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National

- Campaign ends; last phase to decide 57 seats

- Yearly reminder

- Start-up Agnikul launches world’s first rocket with fully 3D-printed engine

- Monsoon sets in over Kerala and Northeast India simultaneously

- I did not single out any community for special treatment: Manmohan

- Hassan MP Prajwal lands in Bengaluru

- PM addressed 206 public events during campaign

- 22 passengers killed as bus skids into a gorge in Jammu

- ‘Record-breaking’ temperature in Delhi might have been due to faulty device

- Every vote counts

- Loss of civilian lives in Rafah ‘heartbreaking’, a matter of serious concern, says MEA

- 16 Army men booked for attacking a police station in Kupwara

- ED files prosecution complaint against Shahjahan Sheikh

- Indian peacekeeper gets U.N. award on gender advocacy

- Driver held in Karan Bhushan convoy car accident case

- Cyclone Remal: floods claim four lives in Assam

- Sandeshkhali, the island in the prime poll position in Bengal

- Save us from the drug menace, Punjab villagers tell parties

- In Odisha, Anjani Soren wages a lone battle to keep JMM afloat

- V.K. Pandian is not my successor, says Patnaik

- PM remark on Gandhiji shocking: NC

- HC rejects plea seeking Modi’s disqualification

- INDIA may pick PM in less than 48 hours: Jairam

- Modi addressed 206 public events during the long-drawn campaign

- In its Sangrur bastion, voters ask questions of AAP over unfulfilled promises from 2022

- 14189

- HC refuses protection to interfaith couple to marry under Special Marriage Act

- ‘PM spoke on divisive issues 421 times, no mention of inflation’

- Service to Acharyas

- Chhota Rajan gets life term for 2001 murder of hotelier

- Teen’s blood sample may have been replaced with mother’s

Campaign ends; last phase to decide 57 seats

Sreeparna Chakrabarty

New Delhi

The seventh and last phase of voting will be held in eight States and Union Territories; Varanasi, where the Prime Minister is seeking re-election for a third term, is among the constituencies; PM heads to Kanniyakumari to meditate on the Vivekananda Rock Memorial till June 1; Opposition raise concerns as meditation coincides with silent period

1 of 3 The final push: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses a public meeting at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar; Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal holds a roadshow in Patiala; Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a mace at a public meeting in Hoshiarpur of Punjab on Thursday. ANIANI

2 of 3

3 of 3

Curtains came down on Thursday on the high-octane campaign for the Lok Sabha election, which saw political parties try and weave narratives, often acrimonious, over issues ranging from caste, religion, reservation, and citizenship.

The seventh and last phase of voting will be held on Saturday for 57 seats in eight States and Union Territories, including in Varanasi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking re-election for a third term. Among these seats, the BJP had won 25 in 2019.

The two constants in the nearly two-month campaign were the searing heat and low voter turnout as compared with the 2019 figure. Voting has been completed in 486 seats in 28 States and Union Territories. The turnout in the first six phases was 66.14%, 66.71%, 65.68%, 69.16%, 62.2%, and 63.36% respectively.

Mr. Modi held 206 rallies, events, and roadshows during the campaign period. The Prime Minister held his last rally in Hoshiarpur of Punjab on Thursday.

The Prime Minister headed to Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu to meditate on the Vivekananda Rock Memorial till June 1. Opposition parties have raised concerns with the Election Commission as Mr. Modi’s meditation coincides with the silent period.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed his last public programme at a village in Khatkar Kalan of Punjab, the birthplace of Bhagat Singh.

‘Star campaigner’

Mr. Modi’s campaign pitches were also marked by controversial speeches such as the one in Banswara in which he had claimed that the Congress would snatch away ‘Mangalsutras’ worn by women and redistribute wealth among Muslims. The Election Commission, following a complaint by the Congress, sent a notice to BJP president J.P. Nadda asking him to explain the speech made by the party’s “star campaigner”.

The Opposition INDIA bloc claimed in its campaign pitch that the BJP was anti-farmer, anti-youth and wanted to change the Constitution if they win the polls.

Welfare schemes

During the campaign in the battleground State of West Bengal, while the Trinamool Congress kept the focus on its welfare schemes, including ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’, through which women above 60 years are given ₹1,000 per month, the BJP, which is the main challenger, spoke about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while addressing the crowd at the beginning of a 12-km-long a road show in Jadavpur and South Kolkata Lok Sabha constituencies, said the saffron camp did not care about the constitutional responsibilities that come with the Prime Minister’s chair.

In Bihar, another crucial State, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was the star campaigner, who held 251 public meetings, sometimes even in a wheelchair.

In Odisha, the campaign ended for an intensely fought Assembly election along with the Lok Sabha polls during which Mr. Modi questioned Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal supremo Naveen Patnaik’s health. The BJD chief hit back, saying Mr. Modi was just “trying to garner votes” during election time.

Another high point of the long campaign was the arrest and release on bail till June 1 of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who campaigned extensively for his party as well as the INDIA alliance in the national capital and in Punjab.

Yearly reminder

Hanging by a thread: On the eve of World No Tobacco Day, an installation with giant cigarettes hanging from a tree is seen outside a hospital in Mumbai on Thursday. The campaign aims to shed light on the impact of tobacco consumption. EMMANUAL YOGINIEMMANUAL YOGINI

Sangeetha Kandavel

CHENNAI

Agnibaan, powered by the the world’s first single-piece 3D-printed rocket engine, launched from Sriharikota on Thursday. ANIANI

The Chennai-headquartered space start-up Agnikul Cosmos Private Ltd. launched the world’s first rocket — Agnibaan Sub Orbital Technology Demonstrator (SOrTeD) — with a single-piece 3D-printed engine from Sriharikota at 7.15 a.m. on Thursday.

Agnibaan SOrTeD is India’s first launch from a private launchpad, called ‘Dhanush’, established by Agnikul.

It is also India’s first semi-cryogenic engine-powered rocket launch and the world’s first single-piece 3D-printed engine designed and built indigenously.

According to the start-up, the key purpose of this mission is to serve as a test flight, todemonstratein-houseandhome-growntechnologies,gather crucial flight data andensure optimal functioning of systems for Agnikul’s orbital launch vehicle, the ‘Agnibaan’.

“Congratulations @AgnikulCosmos for the successful launch of the Agnibaan SoRTed-01 mission from their launch pad. A major milestone, as the first-ever controlled flight of a semi-cryogenic liquid engine realised through additive manufacturing,” the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) posted on X, following the launch.

The IIT-Madras incubated start-up had originally planned the launch for April 7 but had to postpone it 129 seconds before the lift-off due to some technical glitches.

Monsoon sets in over Kerala and Northeast India simultaneously

Jacob Koshy

NEW DELHI

Marking the arrival: Dark clouds hover over the Grove Beach at Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. PTI

The southwest monsoon set in over Kerala on Thursday, two days before the normal day of onset and a day before the forecast date of May 31, the India Meteorological Department said in a statement.

In an unusual turn, the monsoon also simultaneously set in over northeastern India. The monsoon system has two branches — the Arabian Sea branch and the Bay of Bengal branch.

The onset of the monsoon is defined with the Arabian Sea branch setting in over Kerala, which is usually June 1 and the other, setting in by June 5.

The two branches eventually merge over Central India and sustain the southwest monsoon until September.

This time however, partly under the influence of Cyclone Remal, the eastern branch arrived in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and most parts of Tripura, Meghalaya and Assam on May 30, the IMD noted. Since 1990, such an onset has been reported in 1991, 1995, 1997, 2017 and now in 2024, according to data from the IMD.

The declaration of the monsoon’s onset over Kerala follows well-defined criteria and the meteorological agency has a dedicated weather model to forecast the beginning of the monsoon. This year, the agency forecast the monsoon to arrive on May 31, and within an error window of four days.

I did not single out any community for special treatment: Manmohan

The Hindu Bureau

CHANDIGARH

Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “lowering the dignity of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) with hate speeches”, his predecessor Dr. Manmohan Singh denied that he had ever singled out any community for special treatment.

“I have been keenly following the political discourse during this election campaign. Modi ji has indulged in the most vicious form of hate speeches, which are purely divisive in nature,” Dr. Singh said in a three-page appeal to the voters of Punjab on Thursday ahead of the polls in the State on Saturday.

“Modi ji is the first Prime Minister to lower the dignity of public discourse, and thereby the gravity of the office of the Prime Minister. No Prime Minister in the past has uttered such hateful, unparliamentary and coarse terms, meant to target either a specific section of the society or the opposition. He has also attributed some false statements to me. I have never in my life singled out one community from the other. That is the sole copyright of the BJP,” the former PM added.

Dr. Singh didn’t mention the remark about the community in his letter.

Pointing out that in the past ten years, the BJP government has left no stone unturned in castigating “Punjab, Punjabis and Punjabiyat”, Dr. Singh said that 750 farmers, mostly belonging to Punjab, were martyred while incessantly waiting at Delhi borders (during protests against now repealed farm laws), for months together.

Hassan MP Prajwal lands in Bengaluru

The Hindu Bureau

Bengaluru

Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of sexually abusing several women, landed in Bengaluru from Germany around half past Thursday midnight, after being away from the country for over a month.

He will now face a probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up in connection with the alleged sexual abuse cases.

The 33-year-old grandson of the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda flew down from Munich.

He had left the country soon after polling in Hassan concluded amid the circulation of explicit videos allegedly involving him.

PM addressed 206 public events during campaign

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

After 82 days stretched across seven phases, campaigning for the Lok Sabha election wrapped up on Thursday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the BJP. According to sources in the PMO, Mr. Modi addressed 206 rallies.

22 passengers killed as bus skids into a gorge in Jammu

The Hindu Bureau

JAMMU

The vehicle was carrying passengers from Hathras in Uttar Pradesh for the Shiv Khori yatra in Reasi district; 57 injured are under treatment at Akhnoor hospital and Jammu medical college

Tense moments: Rescue operation under way in the Akhnoor area of Jammu on Thursday. PTISTR

At least 22 passengers were killed and 57 injured after a bus rolled down a deep gorge in the Akhnoor area of Jammu on Thursday afternoon.

“Twenty-two persons have died in this accident. At present, 57 injured are under treatment at Government Medical College, Jammu, and at the Sub-District Hospital (SDH), Akhnoor,” Sachin Kumar Vaishya, District Magistrate, Jammu, said.

He initiated a magisterial inquiry into the cause of the accident. “An Additional District Magistrate, Jammu, shall submit a report within seven days,” an official spokesman said.

The district administration is in communication with the authorities in Hathras and Aligarh, from where most of the passengers hailed from.

The accident took place near Chungi Morh on the Jammu-Poonch highway. The vehicle, which rolled down into the gorge for a distance of around 200 meters, was badly damaged. “The bus, carrying passengers from Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, met with an accident near Tanda, Akhnoor, in Jammu,” an official said earlier. The passengers were headed for the Shiv Khori yatra in Reasi district.

President Droupadi Murmu expressed grief over the accident. “Pained beyond words to learn about the loss of lives in a bus accident in #Akhnoor near Jammu. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery of the injured,” the President said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his anguish over the loss of lives in Akhnoor. “My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover soon,” Mr. Modi said on X.

He announced ₹2 lakh as ex gratia for the next of kin of the deceased, and ₹50,000 for the injured.

J&K Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha expressed grief. “The bus accident in Akhnoor, Jammu, is heart-rending. I condole the loss of lives and pray to the Almighty to give the bereaved families the strength to bear the irreparable loss. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Mr. Sinha said. He directed the administration “to provideall possible assistance to the bereaved families”.

‘Record-breaking’ temperature in Delhi might have been due to faulty device

Jacob Koshy

NEW DELHI

Scorching plight: Wednesday’s reading suggested that Delhi had broken a temperature ceiling. AFPARUN SANKAR

The unprecedented temperature of 52.9 Celsius reported in Delhi on May 29 is likely to have been due to a reading from a faulty instrument, and not a weather phenomenon. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is conducting an investigation into the matter, The Hindu has learnt from conversations with multiple senior officials in the department.

With Delhi and several parts of North India reeling under an intense heatwave, Wednesday’s reading suggested that Delhi had broken a temperature ceiling that had not been breached even in western Rajasthan, which is usually a region of recording-breaking temperatures.

The reading reported out of a single station in Delhi’s Mungeshpur was a large three-degree rise from that of the previous day’s (May 28) reading at the station of 49.9 degrees Celsius.

The weather station at Mungeshpur is an automatic weather station (AWS), one of 16 such stations deployed by the agency to measure variations in temperature, humidity, and rainfall across Delhi. Deployed only since 2022, they work differently from the IMD’s five “departmental” or manually operated weather stations that have been the official source of Delhi’s weather since decades. The manual weather stations have people reading a traditional thermometer to measure and report temperatures four times a day. While the AWS relies on sensors (thermistors) and generates meteorological values on demand, and the information is made available on the agency’s website on an hourly basis.

While the AWSs are extremely accurate, durable and consistent, experts say that the IMD does not yet have all-round expertise on these instruments.

“If at least one or two of the 21 weather stations had reported a temperature of at least 50 [degrees Celsius], then such a reading of 52.9 would still be considered plausible,” a senior meteorologist from the organisation told The Hindu. “While manual observations and thermometers are well understood, the AWSs are more complex instruments. While very accurate, they may, like any other instrument, be prone to error and go undetected for a while. This is a learning experience for us.”

A “thorough test and investigation is under way” before a conclusion can be drawn, M. Mohapatra, Director-General, IMD, told The Hindu. If the instrument at Mungeshpur was faulty, there was no indication over previous days that its readings were off, the official said.

“The maximum temperature over Delhi NCR varied from 45.2 degrees Celsius to 49.1 degrees Celsius in different parts of the city. Mungeshpur reported 52.9°C as an outlier. It could be due to an error in the sensor or the local factor. IMD is examining the data and sensors,” the weather body’s statement on Wednesday noted.

Every vote counts

Long trek: Polling officials and porters carrying EVM and VVPAT machines walk past a river to reach a remote polling station at Almi in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, ahead of the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha election.REUTERS

Loss of civilian lives in Rafah ‘heartbreaking’, a matter of serious concern, says MEA

Kallol Bhattacherjee

NEW DELHI

Randhir Jaiswal

The loss of Palestinian lives in the recent Israeli bombing of Rafah is “heartbreaking”, India said on Thursday.

Nearly 45 Palestinians, including children, were killed when Israeli bombs hit tents housing displaced persons in Rafah on May 26. The Indian stand on the carnage was shared by the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, during the weekly press briefing.

He also highlighted that India had recognised the Palestinian state way back in the late 1980s.

“The heartbreaking loss of civilian lives in the displacement camp in Rafah is a matter of deep concern. We have consistently called for protection of civilian population and respect for international humanitarian law in the ongoing conflict. We also note that the Israeli side has already accepted responsibility for it as a tragic accident and announced an investigation into the incident,” said Mr. Jaiswal.

The bombing of the tents heightened the global outrage against the ongoing Israeli campaign in the Gaza Strip. This incident coincided with Spain, Ireland and Norway granting recognition to the Palestinian state.

“We have long supported a two-state solution, which entails the establishment of a sovereign, viable, and independent state of Palestine within recognised and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace,” said Mr. Jaiswal when asked about the move by Ireland, Norway and Spain.

‘Objective view’

Mr. Jaiswal also took note of the remarks by former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif that Islamabad had violated the 1999 Lahore pact signed by PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Mr. Sharif on February 21, 1999, However, months later, the Kargil war broke out.

“You are aware of our position on the issue. We note that there is an objective view emerging in Pakistan as well on this matter,” Mr. Jaiswal said.

16 Army men booked for attacking a police station in Kupwara

The Hindu Bureau

SRINAGAR

Sixteen Army personnel, including three Lieutenant-Colonels, have been named in a first information report (FIR) for allegedly barging into a police station and beating up and kidnapping policemen in Kupwara of north Kashmir on May 28. Four policemen sustained injuries in the clash and have been admitted to a Srinagar hospital.

The violence was caught on camera. In the video, Army men can be seen entering the police station, and dragging and thrashing the policemen. The incident took place around 9.40 p.m. on a day that the police had searched the house of a local Territorial Army man in connection with a case, taking him into custody. “A huge number of armed and uniformed personnel of 160 Territorial Army led by Lieutenant-Colonel Ankit Sood, Lieutenant-Colonel Rajiv Chauhan and Lieutenant-Colonel Nikhil unauthorisedly entered the premises of the Police Station, Kupwara,” the FIR said.

“Upon seeing the arrival of the police units and senior police officers, the alleged personnel and officers of 160 Territorial Army led by the Lieutenant-Colonels brandished their weapons, snatched the mobile phones of the injured police personnel and Station House Officer, Kupwara, Inspector Mohmmad Ishaq,” it said.

The Army men also abducted Head Constable Ghulam Rasool, the FIR said. Official sources said that the Territorial Army man earlier taken into custody by the police were taken away from the station.

The J&K Police said the case is being investigated.

The Army has not commented on the FIR. However, a Srinagar-based defence spokesperson said that the reports of an altercation between police and Army personnel “were incorrect”.

ED files prosecution complaint against Shahjahan Sheikh

Devesh K. Pandey

NEW DELHI

Shahjahan Sheikh ANI

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a prosecution complaint against suspended Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh, his brother Sheikh Alomgir, and others in connection with a money laundering case related to their alleged involvement in organised crimes in West Bengal.

The ED’s probe is based on 13 first information reports (FIRs) registered by the State police under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act, alleging that Mr. Sheikh and others issued threats of injury, murder, attempt to murder, and extortion, grabbed land of the public, and also obtained illegal monetary gains. “Shahjahan Sheikh had created a criminal empire revolving around land grabbing, illegal fish farming/trading, grabbing of brick fields, cartelisation of contracts, collection of illegal taxes/levies, commission on land deals, etc.,” the ED said on Thursday.

The agency recorded statements of local farmers, tribal people, fish merchants, agents, exporters, landowners, and contractors under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. During searches, it seized three vehicles belonging to Mr. Sheikh and his brother.

The agency has so far attached assets worth ₹27.08 crore in the case involving proceeds of crime of ₹261.41 crore. The ED had previously arrested Mr. Sheikh, his brother, and two accomplices. They are in judicial custody.

Indian peacekeeper gets U.N. award on gender advocacy

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres with Major Radhika Sen on Thursday. PTI

Major Radhika Sen, an Indian peacekeeper deployed in Congo, was awarded the U.N. Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award for 2023 for her work supporting conflict-affected communities.

The award was presented by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday as May 30 is observed as the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.

Major Sen served in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from March 2023 to April 2024. She led a team of 20 women soldiers and 10 male soldiers. Her work mainly focused on interacting with civilians, addressing security concerns of internally displaced persons, and advocating for the voices of women, girls, and children in conflict zones, an Army official said.

Mr. Guterres described her service as “a true credit to the UN as a whole”. “In an escalating conflict environment in North Kivu, her troops actively engaged with conflict-affected communities, including women and girls,” he said in a statement, noting that she earned their trust “with humility, compassion, and dedication”.

Major Sen said the award is a recognition to the hard work put in by the peacekeepers working in the challenging environment of DRC.

She hails from Sunder Nagar, a small town in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. Her parents retired as teachers.

Driver held in Karan Bhushan convoy car accident case

The Hindu Bureau

Lucknow

A day after two young men on a motorcycle were killed in an accident involving an SUV that was part of the BJP’s Kaiserganj Lok Sabha candidate Karan Bhushan Singh’s convoy, the leader said the bikers fell in front of the car after their two-wheeler hit an elderly woman who “suddenly appeared on the road”.

In a video message, Mr. Karan said, “The youth who lost their lives driving the motorcycle knocked the woman when she suddenly appeared on the road. They fell in the path of the SUV and got run over by the car. The accident is very painful and a coincidence. I pay my deepest condolences to the deceased.”

On Thursday, the Gonda police took the driver of the car into custody. Earlier, a case was registered against unknown persons under Sections 279 (driving or riding a vehicle negligently and endangering human life), 304-A (causing the death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide) and 427 (committing mischief and causing loss or damage to the amount of fifty rupees or upwards) of the Indian Penal Code.

Shehzad Khan and Rehan Khan were killed on Wednesday after the vehicle in the convoy hit them near Baikunth Degree College on the Colonelganj-Huzoorpur Road. The Opposition targeted the BJP over the incident calling it ‘Lakhimpur Part 2’ in a reference to the 2021 incident in Lakhimpur Kheri in which four farmers were run over by a car that was part of the convoy of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and BJP MP Ajay Kumar Mishra. Mr. Karan is the younger son outgoing Kaiserganj MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is facing allegations of sexual assault.

Cyclone Remal: floods claim four lives in Assam

The Hindu Bureau

GUWAHATI

Four persons, including a woman, died in Assam during the past 48 hours due to floods caused by incessant rainfall in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal.

This followed the death of at least 40 people in the cyclone-induced storms, flash floods, and landslides across Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland.

A spokesperson of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority said the floods across nine districts affected 1.98 lakh people with 35,640 of them shifted to 110 relief camps.

Much of Manipur’s capital Imphal grappled with the worst floods in 35 years.

“Thousands are affected by one of the worst floods but there are no casualties so far,” CM N. Biren Singh toldThe Hindu.

Sandeshkhali, the river island buffeted by a political cyclone

Shiv Sahay Singh

SANDESHKHALI

Villagers talk about alleged atrocities in hushed tones following sting videos questioning the veracity of the accusations in a politicised atmosphere; the BJP has pitched it as a women’s issue and the Trinamool terms the allegations ‘propaganda’

Key fight: The battle for Basirhat, a constituency bordering Bangladesh, has now become a prestige fight for the BJP and the Trinamool. Sandeshkhali comes under the constituency. DEBASISH BHADURI

The riverine island of Sandeshkhali in the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency remains tense ahead of polling day on June 1. Since allegations of land grabbing and sexual assault were levelled against a group of local Trinamool Congress leaders, Sandeshkhali has been witness to widespread protests; signs of violence are still evident from villagers’ attacks against the now-suspended Trinamool leaders, including at the poultry farm of Shiboprasad Hazra.

Over the past three months, however, the whole island has also been decked up with the flags of political parties and poll-related graffiti. The villagers still talk about the alleged atrocities by former Trinamool leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides, Mr. Hazra and Uttam Gayen, but in hushed tones.

“Initially, when the movement against the Trinamool leaders erupted, people were united against them. Now, people have taken sides and whole thing has become political,” said Nitai Das, an islander.

In fact, even the political party workers swelling party offices on the island in the run-up to polling day are unwilling to speak on record after a series of sting videos, which have triggered suspicions regarding the veracity of the sexual assault allegations.

“How do I know that you are not secretly recording it and will publish it as a sting video,” a BJP supporter asked. The Trinamool leadership has been able to counter the allegations of land grab and sexual abuse on account of these sting videos, which show a local BJP leader and some women questioning the truth of the allegations.

The BJP, however, has staked its campaign around the allegations. The Central investigating agencies have been quick to take action and filed a chargesheet against Mr. Shahjahan in the three months since his arrest on February 29 by the West Bengal Police. The BJP’s candidate from the Basirhat seat is Rekha Patra, a 30-year-old political debutant who was one of the women who accused the local Trinamool leaders of committing atrocities in Sandeshkhali.

Modi’s gesture

Not only has Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to Ms. Patra by telephone, calling her a Shakti Swaroopa, or symbol of strength, but he also recently singled her out at a public meeting, lauding her oratory skills and declaring that he wants such people in Parliament.

In fact, the BJP has shaped its campaign for the entire State around the Sandeshkhali narrative, with the party’s top leadership raking up the allegations in every public meeting and pitching it as a women’s issue.

Almost 50% of the West Bengal electorate, about 3.73 crore voters, are women.

The battle for Basirhat, a constituency bordering Bangladesh, has now become a prestige fight for both the BJP and the Trinamool. The State’s ruling party has dubbed the allegations “misinformation and propaganda”, and highlighted its own initiatives dedicated to women, including cash incentive schemes such as Lakshmir Bhandar and Kanyashree.

After months, the Trinamool has finally opened its own party office in Sandeshkhali. Bhatka Das, a Trinamool supporter who had once publicly accused his own party leaders of alleged atrocities, is busy arranging voter slips for a last minute door-to-door campaign. Trinamool supporters say that since action has been taken against those who were alleged to have committed atrocities, voters should support the ruling party in the election. Mr. Shahjahan and his aides have been arrested, but so were local BJP and CPI(M) supporters, who were only released after the intervention of the Calcutta High Court.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has campaigned for her party’s Basirhat candidate Haji Nurul Islam, has said that she will visit Sandeshkhali once her party candidate wins the Lok Sabha seat.

As tensions continue to hold sway, security forces deployed for election duty have arrived at the island. As the island prepares to vote on Friday, the outcome of the election here is likely to continue to dominate the State’s politics in the weeks to come.

Save us from the drug menace, Punjab villagers tell parties

A.M. Jigeesh

Bathinda

Seeking strong measures: Women agriculture workers at Kotguru village in Bathinda. A.M. Jigeesh

Dalits and landless agriculture workers in Punjab, who make up about 32% of Punjab’s population, have mainly two demands to whoever forms the next government at the Centre — take strong measures to curb drug trade and expand and strengthen the Public Distribution System (PDS).

Fatuhi Wala and Singhe Wala villages in Muktsar district come under the Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency. The villages, situated about 10 km from Badal village, the home village of Shiromani Akali Dal candidate and former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, have been struggling with the drug issue.

Agriculture worker Birpal Kaur and her sister Charanjeet Kaur have suffered the most from the problem. Ms. Birpal lost her son and Ms. Charanjeet lost two of her sons in the past seven-and-a-half months to drug abuse. Ms. Charanjeet is a widow and stays with her sister and brother-in-law Sahi Ram. Drug trade must stop, the Kaurs say. No family should suffer like we suffered, they add.

The family works with the big landlords in the village and are landless labourers. Mr. Ram is on an early contract of ₹1.2 lakh a year with the landlord and should complete whatever agricultural works assigned to him. With the mechanisation of agriculture, they do not have many jobs in the village, which has nearly 200 such agriculture workers.

Minimum rate

“There is a floor minimum rate for agriculture workers in the State. We get about ₹400 a day, including food. If it’s without food, the amount is ₹350,” say Kala Singh and Makhan Singh, two other labourers, who are also associated with the Punjab Kher Mazdoor Union (PKMU) that organises landless agriculture workers.

Mr. Sahi Ram has been working with the landlords since he was a child. “We haven’t received any help from the government in healthcare, education of children or for the construction of this house. We have Ayushman cards, but have not used any benefits yet,” he said, adding that the remuneration is not increasing the way prices have risen for vegetables and groceries.

The Kaurs also work as domestic helpers at the houses of landlords and earn about ₹6,000 a month. They also go for work under the MGNREGS. “We never received work for 100 days. At the most, we got about 40 days of work in some years,” Ms. Kaur said.

Microfinancing companies are the main loan providers for these agriculture workers. Their interest range between 18% and 60%. “These micro financing companies make groups of women and authorise the leader of the group to pay back the loan,” said Ashwini, a leader of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha, an organisation that works among youngsters.

“A number of youngsters have died in this area from drug abuse. Five or six of them are under treatment. This is rampant particularly among the families of agriculture workers. Most of them cannot afford chitta [a synthetic drug made from heroin popular in Punjab], but they use some other varieties of chemicals available widely in the State. Whichever government comes at the Centre, they must take the strongest possible measures to stop drug trade. Youngsters are dying. There should be jobs so that we all can survive,” Ms. Ashwini added.

Cotton cultivation

In Kotguru village, near Bathinda, agriculture workers are mainly engaged in labour-intensive cotton cultivation.

The women workers used to earn up to ₹500 a day during the harvest season that lasts for about two-and-a-half months. Now, the area no longer cultivates cotton due to the pink bollworm pest attack. Sandeep Kaur and Balwant Kaur were earlier agriculture workers who were experts in harvesting and processing cotton. Now both of them work in a liquor factory nearby. “There is no other way as cotton cultivation has stopped,” they said.

Mahendra Singh and Gurlal Singh of the same village used to be tractor drivers in the cotton fields. They too lost their jobs and are now working in a shop in Bathinda to make ends meet. The village too has seen victims of drugs and the villagers, particularly women, have been demanding strongest measures against drugs.

“Drug band hojae. Hume aur kuchh nahi chahie [We don’t need anything else, the drugs should be banned],” said Sandeep Kaur.

Elderly women in Kotguru say that PDS is very important for their survival. “Earlier we used to get 30 kg of wheat per person for ₹2 per kilogram. Now we don’t get anything from the State, but we get 5 kg of wheat per person for free. We really don’t know when they are going to stop it,” said Jaspal Kaur, demanding that more items should be included in the Public Distribution System.

“PDS should be a right and should not be treated as a scheme,” Ms. Kaur said, and added that parties talk a lot, but do not do anything for the poor.

In Odisha, Anjani Soren wages a lone battle to keep JMM afloat

Satyasundar Barik

GHODADEGA (ODISHA)

Battle to gain ground: Anjani Soren, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha candidate for the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha. BISWARANJAN ROUT

Sitting on a charpoy in a quaint, sprawling clay-roof house in this nondescript village, a middle-aged woman instructs a group of men to spread out and reignite the spirit of unifying tribal persons under the banner of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), aiming to make it the preferred party once more in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.

Anjani Soren, daughter of JMM patriarch Shibu Soren and sister of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, is waging a lone battle to keep the JMM afloat in Odisha despite personal setbacks.

Ms. Soren stayed devoted to her family until the death of her husband, Debananda Marandi of Ghodadega village in Mayurbhanj, in 2017. It was around this time that her political career took off. Despite her short tenure in politics, she has taken on the challenge of reviving the JMM, which has been plagued by frequent defections.

“My husband had perhaps seen a spark of a political career in me. Before his death, he encouraged me to run in the zilla parishad election in 2017. Subsequently, I contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Mayurbhanj and finished third. I hope to perform better this time,” she said.

Ms. Soren is contesting the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat and the Saraskana Assembly seat. She is supported by the Congress, the JMM’s partner in the INDIA bloc. Besides her candidacy in Saraskana, the JMM has fielded candidates in four other Assembly seats.

Ghodadega, home of her husband’s parents, is just 3 km from the in-laws’ home of President Droupadi Murmu. Despite this proximity, Ms. Soren is not overwhelmed by Ms. Murmu’s influence in the locality.

“President Murmu’s election was part of the BJP’s grand plan to be seen as champion of tribal cause, aimed at garnering tribal votes. Has it benefited people as a whole? Women continue to sell leaf plates and raw plant branches used as toothbrush,” she said.

In 2019, the JMM leader finished third by securing 1,35,552 votes, 11.78% of the votes polled.

How did she manage to poll over one lakh votes in her maiden Lok Sabha election? “My father had built a political movement in Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts of Odisha. I was benefited by his efforts. I have been in regular touch with party cadres during the past five years,” she said.

Asked about Mr. Hemant’s arrest and its potential impact on her campaign, she said, “Hemant Sorenji was arrested as part of a political conspiracy. It has got resonance in this tribal-dominated region. I deeply feel his absence as a leader and brother. However, this will not hinder my determination to keep the JMM flag flying high.”

Ms. Soren is pitted against Sudam Marndi, State’s Revenue and Disaster Management Minister and Biju Janata Dal leader. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mayurbhanj on JMM ticket in 2004. Her other opponent, BJP candidate Naba Charan Majhi, also has his roots in the JMM movement.

V.K. Pandian is not my successor, says Patnaik

Satyasundar Barik

BHUBANESWAR

With the BJP going all guns blazing by converting Odia asmita (pride) into a major poll plank targeting Tamil Nadu-born former bureaucrat V.K. Pandian, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday said his close confidant would not be his successor.

“I can’t understand these exaggerations. You have noticed he [Mr. Pandian] is not standing for this election. He is not my successor. I see all of these as exaggerations and falsehood,” Mr. Patnaik said.

Asked about Mr. Pandian taking all decisions on his behalf, Mr. Patnaik said, “That is ridiculous. I have said this often before this is an old allegation. It holds no weight”. He said: “I have said the succession will be decided by the people of the State. That is the natural result of these things.” He said, “They [BJP] are getting more and more desperate particularly as their popularity is waning in the country.”

However, he did not rule out the possibility of reconciling with the BJP after the elections. When asked if the acrimony between BJP and BJD in the election campaigning has shut the door for extending support if NDA needs it in the post-poll scenario, he said: “I have never shown acrimony to anyone in public life. When support is required, we will judge our appropriate position.”

PM remark on Gandhiji shocking: NC

National Conference Party president Farooq Abdullah at a poll rally. ANIANI

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah Thursday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks on Mahatma Gandhi as “shocking”.

He said, “Modiji says [Mahatma] Gandhi got recognition after a film was made on him! It’s shocking.”

“His [Gandhiji] statues are present all over the world and our Prime Minister forgot that India’s Independence has a great contribution from Gandhi. Both Modi and Gandhi belong to Gujarat and yet, the PM feels shame in praising Gandhi,” he added.

He also said he could not forget the sacrifices made by Gandhiji for the country and that “he [Gandhiji] wanted Hindus and Muslims to live together happily, but the PM is widening the gap between the two communities”.PTI

HC rejects plea seeking Modi’s disqualification

The Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from contesting the Lok Sabha election, saying the allegations levelled are vague, reckless and unsubstantiated.

“Perusal of the petition reveals that the same is replete with vague, unsubstantiated and reckless allegations. Not only are the pleadings inchoate but the tenor of the same is demonstrative of the fact that the petition is tainted with mala fide and oblique motives,” it said. The plea by Captain Deepak Kumar alleged that Mr. Modi and his accomplices attempted to destabilise national security by planning a fatal crash of an Air India flight in 2018 which the petitioner commanded as a pilot.

INDIA may pick PM in less than 48 hours: Jairam

The INDIA bloc will get a “decisive mandate” and may take less than 48 hours to decide on its Prime Ministerial pick, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Thursday. He said the party which gets the maximum seats in the alliance will be a “natural claimant” for its leadership.PTI

Modi addressed 206 public events during the long-drawn campaign

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

Low turnout in early phases posed challenge to BJP ; during campaign, BJP claimed that Congress sought quota based on religion; party campaigned aggressively in West Bengal and Odisha

Hectic days: Narendra Modi takes part in a Ganga aarti in Varanasi before filing his nomination on May 14. SANDEEP SAXENA

After 82 days stretched across seven phases, campaigning for the Lok Sabha election wrapped up on Thursday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the BJP in its bid for a third successive term.

According to sources in the Prime Minister’s Office, the marathon campaign saw Mr. Modi address 206 rallies — often in searing, record-breaking heat — with that number also including other events and roadshows, an oft-deployed feature of his campaign strategy. He also gave over 80 interviews to a cross-section of media organisations. His senior Cabinet colleagues also put in hard work: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed 101 public events including 94 rallies and seven roadshows, and Home Minister Amit Shah took part in 188 public engagements.

For the BJP, the challenge during this campaign came largely from within. The heat and party workers’ complacency over the BJP’s prospects of winning the polls contributed to low voter turnout, something that party leaders, warned against throughout the campaign.

Early on in the campaign, the BJP faced a backlash after Uttara Kannada MP Anant Hegde said that the party’s slogan of getting more than 400 Lok Sabha seats was important as “big constitutional changes” required a two-thirds majority. This statement was widely interpreted as a bid to change the Constitution to remove reservations.

“Two phases of polls demonstrated that this issue was gaining traction on the ground and had to be countered. Which is why you saw Mr. Modi declare that the BJP had no intention of ending reservations,” a senior party leader said.

The BJP then went on to attack the Congress on what it called the party’s “minority appeasement” politics, saying the party’s manifesto indicated that it was open to reservations on the basis of religion, or a so-called “Muslim quota”. The Congress manifesto does not say this.

Caste equations

It was not all big rallies and narrative building; micromanagement efforts also played a role in the BJP’s campaign. For instance, Mr. Shah was responsible for a careful balancing of the caste equations in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Meetings with Raghuraj Pratap Singh, alias Raja bhaiyya; Narad Rai, a strongman in Ballia; and the withdrawal of Shrikala Reddy Singh from contesting the Jaunpur seat on BSP ticket were all part of this micro management.

The BJP also showed its aggression in the eastern States of West Bengal and Odisha.

As the campaign wrapped up, the Prime Minister made his way to Kanniyakumari for a three-day stint of meditation at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial.

In its Sangrur bastion, voters ask questions of AAP over unfulfilled promises from 2022

Vikas Vasudeva

SANGRUR

1 of 2 Sangrur MP Simranjit Singh Mann during a public meeting in the constituency; and, right, AAP candidate Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer addressing a public meeting in Malerkotla.X/@SimranjitSADA, X/@meet_hayer

2 of 2

As the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) toils hard to regain its stronghold of Sangrur, which it lost in a Lok Sabha byelection in 2022, the path to victory for the party this time appears to be paved with challenges. Sections of voters are annoyed with the AAP government in Punjab for the unkept promises made during the Assembly election in 2022. The Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency, the home turf of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, is considered an AAP bastion as he had won the Lok Sabha seat in 2014 and 2019.

The AAP made its mark in Punjab with a thumping majority in the 2022 Assembly election. But within three months of assuming power, the party faced a major setback as it lost the byelection in the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency to Simranjit Singh Mann, a radical Sikh leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). The byelection was necessitated as the segment fell vacant after Mr. Mann won the Dhuri Assembly seat.

Need for health clinics

At Sehna village in Barnala, Ram Kumar, who runs a tea stall, is angry with the government. “Before the 2022 Assembly polls, they [AAP] promised to open Aam Aadmi clinics [mohalla clinics], so I was hoping that new clinics would come up, but actually what have they done? They [the government] have set up a clinic in the already existing building of my village’s primary health centre. They think people are fools, but it’s not the case. People can see through their intentions. But I am still hopeful as two-and-a-half years are left for the State government,” he says.

Nodding his head in agreement, Kulwinder Singh, a farmer, is however, happy with the State government’s effort to provide uninterrupted electricity for his farm.

Malkit Kaur, the village head, confirmed that the clinic is being run in the already existing building of the primary health centre. “The health centre is around 70 years old. In the same building, the Aam Aadmi clinic was started last year,” she says.

Gurbakhsish Singh, a farmer in Bhawanigarh town, said, “They [AAP] promised to provide minimum support price for crops if they came to power in Punjab. But now, they don’t even talk about it. Why did they extend promises that they knew they couldn’t fulfil? There is an anti-incumbency trend against the BJP and the AAP.”

CM’s promise

Mr. Mann, who on May 28 campaigned for Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer in Dhuri, said “soon all the women in Punjab will get ₹1,100 a month instead of the promised ₹1,000”.

Kartar Kaur, 65, from Bimber village, says the delay in giving the aid to women as promised by the AAP before the Assembly election has led to the belief that parties do not care about their pre-poll promises once they get power.

In Sangrur city, Harpreet Kaur, an assistant professor, says nothing has changed on the ground since the AAP came to power.

(set by Gussalufz)

1 of 3

2 of 3

3 of 3

4 of 3

Across

1 Assorted wet clothes — nothing left dry (5)

4 Place where we get hot, spicy momos, right around tea (5,4)

9 Very high old meter readjusted (7)

10 Fie! Must cut smoking dramatically (7)

11 Bloody awful chap (3,3)

12 Air conditioner rebate scrapped — this is to irritate (8)

14 In Honolulu, a unique Hawaiian feast (4)

15 Swami, great club! A great retreat, regularly featuring evergreen trees (10)

18 Zero degrees temperature interrupts music group's arrangements (10)

19 With just a little winding, this G.I. Joe dances (4)

22 Russian bodyguard on vacation has massages (8)

24 Time after time, a very personal artistic statement (6)

26 Vent angrily in restaurant, haggling over lousy eggless starters (7)

27 Wins over objective auditors (7)

28 Ann cheers free boosters (9)

29 Sing on the counter while Doyle pens (5)

Down

1 Target flotilla frequently carrying medic, perhaps (7)

2 Shy wife and husband limit sex (early morning, around close to four) (9)

3 Storming? Oi! We'll hide (3,3)

4 Ask for a kind of kebab that puts off hotel (4)

5 Bring feet on fire over broken faucet (10)

6 Setter's right about setter's statue? (8)

7 Regressive segment of media reported something dramatic (5)

8 Insect queen's parents (7)

13 Relative is weirdly energetic after drinking the last of soda (5-5)

16 TV show prompt in broadcasting doc with A.I. dirt (5,4)

17 Make merry with Dorothy's pal, in formal attire (2,2,4)

18 Many shots in pub frenzy (7)

20 Matrimonial: "Baby with one leaving for America?" (7)

21 Man, a royal dynasty frequently chosen? We're in trouble (6)

23 Announced dock arrival (5)

25 Checks out of five star around half past twelve, finally (4)

HC refuses protection to interfaith couple to marry under Special Marriage Act

Mehul Malpani

BHOPAL

The marriage of a Muslim man and a Hindu woman, even if it is registered under the Special Marriage Act, is not valid, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has said while dismissing an interfaith couple’s petition seeking protection and help in registering their marriage.

In a May 27 order, Justice G.S. Ahluwalia said, “As per Mahomedan law, the marriage of a Muslim boy with a girl who is an idolatress or a fire worshipper, is not a valid marriage. Even if the marriage is registered under the Special Marriage Act, the marriage would be no more a valid marriage and it would be an irregular (fasid) marriage.”

“Under personal law, performance of certain rituals are necessary for solemnisation of marriage. However, if marriage is performed under Special Marriage Act, then such marriage cannot be challenged on the ground of non-performance of such mandatory rituals. But marriage under Special Marriage Act would not legalise the marriage which otherwise is prohibited under personal law,” Justice Ahluwalia said.

Sarika Sen and Safee Khan, both aged 23 and residents of Madhya Pradesh’s Anuppur district, had approached the court in April after they failed to appear for marriage before the Marriage Officer under the Special Marriage Act due to objections from the woman’s family. “As a result, their marriage is not being registered,” the couple said in their petition.

Apart from seeking security from local police, Ms. Sen and Mr. Khan also sought permission to be able to appear before the Marriage Officer and requested that the woman’s family be directed not to file a kidnapping case against the man.

The couple’s counsel said “the Special Marriage Act would override the personal law; therefore marriage of a Muslim boy with a Hindu girl would not be an irregular marriage”.

‘PM spoke on divisive issues 421 times, no mention of inflation’

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Mallikarjun Kharge SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about “mandir-masjid” and other “divisive issues” 421 times, but did not mention unemployment and inflation even once in his election speeches of the past 15 days, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said here on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters along with senior leaders Jairam Ramesh and K.C. Venugopal, Mr. Kharge said the people would give a clear mandate for a new, inclusive government on June 4.

In these elections, Mr. Kharge addressed over 100 rallies, 20 press conferences and more than 50 interviews, while former party chief Rahul Gandhi addressed 107 rallies, roadshows, and interactions such as Nyay Sammelans and Nyay Manch. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressed over 108 public meetings and roadshows, and spent over 10 days to focus on the campaign in Rae Bareli and Amethi seats of Uttar Pradesh.

Mr. Kharge said people had now endorsed the Opposition’s contention that “it will be the end of democracy if the present government gets another term”. “The PM and other important leaders of the BJP made countless efforts to mislead the people on religious and divisive issues. Despite this, the people chose issues and we asked for votes on issues,” he said. “We are confident that people will give a mandate for an alternative government on June 4.”

Mr. Kharge said the Prime Minister’s attempt to link his party’s manifesto to a particular community not only violated the model code of conduct but also lowered the dignity of the Prime Minister’s Office. “The Prime Minister spoke on ‘mandir-masjid’, Muslim and other religions 421 times, talked of dividing society and mentioned words such as ‘Muslim, Pakistan’ 224 times,” he said.

Asked about the INDIA meeting on Saturday, Mr. Venugopal said it would discuss a joint strategy for the counting day.

Service to Acharyas

People have certain restrictions to render divine service to God in this part of the universe. It is said that there are no such limitations in Srivaikunta. Sri Dehalesa Ramanujachariar Swamy said in a discourse that two kinds of service are essential.

The first is service to God, and the other is service to Acharyas. Such people are called “Charama parva nishtas”. The actual service lies in hearing good things and developing “Aatma Jnanam” (Jnana, Bhakthi and Vairagyam).

The term Acharya refers to Sri Nammazhwar and Sri Ramanuja. The Dwaya Mantra emphasises clinging to God’s feet. How are the Acharyas considered the Ultimate? Sri Nammazhwar is God’s manifestation, and Sri Ramanuja represents the sandals of Sri Nammazhwar. We must have an intense devotion to Acharyas. “Yasyadevo Parabakthi: Yatadevo tatha Gurov.”

People need to connect with Sri Ramanuja (Ramanuja Dasyam), through which a connection to God can be established. Sri Annavappan Swamy authored “Sri Ramanuja Athi Manusha Sthavam,” which narrates the extraordinary deeds of the Acharya. Among the various qualities, “Soulabhyam” is very much appreciated. It refers to mixing with ordinary people transcending down from status.

As Sri Rama, the Lord befriended Guha, Sugreeva and Vibheeshana. As Sri Krishna, He took the role of an emissary. The Acharya, unmindful of his high stature, mingled with the masses and toiled hard for their upliftment. It is said that those who surrender at the feet of Sri Ramanuja will derive the blessings of Lord Narayana.

Chhota Rajan gets life term for 2001 murder of hotelier

A special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court in Mumbai on Thursday sentenced gangster Chhota Rajan to rigorous life imprisonment in the case pertaining to the murder of hotelier Jaya Shetty in 2001. Special judge A.M. Patil held the gangster guilty under Sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, and under provisions of the MCOCA. The court also found Rajan and four others guilty of conspiring to kill Shetty, who was the owner of four restaurants in Mumbai, including the Golden Crown restaurant on Grant Road. The court sentenced the underworld gangster to rigorous life imprisonment, along with a fine of ₹16 lakh.

Teen’s blood sample may have been replaced with mother’s

The recent luxury car accident in Pune that resulted in the deaths of two young IT professionals took yet another turn after it emerged that the blood sample of the accused 17-year-old may have been replaced with that of his mother by doctors at the city’s Sassoon General Hospital. According to government and police sources, the blood samples of two other occupants in the car at the time of the May 19 crash were also replaced at the hospital by blood samples of their kin in order to get the drunken teenagers (including the accused 17-year-old driver) off the hook. Two doctors and a staffer have been arrested in the case.

Regional

- Cong. stifled Constitution during Emergency, ignored it in 1984 riots, says Modi

- Sankara Nethralaya facing influx of patients from Bangladesh with fake documentation

- Tourists stay away as security stepped up in Kanniyakumari for Prime Minister’s visit

- Gloves come off in Odisha as BJP senses an opening against BJD in the State

- Purvanchal will teach the BJP a lesson for playing with the future of country: Akhilesh

- Constitution under attack from BJP and RSS: Rahul Gandhi

- Digvijaya claims tampering of EVMs is done by higher-ups

- Azam Khan gets 10-year jail in forced eviction case

- 5 new cubs spotted in Sariska Reserve, tiger count up to 40

- Hoarding case: engineer held for giving stability certificate

- Strong westerly winds to trigger widespread rainfall across Kerala

- Beat the heat

- Activists hold massive rally in Hassan seeking arrest of Prajwal

- Jaya Jayahe Telangana approved as the State song; no decision yet on emblem

- ‘Monsoon Croaks’ project ropes in public to document frogs in farms and backyard

- Non-related organ donor’s consent must be accepted, says HC

- TTD to tackle occupational health hazards of temple staff

- Kerala govt. includes AI in Class 7 textbook

- Appraiser steals gold during hundi counting, held

Cong. stifled Constitution during Emergency, ignored it in 1984 riots, says Modi

Press Trust of India

Hoshiarpur

Addressing his last LS poll rally, PM Narendra Modi sharpens his attack against INDIA bloc in Punjab accusing it of making the Army a ‘weapon of politics’; he says there cannot be a ‘bigger sin’

End of campaign: Supporters during a public meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur on Thursday.PTI-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Congress was ranting that the Constitution was in danger, though the party had strangled it during the Emergency and ignored it when Sikhs were killed in the 1984 riots.

“Sikhs were burnt after putting tyres around them. At that time, they did not care about the Constitution,” Mr. Modi said at his last poll rally ahead of voting on June 1.

Canvassing for BJP’s Hoshiarpur candidate Anita Som Parkash and Anandpur Sahib nominee Subhash Sharma here, the Prime Minister said he has toured the entire nation and people have decided to form a Modi-led government for the third time.

He said the welfare of the poor is his government’s top priority and in this Guru Ravidas is a big inspiration.

Mr. Modi said after a wait of 500 years, Lord Ram’s temple was built in Ayodhya, and the airport there has been named after Maharishi Valmiki. “It is my wish that the Adampur airport should be named after Guru Ravidas,” he said, adding the BJP is moving ahead with the concept of ‘virasat bhi and vikas bhi’ (heritage and development hand-in-hand). The Adampur airport serves Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and other nearby areas.

The Prime Minister also sharpened his attack against the INDIA bloc, accusing it of making the Army a “weapon of politics” and said there cannot be a “bigger sin than this”. The Congress and the “INDI alliance” never left any effort in weakening the armed forces, he said.

Mr. Modi’s attack came in the backdrop of the Congress and INDIA bloc members targeting the Narendra Modi government over the Agnipath scheme. The Congress has said it will scrap the military recruitment scheme if the Opposition bloc comes to power.

He also charged that the intentions of the Congress and INDIA bloc over the issue of reservation are “dangerous”. “In the last 10 years, I have always protected reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs,” he said.

Accusing the Opposition of insulting the spirit of the Constitution and sentiments of B.R. Ambedkar, he said they want reservation on the basis of religion in government jobs, in sports, in government tenders and admission in universities.

‘Big conspiracy’

The Prime Minister charged that the Opposition wants to give reservation rights to Muslims after snatching it from Dalits and the downtrodden.

“It is a very big conspiracy to divide the country on the basis of religion,” he alleged as he slammed the INDIA bloc.

Sankara Nethralaya facing influx of patients from Bangladesh with fake documentation

Narayan Lakshman

Chennai

Forged paper: A fake Sankara Nethralaya appointment document issued to a Bangladeshi national. Special Arrangement Special arrangement

Sankara Nethralaya, the not-for-profit charitable eye hospital headquartered in Chennai, is facing a unique concern relating to patients from Bangladesh: a significant number of them are arriving at the hospital with fake documentation regarding appointments with doctors, only to be disappointed.

Speaking to The Hindu, a representative of the organisation said: “To facilitate the issuance of Indian visa for patients from Bangladesh, some travel agents are regularly issuing fake letters by changing the original PDF forms of Sankara Nethralaya.”

The representative added that doctors at the hospital were seeing at least 100 patients a day from Bangladesh, and that the country accounted for 60% of all foreign patients.

In the case of some countries from where a sizeable number of patients visit Sankara Nethralaya, such as Oman and Mauritius, the hospital has made direct arrangements with the respective countries’ Health Ministries to ensure that genuine appointments are granted and visas are facilitated accordingly. The Bangladesh Ministry of Health and Family Welfare apparently does not yet offer such a service to its citizens who travel to India for medical purposes.

Nevertheless, bearing in mind the volume of patients coming from Bangladesh, Sankara Nethralaya has set up a separate email address for them to directly contact the hospital and request appointments.

The Hindu was able to observe, on site, the case of a patient from Bangladesh who, despite having visited Sankara Nethralaya earlier and thus having a genuine registration number with the hospital, reached the institution a month before an appointment allotted based on a visa granted using a fake letter and registration number. As it turned out, there was no appointment available to the patient on the day, as the doctor in question was on long leave. The Hindu also obtained a photograph of a fake document issued to a patient from Bangladesh.

Tourists stay away as security stepped up in Kanniyakumari for Prime Minister’s visit

The Hindu Bureau

KANNIYAKUMARI

A view of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari, where the Prime Minister is on a 45-hour-long meditation. File photo N. Rajesh

Kanniyakumari, which would normally be teeming with tourists during summer, wore a deserted look on Thursday owing to the Prime Minister’s visit.

The Vivekananda Rock Memorial was declared out of bounds for tourists during Mr. Modi’s 45-hour-long stay.

“When I came here last evening with a group of tourists from Madhya Pradesh, I was asked to leave the town to park my vehicle somewhere near Mahadhanapuram traffic island (about 3 km from Kanniyakumari),” a cab driver from Madurai said.

Police personnel have been deployed across the town to ensure the safety of the visiting VVIP. Three Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, 13 Superintendents of Police, 16 ADSPs, 45 DSPs and 3,500 police personnel have been deployed in and around Kanniyakumari as part of the security arrangements.

The sea-facing rooms with balconies in hotels near the shoreline have been occupied only by police officers.

“We have been told not to accommodate the guests in those rooms, considering the safety of the Prime Minister,” a receptionist said.

Tourists were not allowed to visit the Vivekananda memorial and the nearby Thiruvalluvar Rock on Thursday. “Since the flow of tourists to these spots ahead of the visit of the Prime Minister may jeopardise the security arrangements, it has been suspended till Saturday,” a police source said.

Four speed boats of the Coastal Security Group have been deployed on the eastern side of the Vivekananda memorial to form the first layer of the security arrangements. Four mechanised fishing boats hired by the police form the second layer.

Two Indian Coast Guard ships have been deployed a kilometre away from the Vivekananda memorial, while another ship has been stationed one-and-a-half kilometres away as part of the security arrangements in the sea.

Gloves come off in Odisha as the BJP senses an opening against ruling BJD in the State

Satyasundar Barik

Bhubaneswar

Odisha’s month-long election campaign, which concluded on May 30, was arguably one of the most vicious campaigns in the State’s electoral history, dominated by personal attacks that overshadowed development issues.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched an aggressive campaign despite having little time after it lost a fortnight in early March this year due to failed alliance talks with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). On March 16, the Election Commission announced seven-phase elections.

The gloves quickly came off as the BJP and BJD, who had shared a love-hate relationship for the past decade and a half, engaged in acrimonious political campaigning. Political barbs flew thick and fast.

The BJP took up the emotional issue of Odia pride (asmita) to corner the BJD over the role of V.K. Pandian, a Tamil Nadu-born former IAS officer and close aide of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Throughout the whirlwind election campaign, BJP leaders consistently mentioned Mr. Pandian and his Tamil Nadu origins in their speeches. As the campaign drew to a close, the focus shifted to the Odisha CM’s health.

The BJD was not far behind in turning the election campaign personal. Mr. Pandian himself took the lead in cornering Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. “Mr. Pradhan’s accomplishments as Union Minister over the past 10 years were less impressive than those of a local sarpanch,” he said.

Potshots at Pradhan

BJD’s organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das took potshots at Mr. Pradhan asking what could be expected from someone who confined his own father to further his political career.

Without taking the name of Baijayant Panda, the BJP’s national vice-president, the Odisha CM said that he had sent a person from Kendrapara to Parliament who then used the opportunity to expand his business empire.

Purvanchal will teach the BJP a lesson for playing with the nation’s future, says Akhilesh

The Hindu Bureau

Lucknow

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav at a poll rally in U.P.

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday, addressing a poll rally in Ghosi, pushed the caste census plank saying people in Purvanchal want the exercise but the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is denying it.

Mr. Yadav also alleged that while the youth are wandering from door to door in search of jobs, the government is playing with their future through paper leaks. He said this time the people of Purvanchal will not spare those who are playing with reservation and will teach them a lesson.

“The public will cast their vote according to their own discretion and understanding. They (BJP) have no character; their character is only selfishness. This time the public has made up its mind, such selfish people are not going to get a chance. If anyone has tampered with reservation, it is the BJP. They aimed to snatch away the reservation of the backwards, Dalits and tribals. Caste Census is essential for the overall development of the society, people want it but the BJP is denying it,” said Mr. Yadav in Ghosi, garnering support for the SP nominee Rajiv Kumar Rai.

Reaching out to farmers in the region, Mr. Yadav promised to waive off their loans, alleging the BJP regime selectively gave waiver to big capitalists. “We are telling our farmer brothers that when the INDIA alliance government is formed, we will waive off the loans of our farmer brothers and the poor, these people (BJP) waived off loans of big people only,” added the SP chief.

‘Forget 400 seats’

Mr. Yadav reiterated that the voters of the country will make BJP “crave” for 140 seats as the party ‘betrayed’ the youth, farmers, mothers and sisters. “An ‘attack’ by all communities is going to make them struggle for 140 seats, forget 400 seats,” he added.

Constitution under attack from BJP and RSS: Rahul Gandhi

Press Trust of India

Nawanshahr (Punjab)

Rahul Gandhi at a rally in Khatkar Kalan village near Jalandhar on Thursday.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the Constitution reflects the thinking of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak and freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, and claimed that it is under attack from the BJP and the RSS.

Interacting with farmers in Khatkar Kalan village in Punjab’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district on the last day of campaigning for the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha election, he asked people to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi “fatafat fatafat” (quickly).

Mr. Gandhi was accompanied by the Congress’ Anandpur Sahib candidate Vijay Inder Singla. Khatkar Kalan is the ancestral village of Bhagat Singh.

Mr. Gandhi said he was happy to visit the village of the legendary Bhagat Singh. “For the first time in independent India, the Constitution is being attacked,” he said.

“Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and (other) BJP leaders have clearly said that if they win the elections, they will scrap and tear up Ambedkar’s Constitution and throw it away,” the Congress leader claimed.

Holding a copy of the Constitution, Mr. Gandhi said it is not just a book. The Constitution reflects the thinking of Guru Nanak and other greats.

‘Save Constitution’

“When the BJP and RSS people attack it, they attack the country’s history and its heart. The most important thing in this election is the mission to protect Ambedkar’s Constitution,” he said.

Responding to an elderly woman who spoke about “meagre” MGNREGA wages, Mr. Gandhi said if the opposition INDIA bloc comes to power, it will increase the daily wage from ₹250 to ₹400.

Digvijaya claims tampering of EVMs is done by higher-ups

Senior Congress leader and candidate from Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh Digvijaya Singh on Thursday expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made by the administration for the storage of EVMs, but claimed that “tampering” happens at a higher level. The former Chief Minister was speaking to reporters after visiting the place where Electronic Voting Machines have been kept after the polling. “We are satisfied. Everything should remain foolproof....the local administration won’t be able to tamper with them. Whatever needs to happen is done from the top,” said Mr. Singh. PTI

Azam Khan gets 10-year jail in forced eviction case

A court in Rampur on Thursday sentenced Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan to 10 years of imprisonment in an eight-year-old case of forcibly vacating a house and beating the owner. The punishment was pronounced by the Special MP/MLA Court, which also imposed a fine of ₹14 lakh on the SP leader. The court had on Wednesday found Mr. Khan guilty in the case of forcefully evacuating, looting and demolishing a house in Dungarpur.

The SP leader is currently lodged in Sitapur jail following his conviction in different cases. In 2022, he lost his U.P. Assembly membership for three years following his conviction in a hate speech case. PTI

5 new cubs spotted in Sariska Reserve, tiger count up to 40

The number of big cats in Rajasthan’s Sariska Tiger Reserve has increased to 40 with the recent sighting of five new cubs, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said on Thursday. “We welcome the new guests to Sariska,” Mr. Sharma said in a post on X and shared a video and camera trap of the cubs with their mother ‘ST 22’. He said after the rehabilitation of tigers in 2008, tigress ‘ST 12’ gave birth for the first time. There were no tigers left in Sariska in 2005. To revive the tiger population there, a tiger rehabilitation programme was started in 2008 by bringing two tigers and tigresses from the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district. PTI

Hoarding case: engineer held for giving stability certificate

A 47-year-old structural engineer was arrested on Thursday for allegedly giving a stability certificate for the hoarding that collapsed earlier this month in Mumbai killing 17 persons, an official said. Manoj Ramkrishna Sanghu is the second person to be taken into custody in connection with the accident in the city’s Ghatkopar area that also left over 80 injured. The crime branch arrested Mr. Sanghu after his role came to the fore, he said. Mr. Sanghu, who was empanelled by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, had given a stability certificate for the hoarding, which crashed onto a petrol pump after gusty winds and rains lashed the city on May 13. PTI

Strong westerly winds to trigger widespread rainfall across Kerala

The Hindu Bureau

THIRUVANANTHAURAM

Southwest monsoon to continue for four months in the State ; India Meteorological Department issues a yellow alert for 12 districts warning of isolated heavy rain today; eight people were injured after being struck by lightning in Kozhikode

Gearing up: A fisherman in Kochi repairing his nets. The India Meteorological Department says Kerala is likely to experience widespread rainfall with gusty winds for the next seven days. H. VIBHU

Setting the stage for the four months of rainfall, the southwest monsoon set in over Kerala on Thursday. All the criteria required for the declaration of the monsoon were met in the morning.

Mancompu in Alappuzha received the highest rainfall of 19 cm in the past 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Thursday, Karumadi in Alappuzha and Kalamasserry in Ernakulam 15 cm each, and Kodungalloor in Thrissur 14 cm.

Though rain abated relatively compared to the previous day, thunderstorms with heavy rainfall and gusty winds lashed various parts of the State.

Eight people were injured after being struck by lightning on the Kozhikode beach. Of the injured, one was admitted to the ICU of Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital, while the rest are in stable condition.

A 62-year-old man was found dead in a waterlogged paddy polder at Pallippuram in Alappuzha.

The India Meteorological Department issued a yellow alert for 12 districts, except Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, on Friday warning of isolated heavy rain triggered by strong westerlies and a cyclonic circulation.

A shear zone runs over the south peninsular India, and a cyclonic circulation lies over the southeast Arabian Sea off south Kerala in the middle troposphere level. Strong westerly winds are also prevailing along the Kerala coast. Under its influence, the State is likely to experience widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gutsy winds with a speed of 30–40 kmph during the next seven days, says an IMD release.

Summer spray

Beat the heat: A Bengal tiger seen under a water sprinkler at Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. The zoo authorities have installed palm leaf roof shades and additional water sprinklers to protect the animals from the summer heat. K.R. DEEPAK

Activists hold massive rally in Hassan seeking arrest of Prajwal

The Hindu Bureau

Hassan

Strong protest: People taking part in a rally in Hassan demanding the arrest of Prajwal Revanna on Thursday. PRAKASH HASSAN

Former MP Subhashini Ali demanded that the Karnataka government arrest JD(S) leader and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, accused of sexually abusing many women and currently facing investigation. She also demanded the arrest of his family members who had a role in related crimes.

Addressing the protest rally in Hassan on Thursday, ahead of Mr. Prajwal Revanna’s return to India after remaining absconding for over a month abroad, Ms. Ali said, “If the family members of the accused are free, they will make use of their influence, power, and money to protect the accused.”

A massive rally was held in Hassan after civil society groups from across the State marched with the slogan ‘Namma nadige Hassanada kadege’ (our way is towards Hassan).

Hundreds of activists raised slogans demanding the arrest of Prajwal Revanna and justice for survivors of the alleged sexual abuse. They carried posters with slogans appealing to survivors to be strong.

Samaj Parivartan Samudaya founder S.R. Hiremath called the protest “a historic” one to uphold the dignity of women.

K. Neela, leader of Janavadi Sanghatane, alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his party tried to take political mileage over the crimes committed by Mr. Prajwal Revanna.

Advocate S. Balan urged the Karnataka government to grant compensation of ₹1 crore each to all survivors of the crime. “As [Congress leader] Rahul Gandhi stated that 400 women were raped, the State government should file 400 FIRs and conduct the investigation,” he said.

Writer Roopa Hassan, who presided over the public meeting, urged the State government to stop the circulation of objectionable videos and arrest those involved in circulating them. She said the videos were still being released.

“Why has the government not been able to stop it?” she asked.

The Hindu Bureau

HYDERABAD

Poet Andesri, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, music composer M.M. Keeravani and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.

Jaya Jayahe Telangana has been declared as the State song of Telangana. The song, in two versions — the short one spanning two-and-a-half minutes and the full version of 13.3 minutes — has been approved as the State song, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy announced on Thursday.

Jaya Jayahe Telangana, the song written two decades ago inspired the struggle for separate statehood and it has been approved as the State song without any changes. Penned by Andesri, music for the song has been composed by Oscar award winner M.M. Keeravani.

Mr. Revanth Reddy said the song would be dedicated to the nation on June 2, coinciding with the decennial celebrations of Telangana formation.

The government had decided to change the State emblem as well as the Telangana Talli statue following a decision by the State Cabinet. Over 500 models had been received from artists from different parts of the State in this direction. “These issues are still under discussion and no final decision has been taken about the State emblem,” Mr. Revanth said.

The statement assumes significance in light of the controversy brewing over the proposed removal of Charminar and Kakatiya arch from the State emblem. He clarified that no final decision had been taken about the Telangana Talli statue too.

KTR opposes decision

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao opposed Telangana government’s decision to exclude images of Charminar and Kakatiya arch from the new State emblem and warned of an agitation.

He visited Charminar on Thursday to protest the government’s decision and questioned the urgency to change the emblem.

‘Monsoon Croaks’ project ropes in public to document frogs in farms and backyard

Mini Muringatheri

Thrissur

People of all ages can upload photographs of frogs and their sounds on the iNaturalist app. SPL

Monsoon is a festive season for frogs. They are most active and breed during the rain.

However, the survival of frogs, which serves as an indicator of the ecosystem’s health, is being challenged by many factors such as climate change, untimely rainfall patterns, habitat loss and water pollution. As a result, 41% of the world’s frogs are on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of endangered species. The situation is no different in Kerala, which has over 200 frog species.

The Centre for Citizen Science and Biodiversity Informatics under the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) is organising Monsoon Croaks Bioblitz 2024, a citizen science programme aimed at documenting the frogs of Kerala during the monsoon.

A bioblitz is an intensive survey conducted over a period of time to identify as many species as possible within a designated area. The survey was held in 2023 as well.

Four-month survey

“Although forests are the main habitats of frogs, they are also found on farms, in gardens and in our backyards. Identifying key habitats is a critical first step in protecting them. Addressing this knowledge gap is the aim of Monsoon Croaks Bioblitz, a four-month public participation science project from June 1 to September 30,” says Peroth Balakrishnan, coordinator, Centre for Citizen Science and Biodiversity Informatics, KFRI.

People of all ages can participate in this project by uploading photographs of frogs and their sounds on the iNaturalist app. All scientific observations made available during the bioblitz will become part of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), a biodiversity open source database. This information can be used for biodiversity awareness, habitat conservation, climate change research and policy making.

More details are available on the website of the Centre for Citizen Science and Biodiversity Informatics (www.ccsbi.kfri.res.in).

Unrelated organ donor’s consent must be accepted, says HC

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI

The authorisation committee can do a verification in case of doubt, says the High Court. PICHUMANI K

In a verdict that would have major implications for organ transplantation, the Madras High Court on Thursday held that the consent given by a donor, even if he/she is not related to the recipient, must be accepted by the authorisation committee at its face value unless there is evidence to prove money or money’s worth having changed hands.

Shifting the burden of proof from the donor/recipient to the authorisation committee, Justice G.R. Swaminathan wrote that the donor and the recipient “can only assert that there is no commercial dealing. They cannot be called upon to prove the negative... Too much of burden cannot be laid on their shoulders.”

In case of doubt, the authorisation committee could seek explanation from the applicants and if necessary, a verification could also be carried out through the government officials. “Unless there is definite material to establish financial dealings, permission must not be withheld,” the judge said.

Call for guidelines

If the donor states that it was only out of love that he/she was making the organ donation, such an averment should not be doubted at all in the absence of any credible reason, the court said. The government must also come out with definite guidelines in this regard. “Otherwise, the issue will be left to the arbitrary discretion of the authorisation committee. If the recipient is well placed and connected, the decision of the committee will swing in his favour,” the judge said.

‘Avoid rigid approach’

Parliament, by enacting the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act of 1994, never intended to rule out donation by non-near relatives. Therefore, its intent must not be frustrated by adopting a rigid approach and taking a cynical view that a non- near relative would not donate out of altruistic considerations, he said.

“All religions proclaim that love and charity are the highest virtues. Hundreds and thousands have given up their lives for larger and impersonal causes. It is not necessary that selfish consideration should underlie all human endeavour. Certain statements can be taken at their face value,” the judge added.

TTD to tackle occupational health hazards of temple staff

A.D. Rangarajan

TIRUPATI

Many temple priests suffer from varicose veins owing to prolonged standing, and also develop lung problems due to their continued presence in poorly ventilated sanctum sanctorum, exposing themselves to burning camphor.

Some rarely drink water to avoid frequent urination (which requires bathing and changing clothes before entering the temple again), thus ending up with kidney stones. Many potu (temple kitchen) workers report breathing issues as they inhale ghee and oil vapours at high temperatures, and get skin rashes due to the hot environment.

Similarly, barbers at the tonsuring centres are prone to contagious diseases due to their close proximity to devotees as well as cuts on the scalp.

While playing a crucial role in the smooth running of the temple administration, these temple staff often ignore their health.

Awareness session

For the first time, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has put its best foot forward to address such issues on a priority basis. “These staff have not revealed their complaints to the management so far. Some consult doctors at the terminal stage, while many priests whom I have known passed away at a younger age,” says Bhumana Subramanyam Reddy, director of TTD’s Sri Venkateswara Employees’ Training Academy (SVETA).

SVETA held an awareness session on May 29 for them to bring their complaints to light so that a comprehensive screening programme could be taken up. “The paricharakas (assistants) who carry huge bronze vessels of ‘prasadam’ develop orthopaedic complaints. Walking barefoot on the stone surface causes wounds, which may become complicated for the diabetics,” said B. Janardhan Raju, retired professor of Community Medicine and Principal of S.V. Medical College, after interacting with them.

“A health diagnosis programme will be conducted soon for all employees,” Mr. Reddy said.

Kerala govt. includes AI in Class 7 textbook

The Hindu Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram

Close on the heels of conducting artificial intelligence (AI) training for secondary school teachers during the summer holidays, Kerala has made another significant stride in embracing this rapidly evolving technology by including AI in the school syllabus.

AI has been integrated into the information and communications technology (ICT) textbook of Class 7 in the new academic year. One of the activities in the ‘Computer Vision’ chapter will involve students creating their own AI programme that can recognise human facial expressions.

Over 80,000 secondary school teachers in the State are undergoing AI training from May 2.

Appraiser steals gold during hundi counting, held

The Hindu Bureau

CHITTOOR

During the hundi counting on Thursday at the Kanipakam temple in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, it was discovered that Prakash, an appraiser at the Union Bank of India, had stolen gold biscuits worth ₹10 lakh.

The theft was detected by the supervisors reviewing the CCTV footage in the control room.

Prakash was responsible for appraising gold and silver jewellery during the counting process. The police apprehended Prakash and seized the stolen gold biscuits from his possession. The police have registered a case.

Science

- The rising incidence of paediatric inflammatory bowel disease in India

- World Menstrual Hygiene Day: starting conversations about periods

Srinivas S.

IBD is a chronic autoimmune condition where the white blood cells mistakenly identify cells in the human gut as their enemy and decide to attack it, causing ulcers in the mucosa. As a result a child with IBD may develop fever, loose stools and bloody diarrhoea. These children may lose weight, muscle mass, and may have vitamin deficiencies

1 of 2 A capsule packed with electronics and genetically engineered living cells at Cambridge, Mass. Researchers at MIT, who tested the swallowable device in pigs, say it correctly detected signs of bleeding. The results suggest a smaller version of the capsule could eventually be used in humans to find signs of ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease or even colorectal cancer. AP AP

2 of 2 Westernisation of food habits and lifestyle is also strongly linked to changes in the gut microbiota and a predisposition to develop IBD

When 10-year-old Durga recently came with her parents from their village in Andhra for a consultation, the family was worried that she was not thriving as well as her classmates and friends of the same age. She was pale, and had recurrent fever over the previous few months. She had also developed recurrent bouts of loose stools, sometimesbloody. Durga had lost a lot of weight and no longer resembled the child from a photograph taken during Deepawali. She underwent a number of tests which revealed that she was anaemic and had raised inflammatory markers. An ultrasonogram of the abdomen showed thickened bowel walls with increased vascularity (blood flow). She underwent a diagnostic upper gastro intensional endoscopy and colonoscopy, which revealed multiple ulcers in her intestines. Biopsies from various segments of her bowel helped confirm the diagnosis Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

IBD is a chronic autoimmune condition where the white blood cells or the body’s soldiers mistakenly identify cells in the human gut as their enemy and decide to attack it, causing ulcers in the mucosa. As a result children may develop fever, abdominal pain, loose stools and at times bloody diarrhoea. These children may not absorb macro and micronutrients and hence lose weight, muscle mass, become anaemic and may have vitamin deficiencies.I explained to the parents that there were two types of IBD — Ulcerative colitis which affects only the large bowel and Crohn’s disease which can affect any part of the gut from mouth to anus. Sometimes when we find it difficult to distinguish between these two conditions, we label itIndeterminate Colitis for a while until it evolves into one of the above conditions.

‘Why did this happen to my child?’

This calls for a longer answer.Almost 20 years ago when I trained in paediatric gastroenterology at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute, Lucknow; this condition was considered very rare in Indian children. Our adult gastroenterology colleagues saw IBD patients more frequently than we did (paediatric gastroenterologists). It was only when I trained at the Royal Childrens Hospital, Melbourne a few years later that I found that IBD in Australia was very common in children too. Then, I did wonder about what would be the value of learning so much about a condition that is very common in the Western world but so rare in India. Next, I started to hear reports of IBD rising in incidence in children of Indian origin parents who migrated to the West. Gradually it became clear that IBD can affect children of all ethnicities and socioeconomic status. 15 years later, I am now reating more than a hundred children with this condition from all over India.

But that was just a backgrounder. There is no easy answer to the question ‘Why does IBD affect my child?’ Medical research is still ongoing to pinpoint the exact cause. What is known is that children who are susceptible to IBD often have a weak or dysregulated immune system which responds inappropriately to environmental triggers such as a virus or bacteria. There may also be genetic factors which predispose these children to IBD as sometimes it seems to affect members of the same family. The human gastrointestinal tract harbours millions of microorganisms; often referred to as gut microbiota and this plays an important role in IBD. The gut microbiota of each individual is unique and influences health and disease. The nature and composition of gut microbiota can be altered by frequent antibiotics. Similarly, westernisation of food habits and lifestyle is also strongly linked to changes in the gut microbiota and a predisposition to develop IBD.

How can we treat and cure her?

IBD - Crohn’s disease can be treated with very effective medications that control the inflammation and suppress the dysregulated and overactive immune system. These medications include steroids and a new class of drugs called biologics. But it is also possible to control the inflammation in the gut and heal ulcers in some children with the milder variety of Crohn’ disease; without drugs using ‘exclusive enteral nutrition’. Once the inflammation or acute flare up of the disease is under control, we aim to keep the disease under control (remission) for several years using milder immunosuppressant drugs and a special Crohn’s disease exclusion diet (CDED).

IBD – Ulcerative colitis is also treated similarly, though another group of drugs called ‘aminosalicylates’ are used to treat milder forms of Ulcerative colitis. Exclusive Enteral Nutrition has not been found to be useful in treating Ulcerative Colitis.

Both forms of IBD are often chronic and need several years of medical therapy. A small minority of children who have remained in very good control (remission) for several years continue to do well even after stopping medications. The larger majority of children seem to need medications to keep the disease in remission. Further a small proportion of children who have uncontrolled inflammation develop complications needing surgery. But the good part is that science is rapidly evolving and new medications are being developed to treat IBD. Besides the world is much better connected today than before making it easy for developments in research in one part of the world to reach another.

Durga listened to all of this in rapt attention and asked me if she had Ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. I replied — Crohn’s disease. She then asked me if it was mild or severe; to which I replied that she had a severe flare-up. She understood that simple diet therapy would not work and the family agreed to medication. With every week, she grew stronger and gained weight and achieved remission. She went on to receive milder drugs and continued to remain well for 2 months before yet another flare-up. She was disappointed; but ready for the challenge.She was then commenced on ‘biologics’ and remained in very good remission for the next 2 years; after which they were stopped. She has now remained in very good remission for the last 3 years without any flares and wants to study to become a doctor.

Durga is one of several success stories treated at our outpatient IBD clinic, but many struggle due to financial constraints and the very high cost of ‘biologics’. There are also those who suffered because of the lack of timely & proper diagnosis of IBD. This is possibly because IBD has protean clinical manifestations ranging from a simple anaemia and failure to gain weight to fever, abdominal pain and loose stools. Patients and doctors often struggle to diagnose IBD and it is often mistaken for tuberculosis.

There is hence a need for increased awareness of this condition, both among the general public and medical community.

(The writer is a senior paediatric gastroenterologist with a special interest in IBD at Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital, Chennai. The hospital recently hosted a national paediatric IBD conference to observe celebrate World IBD week — May 19 to May 26.)

Serena Josephine M.

Girls in Mumbai learn about menstrual hygiene at an event in April. TRUPTI AREKAR TRUPTI AREKAR

Starting conversations about menstruation helps children in more than one way. Delivering a message that leaves no room for doubt, provides them with appropriate information, and reassures them that menstruation is a natural, physiological process helps girls stay prepared but also does away with the fear and misconceptions associated with menstruation.

Menstruation has traditionally been talked about in hushed tones. This Menstrual Hygiene Day (May 28), #PeriodFriendlyWorld kicked off conversations on social media on menstrual hygiene, doing away with taboos and stigma surrounding menstruation and access to menstrual products.

Normalising conversations

Normalising conversations around menstruation and educating children should be the way ahead. Jaishree Gajaraj, senior consultant, Obstetrician, and Gynaecologist, MANGAI Women’s Health Exclusive, said that many schools are already holding sessions for children. “We are seeing girls coming of age very early, and due to awareness, we do not see them surprised anymore. Mothers should sit with their children and explain the whole process. They should tell them that it is not necessary that they get periods every month, and it is not necessary that it should stop in three days and could even be longer,” she said.

Sumana Manohar, senior consultant, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Apollo Women’s Hospital, pointed out that educating children both at home and school will help reinforce menstruation as a physiological phenomenon.

“Let’s look at the age of menarche. The average age is between 10 and 15 years. Both puberty occurring before the age of eight, which is called precocious puberty, and delayed puberty beyond the age of 16 should be evaluated. Mostly, puberty occurs between 10 and 12 years. So, ideally, schools should start educating girls about menstrual hygiene and how it is a normal physiological process when they are in class V. The school environment should be conducive, enabling them to change sanitary pads, and clean toilets are important,” she said.

While the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India maintains that the average age of menarche is 13.5, this is not the case in urban areas, where the average age of puberty is 10.5 to 11.5. Dr. Jaishree Gajaraj added: “The reason is that children are now more obese, as a result of which estrogen production increases and hormonal imbalances are triggered. Lifestyle and food habits are leading to obesity in children.”

There are numerous doubts and concerns surrounding menstruation. But there is no need to worry about a number of things. As Dr. Sumana Manohar puts it: “Irregular periods are quite common in the first three years of menarche. This is not a matter of great concern. Two to three cycles of periods in a year for the first three years, and three to four cycles of periods from the third year are normal as they do not ovulate properly.”

Irregular periods

Anxious mothers taking their daughters to doctors for a number of related issues is quite common. “We see mothers bringing in their daughters for irregular periods. This is not something to worry about. Due to irregular periods, there may be heavy bleeding or pain that can be managed without medications. But, if there is profuse bleeding and unbearable pain, medical attention is required. Some of the main concerns that parents raise are lower abdominal pain and cramps. It is important for mothers to reassure their daughters and there is nothing to be scared about,” she added.

K. Kalaivani, director, Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Government Hospital for Women and Children, said children should be informed that pain or cramps are quite normal on the first and second days of periods, which will then subside.

“Some are worried about excessive bleeding. It varies from person to person. They need not worry because it subsides after the third day,” she said.

Stressing hygiene, she said, “Some do not bathe for three days, but that shouldn’t be the case. Personal hygiene is important. Times have changed, and there is better access to sanitary pads with the State government supplying them free to schools.

“Vending machines have also come up in a number of places,” she said.

Dr. Jaishree says young children should use regular sanitary pads, while those over 20 years — married or unmarried — can use menstrual cups.

“We should tell children that this is a very normal physiological event. It should be taught in a way that in the years to come, children will look at it that way. To enable better orientation towards menstruation, we should educate both girls and boys simultaneously. Parents and older siblings should be encouraged when questions are asked and there should be no secrecy,” she added.

(serena.m@thehindu.co.in)

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India’s middle class and the ‘Modi factor’

Gabriele Parussini

Narendra Modi’s appeal to the middle class is a case study in political communication, as his style of populism does not neatly fit any typical framework long studied by academics.

In liberal democracies the world over, the middle class is known to be an anchor of stability and a defender of the status quo. Like elsewhere, members of India’s middle class are no revolutionaries. They support communal peace and social stability, they seek improvement through incremental change, not uprisings, and, above all, are keen to eschew politics altogether.

In a study of Indian middle-class voters during the 2019 election campaign, I found that most of them supported the status quo — a secular, multicultural India that emerged after Independence. These voters acknowledged the centripetal potential of religion in the Indian polity and assessed it negatively. This was true even among many supporters of Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Why then does this stability-loving middle class vote for a party whose policies are aimed at changing the secular status quo? Does its shift towards a national-populist party such as the BJP represent a rebellion, a rejection of the present order, or is it the result of other dynamics, including the perception that the party is not extremist any more?

Could double messaging be the answer?

The answer, my research found, lies partly in a double messaging by Mr. Modi and the BJP.

Of the voters I interviewed, only a tiny minority — less than a tenth of the sample — supported unconditionally the BJP’s agenda items in their original, extreme, uncompromising form. A large majority of the participants, including BJP supporters, for instance, did not support the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, because they were afraid it would spark violence. They supported a compromise, and did not fully believe that the party would go ahead with the creation of the temple. In short, the BJP’s promise of building the temple had low credibility.

Low credibility is usually a downside for a party because it undermines voter trust in its commitment. However, low credibility helped the BJP develop a double level of communication with its audience. The assumption that the party would not act on its most extreme, Hindutva- connotated proposals made it sound more innocuous to moderate middle-class voters.

This does not necessarily mean that there was discrepancy between the BJP’s message and the middle class’s understanding of it. Rather, the audience decoded the message in accordance with its own social and cultural context, even though it did not necessarily accept the underlying ideology. In other words, India’s middle class did not engage with the BJP’s entire message, ignoring the parts it found unacceptable.

The encoder of the political message — in this case Mr. Modi and the BJP — took advantage of the middle class’s willingness to ignore the obvious consequences of its choices by offering a pretence of moderation, which I call ‘implicit moderation’.

Ultimately, however, this ‘implicit moderation’ only held true during the election campaign, fostering an impression that let voters believe that they were not choosing something revolutionary. Once it came to power, the BJP swayed to its more extreme instincts, taking peace-threatening measures such as construction of the Ram temple.

Alternate narratives

Another question this study set out to answer is to what extent the middle class is aware of the BJP’s attempts to create alternative narratives aimed at changing the public perception of the record.

I found that participants could separate the effective change that has been delivered and the impression of change that the BJP was eager to convey.

For instance, many of the participants noted that the BJP had tinkered with the names of welfare schemes since it got into power, such as by adding ‘PM’ to the names. One participant said that attention to public perception and promotion of government action were the main differences between the BJP government and its predecessor. “Maybe [the same] was happening with Congress. But [now] the media is promoting so much, [that] we know this is happening,” he said.

Respondents singled out the aim of the BJP’s communication: to bypass the voters’ rational side and play on their emotions.

Despite understanding that the BJP constructs alternative narratives when it suits, middle-class voters support it again partly because of Mr. Modi’s communication.

Consider how voters perceive the government’s economic measures.

When asked what the main measures adopted by the BJP-led government until 2019 are, two-thirds of the respondents mentioned either demonetisation or the introduction of the goods and services tax, or GST.

The overwhelming majority of participants thought both of these measures caused large disruption, or their implementation was botched up. Still, many of them held a positive image of the party’s record in power, thanks to the government’s messaging.

In demonetisation, for instance, the BJP built an alternative narrative, one in which Mr. Modi’s populist tactics are on full display.

The process set up was highly dramatic. Mr. Modi described himself as the hero who was leading a fight against an evil conspiracy. Demonetisation became a moral tale where regular people are associated to the hero in a fight against the money hoarder, and, essentially, the rich.

The revenge narrative had a wide appeal, irrespective of participants’ political allegiance. “The big people, the businessmen had the most problems…which was a good thing. Poor people did not have any problem,” said one participant.

Rather than focusing on the negative consequences of these measures, participants were swayed by Mr. Modi’s decisiveness. One BJP opponent said that “demonetisation was very drastic”, but called it “a very good step” because Mr. Modi “didn’t think twice” about it. Mr. Modi’s decisiveness showed that he takes responsibility for his own actions, radical as they may be.

This research found that the middle class wants to see an affirmative, purposeful government that does not refrain from action, even if the rights and the freedom of some sections of society are curtailed.

An original style

In the last 10 years of his leadership, it is debatable whether Mr. Modi has been the ‘Vikas Purush’ or development man that he promised to be in 2014. But there is no debate that his development credentials with the middle class have been barely dented. That is thanks to his effective advertisement and the adoption of populist tactics to communicate with the audience. Populism thrives around a communication process that creates a direct connection between the leader and his audience, and Mr. Modi has created an original style of populism that academics are still studying.

The middle class can see through the BJP’s promotional effort, but tolerates the party’s aggressive communication style because it considers it to be fair game in politics. How this electorate votes in the ongoing elections will warrant further study not only to better understand the communication tools that work for populist leaders but also to get clues on the future of the world’s largest democracy.

Gabriele Parussini, who was the India correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, decided in the late 2010s to pursue a PhD under the supervision of Christophe Jaffrelot and Rafal Zaborowski at King’s College, but died of blood cancer soon after submitting his thesis. He has just been awarded the title of doctor, posthumously

India and the ‘managed care’ promise

Dr. Soham Bhaduri is a physician and an independent researcher who specialises in health policy and leadership

Health insurance as the main modality of universal health coverage (UHC) now looks to be indisputably confirmed to be ingrained in Indian health policy thinking. Aided by the digital revolution, it is opening doors to potential reforms that are redolent of the United States, albeit with local adaptations that avoid its profligate spending on health. Recently, a notable health-care chain in South India announced its foray into comprehensive health insurance by combining insurance and health-care provision functions under one roof — what can be called the Indian iteration of a managed care organisation (MCO). It is timely to reflect on whether MCOs hold promise for the bigger Indian health-care landscape, particularly when it comes to extending universal health care.

The background

Having its precursors in some rudimentary prepaid health-care practices in the United States of the 20th century, the strongest impetus for mainstreaming MCOs in U.S. health care came in the 1970s, when cost containment concerns in health care loomed large. Hitherto dominated by generously reimbursed providers in cahoots with insurers, high premiums became increasingly unattractive for health insurance purchasers following the economic slowdown after the 1970s. This prompted the fusion of insurance and provisioning functions under one roof, a focus on prevention and early management, and a strict emphasis on cost control — all this was against a fixed premium paid by the enrollee.

Ever since then, MCOs have evolved into multiple generations and forms, and have penetrated deep and wide into the health insurance space. Although robust evidence on their contribution to improving health outcomes and prioritising preventive care has been lacking, evidence indicates that they did help in reducing costly hospitalisations and associated costs.

In India, ever since the first public commercial health insurance was promulgated in the 1980s, the focus has been on indemnity insurance and covering hospitalisation costs, despite a near $26 billion market for outpatient consultations in the country. As Thomas (2011) has discussed, health insurance, playing second fiddle to life and general insurance, has seen scant innovation and high, often unsustainable, costs of operation.

A contrast

In an early analysis of how the HMO — or health maintenance organisation, a type of MCO) — experience panned out for developing nations, Tollman et al. identified some important characteristics: MCOs tended to be urban-predominant, attracted the high-income cohort, and caught on in contexts where the public sector was failing or lacked strong socialist moorings. In addition, it required that players brought in enough financial clout, managerial capabilities, and manpower, and found well-off and well-defined beneficiary bases to serve.

Much in contrast to the U.S., the evolutionary trajectory of Indian health insurance has offered few natural incentives for consumer-driven cost control. Insurance has targeted the thin, urban well-off segment, informality has been rife among outpatient practices, and widely accepted clinical protocols have been lacking. And, while unprofitable operations coupled with unaffordable premiums can serve as incentives in theory, they are a far cry from engendering a strong systemic push towards managed care.

A few successful initiatives are likely to stem from big health-care brands having a loyal urban patient-base, and pockets deep enough to forge networks and invest in administrative capacities and infrastructure. However, prospects of them transmuting into a consequential contributor to UHC purely based on private initiative are far-fetched. That said, there could be promise in exploring the managed care route with cautious and incremental public patronage. With an average of three consultations per year per person and the negligibly small share of insurance in outpatient care spend, there lies significant scope in reducing health-care costs through early interventions afforded by comprehensive outpatient care coverage. The health insurer today has little control over the patient’s journey before they reach the hospital.

NITI Aayog report

In 2021, NITI Aayog released a report endorsing an outpatient care insurance scheme based on a subscription model, which would generate savings through better integration of care. The gains from a well-functioning managed care system can easily be many times over. And its positive spillovers in terms of consolidation of dispersed practices, streamlining of management protocols, and embedding a much-needed preventive care focus in the private sector can imply a sustainable solution to the problem of outpatient care coverage over the longer term.

Under the Ayushman Bharat Mission, incentives were announced for promoting the opening of hospitals in underserved areas which would preferentially cater to beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). Similar incentives could be conceived for MCOs, which would insure and cater to PMJAY patients apart from a private, self-paying clientele on a limited scale initially and on a pilot basis. The same applies to other public sector social health insurance schemes. This would also contribute to increasing awareness and expanding the reach of MCOs over time, as the self-paying pool expands and grows the demand base.

UHC is a complex maze, and as in all complex systems, there is never a solitary answer to a complex question. Neither is there a solution that does not beget a problem in turn. While MCOs cannot be expected to be the perfect solution, they can be part of the bigger answer that Indian health care seeks today.

Kanniyakumari visit

As we approach the conclusion of the election campaign in India, we have observed the culmination of a particularly contentious period. The Bharatiya Janata Party has, regrettably, engaged in disseminating hate speech and disparaging opponents in its efforts to garner votes. Such tactics have tarnished the democratic process with unnecessary hostility and discord. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opted to spend the final moments of the campaign in meditation. Perhaps, this appears to be a calculated attempt to alter the narrative and appeal to the electorate’s sense of spirituality and contemplation.

Let us seize this moment to celebrate the end of such divisive tactics and look forward to a future where our political discourse is characterised by unity, respect, and constructive dialogue. May we all endeavour to cultivate a more inclusive and harmonious society.

Asim,

Puttur Galimugham, Karnataka

While the Prime Minister is entitled to pursue his religious belief or spirituality, it should not become a heady cocktail of spirituality and politics. Further, such visits by a Prime Minister can also, by no stretch of the imagination, be treated as being “in public interest” to justify incurring huge expenses at the cost of the taxpayer. Constitutional and political morality and propriety would demand that the Prime Minister must personally bear these expenses for such private visits. Will the ‘hand-picked Election Commission’ and the CAG look into the matter and lay down certain guidelines?

S.K. Choudhury,

Bengaluru

Heat management

While global warming-induced climate change contributes to an rise in temperatures and humidity, factors such as the trapping of heat due to a dense concentration of buildings, paved roads, and other surfaces made of certain materials have been exacerbating urban heat stress. City-specific plans that take into account local factors, prioritise green spaces and water bodies, and target all heat generators, including vehicles, industries, and concrete surfaces, hold the key to keeping cities from heating up in excess.

M. Jeyaram,

Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

Reign of fire

New Delhi’s experience of high heat cannot be pinned on climate change

On May 29, the Mungeshpur automatic weather station north of New Delhi recorded a maximum of 52.9° C. While the India Meteorological Department has since suggested that the station's thermistor may be faulty, the country’s north has clearly been suffering scorching weather. After the recording was reported, New Delhi’s Water Minister imposed a fine of ₹2,000 on those washing vehicles with hoses and allowing water tanks to overflow, and said 200 teams would monitor for wastage. The temperatures people experience in a place are produced by a combination of factors, including public ventilation, density of built-up structures, and the availability of shade. How a person’s body responds to such heat is also mediated by several forces. But it has become the norm to blame climate change as the all-encompassing cause of the consequences of extreme heat, and thus argue that the governments’ only option is to react. The fact is that though New Delhi is large, it is smaller than the scale at which climate models reliably predict anomalous heat. Even if an attribution exercise concludes Mungeshpur’s temperature was related to climate change, no interstate cooperation or heat response mechanism exists to act meaningfully on the finding.

According to New Delhi’s new orders, the monitoring teams have been empowered to sever illegal supply lines, placing those in informal settlements at risk. For this to be fair, the city must already have ensured all its residents are sufficiently supplied with legal connections. Equally, 200 teams are too few for a city of its size. Together with there being no effective way to scrutinise water use in private properties, their mandate amounts to little. The city’s peak power demand also crossed 8.3 gigawatt on May 29; high heat increases water consumption at power generation facilities. New Delhi has a heat action plan but the city’s present response suggests it does not accommodate externalities such as the availability of water from neighbouring Haryana and illegal supply connections. Such plans should also include passive, long-term measures that ensure life can go on irrespective of the ambient temperature. With respect to water, for example, cities could maintain a reservoir for emergencies, a distribution system that resists tampering, and municipal body teams that conduct surprise wastage checks year-round rather than intermittently. Similarly, instead of shutting schools and offices to avoid peak heat, as many action plans stipulate, governments should facilitate cooling by (traditional) architectural methods, set up shaded pedestrian corridors, and incentivise the use of air-conditioned public transport. Governments are answerable to the terms on which they expect people to cope with the heat.

Demonising protests

Umar Khalid’s right to protest should not be seen as incitement of riots

A perverse combination of statutory restrictions and judicial deference has kept former university scholar Umar Khalid in prison for over three years. In yet another order denying him bail, a Sessions Court in Delhi declined to change its mind on earlier findings that the charge that he was part of a “larger conspiracy” behind the north-east Delhi riots of 2020 was prima facie true. It declined to countenance the argument that the trial proceedings were being delayed far too long and that a July 2023 judgment on grant of bail in cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) could support his petition for bail. The court, instead, banked on earlier orders denying him bail, especially the Delhi High Court’s 2022 verdict that agreed with the Delhi Police claim that the riots were “orchestrated at conspiratorial meetings”, even though there is nothing more than WhatsApp chats on organising road blockades to substantiate it. Bail hearings have been interminably long in Mr. Khalid’s case, and inevitably end in rejections. In fact, before the Supreme Court, his bail application was listed over a dozen times, and repeatedly adjourned. He chose to withdraw the application in February 2024 and try his luck before the lower courts again. However, the Sessions Court did not see any reason to change its view.

The outcome is quite unfortunate, as while granting bail in 2021 to three other activists implicated in the Delhi riots case, the Delhi High Court had looked at the available evidence and ruled that none of them had been specifically accused of any ‘terrorist’ act or plot or act preparatory to it. It had remarked that the state, in its anxiety to suppress dissent, had blurred the line between the constitutionally guaranteed right to protest and terrorist activity. The attempt to conflate the organisation of the protests against the amendment to the citizenship law with the riots resulted in the police invoking UAPA without justification. The UAPA bars the grant of bail if the court is of the view that the allegations against a suspect are prima facie true. To compound the difficulty, judicial decisions prohibit any detailed scrutiny of the evidence at the bail stage, and mandate accepting the prosecution case based on its “broad probabilities”. This low standard enables the police to repeatedly achieve success in opposing bail to dissenters and the disfavoured. Umar Khalid’s continued and unjust incarceration represents a trend as well as an aberration in the criminal justice system. A system that sometimes bats for personal liberty also demonises protesters, allows unwanted arrests and routinely denies bail or indefinitely postpones bail hearings.

Does the Model Code of Conduct need legal teeth?

1 of 5 A shop sells banners, flags and other election advertisement materials in Bengaluru. The Hindu The Hindu

2 of 5 T.S. Krishnamurthy   is former Chief Election Commissioner

3 of 5 P.D.T. Achary is former Secretary General of the Lok Sabha

4 of 5

5 of 5

On May 22, the Election Commission of India (ECI) asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress to desist from raising divisive issues in the campaign. In recent years, and particularly during the campaign to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, critics of the ECI have accused the body of being late or ineffective or partial in responding to alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Does the MCC need legal teeth for better implementation? T.S. Krishnamurthy and P.D.T. Achary discuss the question in a conversation moderated by Sreeparna Chakrabarty. Edited excerpts:

Mr. Krishnamurthy, a lot of people have said that the ECI has not properly enforced the MCC during this election and that some violations have been overlooked. What is your opinion on these allegations?

T.S. Krishnamurthy: The media and political parties make vague allegations against the ECI, and this is common during every election. As far as political parties go, one set of parties or the other will always have a complaint. This is very common in every election. Parties have their own political reasons for making complaints. What is necessary is to know how genuine these complaints are and what action has been taken. It is for the people to decide whether the action taken has been free and fair.

Mr. Achary, do you think the MCC needs legal teeth for better implementation?

P.D.T. Achary: I don’t look at this from the point of view of political parties but from the point of view of law and the Constitution. Legal enforceability is out of the question because it (the MCC) doesn’t have legal teeth. But the point is that the ECI has been given a lot of powers. In fact, Justice Justice Krishna Iyer had said in one of his judgments that it (the ECI) is a reservoir of powers. That means the ECI has a lot of powers to act to ensure that elections are free and fair. So, it is not necessary to give legal teeth to the MCC.

The argument against giving it legal teeth is that once it (the ECI) goes to the courts, it will take a lot of time. The electoral process, once it starts, should be completed expeditiously. So, legal teeth should not be made a part of the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951. In the absence of this legal provision, the MCC can be enforced and that is for the ECI to deal with because Article 324 of the Constitution gives it enormous powers wherever there is no legal provision. Whether the ECI is actually using all its powers under Article 324 is the question.

People who do not favour statutory measures to implement the MCC also argue that when a strict measure is taken, it disrupts the political process. Mr. Krishnamurthy, what do you think?

TSK: While I agree that the Supreme Court in one of its judgments observed that the ECI has a reservoir of powers under Article 324, it is only in respect of areas where there is a legislative vacuum. This is not an all-comprehensive power. The ECI is entitled to exercise this power without appealing to any other outside body, but even here, the restriction is that it has to be within the framework of the Constitution and the RPA. It is not as if the ECI has got extraordinary powers to go beyond the provisions of law. The ECI is accountable for its decisions in exercise of such power.

The main purpose of the MCC is to ensure a level playing field and ensure that elections take place in a free and fair manner. But the problem is that the MCC is only a code. Once it finds a violation, if the ECI can book them under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) or under the RPA, or file an FIR, that will take months and years to be decided by the courts. Moreover, the police which functions under the State government will be taking action against such complaints depending upon which party comes to power.

And if there are other violations not covered by the IPC or the RPA, all that the ECI can do is, say, ban a candidate from campaigning. But it has no wide-ranging powers as people assume, and that is where the problem lies. That is why I believe that some limited power should be given to the ECI to impose a monetary penalty or a temporary disqualification or something like that. There are some areas where I believe that it (the MCC) should be brought within the framework of law. I know there are differences of opinion among political parties and analysts. Some parties may not agree to such a change. But if you want to instill some fear in candidates and the political parties, at least some minimal power of imposing a monetary penalty [should be given]. Or disqualification for a short period would be ideal.

In recent times, has there been any discussion with parties on widening the ambit of the MCC or making it more efficient?

TSK: As far as I know, I don’t think so.

Mr. Achary, what is the harm in including certain statutory provisions like penalties for violating the MCC within the RPA Act?

PDTA: See, once it becomes a part of the RPA Act, suppose the ECI moves in and uses that particular provision against any person who violates the MCC, that person will certainly go to court and challenge it. If there is a stay, then the matter will end there. So, quick executive action is what is required. Judicial proceedings are out of question. An election has to be completed expeditiously within a given time frame.

I agree with Mr. Krishnamurthy that the reservoir of powers doesn’t mean that the ECI is omnipotent and it can operate outside the Constitution and law. The Supreme Court has made it clear that if there is a statutory law, then the ECI will have to go by that. But if there is no statutory law to deal with the particular situation, the ECI can draw this power from Article 324. Let’s suppose a very important person violates the MCC. In such cases, the ECI has, even during this election, taken a leader off campaigning for 24 hours or 48 hours. If the ECI can use this power and take a person off the campaign for 24 hours or 48 hours, it can take that person off the campaign for the duration of the election if it is a very serious offence or violation. That call has to be taken by the ECI.

I would also like to draw your attention to Paragraph 16A of the Election Symbols Order, 1968. It says if there is a violation of the MCC, the ECI can even derecognise or temporarily suspend the recognition given to a party. So, it is not that the that the ECI does not have or cannot exercise its authority.

TSK: Yes, the ECI has the power under the Election Symbols Order to withdraw (recognition). But if the ECI starts withdrawing the symbol for various violations that political parties are indulging in these days, I think most of the parties are likely to lose their symbol at one stroke. It cannot be invoked in all cases; it can only be invoked in very serious cases. Among the candidates and political parties, mere fear of withdrawal of the symbol or filing an FIR doesn’t work. Thousands of cases of FIRS are filed and you know how the FIRs are treated.

Over the past few years, there has been a debate on whether the ECI has been able to ensure a level playing field. What do you think?

PDTA: Here, the point is whether the ECI is using all its powers to deal with situations where senior political leaders while campaigning seem to be violating the MCC. Whether the ECI (in such situations) is acting effectively and applying the MCC and its regulatory aspect uniformly to all the people, whatever position they may hold politically or otherwise, is the question that needs to be debated. It is a serious situation. And all of us know what has been happening during this election.

Social media has become a huge influence as far as campaigning goes. Do you think it needs regulation?

TSK: This is a complex issue. There is need for regulation. How that can be done needs to be discussed with all stakeholders. I’m not saying everything is hunky dory. We have to bring about some changes. The MCC was started with a good intention. It had a lot of positive effect initially, but parties are now becoming more and more aggressive. I think it is time for us to review the contents of the MCC and also to find out methods to improve the regulation of social media, hate speeches, and fake news. But let us clearly understand that the ECI does not have that kind of a power during the election process to swiftly deal with the violations.

PDTA: Social media is unregulated, so some muck also moves through it. But the point is that when there is a some kind of a control over the rest of the media — sections of electronic media and print media — people get a lot of information through social media. Therefore, yes, there should be some healthy regulation, but otherwise social platforms are certainly serving a very important purpose, particularly in a situation like this.

Waiting for water

A shepherd pours water for a herd of goats in Malleswaram in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana. India has been in the grip of a severe heatwave. NAGARA GOPAL

During election time, expect the unexpected

Satvika Mahajan

Covering the Lok Sabha elections for the first time can be equally thrilling and daunting

For a cub reporter who is just finding her feet in the industry, covering any election can be intimidating, and a Lok Sabha one even more so. During election season, there is a constant influx of information and misinformation. There are dozens of speeches to cover, interviews to conduct, and places to be at. Some of these assignments can throw up surprises and involve quick turnarounds. All reporters prepare meticulously before elections, but regardless of the effort, something or the other tends to happen which changes the course of our coverage. In short, we always have to be prepared for the unexpected too.

For instance, just ahead of the polls, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested. This was an unprecedented event that none of us foresaw. On the day of the arrest, I was having a slow news day. But as updates of the Enforcement Directorate reaching the Chief Minister’s residence came in, I rushed to the site with my colleagues and saw him being taken away. The arrest landed the Aam Aadmi Party in a crisis and changed its campaign, likely made a difference to public opinion, and affected our coverage of the elections in the capital too.

There were also days when I found myself unprepared to deal with the contradictions in narratives or unable to trace the source of a narrative or belief. In north-east Delhi, for instance, where riots broke out in early 2020 over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, several people I spoke to recounted a particular narrative against the Congress’s candidate, Kanhaiya Kumar. People dismissed him as the leader of the “tukde tukde gang” — a pejorative catchphrase used to refer to groups allegedly supporting sedition and secessionism — but when asked where they had heard this, many of them did not have a proper answer.

Similarly, while researching and writing about the candidates in the fray, I realised that it was difficult to take a call on which aspects about them were important, which ones were unimportant and avoidable, and which ones were perhaps unimportant but still interesting.

Additionally, we reporters must also deal with the fact that there are certain aspects or events in a person’s life that cannot be written about due to several factors. For instance, the candidate may have faced a case years ago. But if that case was withdrawn later, do you include it? Similarly, it can be tricky to write about personal details that shaped the candidate’s motivations.

One day, despite doing my research and discovering crucial details about the candidates buried in larger stories, I was still caught off guard. During an interview, I asked the candidate many personal questions, including what he does when he takes breaks from campaigning. When I asked him about his children, he paused, unable to speak. I did not realise that he had lost his child. A member of his team answered instead. I quickly changed the subject and we moved back to talking about politics.

Most importantly, I was unaware of the impact of some of these stories on readers. Journalists spend their lives chasing stories, with little time to really look back at the previous day or report. We file so many stories that we even forget about them sometimes. But readers don’t forget. Stories, I have come to know, can even change their mind about a particular issue or person. I learned this one day when a reader called me and said, “The profiles you are writing for the candidates in my constituency will decide who I vote for.”

To hear that was thrilling, albeit daunting. Since that phone call, while interviewing candidates, I have tried even harder to put myself in the shoes of the people of the constituency and ask questions that the voters may want answered.

satvika.mahajan@thehindu.co.in

Indians for South African Army

Cape Town, May 30: Representatives of the 700,00 South African Indian community have welcomed the announcement that Indians may become part of the South African defence force. A statement has been issued by the Prime Minister, Mr. B.K. Vorster, saying: “The Government has decided to establish a social service battalion for Indians on similar lines to that of the coloureds.”

The Indian service battalion will provisionally be established on Salisbury island as a unit of the Navy. Training of the first Indians will begin in January next year.

Mr. J.N. Reddy, Chairman of the South African Indian Council, said: “We welcome with high praise the decision taken by the Government. This is a step in the right direction. We (Indians) feel part of South Africa.”

Strike at Tinnevely

Trichinopoly, May 31: The South Indian Railway firemen and cleaners have struck work at Trichinopoly on Friday noon. Similar strikes are also reported from Tanjore where it began at 4 p.m. yesterday. The Reserve Police are guarding the junction platform and railway sheds. The ex firemen are being called in of whom about half a dozen have already been registered. The duplicate Trivandrum Express left Trichinopoly with Mr. Vierra, Assistant Traffic Superintendent acting as firemen.

The tobacco epidemic in India

Varun Raj Passi, Parth Sharma

Tobacco causes a wide range of diseases and affects those consuming it as well as those cultivating it. There is a need for up-to-date data to understand trends in tobacco use to tackle the tobacco industry

Tobacco is the most widely recognised preventable cause of disease and death in the world. It causes a wide range of diseases and affects those consuming it as well as those cultivating it. After China, India has the world’s highest number of tobacco consumers — nearly 26 crore, according to an estimate in 2016-2017. Additionally, the health of more than 60 lakh people employed in the tobacco industry is also placed at risk because of the absorption of tobacco through the skin, which can cause various diseases.

Tobacco’s deleterious influence extends beyond human health. It is a highly erosive crop that rapidly depletes soil nutrients. This requires more fertilizers to be used which further worsens soil quality. The plant is also a major contributor to deforestation. Up to 5.4 kg of wood is required to process 1 kg of tobacco. The production and consumption of tobacco generates nearly 1.7 lakh tonnes of waste every year in India. Therefore, tobacco production and use impose a heavy economic burden on India. A 2021 study estimated that the country incurred a loss exceeding ₹1.7 lakh crore as a result of tobacco’s effects on the health of its consumers in the fiscal year 2017-2018. To compare, the Union Budget allocated for health in the same year was ₹48,000 crore. In addition, cleaning up tobacco waste has been estimated to cost close to ₹6,367 crore a year. These estimates exclude the costs due to soil erosion and deforestation.

The status of tobacco use in India

The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), and India’s National Family Health Survey (NFHS) capture the status of tobacco use in India. GYTS assesses tobacco use in students between the ages of 13 and 15 years and GATS and NFHS in people above 15 years of age.

Overall, the results of these surveys have been promising: tobacco use has gone down in the population groups studied by these surveys. An exception to this is tobacco use in women, which went up by 2.1% between 2015-2016 and NFHS 2019-2021. This said, a major caveat is that no survey has been conducted since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Awareness and control programmes

India is one of the 168 signatories of the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), launched in 2005. It aims to reduce tobacco usage worldwide by helping countries develop demand and supply reduction strategies. A law to govern tobacco sales in India has existed since 1975 and was amended in 2003. The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply, and Distribution) Act (COTPA) 2003 has 33 sections governing the production, advertisement, distribution, and consumption of tobacco.

India also launched the National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP) in 2007. NTCP is designed to improve the implementation of COTPA and FCTC, improve awareness about the harms of tobacco use, and help people quit it. Apart from these interventions, tobacco taxation — a globally accepted method to effectively control tobacco use — is also applied in India.

However, existing measures are poorly implemented. Smokeless tobacco products (SLTs) have predominantly been non-compliant with COTPA packaging guidelines. Smuggled tobacco products — both smoked and smokeless forms — have also been badly regulated. To make matters worse, the fines for violating COTPA regulations have not been updated since 2003. For instance, a tobacco company is fined a maximum of only ₹5,000 for violating packaging restrictions for the first time.

Further, while the COTPA bans direct advertisements, the position on indirect advertisements is unclear, which has allowed surrogate advertisements: they popularise the brand using a proxy product like elaichi, to promote tobacco manufactured by the same brand. The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 displayed surrogate advertisements for at least two tobacco brands, which were endorsed by famous cricketers. These advertisements are problematic as they indirectly promote tobacco use.

Becoming more affordable

Amendments to COTPA had been proposed in 2015 and 2020. The changes suggested in 2015 included regulations on surrogate advertisements, inclusion of films and video games in the definition of ‘advertisement’, and increasing the fines for violation of advertisement norms by a factor of 10. The amendment proposed in 2020 would have made licensing necessary for the production, supply, and distribution of tobacco products. But neither Bill was passed.

The NTCP’s effectiveness has also come into question. A 2018 study in the journal BMJ Tobacco Control reported no significant difference in the reduction of bidi or cigarette consumption between NTCP and non-NTCP districts. Possible reasons for this included insufficient staffing, resource allocation, and utilisation, and lack of effective monitoring mechanisms.

The Indian government’s efforts to levy excise duty on tobacco have also been marred by tax evasion, such as by purchasing tobacco products in lower tax jurisdictions, and illegal methods such as smuggling, illicit manufacturing, and counterfeiting. Low tobacco taxes in India, which have not matched the rise in people’s income, have kept tobacco affordable over the years. A 2021 study in BMJ Tobacco Control reported that cigarettes, bidis, and SLTs had become more affordable in the preceding 10 years, and that transitioning to the Goods and Services Tax regime had rendered cigarettes and SLTs more affordable.

Tax measures and lobbying

Rijo M. John, an economist and tobacco policy analyst, estimated the tax burden to be 51% for cigarettes, 22% for bidis, and 64% for SLTs, much lower than the FCTC’s recommendation of at least 75% tax. The tobacco lobby often argues that high taxes on tobacco lead to tax evasion. However, non-tax factors are equally, if not more, important. These factors include weak governance, high levels of corruption, poor government commitment to tackling illicit tobacco, ineffective customs and tax administration, and informal distribution channels for tobacco products.

In a progressive move, the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarette Act (PECA), 2019 banned e-cigarettes in India — yet they continue to remain a major public health challenge in the country. (The safe amount of tobacco is zero, and e-cigarettes’ usefulness in de-addiction has been questioned.) In one online survey completed by 840 adults, 23% reported having used e-cigarettes and 8% reported daily use.

Finally, the role of lobbying by the tobacco industry can’t be understated. Effective lobbying has led to the exemption of cess on bidis and smaller tobacco manufacturers to be continuously extended. It is public knowledge that government officials, both in-service and retired, engage with the tobacco industry. For example, a retired Indian Administrative Services officer joined the board of Godfrey Phillips as an independent director in 2022. Moreover, the Central government holds a 7.8% stake in ITC Ltd., India’s largest tobacco company. India’s score on the tobacco interference index — which calculates the degree of interference by the tobacco industry in governance — has also worsened since 2021.

Catching up with industry

COTPA, PECA, and NTCP provide a strong framework to successfully control tobacco production and use in India. But they need to be implemented more stringently. In addition, the tax on tobacco products also needs to be increased in line with the recommendations of the FCTC, inflation, and GDP growth.

With government support, it is also possible to help tobacco farmers switch to farming alternate crops, avoiding loss of livelihood, as shown by multiple studies conducted by the Central Tobacco Research Institute. In fact, for large-scale tobacco farmers, the net return per rupee of investment in jowar cultivation (1.84) is higher than tobacco (1.48). There is also a need for up-to-date data to understand trends in tobacco use to tackle the tobacco industry, which modifies its sales strategies based on readily available sales trends. Without such data, we will always remain a step behind the industry, and effective tobacco control will remain nothing but a pipe dream.

Varun Raj Passi and Parth Sharma are public health researchers at the Association for Socially Applicable Research (ASAR).

Studio Ghibli’s unsung secret sauce behind ‘The Boy and the Heron’s’ success

Ayaan Paul

With a career spanning over four decades and hundreds of original scores, Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi’s intimate compositions breathe life into Ghibli’s make-believe world — it’s the method in Miyazaki’s mesmerising madness

A still from Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy And The Heron. APBy JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer

Indian Ghibli fans have always had their work cut out for them. A decade after his last cinematic outing with The Wind Rises, it seems to have taken a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and an Academy Award for Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved anime studio to have convinced Indian distributors of the film’s chops. Today, a few weeks since the film first premiered in the country, remnants of the bewitching dream still linger.

The marvels of Mahito’s adventures in Miyazaki-land, however, would most certainly feel bereft of the characteristically Ghibli charm that had Indian fans flock to the theatres like a siege of herons without the secret sauce behind the studio’s spellbinding success.

The journey

Born Mamoru Fujisawa, 73-year-old Joe Hisaishi’s journey into music began at the age of four when he started learning violin. An early exposure to a plethora of films through his father laid the foundation for his future career. Hisaishi’s early works, composed under his given name, include music for the anime series Gyatoruzu in 1974, as well as Sasuga no Sarutobi and Futari Daka. His compositions during the 1970s were influenced by J-pop, New Age, and the late Ryuichi Sakamoto’s early Japanese electronic band, Yellow Magic Orchestra. This mix of influences created a cornucopia of themes and helped him develop his music from minimalist ideas to expansive orchestral works.

The turning point in Hisaishi’s career came in 1983 when he created an image album for Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. This collaboration was the first of many with Miyazaki, drawing obvious parallels to the legendary partnership between director Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams. As Hisaishi’s fame grew, he crafted his alias inspired by the American composer Quincy Jones. The name “Quincy,” pronounced “Kuinshī” in Japanese, shares the same kanji as “Hisaishi,” while “Joe” was borrowed from “Jones.”

Hisaishi’s music for Studio Ghibli guides viewers through the emotive landscape of Miyazaki’s imagined worlds. His music conceals a lesser-appreciated complexity behind the garb of simplicity that allows his compositions to become an inextricable part of the narrative.

Hisaishi’s musical genius lies in his knack for filling the emotional gaps left by Miyazaki’s minimalist dialogue. In Spirited Away, his score dances between uncertainty and resolve, perfectly capturing Chihiro’s journey. His strategic use of silence, especially in Howl’s Moving Castle, amplifies realism, making every musical note that follows feel like a revelation. The charming simplicity of Totoro and the epic grandeur of Mononoke demonstrate his understanding to mirror characters’ growth, making their triumphs and tribulations feel deeply personal.

The magic of Hisaishi’s music also lies in its ability to evoke a spectrum of emotions you can’t quite put your finger on. Tracks like his most popular, ‘One Summer’s Day’ from Spirited Away, flaunts this duality, blending melancholic undertones with a sense of uplifting resolution. His music has the rare ability to make audiences feel a sense of longing for places and times they have never known, creating an almost universal emotional experience that transcends cultural and linguistic barriers.

The grandeur of simplicity

Alongside his American contemporary in Williams, Hisaishi belongs to a group of film music titans, each wielding a unique style that defines the cinematic experience for legions of fans. Williams, the maestro behind the iconic sounds of Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, boasts a jaw-dropping 52 Academy Award nominations, making him Hollywood’s go-to guy for aural grandeur. On the flip side, Hisaishi weaves more introspective musical ideas. His scores, imbued with folk influences, create a gentle nostalgia that feels like a warm hug from a beloved childhood memory. Yet, despite his significant contributions, Hisaishi has never snagged an Oscar nod — an oversight that screams cultural bias louder than a Williams’ crescendo. While Williams’ symphonic fireworks align perfectly with Spielberg’s, and by extension, Hollywood’s love for spectacle, Hisaishi’s compositions offer a soothing counterpoint to Miyazaki’s imagination.

Hisaishi’s score for Miyazaki’s latest, The Boy and the Heron, stands as a testament to this synergy between composer and director — a reflective journey that mirrors Miyazaki’s most personal and contemplative film to date. An artistic pivot from his previous grandiose orchestrations is Hisaishi’s embrace of restraint, drawing on a Philip Glass-like classical minimalism to create an intimate auditory landscape that augments the film’s emotional core.

The film, titled “How Do You Live?” in its original Japanese, presents a thematic enquiry that Hisaishi translates into the score’s main motif, “Ask Me Why.” This recurring piano and strings piece, marked by its childlike purity, reinforces the protagonist Mahito’s quest for love and understanding following the loss of his mother. The theme’s simplicity belies its emotional weight, growing richer with each repetition, ultimately culminating in a powerful orchestral rendition that signifies Mahito’s emotional resolve in “Ask Me Why (Mahito’s Commitment)”.

A director’s trust

Miyazaki’s decision to grant Hisaishi free rein in scoring reflects a deep-seated trust and an evolution in their long-standing collaborative process.

Where previously Miyazaki’s involvement shaped the music’s direction, this time, Hisaishi was left to interpret the near-completed film independently. The result is a score that both complements and accentuates the film’s dichotomous structure.

In its first half, the film depicts post-war Japan. Hisaishi’s ideas are understated, relying heavily on sparse arrangements. Pieces like ‘White Wall’’ evoke the gentle lilt of Satie’s. Tensions between Mahito and the mischievous heron are conveyed through ‘A Feather in the Dusk’, where strings rise and fall, a mirror to the boy’s fluctuating emotions. The lighthearted ‘Feather Fletching’ and the ominous ‘A Trap’ juxtapose levity with suspense, leading to the film’s pivotal transition.

As Mahito ventures into the ominous tower, Hisaishi expands the musical palette, with the score incorporating quirky percussion and electronic effects. ‘Ark’ features wobbly pitched percussion to reflect the vibrancy of this new fantastical realm, while ‘Warawara’ employs synthesised voices to drive home the ethereal. This sonic evolution parallels Mahito’s journey from the mundane to the extraordinary, calling attention to the film’s thematic progression.

Hisaishi’s choice to focus on repeating patterns and eschewing overt emotional cues, aligns with Miyazaki’s narrative intent. By maintaining a certain distance from the story, Hisaishi’s score invites viewers to engage with the film on a more intuitive level, fostering a deeper emotional resonance without dictating sentiment.

Joe Hisaishi is the unsung hero of Ghibli, the method in Miyazaki’s mesmerising madness.

A quiz on different and unusual units of measurement

Vasudevan Mukunth

Visual question: Name this political commentator who, during the Iraq War, became infamous for repeatedly claiming “the next six months” would prove crucial despite each such period passing without any relevant incident. His name thus became synonymous with a span of six months.

Question 1

The renowned Hungarian and American mathematician John von Neumann is reputed to have said that the ideal length of a _______ should be one-millionth of a century, which is roughly 52.5 minutes. Fill in the blank with a teaching mode that’s a fixture in universities.

Question 2

In the early 18th century, steam engines started to replace purpose-bred work horses at various tasks. The shift prompted people to find a way to compare an engine’s output to the amount of work done by horses, and thus the term horsepower (HP) was born. If 1 HP is equal to roughly 750 watt, what’s the term for 250 watt?

Question 3

X is a humorous unit of measurement used to denote a distance of around 3.08 cm. X is created by multiplying the distance denoted by a legitimate unit of distance measurement in astronomy with a prefix denoting a value of 10^-18. Name X.

Question 4

Name the influential American programmer who likely founded the community known as ‘hackers’ and helped design the first Lisp machines. Since this fellow often neglected to bathe when he worked, his co-workers invented the term ‘blatt’ to denote strong and objectionable odours.

Question 5

Y was an English physicist and Nobel laureate considered to be among the founders of quantum mechanics and whose work predicted the existence of the positron. Y was so laconic that his Cambridge University invented a unit to measure the rate at which taciturn people spoke: Y per hour. Name Y.

Questions and Answers to the previous day’s daily quiz: 1. The number of attempts made by Hillary before he finally succeeded. Ans: Eight

2. The peak Hillary ascended before his expedition to Mt. Everest. Ans: New Zealand, Mount Cook

3. The year in which the first expedition to Mt. Everest was done. Ans: 1921

4. The two mountaineers who disappeared on the third attempt. Ans: George Mallory, Andrew Irvine

5. The first Indian to scale the Mt. Everest. Ans: Avatar Singh Cheema in 1965

Visual: Identify this mountaineer. Ans: Arunima Sinha. She is the world’s first female amputee to scale Mount Everest

Early Birds: Nobody got all the correct answers

Know your English

K. Subrahmaniam

1 of 2

2 of 2

“Function word (Kilpatrick, Jones, R).”

“A function word is a word that expresses grammatical relationships in a sentence. Prepositions, conjunctions, articles are function words. These have grammatical meaning and not lexical meaning. These show their relationship to the other words in the sentence in which they occur.

I went to Madras.

He has borrowed from a lot of people.

The opposite of ‘function word’ is ‘content word.’ A content word has lexical or semantic meaning. Words like man, boy, fruit, beautiful, friend are content words. Content words have a meaning of their own. Function words have only grammatical meaning. Function words tell us how they function in a sentence. To, for, of, and, etc. are function words.”

“Nip and tuck (Anil Jhaveri, Bombay).”

It means ‘so close as to be of uncertain outcome, neck and neck.’

I don’t know who will win. It is a close contest. It is nip and tuck.

‘Nip and tuck’ is of American origin. It was first used as a wrestling term in the 1880s. ‘Nip and tack’ and ‘nip and chuck’ were the other expressions used earlier. But now we use only ‘nip and tuck’.”

“The Present Perfect Tense”

We use the present perfect tense to denote past actions which have a bearing on the present.

I have done my homework and you can see it.

He has gone home.

She has received her salary.

We also use the present perfect when we want to convey news published in a newspaper or news that has been broadcasted or telecast.

The Prime Minister has said that the country must be vigilant.

There has been a train accident.

We do not use present perfect when we refer to some action that took place at a specific time in the past. That is, we do not use the present perfect with ‘yesterday,’ ‘last night,’ ‘three years ago,’ ‘last week’ … ‘He met with an accident last night’, not ‘He has met with an accident last night’. ‘Where did you go last week?’ not ‘Where have you gone last week?’ ‘He was born in 1910’, not ‘He has been born in 1910’.

Expressions like so far, up to now, hitherto, refer to a period of time continuing up to ‘now’ and so they go with the present perfect tense.

I haven’t met him so far.

Things have been good up to now.

But ‘nowadays’ and ‘these days’ go only with the present tense and not with the Present Perfect tense. Nowadays he is moody. These days he is moody.

When you want to refer to the immediate past, you use ‘just’ with the present perfect.

He has just gone out.

The meeting just begun.

She just finished her dinner.

In American English, the past tense is used with ‘just’ whereas in British English the present perfect is used. The meeting has just begun (British English). The meeting just began (American English).”

Published in The Hindu on March 17, 1992.

Business

- RBI’s income rises 17% to ₹2.75 lakh cr., spending falls 56%

- Apollo Hospitals Q4 PAT surges 76% to ₹254 crore

- ‘Ratio of women in leadership roles stagnating in India’

- Global AI chips revenue will grow 33% in 2024: Gartner

- Muthoot Finance Q4 net up 17% to ₹1,182 cr.

- JioMart said to mull quick e-com entry

- ‘Pharma exports to log $31 bn in FY25’

- RBI sets framework for SRO for FinTechs

- IDFC First Bank board okays ₹3,200-crore fundraise

- E-com, BFSI, hospitality driving job market: Apna

- Shriram Properties net rose 32% in Q4 to ₹20 crore

- Mumbai to log 34% growth in skyscrapers by 2030: Anarock

- Adani Total mulls adding plants in India for LNG import

- ‘Rooftop solar installations fell 26% to 367 MW in Jan.-March’

- ‘Gold loans are having transformative impact on households in India’

- ‘Gold worth tens of billions smuggled to the UAE each year’

- Global fund launches touch a record in China as yuan slumps

- Silver lining

- IndiGo speeds up trials on new software

RBI’s income rises 17% to ₹2.75 lakh cr., spending falls 56%

Lalatendu Mishra

MUMBAI

Central bank’s FY24 balance sheet swells 11% to ₹70,47,703.21 crore , RBI’s Annual Report shows; reiterates projection for FY25 GDP growth at 7%

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reported a 17% increase in FY24 income to ₹2,75,572.32 crore. Expenditure shrank 56.3% to ₹64,694.33 crore, from ₹1,48,037.04 crore in FY23, the RBI said in its annual report on Thursday.

The sharp drop in spending helped the RBI end the year with a transferable surplus of ₹2,10,873.99 crore, as against ₹87,416.22 crore in the previous year. Gains from foreign exchange transactions amounted to ₹83,615.86 crore, while interest income from foreign securities rose to ₹65,327.93 crore.

The size of the RBI’s balance sheet increased by ₹7,02,946.97 crore, or 11%, to ₹70,47,703.21 crore, from ₹63,44,756.24 crore in FY23, the central bank said in its Annual Report.

“The increase on asset side was due to rise in foreigninvestments, gold, and loans and advances by 13.9%, 18.26% and 30.05%, respectively,” the RBI said. On the liabilities side, the expansionwas due to increase in notes issued, depositsand other liabilities by 3.88%, 27% and 92.57%, respectively, it added.

“Domesticassets constituted 23.31% while foreigncurrency assets, gold (including gold depositand gold held in India) and loans and advancesto financial institutions outside India constituted76.69% of total assets in FY24 as against 26.08% and 73.92%, respectively in FY23,” the RBI noted.

A provision of ₹42,819.91 crore was transferred to the Contingency Fund.

The RBI also reiterated its outlook for growth, projecting real GDP growth for 2024-25 at 7%, with risks evenly balanced. “The outlook for the Indian economy remains bright, underpinned by a sustained strengthening of macroeconomic fundamentals, robust financial and corporate sectors and a resilient external sector,” it said.

“The government’s continued thrust on capex while pursuing fiscal consolidation, and consumer and business optimism augur well for investment and consumption demand.” it added.

The RBI said as headline inflation eased towards the target, consumption demand, especially in rural areas, would revive.

‘Forex buffers’

“The external sector’s strength and buffers in the form of foreign exchange reserves will insulate domestic economic activity from global spillovers,” it asserted.

“Geopolitical tensions, geoeconomic fragmentation, global financial market volatility, international commodity price movements and erratic weather developments pose downside risks to the growth outlook and upside risks to the inflation outlook,” the central bank added.

Apollo Hospitals Q4 PAT surges 76% to ₹254 crore

The Hindu Bureau

MUMBAI

Prathap C. ReddyRavindran_R

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd. reported fourth-quarter consolidated net profit surged 76% year-on-year to ₹254 crore. Healthcare services net profit at ₹280 crore increased 9%.

Revenue for the quarter ended March 31 rose 15% to ₹4,944 crore. Healthcare services revenue at ₹2,563 crore climbed 17%.

For FY24, consolidated net profit rose 33% to ₹899 crore. This was excluding deferred tax reversal of ₹143 crore for FY23, the company said in a filing.

Revenue for FY24 rose 15% to ₹19,059 crore. Healthcare services revenue logged 14% growth to ₹9,867 crore.

“FY24 has been a special year for us at Apollo as we achieved some remarkable milestones to further enhance the quality of our care,” said Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group.

“Steadfast dedication to delivering top-notch healthcare services continues to be a key pillar of our growth.

“While Apollo leads the paradigm shift in healthcare focused on prevention of diseases, we are committed to advance our research efforts and leverage cutting-edge, new-age technologies like AI and robotics to enhance patient outcomes.” Dr. Reddy said.

“Cancer is one of our key focus areas given the increasing incidence of the disease being reported in India. We are committed to advance our research and introduce novel, technology-driven medical solutions and set new benchmarks in cancer care.”

Apollo Hospitals would continue to strengthen its endeavors to identify and introduce best-in-class, technology-enabled healthcare solutions to enhance patient outcomes.

‘Ratio of women in leadership roles stagnating in India’

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Representation of women in corporate roles, which has for long been below 30% in India, has been stagnating, and possibly declining in the post-pandemic years, according to a report by professional networking platform LinkedIn, ‘Women in Leadership in Corporate India’.

The data is based on LinkedIn members in India, where the firm has more than 100 million registered users. Aparajita Bharti, co-founder of The Quantum Hub consultancy that worked with LinkedIn on the report, said the reduction in the availability of hybrid or work-from-home roles likely contributed to this shift, impacting the growth of female participation in the corporate labour market.

The company’s data “shows that despite progress, women still face obstacles in reaching leadership roles due to bias, societal norms, and structural barriers,” said Aditi Jha, country head for legal and government affairs at LinkedIn India.

‘Skills first approach’

LinkedIn in its report suggests a ‘skills-first’ approach to hiring (as opposed to making gendered assumptions on a prospective employee’s capabilities), mentorship and networking opportunities, and shared parental leave.

“Industries such as education at 30% and government administration at 29% have the highest representation of women in leadership roles, followed by administrative and support services and hospitals and health care, each with 23%,” LinkedIn said in the report.

Global AI chips revenue will grow 33% in 2024: Gartner

The Hindu Bureau

Bengaluru

‘Smarter’ computers: Gartner forecasts AI PC shipments will reach 22% of total PC shipments in 2024.REUTERSDado Ruvic

Revenue from artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors globally is expected to total $71 billion in 2024, a rise of 33% from 2023, according to the latest forecast by Gartner Inc.

“Today, generative AI (GenAI) is fueling demand for high-performance AI chips in data centres,” said Alan Priestley, VP Analyst at Gartner. “In 2024, the value of AI accelerators used in servers, which offload data processing from microprocessors, will total $21 billion, and increase to $33 billion by 2028,” Mr. Priestley added.

Gartner forecasts AI PC shipments will reach 22% of total PC shipments in 2024, and by the end of 2026, 100% of enterprise PC purchases will be an AI PC. AI PCs include a neural processing unit (NPU) enabling them to run longer, quieter and cooler and have AI tasks running continuously in the background, creating new opportunities for leveraging AI in everyday activities.

While AI semiconductor revenue would continue to experience double-digit growth through the forecast period, 2024 was expected to experience the highest growth rate during that period, Gartner predicted.

Muthoot Finance Q4 net up 17% to ₹1,182 cr.

Press Trust of India

New Delhi

Muthoot Finance Ltd. on Thursday reported a 17% rise in consolidated net profit at ₹1,182 crore in the March quarter.

The gold financing company had posted a net profit of ₹1,009 crore in the year-earlier period.

Muthoot Finance consolidated results take into account its subsidiaries Muthoot Homefin, Belstar Microfinance, Muthoot Money, Muthoot Insurance Brokers Pvt. Ltd., and Asia Asset Finance PLC.

Total income rose to ₹4,179 crore from ₹3,298 crore year-on-year (YoY), Muthoot Finance said in a regulatory filing.

The expenditure during the quarter rose to ₹2,594 crore from ₹1,943 crore a year earlier, it said.

Loan book

The consolidated loan assets under management grew 25% to ₹89,079 crore from ₹71,497 crore YoY.

The board declared a dividend of ₹24, or 240% on the face value of ₹10 per equity share.

JioMart said to mull quick e-com entry

Lalatendu Mishra

MUMBAI

Reliance Retail’s JioMart, an e-marketplace is planning to introduce quick commerce services in India to provide its customers with a choice and enhance its business.

The delivery will be under 30 minutes and available in eight cities across 68 pin codes from June, starting with the grocery category, including fruits and vegetables, people familiar with the matter said.

Reliance Retail will leverage its network of almost 19,000 stores to start instant delivery in over 1,000 cities in a phased manner, marking one of the largest quick commerce rollouts by any company in India, the people said.

By managing online and offline orders from the same stores, JioMart aims at improving unit economics and extend quick commerce to every corner of the country.

JioMart will leverage its technology platforms for fulfilment process and optimise delivery routes to reach customers in the shortest span of time.

‘Pharma exports to log $31 bn in FY25’

The Hindu Bureau

HYDERABAD

India’s pharmaceutical exports are expected to grow by more than 11% and touch a record $31 billion in FY25 on the back of multiple factors, especially a shortage of drugs in the key U.S. market, a top official of the exporters body under the Commerce Ministry said on Thursday.

For the fiscal ended March, pharma exports, a mainstay in the country’s global trade, rose 9.6% to $27.8 billion. The growth came amid numerous global challenges, Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India Director General Ravi Uday Bhaskar said.

“Pharmaceutical exports to the U.S. increased 15% to more than $8 billion, while the exports to the U.K. were 21% higher... demonstrating the robust growth of the Indian pharmaceutical industry,” he told PharmaLytica expo and conference here.

RBI specifies framework for SRO for FinTech firms

The Hindu Bureau

MUMBAI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued the Framework for Recognising Self-Regulatory Organisation for the FinTech Sector (SRO-FT) for better self governance and compliance by firms in this space.

Entities meeting or intending to meet the eligibility conditions and requirements of the SRO-FT framework have been asked to submit applications. The names of applicants found eligible for the “recognition” will be published on the RBI website.

The SRO-FT should operate objectively, with credibility and responsibility under the RBI’s oversight. “It should strive towards healthy and sustainable development of the FinTech sector and, if necessary, identify a glide path to a phased regulatory and/or supervisory compliance,” it said. The applicant should be set up as a not-for-profit company and its shareholding should be sufficiently diversified, with no entity holding 10% or more of its paid-up share capital.

IDFC First Bank board okays ₹3,200-crore fundraise

IDFC First Bank on Thursday said its board approved a plan to raise ₹3,200 crore via preferential issue of shares to fund business growth. The board of the bank, at its meeting on Thursday, considered and approved to issue, offer and allot 39.68 crore shares of face value of ₹10 each fully paid-up, on a preferential basis, to the allottees at a price of ₹80.63 per equity share, amounting to ₹3,200 crore, IDFC First Bank said in a regulatory filing. PTI

E-com, BFSI, hospitality driving job market: Apna

Press Trust of India

Mumbai

E-commerce, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), and hospitality sectors witnessed an increased demand for talent in the first four months of 2024, indicating a recovery in overall job market, according to a report.

Driven by economic recovery, the demand for workforce in BFSI increased the maximum by 21% during the first four months of CY24. While the e-com sector saw a rise of 17%, services and hospitality industries reported a growth of 13%, as per the report by professional networking platform Apna.

Shriram Properties net rose 32% in Q4 to ₹20 crore

Press Trust of India

Bengaluru

Realty firm Shriram Properties reported a 32% rise in consolidated net profit to ₹20.18 crore for the March quarter on higher income. Its net profit was ₹15.25 crore in the year-earlier period.

Total income rose to ₹358.37 crore in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal from ₹170.98 crore in the March quarter of FY23, according to a regulatory filing on Wednesday. During FY24, net profit rose to ₹75.43 crore (₹65.97 crore). The company has a strong development pipeline comprising 42 projects.

Mumbai to log 34% growth in skyscrapers by 2030: Anarock

The Hindu Bureau

MUMBAI

Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) will see a 34% growth in skyscrapers with more than 40 floors over the next six years (2024 to 2030), consulting firm Anarock said in a study.

The region currently has 361 high-rise towers of more than 40 floors each.

Of these, 154 have already been completed and more than 207 scheduled to be completed by 2030.

“Skyscrapers are really maximum city’s only logical response for the need to balance growth with sustainability,” said Anuj Puri, Chairman, Anarock Group.

Adani Total mulls adding plants in India for LNG import

Adani Total Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture between Adani Group and France’s TotalEnergies, is considering building more plants in India to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet the growing demand for the cleaner fuel, the firm’s top boss said. The firm plans to double the capacity of its 5 million metric tonne-per-year Dhamra LNG terminal in eastern India, CEO Satinder Pal Singh said, adding the terminal is operating at about 52% capacity. REUTERS

‘Rooftop solar installations fell 26% to 367 MW in Jan.-March’

Rooftop solar capacity installations in India registered a 26% year-on-year decline to 367 MW during the January-March period, mainly on account of rise in input cost, Mercom Capital said. India added 367 MW of rooftop solar in the March quarter. Installations fell almost 10% quarter-over-quarter from 406 MW and dropped more than 24% year-on-year from 485 MW, according to the report titled ‘Q1 India Rooftop Solar Market.’ PTI

‘Gold loans are having transformative impact on households in India’

Shripad Jadhav

Indians hold a record gold reserve of 24,000 tonnes, which is about 14% of the world’s holding, but they have pledged only around 5,300 tonnes; as of December 2023, the gold loan industry’s advances stand at ₹7.15 lakh crore, but given our vast reserves the potential is too significant to ignore

1 of 2 Wealth stack: Indians hold the largest private stash of gold in world worth $2 trillion. gettyimages/istockrvimages

2 of 2 Rural areas account for almost 60% of the total consumption of gold, which is considered the most trusted asset and a succour in times of financial crises

The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit.”

Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson’s astute reference to mankind’s eternal yearning for the yellow metal perhaps summarises the mood of Indians these days. The financial freedom offered by gold, the eternal haven, and its ability to fulfil immediate desires are increasingly driving Indian households to seek loans against their precious metal.

Be it farmers in rural areas, working women in urban areas, elderly seeking temporary finance or MSME entrepreneurs looking for quick working capital, gold loans are satisfying everyone’s needs and aspirations.

Gold’s intrinsic worth tends to withstand economic fluctuations, making it a reliable asset for both borrowers and lenders. According to a report by the World Gold Council, Indian households have a record gold reserve of 24,000 tonnes, and even a small percentage of it coming into the formal economy can add significant value to the economy.

Indian women who hold gold as a key part of their cherished savings and investments can also utilise the power of the metal to fulfil their entrepreneurial ambitions. While urban women are comparatively advantaged in terms of financial prowess, women in rural areas can creatively use gold to source funds to improve their livelihood and income levels.

Whether it is setting up small-scale enterprises such as making papad, tailoring units, dairy farming or handicrafts, women can leverage gold loans to pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations or invest in their children’s education, adding much value to the household income as well as the family’s future.

Rural India has been fancying gold for generations. As per the latest data, rural areas account for almost 60% of the total consumption of the yellow metal, which is considered the most trusted asset and a succour in times of financial crises. In this context, gold loans have emerged as a powerful instrument for empowering rural economies across India. By leveraging the intrinsic value of gold assets, these loans provide much-needed liquidity, stimulate entrepreneurship, and contribute to overall community development. However, many rural areas of the country still continue to deal with unorganised and unregulated gold loan providers including loan sharks, losing their precious gold in the process.

Preserving wealth

Gold holds immense cultural and social significance in Indian society, often passed down through generations as heirlooms or part of religious rituals and ceremonies. There is an emotional connection and ancestral affinity. No wonder, Indian families are believed to be holding the largest private stash of the yellow metal in the world—valued at a staggering $2 trillion. Gold loans are designed with such sensibilities, allowing individuals to retain the ownership of the gold assets while providing them with much-needed liquidity when needed. This ensures that the cultural heritage embedded in gold is preserved and passed on to future generations even as it provides a source of financial security.

Further, one of the key features of gold loans is the flexibility in repayment options. Borrowers can choose repayment schedules that align with their cash flow cycles, making it easier to manage debt obligations without undue strain. This flexibility ensures that borrowers can repay their loans comfortably, reducing the risk of default and fostering a culture of responsible borrowing and lending.

Also, the transformative impact of gold loans extends beyond individual borrowers to the broader community. As businesses thrive and incomes rise, local economies experience a ripple effect of economic growth and development. Increased economic activity leads to job creation, improved infrastructure, and enhanced standards of living for rural residents. Gold loans thus play a vital role in catalyzing community development and fostering inclusive growth across rural India.

And in times of economic crises, rural communities often become the most vulnerable, facing challenges such as crop failures, rising debt, and reduced income opportunities. In such junctures, gold loans offer a source of stability and resilience, providing individuals and businesses with the financial resources needed to weather the storm. By tapping into their gold assets, rural households can withstand economic shocks, sustain their livelihoods, and emerge stronger from adversity.

In toto, gold loans have emerged as a transformative tool for economies like India, providing the much-needed liquidity, stimulating entrepreneurship, and fostering community. Given our vast reserves, the potential is too significant to ignore; Indian households which account for 27000 tonnes gold (14% of the world’s holding) have only pledged around 5,300 tonnes. According to a CIBIL survey in December 2023, the gold loan industry’s advances stand at ₹7.15 lakh crore, having grown at a CAGR of 19% for the last three years.

Given the freedom and benefits that gold loans offer, Indian households may find it as the right product to meet those innate desires and aspirations.

(The writer is President, Retail Agriculture and Gold Loans, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd.)

‘Gold worth tens of billions smuggled to the UAE each year’

Reuters

Gold drain: Over the previous decade, UAE accepted over 2,500 tonne of smuggled gold.REUTERSLUC GNAGO

Gold smuggling out of Africa, mainly to the United Arab Emirates, has surged over the last decade, with hundreds of tonnes of gold worth tens of billions of dollars illegally leaving the continent every year, according to a report published on Thursday.

Analysis by Swissaid, an organisation that focuses on development aid and advocacy, found that a total of 435 tonnes of gold, mostly mined by small-scale miners and worth more than $30 billion, was smuggled out of Africa in 2022. Swissaid said the UAE was the main destination for Africa’s smuggled gold and took in 405 tonnes in 2022. Over the previous decade, UAE accepted more than 2,500 tonnes of smuggled gold with a total value of over $115 billion, it said.

Asked to comment on the findings, a UAE official said the country had taken significant steps to address concerns about gold smuggling and implemented new regulations on gold and other precious metals.

The scale of the flow underscores how small scale, or artisanal, mining has mushroomed into an industry involving millions of people producing volumes of gold on a par with or even bigger than industrial mining.

In 2019, a Reuters investigation found that billions of dollars’ worth of gold was being smuggled out of Africa every year through the UAE, which served a gateway to markets in Europe, the U.S. and beyond.

Aside from the loss in tax revenues, experts and governments have warned that smuggling on this scale indicates a vast parallel illicit economy vulnerable to potential money laundering, terrorist finance and sanctions evasion.

Marc Ummel, commodities lead at Swissaid and one of the authors of the report, said the UAE contributes to gold laundering because large quantities of smuggled gold acquire a legal existence by transiting through the UAE.

Discrepancies

For its analysis, Swissaid compared total gold exports from all African countries with gold imports into non-African countries. The organisation filled gaps in UN Comtrade data with individual country statistics and identified errors by comparing the data with figures reported by trade associations and speaking with governments and refineries.

These discrepancies between declared exports and declared imports do not exist for Switzerland and India, the other two major gold importing countries for African gold.

The Swissaid report found that there were 12 countries in Africa involved in smuggling 20 tonnes or more per year.

In response to accusations that it was not doing enough to enforce regulations on the sector, a UAE Ministry of Economy spokesperson said the UAE cannot be held accountable for other government’s export records. “Only our own, where we have sophisticated technologies and systems to track and verify the data.”

With the gold price having doubled since 2009, the number of people turning to artisanal mining has surged. Swissaid estimates that artisanal and small-scale gold mining in African countries produced between 443 and 596 tonnes of gold in 2022. Of this, more than 70% is not declared. By comparison, industrial miners have produced around 500 tonnes of gold a year.

The report found that the majority of African gold imported into the UAE each year comes from informal artisanal and small-scale mining. These methods provide a livelihood to millions of Africans but often come at a high cost to local communities and the environment.

“There’s a certain hypocrisy with some of the Swiss refineries,” said Mr. Ummel. “They don’t want to source African artisanal gold directly but at the same time import very high quantities of gold from the UAE, which is the main hub for African artisanal gold.”

Global fund launches touch a record in China as yuan slumps

Reuters

HONG KONG

In vogue: Eleven funds, under the Qualified Domestic Limited Partner programme, have been launched so far this year. ReuterSJEENAH MOON

Global fund launches in China have hit a record as a weakening yuan and fragile economy drive demand for foreign assets, in the latest sign of low confidence among domestic investors.

Eleven funds issued under the Qualified Domestic Limited Partner (QDLP) programme have been launched so far this year, according to data by Z-Ben Advisors, already outpacing the full-year number from any previous year.

Managers such as Blackstone, Bridgewater Associates, and Oaktree Capital Management have opened funds, though they did not disclose total fundraising.

The products, which raise money from high net worth and institutional investors and invest in overseas assets, are booming as Chinese markets flounder. The yuan is at six-month lows on the dollar, the stock market shows signs of fatigue after a rebound from 5-year lows struck in February and benchmark 10-year government bond yields have hit record lows.

“Investors’ demand for offshore products have been rising quickly this year due to a weak yuan and sentiment,” said Ivan Shi, head of research at Shanghai-based Z-Ben Advisors, adding alternative investments and foreign bonds are popular.

In April, Blackstone launched its first QDLP fund, channeling money to the firm’s Private Equity Strategies fund.

The initial sales target of $40 million was reached in less than two weeks, according to two people familiar with the matter. Blackstone declined to comment. Market participants say Chinese authorities are largely encouraging the sector and more products are on the way.

Silver lining

Conditions apply: A man makes a call on his phone near the words for Beijing outside a mall in Beijing. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has upgraded its forecast for China’s economy, while warning that consumer-friendly reforms are needed to sustain strong, high-quality growth. APNg Han Guan

IndiGo speeds up trials on new software

Aneesh Phadnis

Mumbai

Trouble in the air: The software measures the severity of turbulence, says the airline. REUTERSSTRINGER

The recent incidents of turbulence involving Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways have got IndiGo doubling down on its trial of a new software that measures turbulence in the sky.

While pilots rely on aircraft weather radars and air traffic control inputs to steer clear of bad weather, the new software will provide an additional safety layer in flight operations.

“To ensure a secure and comfortable in-flight experience, the airline is constantly exploring new technologies and evaluating in-flight safety announcements. Recently, IndiGo ran some trials on new software and is hopeful of launching another trial for its Airbus fleet in the next 2-3 weeks,” IndiGo said in a statement.

“Since the agreement is under process, the airline will announce the software name, as per the developments in the trial agreement.”

IndiGo has been testing the software for the past several months. But fresh trials started in the backdrop of the Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways incidents that left a passenger dead.

The software measures the severity of turbulence and records the location and altitude. It is also helpful in monitoring clear-air turbulence, not easily detected by onboard weather radars. “Currently IndiGo aircraft are not equipped with Internet connectivity. So, even if an aircraft has encountered turbulence, data is available only when it lands. That is a challenge for now,” said a person familiar with the system.

(The writer is with The Hindu businessline)

Foreign

- ANC on track to lose majority after watershed South Africa vote

- 14 pro-democracy activists convicted, 2 acquitted in Hong Kong's biggest national security case

- China's Xi calls for Middle East peace conference

- Ukraine says Crimea attack destroyed 2 Russian military boats

- Sweden says Iran using Swedish gangs to target Israel, other states

- Gunmen murder Rohingya teacher and student in Bangladesh

- Anger as Nigerian president changes national anthem

- Sri Lanka seeks release of ex-soldiers in Russia and Ukraine

- Spain's parliament gives final approval to amnesty law for Catalonia's separatists

- Cambodia to begin work on controversial canal in August: PM

- 4 Pakistanis killed by Iranian border guards in remote southwestern region, Pakistani officials say

- Taliban regime seeks to revive Afghan railway projects, open trade routes

- ‘He is our God’: in Georgia, shadowy oligarch’s power looms large

- From deep down

- Iran opens registration for June presidential election after Ebrahim Raisi’s death

- Amid calls for polls, U.K. parties face off on TikTok app

- North Korea fires missiles toward its eastern sea

ANC on track to lose majority after watershed South Africa election

Agence France-Presse

Johannesburg

Historic poll: Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) officials empty a ballot box during the vote counting process at Addington Primary School voting station in Durban on Wednesday. AFPRAJESH JANTILAL

South Africa’s ruling ANC was on course to lose its 30-year unchallenged majority on Thursday after voters queued long into the night to cast their ballots, preliminary results and projections showed.

With a third of votes tallied, the ANC was leading but with a score of 42% — well below the 57% it won in 2019 — followed by the liberal Democratic Alliance (DA) at 25%, according to authorities.

The leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and former South African President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) were neck and neck on around 9% each.

The final results are expected in the next three days.

“The broad church of the ANC has taken a substantial knock. This is a shock to the system for the ANC and ultimately will also be a shock to the system for the average South African, who has only known ANC rule since 1994,” said political analyst Daniel Silke. “It redraws the political boundaries of South Africa and creates a degree of uncertainty”.

If President Cyril Ramaphosa’s party is confirmed as dropping below 50%, it would force him to seek coalition partners to be re-elected to form a new government.

That would be a historic evolution in the country’s democratic journey, which was underlined by newspaper headlines on Thursday.

The ANC has dominated South Africa’s democracy with an unbroken run of five Presidents from the party.

The party remains respected for its leading role in overthrowing white minority rule, and its progressive social welfare and black economic empowerment policies are credited by supporters with helping millions of black families out of poverty.

But over three decades of almost unchallenged rule, its leadership has been implicated in a series of large-scale corruption scandals, while the continent’s most industrialised economy has languished and crime and unemployment figures have hit record highs.

Almost all votes had been counted by 3:00 pm on Thursday, but most had yet to be validated, Independent Electoral Commission’s head Sy Mamabolo told a press conference.

14 democracy activists convicted in Hong Kong national security case

Associated Press

HONG KONG

The campaigners, including former lawmakers, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit subversion in the city’s biggest national security case; they could face up to life in prison when sentenced later; two of the accused were acquitted

Silencing voices: Hong Kong police chief Superintendent Steve Li Kwai-wah speaks to the media in front of the court on Thursday.AFPJUSTIN CHAN

Fourteen pro-democracy activists were convicted in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case on Thursday by a court that said their plan to effect change through an unofficial primary election would have undermined the government’s authority and created a constitutional crisis.

After a 2019 protest movement that filled the city’s streets with demonstrators, authorities have all but silenced dissent in Hong Kong through reduced public choice in elections, crackdowns on media and the Beijing-imposed security law under which the activists were convicted. Those found guilty of conspiracy to commit subversion included former lawmakers Leung Kwok-hung, Lam Cheuk-ting, Helena Wong and Raymond Chan, and they could face up to life in prison when sentenced.

The activists were among 47 democracy advocates who were prosecuted in 2021 for their involvement in the primary. Prosecutors had accused them of attempting to paralyse Hong Kong’s government and topple the city’s leader by securing the legislative majority necessary to indiscriminately veto Budgets.

In a summary of the verdict distributed to media, the court said the election participants had declared they would use their legislative power to veto the Budgets.

Under the city’s mini-constitution, the Chief Executive can dissolve the legislature if a Budget cannot be passed but the leader would have to step down if the Budget is again vetoed in the next legislature.

The pro-democracy camp at that time hoped they could secure a legislative majority, which would allow them to press for the 2019 protest demands, including greater police accountability and democratic elections for the city leader. But the government postponed the legislative election that would have followed the primary, citing public health risks during the coronavirus pandemic. The electoral laws were later overhauled, effectively increasing the number of pro-Beijing lawmakers in the legislature.

Xi calls for conference to discuss crisis in West Asia

Agence France-Presse

Beijing

Xi Jinping TINGSHU WANG

Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Thursday for a peace conference to end the war between Israel and Hamas, as he addressed Arab leaders at a forum aimed at bolstering ties with the region.

Mr. Xi is this week hosting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and several other Arab leaders.

Itself an oil producer, China has also long imported crude from the West Asia, where it has sought to expand its influence in recent years.

It has positioned itself as a more neutral actor on the Israel-Palestinian conflict than its rival the United States, advocating for a two-state solution while also maintaining good ties with Israel.

China has pointed to the West Asia as a key node in its Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, a central pillar of Mr. Xi’s bid to expand his country’s clout overseas.

Addressing delegates, Mr. Xi on Thursday expressed support for a “broad-based” peace conference to resolve the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“The West Asia is a land bestowed with broad prospects for development, but the war is still raging on it,” Mr. Xi said.

“War should not continue indefinitely. Justice should not be absent forever,” he added.

Speaking after Mr. Xi, Egypt’s Sisi urged the international community to ensure Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are not displaced from their war-ravaged territory. Egypt shares a border with Gaza and signed a historic peace deal with Israel in 1978.

Analysts say China is seeking to leverage the war in Gaza to boost its standing in the region, framing its efforts to end that conflict against perceived U.S. inaction.

Two Russian military boats destroyed in Crimea attack: Kyiv

Agence France-Presse

Kyiv

Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence service said on Thursday that its forces had used naval drones to destroy two Russian patrol boats off Moscow-annexed Crimea.

The GUR agency wrote on Telegram that its Group 13 special forces unit using Ukrainian naval drones “successfully attacked the boats of the aggressor state of Russia in temporarily-occupied Crimea”.

It said that Russia used fighter planes and helicopters to try to destroy the drones in the Vuzka bay in northwest Crimea, as well as firing on them using small arms and 30 mm cannons.

Despite odds

It posted video footage of a helicopter firing into the water and bright flashes of fire apparently coming from the coast, saying this did not prevent the Ukrainians from “successfully completing their combat mission”.

“As a result of the strike, two Russian boats were destroyed,” GUR said, adding that according to preliminary data, they were high-speed amphibious vessels of the KS-701 Tunets type.

The GUR video shows footage from a drone showing it honing in on two moored boats, as well as nighttime footage of a massive explosion sending a plume of smoke up into the air.

The KS-701 small motor boats, made in Russia, are used for coastal patrols.

Russia said earlier it had destroyed two Ukrainian naval drones “heading for Crimea” and intercepted 13 aerial drones in the southern Krasnodar region and over the Black Sea near Crimea.

Russia also said it shot down eight tactical ATACMS missiles over the Sea of Azov, near Crimea.

Iran using Swedish gangs to target Israel, alleges Stockholm

Agence France-Presse

Stockholm

Iran is recruiting members of Swedish criminal gangs, some of them children, as proxies to commit “acts of violence” against Israel and others in Sweden that Tehran considers a threat, Sweden’s intelligence agency said on Thursday.

The announcement came two weeks after night-time gunfire was reported outside Israel’s embassy in Stockholm, and three months after police found a live grenade lying on the grounds of the Israeli compound.

“The Swedish Security Police notes that the Iranian regime is using criminal networks in Sweden to carry out acts of violence against other states, groups or people in Sweden that it considers a threat,” the intelligence service, commonly known as Sapo, said in a statement.

It cited in particular “Israeli and Jewish interests, targets and operations in Sweden”.

“Iran has previously used violence in other countries in Europe in a bid to silence critical voices and perceived threats against its regime,” it said.

“Our assessment is that this is a regional conflict that has spread globally and now also includes Sweden as an arena for this conflict,” the head of Sapo’s counterintelligence service Daniel Stenling told a press conference.

The Scandinavian country has struggled to contain surging gang violence in recent years, with shootings and bombings now weekly occurrences across the country.

The gang violence was originally linked to control over the drugs market, but was “changing shape very quickly”, the deputy head of the Swedish Police National Operations Division, Hampus Nygards, told the press conference.

Gunmen murder Rohingya teacher, student in Bangladesh

Agence France-Presse

Cox’s Bazar

Gunmen in Bangladesh have killed a teacher and a student in a Rohingya refugee camp for refusing to return to Myanmar to fight, their parents said on Thursday.

Hundreds of Rohingya boys and young men have been seized from refugee camps in Bangladesh, where they had sought safety after Myanmar’s military drove about 7,50,000 members of the persecuted Muslim minority out of the country in 2017.

Now Rohingya militants working with the Myanmar junta are recruiting the refugees, according to camp residents, UN reports and analysts.

The militants say their fellow Rohingya need to ally with Myanmar’s Army — the same forces who drove them into exile — to face a common enemy in another Myanmar rebel force, the Arakan Army (AA).

Police said the two men, student Nur Absar, 22, and teacher Nur Faisal, 21, were killed by “unknown assailants” in Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district.

“One died on the spot, another died in hospital,” said Arefin Jewel, a police spokesperson in Kutupalong.

“We are investigating whether it is a case of forced recruitment”.

But Faisal’s father blamed the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO).

“The RSO went to my son’s school and wanted to recruit him,” Zakir Ahmed, 45, said. “My son refused.”

According to a report by the UN refugee agency, at least 1,870 refugees — more than a quarter of them children or youth — were recruited into the armed groups during a two-month period between March and May. More than three-quarters were taken by force, the UN report said, including by “abduction, kidnapping and coercion”.

Nigeria changes its national anthem, angering citizens irked over reforms

Agence France-Presse

Abuja

Nigeria’s President has suddenly changed the national anthem, angering residents who questioned his priorities as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis in a generation.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the decision to bring back an old version of the song — which begins “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” — was a tribute to the nation’s diversity, “representing all people and how we pledge together to be brothers and sisters”.

But the move has frustrated Nigerians struggling to make a living after Tinubu brought in reforms last year that have had a devastating effect on economy.

#Notmynationalanthem has been trending on social media.

Mr. Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill into law at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday as he marked his first anniversary of taking office.

Sri Lanka seeks release of its ex-soldiers in Russia and Ukraine

REUTERS

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it is seeking the release of hundreds of its ex-soldiers fighting for Russia as well as around a dozen prisoners of war in Ukraine. Sri Lanka opened an inquiry this month into illegal recruitment for the conflict, identifying 455 ex-soldiers who had gone to fight for Russia. AFP

Spanish Parliament gives green light to amnesty Bill for Catalans

AP

Spain’s Parliament gave the final green light to a controversial amnesty Bill for Catalan separatists on Thursday, paving the way for the return of their figurehead Carles Puigdemont. The legislation seeks to draw a line under years of efforts to prosecute those involved in the failed 2017 Catalan independence bid. AFP

Cambodia to begin work on controversial canal in August: PM

AP

Cambodia will start work on a $1.7-billion canal linking the capital Phnom Penh to the sea in August, Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Thursday. The Chinese-backed Funan Techo canal has sparked fears in neighbouring Vietnam that it could be used by Chinese warships, and reduce Cambodian dependence on their ports. AFP

Four Pakistanis killed, two injured as Iranian border guards open fire

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Iranian border guards opened fire at a vehicle carrying a group of Pakistanis, killing four persons and wounding two others in the border village of Mashkel in Baluchistan province, a remote area in the southwest, Pakistani officials said on Thursday. It remains unclear why the Iranian forces opened fire, an official said. AP

Taliban regime seeks to revive Afghan railway projects, bet on connectivity

Agence France-Presse

Hairatan

The long-envisioned Trans-Afghan Railway aims to eventually connect Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan with 700 km of track; a second line of more than 200 km is intended to connect the city of Herat with Iran, providing Afghanistan with an outlet to the sea, Turkey, and Europe

In the making: Taliban security personnel walk along the railway tracks near Qosh Tepa Canal in the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan border town of Hairatan in the Balkh province of northern Afghanistan. AFPATIF ARYAN

On the edge of the Afghan border with Uzbekistan, where the railway abruptly stops, throngs of young men transfer sacks of wheat or flour from freight trains to trucks.

Every day, 3,500 tonnes of flour and 1,500 tonnes of wheat are unloaded by hand at the border town of Hairatan in northern Afghanistan to trucks that brave mountain passes and war-damaged roads to ferry goods around the country.

Renovations are underway to connect the rundown track with Mazar-i-Sharif, the north’s largest city, and according to the Taliban authorities, it will come into operation from June.

Just 75 km long, it is an important part of the Taliban regime’s ambitions to revive several dormant railway projects.

Trans-Afghan Railway

The long-envisioned Trans-Afghan Railway aims to eventually connect Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan with 700 km of track, backed by the three countries that have established a working group. “People have been talking about the Trans-Afghan Railway for more than 100 years,” said Andrew Grantham, news editor of the U.K.-based Railway Gazette International, a media outlet dedicated to covering developments in the rail sector.

In addition to foodstuffs and logs from Russia, fuel, and other materials arrive in Hairatan from Central Asian republics and China, with the Taliban regime aspiring to see those goods traverse Afghanistan by rail under their rule.

“Trans-Afghan will become the economic corridor between Central Asia and South Asia,” said Mohammad Shafiq Mahmood, head of the Balkh railway authority in Mazar-i-Sharif.

It is one of two railway projects the Taliban authorities are pursuing in a bid to better connect Afghanistan — a country wrecked by decades of war and poverty that has never built its own railways.

A second line of more than 200 km at the other end of the country is intended to connect the city of Herat with its western neighbour Iran, providing Afghanistan with an outlet to the sea, Turkey, and Europe.

This is a project envisaged for some 15 years, long before the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

Fastest means

Railway transport is the fastest and cheapest means of transporting goods, with passenger trains not on the table at this stage in Afghanistan.

Building a line all the way through to Pakistan will take time, however, said Abdulsami Durrani, the national railway spokesperson in Kabul. “According to our current estimates, once the actual work on this project begins, the construction phase will take three to five years,” he said.

Billions of dollars

He added preliminary figures suggest a price tag of $4-5 billion, though he remained vague about sources of funding.

“We are in discussions with various countries and financial institutions,” he said.

Foreign funds have withered since the Taliban’s return to power, their government not formally recognised by any country.

“Building a railway on that scale in five years, it’s not going to happen,” said Mr. Grantham.

“It’s just too ambitious,” he said, emphasising that Kabul will need foreign financial and technical aid.

Western companies will likely not be interested due to “security and safety issues and the political environment”, he added.

But Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, as well as Russia, are already working with Afghanistan.

Other countries, such as Iran, could also provide support.

“The projects do seem to be happening,” said Mr. Grantham, noting that the line connecting Herat to Iran “can be up and running reasonably quickly”.

“Assuming Iran is supportive, that should be a viable project,” he said.

Last Sunday, work began on the final phase of this line. The 47-km section will be built in two years for $53 million, with Russian and Turkish partners, said Mr. Durrani.

Access to the sea

This railway will give landlocked Afghanistan access to the sea and connect it with international trade routes, and will “significantly impact Afghanistan’s economy”, he added.

“The more kilometres of railways are developed in the country, the more our trade with other countries will increase.”

In addition to funding, there remain thorny technical issues to resolve, notably the track gauge.

Iran uses European gauge standards, but the railways coming from the former Soviet republics have a different gauge, and Pakistan’s have a third.

“You can have hours of fun,” working out which of the three gauges Afghanistan should use, said Mr. Grantham.

‘He is our God’: in Georgia, a shadowy oligarch’s power looms large

Agence France-Presse

Chorvila

In good books: Former Prime Minister and founder of the Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili (centre) in Tbilisi, Georgia. FILE PHOTO IRAKLI GEDENIDZE

In his garden in Chorvila, a tiny village overlooking the Caucasus mountains, Mamia Machavariani filled an empty soda bottle with homemade brandy, heaping praise on billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.

“No one has done as much for Georgia as he has,” Mr. Machavariani said, as cattle wandered the quiet streets outside his home in western Georgia.

Mr. Ivanishvili is a reclusive figure, but his ruling Georgian Dream party has sparked some of the Caucasus country’s largest demonstrations in years, introducing divisive “foreign influence” legislation targeting NGOs and the media.

Signs of his face and name are nowhere to be found in his hometown, but his party’s flag proudly flew over the village’s hotel, and residents gushed about his donations to the local hospital and schools when his name was mentioned.

‘High hopes’

“I don’t know him personally, but I have high hopes for him,” said Mr. Machavariani, praising the oligarch’s construction of a multimillion-dollar tree park near the coastal city of Batumi.

One of Mr. Ivanishvili’s most famous projects, nicknamed the “glassle”, is a sprawling steel-and-glass villa towering above Tbilisi’s old town that has drawn criticism from locals. But Mr. Machavariani had nothing but praise for Mr. Ivanishvili, Georgia’s richest man.

“Georgia often overlooks his kindness and focuses on the negatives,” he said.

Since founding Georgian Dream 12 years ago, Mr. Ivanishvili has been a divisive figure in Tbilisi, ruling his party from behind the scenes after briefly serving as Prime Minister from 2012 to 2013.

He makes public appearances sparingly, giving an impassioned defence of the controversial “foreign influence” law in a rare speech laden with anti-Western rhetoric in April.

The Opposition has accused him of being sympathetic towards Russia, the country where he made his fortune in the 1990s, but his party has rejected this.

‘May God bless him’

In the nearby town of Sachkhere, police cars patrolled outside Georgian Dream’s local headquarters, and many residents were hesitant to talk.

“I do not watch or observe political developments,” Ketevan Toroshelidze, a 46-year-old ice cream vendor at the local market said.

“The only thing I am interested in is supporting Georgian Dream and maintaining peace in Georgia,” she added.

Georgian Dream has often accused the Opposition of antagonising ex-Soviet neighbour Moscow, warning the Kremlin could open a “second front” in Georgia in addition to Ukraine. The Opposition has accused Mr. Ivanishvili of scare-mongering an already deeply polarised population.

The question of Kremlin interference in politics is particularly sensitive in Georgia, where Russian troops still occupy a fifth of the country following a 2008 war, and the invasion of Ukraine has only added to security concerns.

The billionaire returned to frontline politics last year, raising fears among the Opposition he might steer Tbilisi away from its national dream of joining the European Union and NATO, an idea supported by more than 80% of the population.

But Ms. Toroshelidze had no complaints about the ruling party. “People are employed, and we have a peaceful life with our families,” she said.

At the plush hospital building in the town’s centre, officials were not available to talk. The mayoral office in Chorvila agreed to give an interview, but later declined.

From deep down

Smoke and lava: A handout picture released by the Icelandic Coast Guard shows billowing smoke and flowing lava pouring out of a new fissure, during a surveillance flight above a new volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland.AFP

Iran opens registration for June presidential election after Ebrahim Raisi’s death

Associated Press

DUBAI

Iran opened a five-day registration period on Thursday for hopefuls wanting to run in the June 28 presidential election to replace the late Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash earlier this month with seven others.

The election comes as Iran grapples with the aftermath of the May 19 crash, as well as heightened tensions between Tehran and the United States, and protests including those over the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini that have swept the country.

While Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 85, maintains the final say over all matters of state, Presidents in the past have bent the Islamic Republic of Iran toward greater interaction or increased hostility with the West.

The five-day period will see those between the ages of 40 to 75 with at least a Master’s degree register as potential candidates. All candidates ultimately must be approved by Iran’s 12-member Guardian Council, a panel of clerics and jurists ultimately overseen by Mr. Khamenei. That panel has never accepted a woman, for instance, nor anyone calling for radical change within the country’s governance.

Ahmad Vahidi, Iran’s Interior Minister, opened the registration period. The Interior Ministry, in charge of the country’s police, run Iranian elections with no substantial international observation. “These elections, like the parliamentary elections, will be held in complete safety and health, with good competition and wide participation of all dear people,” Mr. Vahidi said.

‘Shortened campaign’

The five-day registration period will close on Tuesday. The Guardian Council is expected to issue its final list of candidates within 10 days afterwards. That will allow for a shortened two-week campaign before the vote in late June.

The new President will take office while the country now enriches uranium at nearly weapons-grade levels and hampers international inspections.

Amid calls for polls, U.K. parties face off on TikTok app

Agence France-Presse

London

Britain’s Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak at Supacat Ltd. in Honiton, England. AFPALASTAIR GRANT

On the face of it, the villain from “Shrek”, British singer-turned-TV presenter Cilla Black, and national service has nothing in common. But they all have been featured in recent days in the U.K. general election’s newest battleground: TikTok.

The ruling Conservatives and Opposition Labour Party both launched accounts on the video-sharing platform just days after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election for July 4.

Data security concerns — which led to the Chinese ByteDance-owned app being banned on government phones — have prevented political parties from hopping onto TikTok’s virality, until now. In less than a week, Labour’s account has amassed more than 1,20,000 followers. The Tories trailed with around 36,000 as of Wednesday, when the smaller Opposition Liberal Democrats joined the fray.

A smattering of videos on the Conservative page include Mr. Sunak talking to the camera about his pledge to bring back national service if they retain power.

Labour’s campaign has taken a slightly different approach, which experts say highlights the contrasting strategies and stakes for Sunak and Keir Starmer, who is tipped to be the country’s next leader after the election.

While the last few general election campaigns have focused on social media, mainly Facebook and Twitter, this is the first election in which TikTok will be in the spotlight.

North Korea fires missiles toward its eastern sea

Associated Press

SEOUL

North Korea on Thursday fired a barrage of suspected ballistic missiles toward its eastern sea, according to South Korea’s military, days after its attempt to launch a military reconnaissance satellite ended in failure but still drew condemnation from its rivals.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the North firing around 10 projectiles that appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles from an area near Pyongyang. It said the suspected missiles flew around 350 kilometres before landing in waters off the North’s eastern coast. It said the South Korean military has increased surveillance and is closely sharing information with the United States and Japan.

Japan’s coast guard issued a maritime safety advisory over the North Korean launches and urged ships to exercise caution if they find any fallen objects.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that the suspected missiles were believed to have landed in waters outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone and there were no immediate reports of damages. He said Tokyo “strongly condemns” the launches, which are in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions against the North.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased in recent months as the pace of both North Korea’s weapons testing and South Korea’s combined military exercises with the United States and Japan have intensified in a cycle of tit-for-tat.

Thursday’s launches were the latest in a series of weapons tests by North Korea.

Sports

- Champion England and Australia favourites in Group-B

- Djokovic cruises into the third round; Medvedev, Zverev, Sabalenka, and Rybakina also advance

- Pant eager to make it count in the T20 WC

- Harmanpreet to helm India against South Africa

- US embassy denies Lamichhane visa for T20 World Cup

- Ecclestone becomes the fastest to reach 100 wickets in women’s ODIs

- Osaka in tears after epic Swiatek defeat, insists she’s felt worse

- Head-cams for chair umpires in bid to enhance TV viewing

- Top results

- Yugendran leaps to a new meet record in men’s pole vault

- Treesa-Gayatri duo stuns Baek-Lee; Sindhu goes down to Marin

- Praggnanandhaa shocks Carlsen, snatches sole lead

- Sachin, Sanjeet, Amit and Jaismine stay on course

- El Kaabi strikes late to give Olympiakos glory

- Ankita Raina advances in Montemor-o-Novo Challenger

- Lobjanidze upstages Messi as Atlanta stuns Miami

- Huge relief for golfer Scottie Scheffler

- A mixed day for Indian junior hockey teams

- Sciver-Brunt’s all-round show helps England win series 3-0

- Rathika in Hong Kong PSA Challenge Cup quarters

- When left is right — speed merchants who will set your pulse racing

Champion England and Australia favourites in Group-B

Ashwin Achal

Bengaluru

Salt’s form and return of Archer augurs well for Buttler’s team ; Baggy Greens are always at their best in big tournaments as seen in the 50-over World Cup; Scotland, Namibia and Oman complete group

Firing at the top: England will hope Salt continues his ominous IPL form in the marquee tournament.Getty Images

In The Hindu’s countdown to the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which commences in the West Indies and USA on June 2, we take a look at the teams in Group-B.

ENGLAND: The defending champion would have hoped that the four-match T20I series against Pakistan gives them ideal preparation, but rain has played spoilsport. Nevertheless, key pieces of the puzzle have started to fall in place.

Pace spearhead Jofra Archer has made a smooth comeback from injury, while captain Jos Buttler got into the groove with a 51-ball 84 against Pakistan at Birmingham last week.

All-rounder Liam Livingstone, who played his part in the 2022 triumph, will strive to overcome a recent slump in form.

Key player: Phil Salt: The aggressive opening batter went at a strike-rate of 182 for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024. Salt’s PowerPlay hitting will be crucial to England’s success.

The squad: 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.

AUSTRALIA: As seen in the 2023 50-over Cricket World Cup, the Baggy Greens are at their best in big tournaments.

This time should be no different, as the squad is packed with efficient personnel. Travis Head and David Warner will smash it at the top of the order, while left-arm speedster Mitchell Starc will swing it around corners with the new ball.

The Aussies will be happy to see fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and skipper Mitchell Marsh recover well from injury. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa should come in fresh, having opted out of IPL 2024. Glenn Maxwell’s horror run in the IPL, however, is a cause for concern.

Key player: Travis Head: Head plundered runs at an outstanding strike-rate for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024, rewriting the rules on a good PowerPlay score.

The squad: Mitchell Marsh (Capt.), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner and Adam Zampa.

NAMIBIA: With a dominant show in the Africa Region Qualifier, Namibia claimed its third straight T20 World Cup spot.

The country cannot be written off, having had some success at the highest level (wins over Sri Lanka and Netherlands in previous T20 World Cups).

The side will hope that the first warm-up game, where it received a hiding from Australia, was an aberration.

Key player: Gerhard Erasmus: The captain has long been a consistent performer as a middle-order batter and off-spinner.

The squad: Gerhard Erasmus (Capt.), Zane Green, Michael Van Lingen, Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, Tangeni Lungameni, Niko Davin, J.J. Smit, Jan Frylinck, J.P. Kotze, David Wiese, Bernard Scholtz, Malan Kruger and P.D. Blignaut.

SCOTLAND: In 2018, Scotland made history when it upset neighbour England in an ODI.

Memories from that grand occasion will no doubt resurface when the teams meet on June 4 at Barbados.

Scotland is a regular participant on this grand stage, having competed in three ODI World Cups (1999, 2007 and 2015) and five T20 World Cups (2007, 2009, 2016, 2021 and 2022).

The side made it to the 2024 T20 World Cup with a six-match unbeaten run in the Europe Region Qualifier.

Key player: Brad Wheal: The 27-year-old fast bowler is the pick of the bowlers, backed by good shows for English county Hampshire.

The squad: Richie Berrington (Capt.), Matthew Cross, Brad Currie, Chris Greaves, Oli Hairs, Jack Jarvis, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Charlie Tear, Mark Watt and Brad Wheal.

OMAN: Making a third T20 World Cup appearance, the squad is primarily made up of players with roots in Pakistan and India. Oman has failed to make it past the group stage in a World Cup, though it has managed to get wins over Ireland and Papua New Guinea.

There is quality in the bowling ranks, as left-arm death over specialist Bilal Khan and the strapping Kaleemullah form a good pace duo.

Key player: Aqib Ilyas: The all-rounder, who took over from Zeeshan Maqsood as the new captain, is a reliable top-order batter and handy spinner.

The squad: Aqib Ilyas (Capt.), Zeeshan Maqsood, Kashyap Prajapati, Pratik Athavale, Ayaan Khan, Shoaib Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Naseem Khushi (wk), Mehran Khan, Bilal Khan, Rafiullah, Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, Shakeel Ahmad and Khalid Kail.

Djokovic cruises into the third round; Medvedev, Zverev, Sabalenka, and Rybakina also advance

Agence France-Presse

PARIS

1 of 2 Powering ahead: Sabalenka and Djokovic took out their second round opponents in straight sets to make the round of 32.REUTERS

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Novak Djokovic reached the French Open last 32 for the 19th successive year on Thursday as Roland Garros organisers banned alcohol from the stands in an effort to counter growing complaints from players over disrespectful, rowdy fans.

After only nine singles matches were played after a Wednesday washout, 55 second round ties had been scheduled on Thursday.

Defending champion Djokovic, who is seeking a record 25th Grand Slam title, cracked 43 winners past Spain’s 63rd-ranked Roberto Carballes Baena to canter to a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 win.

Also easing through to the third round on another rain-hit day in the French capital were women’s title contenders Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.

Alcohol ban

However, the behaviour of fans at the tournament, which was brought into focus by Belgium’s David Goffin’s claim that he had chewing gum spat at him, prompted a series of measures to clampdown on loutish behaviour.

“Alcohol has been allowed in the stadiums until now but that’s over,” tournament director Amelie Mauresmo told reporters.

Mauresmo said fans will be ejected if they throw something at a player and that “umpires have tighter, even more precise instructions on keeping the crowd under control”.

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev, who effectively ended Rafael Nadal’s French Open career in the first round, defeated Goffin 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-2.

Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev moved into the last 32 after his opponent Miomir Kecmanovic retired with injury while trailing the fifth seed 6-1, 5-0. Amongst the early winners were World No. 2 Sabalenka who fired 27 winners past Japanese qualifier Moyuka Uchijima to win 6-2, 6-2.

The two-time Australian Open champion, a semifinalist in Paris in 2023, is expected to be Iga Swiatek’s chief rival in the Pole’s quest for a fourth French Open title.

Fourth-seeded Rybakina, the only woman to defeat Swiatek on clay this year, was similarly untroubled. She eased past Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4.

Pant eager to make it count in the T20 WC

Press Trust of India

New York

Prep time: Pant having a stint at the nets ahead of the warm-up game against Bangladesh on June 1.BCCI

It would be 527 days since his life-threatening accident when Rishabh Pant dons the India jersey on June 5 at the Nassau County ground for the opening T20 World Cup match against Ireland and he can’t wait for it.

“Getting back on the field with an Indian jersey on is a different feeling altogether. this is something I missed a lot.

“Hopefully I (can) make it count and make it better from here,” Pant told BCCI.TV on the sidelines of India’s first net session ahead of the warm-up game against Bangladesh on June 1.

“Seeing the team here and meeting them again, spending time, having fun with them, having a conversation with them, I really enjoyed,” a beaming Pant said.

Having scored 446 runs in 13 IPL games, Pant is getting back into the groove.

“We are used to playing in certain countries but this is a different prospect. It has opened up a different channel for sport because I feel cricket is growing around the world and getting the exposure here would be nice for cricket as well as USA cricket,” he said.

“New pitches are there. I’m just getting used to the conditions. The sun is a little bit brighter here, so just getting used to the conditions over here. Let’s see how it goes,” Pant concluded.

Harmanpreet to helm India against South Africa

Press Trust of India

NEW DELHI

Jemimah Rodrigues and Pooja Vastrakar were on Thursday included in the Indian teams for the upcoming multi-format series against South Africa subject to fitness while top-order batter Priya Punia returned to the ODI side.

The women’s selection committee announced India’s squads for the upcoming assignments with Harmanpreet Kaur as the captain and Smriti Mandhana as her deputy.

India and South Africa will play a Test, three ODIs and as many T20Is between June 16 and July 9.

The squads:

ODIs: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt.), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetry (WK), D. Hemalatha, Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, Saika Ishaque, Pooja Vastrakar, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, and Priya Punia.

One-off Test: Harmanpreet, Smriti, Shafali, Shubha Satheesh, Jemimah, Richa, Uma, Deepti, Sneh Rana, Saika, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja, Arundhati, Renuka, Meghna Singh, and Priya.

T20Is: Harmanpreet, Smriti, Shafali, Hemalatha, Uma, Richa, Jemimah, Sajana Sajeevan, Deepti, Shreyanka, Radha, Amanjot Kaur, Asha, Pooja, Renuka, and Arundhati. Standby: Saika Ishaque.

US embassy denies Lamichhane visa for T20 World Cup

AFP

Nepal said on Thursday the US embassy had denied Sandeep Lamichhane a visa and there was a “slim or no chance” he would play in the T20 World Cup. Nepal wanted to select spinner Lamichhane, who had his eight-year sentence for rape quashed on appeal this month. His visa had been denied, calling it “unfortunate”.

Ecclestone becomes the fastest to reach 100 wickets in women’s ODIs

Reuters

Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone became the fastest woman to 100 ODI wickets during the third and final ODI between England Women and Pakistan Women at Chelmsford. She completed 100 wickets in 64 matches level with Australian Cathryn Fitzpatrick, but beats the record in terms of number of innings bowled (63).

Osaka in tears after epic Swiatek defeat, insists she’s felt worse

AP

Naomi Osaka said she wept after Wednesday’s epic French Open defeat to Iga Swiatek but insisted: “I’ve felt worse”. “I cried when I came off court but then I thought of how last year I was watching Iga win the French Open while I was pregnant,” said Osaka. “My dream then was to come and play against her.”

Head-cams for chair umpires in bid to enhance TV viewing

AP

From interactions with players to making the correct call at the French Open, TV viewers can now see exactly what the chair umpire is looking at. For the first time, chair umpires at the main Court Philippe Chatrier are wearing small head-cams. Organisers hope the camera footage will provide viewers with an immersive experience.

Second round: Men: 1-Djokovic (Srb) bt Carballes Baena (Esp) 6-4, 6-1, 6-; 5-Zverev (Ger) bt Goffin (Bel) 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-2; 5-Medvedev (Rus) bt Kecmanovic (Srb) 6-1, 5-0, retd.; 27-Korda (USA) bt Soon-woo (Kor) 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

10-Dimitrov (Bul) bt Marozsan (Hun) 6-0, 6-3, 6-4; 26-Griekspoor (Ned) bt Darderi (Ita) 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-3; 21-Auger-Aliassime (Can) bt Squire (Ger) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; 8-Hurkacz (Pol) bt Nakashima (USA) 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(5); Shapovalov (Can) bt 25-Tiafoe (USA) 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4;

Women: Vekic (Cro) bt 18-Kostyuk (Ukr) 7-5, 6-4; 30-Yastremska (Ukr) bt Wang (Chn) 6-2, 6-0; 4-Rybakina (Kaz) bt Rus (Ned) 6-3, 6-4; 2-Sabalenka (Blr) bt Uchijima (Jpn) 6-2, 6-2; 15-Svitolina (Ukr) bt Parry (Fra) 6-4, 7-6(3); Paquet (Fra) bt 32-Siniakova (Cze) 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(6); 5-Vondrousova (Cze) bt Volynets (USA) 0-6, 6-1, 6-4; 17-Samsonova (Rus) btAnisimova (USA) 6-2, 6-1; 31-Fernandez (Can) bt Wang (Chn) 6-3, 6-4; 14-Keys (USA) bt Sherif (Egy) 6-0, 7-6(7).

Wednesday: Men: Kotov (Rus) bt Wawrinka (Sui) 7-6(5), 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(5); 2-Sinner (Ita) bt Gasquet (Fra) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.

TN’s Yugendran soars to a new meet record in men’s pole vault

S. Prasanna Venkatesan

CHENNAI

Baranica secures the gold in women’s event; Vithya Ramraj claims the women’s 400m hurdles title; Abha bags the shot put top spot

1 of 3 Winning efforts: Abha Khatua, Baranica and Vithya Ramraj were among the three women who won gold medals in their respective events. R. RAGU

2 of 3

3 of 3

Tamil Nadu’s R. Yugendran set a new Grand Prix record of 5.20m, which he cleared in his second attempt, to clinch gold in the men’s pole vault event of the second Indian Grand Prix of the season at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Thursday.

Yugendran broke the previous record of 5m, set by Gajanan Kumar Upadhayay of Indian Railways in Bengaluru in the year 2010.

Three-way contest

It was a three-way competition between Kerala’s Mariya Jaison (Kerala), and Tamil Nadu’s Baranica Elangovan and Pavithra Venkatesah for 3.90m in women’s pole vault.

Baranica cleared the mark in her second attempt, Mariya in her third, while Pavithra failed in all her three attempts.

Baranica went on to scale 4m.

Vithya Ramraj claimed gold in 57.28s in the women’s 400m hurdles, while Abha Khatua won the women’s shot put event gold with 17.13m.

The results: Women: Pole vault: 1. Baranica Elangovan (TN) 4m; 2. Mariya Jaison (Ker) 3.90; V. Karthika (TN) 3.10.

400m hurdles: 1. R. Vithya Ramraj (TN) 57.28s; 2. Ramandeep Kaur (Pun) 1:01.60; 3. Mugada Sireesha (AP) 1:03.06.

Javelin throw: 1. Anjani Kumari (Bhr) 47.75m; 2. Hemamalini Neelakanda (TN) 47.47; 3. Lalita Choudhary (Raj) 42.09.

Shot put: 1. Abha Khatua (Mah) 17.13m; 2. M. Sharmila (TN) 12.90; 3. B. Vaishnavi (TN) 12.82.

Triple jump: 1. G. Pavithra (Kar) 13.14m; 2. I. Asha Ilango (TN) 12.98; 3. Sharvari Avinash Parule (Mah) 12.95.

200m: 1. Srabani Nanda (Odi) 24.49s; 2. A.T. Daneshwari (Kar) 25.06; 3. J. Dhivya (TN) 25.26.

1500m: 1. S. Neelambari (TN) 4:24.16s; 2. Thota Sankeertana (Cht) 4:26.84; 3. Elavarasi Kumaran (TN) 4:26.96.

400m: Race-A: 1. R. Vithya Ramraj (TN) 53s; 2. T.R. Sinchal Kaveramma (Kar) 53.70; 3. Aishwarya Mishra (Mah)53.79.

Race-B: 1. B.A. Anankha (Ker) 54.37s; 2. M.A. Nathaliea Evangelin (TN) 54.83; 3. Ramandeep Kaur (Pun) 57.40.

5000m: 1. Beby (UP) 17:30.91s; 2. Sanghamitra Mahata (Jha) 17:39.71; 3. Pooja (Raj) 18:09.57.

Men: 400m hurdles: Race-A: 1. Jabir Madari Palliyalil (Ker) 49.94s; 2. T. Santhosh Kumar (TN) 50.14; 3. K. Sathish (TN) 51.46.

Race-B: 1. Akhilbabu Akhilnivas (Ker) 52.47; 2. Jerome Sanjay Nishanth (TN) 53.89; 3. S. Jagathish (TN) 53.98.

200m: Race-A: 1. S. Nallubothu Shanumaga (AP) 21.18s; 2. Varun Oori Manohar (TN) 21.70; 3. S. Tamil Arasu (TN) 21.92.

Race-B: 1. R. Manav (TN) 21.70s; 2. S. Santhosh (TN) 21.94; 3. S. Manojkumar (TN) 22.19.

Pole vault: 1. R. Yugendran (TN) 5.20m; 2. M. Gowtham (TN) 5.10; 3. A.K. Sidharth (Ker) 4.90.

Shot put: 1. Parveen (Har) 16.21m; 2. S. Ebenezer (TN) 15.24.

1500m: 1. Ashok Dandasena (Odi) 3:50.44s; 2. U. Priyanshu (Utk) 3:50.60; 3. Adarsh Gopi (Ker) 3:51.90.

Javelin throw: 1. Vikash Sharma (Utk) 52.78m.

Triple jump: 1. S. Mohammed Salahuddin (TN) 16.40m; 2. U. Karthik (Ker) 16.20; 3. J. Mohanraj (TN) 16.02.

5000m: 1. Deepak Bhatt (Utk) 14:24.66s; 2. K. Anandkrishna (Ker) 14:39.90; 3. Mohan Saini (Goa) 14:50.11.

400: Race-A: 1. T. Santhosh Kumar (TN) 46.46s; 2. K. Avinash (TN) 47.30; 3. Kapil (Har) 47.66.

Race-B: 1. Aakash Babu Chinthala (TN) 47.75s; 2. Naveen Kumar (TN) 48.26; 3. Rajesh Kumar (TN) 48.98.

Race-C: 1. S.K. Kaven (TN) 48.44s; 2. Kapil Khokran (UP) 50.57; 3. Aman Yadav (Del) 53.29.

Treesa-Gayatri duo stuns Baek-Lee; Sindhu goes down to Marin

Press Trust of India

SINGAPORE

Big scalp: Gayatri and Treesa prevailed over Baek and Lee in three games to make the last eight.X@BAI_Media

P.V. Sindhu suffered yet another setback against Carolina Marin, but the Indian women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand stunned World No. 2 Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee of South Korea to enter the quarterfinals at Singapore Open on Thursday.

In the men’s singles, H.S. Prannoy lost to Kenta Nishimoto of Japan.

Sindhu blew away a 18-15 lead in the decider to go down to her familiar rival 21-13, 11-21, 20-22 in a last-16 match.

It was Sindhu’s sixth loss on the trot against her arch-rival dating back to 2018.

Close contest

But Treesa and Gayatri kept the Indian flag flying by eliminating Baek and Lee 21-9, 14-21, 21-15 in close to one-hour battle.

This was the World No. 30 duo’s maiden win from three meetings against the Korean pair.

The Indians would be up against another South Korean pair — sixth-seeded Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong — in the quarterfinals of the BWF World Tour Super 750 event.

Prannoy crashes out

In men’s singles, World No. 10 Prannoy, seeded eighth, lost to Nishimoto, ranked 11th, 13-21, 21-14, 15-21 in a 45-minute match.

This was the Indian’s fourth defeat against the Japanese shuttler from six matches.

The results (pre-quarterfinals): Men: Kenta Nishimoto (Jpn) bt H.S. Prannoy 21-13, 14-21, 21-15.

Women: Carolina Mari (Esp) bt P.V. Sindhu 13-21, 21-11, 22-20. Doubles: Treesa Jolly & Gayatri Gopichand bt Baek Ha Na & Lee So Hee (Kor) 21-9, 14-21, 21-15.

Praggnanandhaa shocks Carlsen, snatches sole lead

Sports Bureau

Perfect moves: Praggnanandhaa recorded his first-ever victory in classical chess against Carlsen.NORWAY CHESS

R. Praggnanandhaa stunned World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and snatched the sole lead from him in the third round of the Norway Chess tournament at Stavanger on Wednesday.

Remarkably, the Chennai youngster’s win came against the Norwegian in the classical game, which meant he would pocket three points.

It was Praggnanandhaa’s first ever victory in classical chess against the five-time World champion.

Praggnanandhaa moved to 5.5 points, after romping home in 37 moves from the white side of a Sicilian Defence.

Carlsen, whose king was uncastled, was forced to concede despite being a pawn up; there wasn’t much defence for him against White’s well-placed major pieces.

Fabiano Caruana of the USA, who beat World champion Ding Liren of China in classical game, was in second with five points.

The other American, Hikaru Nakamura, was on four points, and Alireza Firouzja of France on 3.5. Carlsen had three.

R. Vaishali maintained sole lead in the women’s event, beating Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk in the Armageddon game. She was on 5.5 points, one ahead of Ju Wenjun of China.

Ju’s compatriot Lei Tingjie was on four points after losing to Koneru Humpy.

The Indian is one of three players on three points — Muzychuk and Sweden’s Pia Cramling are the others.

The results (third round): R. Praggnanandhaa 5.5 bt Magnus Carlsen (Nor) 5; Fabiano Caruana (USA) 5 bt Ding Liren (Chn) 2.5.

Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 4 bt Alireza Firouzja (Fra) 3.5.

Women: Anna Muzychuk (Uk) 3 lost to R. Vaishali 5.5; Pia Cramling (Swe) 3 lost to Ju Wenjun (Chn) 4.5; Koneru Humpy 3 bt Lei Tingjie (Chn) 4.

Sachin, Sanjeet, Amit and Jaismine stay on course

Press Trust of India

BANGKOK

Sachin Siwach (57kg), Sanjeet Kumar (92kg), Amit Panghal (51kg) and Jaismine (women’s 57kg) took another step towards Paris Olympic qualification as they registered convincing victories to advance in the Boxing World Qualifiers here on Thursday.

Sachin started the proceedings for India with a clinical 5-0 win against Olympian Batuhan Ciftci of Turkey in the pre-quarterfinals and Sanjeet then saw off the challenge from Luis Sanchez of Venezuela with an identical margin in the round of 32.

Two more wins needed

In the 57kg category, only three boxers will make the cut for the Paris Games. Sachin, therefore, needs to win two more bouts to make the cut .

Sanjeet, who got a bye in the round of 64, will have a similar target as all four semifinalists will qualify in his weight category.

Later in the day, Jaismine did not give Azerbaijan’s Mahsati Hamzayeva any chance of putting up a fight as she clinched the 57kg category round of 32 bout with a 5-0 verdict.

Perfect day

The 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Amit then completed a perfect day for the Indian contingent by getting the better of Mexico’s Mauricio Ruiz 4-1.

The National champion was under pressure in the first round but he picked up pace in the last minute of that round and then turned the match around with a couple of combination punches in the final round to clinch the win.

El Kaabi strikes late to give Olympiakos glory

Agence France-Presse

Athens

On top: Olympiakos players celebrate their title win.AP

Olympiakos became the first Greek club ever to win a European title after defeating Fiorentina 1-0 after extra time in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday.

Moroccan striker Ayoub El Kaabi scored the winning goal in the 116th minute that allowed Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side to make history in the home of local rival AEK Athens. Prior to Olympiakos’ success, Panathinaikos was the only club from Greece to make a European final when it lost to Ajax in the 1971 European Cup decider.

Ankita Raina advances in Montemor-o-Novo Challenger

Ankita Raina beat Linda Klimovicova of the Czech Republic 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the second round of the $40,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal. In the $25,000 ITF women’s event in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Riya Bhatia battled for three hours and 50 minutes to beat Ana Paula Neffa De Los Rios of Paraguay 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in the second round in a draw of 64.

The results: €74,825 Challenger, Vicenza, Italy: First round: Andre Begemann (Ger) & Niki Poonacha bt Ryan Seggerman & Patrik Trhac (USA) 6-3, 6-7(4), [10-8]; Marco Bortolotti (Ita) & Alexandru Jecan (Rou) bt Anirudh Chandrasekar & Arjun Kadhe 6-2, 6-7(7), [11-9].

$82,000 Challenger, Little Rock, USA: First round: Rithvik Bollipalli & Hans Verdugo (Mex) bt Nishesh Basavareddy & Cooper Williams (USA) 5-7, 6-3, [10-7].

$25,000 ITF men, La Nucia, Spain: Quarterfinals: Siddhant Banthia & Eric Vanshelboim (Ukr) bt Alejandro Garcia & Mario Diez (Esp) 6-1, 7-5.

$15,000 ITF men, Monastir, Tunisia: Second round: Pedro Araujo (Por) bt Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam 6-3, 6-3.

Women: Second round: Zeel Desai bt Alexandra Iordache (Rou) 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.

$40,000 ITF women, Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal: Second round: Ankita Raina bt Linda Klimovicova (Cze) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1; First round: Ankita bt Alice Gillan (GBR) 6-4, 6-2.

$25,000 ITF women, Changwon, Korea: Second round: Haruna Arakawa (Jpn) bt Shrivalli Bhamidipaty 7-5, 7-5.

$25,000 ITF women, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Second round: Sahaja Yamalapalli bt Jessica Gomez (Mex) 6-0, 6-3; Riya Bhatia bt Ana Los Rios (Par) 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5).

$15,000 ITF women, San Diego, USA: First round: Anna Frey (USA) bt Teja Tirunelveli 6-1, 6-0.

Lobjanidze upstages Messi as Atlanta stuns Miami

Georgia international Saba Lobjanidze upstaged Lionel Messi with two goals as struggling Atlanta United stunned league leader Inter Miami 3-1 on Wednesday in Major League Soccer. Lobjanidze stunned a star-studded Miami line-up with two long-range strikes either side of half-time to fire Atlanta into a 2-0 lead. Messi threatened to inspire a comeback for the home side after pulling a goal back to make it 2-1 but Atlanta restored its two-goal cushion when Jamal Thiare poked home Caleb Wiley’s cross in the 73rd.

Huge relief for golfer Scottie Scheffler

Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship. Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell asked a judge on Wednesday to drop the four charges against Scheffler, who was not required to be in the courtroom. The prosecutor said Scheffler’s explanation that he had a misunderstanding with police directing traffic was “corroborated by the evidence”.

A mixed day for Indian junior hockey teams

Press Trust of India

Breda (Netherlands)

India concluded the junior hockey teams’ tour of Europe with a gritty shootout win over Germany men, while the women were held 2-2 by Orange Rood Club here on Wednesday.

The men’s team won 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate in the regulation time. Gurjot Singh, Dilraj Singh and Manmeet Singh scored one goal each in the shoot-out after Mukesh Toppo struck off a rebound from a penalty corner in the 33rd minute. The Indian colts held their lead in regulation time until Germany equalised four minutes into fourth quarter.

The Indian women, against Orange Rood, Sanjana Horo broke the deadlock in the 18th minute. Oranje Rood scored twice to take a 2-1 lead in the third quarter. But India levelled through Anisha Sahu in the 58th.

Sciver-Brunt’s all-round show helps England win series 3-0

Nat Sciver-Brunt’s outstanding all-round performance guided England to victory over Pakistan by 178 runs in the third and final ODI of the series at Chelmsford on Wednesday. With this victory, the English side whitewashed the Women in Green 2-0 in the three-match series. Chasing a mammoth 303 for victory, the Nida Dar-led side was bundled out for just 124 in 29.1 overs. The Pakistan team seemed struggling with the bat from the start as it kept losing wickets regularly.

The scores: England 302/5 in 50 overs (Danielle Wyatt 44, Nat Sciver-Brunt 124 n.o., Umm-e-Hani 2-47) bt Pakistan 124 in 29.1 overs (Muneeba Ali 47, Aliya Riaz 36, Sophie Ecclestone 3/15).

Rathika in Hong Kong PSA Challenge Cup quarters

India’s Rathika Seelan advanced to the quarterfinals of the fourth leg of Hong Kong PSA Challenge Cup with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over local challenger Ka Huen Leung. The sixth-seeded Indian edged out Leung 4-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 in the second round in Hong Kong on Wednesday She will meet third seed Malaysian Sehveetrraa Kumar in last-eight.

When left is right — speed merchants who will set your pulse racing

R. Kaushik

Starc and Boult are but two of a bunch of outstanding left-arm pacemen who will grace the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean while a host of exciting right-arm quicks, not least Bumrah and the returning Archer, will try their level best to ensure that left isn’t the flavour of the tournament

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4 of 4 B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM, VIJAY SONEJI, EMMANUAL YOGINI

What excites you the most in a game of cricket? The brutal power with which the ball is struck? The sheer elegance in stroke-making that only a chosen few are blessed with? The timing that sends the ball scurrying to the fence even when a shot hasn’t been hit in anger? The sight of a tearaway quick, attacking the bowling crease gracefully and letting thunderbolts fly? A spinner bamboozling and embarrassing the batsman with his guile and cunning? All of it, surely?

Bowling fast is obviously one of the more physically demanding challenges in the sport. The pounding the back and the knees and the ankles take when the run-up culminates in the release of the ball is immense, yet the human being is magnetically attracted to the pursuit of this often-torturous endeavour because, clearly, pace excites.

Sultan of Swing

When the pacer belongs to the left-arm variety, it adds a further layer of beauty. And particularly when the said bowler is able to swing the ball back into the right-hander. Remember Wasim Akram, the Sultan of Swing, conventional and reverse?

Connoisseurs of a certain vintage swear by Australian Alan Davidson, acknowledged as one of the finest left-arm quicks in the history of the game for taking 186 wickets in 44 Tests in the 1950s and ‘60s. For a later generation who had the privilege of watching him in action ‘live’ or on television, it is hard to believe that someone could be better than the rangy Pakistani, who could make the ball ‘talk’ like few others and signed off with a jaw-dropping 916 international wickets.

Explosive pace

Akram was equally at home bowling from over the stumps as round. He could ballet in from a long run-up, or steam in from a shorter one, building up explosive pace in a short span of time without sacrificing swing or speed. He was excellent with the new ball but lethal with the older one, especially as it aged on one side while the other was smooth and shiny, with designated ‘ball maintainers’ facilitating reverse swing.

Akram had a mean bouncer which he used sparingly, and a devastating yorker that tailed in late, threatened to break toes into million irrecoverable pieces and smashed into the woodwork with the certainty of night following day. Akram was poetry in motion, a fabulous admixture of sinewy grace and remarkable skills.

The benchmark

He will remain the benchmark for all aspiring left-arm quicks, of whom many populate the sport currently. In an IPL largely dominated by the bat, two left-armers stood out, Rajasthan Royal’s Trent Boult from New Zealand and Australian Mitchell Starc, the Player of the Final last week when Kolkata Knight Riders annihilated Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Boult is no longer a ‘full-time’ international cricketer, but the quality he brings made it impossible for the Kiwi selectors to overlook his credentials for the T20 World Cup. Boult manages to extract swing that often eludes most others, coaxing movement in the air with his wonderful wrist. No one has taken more wickets in the first over of a T20 innings than the affable Kiwi, whose bowling at the death has perked up in recent times but who is at his deadliest bowling up front.

Rhythm bowler

Starc is taller, quicker, and brooks equally careful watching. The Aussie is a rhythm bowler who can sometimes get it awfully wrong, which is when he goes for plenty. But when he does get it right, which is more often than not, he can influence the outcome of a contest in no time. Starc came into IPL 2024 on the back of a ₹24.75-crore pay cheque, making him the most expensive buy in the tournament’s history.

Whether he initially felt the pressure of that price tag isn’t obvious, but Starc did start the tournament poorly, conceding 100 runs in his first two outings without picking up a wicket. But as the IPL progressed, he came into his own, sprinting in as if a man possessed and getting the ball to go this way and that.

The difference

Particularly in the final week of the tournament, he was the difference between the sides in both Qualifier 1 and the Final, both against SRH. Three wickets apiece in both games alone more than justified the money spent on him, even if that might appear a skewed way of looking at things.

Starc and Boult are but two of a bunch of outstanding left-arm pacemen who will grace the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean. Almost every top team has at least one of this ilk; some, like Pakistan and England, have two standout left-arm seamers who will relish the opportunity to take slow surfaces out of the equation with their shenanigans through the air.

The Shaheen Afridi factor

Pakistan, the 2009 champion, has worthy successors to the Akram legacy in the form of Shaheen Shah Afridi and the resurrected Mohammad Amir, who has only recently returned to international action after having announced his retirement in 2020. Indian fans will recall with little joy how Afridi settled the T20 World Cup clash in Dubai in 2021 very early in the piece with the scalps of Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul with deliveries that swung in late.

A product of the vibrant junior system that is such an integral part of the development process in the subcontinent, Afridi first made a mark at the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in 2018. He was quickly fast-tracked to the senior set-up and didn’t take long to establish himself as the leader of a pack that also included another wonderful left-arm exponent, Wahab Riaz.

Amir seemed to have the world at his feet when he burst through in 2009, until the spectre of spot-fixing reared its ugly head and he appeared lost to the sport. His youth and genuine remorse catalysed a lighter sentence and while he wasn’t the same bowler on his comeback after a five-year ban in 2016, he seems to have found a second wind and could still have a say at the World Cup.

Numerous variations

England boasts the strapping Reece Topley and the wily Sam Curran, both Player of the Match in the last T20 World Cup final against Pakistan and the Player of the Tournament. Both are different kinds of bowlers, not unlike Afridi and Amir with the roles perhaps somewhat reversed. Their USP is the numerous variations once the ball gets a little older and a little softer, which is also when the admirable Mutafizur Rahman of Bangladesh is at his most effective.

The Fizz, as he is popularly called, appeared to have fizzled out until a stint in IPL 2024 with Chennai Super Kings has brought him back to the forefront. Feeling appreciated and finally getting the sense that he belonged, Mustafizur was a huge factor in the first half of the competition when CSK had a string of good results.

It was no coincidence that their fortunes took a nosedive once the Bangladeshi returned home to link up with the national squad. Mustafizur is the veritable master of cutters and should have a field day on the slower pitches that are expected to be the norm at the World Cup.

India has had numerous felicitous left-armers in the past, none more celebrated than Zaheer Khan. There was a time when left was right for the 2007 T20 World Cup champions; the careers of Zaheer and Ashish Nehra overlapped with Irfan Pathan and R.P. Singh. It’s incumbent upon Arshdeep Singh to keep that particular flag flying.

Pinpoint precision

Arshdeep and Mohammed Siraj will perhaps battle it out for the right to partner the peerless Jasprit Bumrah, with little separating the two claimants. Arshdeep is one of the few bowlers in the world who can nail his yorkers at the death with pinpoint precision, though he can also make the new ball go a long way and therefore will believe that the change in angle he presents will win him the nod.

A host of exciting right-arm quicks, not least Bumrah and the returning Jofra Archer, will try their level best to ensure that left isn’t the flavour of the tournament, and who’s to say, given their ability, that they won’t be successful in that mission. But discount the left-arm pace merchants at your own peril.

Magic through the air

The popular perception is that on the tracks that are expected to be on offer, it is the spinners that will hold sway. But several of the aforementioned left-arm quicker bowlers are masters at using the playing surface, whatever be its nature, to their advantage or taking it out of the picture entirely with their magic through the air.

For bowlers like Starc and Boult, both 34 years old, this could well be their T20 World Cup swansong. How wonderful it would be to leave a lasting impression. Australia’s only T20 World Cup success came in the desert of the UAE in 2021 while New Zealand has yet to win a limited-overs World Cup, though it did clinch the 50-over Champions Trophy in 2000 and inaugural World Test Championship final in 2021. That should be incentive enough for Starc and Boult respectively. Strap in for what promises to be an exciting, fun-filled roller-coaster ride.

Table of Contents

The Hindu May 31, 2024

National

Campaign ends; last phase to decide 57 seats

Yearly reminder

Start-up Agnikul launches world’s first rocket with fully 3D-printed engine

Monsoon sets in over Kerala and Northeast India simultaneously

I did not single out any community for special treatment: Manmohan

Hassan MP Prajwal lands in Bengaluru

PM addressed 206 public events during campaign

22 passengers killed as bus skids into a gorge in Jammu

‘Record-breaking’ temperature in Delhi might have been due to faulty device

Every vote counts

Loss of civilian lives in Rafah ‘heartbreaking’, a matter of serious concern, says MEA

16 Army men booked for attacking a police station in Kupwara

ED files prosecution complaint against Shahjahan Sheikh

Indian peacekeeper gets U.N. award on gender advocacy

Driver held in Karan Bhushan convoy car accident case

Cyclone Remal: floods claim four lives in Assam

Sandeshkhali, the island in the prime poll position in Bengal

Save us from the drug menace, Punjab villagers tell parties

In Odisha, Anjani Soren wages a lone battle to keep JMM afloat

V.K. Pandian is not my successor, says Patnaik

PM remark on Gandhiji shocking: NC

HC rejects plea seeking Modi’s disqualification

INDIA may pick PM in less than 48 hours: Jairam

Modi addressed 206 public events during the long-drawn campaign

In its Sangrur bastion, voters ask questions of AAP over unfulfilled promises from 2022

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HC refuses protection to interfaith couple to marry under Special Marriage Act

‘PM spoke on divisive issues 421 times, no mention of inflation’

Service to Acharyas

Chhota Rajan gets life term for 2001 murder of hotelier

Teen’s blood sample may have been replaced with mother’s

Regional

Cong. stifled Constitution during Emergency, ignored it in 1984 riots, says Modi

Sankara Nethralaya facing influx of patients from Bangladesh with fake documentation

Tourists stay away as security stepped up in Kanniyakumari for Prime Minister’s visit

Gloves come off in Odisha as BJP senses an opening against BJD in the State

Purvanchal will teach the BJP a lesson for playing with the future of country: Akhilesh

Constitution under attack from BJP and RSS: Rahul Gandhi

Digvijaya claims tampering of EVMs is done by higher-ups

Azam Khan gets 10-year jail in forced eviction case

5 new cubs spotted in Sariska Reserve, tiger count up to 40

Hoarding case: engineer held for giving stability certificate

Strong westerly winds to trigger widespread rainfall across Kerala

Beat the heat

Activists hold massive rally in Hassan seeking arrest of Prajwal

Jaya Jayahe Telangana approved as the State song; no decision yet on emblem

‘Monsoon Croaks’ project ropes in public to document frogs in farms and backyard

Non-related organ donor’s consent must be accepted, says HC

TTD to tackle occupational health hazards of temple staff

Kerala govt. includes AI in Class 7 textbook

Appraiser steals gold during hundi counting, held

Science

The rising incidence of paediatric inflammatory bowel disease in India

World Menstrual Hygiene Day: starting conversations about periods

Edit

India’s middle class and the ‘Modi factor’

India and the ‘managed care’ promise

letters to the editor

Reign of fire

Demonising protests

Does the Model Code of Conduct need legal teeth?

Waiting for water

During election time, expect the unexpected

Indians for South African Army

Strike at Tinnevely

The tobacco epidemic in India

Studio Ghibli’s unsung secret sauce behind ‘The Boy and the Heron’s’ success

A quiz on different and unusual units of measurement

Know your English

Business

RBI’s income rises 17% to ₹2.75 lakh cr., spending falls 56%

Apollo Hospitals Q4 PAT surges 76% to ₹254 crore

‘Ratio of women in leadership roles stagnating in India’

Global AI chips revenue will grow 33% in 2024: Gartner

Muthoot Finance Q4 net up 17% to ₹1,182 cr.

JioMart said to mull quick e-com entry

‘Pharma exports to log $31 bn in FY25’

RBI sets framework for SRO for FinTechs

IDFC First Bank board okays ₹3,200-crore fundraise

E-com, BFSI, hospitality driving job market: Apna

Shriram Properties net rose 32% in Q4 to ₹20 crore

Mumbai to log 34% growth in skyscrapers by 2030: Anarock

Adani Total mulls adding plants in India for LNG import

‘Rooftop solar installations fell 26% to 367 MW in Jan.-March’

‘Gold loans are having transformative impact on households in India’

‘Gold worth tens of billions smuggled to the UAE each year’

Global fund launches touch a record in China as yuan slumps

Silver lining

IndiGo speeds up trials on new software

Foreign

ANC on track to lose majority after watershed South Africa vote

14 pro-democracy activists convicted, 2 acquitted in Hong Kong's biggest national security case

China's Xi calls for Middle East peace conference

Ukraine says Crimea attack destroyed 2 Russian military boats

Sweden says Iran using Swedish gangs to target Israel, other states

Gunmen murder Rohingya teacher and student in Bangladesh

Anger as Nigerian president changes national anthem

Sri Lanka seeks release of ex-soldiers in Russia and Ukraine

Spain's parliament gives final approval to amnesty law for Catalonia's separatists

Cambodia to begin work on controversial canal in August: PM

4 Pakistanis killed by Iranian border guards in remote southwestern region, Pakistani officials say

Taliban regime seeks to revive Afghan railway projects, open trade routes

‘He is our God’: in Georgia, shadowy oligarch’s power looms large

From deep down

Iran opens registration for June presidential election after Ebrahim Raisi’s death

Amid calls for polls, U.K. parties face off on TikTok app

North Korea fires missiles toward its eastern sea

Sports

Champion England and Australia favourites in Group-B

Djokovic cruises into the third round; Medvedev, Zverev, Sabalenka, and Rybakina also advance

Pant eager to make it count in the T20 WC

Harmanpreet to helm India against South Africa

US embassy denies Lamichhane visa for T20 World Cup

Ecclestone becomes the fastest to reach 100 wickets in women’s ODIs

Osaka in tears after epic Swiatek defeat, insists she’s felt worse

Head-cams for chair umpires in bid to enhance TV viewing

Top results

Yugendran leaps to a new meet record in men’s pole vault

Treesa-Gayatri duo stuns Baek-Lee; Sindhu goes down to Marin

Praggnanandhaa shocks Carlsen, snatches sole lead

Sachin, Sanjeet, Amit and Jaismine stay on course

El Kaabi strikes late to give Olympiakos glory

Ankita Raina advances in Montemor-o-Novo Challenger

Lobjanidze upstages Messi as Atlanta stuns Miami

Huge relief for golfer Scottie Scheffler

A mixed day for Indian junior hockey teams

Sciver-Brunt’s all-round show helps England win series 3-0

Rathika in Hong Kong PSA Challenge Cup quarters

When left is right — speed merchants who will set your pulse racing