN STATES SO FAR

State / Confirmed Cases / Active Case / Recovered /

Deceased

Maharashtra 2,11,987 / 87,682 / 1,15,262

/ 9,026

Tamil Nadu 1,14,978 / 46,836 / 66,571

/ 1,571

Delhi 1,00,823 / 25,620 / 72,088 /

3,115

Gujarat 36,858 / 8,574 / 26,323 / 1,961

Uttar Pradesh 28,636 / 8,718 / 19,109 /

809

Telangana 25,733 / 10,646 / 14,781 /

306

Karnataka 25,317 / 14,382 / 10,529 /

402

West Bengal 22,987 / 6,973 / 15,235 /

779

Rajasthan 20,688 / 3,949 / 16,278 /

461

Andhra Pradesh 20,019 / 10,860 / 8,920 /

239

Haryana 17,504 / 3,893 / 13,335 /

276

Madhya Pradesh 15,284 / 3,088 / 11,579 /

617

Assam 12,523 / 4,623 / 7,883 / 14

Bihar 12,140 / 3,029 / 9,014 / 97

Odisha 9,526 / 2,992 / 6,486 / 48

Jammu and Kashmir 8,675 / 3,219 / 5,318 /

138

Punjab 6,491 / 1,828 / 4,494 / 169

Kerala 5,623 / 2,252 / 3,341 / 28

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

US FLEXES MILITARY MUSCLE AT CHINA

The US is flexing its military muscle at China on behalf of India and other

Asian allies and partners, amid signs that Washington is finally ready to

take some punitive action against Beijing for the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows told Fox News on Monday that the US

military "will continue to stand strong whether it's in relationship to a

conflict between India and China or anywhere else".

"We're not going to stand by and let China or anyone the take the reins in

terms of being the most powerful dominant force, whether it's in that region

or over here," Meadows said, disclosing that President Trump is on course to

sign executive orders to "make sure that China is addressed, how we bring

manufacturing back from overseas to make sure the American worker is

supported". Soon after Meadow's remarks, Trump cryptically tweeted: "China

has caused great damage to the United States and the rest of the World!"

Trump has lately stepped up verbal attacks on China after months of trying

to reach a trade deal with Beijing. Over the weekend, Trump's top trade

advisor Peter Navarro bluntly accused China of deliberately letting out the

virus. The messages from Navarro and Meadows came on the heels of Trump's

own June 30 tweet expressing anger at Beijing: "As I watch the Pandemic

spread its ugly face all across the world... I become more and more angry at

China."

IN A POST-BREXIT WORLD, UK TAKES ON CHINA, RUSSIA

The UK reaffirmed its collision course with Beijing and Moscow on Monday as

it sought to establish its place in the world after Brexit.

China's ambassador to London warned of "consequences" if Britain treats his

country as a "hostile" power in its dealings over Hong Kong and Huawei

Technologies Co., while Russian officials topped the list of people

sanctioned for human rights abuses, sparking a threat of retaliation from

the Kremlin.

"As we forge a dynamic new vision for a truly global Britain, this

Government are absolutely committed to the United Kingdom becoming an even

stronger force for good in the world," Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told

Parliament as he introduced the sanctions. He pledged "to keep the flame of

freedom alive for those brave souls still suffering in the very darkest

corners of the world."

TRUMP ADMIN SAYS FOREIGN STUDENTS MUST LEAVE US IF CLASSES GO ONLINE

International students in the US are scrambling to make sense of a new

immigration policy that says they must leave the country or transfer to

another college if their universities offer only online classes this fall.

"Nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely

online may not take a full online course load and remain in the United

States", says the first line of a July 6 statement by the US Immigration and

Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Officials in the International Students Office at the University of Southern

California say that they are still "analysing the new information" and

swamped by a flood of enquiries from worried students.

ICE is now turning the screws on universities to re-open despite the

coronavirus roaring back across 40 of 50 states.

THE REST

========

UGC DECIDES AGAINST SCRAPPING EXAMS FOR GRADUATING STUDENTS

The University Grants Commission will not recommend cancellation of the

final semester (or final-year) examination, the higher education regulator

decided in a meeting held Monday.

Universities and colleges will be advised to assess the graduating batch

through an examination conducted in either online or offline or blended

mode. The regulator also decided to tweak its alternative calendar and

advise institutions to hold exams by September-end.

The UGC had first released an indicative academic calendar for higher

education institutions on April 29 in which it had prescribed that

universities conduct their final-year or terminal semester examination from

July 1 to July 15 and declare their results end of the month.

The regulator held a meeting on Monday to revisit its indicative alternate

calendar at the behest of the HRD Ministry.

HARYANA CLEARS WAY FOR ORDINANCE MANDATING 75% PVT JOBS TO LOCALS

The Haryana Cabinet Monday cleared a proposal to draft an ordinance for

reserving 75 per cent private sector jobs for residents of the state. The

Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Ordinance, 2020, "to address

the aspect of unemployment of the local population on priority basis", will

be placed before the Council of Ministers in its next meeting.

Providing 75 per cent reservation in private sector jobs to the residents of

the state was a key promise of Jannayak Janta Party chief Dushyant Chautala

in the 2019 Assembly elections. The JJP went on to win 10 seats and later

formed an alliance with the BJP, which had emerged as the single largest

party.

"The draft of the Ordinance, that will be brought before the Council of

Minister in its next meeting, will provide for 75 per cent of the new

employment to be given to local candidates for jobs having salary of less

than Rs 50,000 per month in various privately managed companies, Societies,

Trusts, Limited Liability Partnership Firms, partnership firms etc. situated

in the State of Haryana," a government spokesperson said.

Exemption clause shall be provided if suitable local candidates are not

available for a particular category of industry.

GREEN SHOOTS OF ECONOMIC REVIVAL HAVE EMERGED, WILL GROW FURTHER: GOVT

The government on Monday said green shoots have emerged and will grow

further on the back of a conducive policy environment, nudging the

coronavirus-hit economy to move on the path of recovery and growth.

The Macroeconomic Report for June released by the Economic Affairs

Department said, "early green shoots of economic revival have emerged in May

and June with real activity indicators like electricity and fuel

consumption, inter and intra-state movement of goods, retail financial

transactions witnessing pick up."

MAHARASHTRA ALLOWS HOTELS, LODGES OUTSIDE CONTAINMENT ZONES TO OPEN

In a bid to further ease the stringent coronavirus-induced lockdown, the

Maharashtra government on Monday allowed hotels and other entities providing

accommodation services outside containment zones to resume operations at 33

per cent of their capacity from July 8.

However, the hotels or accommodations that were being used as a quarantine

facility will continue to be used. The hotels in shopping malls, however,

will not be allowed to reopen.

The easing of restrictions is part of the Maharashtra government's 'Mission

begin again' initiative.

J&K COP DAVINDER SINGH WAS BEING GROOMED BY PAKISTAN: NIA CHARGESHEET

Arrested Jammu and Kashmir DySP Davinder Singh was "being groomed by

Pakistani officials for obtaining sensitive information" and had helped

Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) terrorists obtain weapons from across the border,

the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has told a special court in Jammu.

The agency on Monday filed its first chargesheet in the case, about six

months after Singh was arrested along with HuM terrorist Naveed Babu as the

two travelled together from Srinagar to Jammu on January 11. The two of them

are among the six chargesheeted.

Claiming that Singh was well-entrenched in the HuM network, providing its

operatives shelter, weapons and logistical support at the behest of

Pakistan, the NIA chargesheet says, "Accused Davinder Singh was also in

touch with certain officials of Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi

through secure social media platforms. Investigation revealed that he was

being groomed by Pakistani officials for obtaining sensitive information."

POOR SAFETY PROTOCOL LED TO VISAKHAPATNAM GAS LEAK: PANEL

Poor safety protocols and total breakdown of the emergency response of

procedures were the root causes of the May 7 styrene vapour leak in the LG

Polymers unit at Visakhapatnam, in which 12 people were killed and hundreds

fell sick, the High Powered Committee constituted by the Andhra Pradesh

government said here on Monday.

The HPC, headed by Environment and Forests Special Chief Secretary Neerabh

Kumar Prasad, submitted a 4000-page report to Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan

Reddy on Monday.

"The accident occurred due to uncontrolled release of styrene vapour from

the M6 tank at the LG plant, which qualifies as a major accident under the

Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989. Poor

design of the tank, inadequate refrigeration and faulty cooling system,

absence of circulation and mixing system, poor process safety management

system and total breakdown of the emergency response of the procedures were

the root causes of the accident," the HPC said in its report.

NEVER SEEN BEFORE FOOTAGE OF MARS' CRATER WHICH CAN BE A SOURCE OF WATER

A video from the European Space Agency (ESA) that was posted on Youtube on

June 30 has been making rounds. The video shows a distinctive view of the

icy Martian canyon known as the Korolev crater.

The scientists believe that the crater is likely to be a source of water on

Mars and will be beneficial for future human colonists.

The images of the unique crater are a combination of images sent by Red

Planet which was launched under ESA's Mars Express Mission in 2003.

The Korolev crater in the video is located in the northern lowlands of Mars

and is 82 km wide. The ice visible in the crater is filled all year round.

Another fascinating fact about the crater is that it is one mile deep.

The aim of the released footage was to develop people's interest to travel

to the Red Planet. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wishes to colonise Mars with his

Space Rocket's company Starship after the successful launch of two

astronauts to the International Space Station.

INDICATORS

Sensex 36,487 (+466), Nifty 10,764 (+156), Trading Value NSE ,(Rs.crores)

54,143

Nasdaq 10,434 (+226) Dow 26,287 (+460), S&P 3,180 (+50)

US$-Rs. 74.30 GBP-Rs. 92.82, Euro-Rs. 83.95, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.22, Can$-Rs.

54.86, Aus$- Rs. 51.78

GBP 0.80 /US$, Euro 0.88 /US$, Jap.Yen 107.52 /US$, Aus$ 1.43 /US$, Sing

1.39 /US$, Bang Taka 83.20 /US$, Can$ 1.35 /US$, Mal Ring 4.27 /US$,

Pak Re 166.02 /US$, Phil Peso 49.33 /US$, Russian Rouble 71.58 /US$, NZ$

1.52 /US$, Thai Baht 31.03 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 26.89 /US$, Norway NOK 9.40

/US$

Bitcoin - USD 9,301

Dollar Index 96.73 Brent Crude 42.86 BDI 1,894

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,784 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,796 / 4,696

Silver (Rs. Per KG) 48,520

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Sports do not build character. They reveal it. - Billie Jean King

OFF TRACK

A recruit who wasn't really meant to be a soldier went out to the rifle

range for the first time. He missed every target and most of the hills

behind them.

Despondent, he said to the sergeant, "I think I'll just go and shoot

myself."

The sergeant said, "Better take a couple of extra bullets!"