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National

- LS erupts as Birla reads resolution on Emergency

- Assange returns home to Australia, a free man

- CBI arrests Kejriwal in excise policy case, gets 3 days’ custody

- Join the spots

- U.S. criticises India in report on religious freedom

- India looking at ‘potential’ institutional reforms amid assassination charges: U.S.

- With dummy FIRs, pocket guides, police get ready to switch to new criminal laws

- Whole system ‘trying to ensure’ Delhi CM doesn’t get bail: Sunita Kejriwal

- Muchkund Dubey, India’s top diplomat at the end of Cold War, passes away

- Three militants killed in day-long operation in J&K’s Doda: officials

- Nagaland holds civic polls after 2 decades

- NEET, UGC-NET row: student outfits begin indefinite protest

- Sam Pitroda reappointed Overseas Congress chief

- Italy asked to take action over Indian worker’s death

- Government and Opposition yet to come to terms with the message of the poll verdict?

- Joint combing operations held in violence-hit Jiribam

- AIADMK members suspended for rest of the Assembly session

- Parliament’s records keeper as well as a record-breaker Om Birla begins term

- Chinese woman arrested at Nepal border for trying to enter without documents

- New MLAs protest in Bengal, ask Governor to administer oath

- Centre did not help Delhi resolve water crisis, says Akhilesh

- U.P. court asks Rahul Gandhi to appear on July 2

- CBI questions principal and bank officials in NEET case

- Prolonged exposure to coal mining causes respiratory, skin diseases in workers: study

- 14212

- Minister’s promise to look into Nicobar project ‘mildly’ encouraging, says Congress

- SC calls cutting of ‘valuable’ trees in Delhi a ‘brazen act’

- Examples of Krishna bhakti

- Encroachments bulldozed for second day in West Bengal

- ₹10 lakh for aiding arrest of Goldy Brar, another gangster

LS erupts as Birla reads resolution on Emergency

Devesh K Pandey, Sandeep Phukan

NEW DELHI

Bonhomie that prevailed after his election as Speaker shattered over reminder of the excesses committed during the period ; Opposition had not pressed for a division of votes for the election; amid sloganeering by the Opposition, House adjourned for the day after observing a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the 1975 measure

Fresh start: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju escort Om Birla to the Speaker’s chair in Parliament House on Wednesday. PTI-

The bonhomie that prevailed in the Lok Sabha following Om Birla’s election as Speaker by a voice vote on Wednesday, with the Opposition not pressing for a division of votes in support of Congress candidate Kodikunnil Suresh, proved short-lived when Mr. Birla read out a resolution on the 1975 Emergency, triggering huge protests by the Opposition.

The resolution said the Congress had crushed the spirit of the Constitution and dictatorship had been imposed in 1975.

“The Emergency is a black spot in history. The aim of these amendments made by the Congress government was to bring all the powers to one person, to control the judiciary, and to destroy the basic principles of the Constitution. By doing this, the rights of citizens were suppressed and the principles of democracy attacked,” Mr. Birla said, reading out the resolution.

“[T]he then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi also talked about committed bureaucracy and committed judiciary, which is an example of her anti-democratic attitude,” he said.

Amid sloganeering by Opposition members, the House was adjourned for the day after observing a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Emergency.

Earlier, after the Speaker’s election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Mr. Birla for the skill he showed in maintaining the decorum of the House during his previous term.

In keeping with parliamentary tradition, newly appointed Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi walked across the aisle to congratulate Mr. Birla, shook hands with Mr. Modi and escorted the Speaker to his Chair along with the Prime Minister and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. Mr. Gandhi, however, stressed the importance of “impartiality” from the Speaker’s chair.

He noted that “the idea that you can run the House efficiently by silencing the voice of the Opposition is a non-democratic idea”.

Stark contrast

The end of the day’s Lok Sabha’s proceedings was in stark contrast to the mood of the House at the beginning of the day.

Though the Opposition INDIA bloc nominated Mr. Suresh to contest the election for the Speaker’s post, it did not ask for any division of votes, prompting pro tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab to announce that Mr. Birla was elected by a voice vote.

This also led to the Trinamool Congress and the Congress taking opposing views; Trinamool leader Abhishek Banerjee claimed that Mr. Mahtab did not allow a count of votes, while the Congress’s Jairam Ramesh asserted that the party did not seek a division for the sake of “creating an atmosphere of consensus”.

The Lower House’s proceedings began with Mr. Modi moving a motion to elect Mr. Birla as the Speaker, a position that the three-term MP from Kota had held in the 17th Lok Sabha as well.

All partners of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) also moved identical proposals in favour of Mr. Birla to convey a message of unity.

Similarly, the proposal for Mr. Suresh was moved by the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Arvind Sawant, and was supported by Congress leaders and their allies.

Once Mr. Birla assumed his Chair, the Prime Minister praised him for ensuring that the Lok Sabha functioned even during the COVID-19 period and for maintaining the dignity and decorum of the House, at times by taking difficult decisions.

‘Voices to be heard’

“Speaker Sir, the question is not how efficiently the House is run, the question is how much of India’s voice is being allowed to be heard in this House,” Mr. Gandhi said, speaking after Mr. Modi.

“The Opposition would like to assist you in your work. I am confident you will allow us to speak in the House,” he added.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav hoped that MPs would not be suspended under the new Speaker’s watch, saying that this hurt the dignity of the House.

Associated Press

Canberra

Victory lap: Julian Assange waves after landing at the RAAF airbase Fairbairn in Canberra, Australia, on Wednesday.APRick Rycroft

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returned to his homeland Australia aboard a charter jet on Wednesday, hours after pleading guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that concludes a drawn-out legal saga.

The criminal case of international intrigue, which had played out for years came to a surprise end in a most unusual setting with Mr. Assange, 52, entering his plea in a U.S. district court in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The American commonwealth in the Pacific is relatively close to Mr. Assange’s native Australia and accommodated his desire to avoid entering the continental U.S.

Outpouring support

Mr. Assange was accused of receiving and publishing hundreds of thousands of U.S. war logs and diplomatic cables that included details of U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. His activities drew an outpouring of support from press freedom advocates, who heralded his role in bringing to light military conduct that might otherwise have been concealed from view and warned of a chilling effect on journalists.

The plea deal required Mr. Assange to admit guilt to a single felony count but also permitted him to return to Australia without any time in an American prison.

The judge sentenced him to the five years he had already spent behind bars in the U.K. fighting extradition to the U.S. on an Espionage Act indictment that could have carried a lengthy prison sentence in the event of a conviction. He was holed up for seven years before that in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Mr. Assange raised his right fist as he emerged from the plane and his supporters at the Canberra airport cheered from a distance.

Dressed in the same suit and tie he wore during his earlier court appearance, he embraced his wife Stella and father John Shipton.

“He described it as a surreal and happy moment, his landing here in our national capital, Canberra,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told presspersons in Parliament House.

Mr. Assange was accompanied on the flights by the Australian Ambassador to the U.S., Kevin Rudd, and High Commissioner to the U.K. Stephen Smith, both of whom played key roles in negotiating his freedom with London and Washington.

“WikiLeaks’s work will continue and Mr. Assange, I have no doubt, will be a continuing force for freedom of speech and transparency in government,” his lawyer Barry Pollack, told presspersons outside the Saipan court.

As CBI arrests him, Kejriwal withdraws petition from SC

Krishnadas Rajagopal, Ishita Mishra

NEW DELHI

Arvind Kejriwal-

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) formally arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case on Wednesday, and was granted three days to interrogate him in its custody.

The day also saw Mr. Kejriwal withdraw his petition from the Supreme Court, promising to return with a fresh challenge against the stay of his statutory bail by the Delhi High Court on June 25.

Appearing before a Vacation Bench of Justices Manoj Misra and S.V.N. Bhatti, Mr. Kejriwal’s counsel, senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, conveyed his client’s angst at the flurry of events occurring over the past two days which have kept him in custody.

“Events are overtaking us every day… On a 2022 interrogation and notice by the CBI, I [Mr. Kejriwal] have been arrested while still under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act [PMLA],” he said.

Mr. Singhvi was given the liberty to file a fresh and substantive petition against the High Court’s interim order to pause the operation of the bail granted to him by a trial court on June 20.

The CBI arrest had followed the High Court judgment.

Remanding the Chief Minister, Special Judge Amitabh Rawat of the Delhi Rouse Avenue Court asked the CBI to produce him back in court at 7 p.m. on June 29.

“Investigation is the prerogative of the investigating agency. There are certain safeguards provided in the law and at this stage, on the material on record, it cannot be said that the arrest is illegal. The agency, however, should not be overzealous,” the Special Court observed.

‘Sisodia is innocent’

Mr. Kejriwal chose to address the court in person, submitting that he and other leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party, including Delhi’s former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, were falsely implicated in the case. He accused the Central agencies of manipulating the media to create a wedge in the party leadership.

“I have never testified that Manish Sisodia is guilty in this matter. He is innocent and the entire AAP is innocent. I am innocent. The aim of such rumours that I have put all the onus on Sisodia is false and the agency is trying to malign us through the media,” Mr. Kejriwal said.

Mr. Kejriwal explained in court that the CBI had asked him about who had pitched for privatisation. “On this, I had said that the idea was not mine. That is all,” he said.

Join the spots

On the trail: A leopard, seen cautiously lounging at the Bannerghatta Biological Park, was photographed during the inaugural run of south India’s first leopard safari. The safari will showcase several leopards rescued from across Karnataka. K. MURALI KUMAR (Report on Page 3)MURALI KUMAR K

U.S. criticises India in report on religious freedom

Agence France-Presse

Washington

The United States in a report published on Wednesday offered a rare criticism of close partner India on religious freedom, while also voicing alarm over rising bigotry worldwide against both Jews and Muslims.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled the report and said that the United States was also facing its own sharp increase of both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in connection to the Gaza war. “In India, we see a concerning increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship of members of minority faith communities,” Mr. Blinken said.

Despite the public criticism in the report, few expect the State Department to take action on India when it drafts its annual blacklist of countries over religious freedom later this year.

The State Department also raised concerns about countries that are on the list, including Pakistan, where Mr. Blinken condemned blasphemy laws that “help foster a climate of intolerance and hatred that can lead to vigilantism and mob violence.” He also noted that in the U.S., hate crimes against both Muslims and Jews “have gone up dramatically.”

He said that nine European nations “effectively ban some forms of religious clothing in public spaces.” He did not name the countries, although France has been in the forefront of restricting full-face veils worn by Muslim women.

India looking at ‘potential’ institutional reforms amid Pannun issue: U.S. official

Dinakar Peri

New Delhi

The U.S. has sought ‘accountability’ from the Indian government on the Pannun issue and has ‘consistently’ asked for updates on the committee probing the matter, says Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell; he adds that both countries are seeking to develop deeper technological ties

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2 of 2 We have had constructive dialogue with India on this topic and they have been responsive to our concerns...We raised this issue directly with the Indian government Kurt M. Campbell U.S. Deputy Secretary of State

India is looking at “potential” institutional reforms against the backdrop of the Pannun issue and alleged assassination attempts, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell said on Wednesday, adding that the U.S. seeks “accountability” from the Indian government and has “consistently” asked for updates on the committee investigating the matter.

“We have had constructive dialogue with India on this topic and they have been responsive to our concerns. We made clear that we seek accountability from the Government of India, and we have consistently asked for updates on the Indian committee... We raised this issue directly with the Indian government at the most senior levels between our two countries,” Mr. Campbell said.

“We also believe that Indian colleagues are looking carefully at what potential institutional reforms might be necessary in the wake of some of these allegations and reports... Those discussions continue between the U.S. and India.”

Mr. Campbell was speaking at a virtual briefing on the second India-U.S. initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) dialogue that was chaired by the National Security Advisers of both countries last week.

The External Affairs Ministry set up a “high-level” inquiry committee on November 18 into the alleged assassination plot against U.S.-Canadian Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in May 2023.

The investigation into the case by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has led to a chargesheet against an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, 52, who allegedly hired a hitman to target Khalistani separatists in the U.S. and Canada at the behest of a senior Indian security official.

Mr. Gupta was extradited to the U.S. from the Czech Republic last week and has since been produced in a New York court.

India-Russia ties

To a question on India-Russia ties amid the deepening India-U.S. technological cooperation, Mr. Campbell said the U.S. and India have a “full and frank” dialogue and also discuss mutual relationships, including India’s relationship with Russia.

“We are seeking to develop a much deeper and stronger technological relationship between the U.S. and India. We have been clear which areas are affected by the continuing relationship between India and Russia, militarily and technologically... We have expressed some concerns. But at the same time we have confidence and trust in India,” Mr. Campbell stated.

Further, he underscored that that the U.S. and India are both “great powers” and have many areas of alignment. Noting that it is not surprising that there would be areas where the two countries had different perspectives due to historical ties, Mr. Campbell added, “In the context of our strategic partnership, what’s been important has been our ability to share views on areas where we occasionally have disagreements, do those respectfully and seek where possible to narrow those areas where there are differences.”

The U.S. Deputy Secretary said the U.S.-India relationship has reached escape velocity and India will be a key U.S. partner in the 21st century, while noting the broad, bipartisan support for ties with India.

During the iCET dialogue, he said plans had been made for launching an ambitions Indian Ocean deliberations, bringing together stakeholders at the highest level on both sides. “We value India’s central role in the Indian Ocean,” Mr. Campbell said, adding that their desire is to help support India’s maritime domain awareness and military capabilities, both naval and air.

With dummy FIRs, pocket guides, police get ready to switch to new criminal laws

Vijaita Singh

New Delhi

Delhi Police officials attend a training session on the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the police headquarters in New Delhi. FILE PHOTOSUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

Ahead of the implementation of the new criminal laws from July 1, at least 23 modifications have been made to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network Systems (CCTNS), an online platform used by more than 16,000 police stations across the country to register first information reports.

With the new laws coming into force, the FIRs will be registered under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), instead of Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

A senior government official said all the States were on board and prepared to switch to the new system from July 1.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) replaces the Indian Penal Code, 1860; the Bharatiya Sakshya (BS) replaces the Indian Evidence Act, 1872; and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) replaces the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898.

The Delhi Police, which was one of the first police forces across the country to roll out training and educational modules for the new laws, aims to sensitise all the 90,000 police personnel by August.

“Dummy FIRs are being filed to accustom the police officials to the new format. We have given pocket-sized books compressing the three laws to all ranks as a ready reckoner. The sections of laws being used for years are being changed, the books will come in handy while registering a case as they mention old and new sections on the same page,” Chhaya Sharma, Special Commissioner of Police (Training), Delhi, told The Hindu.

Another police official said the old laws such as the IPC and CrPC will still be in use. “If a case is registered after July 1 but the crime occurred before the date, it will be registered under the BNSS and relevant sections of the IPC. The existing cases in court, where chargesheets are yet to be filed or the trial is still on, will be held under the old system. The CCTNS will have both the old and new provisions,” official said.

A total of 20 new crimes have been added, and the period of imprisonment has been increased for 33 offences. The penalty of community service has been introduced for six crimes and a mandatory minimum punishment has been introduced in 23 crimes.

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Sunita KejriwalANI

Shortly after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday, his wife Sunita said the whole system was “trying to ensure” that her husband doesn’t get bail and that is akin to “dictatorship”.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) too called the leader’s arrest “unconstitutional” and an undeclared “emergency”.

Mr. Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21. He was granted 21-day interim bail on May 10 by the Supreme Court to campaign in the Lok Sabha election while hearing his plea against his arrest.

The leader had to go back to Tihar Jail on June 2 after the apex court refused to extend his bail. He secured bail from the trial court on June 20, which was challenged by the ED in the High Court.

Ms. Kejriwal took to X and said, “Arvind Kejriwal got bail on 20th June. Immediately, the ED got a stay. Next day, the CBI made him an accused. And today, he was arrested. The whole system is trying to ensure that the man does not come out of jail. This is not law. This is dictatorship, this is emergency.”

Senior AAP leader Jasmine Shah also termed as “fake” the case against the Chief Minister. “The CBI and the ED are filing false cases at the behest of the BJP only to finish off AAP and to keep him in jail. Time and again, we have said this with facts that the ED and the CBI are filing their chargesheets and putting AAP leaders in jail based on fake witnesses,” he said.

He alleged that the CBI was “caught making political statements in the court” while seeking approval for Mr. Kejriwal’s arrest. “The CBI wanted him to give such a statement that would have created a sensation in the media,” Mr. Shah said, terming the probe agencies as “political mouthpiece of the BJP”.

‘Misuse of agencies’

AAP also got the backing of its INDIA bloc partner Samajwadi Party (SP), whose chief Akhilesh Yadav said Mr. Kejriwal has been “framed” in the case to ensure that he doesn’t come out of the jail and run his government.

“This is not the first time that the CBI is trapping people. The BJP traps through the CBI those who pose a threat to it,” he added.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said it is regrettable to see that AAP leaders are “casting aspersions” on probe agencies.

“AAP leaders should understand that people of Delhi are now convinced that the Kejriwal government is not only involved the liquor scam but also involved in corruption in the Delhi Jal Board and the Yamuna cleaning,” he said.

Muchkund Dubey, India’s top diplomat at the end of Cold War, passes away

Kallol Bhattacherjee

NEW DELHI

Muchkund Dubey GIRI KVS

Former Foreign Secretary Muchkund Dubey, who steered India’s foreign affairs establishment towards the end of the Cold War and the post-Cold War phase in the early 1990s, passed away at a private hospital here on Wednesday, said Research and Information System for Developing Countries, a think tank he was associated with.

Mr. Dubey entered the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) during the Prime Ministership of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1957 and worked closely with several Prime Ministers including Rajiv Gandhi, Vishwanath Pratap Singh and P.V. Narasimha Rao. He was India’s 17th Foreign Secretary during 1990-91.

“He served as Secretary (East) and then took charge as the Foreign Secretary and worked side by side with External Affairs Minister I.K. Gujral when the war began in the Gulf and India had to evacuate a large number of citizens from the region,” said his former colleague K.P. Fabian.

Mr. Dubey was born in 1933 in Jasidih, which was then part of the Santhal Pargana of Bihar (now Jharkhand). Recollecting his life for The Hindu in 2017, Mr. Dubey had said that he grew up in a multilingual environment as his childhood was spent near the pilgrimage centre of Deoghar which attracts a sizeable number of pilgrims from all parts of India, especially Bengal. As a result, Mr. Dubey acquired fluency in Hindi, Bengali, and English during his childhood.

Subsequently, upon joining the service, Mr. Dubey also learnt French and Persian. He was part of the IFS officers who joined the service during the first decade (1948-58) of the service and benefited from the elaborate training that the Government of India had mandated for the IFS officers of that era.

He was trained abroad as part of this policy and underwent district-level and language training. The specific six-part training module for the Indian diplomats that Mr. Dubey underwent was discontinued after 1958.

Mr. Dubey’s diplomatic career took off after the 1956 Suez crisis which left a mark on the foreign policy orientation of India.

The end of his career in 1991 coincided with multiple global developments including the dissolution of the USSR, end of the Cold War, the Mandal agitation, and, at home, with the economic liberalisation of India.

Apart from being a foreign affairs expert, he was a renowned translator and literary critic.

Three militants killed in day-long operation in J&K’s Doda: officials

Peerzada Ashiq

JAMMU

Continued violence: Army personnel stand guard in Gandoh after a jawan was injured in an exchange of fire with terrorists. file photoANI

Three militants were killed and a policeman was injured in a day-long anti-militancy operation in Doda district of the Jammu region on Wednesday.

“Three terrorists have been neutralised in an ongoing joint operation in the Gandoh, Bhaderwah sector of district Doda. Arms and ammunition have been recovered from their possession,” Additional Director-General of Police Anand Jain said.

Arms and ammunition, including U.S.-made M4 rifle, were recovered from the slain militants. “A large cache of warlike stores, including automatic assault rifles, has been recovered,” an Army spokesman said.

The spokesman said the hiding militants were engaged in “an intense firefight”.

Security forces engaged the hiding militants in a firefight in Doda district since Wednesday morning. Heavy gunfire resounded in the Gandoh area of Doda after the security forces spotted and established contact with militants hiding in a mud house in the forest area in Bajaad village.

The hiding militants were encircled at Bajaad village around 9.50 a.m. Major search operations were launched in Doda district following two militant attacks on checkpoints at Gandoh and Chattergala areas on June 11 and 12, which left seven security personnel injured.

Nagaland holds civic polls after 2 decades

The Hindu Bureau

GUWAHATI

A majority of more than 2.23 lakh voters in Nagaland exercised their franchise in the elections to the urban local bodies (ULBs) held on Wednesday after a 20-year gap.

The highlight of the electoral exercise was the reservation of 33% of the seats or wards for women, a touchy issue that had stalled the civic polls for two decades.

Officials of the State Election Commission (SEC) said the polls passed off peacefully amid heightened security due to fears of violence. “The turnout was on the higher side. We are yet to get the data from all the centres,” an official said.

The voters — 1,13,521 of them women — decided the fate of 523 candidates who represented various political parties or contested as Independents. The voting was conducted through ballot papers across 420 polling stations. Officials said 64 candidates were elected unopposed.

The ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) had the most candidates (45) winning unopposed followed by its ally Bharatiya Janata Party with seven, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with five, Congress with three, and the Naga People’s Front (NPF) and Independents with two each.

The elections, however, were not held in 14 town councils across six districts where the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation boycotted the polls.

NEET, UGC-NET row: student outfits begin indefinite protest

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Several student outfits on Wednesday started an indefinite protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the dissolution of the National Testing Agency (NTA) over the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and UGC-NET examination.

The call for the protest was given by the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and it was joined by several NEET aspirants and university professors.

Both exams are conducted by the NTA every year. While NEET is held for admissions to undergraduate courses at medical colleges across the country, the UGC-NET is conducted twice a year for the selection of junior research fellows, assistant professors and PhD scholars.

Commenting over it, Jitender Meena, an Assistant Professor at Delhi University, said they demanded the scrapping of the testing agency to “save the country’s education system”.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Dhananjay said: “We have come here with the demand that the NTA should be scrapped and it should no longer be the in charge of conducting examinations.”

Sam Pitroda reappointed Overseas Congress chief

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday reappointed Sam Pitroda chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, weeks after he resigned from the post following a controversy in the middle of the Lok Sabha election.

Mr. Pitroda, a close aide of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, had courted controversy during a podcast when he cited ethnic and racial identities such as Chinese, Africans, Arabs, and Whites to describe the physical appearance of Indians from different parts of the country.

The Bharatiya Janata Party had termed Mr. Pitroda’s controversial remarks “racist”, prompting the Congress leadership to gently nudge him to step down.

Mr. Pitroda had resigned from the post on May 8.

Italy asked to take action over Indian worker’s death

Press Trust of India

LONDON/ROME

India on Wednesday asked Italy to take prompt action against those responsible for the death of a 31-year-old Indian worker who died after he was dumped on the road without medical assistance by his employer after his arm was severed by heavy farm machinery.

Muktesh Pardeshi, Secretary [CPV & OIA], conveyed to Luigi Maria Vignali, the Director-General for Italian Citizens Abroad and Migration Policies, India’s “deep concern” about the death of Satnam Singh, the Indian Embassy in Italy said in a post on X (previously Twitter).

Calling for prompt action against those responsible, the mission stated that the Embassy is in contact with the family of Satnam Singh for consular help and transportation of the mortal remains.

Government and Opposition yet to come to terms with the message of the poll verdict?

Nistula Hebbar

NEW DELHI

Rocky start: NDA MPs raise slogans on the 49th anniversary of the Emergency, at Parliament House in New Delhi on Wednesday. ANIANI

The political drama that surrounded the election of the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha has many indications of how both the government and the Opposition view the mandate of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

For the BJP and specifically Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the renomination of Om Birla for the post and the government being non-committal on the issue of giving the Deputy Speaker’s post to the Opposition are part of a series of moves made to signal that Mr. Modi is determined to be at 240 Lok Sabha seats what he had been with 303 in 2019.

Continuity in selection of Ministers, a refusal to cut deals with the Opposition, and the endorsement of the statement by Mr. Birla on the Emergency, with its attendant references to the subversion of the Constitution by the then-Indira Gandhi-led Congress government, incontrovertibly signalled this attitude.

Direct fallout

The emphasis on marking the 49th anniversary of the imposition of Emergency is a direct fallout of the election results and the feedback that the BJP has received on how much the narrative that the BJP wanted a brute majority of “400-plus seats” to make radical changes to the Constitution, especially the provisions dealing with reservation, cost the party.

For the Opposition, exuberant over its performance in Uttar Pradesh, this entire episode has also been a learning process.

While the INDIA bloc came together on the issue of contesting for the Speaker’s post, there were differences on the issue of pressing for a division of votes on the floor of the House on Wednesday after Mr. Birla was elected by voice vote.

Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee said that pro tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab did not allow a count of votes, while Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the party did not seek a division to create “an atmosphere of consensus”.

On Tuesday, the Trinamool had raised the issue that Congress leader K. Suresh’s nomination for the Speaker’s post had been decided without any discussions with it, an oversight that rankled the ruling party in West Bengal especially since the Trinamool’s strike rate against the BJP in the election was much higher than that of the Congress, which had taken the lead on the Speaker’s issue.

Effective weapons

For the INDIA bloc, the damage control came a little late and did not help much in the end. For an Opposition striving against the numerical superiority of the Treasury benches, unity and solidarity in its ranks are its most effective weapons. The Opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha will have to strive towards that.

As for the BJP, the desire to project a full majority despite the cut in numbers may help its morale, but it does not adhere to the nature of the 2024 mandate, that of a return to coalition politics.

Joint combing operations held in violence-hit Jiribam

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Personnel of Assam Rifles, CRPF and the local police patrol sensitive areas after reports that miscreants had tried to torch a house; security forces hold river patrols, press drones into service

Reinforcing stability: The police and other security forces during a combing operation in Imphal. File Photo-

The Assam Rifles on Wednesday conducted a large-scale joint combing operation in Jiribam district of Manipur which saw the most recent spate of violence in the ongoing ethnic conflict. Personnel from the Assam Rifles, CRPF, and police patrolled sensitive areas such as Guwakhal and Harinagar, after reports that miscreants had tried to torch an abandoned house in the area earlier in the day.

In a statement, the Assam Rifles said that these combing operations were conducted to “reinforce security and stability in Jiribam” and that the coordinated effort also “demonstrated a united front of security forces in making it unequivocally clear that even isolated incidents of violence or arson will not be tolerated”.

In its statement, the Assam Rifles said that the security forces were coordinating with the police in Assam, which borders Jiribam on the West, to “check and restrict movement of miscreants from Cachar to Jiribam”. It added that river patrols were held and drones are also being used to dominate the areas concerned in the district.

The Assam Rifles statements added, “Locals have been appreciative of efforts of security forces to restore peace and normalcy.”

L. Ranjan Singh, general secretary of Leeching, an apex body of the Meitei community in Jiribam, told The Hindu, “Three homes of Bishnupriya Manipuri families and one home of a Meitei family were burned down around Borobekra sub-division in the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. The homes were empty but it appeared as if they were looted before being torched.”

The joint combing operations of the security forces came hours after reports of arson came up on Wednesday morning.

This comes just as a group of Meitei civil society organisations (CSOs), Meira Paibi outfits, and apex bodies of Meitei communities in Jiribam held a march from the Jiri Ema Market to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, protesting against the lack of adequate “State forces” in the Borobekra sub-division, blaming this for the “inability” of security forces to protect their homes and lives. Around 1,300 women from the community took part in the march.

In a memorandum submitted to the Deputy Commissioner in Jiribam, the Meitei bodies demanded that more personnel from the State security forces be deployed in the Borobekra sub-divison area.

Ever since the conflict broke out, while the Kuki-Zo people have accused State security forces of being complicit in attacks against them, the Meitei people have accused Central security forces of allegedly siding with the Kuki-Zo community.

However, in their statement issued on Wednesday, the Assam Rifles reiterated that the security forces are in “constant talks” with various CSOs to ensure that the displaced people return to homes.

AIADMK members suspended for rest of the Assembly session

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami and MLAs coming out of the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday. M. SRINATH M. Srinath

Members of the AIADMK, the main Opposition party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, were suspended on Wednesday for the rest of the session, which concludes on June 29.

Speaker M. Appavu delivered the ruling after Leader of the House and Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan moved a resolution under 121 (20) of the Assembly Rules.

Earlier, he ordered the eviction of the AIADMK members, led by former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, as they gathered in front of the podium and raised slogans over the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, immediately after the proceedings started.

This is the third time that the AIADMK MLAs have been evicted after their protest over the hooch tragedy, which has claimed 63 lives so far.

‘Ready for debate’

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who was in the House, said that though the government was ready to discuss the hooch tragedy, Mr. Palaniswami was not ready to participate in the debate. “Instead, he seems to be interested in leaving the House and addressing the media outside,” he said.

Mr. Duraimurugan said the AIADMK was not ready for a debate since it was aware that the Chief Minister would expose it over the hooch tragedies that had taken place when the party was in power.

“What has happened in Kallakurichi is unfortunate. The AIADMK should have the courage to discuss it in the House. But they [the AIADMK MLAs] are not ready to explain why they are clad in black. They meet the reporters outside the Assembly and go home,” he said.

Mr. Appavu said the AIADMK members had come to the House to create trouble and were not interested in participating in debates. “AIADMK member Agri S.S. Krishnamurthy had given notice for discussing the issue. They should allow me to speak on the issue, and if they are not convinced with my reply, they can take a decision. But they are not ready to listen, and they have brought down the decorum of the House by their behaviour,” he said.

In second term, Om Birla will preside over a more evenly balanced Lok Sabha

Nistula Hebbar

NEW DELHI

Om Birla occupies the Chair of Lok Sabha Speaker after being elected by a voice vote on Wednesday. ANI

Much has been written about the fact that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s record-breaking second term as presiding officer is part of a message of continuity being reinforced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and yet, Mr. Birla’s tenure has seen individualistic flourishes as the Parliament’s keeper of records as well as a record-breaker.

He went from being a back-bencher in the large Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ranks in Parliament since 2014 to breaking the long-held record by Balram Jakhar of being elected Lok Sabha Speaker for two successive terms.

This rise has seen other records being broken as well — in the very first session he presided over as Speaker, in 2019, all first-time members got an opportunity to speak, and during the first session’s Zero Hour, members raised 1,066 subjects — a record for any one session in the history of the Lok Sabha.

His tenure also saw a record number of Opposition MPs being suspended in the Parliament’s Winter Session of 2023.

He is the Speaker who oversaw the shift from the old Parliament building to the new one. He also sought out Pramila Bisoyi, a Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP who was fluent only in Odia, and arranged a Hindi-to-Odia translator for her to overcome her hesitancy in speaking.

Mr. Birla, born in 1962 in Kota, Rajasthan started early in public life, having been active in student politics in school, and later as district president in the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, and still later serving as the State unit president of the outfit. He first entered the Rajasthan Assembly in 2003, repeating the feat twice more before contesting his first Lok Sabha election from Kota in 2014, holding on to the seat for a third term in the current Lok Sabha.

Known for his philanthropic work in his constituency, Mr. Birla, despite the Treasury benches having an overwhelming majority in his previous term, presided over a turbulent period of dealing with a pandemic, the construction of a new Parliament House, and a feisty Opposition.

With the numbers more evenly balanced in the 18th Lok Sabha, it will likely be a tougher term for Mr. Birla this time around.

Chinese woman arrested at Nepal border for trying to enter without documents

Vijaita Singh

New Delhi

A 49-year-old Chinese woman was arrested near the Sunauli India-Nepal border crossing in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday for allegedly entering India without any documents, an Uttar Pradesh police official said.

The woman identified as Cai Xiaohong, aka Hellen, was arrested by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) when she was trying to enter India from Nepal without a passport and visa. She had been staying in Nepal since April and was alone at the time of arrest.

The police official said a case was registered and the woman was arrested under provisions of the Foreigners Act.

“She was not entering India through the authorised checkpoint on the border; instead she was using one of the side tracks near Sunauli border when she was spotted by the SSB personnel. Prima facie it appears that she came here for tourism, but agencies are investigating,” said the police official.

The official said there have been many occasions when foreigners, including those from China, were caught while entering India without a visa. “Every month, we get two or three cases where foreigners who have been staying in Nepal are caught at the land border while coming to India for tourism,” the official said.

On June 17, the Chinese Embassy in India said that “recently, there have been a number of cases of Chinese citizens being arrested for entering Indian territory from Nepal”.

In a statement, it reminded Chinese citizens “to pay attention to the Indian border signs to avoid entering the Indian territory due to personal negligence, misleading or fluke, so as to avoid legal consequences and personal losses” while engaging in tourism, business and other activities on the Nepal side of the India-Nepal border area.

“If you really need to go to India, please apply for the Indian visa in advance as required, and after checking your passport and visa at the Indian immigration checkpoint, enter India from the open port of India,” the Chinese Embassy said.

MLAs-elect protest in Bengal, ask Governor to administer oath

The Hindu Bureau

Kolkata

The Trinamool Congress and West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose are at loggerheads again, this time over administering oath to two newly elected MLAs.

Sayantika Bandyopadhyay and Rayat Hossain Sarkar, elected from Baranagar and Bhagwangola Assembly constituencies in the recent bypolls, held protests in the Assembly demanding the presence of the Governor. Both the MLAs-elect held placards reading, “Waiting for the arrival of Hon Governor for Oath”, and sat on the stairs of the Assembly till 4 p.m. The Governor, however, did not turn up.

The Raj Bhavan had earlier invited the two electors to take oath at the Governor’s House on Wednesday. But the MLAs insisted that they be sworn in at the Assembly and not at the Raj Bhavan.

Ms. Bandyopadhyay said it was unfortunate that after getting the mandate of the people “we have to beg to be administered oath”.

Mr. Hossain said the Governor could either come to the Assembly and administer the oath or delegate the Speaker to do it, but Mr. Ananda Bose has declined both the options.

The developments have evoked a strong reaction from the West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay.

“The oath-taking ceremony is a constitutional protocol and it is very unfortunate that we are facing this situation,” Mr. Bandyopadhyay said.

Centre did not help Delhi resolve water crisis, says Akhilesh

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

The BJP-led Centre has always discriminated against Opposition-ruled States due to which the Delhi government did not get the required help to resolve the water crisis, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Wednesday after he met Delhi Water Minister Atishi at Lok Nayak Hospital.

She was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday after her health deteriorated due to an indefinite fast she had undertaken to get the city’s “rightful share” of the Yamuna water from BJP-ruled Haryana.

Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat also met the Minister.

After the Trinamool Congress, the SP and the CPI(M) are the other INDIA bloc partners who have backed the AAP, contrary to their alliance partner Congress’s stance.

Congress blames AAP

Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav took a swipe at Ms. Atishi’s “jal satyagraha” and said it ended in a whimper without helping the parched city get potable water.

“Delhi is facing acute water scarcity due to the negligence and corruption of the AAP government,” he said, adding that it pushed the Delhi Jal Board into a debt trap.

However, the SP chief praised Ms. Atishi and said, “Delhi did not get the help that it should have got from the Centre, which has constantly discriminated against the Opposition- ruled States.”

U.P. court seeks Rahul’s appearance on July 2

Press Trust of India

Sultanpur

An MP-MLA court in Sultanpur of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to appear before it on July 2 in a defamation case filed against him for alleged objectionable remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Complainant’s lawyer Santosh Kumar Pandey said that one Ram Pratap had demanded that he be made a party in the case. Opposing the plea, Mr. Pandey said Mr. Pratap is neither a victim nor has anything to do with the matter.

Mr. Gandhi’s lawyer Kashi Prasad Shukla, who was present in the court, also opposed the petitioner’s plea. However, the court dismissed the prayer and called for personal appearance of Mr. Gandhi on the next date of hearing.

The case was filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra in 2018.

Mr. Gandhi had halted his “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra” in Amethi on February 20 this year and appeared in court, which had granted him bail.

CBI questions principal and bank officials in NEET case

Amit Bhelari

Patna/Godhra

Staff of a courier firm that transported question papers were also questioned ; two of the accused are now in the custody of the CBI for interrogation; special court grants remand for three days

Under lens: Oasis School principal Ahsanul Haque being taken for questioning by CBI officials in Hazaribagh on Wednesday.PTI-

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team on Wednesday visited a school at Kallu Chowk in Hazaribagh of Jharkhand as part of the probe in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test paper leak case.

Another team of the agency visited two private schools in Kheda and Panchmahal districts of Gujarat where too alleged irregularities related to NEET were reported.

An eight-member team visited the residence of Oasis School principal Ahsanul Haque in Hazaribagh and took him to the institution, one of the centres for the May 5 test.

The Economic Offences Unit of the Bihar Police had earlier said a partially burnt question paper found at a play school in the Khemnichak area of Patna matched the series of question papers sent to the school in Hazaribagh.

Two days ago, Mr. Haque had told The Hindu that an envelope with the NEET question paper was found tampered with and there was a “precise cut” in it. He said the digital lock on a box in which the question papers were stored did not open by itself at 1.15 p.m. in the school as expected and had to be opened using a cutter.

After leaving the school, the CBI team split into two groups and visited a State Bank of India branch and an office of the courier company Blue Dart. The office had delivered the question papers on May 3 to the bank using an e-rickshaw.

The CBI team questioned the bank manager and other employees responsible for safeguarding the question papers.

The officials questioned the employees of the courier office. Its manager is said to be absconding.

The Special CBI Court in Patna on Wednesday remanded two of the accused, Baldev Kumar, alias Chintu, and Mukesh Kumar in CBI custody for three days.

Eight named in FIR

In the FIR registered by the CBI, eight persons have been named as accused. One more person has been made an accused.

Those who have been named are Amit Anand, Ayush Raj, Nitish Kumar, Rakhi, Akhilesh, Sikandar Prasad Yadavendu, Bittu and Sanjeev.

According to the agency, Mr. Chintu had revealed the involvement of an organised inter-State gang. He was arrested from Deoghar and was a close aide of Sanjiv Mukhiya, the key accused in the case currently absconding.

Mr. Chintu allegedly received a solved NEET question paper on his mobile phone in the PDF format and prints of the paper were taken through a Wi-Fi-enabled printer and distributed among candidates at the play school.

Mr. Mukesh Kumar is being accused of picking up and dropping the candidates after they memorised the answers at the play school.

Both Mr. Chintu and Mr. Mukesh are residents of Nalanda district.

In Gujarat, the CBI team visited Jay Jalaram International School on the Sevaliya-Balasinor highway near the Wanakbori thermal power plant in Kheda district, officials said.

School owner Dixit Patel confirmed the visit.

From Kheda, the team visited Jay Jalaram School, 100 km from Godhra town in Panchmahal.

(With PTI inputs)

Prolonged exposure to coal mining causes respiratory, skin diseases in workers: study

Jacob Koshy

NEW DELHI

Unmindful of the risk: Workers at an open-cast coal mine in Jharia on the outskirts of Dhanbad in Jharkhand. AFP AFP

Prolonged exposure to pollutants from coal mining has resulted in widespread respiratory and skin diseases among mine workers and other inhabitants of six districts in India where coal extraction is a major occupation, says a survey of 1,200 households published by the National Foundation for India, an organisation that works on social justice issues.

The six districts are Koriya and Raigarh (Chhattisgarh), Dhanbad and Ramgarh (Jharkhand), and Angul and Jajpur (Odisha).

Medical expenses

At least 65% of the participants interviewed reported health issues such as chronic bronchitis, asthma, and skin ailments such as eczema, dermatitis and fungal infections. On an average, a household in these districts spent ₹300 to ₹1,000 on monthly medical bills.

The average annual hospitalisation expenses in Dhanbad were the highest at ₹28,461 for a household. The survey, on an average, spanned 18 to 20 villages in each district.

People living closer to the mines are relatively more vulnerable. Dhanbad and Ramgarh, which have more people living in such zones, have higher incidence of lung and breathing-related diseases and skin infections.

Shift from coal

The broader thrust of the study was to investigate a ‘just transition’ — or how those who are directly dependent on coal mining may be effectively and sensitively transitioned from these jobs.

The world’s shift away from coal is expected to result in significant job losses and economic downturn in coal-dependent regions. This will impact not only the coal miners and workers directly but also the broader local economy.

“Social and economic disparities were evident across districts, with varying income levels and irregular wage receipt patterns,” said Pooja Gupta, co-author of the study and research associate at the NFI.

“Dhanbad (Jharkhand) and Koriya (Chhattisgarh) are solely reliant on coal production, and reported lower incomes than the more diversified industrial districts like Angul (Odisha),” she said in a press statement.

Renewable energy

While India has committed to source nearly 500 GW of electricity — nearly half its projected installed capacity for 2030 — from renewable energy sources, coal is expected to be the mainstay of power generation in India for decades.

Nearly half of India’s installed power generation capacity, or about 205 GW, are coal-powered thermal plants.

Change, however, is in the air as renewable energy accounted for 71.5% of the record 13.6 GW power generation capacity added by India for the first time in the January-March quarter this year, while coal’s share, including lignite, of the total power capacity dropped below 50% for the first time since the 1960s.

(set by Hypatia)

1 of 4

2 of 4

3 of 4

4 of 4 Scan to play

Across

1 Fitful pet's cold near empty hallway (6)

4 Flower vase uncovered in Jack's store (7)

9 Fresh green fluid essentially separating Iron and Potassium in plant! (9)

10 Sea creature stealing power from wizard (5)

11 Cold potato in chaat's fine (5)

12 Expects main part of fruit diets from Spooner (9)

13 Rise in revolt arresting ex-military man! (7)

15 Expert in a party's extremely indignant about Republican (6)

17 Bollywood songstress entertains right at the start of musical retreat (6)

19 Nightmare from insect on shoulder (7)

22 Disturbed student, possibly bored by exhausting lecture (9)

24 Very secure, not tense in couches (5)

26 Dropping head in fright’s a mistake (5)

27 Hypatia had books arranged in there to be passed on (9)

28 Old women wearing jewels and spinning (7)

29 Newly wed student taken to master (6)

Down

1 Garments basically free to all in prisons (7)

2 First of two joining a private charity dance (5)

3 Top Gun's rifle (4-5)

4 Capital of Japan also known as Roppongi to all, originally (7)

5 Serenely tranquil or innately calm, basically (5)

6 Part of main test in engineering (9)

7 Outlet in Zen gardens is regularly ignored (6)

8 One who succeeds holding extremely fine young female (6)

14 Breaking point for the ultimate sucker (4,5)

16 Engineer and soldier run into celebrity - a record holder (9)

18 Taking advantage of class conducted in China (7)

19 Friend had reformed for religious leader (6)

20 Author in demand, mostly hides abroad (7)

21 Fine sections of fibre pushed from below (6)

23 Tips of these are rather small inter-connected bones (5)

25 Certain to be honoured, say (5)

Minister’s promise to look into Nicobar project ‘mildly’ encouraging, says Congress

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Jairam Ramesh

Calling Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram’s promise to look into the clearances granted for the ₹72,000-crore Great Nicobar Island Project only “mildly” encouraging, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday raised doubt over how much power Union Ministers had over their own portfolios in a government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Oram’s remarks

Mr. Ramesh, Congress general secretary (communications), was responding to Mr. Oram’s remarks to the The Hindu, published on Monday. In the interaction, Mr. Oram had said the Tribal Affairs Ministry would be looking into the forest clearances granted for the mega infrastructure project while highlighting his intent to focus on forest and land rights issues of tribal communities during his term.

Mr. Oram’s remarks had come as the Congress pushed hard to withdraw clearances granted for the project and have a ground-up review of it, citing complaints that it would be detrimental to the environment on the island and the people who reside there — including the Shompen — a particularly vulnerable tribal group.

Responding to Mr. Oram’s promise, Mr. Ramesh said in a post on X, “The very first interview given by the Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram indicates that he is not averse to a review of the ₹72,000- crore project on the Greater Nicobar Islands that is a perfect recipe for ecological and humanitarian disaster. This is mildly encouraging. I say ‘mildly’ because the REAL decisions are taken for him by the non-biological PM and his band.”

SC calls cutting of ‘valuable’ trees in Delhi a ‘brazen act’

Krishnadas Rajagopal

NEW DELHI

The green cover at the central ridge and Sardar Patel Marg in New Delhi.file photoThe Hindu

The Supreme Court on Wednesday found the inability of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), an autonomous body under the Union government, to unearth information or official records to shed light on whether Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) of Delhi V.K. Saxena ordered the cutting of valuable trees in the protected ridge area as sheer disingenuity.

A Vacation Bench of Justices A.S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said the DDA’s request for more time to collect details about his February 3 visit to the site where the trees were later felled was rather hard to believe.

Mr. Saxena is also the DDA Chairman.

On June 24, the Bench directed DDA Vice-Chairman Subhasish Panda, who is facing contempt for felling the trees, to go through official records about Mr. Saxena’s visit and collect details of the officers who were present at the time to help the court know if “the felling of trees were done under the directions issued by the L-G on February 3, 2024. We expect the DDA to come clean on this aspect”.

However, the Vice-Chairman returned blank to the court on Wednesday.

“We do not think that this request for time [by the DDA] for such simple information is bona fide,” the Bench reacted.

Undeterred and firm to get to the bottom of the issue, the court turned to Ashok Kumar Gupta, Member (Engineering), DDA, who was present during the Lieutenant-Governor’s visit, to file an affidavit in 10 days, as an officer of the court, making a clean breast of what happened on the occasion.

Justice Oka termed the cutting of the protected trees a “brazen act which showed a complete lack of understanding of the importance of the environment”.

Examples of Krishna bhakti

Devotion to Krishna is a time-tested, sure means of salvation. Vaishnavite saint Andal and Rajput princess Mirabai are prominent examples of Krishna bhakti, said Va Ve Su in a discourse.

Andal was raised with stories of Krishna by her father, the Vasihnavite saint, Periyazhwar. Mira, on the other hand, heard of Krishna through her guru and treated the statue of Giridhar, gifted to her, as her spouse. Both Andal and Mira considered themselves as His spouse at a metaphysical level. Both broke conventions in their devotion. Andal donned on herself the flower garland she strung for her Ranganatha, before offering it to him; an offering the Lord accepted forthwith. Her bhakti was like an arrow shot by an expert archer like Arjuna, hitting the bull’s eye unerringly.

Mirabai’s devotion was tested more, showing devotees that trials and tribulations are part of the journey to attain God consciousness. She was made to wed a prince, despite informing everyone that she was ‘wedded’ to Giridhar. She was personally tested and humiliated for constantly singing and dancing over the exploits of her dark beau, Krishna, Giridhara. When she was thrown out of her home, she reached Brindavan and sought a meeting with Goswami, her guru who had seen her potential at birth. He refused to meet her, since he was an ascetic and she was only a female. Mira then showed him who was a better ascetic by pointing out that in Brindavan there is only one Purushothaman (Krishna), the rest were all his gopikas. The humbled guru sought her pardon.

Encroachments bulldozed for second day in West Bengal

Following West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s scathing criticism of encroachments on footpaths and roads by unauthorised hawkers, the police and civic authorities across the State continued eviction drives on Tuesday, bulldozing temporary stalls and issuing warnings to hawkers. In localities across Kolkata and its suburbs, such as Alipore, New Town, and Behala, and in neighbourhoods of other districts, such as Alipurduar and Siuri, authorities engaged bulldozers to clear the encroachments. Kolkata City Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal said the eviction drives were being carried out on the directives of the Chief Minister.

₹10 lakh for aiding arrest of Goldy Brar, another gangster

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday offered ₹10 lakh each for the arrest of “designated terrorist” Satwinderjit Singh, alias Goldy Brar, and another alleged gangster. They are wanted for extortion and firing at the home of a businessman in Chandigarh on March 8. A case has been registered under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and the Arms Act against Goldy Brar and Gurpreet Singh, alias Goldy Dhillon. Though Goldy Brar is reportedly based in Canada’s Brampton, it is learnt that he was recently spotted in the U.S. He was declared a terrorist under the UAPA by the Union Home Ministry in January.

Regional

- MVA boycotts Shinde’s tea party on eve of monsoon session in Maharashtra

- HC directs safety audit of Odisha’s school infrastructure to prevent student deaths

- After govt. nod, BMC takes possession of 120 acres of Mahalakshmi Race Course land

- SAD working panel reposes faith in Sukhbir’s leadership amid voices of rebellion

- T.N. Assembly urges Centre to take up caste-based census

- Land-for-job ‘scam’: Delhi HC grants bail to Lalu’s close aide

- Haryana CM distributes plot allotment letters to the poor

- Congress holds meeting on Haryana Assembly poll

- Uttarakhand BJP leader booked for rape and murder

- Action continues on illegal structures at Pune pubs, bars

- MBBS student undergoes dialysis after ragging; FIR filed

- Heavy rain lashes Kerala, seawater enters houses in some parts of State

- India’s largest leopard park opens at Bannerghatta

- Joint fight

- Left MPs seek review of tariff hike at Thiruvananthapuram airport

- Four more deaths take hooch toll to 63; NCSC team visits Karunapuram

- Kerala steps up efforts to rescue youths held hostage in Thailand

- Court rejects bail petition of Prajwal Revanna

- Kerala HC slams govt. for inaction over church orders

- Kerala man dies after upper berth falls on him

- Dalit boy tied up, beaten for plucking fruits in Telangana

- YSRCP leader arrested in case related to breaking of EVM

MVA boycotts Shinde’s tea party on eve of monsoon session in Maharashtra

The Hindu Bureau

MUMBAI

Opposition leaders only keen on drama, not discussion, says CM ahead of session, which will be held from June 27 to July 12; Mahayuti govt. will present State budget in both Houses on June 28

CM Eknath Shinde with his deputy Devendra Fadnavis at a tea party ahead of the monsoon session in Mumbai on Wednesday. PTI-

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance on Wednesday boycotted Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s tea party on the eve of the monsoon session of the Maharashtra Assembly in protest against the government’s policies that have “failed to address key issues related to farmers and employment”.

Leader of the Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar and Ambadas Danve of the Shiv Sena (UBT) held a joint press conference where they announced the MVA’s decision to boycott the tea party, which is a customary event held ahead of every legislature session.

During the session, which will be held in Mumbai from June 27 to July 12, the ruling Mahayuti government will present the State budget in both Houses of the legislature on June 28. The interim budget was tabled in February ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

Mr. Wadettiwar termed the Mahayuti government “treacherous”. “It is unjustified to share tea with a government that has been formed unconstitutionally,” he said, adding that it was “anti-farmer, anti-student, and anti-youth”.

“This government is trying to create rifts between communities by denying reservation to Maratha and Dhangar communities. The law and order situation has deteriorated in the past two years, with drug mafia and criminal activities on the rise. If we come to power, issues of unemployment, water scarcity, delay in implementation of the Marathwada Grid and river linking projects will be taken up. Our government will not allow the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens in Maharashtra,” the Congress leader said.

Mr. Danve expressed concern over the absence of State Finance Minister Ajit Pawar at the recent GST Council meeting in New Delhi. Terming the government “irresponsible”, he alleged that the ruling alliance indulged in corruption in the NEET exam and construction of infrastructure projects like the Coastal Road and Atal Setu.

Reacting to the boycott, the Chief Minister said: “This was the last session. Therefore, we had thought the Opposition would come for the tea party to have an open discussion on issues in the State, but they are only interested in staging drama. They are not ready to accept the development our alliance has done in the last two years.”

‘No injustice in quota’

Mr. Shinde added that no injustice will be done to the Other Backward Classes or any other community while giving reservation to Marathas. He also said the budget of the State government will benefit farmers, the youth, and women.

The government had earlier convened a special session to give 10% reservation to Marathas, he said.

HC directs safety audit of Odisha’s school infrastructure to prevent student deaths

Satyasundar Barik

BHUBANESWAR

The Orissa High Court has ordered the formation of a District Education Infrastructure Safety Audit Committee in each district in the State to prevent untoward accidents like wall collapses or fire mishaps leading to loss of lives on campuses.

The court ordered the creation of such committees while hearing a case related to the death of a student due to a wall collapse inside a school in Ganjam district of Odisha in 2016. The deceased student’s parents had moved court seeking compensation for the death.

“The State authority is directed to pay compensation of ₹8 lakh in addition to the ex-gratia amount of ₹2 lakh already declared by the District Education Officer,” ordered Justice S. K. Panigrahi.

The infrastructure should be headed by the district collector along with the members like district education officer and block education officer and executive engineer of the Public Works department or Rural Development department, Justice Panigrahi mentioned in his verdict. Inclusion of other stakeholders from the Education department has been suggested.

“Such a committee should ensure the safety audit of each and every school of the district and issue safety certificate to the school authority every year in the month of June,” the order stated.

The court also said the committee should meet at least twice a year. The sub-committee comprising engineers should ensure safety audit of the school infrastructure. There should be a grievance redressal mechanism under the aegis of the panel at block level, the order said.

“It is the duty of the school headmaster of every school to report to the concerned block development officer regarding unsafe wall and scrub up any school building and the BDO shall immediately take up the issue before the District Education Infrastructure Safety Audit Committee so that the issue can be resolved at the earliest. The collector should be the monitoring authority for the safety of the children,” the judge further stated in the order.

The court insisted that school headmaster and the block education officer would be held responsible for any kind of mishap due to falling of wall or roof.

“The School and Mass Education Department should have a disaster management team to mitigate any kind of disaster in the form of falling of wall, fire or any other kind of calamity faced by the schools,” the order stated.

After govt. nod, BMC takes possession of 120 acres of Mahalakshmi Race Course land

Snehal Mutha

Mumbai

The race course, leased to the Royal Western India Turf Club in 1914, saw its lease expire in 2013 and was not renewed since.file photo

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) took possession of 120 acres of Mahalakshmi Race Course land on Wednesday, following the State government’s approval for the takeover. The civic body plans to utilise the land to create a theme park and recreational facilities.

The lease of the Mahalakshmi Race Course, originally given to the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) in 1914, expired in 2013 and has since not been renewed. The sea-facing 225 acres of land was originally donated by Sir Cusrow N. Wadia and modelled on the lines of the Melbourne Race Course.

With the State government’s nod, 120 acres of the racecourse land got transferred to the municipality, while RWITC retains the remaining 91 acres for equestrian-related activities.

“The State government has approved the handover and the BMC will soon develop the land into a park like the Central Park of New York City, United States, for the benefit of Mumbaikars,” a BMC official told The Hindu.

However, a member of the RWITC’s managing committee denied the development, saying: “We have not received any information about this. No lease has been signed so far. Discussions have been going on with civic body officials, but we have not been informed about the takeover.”

Sena (UBT) flays move

Criticising the government’s decision, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray posted on X, “It is disgraceful to see the BJP regime attempting to seize open spaces for their favorite builders and contractors.”

In response, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assured that “only a New York-like Central Park-themed garden will be developed on the land”.

Vikas Vasudeva

CHANDIGARH

Sukhbir BadalANI

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday said its working committee reposed full faith in the “determined and committed leadership of party president Sukhbir Singh Badal”.

The statement came a day after a section of leaders revolted against Mr. Badal following the party’s rout in the Lok Sabha election in Punjab. In a meeting in Jalandhar, around 60 prominent party leaders passed a resolution, asking Mr. Badal to step down from his post.

The members of the working committee condemned attempts to tarnish the image of the party president. “Shiromani Akali Dal Working Committee reposes complete faith in the leadership of Sukhbir Singh Badal and urges detractors not to play into the hands of the enemies of Panth [Sikh community]. The committee asks the president to lead the efforts to expose conspiracies against the party, Panth and Punjab,” the party said on X.

In the Lok Sabha poll, the Akali Dal won only one of 13 seats in the State and lost its deposit in 10 seats, triggering internal bickering which has been brewing for a while. The loss has come as a grim reminder of previous crises following electoral drubbings in the 2017 and 2022 Assembly polls as well as in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and subsequent bypolls. After the SAD’s dismal performances in 2017 and the 2022 Assembly elections, a section of senior leaders felt that during Akali Dal’s 10- year (2007-2017) rule in Punjab, the party had come under the sway of the “Badal family”.

“To revive the Akali Dal, we need to take bold steps. On July 1, we will go to the Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal seat, and tender an apology for all the mistakes. We will then start a campaign — ‘SAD Bachao Lehar’. We plan to set up a committee of intellectuals on Sikh issues and deliberate on the name of the new Akali Dal president,” senior party leader and former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra told The Hindu.

T.N. House urges Centre to take up caste-based census

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

The Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution on census proposed by CM Stalin.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution, proposed by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, urging the Union government to conduct a caste-based census along with the general population census.

“This House considers a caste-based population census essential for formulating policies to ensure equal rights and equal opportunities in education, economy, and employment to every citizen of India. This House, therefore, unanimously urges the Union government to immediately commence the census work, which has been due since 2021, along with a caste-based population census this time,” the resolution said.

PMK member R. Arul, who spoke at the debate, said he would not agree with the resolution because the State government itself could conduct a caste-based census. Law Minister S. Regupathy, however, replied that though the State could conduct a caste-based census under the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008, the Census Act could override it.

Earlier, Mr. Stalin recalled the letter he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2023, demanding a caste-based census along with the general census. “The decisions and acts of a State government can get legal protection only if they are done on the basis of the data collected by the Centre. If the State governments collect data through surveys, they may be stayed by courts...,” he reasoned.

Mr. Stalin said that under Section 3 of the Census Act, only the Union government could conduct a census. He explained that though there was a perception that a State government could do a caste-based census under the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008, the law allows only collection of socio-economic data.

Land-for-job ‘scam’: Delhi HC grants bail to Lalu’s close aide

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted interim bail for six weeks on medical grounds to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad’s close aide Amit Katyal, who was arrested in a money laundering case linked to the alleged land-for-job scam in the Indian Railways.

Mr. Katyal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on November 11, 2023 under various provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

He had urged the High Court that after undergoing bariatric surgery, he required further treatment and care, which was not available in Tihar jail.

The court observed that dietary requirements of Mr. Katyal are such that they cannot be provided in the jail, and after his bariatric surgery, he needs proper diet to attain adequate physical, mental and psychological well-being.

The High Court also noted that a chargesheet has been filed against the accused, who was released on interim bail for about 84 days earlier as well but no allegation of influencing the probe was attributed to him.

The allegation

The probe agency has alleged that Mr. Katyal had acquired land from several railway job aspirants on behalf of the RJD chief, who was the Railway Minister from 2004-09 in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government led by Manmohan Singh.

Some members of the RJD chief’s family are also accused in the case.

Haryana CM distributes plot allotment letters to the poor

The BJP-led Haryana government’s goal is to simplify the lives of poor people and empower them, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said on Wednesday as he distributed plot allotment certificates to beneficiaries under the State housing scheme. In alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to provide housing for the poor, the Haryana government had launched the Mukhyamantri Shehri Awas Yojana in the State, Mr. Saini said during an event in Rohtak. Under the scheme, 15,250 beneficiaries were given allotment certificates on Wednesday. PTI

Congress holds meeting on Haryana Assembly poll

The Hindu Bureau

CHANDIGARH

Ahead of the Haryana Assembly election due later this year, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met its Haryana unit leaders in New Delhi to discuss poll preparations.

Mr. Kharge said that the Congress has performed exceedingly well in Haryana in the Lok Sabha polls and added that the party will work towards gaining trust of all people across the State.

He alleged that the ruling BJP has betrayed the farmers and youth of Haryana, and development has come to a standstill during its 10-year rule. The misgovernance has resulted in Haryana straying from the path of development, Mr. Kharge added.

Uttarakhand BJP leader booked for rape and murder

The Uttarakhand police have booked a BJP Minority Morcha leader in connection with rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl in Haridwar. A nominated member of the Other Backward Classes Commission of BJP, Aditya Raj Saini, the main accused, has been expelled from the party after the incident came to light. According to the police, the girl had gone missing last Sunday. The family called on her mobile which was picked up by the BJP leader who told the family that the girl was with him. The minor’s body was found along the highway in Bahadrabad area on Tuesday. The victim’s mother alleged that she was gangraped by the BJP leader and his accomplice.

Action continues on illegal structures at Pune pubs, bars

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) continued its crackdown on unauthorised structures at pubs and bars in the city for the second day on Wednesday in the wake of alleged consumption of drugs at a local bar, officials said. As part of the action, the PMC demolished illegal structures of some prominent bars, including Eskobar and FML Resto Bar in Baner during the day, they said. Following timing-related violations at Liquid Leisure Lounge (L3) bar on Fergusson College Road and alleged drug use at the outlet, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had ordered a bulldozer campaign against unauthorised structures linked to narcotic abuse. PTI

MBBS student undergoes dialysis after ragging; FIR filed

A first-year MBBS student of Dungarpur Medical College in Rajasthan had to undergo dialysis four times after allegedly being ragged by some senior students last month, which caused an infection in his kidney, the police said. According to the SHO of Dungarpur Sadar police station, seven second-year students made the victim do more than 300 sit-ups at a place near the college on May 15. The victim was hospitalised for a week during which dialysis was done four times, the police officer said. The college principal lodged an FIR against seven accused on Tuesday after they were found guilty in an inquiry by the anti-ragging committee of the institute. PTI

Heavy rain lashes Kerala, seawater enters houses in many parts of State

The Hindu Bureau

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Reinvigorated monsoon hits normal life in State with several houses partially destroyed and trees uprooted; mother and child injured in collapse of roof in Alappuzha; situation under control but heavy rain to continue for 48 hours, says Minister

Caught in downpour: Commuters during heavy rain in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. The rain, triggered by an offshore trough, also caused rough seas in many places in Kerala. PTI-

A reinvigorated monsoon lashed the State on Wednesday with parts of north and central Kerala experiencing heavy rain, bringing life to a halt in many places.

A 15-year-old youth went missing in Kuthirappuzha, near Chokkad, in Malappuram.

A mother and child sustained injuries when the roof of their house collapsed in the heavy rain near Amabalappuzha in Alappuzha.

Scores of houses were partially destroyed in many places across the State due to mudslips, uprooted trees, and broken branches falling on houses, as per initial reports. The shutters of the Poringalkuthu, Kallarkutty, Pambla and Malankara dams were opened following heavy rain in the catchment areas.

The heavy rain, triggered by an offshore trough, also caused rough seas in many places, like Chavakkad in Thrisur, Ponnani in Malappuram, and Kannamali in Ernakulam.

A makeshift causeway constructed as part of a bridge work across the Bharathapuzha was damaged in the heavy rain near Alathur in Palakkad.

Seawater entered the houses along the coast at Kannamali and Njarakkal in Ernakulam, Veliancode and Palapetti in Ponnani, parts of Punnapra in Alappuzha, and Kadappuram and Anjangadi near Chavakkad in Thrissur. A relief camp was opened at Kanayannur in Ernakulam accommodating 20 people from seven families.

However, the situation is under control, said State Revenue Minister K. Rajan. Speaking to the media, the Minister said nine teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had already been deployed in various parts of the State.

Heavy rain is likely to continue for the next 48 hours, the Minister added.

The IMD has issued an orange alert warning of very heavy rainfall in Wayanad and Kannur and a yellow alert for seven districts from Ernakulam to Kasaragod, forecasting heavy rain in the range of 64.5 mm to 115.6 mm in 24 hours.

India’s largest leopard safari opens at Bannerghatta

The Hindu Bureau

Bengaluru

In focus: A leopard clicked during the inaugural safari ride at Bannerghatta in Bengaluru on Wednesday. K. MURALI KUMAR

South India’s first and the country’s largest leopard safari was inaugurated by Karnataka Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre on Wednesday at the Bannerghatta Biological Park.

As per Central Zoo Authority guidelines for safaris, an area of 20 hectares has been demarcated and fenced for the safari. Eight leopards have been released for the safari in the open forest area.

According to park officials, Bannerghatta is home to a good population of free ranging leopards (Panthera pardus), and highlighting these predators is vital.

The facility has been created at a cost of ₹4.5 crore. The leopard safari area is made up of undulating terrain with natural rocky outcrops and semi-deciduous forest. This whole area is covered with a vertical chain-link mesh which is 4.5 metres high, and MS sheets have been placed at a 30 degree inclined angle of 1.5 metres.

The officials added that owing to increasing human-animal conflict in recent times, the park receives many leopard cubs rescued across the Karnataka. “These cubs will be raised and shifted to the leopard safari to help visitors learn about these big cats, the reasons for the growing human-animal conflicts, and the ways to protect the animals,” said the officials.

The officials added that four acres within the safari area have been separated, using a solar fence, to help the animals acclimatise to their new environment.

Other initiatives

During his visit to the park, Mr. Khandre also inaugurated a number of initiatives, which included a renovated elephant weaning centre, a babycare room at the butterfly park, a children’s play area, an entrance arch, and he also flagged off electric buggies and zoo instillations.

The Minister also named a male elephant calf Swaraj and set free six hamadryas baboons for public display.

The park officials said that during this financial year new naturalistic enclosures have been proposed for emus and rheas at a cost of ₹50 lakh.

A hunting cheetah enclosure at an estimated cost of ₹1.5 crore; a hamadrya and olive baboon enclosure at ₹1.5 crore, and an Indian grey wolf enclosure at ₹1.5 crore have also been proposed. Skywalks are also being developed to establish connectivity between the zoo and the butterfly park, they added.

Joint fight

Walk for a cause: Student police cadets taking out a rally from a gate of the famed Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur on Wednesday to observe the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. K.K. NAJEEB

Left MPs seek review of tariff hike at Thiruvananthapuram airport

Jagriti Chandra

NEW DELHI

The Centre must review the “astronomical” tariff hike at Thiruvananthapuram airport as these could hamper the promise of affordable air travel for the citizens of Kerala and impact the economic growth of the State, two Rajya Sabha MPs from Left parties in the State have said.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader John Brittas and Communist Party of India leader Binoy Viswam have written letters to the Minister for Civil Aviation Rammohan Naidu after the airport tariff regulator issued its latest tariff order for Thiruvananthapuram airport owned by Adani Enterprises Limited, which will come into effect from July 1.

Mr. Brittas has sought a review on the ground that the increase has raised apprehensions among passengers and airlines and the government must “safeguard” their interests and protect them from “disproportionate financial strain”. “The economic repercussions, especially in a post-pandemic recovery phase, could be detrimental to both the aviation sector and the broader economy of the State,” he said.

Incessant privatisation of airports and allied services has only made air travel costlier, Mr. Viswam said in his letter. “The entry of Adani group in the civil aviation sector was adding difficulties and financial burdens on passengers...and the government decision should be in favour of the ordinary people of Kerala and not one benefitting the Adani group,” he added.

As reported in The Hindu on June 26, according to a tariff order issued by the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) on June 21, the user development fee has been raised by 50% from ₹506 to ₹770 for domestic travellers flying out of the airport until March 31, 2025. Thereafter, it will be raised to ₹840 for the financial year 2025-26 and ₹910 for the financial year 2026-27.

The user fee for passengers landing at the airport has also been introduced for the first time both for domestic and international travellers. This fee will be ₹330 for domestic travellers for the first year, followed by a hike of ₹30 every subsequent financial year till 2027.

International passengers will pay double the amount paid by domestic passengers.

The landing charges for aircraft have been raised three-fold for the first year from ₹309 to ₹890 per metric tonne (MT) of aircraft weight. Parking charges have also seen an increase.

Hooch toll rises to 63; NCSC team pins the blame on State govt.

The Hindu Bureau

KALLAKURICHI

The death toll in the hooch tragedy in Kallakurichi district rose to 63 on Wednesday, with four more persons dying in hospitals in Salem and Puducherry.

A total of 88 persons, including three women, are undergoing treatment. As many as 74 persons, including two women and a transperson, have been discharged so far.

A five-member team of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), and a three-member National Commission for Women (NCW) team visited Karunapuram, the epicentre of the hooch tragedy, on Wednesday.

‘Lax attitude’

The NCSC team was led by Chairman Kishore Makwana. He told reporters that the sale of hooch had been prevalent at Karunapuram for long and no action was taken by the police and the authorities concerned, despite repeated complaints. A similar tragedy occurred in the State last year. Had the State government been alert, the deaths could have been averted. The lax attitude of the government resulted in the tragedy. Most of the victims were breadwinners and belonged to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, he said.

He said the Commission would submit its report to the Centre to ensure justice to the victims.

The NCW team was led by actor-politician and member Khushbu Sundar. It conducted enquiries with the victims’ families.

Ms. Khushbu told reporters that the case should be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). She said many irregularities had come to light during the NCW inquiry.

Kerala steps up efforts to rescue youth held hostage in Thailand

The Hindu Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the Assembly on Wednesday that the State government had expedited steps to secure the release of two youth held hostage by an armed gang in Thailand.

Indian Union Muslim League legislator Manjalamkuzhi Ali highlighted the plight of Suhaib and Safeer, natives of Vallikappatta in Malappuram district. After a recruitment agent alerted them of employment opportunities at an international call centre, the duo flew to Thailand from Dubai and sat through an online interview. Their prospective employers offered them free tickets to Thailand.

‘Under control’

On reaching their workplace in Thailand, they learned that they were under the control of an armed gang, which coerced them to commit online financial fraud, including hacking bank accounts.

One of them surreptitiously conveyed their plight to a relative via phone. They also said several other youth from India shared their predicament.

Mr. Vijayan said the State government had contacted the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Thailand to rescue the youth.

He added that the government had tasked the police chief with cracking down on groups targeting youth by promising them lucrative jobs in foreign countries.

Court rejects bail petition of Prajwal Revanna

The Hindu Bureau

Bengaluru

Prajwal Revanna

A special court here rejected the bail petition of former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna on Wednesday.

Mr. Prajwal, who was arrested in four sexual abuse cases, had moved the Special Court of Magistrate for criminal cases against former and present MPs and MLAs for bail in the first case.

He was initially booked for sexual harassment in the case registered on April 27, hours after he fled to Germany. His father H.D. Revanna, JD(S) leader and former Minister, was also an accused in the case that was registered based on a complaint by their former domestic help. Mr. Revanna was also booked for sexual harassment and was granted bail in the case.

The SIT, which was formed to probe his Mr. Prajwal’s alleged crimes, booked himMr. Prajwal for rape. The SIT has challenged the bail order in the High Court.

Mr. Prajwal is now in the custody of the SIT, which is probing his alleged crimes.

Kerala HC slams govt. for inaction over church orders

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday criticised the State government for not complying with its orders to hand over the St. Thomas Syrian Church, Cherukunnam, St. Mary’s Syrian Church, Mangalam Dam Post, Palakkad, and St. Mary’s Syrian Church, Erickinchira, to the Orthodox faction vicars. When a contempt petition filed against the State came up for hearing, Justice Devan Ramachandran orally observed that if it was unable to implement the orders, it looked as if there was a constitutional breakdown.

Kerala man dies after upper berth falls on him

Press Trust of India

Hyderabad

A 60-year-old man from Kerala died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Hyderabad due to injuries he sustained after the upper berth in a train coach in which he was travelling fell on him due to improper chaining by another passenger, the Government Railway Police (GRP) said on Wednesday.

The incident happened on June 16 when Ali Khan C.K. from Kerala was travelling to Agra along with his friend in the lower berth of the sleeper coach of the Ernakulam-Hazrat Nizamuddin Millennium Superfast Express, they said. The man died on June 24.

Dalit boy tied up, beaten for plucking fruits in Telangana

A retired headmaster reportedly tied up and thrashed a 14-year-old Dalit boy for plucking a pomegranate from his garden in Telangana. The incident took place on Saturday at Kesaram village when the boy jumped the compound wall to pluck a pomegranate from the house of Madhusudan Reddy. The incident came to light after a video showing the boy being beaten began doing the rounds on social media. When the boy’s mother went to the spot, Mr. Reddy and his son allegedly abused her. The mother lodged a complaint with the police on Monday after which a case was booked, an Inspector said. The boy is safe and further probe is under way, he added.

YSRCP leader arrested in case related to breaking of EVM

The Andhra Pradesh Police arrested YSRCP leader and former MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy on Wednesday in cases related to the breaking of an electronic voting machine at the Palvaigate polling station in the Macherla Assembly constituency on the polling day and for allegedly inciting violence on a Telugu Desam Party worker. He was later produced before the district court.

Earlier in the day, the High Court dismissed the petitions filed by Mr. Reddy seeking an anticipatory bail.

Science

- ‘Multi-omics’ is transforming how India spots and treats TB, cancers

- Radioactive implant for rhino horns to curb poaching

T.V. Padma

Researchers are building datasets to address health problems at the individual level. They have extracted more value from these data using AI and machine learning, and combining their output with proteomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic information to develop ‘multi-omics’ approaches

1 of 2 Genomics and metagenomics are coming in handy to analyse antimicrobial resistance. Representative illustration. Getty Images Getty Images

2 of 2 In January, the Department of Biotechnology said it had completed sequencing 10,000 genomes from 99 ethnic groups under its ‘Genome India’ project. The aim is to develop a reference genome for Indian people

In the last decade, India’s use of genomics has undergone a significant transformation, so much so that the diagnoses, management, and treatment of many diseases— including tuberculosis, cancers, and those caused by antimicrobial resistance — stand on the cusp of a revolution.

Most recently, in January 2024, the Department of Biotechnology said it had completed sequencing 10,000 genomes from 99 ethnic groups under its ‘Genome India’ project. This national initiative aims at developing a reference genome for Indian people, which will help design genome-wide and disease-specific ‘genetic chips’ for low-cost diagnostics and research.

Earlier, in October 2020, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) had reportedly sequenced the entire genomes of 1,008 individuals in India representing diverse ethnic groups in six months. This effort was part of a mission called ‘IndiGen’ — to create a pilot dataset with which researchers could analyse the epidemiology of genetic diseases and help develop affordable screening approaches, optimise treatment, and minimise adverse events for them.

Other, more disease-specific consortia have also sprung up around the country and efforts are underway to create new datasets to address individual health problems, ranging from the age-old scourge of tuberculosis to cancers, rare genetic disorders in children, and even antimicrobial resistance. Researchers have also been able to extract more value from these using artificial intelligence and machine learning, and by combining their contents with other extensive datasets on proteins (proteomics), gene expression in cells (transcriptomics), and chemical changes that regulate gene expression (epigenomics) to develop a ‘multi-omics’ approach to tackle diseases.

Tuberculosis

A recent consortium concerns tuberculosis, a disease that continues to pose significant challenges to its eradication, in India and around the world. The Indian Tuberculosis Genomic Surveillance Consortium (InTGS) comprises 10 Report India sites covering eight States for tuberculosis, with the goal of sequencing around 32,000 tuberculosis clinical strains from active patients, and develop a centralised biological repository of clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in India.

Other major objectives vis-à-vis tuberculosis include mapping the genetic diversity of pulmonary and extra-pulmonary isolates of the tuberculosis bacterium from newly reported active cases in India, the associated treatment outcomes, and correlating mutations with drug resistance patterns, according to Vinay Nandicoori, director of the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad. The project’s ultimate goal is to validate identified mutations to develop a sequence-based method to determine drug resistance, and to combine the epidemiological data with results from whole-genome sequencing to develop working solutions.

Scientists from a mix of leading research institutes have divided the various parts of the project thus. In the first stage, scientists from the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry; the National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Bhagwan Mahavir Medical Research Centre, Hyderabad; the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Government Medical College, Pune; and the P.D. Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai, will collect the clinical samples, including the patients’ metadata. Next, scientists at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, will isolate the genetic material from the samples and set up a strain repository. In the third stage, scientists at CCMB and the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, will conduct whole genome sequencing. In the fourth and final stage, a team at the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, will conduct RNA sequencing data analysis, and develop artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models to predict drug resistance and take cognisance of the metadata to detect resistance patterns, according to Dr. Nandicoori.

“This is a huge, huge, huge project,” he added. The starting point is to generate baseline data — a relatively ignored task in India compared to several other countries.

Rare genetic disorders

India has also launched a pan-country mission for Paediatric Rare Genetic Disorders (PRaGeD), which, despite their rarity, have become a common public health concern. Mission PRaGeD is planning to create awareness, perform genetic diagnosis, discover and characterise new genes or variants, provide counselling, and develop new therapies for rare genetic diseases that afflict India’s children.

The mission will incorporate IndiGen data in its in-house bioinformatic pipelines it will use to analyse the parts of a genome that code for proteins (exome). The CSIR-Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Hyderabad, in collaboration with 15 centres across India, plans to recruit patients and their families with rare genetic disorders.

“The study aims to identify novel genes for various known as well as unexplained inherited phenotypes (observable traits) but also help the patient and family with management of disease and prenatal diagnosis,” Ashwin Dalal, group leader for diagnostics and a scientist at CDFD said. The team will also characterise novel genes or variants thereof to determine their function or role in the disorder, using cell lines and/or model organisms such as mice, fruit flies, and zebrafish.

Also on the anvil in the mission is the use of next-generation sequencing, one of the latest tools to manage rare diseases and to assess the probability of developing several chronic ailments, especially when conventional tests give negative results. “Implementing newborn genetic testing at a national level can contribute to the management of rare genetic conditions through faster and more accurate diagnoses,” Dr. Dalal said.

Cancers

The Indian Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC-India), part of the larger International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and supported by the Department of Biotechnology, plans to characterise genomic abnormalities in different types of cancers in Indian patients and identify population-specific genetic variations that are linked to cancer risk and treatment response. Such population-wide genome sequencing projects can facilitate the discovery of novel biomarkers, potential new treatment targets, and personalised treatment strategies, according to Dinesh Gupta, group leader of translational bioinformatics at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi.

Several Indian institutions have established ICGC-like genomic data repositories to facilitate cancer research and precision medicine initiatives that cater to the genetic makeup of Indian people, Dr. Gupta said. Another example is the Indian Cancer Genome Atlas project, a not-for-profit public-private-philanthropic initiative that is trying to create a comprehensive catalogue of genomic alterations across various cancer types prevalent in India. This could help researchers identify novel biomarkers and treatment targets. The Atlas collects and generates detailed genomics with linked clinical data.

Clinical trials in cancer are also beginning to incorporate genomics in the country, Dr. Gupta added. Indian cancer centres classify patients using genomic profiling for clinical trials that are based on their molecular subtypes, and match potential responders with targeted therapies.

Antimicrobial resistance

Genomics and metagenomics are coming in handy to analyse antimicrobial resistance and understand the possibility of rapid spread of any antibiotic resistance functions between bacterial species. Some of the microbes, such as the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, grow very slowly, even in laboratory conditions, Bhabhatosh Das, associate professor at the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, explained. “So clinicians prescribe antibiotics without knowing the actual resistance profile of the infectious agents.”

In such cases, genome sequencing is very helpful because it can provide information about the resistance profile of microbes without researchers having to grow them in the lab, he said. “Such information helps clinicians make judicious use of antibiotics.” In tuberculosis, pathogen-specific resistance signatures “should add immense value to antimicrobial-resistance diagnostics and the selection of appropriate drug combinations for successful antimicrobial therapy.”

AI, ML, and multi-omics

Meanwhile, AI and ML algorithms are lending a helping hand to genomics in analysing the extensive datasets. These technologies can help predict an individual’s risk of developing cancer, develop diagnostic tools to detect some cancers early, classify them, and develop treatment strategies, Dr. Gupta said.

Researchers have also started using AI and ML to help with analysing genome-sequencing data in cases of rare genetic disorders. A single instance of sequencing the entire exome of an individual can yield 5 GB of data and whole-genome sequencing can yield 90 GB, Dr. Dalal explained: “Analysis of such massive sequencing is impossible without use of computational tools.” Technicians are using AI- and ML-based approaches in the in-house bioinformatic pipelines as well as part of commercial tools for analysis of the sequencing data to identify disease-causing variants.

With the rapid expansion of AI, it is now easy to access multi-omics and analyse Big Data products rapidly, even with only standard computational facilities, according to Dr. Das, adding that multi-omics is today an emerging technology in the field of clinical science in India.

(T.V. Padma is a science journalist in New Delhi.)

Radioactive implant for rhino horns to curb poaching

Agence France Presse

James Larkin (left) from the University of the Witwatersrand implants radioisotopes into a sedated rhinoceros’ horns, along with other Rhisotope Project members in the Waterbury UNESCO biosphere in Mokopane, on Tuesday. AFP

South African scientists on Tuesday injected radioactive material into live rhinoceros horns to make them easier to detect at border posts in a pioneering project aimed at curbing poaching.

The country is home to a large majority of the world’s rhinoceroses and, is a hotspot for poaching driven by demand from Asia, where horns are used in traditional medicine for their supposed therapeutic effect.

At the Limpopo rhinoceros orphanage in the Waterberg area, in the country’s northeast, a few of the thick-skinned herbivores grazed in the low savannah.

James Larkin, director of the University of the Witwatersrand’s radiation and health physics unit who spearheaded the initiative, said he had put “two tiny little radioactive chips in the horn” as he administered the radioisotopes on one of the large animals’ horns.

The radioactive material would “render the horn useless... essentially poisonous for human consumption,” added Nithaya Chetty, professor and dean of science at the same university.

The dusty rhinoceros, put to sleep and crouched on the ground, wouldn’t feel any pain, Mr. Larkin said. The radioactive material’s dose was so low that it wouldn’t affect the animal’s health or the environment in any way, he added.

In February, the environment ministry said that despite government efforts to tackle the illicit trade, 499 of the giant mammals were killed in 2023, mostly in state-run parks, an 11% increase over 2022 figures.

Twenty live rhinos in total are part of the pilot ‘Rhisotope’ project, whereby they will be administered a dose “strong enough to set off detectors installed globally” at international border posts, originally “to prevent nuclear terrorism,” Mr. Larkin said.

Rhinoceros horns are highly sought after on black markets, where their price by weight rivals that of gold and cocaine.

According to Arrie Van Deventer, the orphanage’s founder, dehorning the rhinoceros and poisoning the horns have failed to deter poachers.

“Maybe this is the thing that will stop poaching,” the conservationist said. “This is the best idea I’ve ever heard.”

Wildebeest, warthogs, and giraffe roamed the vast conservation area as more than a dozen team members performed the delicate process on another rhinoceros.

Mr. Larkin drilled a small hole into the horn, hammered in the radioisotope, and finished off by spraying 11,000 microdots over the horn.

About 15,000 rhinoceroses live in the southern African nation, according to an estimate by the International Foundation.

The last phase of the project will be the animal’s aftercare following “proper scientific protocol and ethical protocol,” project COO Jessica Babich said.

The team will then take follow-up blood samples to ensure the rhinoceroses are effectively protected. The material itself will last five years on the horn, resulting in a cost lower than dehorning every 18 months, Mr. Larkin said.

Edit

- Opposition’s larger demography, LoP’s big responsibility

- Read the rocks to improve India’s geological literacy

- Lip service

- Ending defections

- letters to the editor

- Alcaraz, the youngest male tennis player to master all three courts

- It’s time for India to reclaim its voice on Tibet

- Capital changes, changing prices

- Return to Gandhian ideals urged

- Preventive vaccine for tubercle

- The row over Delhi’s water crisis

- How well is India tapping its rooftop solar potential?

- On C.J. Sansom, and why his crime series, set in Tudor England, endures

- On June 27, 1954, the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant became the world’s first nuclear power plant to produce industrial electricity. A quiz about nuclear power generation

- Know your English

Opposition’s larger demography, LoP’s big responsibility

P.D.T. Achary former Secretary General, Lok Sabha

The 2024 general election is historic in as much as it resulted in the numerically largest Opposition in the Lok Sabha. It is perhaps the largest in the history of the House. With the Opposition securing over 234 seats, one also saw the debate on the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) come alive. In the 16th and 17th Lok Sabhas, there was no LoP because under a direction of the Speaker issued in the 1950s, in order to get recognition as a party in the House, it should have a minimum of 10% members in that House (Direction 121).

This direction was issued for the recognition and categorisation of parliamentary parties for the sake of providing them certain facilities in Parliament. But this direction does not deal with the recognition of the LoP. Later, Parliament enacted the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977, which for the first time, defined the term Leader of the Opposition as “the Leader in that House of the party in opposition to the Government having the greatest numerical strength and recognised as such by the Chairman of the Council of States or the Speaker of the House of the People, as the case may be”.

The definition shows that in order to recognise a person as LoP, there are two conditions that need to be fulfilled. First, the party should be numerically the biggest one in opposition to the government. Second, that party should be recognised by the Speaker as a party. As mentioned earlier, the Speaker can recognise a party as such only if it has 10% of the strength of the House. In other words, only a party which has 10% of the strength of the House can put forth its claim to the post of LoP. Under the direction cited, a party which has less than 10% members shall be categorised as a group which cannot claim the post of LoP. Thus, the Congress parliamentary party which had only 52 members, in 2019, in the Lok Sabha, two less than 54 which is the threshold, could not get this post.

However the enactment of the 10th Schedule has, in a way, rendered the categorisation of parties into parties and groups by the Speaker/Chairman (Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha) irrelevant. Under this schedule, all political parties, irrespective of the number of Members that they have in the Houses, are “parties”. The term ‘group’ is not recognised by the Schedule. So, in tune with the Schedule, necessary changes in the Leaders of Opposition Act should have been made to enable the Speaker to recognise the leader of the largest Opposition party in the House, irrespective of whether it has 10% Members or not. Anyway, the leader of the Congress party is now the Leader of the Opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha.

In the Westminster system

The post of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha has great political significance. In the British parliamentary tradition, he is called the Prime Minister-in-waiting as he is the one who the king turns to when the incumbent government falls, to form an alternative government. He, therefore, forms a shadow cabinet of his colleagues in his party. It is an interesting feature of the Westminster system of government.

The shadow cabinet is formed under the leadership of the leader of opposition who will be called the shadow prime minister. According to this tradition, the shadow cabinet scrutinises the policies and actions of the government and offers alternative policy. It is called the shadow cabinet because its members mirror the positions of the individual member of the real cabinet. As members of the shadow cabinet, these Opposition members familiarise themselves fully with the operations of the government. They can seek all relevant information about the entire gamut of the activities of the government. Erskine May, an international authority on parliamentary system says, “The Leader of the Opposition and some of the Leader’s principal colleagues in both Houses form a group, known as ‘the Shadow Cabinet’, each member of which is given a particular range of activities on which it is their task to direct criticism of the Government’s policy and administration and to outline alternative policies....”

Although we have adopted the Westminster system, the practice of forming a shadow cabinet does not exist in Parliament or State legislatures. The post of the Leader of the Opposition in the Indian Parliament has been a statutory position since 1977. However, this statute does not define the functions of the Leader of the Opposition. Traditionally, he will be a very senior member of the principal Opposition in the House who commands great respect and has wider acceptability among the parties in the Opposition.

With change in 2024, the challenges

Since the Opposition in the Indian Parliament is not monolithic and is composed of multiple parties with divergent ideologies and programmes, the role of the Leader of the Opposition is full of challenges. The biggest problem he faces is that he has no power. It is easy for a party in power to attract other parties and keep the alliance together through a power-sharing arrangement. The opposition to the policies and programmes of the government is a major factor which keeps them together. In certain situations, the hope of bringing down the government acts as a unifying factor. In fact, the traditional role of the Opposition is to “oppose the government, to criticize it and to seek to replace it”.

In the past 10 years, the Lok Sabha has seen a rather lean Opposition which could not mount any serious challenge to the government. A large majority enjoyed by the ruling party and its intimidatory postures overawed the Opposition which often felt helpless. But the 2024 general election has brought about a sea change in the political atmosphere and the demography of the House. It is perhaps for the first time that the Lok Sabha has such a huge number in the Opposition. With over 234 Members in the Opposition benches, the House is almost evenly divided. This has, no doubt, boosted the morale of the Opposition which, to a great extent, can influence the running of the House. It would be reflected in the admission of questions, the content of the answers, debate on Bills, general debates such as the debate on the motion of thanks, urgent matters of public interest, admission of adjournment motions, and reference of Bills to the committees for detailed scrutiny, to name a few.

The Leader of the Opposition should be able to capture this new mood of the Opposition and present his views in the House in the most effective way. The LoP of the 18th Lok Sabha has the onerous task of serving the unity of the Opposition at all costs. As the prime minister in waiting, he has the responsibility to inform the nation about the failures of the government based on truth and with a great sense of responsibility. In the House he has primacy in debates and other interventions. It is the well-accepted parliamentary tradition that the Speaker permits the Leader of the Opposition to make interventions on any matter without any notice. He can demand the presence of the Prime Minister in the House when it debates serious issues. According to the British tradition, the Prime Minister directly informs the Leader of the Opposition about major policy initiatives. Thus, the channel of communication between the Prime minister and the Leader of Opposition is always kept open.

The past has lessons

In India too, this healthy tradition can be followed, which will certainly strengthen democracy. Jawaharlal Nehru had created certain traditions such as being present in the House during Question Hour on most of the dates and supplementing the replies given by Ministers whenever he felt that such replies were inadequate. Nehru is said to have pleaded with the Speaker to grant more time to the leaders of the Opposition and he would invariably be present in the House to listen to them. He used to say that it is only from the Opposition members that he would come to know about the real situation in the country, and not from his own party members who would only praise him and not speak the truth. The Indian Parliament evolved in its early stages in such an environment. There is much in the past which can be learned and emulated by the new generation of parliamentarians. Repudiation of the past will take us nowhere. Intolerance towards dissent was never a part of that tradition. The people of India have given the political class a great opportunity to restore normalcy in Parliament. The main function of the Leader of the Opposition is to constantly remind the ruling Benches of the need to normalise Parliament.

Read the rocks to improve India’s geological literacy

C.P. Rajendran an adjunct professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru and the Director of the Consortium for Sustainable Development, Connecticut, U.S.

With landscapes that range from the world’s greatest peaks to low-lying coastal plains, India showcases a diverse morphology that has evolved over billions of years. In several places, we find a variety of rocks and minerals and distinctive fossil assemblages. These geological features and landscapes tell us the spectacular ‘origin’ stories derived not from mythology but from scientific interpretations. India’s tumultuous geological past is recorded in its rocks and terrains and should be considered as our non-cultural heritage. India offers many such examples. Geo-heritage sites are educational spaces where people acquire much needed geological literacy, especially when India’s collective regard for this legacy is abysmal.

Scant traction in India

Geological conservation seeks to ensure the survival of the best representative examples of India’s geological features and events so that present and future generations can appreciate more of the world’s best natural laboratories. Despite international progress in this field, geo-conservation has not found much traction in India. Many fossil-bearing sites have been destroyed in the name of development and real estate growth, Destructive stone mining activities also add to this misery. The magnitude of these activities is evident from the fact that the area covered under stone-mining operations exceeds more than 10% of the total area of India.

These geological features tell us how the land we are so familiar with came to be, and are part of an evolutionary history that has made Indian terrane what it is today. Ironically, on the one hand, we reach out to Mars in search of evidence for early life but on the other, we destroy such proof that is so precious and right in our backyard. How many of us know about the little-known Dhala meteoritic impact crater in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh? This between 1.5 billion to 2.5 billion-year-old crater is evidence of a celestial collision when life must have begun. The more famous Lonar crater in Buldhana district of Maharashtra was earlier dated to be about 50,000 years old, and a recent study suggests its origin around 5,76,000 years ago.

The importance of the shared geological heritage of our planet was first recognised in 1991 at a UNESCO-sponsored event, ‘First International Symposium on the Conservation of our Geological Heritage’. The delegates assembled in Digne, France, endorsed the concept of a shared legacy: “Man and the Earth share a common heritage, of which we and our governments are but the custodians”. This declaration foresaw the establishment of geo-parks as sites that commemorate unique geological features and landscapes within their assigned territories; and as spaces that educate the public on geological importance.

Geo-heritage sites in many countries such as Canada, China, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom have been developed as national parks. UNESCO has also prepared guidelines for the development of geo-parks. Many countries also have the necessary legislation to build, protect and designate geo-parks. Europe celebrates its geological heritage across 73 zones. Japan offers another good lesson in such conservation. Today, there are 169 Global Geoparks across 44 countries. Thailand and Vietnam have also implemented laws to conserve their geological and natural heritage. Though a signatory, India has no such legislation or policy for geo-heritage conservation.

This situation calls for sustainable conservation approaches, such as those we have been able to formulate to protect biodiversity. The Biological Diversity Act was implemented in 2002 and there are now 18 notified biosphere reserves in India. Although the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has notified 34 geological monuments, it lacks the regulatory powers to implement the preservation measures. A recent development in the case of a cliff in Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala, is a typical example. This cliff which overlooks the Arabian Sea is made up of rocks deposited millions of years ago and has been declared by the GSI as a geological heritage site. To save some unauthorised structures, the district administration recently demolished a part of this cliff citing landslide hazards. Many such features around the country face such survival threats.

Half-hearted measures

The Government of India has attempted to address these concerns on some occasions. In 2009, there was a half-hearted attempt to constitute a National Commission for Heritage Sites through a Bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha. Though it was eventually referred to the Standing Committee, the government backtracked on it for some unstated reasons and the Bill was withdrawn. The Bill was meant to constitute a national commission to implement the stipulations of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention 1972 and to create a national roster of heritage sites. More recently, in 2022, the Ministry of Mines has prepared a draft Bill for preservation and maintenance, but no further progress on this has been heard. As the annexure to the Draft Geoheritage Sites and Geo-relics (Preservation and Maintenance) Bill, 2022 says, “In sharp contrast to the well laid out protection and conservation measures addressed with relevant legislation on archaeological and historical monuments and cultural heritage sites, India does not have any specific and specialized policy or law to conserve and preserve the geoheritage sites and geo-relics for future generations.”

Specifically, India needs the following at the earliest: first, create an inventory of all prospective geo-sites in the country (in addition to the 34 sites identified by the GSI); second, frame geo-conservation legislation for the country along the lines of the Biological Diversity Act 2002; and third, have a ‘National Geo-Conservation Authority’ along the lines of the National Biodiversity Authority, with independent observers, while ensuring that the establishment will not lead to red tape and encroach on the autonomy of researchers and academically-inclined private collectors.

Lip service

Ruling party cannot critique Emergency while promoting authoritarianism

The Emergency, imposed on June 25, 1975 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and which lasted 21 months till March 21, 1977, remains a blot on the history of democratic India. The rule by decree, the suspension of civil liberties and free speech, the arbitrariness of government actions, and the indiscriminate arrests of dissenters and Opposition figures using draconian preventive detention laws, among other measures, continue to haunt Indians who experienced it in all its vicious forms. The traumatic episode is a reminder of the responsibility of democratic institutions in always safeguarding the freedoms and rights of citizens. When freshly elected and returning Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla read out a resolution, on Wednesday, “condemning the imposition of Emergency” and termed it as an attack on the Constitution, one could have considered this as a note of caution about the perils of suspending civil liberties, and as a pledge that this would never be allowed to happen again. But seen in the light of Mr. Birla’s actions, when, as Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha, he indiscriminately used his powers to suspend several Opposition MPs, and the executive’s use of draconian laws to stifle dissent from civil society, the polity and the media, the resolution seems not much more than lip service against the Emergency. It seems more a political ploy to target the Congress party. Indeed, the ruling BJP in the recent past resorted to similar excesses without even the fig leaf of a declaration of Emergency.

If the government of the day is truly committed to undo the damages of the Emergency and not repeat its grave errors, it would have not taken recourse to the same measures in the recent past, seen in the attack on the free press, the use of enforcement and investigative agencies to selectively target Opposition representatives, and draconian preventive detention laws to keep political prisoners, activists and journalists in jail without trial, including by the foisting of charges against them. The BJP’s authoritarian actions are one reason why its electoral representation in the 18th Lok Sabha has been trimmed to below the majority mark. The 2024 general election verdict might not have been a decisive rejection of the ruling party — as it was in 1977 — but it is no less significant as it empowers those in responsible positions in Indian democratic institutions to resist authoritarianism. A more thoroughgoing Opposition in Parliament that questions ruling party high-handedness; a vigilant judiciary that ensures justice to the many unjustly held dissidents; and a civil society that pushes for the withdrawal of draconian preventive detention laws and a ruling party that coheres with these — only such substantive steps will enable India to decisively move on from the dark period of the Emergency.

Ending defections

Engineering defections goes against the spirit of the people’s mandate

With the defection of MLA M. Sanjay Kumar, who represents the Jagtial constituency in Telangana, from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to the ruling Congress, the strength of the principal Opposition has come down from 39 to 33 in the State Assembly. True, such defections have plagued India, and several States, including Telangana, since its inception in 2014, have seen mass defections. Despite winning 63 of the 119 Assembly seats, Telangana’s first Chief Minister, the BRS’s K. Chandrashekhar Rao, effected a series of defections across the political opposition, until he was able to garner a brute majority of 90 MLAs and the dissolution of the State unit of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) by the end of his first term in office in 2018. Such defections, much like the current case, violated the 10th Schedule of India’s 1985 Anti Defection Law, which was amended in 2003 to provide an exception to disqualifications if the defectors formed two-thirds of a party and merged with another party. This rule and the absolute power vested with the Speaker of the Assembly and the Chair of the Council to decide on members’ disqualifications, without setting any time limit to do so, have often rendered the law ineffective. The Telangana Assembly Speaker is the ruling party’s Vikarabad MLA, Gaddam Prasad Kumar. While he must serve in the interest of fostering principled democratic practices, seldom have Speakers, in the States or at the Centre, risen above their party’s diktats.

Mr. Kumar’s defection has particularly caused some disquiet in the Congress, as it has slighted T. Jeevan Reddy, the candidate who lost the Jagtial Assembly seat. Mr. Reddy now serves as a Congress MLC. The Telangana Chief Minister, A. Revanth Reddy, has been accused of attempting defections in the past, the most infamous being his attempt in 2015 — when he was a TDP member — to bribe a nominated member of the House, Elvis Stephenson, to vote in favour of the TDP. These defections go against the spirit of participatory democracy, where the existence of a strong Opposition enhances governance and acts as a check on unilateral decisions taken by the ruling government. The experience of the past 10 years, both in New Delhi and in Hyderabad, has made apparent the dangers of parties with brute majorities. With a stronger Opposition at the Centre in 2024, perhaps it is time to seek more amendments to the anti-defection law. Prescribing a timeline for Speakers and Chairpersons to decide on disqualifications might not be enough; the power must be vested with an independent Election Commission.

The Speaker

The words by the top leader in the country, of there to be consultations and consensus in running the government, seem to have gone up in thin air. In the 17th Lok Sabha, the present Speaker was seen to be acting in a partisan manner. Given his past conduct in the august House, where the Opposition was hardly given a chance to air its views, it remains to be seen how Parliament will run in the days ahead. It is utopian to expect a leopard to change its spots.

Tharcius S. Fernando,

Chennai

Governor’s view

One is in agreement with the sentiment expressed by the Tamil Nadu Governor, R.N. Ravi — “We must not be in denial over drug abuse, illicit liquor in T.N.” (Chennai, Inside pages, June 26).

The ruling party in the State needs to act. The Chief Minister must issue a comprehensive statement on the subject without any delay. The State elections are not far away and this is an issue that can be used as a plank by the Opposition to reap political dividends.

Mani Nataraajan,

Chennai

Alcaraz, the youngest male tennis player to master all three courts

Chandni Tekwani, Vignesh Radhakrishnan

Among women, Serena Williams and Steffi Graf managed the feat at a much younger age

When Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open final for the first time this June, he became the youngest male tennis player to win a Grand Slam title on all three surfaces: hard, grass, and clay. Only six other male tennis players have achieved this feat: Mats Wilander, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic.

However, what sets Alcaraz apart is that he mastered all the surfaces by the age of 21, which makes him the youngest of the seven men. Nadal was 22 when he achieved this feat and Wilander was 23. All the others in the list were aged 26 or more when they managed to become all-surface elites.

Among women, five players have made three-surface history: Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Maria Sharapova, and Ashleigh Barty. Notably, Graf did so as a teenager, the only player to do so across both genders. Williams was 20, a year older than Graf and a year younger than Alcaraz, when she achieved this milestone.

It is important to note that the Australian Open and the US Open have not always been played on hard courts. The US Open was first played on grass and then on clay for three years before it began being played on hard courts from 1978. The Australian Open was played on grass and has been played on hard courts since 1988.

The graphic depicts all the 12 players who won at least one Grand Slam on all three courts. The number of years they took to win their first Slam is mentioned. The time taken in years between their first Slam win and the victory that made them all-court masters is also mentioned.

It’s time for India to reclaim its voice on Tibet

Suhasini Haidar

The timing of the visit by a delegation of U.S. lawmakers to Dharamshala made it clear what it would be about. The delegation arrived just days after the passage of the ‘Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act’ in both Houses of U.S. Congress, which now awaits U.S. President Joe Biden’s signature. Both Democrat and Republican co-authors of the Bill were part of the delegation, invited by the Central Tibetan Administration that manages affairs of the Tibetan diaspora-in-exile worldwide, for a special facilitation. Given the circumstances, New Delhi would have been more than aware of the content of the speeches they would make, slamming China for its repression of the Tibetan people, calling for talks between the Dalai Lama’s representatives and Beijing that were suspended in 2010 to be restarted, and for a Free Tibet. “This bill is a message to the Chinese government that we have clarity in our thinking on this issue, for the freedom of Tibet,” said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “[The Dalai Lama’s] legacy will live forever, but you, the President of China, will be gone, and no one will give you credit for anything.”

Weakness, not strength

While the sharp tone of these comments and even the presence of U.S. officials and lawmakers in Dharamshala is not new, this is the first time in recent years that a public rally of this kind has been held in India. India’s External Affairs Minister hosted the delegation for a late dinner the same evening as the rally, and the Prime Minister met them the next day, indicating that this was a more considered decision by New Delhi. Some people have even interpreted it as a strong message from New Delhi to Beijing amidst continuing tensions between the two countries, as a resolution to the Line of Actual Control military stand-off eludes them since the deadly 2020 Galwan clash.

However, New Delhi’s decision to allow American politicians to take centre stage amongst the Tibetan refugee population in India in order to promote a U.S. law and pitch U.S. policy is not a show of strength, but could convey weakness. It also denotes the danger of letting a carefully calibrated foreign policy narrative on Tibet spin out of its control.

To begin with, India has not joined the U.S. in publicly articulating its concerns on the treatment of Tibetans simply because its actions since 1959, of offering the Dalai Lama refuge and allowing Tibetan refugees to settle in India, speak much louder. To this day, people from Tibet trek across the Himalayas to seek refuge in India. Often, parents send just their children over, fearing for their future as Tibetan curriculum gets more standardised to the mainland’s system, rigorously enforced by the Chinese Communist Party.

Given India’s own sensitivities on sovereignty and territorial integrity, New Delhi has worked out its own formulation on the Tibet issue and ties with China. It has “recognised” the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) as part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China since 1954. Since 2010, however, given China’s refusal to respect India’s territorial integrity, its renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh, and its issuance of stapled visas to residents of Jammu and Kashmir, India stopped articulating a ‘One China’ policy or making references to Tibet in official statements. It contends that the Dalai Lama is a revered spiritual leader, despite China’s protests that he is a “separatist” or “splittist”.

India also does not officially recognise the Tibetan Government in Exile or Parliament in Exile as more than organising mechanisms for the Tibetan people based here and abroad. Even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited the Tibetan Sikyong (elected leader) to his swearing-in ceremony in 2014, he did not do so in 2019 or this month. In 2018, a government circular reminded officials of India’s policy, asking them not to attend events commemorating the 60th year since the Dalai Lama’s flight to India. New Delhi has become more sensitive on such issues, as is evident from its objections to U.S. Ambassadors visiting Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, or to the space given for political or extremist Khalistani separatist rallies and referendums in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia.

Moving out of the picture

If the government wishes to change its line to mirror the more strident position on Tibet adopted by the U.S., then Indian officials and leaders should have made the statements that were addressed instead by U.S. lawmakers to Tibetans in Dharamshala, who were all waving U.S. flags (Indian flags were far fewer). The superfluousness of allowing the U.S. delegation to do so is underlined by the fact that the Dalai Lama travelled to the U.S. for medical treatment just days after their visit, and all the U.S. lawmakers could have met him in Washington DC instead.

Above all, the problem with allowing U.S. leaders to aim messages at Beijing from a pulpit in India, and then have Beijing respond to those directly, is that India is getting cut out of a picture where it has been the most important external figure. This is not unlike its predicament in other parts of South Asia, including the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Indian Ocean islands where its space is being diminished by growing U.S.-China contestations. With the U.S. giving the Karmapa a home and accepting more Tibetan refugees on the one hand, and China’s ever-tightening control of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the TAR on the other, India must consider the future of its own policy, especially with regard to the question of the Dalai Lama’s succession. New Delhi must move more decidedly to reclaim its own voice and the pace of its own policy narrative without being “bigfooted” by others.

Capital changes, changing prices

G.V.R. Subba Rao

With the change in government, real estate may once again shift to Amaravati

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s landslide victory in Andhra Pradesh is expected to give clarity to the real estate sector. The realtors, who were awaiting the results on June 4, are now planning investments and businesses more in Visakhapatnam and Amaravati than in other parts of the State. A correction in investments in Visakhapatnam is likely, while the real estate sector in Amaravati is expected to witness a sudden surge.

The realtors in Amaravati and Visakhapatnam invested hundreds of crores of rupees between 2014 and 2023. During those 10 years, real estate growth was not natural either in Amaravati or Visakhapatnam. It was a bubble created by the players, and supported by successive governments.

Soon after the bifurcation of combined Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the realtors and investors looked for greener pastures in residual Andhra Pradesh. They made huge investments in the expectation that there would be phenomenal demand for housing as the capital was to move to Amaravati from Hyderabad.

However, there was an inordinate delay in constructing the capital of Amaravati. The foundation was laid in October 2015, but the real estate market failed to gain traction, and real estate players and investors returned to Hyderabad. During the same period, the government changed in Andhra Pradesh. The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, accused the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government of insider trading concerning Amaravati, and floated a three-capital formula for the development of the State.

Investments began flowing towards Visakhapatnam, which was touted as the executive capital. Many ventures on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam city, such as Madhurawada, Pendurthi, Naidu Thota, Sujatha Nagar, Vepagunta, Narava, and BHPV, have come up, even though they remain incomplete for various reasons including financial difficulties faced by the builders. Today, a double bedroom flat in these areas costs more than ₹50 lakh, compared to just over ₹33 lakh five years ago. More than 1.5 crore sft of built-up space, both residential and commercial, is available in Visakhapatnam, but there are hardly any takers.

Amaravati and Vijayawada face the same problem. A huge inventory is piled up in Tadepalli and other areas that are close to Amaravati. There are at least 5,000 unsold flats. The same situation prevails in areas such as Poranki, and other suburbs of Vijayawada. About 2,500 flats are available in the outskirts of Vijayawada.

A double bedroom flat in areas surrounding Visakhapatnam now costs more than ₹50 lakh compared to just over ₹33 lakh five years ago. While a two-bedroom house (2BHK) costs around ₹35 lakh-₹45 lakh on the outskirts of Vijayawada, a 3BHK costs ₹50 lakh-₹80 lakh. Though there is not much inventory in Vijayawada city, a 3 BHK costs ₹1.5 crore-₹2.5 crore in the city. Most people in Visakhapatnam are salaried middle-class income groups. They do not buy properties for investment purposes; they buy it for residential purposes. In comparison, investments were made in Amaravati predominantly for investment purposes.

Now, in both Amaravati and Visakhapatnam, realtors are optimistic about the sector’s growth in the coming months. Though deals have not been closed, they have been getting enquiries.

The policies of the TDP or the YSRCP governments did not fuel the real boom; instead, a bubble was created. The realtors recalling South Korea’s experience in the late 1990s say that the governments should take corrective measures in Andhra Pradesh.

Though the registration fee is one of the main revenue sources, the government should focus on the gradual development of the real estate sector for sustained development. The industry and services sectors must be developed so that there are more buyers for both residential and commercial spaces. Industry-led development and the creation of new jobs will bring in new buyers.

Real estate growth depends on other factors also. It is important to develop basic infrastructure facilities such as roads apart from strengthening flight and railway connectivity. Hyderabad gained from the uncertainty over the capital issue in Andhra Pradesh. But other factors also played a role, such as the robust growth of the industrial and services sectors, as well as infrastructure. The new government should start constructing the capital and focus on the same areas in which Hyderabad is doing well.

Return to Gandhian ideals urged

Chandigarh, June 26: The President, Mr. V.V. Giri, to-day called for gearing up of the educational system to meet the social needs of the society. “Unless we give the youth a stake in the future by assuring them of job prospects, the outlook is indeed gloomy,” the President warned.

Mr. Giri was speaking after laying the foundation stone of Lala Achint Ram auditorium in the premises of Lala Lajpat Rai Bhavan here.

He said the energies of the youth and their enthusiasm were being diverted to “wrong channels”. In convocations students shout “we want jobs and not degrees.” Have we ever thought of the significance of this genuine demand?” Mr. Giri asked.

Mr. Giri repeated his suggestion that there should be a one-year holiday from the university after they completed their matriculation. The students should be made to work on the land and also learn to operate cottage industries during this period, he said.

“The divorce between intellect and labour is the bane of our agriculture and we must end this by making more and more of our educated people take to agriculture,” he said and added once the youth saw the opportunity of a new and meaningful life they would like to settle down in villages.

Mr. Giri said he was of the firm belief that a return to the Gandhian ideals was the only way to solve the crisis the country was facing to-day.

Mr. Giri said these sins were present in the society in a virulent form and called for steps to remove them.

Preventive vaccine for tubercle

Paris, June 26: The Havas Agency says Professor Calmette of the Pasteur Institute has invented a vaccine for the prevention of tuberculosis composed of baccilli carefully enfeebled by 230 successive processes. A hundred experiments have already been made on animals and 217 new-born children showing symptoms of likelihood of tuberculosis were administered the vaccine. All babies were under observation for 18 months and so far none has showed any sign of the disease developing.

The row over Delhi’s water crisis

Satvika Mahajan

Why is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government blaming the Haryana government for the capital’s water shortage? Is Delhi dependent on its neighbouring States for water? What has the Lieutenant Governor’s (L-G) office said?

Scorching heat: Residents fill containers with water from a tanker in New Delhi, on June 24. REUTERSPRIYANSHU SINGH

The story so far:

Amidst a heat wave in several parts of north India, the national capital has been struck with an acute water shortage over the past couple of weeks sparking a battle in the Supreme Court with its neighbouring States including Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government has alleged that Haryana is blocking water to Delhi and has asked them to release it.

Why is there water shortage in Delhi?

Delhi depends heavily on its neighbouring States of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh to fulfil its drinking water needs. The capital’s raw water supply comes from four sources with approximately 40% of it coming via Yamuna through Haryana. The raw water is treated in Delhi’s Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) and sent across through its pipelines that covers over 15,000 kilometres.

In the past couple of weeks, the Delhi government has blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for blocking Delhi’s share of water through the Munak Canal, which is one of the primary sources of water for the capital. The canal, which falls under the Haryana government, starts from Haryana and enters Delhi with raw water. If there are any problems, the Delhi Government is responsible for notifying the issue and financing the problem. Delhi’s Water Minister Atishi has claimed that Haryana is purposely blocking water, in an already difficult situation due to the heat, which is resulting in the residents of Delhi being forced to go waterless for days.

However, the Lieutenant Governor’s (L-G) office has maintained that Haryana and other neighbouring States are releasing adequate supplies of water, and that the shortage is due to a leakage in the Munak Canal, and the lack of cleaning of pipelines and WTPs. Additionally, the L-G office has claimed that the presence of privately run tankers which are finding illegal sources of water and selling them at high rates is adding to the issue.

What is happening in the SC?

The Delhi government had moved the Supreme Court to seek a direction to Haryana to supply more water to the crisis-hit national capital on May 31. The AAP government in Delhi has told the top court that the water demand in the city has risen significantly due to heatwave conditions, and that Haryana be directed to release extra water for a month. The Supreme Court on June 3 directed the Centre to hold an emergency meeting of its Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) with the States of Delhi, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh to address water scarcity in the national capital amid soaring temperatures. On June 6, the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government agreed to share water resources with the capital in the Supreme Court, promising to release 137 cusecs of water through the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana into the Wazirabad barrage in Delhi. However, Haryana, through which the water must pass to reach Delhi, raised objections. And later on, even the Himachal Pradesh government went back on its statements, stating that water was already flowing in the Yamuna, and that it had made an incorrect statement of being able to spare Delhi 137 cusecs of water.

What has been the court’s response?

The SC has now bowed out of the row, stating that it does not want to interfere with the proceedings of the UYRB. The Bench headed by Justice P.K. Mishra said it did not want to either violate or tinker with the MoU settled among the States by even passing an interim order. “The issue should be left to be considered by the Upper Yamuna River Board, a body constituted with the agreement of parties in the MoU of May 12, 1994,” the Bench observed in its order. The board was directed to hold a meeting with stakeholders and was asked to take a call on the matter. Delhi MLAs have since written to Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil seeking help on humanitarian grounds. The main function of the UYRB is to regulate the allocation of available flows amongst the beneficiary States.

What is next for Delhi?

With an acute water shortage in Delhi, the powers in the capital need to focus beyond politics, be it the Centre or the State government, Rajendra Singh, a water conservationist who is popularly referred to as the ‘Waterman of India’ said. He explained that Delhi must focus on three solutions to the problem. “First, drinking water in the capital needs to be made its top priority; water for irrigation and other works needs to be redirected for drinking water.”

He further stated that “Delhi needs to thoroughly re-examine its water resources and work on the principles of ‘retreat, recycle and reuse’.” The capital needs to look closely at its WTPs and build successful models to sustain its needs. The water flowing through Delhi needs to go into the cycle of reuse.

Additionally, instead of depending on other States, Delhi should investigate its harvesting methods. The spaces in Asola Bhatti mines can be made into water harvesting structures, Mr. Singh suggested. Ground water resources used to be recharged in Delhi by the water in the Aravalli belt, but that is not the case anymore which is leading to wastage. The Aravalli belt should be modelled into a water sanctuary and the Yamuna flood plain banks into a water bank.

How well is India tapping its rooftop solar potential?

Shantanu Roy

Which are the States with the highest RTS capacities? How can more awareness be spread?

The story so far:

India’s installed rooftop solar (RTS) capacity increased by 2.99 GW in 2023-2024, the highest growth in a year. As of March 31, the total installed RTS capacity in India was 11.87 GW, according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. To meet rising energy demand, India needs to double down on its efforts to expand its RTS potential.

What is the RTS programme?

India launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission in January 2010. Its main objective was to produce 20 GW of solar energy (including RTS) in three phases: 2010-2013, 2013-2017, and 2017-2022. In 2015, the government revised this target to 100 GW by 2022, including a 40-GW RTS component, with yearly targets for each State and Union Territory. In December 2022, India had an installed RTS capacity of 7.5 GW and extended the deadline for the 40-GW target to 2026. While financial incentives, technological advances, awareness, and training have improved RTS installation numbers, there is a long way to go. India’s overall RTS potential is approximately 796 GW. To meet India’s target of installing 500 GW of renewable energy capacity, with a solar component of 280 GW, by 2030, RTS alone needs to contribute about 100 GW by 2030.

How are States faring?

As of March 31, 2024, the RTS capacities of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan had taken big strides while some others were behind the curve. An installed RTS capacity of 3,456 MW in Gujarat is the result of its government’s quick approval process, a large number of RTS installers, and high consumer awareness. Similarly, Maharashtra, with an RTS capacity of 2,072 MW, is one of the top-performing States owing to its robust solar policies and conducive regulatory environment.

Thanks to its land area and high solar irradiance, Rajasthan boasts of the highest RTS potential in the country: 1,154 MW. Its efforts to streamline approvals, provide financial incentives, and promote RTS through public–private partnerships have spurred this growth.

Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, with respective installed capacities of 675, 599, and 594 MW, have also performed reasonably well. However, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand, among others, are yet to fully explore their RTS potential. Their challenges include bureaucratic hurdles, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of public awareness.

The ‘Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana’ is a flagship initiative to fit one crore households with RTS systems and help them get up to 300 units of free electricity every month. An average system size of 2 kW for targeted households will result in a total RTS capacity addition of 20 GW. The scheme has a financial outlay of ₹75,021 crore, which includes financial assistance for consumers (₹65,700 crore), incentives for distribution companies (₹4,950 crore), incentives for local bodies and model solar villages in each district, payment security mechanisms, capacity building (₹657 crore), and awareness and outreach (₹657 crore). The scheme also encourages the adoption of advanced solar technologies, energy storage solutions, and smart grid infrastructure.

How can we ensure RTS growth?

Creating awareness is key to getting consumers on board. In addition, RTS needs to be economically viable for households. While government subsidies are helping, multiple low-cost financing options are required. The number of banks and non-bank financial companies providing RTS loans has increased of late. Access to low-cost RTS loans should be as easy as getting a bike or car loan.

Promoting R&D in solar technology, energy storage solutions, and smart-grid infrastructure can lower costs, improve performance, and enhance the reliability of RTS systems. Investments in training programmes, (like the ‘Suryamitra’ solar PV technician programme initiated in 2015), vocational courses, and skill development initiatives will help build a skilled workforce.

As the scheme’s implementation enters full swing, net-metering regulations, grid-integration standards, and building codes should be reviewed and updated to help address emerging challenges and facilitate smooth implementation.

Shantanu Roy works with the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy.

On C.J. Sansom, and why his crime series, set in Tudor England, endures

Mini Anthikad Chhibber

The crime novel has often been held up as the perfect way to study society and the novels featuring Matthew Shardlake do that elegantly. A reluctant player in the politics of Tudor England, Shardlake provides a millennial perspective, which does not come across as anachronistic

iStockphotosiraanamwong

When C.J. Sansom, one of Britain’s best-selling historical novelists, passed away on April 27, four days before the television adaptation of his well-known crime fiction, Dissolution, dropped, there was an outpouring of grief for the reclusive writer. Thankfully, he has left behind a rich legacy of work, which will endure.

We first meet Matthew Shardlake in Sansom’s Dissolution (2003), in which the 35-year-old lawyer is disillusioned with the direction the reform is taking. Over seven novels of increasing girth, that does not sacrifice an iota of pace or thrills, we see the idealistic Shardlake stubbornly try and make sense of his violent world where one could be killed for one’s religious beliefs as easily as for a penny.

Holding a mirror to society

The novels, spread over 12 years from 1537 in Dissolution to 1549 in Tombland, evoke the public and personal. The crime novel has often been held up as the perfect way to study society and the Shardlake novels do that elegantly. Shardlake, the reluctant player in the “gilded sewer pit” that is politics in Tudor England, provides a millennial perspective, which does not come across as anachronistic. There is no reason why 16th century England could not have a forward thinking person as much as say ancient Greece or Bengaluru circa 2024!

Each of the novels is set against seismic changes and show the effect of these changes on common people. Dissolution, which brings to mind Umberto Eco’s brilliant monastic murder mystery, The Name of the Rose, is set against the dissolution of the monasteries. When one of Thomas Cromwell’s commissioners is killed at a monastery in the port town of Scarnsea, he orders Shardlake to find out who the killer is. The more Shardlake uncovers, the more he learns about his patron, Cromwell, and how far he has gone from the idealism of the early days.

Outsider, insider

Dark Fire (2004) is set in 1540 and introduces many of the series regulars, including the nasty lawyer, Stephen Bealknap, and Jack Barak, Cromwell’s strong arm man. Guy Molton, the Moor from Malta, who was a monk at Scarnsea, comes to London after the dissolution. Guy starts as an apothecary and is later accepted into the physician’s guild. Like many detectives, Shardlake too is an outsider on account of his hunchback as are Barak because of his Jewish roots and Guy for his colour.

Dark Fire sees the introduction of the pattern of Shardlake working on two cases concurrently, which while not related, have a profound effect on his world view. In the book, Shardlake defends a young orphan girl, Elizabeth Wentworth, accused of drowning her cousin while Cromwell sets him the task of finding the missing formula for Greek fire. Cromwell, who is out of favour with Henry VIII for the so-called Anne of Cleves debacle, hopes the formula will find him back in the King’s good graces.

Sovereign (2006) is set in 1541 and features Shardlake’s first meeting with the King, who is revealed to have a high voice and not above petty cruelty as he taunts Shardlake for his hunchback. Set against the backdrop of the Great Progress, Shardlake is working for Bishop Cranmer, officially dealing with the petitions brought to the King while secretly ensuring the good health of a prisoner. The commission forces Shardlake to wonder at the justness of his cause as he is protecting a prisoner only so that he can withstand torture at the tower.

In Revelation (2008), the King wants to marry Catherine Parr, there is a serial killer on the loose and Shardlake is fighting to keep a young boy, Adam Kite, suffering from religious mania from being burnt as a heretic. Adam in Bedlam introduces Shardlake to Ellen Fettiplace whose secret is revealed in book 5, Heartstone (2010).

Murders most foul

Shardlake sets out to help Queen Catherine’s servant and gets involved in the preparations for the King’s ruinous Battle of Solent. A young Queen Elizabeth makes a guest appearance in Heartstone, impressing Shardlake with her intelligence. Lamentations (2014) features a dying King and a beleaguered Queen with power struggles going on behind the scenes for who will be regent after the king’s death. When her book, The Lamentation of a Sinner, goes missing and the printer is found dead, the queen seeks Shardlake’s help. There is also a vexatious case between siblings that Shardlake is fighting.

In the final Shardlake novel, 2018’s Tombland, Shardlake is working for the 15-year-old Lady Elizabeth in 1549 when a murder once again drags him into the Ketts rebellion. While the mysteries are brilliantly plotted and the research, well detailed, it is the everyday details, that effortlessly transport the reader into another time.

Whether it is the shark or (is it a whale?) that floats up the Thames in Revelation or the security procedures, that include pricking the name on the visitor’s list with a pin and London constables recognising seals as part of their training, or sending rat catchers ahead of the King to Hampton Court, it brings the hurly burly of Tudor times alive. While there is the pomp and glory of the royal progress, with the clothes and codpieces, there is also the ready humour of the streets and Barak’s inventive swearing providing a counterpoint.

The most vulnerable, children and animals, do not have a very good time in Shardlake’s England. Barak was rescued from the streets by Cromwell and there is little gap-toothed Timothy who did not have a friend in the world apart from the horse he was caring for, till Shardlake took him into his household. Exploitation and privation twists children as Shardlake discovers to his horror in a couple of cases. Animals, whether bear baiting, or the cruel practice of sewing a falcon’s eyes shut, suffered in 16th century England as they do around the world today. For each of Queen Catherine’s spaniels there were dogs kicked to death and horses dying on the street like the glazer’s or Shardlake’s Chancery.

Sansom had plans to continue the series with Shardlake working for Queen Elizabeth and it is the greatest tragedy that he passed away four days before the television adaptation of Dissolution, Shardlake, dropped.

On June 27, 1954, the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant became the world’s first nuclear power plant to produce industrial electricity. A quiz about nuclear power generation

Vasudevan Mukunth

Visual question: This is a view of the world’s largest nuclear power plant in terms of net electric power, although not all of its reactors are operational at this time. Name it.IAEA (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Question 1

Many of the world’s first generation of nuclear power plants had twin responsibilities: to generate power for the electrical grid and to produce _________ for the national nuclear weapons programme. Fill in the blank with the identity of a particular isotope.

Question 2

The last first-generation nuclear power station to halt operations was the Wylfa facility on the Isle of Anglesey (Wales), on December 30, 2015, following 44 years of operation. Why did its operator, Magnox Ltd., have the facility built on the coast of the island?

Question 3

The world’s oldest commercial nuclear reactor design still in use is the RBMK, conceived by engineers in the Soviet Union. Its advantages are its large size, power output, and ease of construction. Name the 1986 event involving an RBMK reactor that brought international attention to its disadvantages, in particular its tendency to become unstable at low power.

Question 4

The International Atomic Energy Agency published the INES scale in 1990 to describe the severity of accidents at a nuclear power generation facility. On this scale the Three Mile Island incident in 1979 scored 5 whereas the Fukushima disaster of 2011 scored 7, the highest. What does INES stand for?

Question 5

Name the country in whose power generation mix nuclear power has the greatest contribution today, and has been the case since the 1980s. This power comes from 58 reactors and a large fraction of it is exported.

Questions and Answers to the previous day’s daily quiz: 1. This character travels to Harry’s house to deliver the Hogwarts acceptance letter. Ans: Rubeus Hagrid

2. This filmmaker had become a fan of the book series after his daughter persuaded him to read the first three books. Ans: Chris Columbus

3. The platform number on which one boards the Hogwarts Express. Ans: Platform 9+3⁄4

4. This previous work of Daniel Radcliffe had impressed the director to cast him for the role. Ans: BBC’s production of David Copperfield

5. This character is a poltergeist who causes trouble in Hogwarts. Ans: Peeves

Visual: This actor essayed the role of one of the most famous characters in the whole series. After he passed away, this actor took on the role. Ans: Richard Harris and Michael Gambon portrayed the role of Albus Dumbledore

Early Birds: Aishwarya Srivastava| Debarati Kar| Prerana Chakraborty| Aaradhya Yadav| Krishna

Know your English

K. Subrahmanian

1 of 2

2 of 2

“Enlarge on (K.T. Raju. Vijayawada).”

“ ‘Enlarge on’ means ‘to expand on’. When you enlarge on something, you give more details about it. This is used with reference to a topic.

He enlarged on the problem of AIDS.

I asked him to enlarge on what he had said earlier.

When you enlarge on something, you dwell at length on it.”

“Gum up (Si Srikala, Hyderabad).”

“ ‘Gum up’ means to become ‘clogged or obstructed with stickiness’.

I have a bad cold and my nose is all gummed up.

‘Gum up the works’ means ‘make a machine or system unable to operate.’

He meddled with the generator yesterday and gummed up the works.

‘Gum up the works’ is used colloquially. ‘Up a gum-tree’ is also a colloquial expression, it means ‘in great difficulties.’

Don’t bother him now. Poor fellow! He is up a gum-tree.”

“Panegyric (S. K. Bannerjee, Calcutta).”

“ ‘Panegyric’ means ‘a speech or piece of writing praising something or somebody.’ Ministers in our country are so used to panegyrics almost every day that they cannot take even mild criticism. ‘To ‘panegyrize’ is to write or speak in praise of somebody or something. ‘Panegyric’ is a formal word. The word connotes excessive praise, uncritical adulation. The ‘a’ in the word is pronounced like the ‘a’ in man, the ‘e’, the ‘y’ and the ‘i’ like the ‘i’ in ‘sit’; ‘c’ is pronounced ‘k’, ‘g’ as in ‘gender.’ So it is ‘panijirik.’ The stress is on the third syllable. In ‘panegyrize’, the stress is on the first syllable.”

“Lucre (U. J. Simmons, Shillong).”

“ ‘Lucre’ means “financial profit or gain,’ ‘money-making’ as a motive for doing something. ‘Lucre’ is related to the word ‘lucrative,’ which means ‘profitable’. Both are from Latin Lucrari, to gain. The spelling of ‘lucre’ is the same both in British and American English. The word does not have a good sense. Very often it goes with filthy.’

I am not after filthy lucre.

The ‘u’ in the word is pronounced like the ‘oo’ in ‘boost,’ ‘c’ as in ‘cat’ and ‘re’ as in ‘father.’ The stress is on the first syllable.”

“Swot (T. S. Muralidharan, Bangalore).”

“ ‘Swot’ means to study something very hard, especially in preparation for an examination.

I am tired as I swotted for today’s test for the last two days.

‘Swot up’, ‘swot on’ and ‘swot up on’ are also used.

I swotted up my English yesterday.

I must swot up on my maths.

‘Swot’ is an informal word and has a derogatory sense.

You swot not to acquire knowledge but to pass an examination. When you swot, you ‘mug up.’ ‘Mug up’ also does not have a good connotation. ‘Swot’ is also used as a noun. It means (a) a person who swots (b) any hard study (c) anything that requires hard study. A person who swots is also called a swotter. ‘Swot’ is another form of ‘sweat’. When you swot you sweat a great deal!.

Published in The Hindu on July 7, 1992.

Business

- Coffee exports rise as Europe braces for EUDR

- Telcos bid ₹11,340 cr. for spectrum

- MM Forgings, Super Auto Forge celebrate golden jubilee

- AI has huge potential but guardrails crucial: Nilekani

- SBI raises ₹10,000 crore through infrastructure bond

- Bajaj Auto inaugurates new plant in Brazil

- ‘L&T group facing shortage of 45,000 labourers, engineers’

- Repco Bank sets credit growth target of ₹21,750 cr. for FY25

- ‘Tata Motors eyeing 18-20% of PV market share by 2030’

- Vedanta parent to sell 2.6% stake in Indian miner

- Shriram AMC unveils Nifty exchange traded fund

- Dr. Reddy’s to buy Haleon’s NRT portfolio for up to GBP500 million

- Singapore port congestion shows global impact of Red Sea attacks

- All eyes are on Nvidia’s stock, so what’s been going on?

- Dragon connect

- 16 Nobel Prize-winning economists say Trump policies will fuel inflation

- SEBI may rejig merger norms for companies

Coffee exports rise as Europe braces for EUDR

Vishwanath Kulkarni

Bengaluru

Stricter norms: The EUDR is aimed at minimising importation of products linked to deforestation. The HinduSAMPATH KUMAR GP

Indian coffee exporters are witnessing an increase in demand from European buyers who are seen building inventory ahead of the deadline for compliance to the proposed European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) norms.

The EUDR is aimed at minimising the importation of products linked to deforestation and requires strict due diligence and traceability measures for commodities such as coffee and is likely to have an impact on the Indian exports.

The EUDR norms, which applies to a wide range of products, including cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood, requires businesses to comply with its requirements by December 30 this year.

‘Front-loading of coffee’

“With the EUDR coming up there’s lot of front-loading of coffees as European customers are buying ahead of the deadline.

“We are seeing a build-up of inventories in Europe. Already, a lot of shipments are taking place,” said Ramesh Rajah, President of the Coffee Exporters Association.

Roasters bet on safety

Reflecting the trend, India’s coffee shipments for the January 1-June 21 period this year were up 16% at more than 2.37 lakh tonne against 2.04 lakh tonne in the same period a year earlier.

This also includes the re-exports, which have grown by 18.3% to 53,497 tonne during the period against more than 45,213 tonne a year earlier.

Shipments of the India- grown coffees have seen an increase of 15% during the period at more than 1.83 lakh tonne against 1.59 lakh tonnes a year earlier

“Most of our clients who preferred to buy just-in-time, now feel that it’s safe to have inventory. Over the past 20 years, the mantra was just-in-time and supply-chain management. Now, because of the EUDR regulations, the thinking is that they should hold more inventory. Roasters feel that it is safe to have coffee in store and warehouses. Also, lot of our customers are asking us to ship early,” Mr. Rajah said.

“All exporters are seeing front-loading with the European customers and obviously the reason is EUDR,” he said.

Challenges continue

For the Indian coffee exporters, the peak season ranges between February and May. This year, the peak season has extended to June, Mr. Rajah added. Normally, the shipments turn slack during June-August period due to the arrival of monsoon.

Europe in focus

India, the seventh largest producer of coffees, is the fifth largest exporter of the commodity after Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia and Indonesia. More than two-thirds of India-grown coffees are exported. About 60% of the Indian coffee exports are destined to Europe with Italy, Germany and Belgium being the major buyers of the commodity.

Mr. Rajah said while the shipments are up, exporters continue to face challenges on the logistics front relating to the availability of containers and increase in freight rates in the aftermath of developments in the Red Sea region.

“Post Red Sea attacks, there are not enough food grade containers available and also the sailings are less,” he added.

(The writer is with The Hindu businessline)

Telcos bid ₹11,340 cr. for spectrum

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

Bharti Airtel bids the highest amount of ₹6,856 crore, followed by Vodafone Idea putting in ₹3,510 crore and Reliance Jio the lowest with ₹973.62 crore; the difference is due to Bharti Airtel renewing spectrum that is about to expire this year

Bharti Airtel Ltd. spent the most on retaining and acquiring new spectrum in the latest auction of airwaves concluded on Wednesday after seven rounds of bids. The auction raked in ₹11,340.78 crore.

Bharti bid a total of ₹6,856.76 crore in the auction, whereas Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. only bid ₹973.62 crore, while Vodafone Idea Ltd. (VIL) bid ₹3,510.40 crore. The vast difference is largely due to Bharti renewing spectrum due to expire this year. Much of the other airwaves were unsold in 2022.

“As auction for 5G spectrum was held recently and 5G monetisation is still in progress, no bidding took place in 800MHz, 2300MHz, 3300MHz and 26GHz bands,” the Department of Telecommunications said in a statement. “A total of 141.4MHz (26.5%) was sold from the balance 533.6 MHz spectrum” left over from the 2022 auctions, the government added. The 2022 auction was nine times larger in terms of quantum of spectrum put to sale.

The bidding took place in the 900MHz, 1800MHz, 2100MHz and 2500 MHz bands; Jio showed modest interest in the auction, picking up 14.4MHz worth spectrum, and VIL picked up 30MHz. The total value of the fresh spectrum purchased by the three telcos was ₹6,164.88 crore.

Bharti Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal said in a statement that the firm was acquiring airwaves “judiciously” and that its acquisitions would improve indoor coverage.

VIL said, “In addition to renewal of 900 MHz spectrum in UP West and West Bengal circles, [the] company has also enhanced its 900 MHz spectrum holding in 7 circles, namely Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, UP East and Kolkata, enabling it to dedicate adequate 900 MHz band spectrum for 4G thereby enhancing the experience of its 4G customers in these large markets.”

MM Forgings, Super Auto Forge celebrate golden jubilee

N. Anand

CHENNAI

Vidyashankar Krishnan BIJOY GHOSH

Home-grown MM Forgings Ltd. (MMFL) and Super Auto Forge Pvt. Ltd. (SAF) are celebrating their golden jubilees this year.

The year-long celebrations began at MMFL in April with the announcement of 1:1 bonus for shareholders while Super Auto Forge will hold events towards the end of July to mark the occasion.

Having tasted success over the years, the two firms have many similarities and are gearing up to maintain the growth momentum. While MMFL forayed into the emerging EV space, SAF continues to focus on existing business.

“The opportunity in the EV space in the next 7-10 years will go up multi-fold and we would like to be a part of this growth journey with our engineering excellence in the auto sector,” said MMFL CMD Vidyashankar Krishnan.

Recently, MMFL acquired 88% stake in EV-start-up Abhinava Rizel that makes e-motors, drives and powertrains. MMFL is also scouting for attractive investment and partnering opportunities to turn into a significant industry participant in this emerging sector, he said.

“EV adoption in the West is slowing down,” said SAF MD S. Muralishankar. “We are going to focus on existing business.”

MMFL is a leading manufacturer of closed die hot forgings whereas SAF is one of the largest manufacturers of cold and warm forged components in India. Both are focused on export markets with the former earning 50% of revenue and the latter, more than 80%. The revenue of each of the firms is about ₹1,600 crore. They are now headed by second-generation family members.

AI has huge potential but guardrails crucial: Nilekani

Mini Tejaswi

Bengaluru

Nandan Nilekani. Kamal Narang

Infosys is now into the second year of the generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) revolution and the initial AI ‘doomerism’ has quietened down, said Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani on Wednesday.

Addressing shareholders at the 43rd Annual General Meeting of Infosys, he said, people have accepted AI like any other general-purpose technology be it electricity, nuclear energy, the Internet or even a discovery like fire, as they understood Gen AI has enormous potential for good when advanced within the guardrails of responsibility.

However, he said, ‘‘It is also clear there won’t be a scenario where we’ll have ‘one model to rule them all’. Every day brings new advances in large-language models. These range from very large models which need massive computing infrastructure to small ones that can run locally on the phone.”

The real power of AI will come from configuring all the different models and tools to get the best solutions. The rise of powerful, open-source AI models has accelerated AI deployment to resolve tough business and societal challenges.

“A big challenge of our time is to unleash AI for the next wave of productivity for enterprises. We have had a headstart on the journey. As we move into more use cases, a thousand flowers will bloom,’‘ Mr. Nilekani anticipated.

He further said fiscal 2024 had been a year of steady performance for Infosys in a volatile macroeconomic environment. Large deal TCV (total contract value) for FY24 was the highest at $17.7 billion, with 52% being net new.

SBI raises ₹10,000 crore through infrastructure bond

The Hindu Bureau

MUMBAI

State Bank of India (SBI) said on Wednesday it had raised ₹10,000 crore at a coupon rate of 7.36% through its fifth infrastructure bond issuance.

“The issue attracted overwhelming response from investors with bids in excess of ₹19,884 crore and was oversubscribed by around four times against the base issue size of ₹5,000 crore,” the lender said in a statement.

“The total number of bids received was 143 indicating wider participation with heterogeneity of bids. The investors were across provident funds, pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds and corporates,” it added.

‘Affordable housing’

The proceeds of the bond sale would be utilised in enhancing long-term resources for funding infrastructure and affordable housing, SBI said.

“Based on the response, the bank has decided to accept ₹10,000 crore at a coupon rate of 7.36% payable annually. This represents a spread of 21 bps over the corresponding FBIL G-Sec par curve,” SBI said, referring to the relevant benchmark government bond yield curve.

With this issuance, the total outstanding Long-Term Bonds issued by SBI amount to ₹49,718 crore.

SBI Chairman Dinesh Khara said that this issuance would help in developing a long-term bond curve and encourage other banks to issue bonds of longer tenor.

Bajaj Auto inaugurates new plant in Brazil

The Hindu Bureau

MUMBAI

Bajaj Auto Ltd. said it had inaugurated its new manufacturing plant at Manaus in Brazil to strengthen its position in the global market.

Bajaj Auto’s global footprint and customer franchise continue to grow, with vehicles manufactured by it now being sold in 100 countries, the company said in a statement.

The new plant has a production capacity of 20,000 units per year, operating on a single shift.

Its location in Manaus leverages the substantial fiscal benefits offered by the State as well as proximity to supply chains and major transportation hubs, the company said.

The plant will focus on manufacturing Dominar and later Pulsar models when they become available for introduction.

At the inauguration, Rakesh Sharma, ED of Bajaj Auto Ltd. said, “With the establishment of our own plant in Brazil we have achieved a quantum shift in our local capability to fulfill demand.”

“Our Dominar brand has received outstanding reception since its launch 18 months ago,” Mr. Sharma said.

“The new manufacturing capabilities will enable us to build a wider distribution network, introduce new products and meet growing expectations of our customers,” he added.

Bajaj plans to expand the facility further in due course to accommodate additional production capacity of up to 50,000 units per year, according to the company.

‘L&T group facing shortage of 45,000 labourers, engineers’

Press Trust of India

Mumbai

L&T Group is facing a manpower shortage of over 45,000 labourers and engineers across its businesses, Chairman S. N. Subrahmanyan said on Wednesday.

The engineering, procurement and construction business is grappling with a shortage of 25,000-30,000 workers, while the information technology services business is facing a shortage of 20,000 engineers, he told reporters.

The prospect of higher earnings is leading Indians to go to hostile places like Russia-Ukraine or Israel in search of opportunities, L&T’s chairman emeritus A. M. Naik said.

Mr. Subrahmanyan attributed the labour shortage to issues like demand for certain skill sets where there might be lack of availability, events like elections and changes in weather patterns.

He said the adverse weather events have led to changes in working hours in some projects wherein no work is happening during the afternoons except essential or critical works.

Repco Bank sets credit growth target of ₹21,750 cr. for FY25

Repco Bank Ltd. (RBL) has set for itself a credit growth target of ₹21,750 crore for FY25, said MD in-charge O.M. Gokul. According to him, the bank performed remarkably well across all parameters in FY24, with total income crossing ₹1,000 crore. Net profit rose to ₹70 crore from ₹67 crore, while net worth increased to ₹850 crore from ₹829 crore. The bank’s gross non-performing assets declined to 8.46% from 9.43%. The board has recommended a dividend of 25%.

‘Tata Motors eyeing 18-20% of PV market share by 2030’

Press Trust of India

Mumbai

Tata Motors said it expects the Indian passenger vehicle market to touch 60 lakh units annually by 2030.

The company is targeting to increase its share to 18-20% by FY30 as it is gearing up to introduce new models in both conventional engine and EV segments. With the stricter CAFE III norms set to kick in from 2027, share of EVs and CNG vehicles will increase while ICE vehicles will witness an inflationary trend, said Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility MD Shailesh Chandra.

Vedanta parent to sell 2.6% stake in Indian miner

Reuters

Bengaluru

Vedanta Resources will sell a 2.6% stake in Indian metals-to-oil firm Vedanta to a group of institutional investors, the parent said in a statement on Wednesday.

The move marks an about-turn from a week ago when Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal said there were no plans for a stake sale by the company’s controlling shareholders. Vedanta Resources will sell the stake through its unit Finsider International, which held a 2.63% stake in Mumbai-listed Vedanta as of March-end, according to exchange data.

Shriram AMC unveils Nifty exchange traded fund

Shriram Asset Management Company (Shriram AMC) has announced the introduction of an open-ended exchange traded fund ‘Shriram Nifty 1D Rate Liquid ETF (Growth)’ for subscriptions from July 1 to 3 with a minimum amount of ₹1,000 or in multiples thereof. The new fund offer will track the Nifty 1D Rate Index. It will provide investors with easy cash management with high liquidity, low interest rate risk, and low credit risk, the company said in a statement.

Dr. Reddy’s to buy Haleon’s NRT portfolio for £500 mn

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories is acquiring British consumer healthcare company Haleon’s global portfolio of consumer healthcare brands in the nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) category outside of the U.S. The drugmaker on Wednesday announced the signing of a definitive agreement by subsidiary Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories SA for purchase of Haleon group company Northstar Switzerland SARL’s shares for £GBP 500 million, which will pave the way for the acquisition.

Singapore port congestion shows global impact of Red Sea attacks

Reuters

SEOUL/SINGAPORE

Ship timetables are being disrupted with missed sailing schedules and fewer port calls, as vessels take longer routes around Africa to avoid Houthi attacks in the Red Sea; global port congestion has reached an 18-month high, with 60% of ships waiting at anchor located in Asia

1 of 2 Price effect: Container rates have surged, raising the risk of price increases for buyers.AFPSTR

2 of 2 Shippers are trying to manage the situation by dropping the boxes at transhipment hubs and liners have been accumulating boxes. Jayendu Krishna Deputy head, Drewry Maritime Advisors

Congestion at Singapore’s container port is at its worst since the COVID-19 pandemic, a sign of how prolonged vessel re-routing to avoid Red Sea attacks has disrupted global ocean shipping—with bottlenecks also appearing in other Asian and European ports.

Retailers, manufacturers and other industries that rely on massive box ships are again battling surging rates, port backups and shortages of empty containers, even as many consumer-oriented firms look to build inventories heading into the peak year-end shopping season.

Global port congestion has reached an 18-month high, with 60% of ships waiting at anchor located in Asia, maritime data firm Linerlytica said this month. Ships with a total capacity of over 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) were waiting at anchorages as of mid-June.

But, unlike during the pandemic, it is not a buying flurry by house-bound consumers that is swamping ports.

Rather, ship timetables are being disrupted with missed sailing schedules and fewer port calls, as vessels take longer routes around Africa to avoid the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Houthi group has been attacking shipping since November.

Ships are therefore offloading larger amounts at once at big transhipment hubs like Singapore, where cargoes are unloaded and reloaded on different ships for the final leg of their journey, and forgoing subsequent voyages to catch up on schedules.

“(Shippers) are trying to manage the situation by dropping the boxes at transhipment hubs,” said Jayendu Krishna, deputy head of Singapore-based consultancy Drewry Maritime Advisors.

“Liners have been accumulating boxes in Singapore and other hubs.”

Average Singapore cargo offload volume jumped 22% between January and May, significantly impacting port productivity, Drewry said.

Severe congestion

Singapore, the world’s second-largest container port, has seen particularly severe congestion in recent weeks. The average wait time to berth a container ship was two to three days, Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said in end-May, while container trackers Linerlytica and PortCast said delays could last up to a week. Typically, berthing should take less than a day.

Neighbouring ports are also backing up as some ships skip Singapore.

The strain has shifted to Malaysia’s Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas, said Linerlytica, while wait times have also climbed at Chinese ports, with Shanghai and Qingdao seeing the longest delays.

Drewry expects congestion at major transhipment ports to remain high, but anticipates some easing as carriers add capacity and restore schedules.

Singapore’s MPA said that port operator PSA had re-opened older berths and yards at Keppel Terminal and would open more berths at Tuas Port to tackle extended waits.

Peak season

The annual peak shipping season has also arrived earlier than expected, exacerbating port congestion, shippers and research firms said. This seems to be driven by restocking activities, particularly in the U.S., and by customers shipping goods early in anticipation of stronger demand, said Niki Frank, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific.

Container rates, meanwhile, have surged, raising the risk of another spate of price increases for buyers like the post-pandemic inflation spike which central banks are still trying to tame. Rates had stabilised into April but in May “there was a significant increase in ocean freight exports of Chinese e-commerce, electric vehicles, and renewable energy-related goods,” Asia-focussed freight forwarder Dimerco said.

“The peak season, which traditionally starts in June, was advanced by a full month, causing ocean freight rates to soar.”

Container import volume at the 10 largest U.S. seaports in May rose 12%, fuelled by the second-highest monthly import volumes since January 2023, said data provider Descartes.

“(U.S.) consumers are continuing to spend more than last year, and retailers are stocking up to meet demand,” said Jonathan Gold, a National Retail Federation vice president.

Ocean imports into Europe from Asia are also showing signs of a re-stocking season running into peak season—pushing rates to 2024 highs, Judah Levine of freight platform Freightos said.

Container freight prices from Asia to the U.S. and Europe have tripled since early 2024.

Some industry players think part of the reason for the bottlenecks at China ports is fuelled by U.S. importers rushing to buy Chinese goods such as steel and medical products that will be subject to steep tariff hikes from Aug. 1. But newly imposed U.S. tariffs would affect only about 4% of Chinese imports to the U.S., said Jared Bernstein, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Concerns about possible strikes at U.S. ports this year could also be pulling the peak season forward, while DHL said German port strikes were adding to the gridlock.

All of those disruptions will likely mean higher prices for consumers, experts warn.

All eyes are on Nvidia’s stock, so what’s been going on?

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Magnificent 7: Tech stocks are responsible for a big chunk of U.S. stock market gains.REUTERSANN WANG

Nvidia shares rebounded Tuesday, halting a three-day skid that had surprised many investors and wiped away more than $400 billion in market value.

Early last week, Nvidia overtook Microsoft as Wall Street’s most valuable public company. Then it fell 13% over three days, its worst such stretch since 2022. Because Nvidia has become so massive in size, the movements for its stock carry extra weight on the S&P 500 and other indexes.

Any stock that climbs as much as Nvidia has—up more than 1,000% since the autumn of 2022—is vulnerable to some of its investors selling shares in order to lock in some profits. That earlier run makes a 13% drop over three days look like a relative trifle.

Monday, Nvidia shares rose 6.8%, bringing its market value to $3.10 trillion, behind Microsoft at $3.35 trillion and Apple at $3.21 trillion.

Those three companies and a few others are responsible for much of the S&P 500’s returns recently. Investors would prefer a market where many stocks are participating in the gains.

Huge demand

There’s been nearly insatiable demand for Nvidia’s chips to power artificial intelligence applications and the company has played a big role in the U.S. stock market’s recent record runs even as the economy’s growth slows under the weight of high interest rates. But the AI boom is moving at such a rapid pace that it’s raised worries about a possible bubble in the stock market and too-high expectations among investors.

Derren Nathan, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown, said in a statement that while Nvidia’s stock has declined in recent days, one must also look at the bigger picture.

“The shares have still gained 190% on a 12-month view, so it’s no surprise some investors are locking in some profits,” he further said. Mr. Nathan also isn’t concerned about potential wider spread implications. “Although Nvidia has sneezed, the wider market hasn’t caught a cold with a mixture of less extreme movements in both directions for the rest of the Magnificent 7,” he said.

Small group

The Magnificent 7, which include Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla, are a small group of stocks that are responsible for a big chunk of the U.S. stock market’s total return.

Some critics say Nvidia still looks expensive. Its stock is trading at a price that’s 73 times higher than the profit that it’s produced over the last 12 months. That makes it look much more expensive than the broad S&P 500 index, where companies are trading at just 26 times their overall earnings. That itself looks pricey to skeptics, who say the broad U.S. stock market looks expensive compared with history.

The thing Nvidia has going for it is the possibility of continued, incredible growth as it ushers in a new era that proponents say will remake the economy.

Based on its expected profit over the next 12 months, Nvidia is trading at a still expensive but more reasonable price-earnings ratio of roughly 40.

And if generative AI hardware deployments are still only in year two of what could be a three-to-five year deployment cycle, as analysts at Bank of America suggest, the possible runway of growth could make it look even more compelling.

Analysts estimate that the company’s revenue for the fiscal year that ends in January 2025 will reach $119.9 billion—about double its revenue for fiscal 2024 and more than four times its receipts the year before that.

Dragon connect

Livelihoods at stake: Vivian Arrojado adjusts the phone livestreaming her products on TikTok Shop at Miss V garments in Philippines. In a span of year, Ms. Arrojado transformed Miss V Garments from a tiny stall into a prominent clothing business. TikTok Shop, the e-com platform within the short-video app, spurred a booming live selling industry where businesses are benefiting from TikTok’s prized algorithm to sell more, disrupting market for other e-com platforms in the region. However, a bill in the Philippine Congress, likely targeting TikTok, could threaten the livelihoods of many Filipinos who built businesses on the platform.Getty ImagesEZRA ACAYAN

16 Nobel Prize-winning economists say Trump policies will fuel inflation

Reuters

Code red: The economic agenda of U.S. President Joe Biden, is ‘vastly superior’ to Mr. Trump’s, the economists claim. REUTERSCHENEY ORR

Sixteen Nobel prize-winning economists signed a letter on Tuesday warning that the U.S. and world economy will suffer if Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump wins the U.S. Presidential election in November.

The jointly-signed letter, first reported by Axios, says the economic agenda of U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, is ‘vastly superior’ to Mr. Trump’s, the former Republican President seeking a second term.

Tariffs on China import

The economists say Mr. Trump’s economic plans would reignite inflation, in part because of his pledge to impose stiffer tariffs on Chinese imports, which they say will hike prices on many goods bought by U.S. consumers.

“While each of us has different views on the particulars of various economic policies, we all agree that [Mr.] Joe Biden’s economic agenda is vastly superior to [Mr.] Donald Trump,” the economists state in their letter.

“We believe that a second Trump term would have a negative impact on the U.S.’s economic standing in the world, and a destabilising effect on the U.S.’s domestic economy.”

The letter was signed by prominent economists, including Joseph Stiglitz, who won the Nobel prize for economics in 2001, and Sir Angus Deaton, a 2015 economic Nobel laureate.

Close election race

Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump are locked in a close election race. The November 5 contest will be decided by voters in a handful of battleground States which are closely contested because their voting preferences can swing to Republicans or the Democrats.

SEBI may rejig merger norms for companies

Ashley Coutinho

Mumbai

Clearing the web: Firms deploy contingency schemes during restructuring that are sometimes complex. REUTERSFRANCIS MASCARENHAS

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) may overhaul norms for the scheme of arrangement for the merger of listed and unlisted entities.The regulator could widen the number of circumstances under which a majority of minority shareholder approval is required, tweak contingency provisions and add to the existing valuation parameters that are based on net book value, discounted cash flow and market approach. The increase in promoter shareholding beyond 75% on a fully-diluted basis and the rise in promoter liabilities in listed entities are areas of concern.

“SEBI’s concerns are largely around the fairness of the scheme to public shareholders. The more complex a scheme, the more cautious the regulator will be,” said Vaibhav Gupta, Partner, Dhruva Advisors.

Companies deploy contingency schemes during restructuring exercises that are sometimes complex. These are frowned upon by the regulator as it is difficult to envisage the end result of the schemes. “In cases where the scheme is contingent upon a certain event, there is scope for substantial changes in share price or volume during the announcement and withdrawal of the scheme, which could adversely impact small shareholders,” said Manoj Kumar, Partner & Head - M&A and Investment Banking, Corporate Professionals.

An email sent to SEBI did not elicit a response. (The writer is with The Hindu businessline)

Foreign

- Kenya President puts off signing controversial Bill

- Under one umbrella

- Sri Lanka seals debt deal with Official Creditor Committee

- Two killed as armed group clashes with junta in northern Myanmar town

- NATO names Dutch PM Mark Rutte as next chief

- U.S. journalist goes on trial in Russia for ‘espionage’

- PM Shehbaz extends olive branch to Imran Khan

- U.S. jails ex-Honduras President for 45 years on drugs charges

- Suspected North Korean missile exploded in flight, says Seoul

- Houthis target ship in Gulf of Aden, Iraq-claimed attack strikes Eilat

- China denies U.S. envoy’s claims that Beijing is hindering relations

- Secret talks led to Assange deal, says Australia PM

- Iran presses on with crackdown over headscarf ahead of presidential polls

- Indigenous women in Canada fight for the mortal remains of their beloved

- Seeing red

- Anti-immigration party gains ground among British voters

- Junta in Myanmar struggles to curb opium cultivation

- ICC convicts Mali extremist leader with al-Qaeda links

Kenya President puts off signing controversial Bill

Associated Press

NAIROBI

William Ruto says he will not sign into law a Bill proposing new taxes that prompted thousands to storm parliament earlier this week, leaving several shot and killed as police opened fire

Measured response: William Ruto addresses the media during a press conference at the State House in Nairobi on Wednesday.AFPSIMON MAINA

Kenya’s President said on Wednesday he will not sign into law a finance Bill proposing new taxes that prompted thousands of protesters to storm parliament the previous day, leaving several people killed as police opened fire. It was the biggest assault on Kenya’s government in decades.

The government wanted to raise funds to pay off its debt, but Kenyans said the Bill would have caused more economic pain as millions struggle to get by. Tuesday’s chaos led authorities to deploy the military, and Kenyan President William Ruto called protesters’ actions “treasonous.”

He now says the proposed Bill caused “widespread dissatisfaction” and that he has listened and “conceded.” It’s a major setback for Mr. Ruto, who came to power vowing to help Kenyans cope with rising costs but has seen much of the country — led by its youth — unite in opposition to his latest attempted reforms.

At least 22 people were killed, the Kenya National Human Rights Commission said, and police were accused of some shooting deaths. The group’s chairperson, Roseline Odede, said 50 people were arrested.

Unfortunate situation

Mr. Ruto acknowledged there were deaths, without elaborating, called it an “unfortunate situation,” and offered condolences. He also said about 200 people were wounded in the chaos. Part of the parliament building burned and clashes occurred in several communities beyond the capital of Nairobi.

Under one umbrella

Police use water cannons and tear gas to disperse teachers and principals protesting against salary anomalies during an anti-government demonstration in Colombo in Sri Lanka on Wednesday. AFPISHARA S. KODIKARA

Sri Lanka seals debt deal with Official Creditor Committee

Meera Srinivasan

COLOMBO

Minor breather: The agreement worth $5.8 billion will allow Sri Lanka to allocate funds to essential public services.AFPISHARA S. KODIKARA

In what it termed a significant milestone, Sri Lanka on Wednesday sealed a deal with the Official Creditor Committee [OCC], to restructure the debt owed to its bilateral lenders, including India, and signed a separate agreement with China for debt treatment.

“Sri Lanka reached a final restructuring agreement for $5.8 billion of debt with its bilateral lenders’ Official Creditor Committee in Paris… This agreement grants significant debt relief, allowing Sri Lanka to allocate funds to essential public services & secure concessional financing for development needs,” President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office said.

The OCC is a platform comprising 17 countries, including India and members of the Paris Club such as Japan, that have extended loans to Sri Lanka. It was formed in May 2023 with the aim of simplifying Sri Lanka’s debt negotiations after the country defaulted on its external debt, in the wake of a financial crash in 2022.

China, Sri Lanka’s largest bilateral lender, opted to stay out of the platform, but attended the discussions as an observer. Colombo has been negotiating its debt treatment with Beijing bilaterally and has clinched a deal, the President’s office said.

“Sri Lanka signed debt treatment agreements in Beijng with the China Exim Bank to restructure $4.2 billion of debt,” a statement said. Sri Lankan authorities are yet to share details of the terms of the restructuring deal with OCC and China.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is yet to reach an agreement with its bond holders. A recent Bloomberg report said the second round of direct talks between the two parties is scheduled this week, to finalise treatment of $12 billion owed to private creditors, who hold the largest chunk of Sri Lanka’s external debt in international sovereign bonds.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has underscored the need for “timely debt restructuring” in Sri Lanka’s economic recovery programme, even as large sections of the population continue to reel under the impact of the debilitating crisis.

Two killed as armed group clashes with junta in northern Myanmar town

Agence France-Presse

Yangon

The TNLA is part of the “Brotherhood Alliance” along with Arakan Army and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army. AFPSTR

A Myanmar ethnic armed group clashed with junta troops for a second day in northern Shan state, residents and media said on Wednesday, with two civilians reported killed in the renewed fighting.

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) on Tuesday launched dawn attacks on military positions in the town of Kyaukme, which sits on a vital trade route to China.

Latest breach

The attacks were the latest breach of a China-brokered ceasefire that ended weeks of fighting in Shan State between the military and the TNLA and two other allied ethnic armed groups.

The TNLA attacked a police station in Kyaukme on Wednesday morning, a local rescue worker said, asking for anonymity for security reasons.

“People who live in downtown do not dare to walk out of their homes,” they said.

Another rescue worker said two civilians were killed and two wounded by artillery shelling on Tuesday, without specifying from which side.

The TNLA said it had clashed with the military on Tuesday in Naungcho and Hsipaw townships and in the ruby mining hub of Mogok in neighbouring Mandalay region.

The TNLA is a member of the so-called “Brotherhood Alliance” along with the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).

In a surprise October offensive the alliance seized swathes of territory and several lucrative trade crossings with China, dealing the junta its biggest blow since it seized power.

NATO names Dutch PM Mark Rutte as next chief

Agence France-Presse

Brussels

Mark Rutte

NATO’s 32 nations on Wednesday appointed outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the alliance’s next head, handing him the job at a crucial moment with Russia on the march in Ukraine and U.S. elections looming.

Mr. Rutte will take over from Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on October 1 after major powers — spearheaded by the United States — wrapped up his nomination ahead of a summit of NATO leaders in Washington next month.

“Mark is a true transatlanticist, a strong leader and a consensus-builder,” Mr. Stoltenberg said on social media after NATO ambassadors approved the appointment. “I know I am leaving NATO in good hands,” he added.

Mr. Rutte said it was a “tremendous honour” to take over from Mr. Stoltenberg once his decade at the helm of NATO ends.

“Leading this organisation is a responsibility I do not take lightly,” he wrote online.

The seasoned Dutch leader, whose 14-year tenure in charge of the Netherlands is set to end within weeks, is seen as a safe pair of hands capable of stewarding NATO through perilous times.

His appointment was welcomed by leaders across the 75-year-old alliance, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who called it “a good choice for freedom and security”.

The 57-year-old faces the spectre of a possible return by former U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House.

After staking a claim for the NATO post following the collapse of his coalition last year, Mr. Rutte had to use all his diplomatic skills to win over reluctant allies Turkiye and Hungary. He finally clinched the race last week when his sole challenger, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, dropped out.

U.S. journalist goes on trial in Russia for ‘espionage’

Associated Press

YEKATERINBURG

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich went on trial behind closed doors in Yekaterinburg on Wednesday, 15 months after his arrest in the Russian city on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government vehemently deny.

The 32-year-old appeared in the court in a glass defendants’ cage, his head shaved and wearing a black-and-blue plaid shirt. A yellow padlock latched the cage.

Authorities arrested Mr. Gershkovich on March 29, 2023, while on a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg, in the Ural Mountains, and claimed without offering any evidence that he was gathering secret information for the U.S.

Journalists were allowed into the courtroom for a few minutes on Wednesday before the proceedings were closed. The hearing ended after about two hours, and the next one was scheduled for August 13, court officials said.

“Evan’s wrongful detention continues to be a devastating assault on his freedom and his work and an unfathomable attack on the free press,” the Wall Street Journal said in a statement. They noted he has already spent 455 days behind bars.

The U.S.-born son of immigrants from the USSR, Mr. Gershkovich is the first Western journalist arrested on espionage charges in post-Soviet Russia. The State Department has declared him “wrongfully detained,” thereby committing the government to assertively seek his release.

PM Shehbaz extends olive branch to Imran Khan

Press Trust of India

Islamabad

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday extended an olive branch to his predecessor and political rival Imran Khan, offering to hold talks with him if he was facing “troubles” in jail.

Mr. Khan, the founder of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, has been in jail since August last year after being convicted in some of the nearly 200 cases.

“If their [PTI] founder is facing troubles [in jail], then I reiterate: come, let’s sit down and talk,” Mr. Sharif said while addressing the National Assembly.

“Let us sit together to take the country ahead. Let us talk for the betterment of the country. There is no other way forward,” he said.

Mr. Sharif’s olive branch to Imran came a day after his advisor indicated to keep Mr. Khan in jail for an indefinite period.

Mr. Sharif’s political advisor Rana Sanaullah said the government would like to keep Khan in jail as long as possible.

“A new case can be registered. If searched here and there, some new cases can come up. There should be an effort, and it will be, that the longer he is kept as a guest (in jail) the better it will be,” was the response of Sanullah when asked if Khan would be released after bail in the final conviction against him.

The Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Mr. Khan’s PTI have been at loggerheads for years, particularly after the February 8 elections, which Mr. Khan’s party claims it won.

U.S. jails ex-Honduras President for 45 years on drugs charges

APMoises Castillo

A court in New York sentenced former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez to 45 years in prison after he was convicted of trafficking hundreds of tonnes of cocaine into the U.S. Prosecutors said he used the drug money to enrich himself and finance his campaign, and commit electoral fraud in the presidential polls. afp

Suspected North Korean missile exploded in flight, says Seoul

AFPHANDOUT

A suspected hypersonic missile launched by North Korea exploded in flight on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, as the North protests the regional deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier for a military drill with Seoul and Japan. Later, Seoul conducted live-fire drills along its disputed western sea boundary with North. ap

Houthis target ship in Gulf of Aden, Iraq-claimed attack strikes Eilat

REUTERSHOUTHI MEDIA CENTRE

Suspected attacks by Yemen’s Houthis targeted a ship in the Gulf of Aden, while a separate attack claimed by Iraqi militants targeted the Israeli port city of Eilat. The attacks follow the departure of the USS Dwight D Eisenhower after an eight-month deployment in which it led the American response to the Houthi assaults. ap

China denies U.S. envoy’s claims that Beijing is hindering relations

APAndy Wong

China hit back at remarks by the U.S. Ambassador that Beijing was making it “impossible” to boost ties between Chinese and American citizens, calling them “factually inaccurate”. Nicholas Burns told WSJ that Beijing was intimidating Chinese participants in embassy events and fuelling anti-American fervour online. afp

Secret talks led to Assange deal, says Australia PM

Agence France-Presse

Canberra

Australia’s Prime Minister said on Wednesday a string of recent non-disclosed missions to the U.S. helped forge the plea deal that freed Julian Assange.

The U.S. Department of Justice had to make a “range of decisions” for the plea deal to proceed, Anthony Albanese told a news conference in Canberra, stressing that the U.S. department was independent and “not subject to political influence”.

A “whole range of people” had visited the U.S. as the deal was worked out.

Australia’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Stephen Smith, also acted as a conduit for communication, he said.

Iran presses on with crackdown over headscarf ahead of presidential polls

Associated Press

DUBAI

The renewed push comes barely two years since mass protests over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, detained for not following the country’s scarf rules; Friday’s vote to decide the successor of late President Raisi is expected to have an influence over the intensity of the clampdown

Two sides: Iranian women without the mandatory headscarf pass by women dressed in black chador at the old main bazaar of Tehran.APVahid Salemi

Almost every afternoon in Iran’s capital, police vans rush to major Tehran squares and intersections to search for women with loose headscarves and those who dare not to wear them at all.

The renewed crackdown comes barely two years since mass protests over the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who was detained for not wearing a scarf to the authorities’ liking.

Amini’s death in September 2022 sparked months of protests and a security crackdown that killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained, and for a time morality police disappeared from the streets. Now, hard-liners within Iran’s theocracy have pressed forward with a crackdown. Videos are emerging of women being physically forced into vans by police as lawmakers continue to push for harsher penalties. Meanwhile, authorities have seized thousands of cars over women having their hair uncovered while also targeting businesses that serve them.

The renewed hijab push, which police are calling the Noor (light) Plan, began before former President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash, and whoever wins a vote to replace the hard-line cleric on Friday will have an influence over just how intense it becomes — and how Iran responds to any further unrest.

The Noor plan

“An intervention ... under the Noor Plan will take us into darkness,” reformist presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian recently told a group of female supporters.

Enforcement began ramping up in April, with videos spreading online showing women having violent encounters with female enforcers dressed in the all-encompassing black chador alongside uniformed police officers.

While police haven’t published arrest numbers about the crackdown and media haven’t given it major attention, it’s widely discussed in Iran. But still, many women continue to wear their hijabs loosely or leave them draped around their shoulders while walking in Tehran.

On a recent afternoon in northern Tehran, women sat in cafes and other public places, as a police officer in his 50s told those passing by: “Please cover yourselves, ladies,” and then muttered audibly: “My God, I am fed up repeating this without getting any attention.”

“We know the police are not eager to fight women, but they are under pressure to,“ said Fatemeh, a 34-year-old maths teacher who gave only her first name for fear of reprisal. “Sooner or later, the authorities will realise that it would serve their interests better to pull back.”

Iran and neighbouring Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are the only countries where the hijab remains mandatory — even conservative Saudi Arabia has dialled back on its morality patrols. While women attend school, work and can manage their own lives in Iran, hard-liners insist that the hijab must be enforced.

The garment has long has been entwined with politics in Iran. Former ruler Reza Shah Pahlavi banned it in 1936, part of his efforts to mirror the West. The ban lasted only five years, but many middle and upper-class Iranian women chose not to wear it.

After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, some of the women who helped overthrow the Shah embraced the even more conservative chador. But others protested a decision by Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to order women to wear hijabs in public. In 1983, it became law, enforced with penalties including fines and up to two months in prison.

The government’s insistence on enforcing the hijab also reflects its conspiratorial view of the world. Iran’s national police chief, Gen. Ahmad Reza Radan, has alleged without providing evidence that the country’s enemies plan to transform the nation’s culture by encouraging women to avoid the veil.

Already, “tens of thousands of women have had their cars arbitrarily confiscated as punishment for defying Iran’s veiling laws,” Amnesty International said in March. “Others have been prosecuted and sentenced to flogging or prison terms or faced other penalties such as fines or being forced to attend ‘morality’ classes.”

On Saturday, police said they would release some 8,000 vehicles held over women not wearing the hijab in them for the Eid al-Ghadir holiday marked by Shias.

“The Islamic Republic is using the distraction of its presidential ‘election’ to go after its women activists and cow them into silence through imprisonment and abuse,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran. The centre said at least 12 women activists have been sentenced to prison since Raisi’s deaths for their work.

But there are signs that Iran’s government, and 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, know there are risks to escalating enforcement. A Bill passed by Iran’s parliament that could impose 10-year prison sentences for hijab violations has yet to be approved by the country’s Guardian Council, a panel of clerics and jurists ultimately overseen by Mr. Khamenei.

So far among the presidential candidates, only Mr. Pezeshkian has criticised the hijab law. Others, including current parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, asked for the law to be implemented in a softer way. Candidate Mostafa Pourmohammadi, a Shia cleric, criticised the use of violence against women, saying police should use “the language of trust and gratitude” rather than the baton.

Meanwhile, the imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, a prominent women’s rights activist, has issued a call from prison urging a boycott of the presidential vote, saying it only supports “a regime that believes in repression, terror and violence.”

Indigenous women in Canada fight for the mortal remains of their beloved

Agence France-Presse

Prince Rupert

A cross to bear: The site of vigil set up by family members of a victim near the Prairie Green landfill in Winnipeg, Canada.AFPSEBASTIEN ST-JEAN

A mountain of windswept garbage and lying beneath it, bodies. For years, the remains discarded by a serial killer have languished in a landfill — the latest chapter in a long history of violence against Canada’s Indigenous women.

Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were raped, killed, dismembered and thrown out with the trash in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Police believe their remains are buried deep inside the Prairie Green landfill. The partial remains of another victim, Rebecca Contois, were found in two places — a garbage bin in the city and in a separate landfill. The body of a fourth, unidentified woman in her 20s — dubbed Buffalo Woman — is still missing.

Their murderer, Jeremy Skibicki, now 37 and linked to white supremacists, confessed in 2022 and has been tried. A verdict is expected next month. But their relatives have been unable to lay them to rest, as the excavations to find their remains have not yet begun.

Little attention

Indigenous women are disproportionately targeted by violence in Canada, and often poorly protected by authorities accused of paying little attention to their plight. Instead, they are thrown “into the trash,” says Elle Harris, the 19-year-old daughter of Morgan Harris.

A member of the Long Plain nation, Ms. Elle Harris is dressed in a traditional skirt, her hair twisted into a long braid.

She says her mother had a difficult life, spending years homeless after losing custody of her five children due to a drug addiction.

“My mom was taken just like that, just like nothing. And I wish I could see her one more time, to talk to her again,” she said. Instead, she and her family are keeping vigil near the Prairie Green landfill, where they have set up teepees, a sacred fire, red dresses and a banner demanding empathy: “What if it was your daughter?”

For months — through the wind-blasted Winnipeg winter — they have taken turns staying in the makeshift camp, seeking, says Ms. Elle Harris, “to prove that we are something, we are not trash, we can’t just be thrown into the garbage.”

It has also formed part of their campaign to pressure authorities to excavate the site, which has remained in use since Skibicki’s confession, with new truckloads of debris regularly arriving to be piled on top of what is already there. The go-ahead for the digging was finally given at the end of 2023, shortly after Winnipeg elected Canada’s first Indigenous provincial leader, Wab Kinew.

But the searchers must sift through tons of garbage and construction rubble, and such an operation involves considerable risks due to the presence of toxic materials such as asbestos, according to independent experts. Ultimately, it could take years and cost tens of millions of dollars.

Morgan Harris’s family has vowed to maintain their vigil until her remains are recovered. Skibicki targeted Indigenous women he met in homeless shelters, prosecutors told his trial, which began in late April. At the time of his arrest, the then-minister of crown-indigenous relations Marc Miller said the case was part of “a legacy of a devastating history” of Canada’s treatment of Indigenous women “that has reverberations today.”

“No one can stand in front of you with confidence to say that this won’t happen again and I think that’s kind of shameful,” he said.

Indigenous women represent about one-fifth of all the women killed in gender-related homicides in Canada — even though they are just five per cent of the female population, according to official figures documenting an 11-year period up to 2021.

Seeing red

Leaving a message: Women’s rights activists of the Bruciamo tutto (let's burn everything) movement protest against femicides by pouring red paint on the famed Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy, symbolising the blood of women victims of violence. REUTERSGUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE

Anti-immigration party gains ground among British voters

Associated Press

CLACTON-ON-SEA

Nigel Farage Jordan Pettitt

Like many others in Clacton-on-Sea — a town on England’s southeast coast where many older, white voters used to staunchly support the governing Conservatives — Dorothy Carr feels a deep sense of disillusionment with the party. Instead, Ms. Carr says she is probably voting for the populist Reform UK party in next week’s national election because she agrees with its core message: record immigration has damaged Britain.

Britain is going to the polls at a time when public dissatisfaction is running high over a host of issues, from the high cost of living and a stagnating economy to a dysfunctional state health care system and crumbling infrastructure. That disillusionment has given oxygen to Reform UK and its leader Nigel Farage, who is drawing growing numbers of Conservative voters with his pledge to “take our country back.”

‘Fanning racism’

Opponents have long accused Mr. Farage of fanning racist attitudes toward migrants and condemned what they call his scapegoat rhetoric. They argue that chronic under-funding of schools, hospitals and housing under successive governments on both left and right is the real problem, not migrants.

But many share Ms. Carr’s views in Clacton, which recorded one of England’s highest votes to leave the European Union during the 2016 Brexit referendum, when a key promise of the campaign to exit the bloc was that it would give the U.K. more control over its borders. But immigration figures have gone up, not down, post-Brexit.

That makes Clacton fertile ground for Mr. Farage, Britain’s most divisive politician and one of the chief architects of Brexit, who is running to represent the town in Parliament.

Polls showed Mr. Farage, who has run for Parliament seven times but never won, has a comfortable lead in the constituency.

Junta in Myanmar struggles to curb opium cultivation

Agence France-Presse

YANGON

Myanmar became the world’s biggest producer of opium poppy in 2023 with an estimated 1,080 tonnes.APGemunu Amarasinghe

Conflict-ravaged Myanmar is “facing challenges” in stemming opium poppy cultivation, the junta said on Wednesday, months after the United Nations said the country had become the world’s biggest producer of the narcotic substances.

Myanmar’s legal economy has been gutted by conflict and instability since the military seized power in 2021 and sparked a widespread armed uprising.

The country was “severely facing challenges related to opium poppy cultivation”, the junta’s Home Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Yar Pyae said in a statement carried by the state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

He said there had been a “slight increase” in illegal cultivation of opium poppy — essential for producing heroin — in 2023 compared to the previous year.

According to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, Myanmar produced an estimated 1,080 tonnes of opium in 2023, up from 790 the year before, That harvest made Myanmar the world’s biggest producer of opium poppy in 2023 after production in Afghanistan slumped to around 330 tonnes following the Taliban government’s ban on poppy cultivation.

Mr. Yar Pyae accused some of Myanmar’s ethnic armed groups of manufacturing synthetic drugs using precursor chemicals imported from Myanmar’s neighbours.

The Southeast Asian nation’s borderlands are home to a plethora of ethnic armed groups, many of which have fought the military for control of local resources and over the drug trade.

ICC convicts Mali extremist leader with al-Qaeda links

Associated Press

THE HAGUE

The International Criminal Court on Wednesday convicted an al-Qaeda-linked extremist leader of religious persecution and torture of prisoners in Mali in 2012-13 when he headed the Islamic police in the historic desert city of Timbuktu.

Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud sat stoically while the decision finding him guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity was read out at the court in the Dutch city of The Hague. He faces up to life in prison, with the sentence to be decided at a later date. He was acquitted of several charges focusing on the abuse of women.

The court found the 47-year old Malian was a key member of Ansar Dine, an Islamic extremist group with links to al-Qaeda that held power at the time.

“The inhabitants had no other choice than to adapt their lives and lifestyle to the version of Sharia law imposed on them by Ansar Dine,” presiding judge Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua said.

Defence lawyer Melinda Taylor told judges during the trial that Al Hassan’s position in the Islamic police force obliged him to respect and carry out decisions made by an Islamic tribunal.

Judges agreed there was sufficient evidence to convict Al Hassan of charges including torture, outrages upon personal dignity and cruel treatment. They found that prisoners were abused by being kept in tiny, disgusting cells and repeatedly flogged.

Sports

- Rohit’s India will look to banish the ghosts of Adelaide 2022

- Both semifinals truly could be anyone’s game

- Australia win has given India great confidence: Rohit

- Afghanistan vs South Africa: a battle between the tweakers

- ‘We’ve been galvanised; we were sweating on weather, other results’

- Having Pollard on board has been valuable: England coach Mott

- Rashid reprimanded for breaching ICC Code of Conduct

- All teams are getting reverse swing: Rohit rubbishes Inzamam’s claim

- Rain threat looms large

- Romania takes top spot in Group E ahead of Belgium and Slovakia

- Defending champion Argentina advances to the quarterfinals with a late win over Chile

- Every shot counts and it is a game of precision: Cheema

- Eyeing a Paris ticket, India’s top athletes gear up one last time

- Harmanpreet to lead as HI names team for Paris Games

- Kapil Dev takes over as president of PGTI

- Srihari, Dhinidhi to compete in Paris through ‘Universality quota’

- Fringes to focal point: Kuldeep’s rags to riches story

Rohit’s India will look to banish the ghosts of Adelaide 2022

Ashwin Achal

Georgetown

The Men In Blue seem to be the team to beat in this edition , with the roles reversed from down under two years ago; India likely to stick with three spinners; defending champ England needs to lift its game if it has to stop the juggernaut

Raring to go: India will look to come out all guns blazing against Buttler’s men in the all-important semifinal clash. K.R. DEEPAKDEEPAK KR

The first time India and England faced each other in a T20I, Yuvraj Singh shocked the world with six sixes in an over off Stuart Broad in an ICC World T20 match in South Africa in 2007.

But in the last meeting, there were no celebrations for India. It was the semifinal of the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, when Jos Buttler and Alex Hales hammered the Indian attack on the way to a 10-wicket blowout.

This was a new chapter in English cricket, one where players shed all inhibitions and embraced a no holds barred approach to T20 cricket. A few days after the semifinal wipe-out, England became the first men’s team to hold both the limited-overs World Cups.

The humiliating loss at Adelaide forced India to introspect. Changes in personnel and mindset had to be made.

Two years on, lessons have been learnt, and the house has been set in order. When the sides meet in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semifinal here on Thursday, it is India that holds the gold standard.

Unbeaten in the tournament, India has all bases covered. Up top, Rohit Sharma has come into form when it matters. His 41-ball 92 against Australia on Monday allowed India to let loose in the PowerPlay - an area which had proved troublesome earlier in the campaign.

Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant complete a power-packed top-order. Hardik Pandya’s clean hitting in the last three outings has reinforced his value as a finisher.

Kuldeep Yadav’s inclusion in the eleven for the Super 8 leg has turned out to be a master-stroke. With seven wickets in three matches, the left-arm wrist spinner has emerged as the standout wicket-taker in the attack. The stuttering form of Virat Kohli and Shivam Dube are the only cracks in the wall.

The Guyana National Stadium pitch assists seamers, but India is likely to stick to its three spinner combination.

England has had a bumpy ride to the last-four. A washed-out game with Scotland and a loss to Australia sent the side close to a group stage exit. There was a seven-run defeat at the hands of South Africa in the Super 8 stage.

A win against West Indies stands as the lone positive result over a top team. In effect, England has reached here on the back of whippings given to minnows. There is no doubt that Buttler’s men have to raise the bar a few notches to challenge the marauding Indians.

The teams (from):

India: Rohit Sharma (Capt.), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj.

England: Jos Buttler (Capt.), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, and Mark Wood.

Both semifinals truly could be anyone’s game

Sunil Gavaskar

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2 of 2 Making short work of it: India will be super confident after Rohit Sharma’s memorable knock against Australia.K.R. DeepakDEEPAK KR

For the first time since the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, the usual suspects haven't made it to the semifinals.

That time, Kenya made it to the semis and, while that did not do much for the sport in the country, Afghanistan’s entry into the semis will sky rocket the game there to another level.

Explosive raw talent

There used to be a time when the talk used to be how West Indies had the most natural players in the world, uncoached but sheer raw talent that was explosive.

Then it was Pakistan, about whom the same sentiment was expressed and for the last decade and half, it has been India where raw talent is bursting at the seams, allowing the National selectors to pick two or three teams capable of beating the best in the world.

Afghanistan is another country where there is so much talent and, if guided properly, they can beat the world too.

They take on South Africa who also are playing a brand of cricket not seen before. There are no superstar players in this South African team and they are not panicking in tight situations as they used to earlier.

The other semis is between the defending champions England and India and that also promises to be a thriller.

England have come roaring back , seemingly stung by the defeat to the old enemy in the group game.

They swept past India last time without losing a wicket. This time though the pitch could well play a role. The turn could help the spinners of both teams. They also have great new ball attacks so batters may not find it easy.

India will be super confident after the memorable knock by skipper Rohit Sharma where he treated the Aussie bowlers as if they were net bowlers.

Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya — all played their part and then Kuldeep bowled a fine tight spell that strangled the Aussie batters in the middle overs.

India fielding was outstanding too with Axar Patel taking a truly incredible catch, timing his jump to perfection.

It's hard to predict who will get to the final. That said, the two semis could actually produce the most thrills in the tournament so far.

(Professional Management Group)

Australia win has given India great confidence: Rohit

Ashwin Achal

Georgetown

Thriving: Rohit’s men will want to sustain the momentum and go the distance.K.R. DEEPAKDEEPAK KR

India’s win over Australia on Monday in the Super 8 game saw Rohit Sharma come into form. The victory also played a big role in ushering Australia’s exit from the tournament.

Captain Rohit paused and smiled when asked for one big takeaway from India’s fine performance against Australia. “(The big takeaway is) That the Australian team is no more in the tournament,” said the opener.

Australia has been a tough nut to crack for India. The Baggy Greens outgunned India in the 2023 Cricket World Cup final and the 2023 ICC World Test Championship final.

To get a win over a quality side has given the team a great confidence boost, noted Rohit. “Australia is a great side — that is why they have won so many championships. We can take a lot of confidence from our win. This format is all about confidence,” the ace batter added.

The skipper was pleased to have found his attacking instinct in St. Lucia. “I have been trying to do this for a number of years, which is to put pressure on the bowlers.

“In this format, when you put the opposition under pressure, things fall apart. This was greatly satisfying, especially since the result went in our favour,” said the Indian captain.

For a little over a decade now, India has faltered in the knockout stages of ICC events. The trick this time around is to forget the past and take it one step at a time, Rohit added.

“We want to treat this as just another game. We don’t want to think about what lies ahead, what is the context of this game, or the past. Everyone knows it is a semifinal, but we don’t want to keep talking about it.

“The group is in a good frame of mind. We’re enjoying each other’s success and company. It is important to carry on in this same mindset,” said Rohit.

Afghanistan vs South Africa: battle between the tweakers

Ayan Acharya

Tarouba (Trinidad)

Spinner takes all: Both South Africa and Afghanistan will rely on their slow bowlers to give them the winning edge.Getty ImagesGareth Copley

On Wednesday evening at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad, Rashid Khan’s motley crew will play South Africa in the semifinal of ICC T20 World Cup.

Expect South Africa to stick with two spinners, with skipper Aiden Markram bowling his full quota, like he did in the last match against West Indies, should he feel the pitch is ripe for turn.

Afghanistan has a vaunted spin arsenal of its own, with Rashid, Noor Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi having collectively gone for under seven runs per over so far and picking 18 wickets.

Afghanistan’s spin vs South Africa’s spin-hitters could decide the contest.

Quinton de Kock has identified the PowerPlay as the best time for run-scoring and has not held back. But left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi’s ability to swing the ball both ways will test his gumption.

Of course, Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada are high-quality fast bowlers; Marco Jansen offers a left-arm angle and Ottneil Baartman’s variations could come handy against an Afghanistan batting line-up that can drop into a shell if the ball isn’t coming on nicely.

One of these two teams must lose and, for the romantic, the idea of seeing either signing off from this World Cup on an ellipsis is anathema. An emotional roller-coaster awaits.

‘We’ve been galvanised; we were sweating on weather, other results’

APRICARDO MAZALAN

England’s arduous route to the T20 World Cup semifinal has galvanised the side, coach Matthew Mott said. “We’ve actually been galvanised. We were sweating on weather and other results. But now we can play with some freedom in this semifinal and really show our skills,” Mott said.

Having Pollard on board has been valuable: England coach Mott

Getty ImagesGareth Copley

England coach Matthew Mott said having Kieron Pollard on board as assistant coach was an advantage for England. “Having Pollard share his intel on various islands and venues in the West Indies has been very valuable. We are very happy to have him around,” said Mott ahead of the semifinal against India.

Play smart and keep things simple: Rohit’s mantra for the semifinal

K.R. DEEPAKDEEPAK KR

Rohit Sharma said his team was focused on staying calm and keeping things simple in the semifinal against England. “We want to be a smart cricket team. I have kept things simple personally and for the players as well. We have done well with role clarity, and rely on the players making good decisions on the field,” he said.

All teams are getting reverse swing: Rohit rubbishes Inzamam’s claim

K.R. DEEPAKDEEPAK KR

India skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday rejected former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq’s accusation that his team had “worked on the ball” to generate reverse swing in the Super 8 match against Australia. “The wickets are so dry and all teams are getting reverse (swing). Need to open your mind sometimes,” said Rohit.

Eye on the sky ahead of the big game

Ashwin Achal

Georgetown

Rain threat looms large over the India-England T20 World Cup semifinal to be held here on Thursday. The city has witnessed persistent showers over the last few days. The sun, however, did come out for a short while on Wednesday morning.

If the match is called off, India will progress to the final by virtue of finishing higher than England in the Super 8 pool. India topped Group 1 while England was second in Group 2.

Unlike the first semifinal at Trinidad and Tobago, the second semifinal does not have a reserve day. The short turnaround time between this match and the final at Barbados (on Saturday) does not allow for a reserve day. However, an additional 250 minutes can be utilised to extend play on Thursday. Each innings in the semifinal and final must witness 10 overs of action for a result.

Romania takes top spot in Group E ahead of Belgium and Slovakia

Agence France-Presse

Stuttgart

Dour England makes the grade as leader from Group C, Denmark pips Slovenia to the runner-up spot by virtue of a better disciplinary record

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2 of 3 Big miss: Lukaku’s poor tournament for Belgium continues as he scuffs a weak shot straight at Ukraine’s goalkeeper Trubin.AP

3 of 3

Belgium qualified for the last 16 of Euro 2024 on Wednesday after a 0-0 draw with Ukraine, which exited the tournament despite all four teams in Group E finishing level on four points.

Romania took top spot ahead of Belgium after scoring more goals in the group following its 1-1 draw with Slovakia, which also goes through as one of the four best third-placed sides.

Belgium supporters reacted furiously at the final whistle in Stuttgart, with captain Kevin De Bruyne appearing to tell his team-mates not to go over to acknowledge them as the whistles and jeers grew louder.

It will play France in the next round and has landed itself on the tougher side of the draw which also features host Germany, Spain and Portugal.

Ukraine’s brave run came to an agonising end as it became the first team since the tournament increased to 24 teams not to progress with four points.

It had been the first time ever at the European Championship all four teams in the same group had gone into the final round of games locked on the same number of points.

England ground out a 0-0 draw with Slovenia to claim top spot in Group C and avoid a last-16 meeting with Germany.

Gareth Southgate’s side has struggled to find its best form in the tournament and delivered another unimpressive performance in Cologne, one that will do little to silence the mounting criticism back home.

It was still enough to advance as group winner though after an equally turgid 0-0 draw between Denmark and Serbia in Munich, which saw the Danes finish second ahead of Slovenia despite an identical record.

“That was the aim before the start of the tournament, to come top of the group,” England captain Harry Kane told ITV.

England must wait to find out which of the four best third-placed teams it will meet in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday for a place in the quarterfinals.

Denmark pipped Slovenia to the runners-up spot by virtue of a better disciplinary record after both nations finished with three draws, the same goal difference and number of goals scored.

Slovenia picked up one more yellow card than Denmark, which takes on Germany in the last 16.

“It’s a great team but we’re a great team as well,” said Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand.

Slovenia celebrated reaching the knockout phase of a major tournament for the first time, while Serbia was eliminated after coming last in the section. Croatia’s exit was also confirmed.

The results: Group C: England 0 drew with Slovenia 0; Denmark 0 drew with Serbia 0.

Group E: Slovakia 1 (Duda 24) drew with Romania 1 (Razvan Marin 37-pen); Ukraine 0 drew with Belgium 0.

Defending champion Argentina advances to the quarterfinals with a late win over Chile

Associated Press

East Rutherford (USA)

Mad scramble: Lautaro Martinez, right, scores Argentina’s winner after the ball pin-balled in the box before nestling inside the net. Reuters

Lautaro Martinez scored off a rebound in the 88th minute, giving defending champion Argentina a 1-0 victory over Chile that guaranteed it a berth in the Copa America quarterfinals.

Messi’s corner kick led to a shot blocked by goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, and Martinez scored his second goal of the tournament on Argentina’s 21st shot of the match.

Players stood and waited for three minutes while the goal, Martinez’s 26th for the national team, was confirmed in a video review.

Argentina leads Group A with six points, followed by Canada with six, and Chile and Peru with one each. The Albiceleste finishes the first round against Peru at Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, when Canada meets Chile in Orlando, Florida.

Playing a day after his 37th birthday, Messi frequently flaunted his talent to spin around and slalom through defenders before an adoring sellout crowd. Argentina dominated 21-3 in shots and 11-0 in corner kicks. And Chile didn’t take its first attempt until the 72nd minute.

Messi came the closest to scoring with a 30-yard shot that glanced off the post to Bravo’s left in the 36th minute.

Nicolas Gonzalez’s shot from another Messi pass in the 62nd was parried off the crossbar by Bravo.

Argentina outshot Chile 17-0 before Rodrigo Echeverria’s 72nd-minute effort following a turnover was saved by Emiliano Martinez. The goalkeeper then made another diving save on Echeverria in the 76th.

Meanwhile, in Kansas City, Jonathan David scored in the 74th minute as Canada beat Peru 1-0 for its first victory over a South American opponent in 24 years.

Peru played a man short after Miguel Araujo was given a red card in the 59th minute for a studs-up tackle on Jacob Shaffelburg, a call made after a video review.

Canada got its first win in four matches under Jesse Marsch, the American hired as coach last month, and beat a South American team for the first time since a 2-0 victory over Colombia in the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup final.

David’s goal, his 27th for Canada, ended the national team’s 391-minute scoreless streak. Twenty-six of his goals have come in competitive matches.

The results: Chile 0 lost to Argentina 1 (Lautaro 88); Peru 0 lost to Canada 1 (David 74).

Every shot counts and it is a game of precision: Cheema

Y.B. Sarangi

KOLKATA

Crack shots: Cheema and Sarabjot will go for gold in the 10m air pistol at the Paris Olympics. PTI

“I will look forward to (the performance of) Arjun Singh Cheema,” said 10m air pistol shooter Cheema, completely focussed on his training for the Paris Olympics.

Cheema, a non-quota place winner who excelled in the selection trials to get selected along with quota holder Sarabjot Singh, is working on technical and psychological areas of his game in Austria in order to peak in about a month’s time. Approaching his Olympics debut, the 23-year-old Punjab shooter, who missed out on a berth in the Tokyo Games, said he would take the Games as another event.

“I am not taking it as my first Games. I am just considering it as a regular event...Every shot counts and it is a game of precision. Being in your process is what matters,” said Cheema during an interaction organised by the Sports Authority of India on Wednesday.

According to Cheema, the pressure of competing along with world-class Indian shooters in the four-phase National selection trials was beneficial. “Sticking to the process made me improve my confidence which is definitely going to help in the Games.”

Cheema, a former World junior gold medallist, an Asian Games team gold medallist and a double Asian championships silver medallist of 2024, stressed the importance of training abroad.

“The is a reason to train abroad is we get similar weather, food and sleep cycles to that of the venue, Paris, so that our body and mind adapts well.”

On a typical day Cheema starts his day with yoga and meditation followed by a shooting session of up to four to five hours in the morning and physical workout, prehab and mental recovery sessions in the evening.

Session with Bindra

The young shooter shared how a virtual session involving the Olympic probables and Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra helped the shooters.

“It was really great. He spoke about his pattern and preparation and it is helping us in our preparations,” said Cheema, who will compete in the men’s individual event and mixed team event (with Rhythm Sangwan).

Eyeing a Paris ticket, India’s top athletes gear up one last time

Uthra Ganesan

Panchkula

Jyothi. File photo: RITU RAJ KONWAR File photo: RITU RAJ KONWAR

With qualifications for the Paris Olympics on the line, several top Indian athletes will hope to make the most of their last chance over the next four days at the 63rd National inter-State senior athletics championships, starting here on Thursday.

Barring Neeraj Chopra, almost every Indian athlete will be in action at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium, with some having more at stake than others, none more so than the jumpers who have been off-colour all through the season.

On Wednesday evening, the track and field was packed with participants, local regulars and even some kids running around as the organisers scurried to get things in place. The big names — Hima Das, the men and women quartermilers, and the sprint stars Animesh Kujur, Tejas Shirse and Gurindervir Singh — meanwhile went about getting into rhythm for their respective events.

The biggest spotlight will be on the 4x400m mixed relay team — the men and women have respectively already qualified. The team needs to finish in 3:11:87 or less to make sure it is in the top-16 in the qualifying rankings, and the Athletics Federation of India is hopeful of making the cut.

“We need international participation to be considered legible and so have requested the Sri Lankan and Maldives teams to participate,” AFI president Adille Sumariwalla said on the eve of the competition.

Among other big names, the AFI hopes to get one more qualifier in javelin and see the triple jumpers Abdulla Aboobacker (21st) and Praveen Chitravel (24th) improve on their performances.

Thirty-two spots are available in each event, with hurdler Jyothi Yarraji and javelin thrower Annu Rani expected to make the cut. Others, including high jumpers Sarvesh Kushare and Tejaswin Shankar and women long jumper Shaili Singh, will have to get their season’s bests and hope to breach the qualifying marks.

Asian Games champion shot-putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor, still recovering from an ankle injury and initially expected to skip the event, has been exempted by the AFI, but figures in the final entry list updated late on Wednesday — as does Avinash Sable in the 3000m Steeplechase after being named only in the 1500m earlier.

“Neeraj is participating in the Paris DL (July 7) while Rajesh Ramesh (400m) is still recovering from his recent injury and has been given exemption from participation. Some race walkers who qualified early have also been allowed to skip, but other than that, everyone is here,” Sumariwalla said.

Harmanpreet to lead as HI names team for Paris Games

Uthra Ganesan

Panchkula

Harmanpreet Singh will be in charge as the final 16-member Indian men’s hockey squad for the Paris Olympics was announced on Wednesday with coach Craig Fulton hoping a mix of youth and experience will help the team manage a second successive podium finish.

P.R. Sreejesh expectedly took the sole goalkeeper’s spot as the veteran, along with Manpreet Singh, joined an elite club of Indian hockey players to appear in four Olympics each — the others being Leslie Claudius, Udham Singh and Dhanraj Pillay.

Harmanpreet, who made his Olympics debut in 2016 as the youngest member of the side, will be appearing in his third outing.

At the other end of the spectrum will be five Olympic debutants as the Indian team hopes to emulate, or go one better, on the Tokyo bronze-winning side.

India is in Pool B alongside defending champion Belgium, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Ireland, needing a top-four finish to advance. India will begin its campaign on July 27 against New Zealand, followed by Argentina (July 29), Ireland (July 30), Belgium (August 1) and Australia (August 2).

The squad: Goalkeeper: P.R. Sreejesh. Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Sanjay.

Midfielders: Rajkumar Pal, Shamsher Singh, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad.

Forwards: Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh.

Reserves: Nilakanta Sharma, Jugraj Singh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak.

Kapil Dev takes over as president of PGTI

World Cup-winning former India cricket captain Kapil Dev has taken over as the new president of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). The 65-year-old, who was already a member of the PGTI board as its vice president, was chosen unanimously and will take over from incumbent H.R. Srinivasan. “It is an honour to become the president of PGTI, an organisation with which I have now been associated for quite a few years. It is a players body, and I am great friends with all of them and with whom I often play,” Kapil said on his new position.

Srihari, Dhinidhi to compete in Paris through ‘Universality quota’

Srihari Nataraj and Dhinidhi Desinghu (in pic) will compete at the Paris Olympics via the Universality places qualification system, which allows countries to recommend their two highest-ranked swimmers for the showpiece if none makes the cut through the regulation process. The Swimming Federation of India (SFI) claimed the “universality places” for both genders after no Indian swimmer qualified for the Paris Olympic Games or received a FINA invite based on his or her Olympic Selection time (B time).

Fringes to focal point:

R. Kaushik

BRIDGETOWN (BARBADOS)

He is an integral part again of India’s limited-overs set-ups, having emphatically supplanted Chahal as the No. 1 wrist-spinner; for the first time since his Test debut, he played more than two games in a row during the home series against England earlier this year, taking 19 wickets in four matches and helping translate a 0-1 deficit to a 4-1 rout

1 of 2 Out of nowhere: Leg beats off as Maxwell is bamboozled by Kuldeep’s googly. K.R. DEEPAKDEEPAK KR

2 of 2

Beyond the fact that they both bowl left-arm spin, there are few similarities between Ravi Shastri and Kuldeep Yadav. Shastri was a tall and rangy orthodox spinner, using his height to procure substantial bounce; he could also turn the ball away from the right-hand batter, and became the first spinner to pick up a five-wicket haul at the WACA ground in Perth and finished his 80-Test career with 151 wickets, though within a couple of years of his debut in 1981, he had gone from a No. 10 batter to opening the innings.

Kuldeep is much shorter and a rarity in Indian cricket – a left-arm wrist spinner or, at the risk of political incorrectness, a Chinaman bowler. He is skiddy, understandably a little round-armish, his stock delivery is the one that breaks into the right-hander; Kuldeep is the practitioner of a difficult and unique craft, one that demands greater attention to detail than bowling of other ilk and where things can go awry if even one part of the body goes out of sync.

What is the common thread you ask? Their celebration. In the past, Kuldeep used a semi-chainsaw when he picked up a wicket, or defied gravity to leap high in the air. Now, as if taking wickets has become a matter of fact, he merely raises his left index finger -- much like Shastri used to, but with greater drama and a more pronounced flourish to herald each of his 280 international wickets.

More than a celebration

The Kuldeep-Shastri connect doesn’t end with their celebratory routines, though. It was during Shastri’s second stint with the national side, between 2017 and 2021, that Kuldeep broke into the limited-overs firmament. An abortive campaign in the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy – when Anil Kumble was the head coach – was the catalyst for Virat Kohli and Shastri to veer away from the finger spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in white-ball cricket and invest in wrist-spin. Thus was born an exceptional partnership between Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal that bamboozled all in the two years leading up to the 2019 50-over World Cup, but was found wanting when it came to the crunch.

Kuldeep was an aspiring medium-pacer until his early coach convinced him to turn to spin; after all, much like Sachin Tendulkar who wanted to be a fast bowler and even attempted to impress the great Dennis Lillee at the MRF Pace Foundation, Kuldeep didn’t have the physical attributes to run in from a distance and hurl the cherry rapidly. The wisdom of that switch became apparent at the 2014 Under-19 World Cup when Kuldeep finished as the leading wicket-taker and took a hat-trick against Scotland. Before long, he was knocking on the doors of Test selection, but funnily enough, the usually attack-minded Kohli wasn’t convinced he was ready for the rigours of five-day cricket.

Sporadic

It was when Kohli missed the Dharamshala Test against Australia in March 2017 through a shoulder injury that the Test door opened for Kuldeep. Kumble convinced stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane of the benefits of plumping for an additional, wicket-taking bowling option with the series square 1-1 heading into the final Test. Kuldeep repaid his coach’s faith with four for 68 in Australia’s first-innings 300, his victims including David Warner, Peter Handscomb and Glenn Maxwell, all excellent players of spin.

That ought to have been Kuldeep’s coming-of-age moment. Instead, over the next year and a half, he played a mere four Tests. Then, in Sydney against Australia in January 2019, he took a five-for in a rain-ruined encounter, prompting Shastri to proclaim that Kuldeep could well be India’s No. 1 Test spinner everywhere in the world. Strangely enough, in the next two and a half years that Shastri was in charge, Kuldeep played only one Test match.

It was in the limited-overs ecosystem that Kuldeep flourished. He wasn’t a mystery bowler, so there was no real danger of him being ‘sorted’ with time. He was unconventional in that he was a left-arm wrist-spinner, but unlike Ajantha Mendis or Sunil Narine or Varun Chakravarthy, he wasn’t unorthodox. He was a mirror image of a right-arm leggie, nothing more, nothing less. That’s why he and Chahal complemented each other superbly, hunting as a pair in the middle overs of ODIs, bowling in tandem between overs 7 and 16 or so in T20 games and picking up wickets by the bushel until the pitches in England in 2019 threw a wicked curveball.

Testing times

Kuldeep quickly went out of commission, and it wasn’t just his bowling that hastened his exit from the national set-up. There were whispers of non-cricketing indiscretions, he developed the yips and was even dropped by Kolkata Knight Riders. The phase between 2019 and 2021 was the darkest of his career, with a terrible knee injury adding to his unending woes. It was a test of his mettle and character as much as of his resolve and his faith in his skills. Which tack would be take? Would he fade away, or would he dig his heels in and find his way back to the stage where he belonged? Did he have it in him?

Oh, he sure did. He sure does. Today, Kuldeep is an integral part again of India’s limited-overs set-ups, having emphatically supplanted Chahal as the No. 1 wrist-spinner; for the first time since his Test debut, he played more than two Tests in a row during the home series against England earlier this year, taking 19 wickets in four matches and helping translate a 0-1 deficit to a 4-1 rout.

It’s in white-ball cricket, though, that his pre-eminence has been nurtured and bolstered by Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid. Kuldeep’s stuttering career received a boost when he moved to Delhi Capitals at the beginning of the 2022 season; under Rishabh Pant and Ricky Ponting, he regained his zing, his zip, his confidence and his belief. That was further harnessed by Rohit and Dravid, aided by the fact that Kuldeep made minor changes that have increased his efficiency and made him a very potent threat on almost all surfaces.

In the last couple of years, he has added nearly seven kilometres per hour to his stock delivery. Because he is quicker through the air, he naturally reduces the batters’ reaction time. He has started to run in a little faster, gets closer to the stumps and has worked on his length, taking a cue from the magical EAS Prasanna’s treatises on bowling – ‘Line is optional but length is mandatory’. Kuldeep is reluctant to dissect his bowling at length, pun unintended, and harps on keeping it simple and not trying too hard. Simplistic as it might sound, that is the beauty of success in any field.

In this T20 World Cup, Kuldeep made a belated entry into the fray but has already reiterated his value with three excellent spells. When India embarked for the Americas, he was earmarked, alongside Jasprit Bumrah, as Rohit’s go-to weapons, but the pitches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium discouraged three spinners and India plumped for left-arm-spinning all-rounders Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja as insurance against batting collapses on treacherous decks. Clear channels of communication meant Kuldeep knew that once the team reached the Caribbean islands, he would instantly be pressed into service.

He used the two weeks in New York to keep plugging away at the nets at Cantiague Park, probing here, teasing there, testing his wares against Rohit and Kohli, Pant and Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal, among the best players of the turning ball in business currently.

Best for the last

Kuldeep was shoo-in for the Super Eights, pitchforked into battle at the first time of asking against Afghanistan, at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. No amount of time spent in the nets can equate to bowling in a match, and Kuldeep looked a little rusty, maybe even nervy. His first ball was an illegal delivery – horror of horrors, he overstepped! – but he bounced back to finish with two for 32. Better off for that bowl, he tied Bangladesh up in knots in North Sound on his way to three for 19 in a mesmeric, magical spell of leg-break and googly bowling. The Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, and Australia, presented him his biggest challenge of the competition on an excellent batting deck and with a marauding Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh having already got their eye in when he came on in the seventh over, with 65 on the board. Bowling with and then into a stiff wind, he finished with two for 24 (economy rate 6) in a fixture that produced 386 runs in 40 overs (ER: 9.65). Bumrah up top and during the death, Kuldeep in the middle stages – Rohit’s wicket-taking as well as run-denying options haven’t let him down.

Two victories stand between India and a first global title since 2013. Up first, on Thursday in Providence, are England, among Kuldeep’s favourite opponents. In 15 international games across formats, he has 38 wickets; two T20Is have yielded five sticks at a strike-rate of 9.6 and an economy of 7.25, and it’s against the English that he boasts one of his two five-fors in T20Is. India have a score to settle with Jos Buttler’s men, having been pounded by ten wickets at the same stage in the last T20 World Cup, in November 2022. Kuldeep didn’t play then; this is his time to show them who the boss is.

Table of Contents

The Hindu Jun 27, 2024

National

LS erupts as Birla reads resolution on Emergency

Assange returns home to Australia, a free man

CBI arrests Kejriwal in excise policy case, gets 3 days’ custody

Join the spots

U.S. criticises India in report on religious freedom

India looking at ‘potential’ institutional reforms amid assassination charges: U.S.

With dummy FIRs, pocket guides, police get ready to switch to new criminal laws

Whole system ‘trying to ensure’ Delhi CM doesn’t get bail: Sunita Kejriwal

Muchkund Dubey, India’s top diplomat at the end of Cold War, passes away

Three militants killed in day-long operation in J&K’s Doda: officials

Nagaland holds civic polls after 2 decades

NEET, UGC-NET row: student outfits begin indefinite protest

Sam Pitroda reappointed Overseas Congress chief

Italy asked to take action over Indian worker’s death

Government and Opposition yet to come to terms with the message of the poll verdict?

Joint combing operations held in violence-hit Jiribam

AIADMK members suspended for rest of the Assembly session

Parliament’s records keeper as well as a record-breaker Om Birla begins term

Chinese woman arrested at Nepal border for trying to enter without documents

New MLAs protest in Bengal, ask Governor to administer oath

Centre did not help Delhi resolve water crisis, says Akhilesh

U.P. court asks Rahul Gandhi to appear on July 2

CBI questions principal and bank officials in NEET case

Prolonged exposure to coal mining causes respiratory, skin diseases in workers: study

14212

Minister’s promise to look into Nicobar project ‘mildly’ encouraging, says Congress

SC calls cutting of ‘valuable’ trees in Delhi a ‘brazen act’

Examples of Krishna bhakti

Encroachments bulldozed for second day in West Bengal

₹10 lakh for aiding arrest of Goldy Brar, another gangster

Regional

MVA boycotts Shinde’s tea party on eve of monsoon session in Maharashtra

HC directs safety audit of Odisha’s school infrastructure to prevent student deaths

After govt. nod, BMC takes possession of 120 acres of Mahalakshmi Race Course land

SAD working panel reposes faith in Sukhbir’s leadership amid voices of rebellion

T.N. Assembly urges Centre to take up caste-based census

Land-for-job ‘scam’: Delhi HC grants bail to Lalu’s close aide

Haryana CM distributes plot allotment letters to the poor

Congress holds meeting on Haryana Assembly poll

Uttarakhand BJP leader booked for rape and murder

Action continues on illegal structures at Pune pubs, bars

MBBS student undergoes dialysis after ragging; FIR filed

Heavy rain lashes Kerala, seawater enters houses in some parts of State

India’s largest leopard park opens at Bannerghatta

Joint fight

Left MPs seek review of tariff hike at Thiruvananthapuram airport

Four more deaths take hooch toll to 63; NCSC team visits Karunapuram

Kerala steps up efforts to rescue youths held hostage in Thailand

Court rejects bail petition of Prajwal Revanna

Kerala HC slams govt. for inaction over church orders

Kerala man dies after upper berth falls on him

Dalit boy tied up, beaten for plucking fruits in Telangana

YSRCP leader arrested in case related to breaking of EVM

Science

‘Multi-omics’ is transforming how India spots and treats TB, cancers

Radioactive implant for rhino horns to curb poaching

Edit

Opposition’s larger demography, LoP’s big responsibility

Read the rocks to improve India’s geological literacy

Lip service

Ending defections

letters to the editor

Alcaraz, the youngest male tennis player to master all three courts

It’s time for India to reclaim its voice on Tibet

Capital changes, changing prices

Return to Gandhian ideals urged

Preventive vaccine for tubercle

The row over Delhi’s water crisis

How well is India tapping its rooftop solar potential?

On C.J. Sansom, and why his crime series, set in Tudor England, endures

On June 27, 1954, the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant became the world’s first nuclear power plant to produce industrial electricity. A quiz about nuclear power generation

Know your English

Business

Coffee exports rise as Europe braces for EUDR

Telcos bid ₹11,340 cr. for spectrum

MM Forgings, Super Auto Forge celebrate golden jubilee

AI has huge potential but guardrails crucial: Nilekani

SBI raises ₹10,000 crore through infrastructure bond

Bajaj Auto inaugurates new plant in Brazil

‘L&T group facing shortage of 45,000 labourers, engineers’

Repco Bank sets credit growth target of ₹21,750 cr. for FY25

‘Tata Motors eyeing 18-20% of PV market share by 2030’

Vedanta parent to sell 2.6% stake in Indian miner

Shriram AMC unveils Nifty exchange traded fund

Dr. Reddy’s to buy Haleon’s NRT portfolio for up to GBP500 million

Singapore port congestion shows global impact of Red Sea attacks

All eyes are on Nvidia’s stock, so what’s been going on?

Dragon connect

16 Nobel Prize-winning economists say Trump policies will fuel inflation

SEBI may rejig merger norms for companies

Foreign

Kenya President puts off signing controversial Bill

Under one umbrella

Sri Lanka seals debt deal with Official Creditor Committee

Two killed as armed group clashes with junta in northern Myanmar town

NATO names Dutch PM Mark Rutte as next chief

U.S. journalist goes on trial in Russia for ‘espionage’

PM Shehbaz extends olive branch to Imran Khan

U.S. jails ex-Honduras President for 45 years on drugs charges

Suspected North Korean missile exploded in flight, says Seoul

Houthis target ship in Gulf of Aden, Iraq-claimed attack strikes Eilat

China denies U.S. envoy’s claims that Beijing is hindering relations

Secret talks led to Assange deal, says Australia PM

Iran presses on with crackdown over headscarf ahead of presidential polls

Indigenous women in Canada fight for the mortal remains of their beloved

Seeing red

Anti-immigration party gains ground among British voters

Junta in Myanmar struggles to curb opium cultivation

ICC convicts Mali extremist leader with al-Qaeda links

Sports

Rohit’s India will look to banish the ghosts of Adelaide 2022

Both semifinals truly could be anyone’s game

Australia win has given India great confidence: Rohit

Afghanistan vs South Africa: a battle between the tweakers

‘We’ve been galvanised; we were sweating on weather, other results’

Having Pollard on board has been valuable: England coach Mott

Rashid reprimanded for breaching ICC Code of Conduct

All teams are getting reverse swing: Rohit rubbishes Inzamam’s claim

Rain threat looms large

Romania takes top spot in Group E ahead of Belgium and Slovakia

Defending champion Argentina advances to the quarterfinals with a late win over Chile

Every shot counts and it is a game of precision: Cheema

Eyeing a Paris ticket, India’s top athletes gear up one last time

Harmanpreet to lead as HI names team for Paris Games

Kapil Dev takes over as president of PGTI

Srihari, Dhinidhi to compete in Paris through ‘Universality quota’

Fringes to focal point: Kuldeep’s rags to riches story