SINCERITY MUST IN SETTLING LAC ROW: INDIA

Officials from India and China on Friday agreed that it was necessary for

both sides to sincerely implement the understandings reached between Senior

Army Commanders.

The 16th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on

India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) noted that Senior Army Commanders will

meet soon to discuss further steps so as to ensure complete disengagement

and de-escalation in a timely manner.

The WMCC is a key mechanism chaired by senior diplomats from both sides to

iron out the on-ground wrinkles in implementing the consensus reached

between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese State Councillor

Wang Yi. In limbo for over a year, it was activated after the Galwan Valley

clash. The WMCC meeting noted the importance of maintaining the ongoing

communication at diplomatic and military levels and agreed to interact again

in the near future.

A MEA statement issued after the meeting said the two sides recalled the

agreement reached between the two Foreign Ministers (S Jaishankar and Wang

Yi) on June 17 as well as the agreement between two Special Representatives

(Ajit Doval and Wang Yi) on July 5 that it was essential to maintain

"enduring" peace and tranquillity in border areas for the overall

development of bilateral relations.

CHINESE ENVOY SEEKS TO AVOID TRADE BOYCOTT

Maintaining that front line troops at the LAC are disengaging, Chinese

Ambassador to India Sun Weidong on Friday made the case for turning the page

over the Galwan Valley incident, which was a situation "neither China nor

India would have liked to see".

In the immediate term, the Chinese envoy was looking at avoiding an Indian

boycott of Chinese trade and investment, calming tempers to discourage India

from labelling China as a strategic enemy and salvaging the 70th anniversary

celebrations of diplomatic ties.

Sun mentioned these aspects in "five fundamental points" about India-China

ties in a video address. He also addressed emerging opinions in India after

the Galwan Valley clash about Chinese expansionism and viewing Beijing as an

enemy and a strategic threat. "It is not the fact. It is harmful indeed and

not helpful," he observed.

Instead India and China should be partners rather than rivals, push for

peace rather than confrontation, avoid a zero-sum game, build trust and move

forward rather than backward.

On averting a trade boycott, Sun said Chinese investment of over Rs 60,000

crore in India had brought local jobs and boosted several sectors. Any

restrictive measure will be unfair to Chinese enterprises, as well as to

Indian employees and consumers.

PM MODI INAUGURATES ASIA'S LARGEST SOLAR POWER PROJECT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday dedicated Asia's largest solar power

project, the 750 MW Rewa solar power project in Madhya Pradesh, to the

nation.

According to the govt, this Solar Power project in Rewa consists of three

solar power generating units, each having a capacity of 250 MW and each

located on a 500 hectare plot of land, which is situated inside a Solar

Park.

After the development of the Solar Park, RUMSL selected ACME Jaipur Solar

Power Private Limited, Mahindra Renewables Private Limited, and Arinsun

Clean Energy Private Limited, through reverse auction for developing three

solar generating units inside the Solar Park.

By breaking the electricity grid parity barrier in February 2017, the

project brought home the point that solar energy is no longer a green fad

but a game changer in India's energy mix.

Modi said India won't be able to fully use its solar power potential, unless

the country develops better solar panel, battery and storage manufacturing

capacity.

This assumes importance given that green energy projects now account for

more than a fifth of India's installed power generation capacity. India has

34.6 gigawatt (GW) of solar power, with an aim to have 100 GW of solar

capacity by 2022.

The fast-growing domestic market for solar components is dominated by

Chinese companies due to their competitive pricing. India imported $2.16

billion worth of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells, panels, and modules in

2018-19. Modi said that several steps are being taken to increase domestic

manufacturing, and it has been decided that government's departments and

institutions will only buy domestically manufactured solar cells and

modules.

CORONAVIRUS CAN BE AIRBORNE INDOORS, WHO CONFIRMS

The World Health Organisation has published an updated version of its March

29 scientific brief, 'Modes of transmission of virus causing COVID-19:

implications for infection prevention and control (IPC) precaution

recommendations', which it said included "new scientific evidence available

on transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19".

In the brief, the WHO has formally acknowledged the possibility that the

novel coronavirus can remain in the air in crowded indoor spaces, where

"short-range aerosol transmission. cannot be ruled out". It means that you

could walk into an empty, poorly ventilated room, which had earlier been

occupied by an infected person till a few minutes ago, and still get

infected.

The updated brief has come after a group of 239 scientists from 32 countries

prompted WHO to do so.

In its section on 'How to prevent transmission', the WHO brief said that

apart from hand washing and physical distancing, one should "avoid crowded

places, close-contact settings and confined and enclosed spaces with poor

ventilation", and "wear fabric masks when in closed, overcrowded spaces to

protect others; and ensure good environmental ventilation in all closed

settings and appropriate environmental cleaning and disinfection".

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

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from

worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 8,22,225 (+27,462) / 1,26,25,156 (+2,35,602)

Total Deaths 22,144 (+521) / 5,62,769 (+5,364)

Total Recovered 5,16,206 (+20,246) / 73,61,454 (+1,74,007)

Active Cases 2,83,875 (+6,695) / 47,00,933 (+56,231)

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

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

Cases

1 USA 32,91,786 / 1,36,671 /

14,60,495 / 16,94,620

2 Brazil 18,04,338 / 70,524 /

12,13,512 / 5,20,302

3 India 8,22,603 / 22,144 /

5,16,206 / 2,84,253

4 Russia 7,13,936 / 11,017 /

4,89,068 / 2,13,851

5 Peru 3,19,646 / 11,500 /

2,10,638 / 97,508

6 Chile 3,09,274 / 6,781 /

2,78,053 / 24,440

7 Spain 3,00,988 / 28,403 / N/A

/ N/A

8 Mexico 2,89,174 / 34,191 /

1,77,097 / 77,886

9 UK 2,88,133 / 44,650 / N/A

/ N/A

10 Iran 2,52,720 / 12,447 /

2,15,015 / 25,258

11 South Africa 2,50,687 / 3,860 /

1,18,232 / 1,28,595

12 Pakistan 2,43,599 / 5,058 /

1,49,092 / 89,449

17 Bangladesh 1,78,443 / 2,275 /

86,406 / 89,762

107 Sri Lanka 2,454 / 11 /

1,980 / 463

TOP IMPACTED INDIAN STATES SO FAR

State / Confirmed Cases / Active Case / Recovered /

Deceased

Maharashtra 2,38,461 / 95,647 / 1,32,625

/ 9,893

Tamil Nadu 1,30,261 / 46,108 / 82,324

/ 1,829

Delhi 1,09,140 / 21,146 / 84,694 /

3,300

Gujarat 40,155 / 9,949 / 28,183 / 2,023

Uttar Pradesh 33,700 / 11,024 / 21,787 /

889

Karnataka 33,418 / 19,031 / 13,838 /

545

Telangana 32,224 / 12,680 / 19,205 /

339

West Bengal 27,109 / 8,881 / 17,348 /

880

Andhra Pradesh 25,422 / 11,936 / 13,194 /

292

Rajasthan 23,174 / 5,057 / 17,620 /

497

Haryana 19,934 / 4,740 / 14,904 /

290

Madhya Pradesh 16,657 / 3,538 / 12,481 /

638

Assam 15,537 / 5,650 / 9,849 / 35

Bihar 14,330 / 3,968 / 10,251 / 111

Odisha 11,956 / 3,911 / 7,972 / 73

Jammu and Kashmir 9,888 / 3,943 / 5,786 /

159

Punjab 7,357 / 2,153 / 5,017 / 187

Kerala 6,951 / 3,099 / 3,820 / 28

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

WORLD LEADERS OPPOSE ISRAEL PM'S PLANS TO ANNEX PARTS OF OCCUPIED WEST BANK

Undeterred by global condemnation, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu has vowed to push ahead with his plans to annex nearly a third of

occupied West Bank - the 5,650-square-km chunk of land - which finds itself

at the centre of an intense territorial conflict between Israel and

Palestine.

After earlier announcing a July 1 deadline to begin forcibly annexing parts

of the highly disputed region, Netanyahu has delayed his original plans as

he is still awaiting approval from the White House, Israeli officials have

said.

Netanyahu's bid to declare sovereignty over several Jewish settlements in

the area aligns with US President Donald Trump's controversial Middle East

Peace Plan. While the Israeli government and the Trump administration have

insisted that these settlements are legal, the larger international

community disagrees and believes these settlements to be illegal under the

provisions of international law.

Several foreign leaders from across the world have threatened to sever

diplomatic ties with Israel if Netanyahu goes ahead with his plans. Key

international bodies like the United Nations and the European Union have

warned the Israeli Prime Minister that his sovereignty claims could trigger

a diplomatic and human rights disaster in the area.

SINGAPORE RULING PAP PARTY WINS ELECTIONS, BUT SUPPORT FALLS

Singapore's ruling People's Action Party (PAP) has retained power in

Friday's general election but with a reduced majority, final results show.

The PAP, in power since 1965, won 83 of 93 parliamentary seats or 61.2% of

the vote - down from nearly 70% it had in the 2015 poll.

The opposition Workers' Party secured 10 seats - its best result.

The election was widely seen as a referendum on the government's handling of

the coronavirus outbreak.

The PAP victory now brings current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yet

another term in office.

The son of country's founding father and long-time ruler Lee Kuan Yew, Mr

Lee has been in office since 2004 - but has indicated the forthcoming term

will be his last.

THE REST

========

TOP GOVT SCIENTISTS TELL MPS COVID-19 VACCINE AT LEAST A YEAR AWAY

The government's top scientists and officials on Friday told a parliamentary

committee that a vaccine to cure Covid-19 could take at least a year to

develop, and that they said was their most optimistic assessment.

The panel of lawmakers was told that India, a leading manufacturer of

vaccines and generic medicines, with nearly 60 per cent of the world's

vaccines developed here, is expected to play a key role in the worldwide

race to develop a vaccine.

However, the reliance of Indian pharma industry on Chinese APIs (active

pharmaceutical ingredients) was recognised as a "huge strategic concern"

with few short-term solutions.

With some of the best Indian students unable to leave for studying in

foreign universities because of Covid-19, the Council for Scientific and

Industrial Research (CSIR) told the committee how this offered an

opportunity to check brain drain.

The CSIR suggested increasing the number of post-doctoral research

fellowships from 300 to 800 every year, starting from 2021, and also the

number of PhD scholars through CSIR-NET examination from 5,000 to 7,500. The

proposal would require an additional budget of Rs 2,388.22 crore over the

next five years, it said.

A 55 HOUR LOCKDOWN BEGINS IN UP, PUNE , THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ALSO LINE UP

LOCKDOWNS

Uttar Pradesh has announced fresh lockdown to prevent the spread of

Cornavirus - it will be in place for 55 hours beginning 10 pm on Friday

(July 10).

The lockdown is expected to restrict non-essential movement that spikes over

weekends and also ensure the successful screening of every household in the

state - something the government wants to complete by July 15.

Pune district administration announced a 10-day lockdown in urban and

peri-urban areas between July 14 and July 23 owing to "alarming" rate of

spread of the virus and with an aim to break the chain of the transmission.

At present, Pune has a total of 35,000 cases, of which 1,921 were added on

Friday. The overall active cases in the district stand at 13,132 while

21,411 patients have been sent home after treatment. A total of 985 infected

persons from the district have lost their lives so far.

Meanwhile, Kerala has announced that the triple lockdown imposed in

Thiruvananthapuram corporation limits will be extended by another week.

CULPRIT KILLED, WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO GAVE PATRONAGE: PRIYANKA

The opposition parties on Friday slammed the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar

Pradesh government over the encounter of dreaded gangster Vikas Dubey.

According to reports, as the convoy bringing Dubey from Madhya Pradesh's

Ujjain reached the Bhauti area under the Barra police circle in Kanpur on

Friday morning, the vehicle in which Vikas was seated, overturned after

skidding on the road due to heavy rain. Dubey, along with two other police

personnel in the vehicle, was injured in the accident. As soon as the

gangster was taken out of the vehicle, he allegedly snatched a pistol from

the STF team and tried to fire at the police. He was fatally injured in

retaliatory firing. Dubey received a bullet injury in the chest which proved

fatal.

Curiously, the media cars following the police convoy were all stopped by

the police a few kms before the site of the said accident and encounter.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took a swipe at the Yogi

Adityanath government over the encounter and questioned what will happen to

those who gave patronage in this case. "The culprit has been killed but what

about crime and people who gave patronage?" Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet.

Former CM Akhilesh Yadav took to twitter and wrote, "Actually. his car has

not overturned, but the government has been saved from turning over the

secret."

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary also slammed the BJP

government over the "encounter rule" in the state and urged all the judges

to resign. "After Vikas Dubey's encounter, all the judges of the country

should resign. There is no need of court in BJP's encounter rule,"

RATAN TATA'S EMOTIONAL APPEAL IN SUPREME COURT

Making an emotional appeal to the Supreme Court to reject Cyrus Mistry's

petition, the patriarch of the Tata group, Ratan Tata, said commercial

ambitions of the former Tata Sons chairman were behind the dispute. Tata

said it was about Mistry's removal as a director from the Tata Sons board,

and not the rights of minority shareholders.

In his counter-affidavit filed with the apex court, Tata, 82, justified his

actions as group chairman while acquiring companies like Corus Steel and

Jaguar Land Rover, which Mistry had termed as "legacy hot spots" soon after

he was removed from the group in October 2016. Mistry had alleged that these

acquisitions had resulted in huge value erosion for the Tata group and

impacted his own performance as chairman. Mistry had replaced Tata, who

retired in 2012 after heading the group for 20 years. However, he was

removed four years later by the Tata Sons board on grounds of

non-performance.

"At this stage of my life and career, I would not like to either explain or

defend my performance as chairman of Tata Sons and of the other Tata

companies whose board I chaired during my tenure. It is for the companies

and their stakeholders to judge," Tata said. "However, one thing I would

like to clarify and reiterate is that throughout the past several decades

that I have served the Tata group in various capacities, I have been solely

guided by the interest of this group and its enduring legacy, which cannot

be judged in numbers alone and goes beyond return on investment and costs of

capital."

DISHWASHER SALES GROW 250%; SOME OTHE WHITE GOODS DEMAND DOUBLES

With work from home becoming a reality at least for the near future, Indian

consumers have started investing on consumer durables to enable them to

multi-task better. The fear of the virus has also forced them to keep their

domestic help at bay, and this has led to categories such as dishwashers

grow by 250 per cent over same time last year. Washing machine, microwave

and big sized refrigerator sales have doubled too.

"There is clearly a trend of substituting domestic help with gadgets,"

points out Kamal Nandi, Business Head, Godrej Appliances. Indian consumers

have traditionally never considered it important enough to equip their

kitchens with gadgets that could help increase their productivity as they

have had the luxury of domestic help. "Also with spends on travel, eating

out and shopping having dropped significantly, people are investing on

products which can entertain them as well as help them multi-task," says

Manish Sharma, MD, Panasonic India.

The other surprise category in the COVID world has been the surge of sales

of large sized TV panels upwards of 55 inches. "Our TV sales grew by 50 per

cent in June. With multiplex visits having stopped and more time being spent

at home consumers are seeking large screen experience through large TV

panels. People are buying TVs to consume OTT and some are also doing video

conferencing. Staring at the laptop for long hours gets stressful," says

Sharma of Panasonic India. Apart from dishwashers, mircowaves, TV panels and

even mixer grinders, personal grooming gadgets such as trimmers, epilators

and shavers have sold five times more than what they did same time last

year. Office automation products such as video conferencing cameras have

also taken off.

SOUTHAMPTON TEST, DAY 3: WEST INDIES TAKE A LEAD

Shane Dowrich steered the West Indies into a first-innings lead of over a

hundred runs against England on the third day of the first Test at

Southampton on Friday.

Dowrich made 61 after opener Kraigg Brathwaite had top-scored with 65 in a

total of 318 all out. Stand-in captain Ben Stokes led England's attack with

4-49 to follow his top score of 43 in the hosts' 204. But that still left

West Indies 114 runs ahead in a match that marks international cricket's

return from lockdown.

In their 2nd innings, England were 15/0 at stumps.

INDICATORS

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55.08, Aus$- Rs. 52.04

GBP 0.79 /US$, Euro 0.88 /US$, Jap.Yen 106.89 /US$, Aus$ 1.43 /US$, Sing

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Silver (Rs. Per KG) 51,910

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on

it. - Danny Kaye

OFF TRACK

Linda, whose daughter had just given birth to a beautiful, healthy baby,

showed up for a lunch date looking less cheerful than Jill expected.

"What's wrong," Jill asked. "Are you depressed by the fact that you're a

grandmother?"

Linda responded with a barely perceptible smile.

"No," she said. "It's just that I'm not crazy about having to sleep with a

grandfather."