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02
No state honours during Oommen Chandy funeral
Govt drops plans after family insisted based on former chief minister’s last wishes
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,19 JULY
here will be official state
T
Chandy.
honours at the funeral
of former Kerala Chief
Minister Oommen
The family of the former Chief
Minister has turned down offi-
cial state honours during the
funeral of the departed leader
to be held on Thursday. The gov-
ernment had earlier decided to
conduct the funeral of the late
leader with full state honours.
LEGAL NOTICES
(U/o 5 Rule 20 CPC)
IN THE COURT OF
Meenakshi Gupta,
Additional Civil Judge
(Senior Division), Phillaur
CNR No. PBJLB0-000007-2020
Next Date:- 17-08-2023
STATE BANK OF INDIA
BRANCH AT NEW BUS
STAND NOORMAHAL, TEHSIL
PHILLAUR, DISTRICT JALAND-
HAR
Vs
MOHAN SINGH
PUBLICATION ISSUED TO :
MOHAN SINGH
FATHER : KARTAR SINGH,
R/O VILLAGE SANGHE KHALSA,
TEHSIL PHILLAUR
In above titled case, the
defendant(s)/respondent(s)
could not be served. It is
ordered that defendant(s) /
respondent(s) should appear
in person or through coun-
sel on 17-08-2023 at 10:00 a.m.
For details logon to
https://highcourtchd.gov.in/?t
rs=district_notice&dis-
trict=Phillaur
Additional Civil Judge
(Senior Division), Phillaur
Dated, this day of 31-05-
2023
Seal of the Court
J.(Civil)-12
PROCLAMATION REQUIRING
ATTENDANCE OF
DEFENDANT
(Order 5, Rule 20 of the
Code of Civil Procedure)
IN THE COURT OF
Sh. Rajneesh Kumar Gupta,
Principal Judge, Family
Courts, South-East, Saket,
New Delhi
SUIT NO. : HMA-588/22
ANJALI BHASIN
-Plaintiff
Against
RONIE BHASIN S/O J. M.
BHASIN (JOGINDER MOHAN
BHASIN), R/O A-19 FRIENDS
COLONY EAST, GROUND
FLOOR, NEW DELHI-110065
-Defendant
To,
THE DEFENDANT ABOVE
NAMED
WHEREAS you are inten-
tionally evading service of
summons it is hereby noti-
fied that if you shall not
defend the case on the
18-08-2023 the day fixed for the
final disposal, it will be heard
and determined ex-parte.
Given under my hand and
the seal of the court, on this
06-07-2023.
Principal Judge, Family
Courts, South-East, Saket,
New Delhi
Seal of the Court
J-4367
J.(Civil)-12
PROCLAMATION REQUIRING
ATTENDANCE OF
DEFENDANT
(Order 5, Rule 20 of the
Code of Civil Procedure)
IN THE COURT OF
Sh. Sudhanshu Kaushik,
ADJ-02 & Waqf Tribunal
(NDD), Room No. 22,
Main Building, Patiala
House Courts, New Delhi
SUIT NO. : CS/349/2022
NIRMAL KUMARI & ANR.
-Plaintiff
Against
VED PRABHA WADHWA &
ANR.
-Defendant
To,
1. Ved Prabha Wadhwa
W/o Late Sh. Govind Wad-
hwa, R/o C-8/8479, Vasant
Kunj, New Delhi-110021
WHEREAS you are inten-
tionally evading service of
summons it is hereby noti-
fied that if you shall not
defend the case on the
05-09-2023 the day fixed for the
final disposal, it will be heard
and determined ex-parte.
Given under my hand
and the seal of the court, this
18-07-2023.
ADJ-02 & Waqf Tribunal
(NDD), Main Building,
Patiala House Courts,
New Delhi
Seal of the Court
J-4368
J-(Civil)-12
PROCLAMATION REQUIRING
ATTENDANCE OF
DEFENDANT
(Order 5, Rule 20 of the Civil
KOLKATA
Statesman House,
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Kolkata-700 001
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hiten.statesman@gmail.com
Mob: 9212192123
BHUBANESWAR
Plot 3A, Zone B, Sector A,
Mancheswar Industrial Estate,
Bhubaneswar-751010.
M- 09438838880
AIR-SURCHARGE; Kathmandu - Re. 2, Eastern Region - Re. 1
The former Chief Minister
had earlier informed his fam-
ily that his funeral should be kept
simple with no official honours.
Oommen Chandy had informed
this to his wife Mariamma
before going to Germany for
Procedure)
IN THE COURT OF
Sh. Ajay Garg, Addl. District
Judge-01, East District,
Room No. 08, 2nd Floor,
Karkardooma Courts, Delhi
CS 529/2020
NDOH : 18-09-2023
M/S SMAY VENTURES PVT.
LTD.
-Plaintiff
Versus
M/S R. K. TRADING COM-
PANY
-Defendants
To
D M/s R. K. Trading Com-
pany, Acting Through Sole
Proprietor Shri Santosh
Kumar, 104, 1st Floor, Kumar
Tower, Wazirpur, Delhi.
Whereas plaintiff has filed
the above noted petition
against you. You are hereby
noticed to appear in this court
in person or by a pleader on
the 18th day of September,
2023 at 10:00 AM, to answer
the same, failing which
the petition will be disposed
of ex-parte.
Given under my hand and
the seal of the court, this 29th
day of May, 2023.
Addl. District Judge-01,
East District, Karkardooma
Courts, Delhi
Seal of the Court
J-4369
J-(Civil)-12
PROCLAMATION REQUIRING
ATTENDANCE OF
DEFENDANT
(Order 5, Rule 20 of the
Civil Procedure)
IN THE COURT OF
Sh. Ajay Garg, Addl. District
Judge-01, East District,
Room No. 08, 2nd Floor,
Karkardooma Courts, Delhi
CS 525/2020
NDOH : 18-09-2023
M/S ALDINE VENTURES PVT.
LTD.
-Plaintiff
Versus
M/S ROLEX TRADING CO.
-Defendant
To
D M/s ROLEX TRADING CO.
Acting Through its Sole
Proprietor Mr. Bimal Mehra,
B-1, Ground Floor, Azadpur,
Delhi-110033
Whereas plaintiff has filed
the above noted petition
against you. You are hereby
noticed to appear in this court
in person or by a pleader on
the 18th day of September,
2023 at 10:00 AM, to answer
the same, failing which
the petition will be disposed
of ex-parte.
Given under my hand and
the seal of the court, this 29th
day of May, 2023.
Addl. District Judge-01,
East District, Karkardooma
Courts, Delhi
Seal of the Court
J-4371
IN THE COURT OF
Sh. Dig Vinay Singh,
Ld. District Judge
(Commercial Court-03),
West District, Delhi, Room
No. 203, Extension Building
(New), 2nd Floor,
Tis Hazari Court, Delhi
PROCLAMATION REQUIRING
ATTENDANCE OF
DEFENDANT
(Order 5, Rule 20 of the
Code of Civil Procedure)
CS (Comm.) No/263/2023
SMT. JASVINDER KAUR
-Plaintiff
Vs
SH. SAILANDER KUMAR
-Defendant
To,
(Defendant)
SH. SAILANDER KUMAR
S/O SH. OM PRAKASH
R/O A-27, GROUND FLOOR,
KIRAN GARDEN UTTAM
NAGAR, NEW DELHI-110059
ALSO AT : PROPERTY BEAR-
ING NO. D-49 & D-50, SHAM
NAGAR, KHAYALA ROAD NEW
DELHI-110018.
WHEREAS you, in view of
the reports already received,
cannot be served in ordinary
way. It is hereby notified that
if you shall not defend the
case on the 22nd day of
August, 2023, the day fixed
for the final disposal, it will
be heard and determined
ex-parte.
Given under my hand and
the seal of the court on this
10th Day of July, 2023.
Ld. District Judge
statesmanbbsr@gmail.com
Delhistatesman@gmailcom
SILIGURI
Spencer Plaza, 18/19, 1st
Floor
Burdwan Road
Above Vishal Mega Mart
Siliguri-734005, West Bengal
Ph.: 9832082429
sil_statesman@yahoo.co.in
Delhistatesman@gmailcom
HYDERABAD
The Statesman Limited,
2nd Floor, UNI Building,
A.C. Guards, Hyderabad-500004,
Mob: 9866323009, 9212192123
Email:
delhistatesman@gmail.com
hyderabad@thestatesmangroup.com
BANGALORE
No. 68, First Floor, Gold Tower,
50 Residency Road, Bangalore-
All other stations in India - Re. 1
treatment.
“Appa’s last wish was not to
have government’s official hon-
ours for his funeral, said the
senior Congress leader’s son,
Chandy Oommen.
Chandy's wife Mariyamma
(Commercial Court-03),
West District, Delhi,
Tis Hazari Court, Delhi
Seal of the Court
J-4372
IN THE COURT OF
Sh. Dig Vinay Singh,
Ld. District Judge
(Commercial Court-03),
West District, Delhi, Room
No. 203, Extension Building
(New), 2nd Floor,
Tis Hazari Court, Delhi
PROCLAMATION REQUIRING
ATTENDANCE OF
DEFENDANT
(Order 5, Rule 20 of the
Code of Civil Procedure)
CS (Comm.) No/264/2023
SH. SUSHIL KUMAR
-Plaintiff
Vs
SH. SAILANDER KUMAR
-Defendant
To,
(Defendant)
SH. SAILANDER KUMAR
S/O SH. OM PRAKASH
R/O A-27, GROUND FLOOR,
KIRAN GARDEN UTTAM
NAGAR, NEW DELHI-110059
ALSO AT : PROPERTY BEAR-
ING NO. D-49 & D-50, SHAM
NAGAR, KHAYALA ROAD NEW
DELHI-110018.
WHEREAS you, in view of
the reports already received,
cannot be served in ordinary
way. It is hereby notified that
if you shall not defend the
case on the 22nd day of
August, 2023, the day fixed
for the final disposal, it will
be heard and determined
ex-parte.
Given under my hand and
the seal of the court on this
10th Day of July, 2023.
Ld. District Judge
(Commercial Court-03),
West District, Delhi,
Tis Hazari Court, Delhi
Seal of the Court
J-4373
IN THE COURT OF
Sh. Dig Vinay Singh,
Ld. District Judge
(Commercial Court-03),
West District, Delhi, Room
No. 203, Extension Building
(New), 2nd Floor,
Tis Hazari Court, Delhi
PROCLAMATION REQUIRING
ATTENDANCE OF
DEFENDANT
(Order 5, Rule 20 of the
Code of Civil Procedure)
CS (Comm.) No/262/2023
SH. VINOD KUMAR
-Plaintiff
Vs
SH. SAILANDER KUMAR
-Defendant
To,
(Defendant)
SH. SAILANDER KUMAR
S/O SH. OM PRAKASH
R/O A-27, GROUND FLOOR,
KIRAN GARDEN UTTAM
NAGAR, NEW DELHI-110059
ALSO AT : PROPERTY BEAR-
ING NO. D-49 & D-50, SHAM
NAGAR, KHAYALA ROAD NEW
DELHI-110018.
WHEREAS you, in view of
the reports already received,
cannot be served in ordinary
way. It is hereby notified that
if you shall not defend the
case on the 22nd day of
August, 2023, the day fixed
for the final disposal, it will
be heard and determined
ex-parte.
Given under my hand and
the seal of the court on this
10th Day of July, 2023.
Ld. District Judge
(Commercial Court-03),
West District, Delhi,
Tis Hazari Court, Delhi
Seal of the Court
J-4375
PROCLAMATION UNDER
SECTION 19 OF THE PROVIN-
CIAL INSOLVENCY ACT, 1920
IN THE COURT OF
Ms. Tanya Bamniyal,
ASCJ-cum-JSCC-cum-GJ
(South), Room No. 2,
Saket Courts, New Delhi
CS SCJ 01/2023
MUKESH SHARMA
-Plaintiff
Vs
ROMY MEHRA
-Defendant
To,
Mr. Romy Mehra
S/o Sh. Pawan Mehra
R/o A-20, Ansal Villas, Sat-
bari, New Delhi-110074
You are directed to appear
in person along with duly
authorized counsel.
560025.
Tel. : 9212192123
Email:
delhistatesman@gmail.com
bangalore@thestatesmangroup.com
MUMBAI
5, Kasturi Buildings, Jamshedji
Tata Road, Mumbai-400 020
M-9212192123
Tel : (022) 35775450,
Email:
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mumbai@thestatesmangroup.com
LUCKNOW
2/2, Butler Palace (Near Jopling
Road), Lucknow-226 001,
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RANCHI
11/C, Road#1, Ashoknagar,
Ranchi - 834 002
M-9212192123 Email:
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ranchi@thestatesmangroup.com
informed the public adminis-
tration department in writing
that only religious ceremonies
would suffice and no official hon-
ours should be part of the
funeral as desired by the late
leader.
Chief Minister Pinarayi
Vijayan, however, had informed
the cabinet that Oommen
Chandy’s funeral should be con-
ducted with full state honours.
Following this, the cabinet had
delegated the responsibility of
making the final decision to the
Chief Secretary as the family
Given under my hand and
the seal of the Court this on
24-07-2023
ASCJ-cum-JSCC-cum-GJ
(South), Saket Courts,
New Delhi
Seal of the Court
J-4377
IN THE COURT OF
Ms. Neha Priya, Commercial
Civil Judge cum Addl. Rent
Controller cum Administra-
tive Civil Judge, South Dis-
trict, Room No. 204, Saket
Court Complex, New Delhi
SUCC. P. No. 49/2023
NDOH : 07-08-2023
KANTA KAPUR
Vs
STATE & ORS.
(Memo of Parties)
Kanta Kapur, W/o Late
Visheshwar Nath Kapur, R/o
House No. A-128, Defense Ser-
vices Enclave, Central Avenue,
Sainik Farms, Khanpur, New
Delhi-110062
-Petitioner
Vs
1. State
Through SDM, Sub-Division
Saket, DC South office Com-
plex, M. B. Road, Saket, New
Delhi-110002.
2. HDFC Bank Ltd.
E-143, Saket, New Delhi-
110068.
3. Ngarjuna Oil Refinery Ltd.
Registered Office : Nagar-
juna Hills, Hyddrabad-500082.
4. Usha Martin Ltd.
Registered Office : 2A,
Shakespeare Sarar, Kolkata-
700071.
5. Sapna Mehra, W/o Arun
Mehra, R/o Flat No. H-19, Jang-
pura Extension, Delhi-110014.
6. Alpana Kapur Titus, W/o
Ajoy Bitu Titus, R/o A-128,
Defense Services Enclave,
Central Evenue, Sainik Farms,
Khanpur, New Delhi-110062.
7. Payal Partap Singh, W/o
Rajesh Pratap Singh, R/o A-128,
Defense Services Enclave,
Central Evenue, Sainik Farms,
Khanpur, New Delhi-110062
-Respondent
To,
The State/General public
Whereas, an application
U/S 372 of the Indian Succes-
sion Act, 1925 has been made
by Kanta Kapur, claiming to
be successor of Late Sh.
Visheshwar Nath Kapur, for
grant of Succession Certificate
in respect of debts/securi-
ties of said deceased.
And whereas the said appli-
cant shall come for hearing on
07th August 2023 at 10:00 A.M.
Therefore, the public at
large is hereby given notice if
anytherson has objection to
the grant of succession cer-
tificate in favour of the said
applicant, he may appear and
file objections in writing, in
person or through duly
appointed pleader, on the
said date and time.
Given under may hand and
seal of the Court on this 13th
day of July 2023.
Commercial Civil Judge
cum Addl. Rent Controller
cum Administrative Civil
Judge, South District, Saket
Court Complex, New Delhi
Seal of the Court
J-4378
IN THE COURT OF
Ms. Neha Priya, Commercial
Civil Judge cum Addl. Rent
Controller cum Administra-
tive Civil Judge, South Dis-
trict, Room No. 204, Saket
Court Complex, New Delhi
SUCC. P. No. 58/2023
NDOH : 29-08-2023
HARISH MAHAJAN
Vs
STATE & ANR.
(Memo of Parties)
Sh. Harish Mahajan, S/o
Late Sh. K. C. Mahajan, R/o C-
6/1, Safdarjung Development
Area, New Delhi-110016.
-Petitioner
Vs
1. State
Through SDM, Hauz Khas,
Office-Complex of DM South,
M. B. Road, Saket, New Delhi-
110068.
2. Smt. Aditi Anand, W/o Dr.
Rajiv Anand, R/o 4629, Ellens-
burg Drive, Dallas 75244 Texas,
U.S.A.
-Respondent
To,
The State/General public
Whereas, an application
U/S 372 of the Indian Succes-
sion Act, 1925 has been made
by Sh. Harish Mahajan, claim-
ing to be successor of Late
Sh. K. C. Mahajan, for grant of
Succession Certificate in
respect of debts/securities
of said deceased.
And whereas the said appli-
cant shall come for hearing on
29th August 2023 at 10:00 A.M.
Therefore, the public at
large is hereby given notice if
anytherson has objection to
the grant of succession cer-
tificate in favour of the said
applicant, he may appear and
file objections in writing, in
person or through duly
appointed pleader, on the
said date and time.
Given under may hand and
seal of the Court on this 13th
day of July 2023.
Commercial Civil Judge
cum Addl. Rent Controller
cum Administrative Civil
Judge, South District, Saket
Court Complex, New Delhi
Seal of the Court
J-4379
PUBLIC
NOTIFICATIONS
Mridula Sharma take notice
Uttar Pradesh Police e-FIR
No. 101910/2022 dated 18-07-
2022:23:59 contents to read
with are hereunder,
"Youngman close to-your
-sister conspired you lodged
a False-complaint against My
son and I was detained in
PS-49 on 18-07-2022 from noon
to midnight You came with
mother-sister-brother respec-
tively in DL8CAL 1720 DL2CBA
1762 at 12.13 15.35 15.58 18.05
hours unlawfully entered my
Flat B-570 Kendriya Vihar
Sector-51 Noida Attempted
theft took-away my 5-years
Grandson in captivity for
a-week Rupees 5-lakhs cash
LIC-valuables Jewelry of Son-
grandson My wife's 23-gm
gold-chain Bridal-jewelry
Clothes Shoes-slippers-toys
Mobiles Laptops Music-sys-
tem Study-books & left no-
whereabouts of Grandson
Values principles above
assertions exposed you as
doubtful integrity which pro-
hibits to keep you in my-fam-
ily until you write-me your
confession-apology for
harassment caused"
Krishna Kumar Sharma
J-4376
My client Keshav Yadav
S/o Bandhan Yadav R/o 28/27,
A-1, Bengali Colony, Sant
Nagar, Burari Delhi has sev-
ered his relations from his
son Ravindra Yadav, his wife
Kushum Lata, daughter Maith-
ili Yadav, son Dhirendra Yadav
and debarred them from his
movable-immovable proper-
ties due to their misconduct.
My client will not be respon-
sible for their any acts.
Virendra Kumar
Advocate
LOST & FOUND
I Pukhraj Singh Chug
S/o Sh. Kulraj Singh Chug R/o
C-119/A, First Floor, Inder Puri,
New Delhi-110012 Presently
R/o F-4/8, First Floor and Sec-
ond Floor, Vasant Vihar,
Kusum Pur, Vasant Vihar-1,
New Delhi-110057 have lost
my Original Life Insurance
Corporation of India Policy
Bond No.122196093. Finders
may contact at above address.
J-4374
TENDER NOTICE
UNIVERSITY OF
NORTH BENGAL
Accredited by NAAC with
‘B++’ Grade
NOTICE INVITING
e-TENDER
Following e-Tender is
invited from reputed
Vendors, for details
please visit:
https://wbtenders.gov.in
Sl. No.: 1; NIT No.: 24/
R-2023; Tender Id.:
2023_DHE_548515_1.
Registrar (Offg.)
NEW DELHI, THURSDAY 20 JULY 2023
masses (in photo). It proceeded to his home-
The vehicle carrying Oom- town in Puthuppally, Kot-
insisted on Chandy’s wish. Thursday at the St George men Chandy's body and the tayam, at a snail's pace as
The government in the end Orthodox Church, Puthuppally accompanying entourage set thousands gathered along the
decided not to provide any state in Kottayam. off from Thiruvananthapu- roads to pay homage to the
honours during the funeral. Baselios Marthoma Math- ram at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. departed leader.
Chandy’s son Chandy Oom-
men said that his father wished
for a simple and normal funer-
al.
His daughter, Achu Oommen
ews III, the head of the Malankara
Orthodox Syrian Church, will
officiate the funeral rites.
Meanwhile, Thiruvanan-
thapuram, the capital city of Ker-
TENDER
said that the heartfelt tributes ala bid farewell to former chief
and love received from the minister Oommen Chandy on
people are the most signifi- Wednesday morning when his
cant recognition and honour for body was taken to Kottayam.
her father. Hundreds thronged on the
Oommen Chandy's funer- sides of the road to pay homage
al will be held at 3.30 pm on to a leader who lived among the
Prez Murmu presents
Bhoomi Samman awards
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE RMP).
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY However, it was not just
Singhbhum, President Murmu
In today’s era of digitalization, on Tuesday presented the
commitment towards advanc- awards to nine state secretaries
ing efforts and empowering and 68 district collectors for
rural communities through their commendable achieve-
streamlined land record man- ments in the implementa-
agement is one of the crucial tion of the Digital India Land
tasks from government insti- Records Modernization Pro-
tutions. Taking a step for- gramme (DILRMP). Con-
ward towards the ambitious gratulating the awardees for
project and in a proud moment achieving saturation of the core
for West Singhbhum district components of DILRMP, Pres-
in Jharkhand, Deputy Com- ident Murmu highlighted the
missioner Ananya Mittal was significance of digitization
honored with the Bhoomi of land records in the devel-
Samman Award by President opment of rural areas.
Murmu for the successful The DILRMP aims to cre-
digitization of land records. ate an integrated land infor-
The district was recog- mation management system
nized among nine others in across the country by lever-
the state for completing over aging commonalities in land
99% of the task of digitizing records practices among var-
sale deeds, Khatiyans, and ious states. With its imple-
other land-related documents mentation, people can now
under the ambitious Digital easily avail loans against their
India Land Records Mod- property, which was not eas-
ernization Programme (DIL- ily accessible before.
6 held for
urinating on
tribal youth
in Andhra
SNS & AGENCIES
AMARAVATI, 19 JULY
Andhra Pradesh police have
arrested six people including
three juveniles for the shame-
ful incident in which they
humiliated a tribal youth by uri-
nating on his face after brutally
assaulting him.
The incident that occurred
in Ongole town of Prakasam
district on June 19 has come
to light a month later with
shocking visuals of at least
three accused urinating on
the badly injured youth cir-
culating on social media.
Prakasam district Super-
intendent of Police Mallika
Garg stated that the incident
was reported on June 19 when
the victim, Naveen, who belongs
to the Scheduled Tribe (ST)
community, was admitted to
the hospital with injuries.
“On interrogation he had
mentioned that there was a
brawl between his friends and
him but had not mentioned
about them urinating on him.
After the video went viral,
Naveen gave a statement that
his friends, who belong to
Kamma and other communi-
ties harassed him and threat-
ened him by urinating on
him,” she said in a statement.
The SP said out of the nine
accused, six have been arrest-
ed while three were abscond-
ing. A team has been deployed
to nab the absconding.
“Out of the 6 arrested, 3 are
juveniles who are being pro-
duced before court. A case
has been registered under sec-
tions 307 and SC/ST Act,” the
SP said.
The motive for the crime is
that Naveen eloped with the
accused Abhilash's girlfriend
and they wanted to take
revenge. So, they called Naveen
for a dinner meet and then
assaulted him followed by uri-
nating on him. The nine
accused and Naveen are child-
hood friends who have been
involved in property crimes in
the past and have been rowdy-
sheeters with 30 cases against
them.
 THURSDAY
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Uttarakhand’s Chamoli
stormy Monsoon meet
GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY. POSSIBILITY OF
VERY LIGHT RAIN/ DRIZZLE. THE MAXIMUM
AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE
AROUND 37 AND 28 DEGREES CELSIUS SNS & AGENCIES
RESPECTIVELY. Opposition parties seek debate on Manipur; govt says ready to discuss all issues CHAMOLI, 19 JULY
RAINFALL: 000.7 Mm
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE As many as 16 people were
RELATIVE HUMIDITY NEW DELHI, 19 JULY electrocuted to death after
Max.94 % Min. 61 % they came in contact with

P
TEMPERATURE arliament’s Mon-
Max: 36.5 °C (+1) Min: 27.6 °C (0) soon session, begin-
SUN RISES SUN SETS ning tomorrow, is all
05:37 hrs 19:19 hrs set to be a stormy
MOON RISES MOON SETS affair, although the gov-
08:30 hrs 21:15 hrs ernment assured an all-
party meeting it was ready
to discuss all issues, includ-
ing the situation in Manipur,
THUMBNAILS scarred by prolonged vio-
lence, as per rules and pro-
cedures.
The session has come
just after the Opposition par-
ties launched its INDIA
alliance, and the ruling
National Democratic
Alliance (NDA) held an
extensive session in a par-
allel show of strength that
reposed faith in the lead-
ership of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
Parliamentary Affairs
Minister Pralhad Joshi said:
Security personnel at Parliament in the national “All parties demanded a dis-
capital on Wednesday. SUBRATA DUTTA cussion on Manipur. The
government is ready. When
the Lok Sabha Speaker and
Centre further slashes price of tomato: The the Rajya Sabha Chairman,
Centre has directed the National Cooperative decide the dates, the gov-
Consumers' Federation (NCCF) and the Nation- ernment is ready to discuss
al Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federa- the issue, as per rules and
tion of India (NAFED) to sell tomatoes at a procedures.”
retail price of Rs.70 per kg rate from tomor- Briefing mediapersons
row at their outlets in view of the declining about the session-eve all-
trend in prices. The tomatoes procured by party meeting on Wednes-
NCCF and NAFED had been retailed, initially, at day afternoon, Mr Joshi
Rs.90 per kg and then reduced to Rs.80 per said the government was
kg from 16 July. The reduction to Rs.70 kg will ready for the Manipur dis-
further benefit the consumers, the Depart- cussion when its date and
ment of Consumer Affairs said. time are decided by the
Apart from a Bill to
replace the Ordi-
nance on control of
services in Delhi, the
Digital Personal
Data Protection Bill,
2023 is among 31
Bills on the govern-
ment’s agenda.
Speaker and the Chair-
man.
Defence Minister Raj-
nath Singh presided over the
meeting. Congress leader
in the Lok Sabha Adhir
Ranjan Chowdhury said
his party will bring an
adjournment motion on
the Manipur situation on
Thursday itself. He said he
raised the Manipur issue at
the all-party meeting.
“Prime Minister should
come and answer in Par-
liament,” he said. Trinamul
At an all-party meeting on the eve of the Monsoon Ses-
sion of Parliament, in New Delhi.
Congress leader Derek
O’Brien underlined it was
time the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi spoke about
the Manipur issue.
Mr Chowdhury said:
“We made it clear that if the
Government wants to run
the House, the Govern-
ment has to allow the Oppo-
sition to raise all issues.
They must give due regard
to this. There has to be
adjustment from both
sides.”
He said: “We requested
the Defence Minister for the
discussions. We told him the
all-party meeting is taking
place under his chair-
manship and he should
help the Opposition raise
its issues. We have many
issues to raise during the ses-
sion.”
SUBRATA DUTTA
The Congress leader
said the government
planned to bring 31 Bills
before Parliament for pas-
sage in the 17 days of the
session. “How will they be
discussed and passed in
such a short time. But if they
want the Bills, then we are
also ready to discuss,” he
said. Aam Aadmi Party
leader Sanjay Singh said the
party, supported by others,
will oppose the govern-
ment’s ordinance taking
away powers from the elect-
ed government of Delhi.
Telangana’s Bharat
Rashtra Samithi too
opposed the Delhi ordi-
nance at the all-party meet-
ing; as also the role of the
Tamil Nadu Governor in dis-
missing a minister, party
leader K Keshava Rao said.
a railing of an electrified
bridge above the Alak-
nanda river in Uttarak-
hand's Chamoli district,
officials said on Wednes-
day. As per officials, the
casualties include a police
sub-inspector and three
home guards.
Additional Director Gen-
eral of Police, Uttarak-
hand, V Murugesan said,
"Around 15 people includ-
ing a police sub-inspector
and five home guards have
died. The investigation is
underway. Prima Facie
reveals that there was cur-
rent on the railing and the
investigation will reveal
further details." Uttarak-
hand chief minister Pushkar
Singh Dhami later said
that 16 casualties have
been reported in the elec-
trocution incident.
Earlier in the day, the
cause behind the deaths
was said to be a trans-
former explosion at the
project site of Namami
Gange, built on the banks
of the Alaknanda river.
The injured are being
shifted to Rishikesh.
Chamoli Superinten-
dent of Police, Pramen-
dra Dobhal, said: “We got
a call from the village that
a security guard has died
of electrocution. When
policemen went with vil-
SDRF personnel take the
injured to AIIMS in Rishikesh
on Wednesday. ANI
lagers for the spot inspec-
tion, 21 people were elec-
trocuted and suffered severe
injuries. 15 people died in
a hospital and the rest are
critical,” he said. ADG law
and order V Murugesan said
the dead included a police
sub-inspector and three
home guards. It is report-
ed that a youth working in
the treatment plant died on
Tuesday night. When the
police reached the spot in Chief Minister Pushkar
the morning, a crowd of Singh Dhami expressed
other people including the grief over the incident and
relatives of the deceased ordered a magisterial
gathered. inquiry. Mr Dhami has
Some work was being said proper treatment will
done on the power line be provided to all the
around 11:30 a.m. on injured. Along with this,
Wednesday, when sud- strict action will be taken
denly the current spread to against whoever is found
the entire campus, because guilty in the investigation.
of which many people got He announced Rs 5
electrocuted. lakh to the dependents of
The inured people have the deceased and Rs 1 lakh
been admitted to the dis- to the people injured in the
trict hospital Gopeshwar. incident.

Gujarat riots case:SC grants Police complaint against Opp RAIN FURY

regular bail to Teesta Setalvad for naming alliance ‘INDIA’

STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
Setting aside a Gujarat High
Court order, the Supreme
Court on Wednesday granted
regular bail to social activist
Teesta Setalvad in a case relat-
ing to alleged fabrication of
evidence in connection with
the 2002 Gujarat riots,
A special three-judge Bench
of the court comprising Justice
B R Gavai, Justice A S Bopan-
na and Justice Dipankar Datta
stated that Ms Setalvad will con-
tinue to be on bail as granted
to her by the top court on 2 Sep-
tember 2022.
Granting regular bail to
Ms Setalvad, the Bench made
scathing observations against
the Gujarat High Court judg-
ment for delving into the
details of the case while reject-
ing her bail plea. The court
quashed and set aside the
Gujarat High Court’s order that
had rejected regular bail to Ms
Setalvad.
Taking a dim view of the
high court order that ran into
over a hundred pages, the
Supreme Court said that the
high court had “interestingly”
observed that since she had not
challenged the FIR and charge
sheet under Section 482 of the
Code of Criminal Procedure
(CrPC) or Articles 226 or 32 of
the constitution, she could
not claim that a prima facie case
was not made out. The top
court said that if the observa-
tion of the High Court was
accepted, then no bail plea can
be decided at pre-trial stage
without challenging the charge
sheet under Articles 26 or 32
of the Constitution or Section
482 of the Code of Criminal Pro-
cedure.
Ordering Ms Setalvad not
to make any attempt to influ-
ence witnesses in the case and
keep away from them, the
top court in its order said: “If
she influences (witnesses),
prosecution can move the
Supreme Court directly for can-
cellation of bail.”
Ms Setalvad was arrested by
Gujarat Police on 25 June 2022
on alleged charges of conspir-
ing to falsely implicate inno-
cent people in connection with
the 2002 Gujarat riots, a day after
a Supreme Court judgment
made adverse remarks against
her and others.
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
A day after they named their
alliance as 'INDIA' (Indian
National Developmental
Inclusive Alliance) for the
Lok Sabha polls due next
year, a police complaint has
been registered against the 26
Opposition parties "for
improper use of the name of
INDIA and for the undue
influence."
The complaint lodged at
Barakhamba Police Station in
Delhi raises objection to
"improper use of the name
of INDIA and use of the said
name for the undue influence
and personation at elections."
The complainant, Dr Avinish
Mishra, requested necessary
action against these parties.
The Opposition parties, at
their meeting in Bengaluru on
Tuesday, came up with the
acronym “INDIA” for their
alliance.
The complaint has been
filed against 26 Opposition
parties which includes Indi-
an National Congress (INC),
All India Trinamul Congress
(TMC), Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam (DMK), Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP), Janta Dal
(United), Rashtriya Janata
Dal (RJD), Jharkhand Mukti
Morcha (JMM) and Nation-
alist Congress Party (NCP)
Sharad Pawar.
The case has been regis-
tered under Section 2 (c) of
the Emblems Act defines
"name" to include any abbre-
viation of a name. Section 5
of the Emblems Act provides
for a punishment with a fine
which may extend to five
hundred rupees to be imposed
on any person who is found
to be contravening provi-
sions of Section 3 of the
Emblems Act.
The act of the aforemen-
tioned political parties to
name their alliance as ‘INDIA'
has certainly hurt the senti-
ments of all Indians who
identify themselves as citizens
of 'INDIA', the complaint An aerial view of the roadside hawkers using large umbrellas as
read. the rain lashes many parts of Hyderabad on Wednesday. � ANI

Govt. drops India, Russia consider India’s passport ranking improves; free visa to 57 nations
random Covid
testing for new initiatives to step STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE ese passport holders join those increased its score by 25, push- than they did a decade ago while

int’l arrivals up defence cooperation NEW DELHI, 19 JULY

India's passport ranking has

STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
The Union ministry of health
is doing away with random
testing of international trav-
ellers arriving in India for
Covid-19 effective from mid-
night tomorrow.
A statement issued by
the ministry said Covid-19
guidelines for international
travelllers are being relaxed
further “taking note of the
prevalent Covid-19 situa-
tion and the significant
achievements made in the
vaccination coverage across
the globe”. Under the revised
guidelines, which will come
into force from the mid-
night of 20 July, the earlier
requirement for RT-PCR
based testing of a random 2
per cent subset of interna-
tional travellers to India, has
been dropped.
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
Even as it intensifies its
defence cooperation with the
US and France, India is
seeking to keep its defence
engagements with Russia
also on an even keel.
India and Russia today
concluded a two-day meet-
ing of the Working Group on
Military Cooperation of the
Intergovernmental Com-
mission on Military and
Military-Technical Coop-
eration this evening.
The meeting was co-
chaired by Lt. Gen Johnson
P Mathew, Chief of Inte-
grated Defence Staff to
Chairman Chiefs of Staff
Committee (CISC), HQ -
IDS, and Lt. Gen Dylevsky
Igor Nikolaevich, Deputy
Chief of the Main Opera-
tional Directorate of the
General Staff of the Armed
Forces of the Russian Fed-
eration.
“The discussions focused
on extending the ongoing
defence engagements
between the two sides and
mulled new initiatives under
the ambit of the existing
bilateral defence coopera-
tion mechanism,” the Min-
istry of Defence said.
The Working Group
meeting is a forum estab-
lished to progress defence
cooperation between both
countries through regular
talks at the strategic and
operational levels between
Headquarters, Integrated
Defence Staff, and the Main
Directorate of Internation-
al Military Cooperation of
the Ministry of Defence,
Russian Federation.
further improved and it is now
ranked 80th this year, giving
its holders visa-free access to
57 countries, says a recent
report. According to the latest
report published by Henley and
Partners, the strength of the
Indian passport moved up
from 87th place in 2022 to
80th in 2023.
At 80th rank, the other two
countries along with India are
Senegal and Togo, it said.
The Henley Passport Index
rankings are based on the
number of destinations their
holders can access without a
prior visa, largely based on data
from the International Air
Transport Association (IATA).
Meanwhile, Singapore has
knocked Japan off the top spot
on the Henley Passport Index
for the first time in five years,
placing the latter into third
place, the report published
on 18 July said.
According to the lat-
est report published
by Henley and Part-
ners, the strength of
the Indian passport
moved up from 87th
place in 2022 to 80th
in 2023
Singapore is now official-
ly the most powerful pass-
port in the world, with its cit-
izens able to visit 192 travel des-
tinations out of 227 around the
world visa-free.
Germany, Italy, and Spain
have moved up into second
place with visa-free access to
190 destinations, and Japan-
of six other nations — Austria,
Finland, France, Luxembourg,
South Korea, and Sweden —
in third place with access to189
destinations without a prior visa.
The UK has finally turned
the corner after a six-year
decline, jumping up two places
on the latest ranking to fourth
place ~ a position it last held
in 2017. The US, on the other
hand, continues its now
decade-long slide down the
index, plummeting a further
two places to 8th spot with
access to as many as 184 des-
tinations visa-free. Both the UK
and the US jointly held first place
on the index nearly 10 years
ago in 2014 but have been on
a downward trajectory ever
since. Of the countries sitting
in the 'Top 10', the US has seen
the smallest increase in its
score on the Henley Passport
Index over the past decade,
securing visa-free access to just
12 additional destinations
between 2013 and 2023. Sin-
gapore, by comparison, has
ing it five places up the rank-
ing over the past 10 years to
number one spot.
Afghanistan remains at the
bottom of the Index, with a visa-
free access of just 27, followed
by Iraq (29), and Syria (30) ~
the three weakest passports in
the world. The general trend
over the history of the 18-
year-old ranking has been
towards greater travel free-
dom, with the average num-
ber of destinations travelers are
able to access visa-free near-
ly doubling from 58 in 2006 to
109 in 2023. However, the
global mobility gap between
those at the top and bottom
of the index is now wider than
it has ever been, with top-
ranked Singapore able to access
165 more destinations visa-free
than Afghanistan.
Christian H Kaelin, Chair-
man of Henley and Partners
and the inventor of the pass-
port index concept, said only
eight countries worldwide
have less visa-free access today
others have been more suc-
cessful in securing greater
travel freedom for their citizens.
Coming to the 'most open'
countries, the ‘Top 20’ are all
small island nations or African
states, except for Cambodia.
There are 12 completely open
countries that offer visa-free
or visa-on-arrival entry to all
198 passports in the world
(not counting their own) --
Burundi, Comoro Islands, Dji-
bouti, Guinea-Bissau, Mal-
dives, Micronesia, Mozam-
bique, Rwanda, Samoa, Sey-
chelles, Timor-Leste, and
Tuvalu. At the bottom of the
Henley Openness Index, four
countries score zero, permit-
ting no visa-free access for
any passport -- Afghanistan,
North Korea, Papua New
Guinea, and Turkmenistan.
They are followed by five coun-
tries that provide visa-free
access to fewer than five other
nationalities -- Libya, Bhutan,
Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea,
and India, the report said.
04
NEW DELHI, THURSDAY 20 JULY 2023
THUMBNAILS
CISF nabs 2 at IGI airport with
gold worth Rs 50 lakh: The
Central Industrial Security
Force (CISF) arrested two
people and recovered gold
worth Rs 50 lakh from them
at Indira Gandhi International
Airport in Delhi. “Three egg-
shaped yellow metal (gold) in
paste form, weight approx
810 gms (INR approx 50
lakhs) recovered from the
rectum of the said passen-
ger. The passenger and the
visitor along with recovered
yellow metal (gold), were
handed over to Customs
officials for further action in
the matter,” read a press
release by CISF. In an official
statement, the CISF said that
the arrested accused were
identified as Khalid Maksud
and Ranjeet Singh.
Court convicts husband in
11-yr-old dowry death case:
A Delhi court has recently
convicted a man for cruelty
and dowry death of his wife
in a more than 11-year-old
case. The convict's wife had
died by hanging herself with-
in 18 days of her marriage in
February 2012. An FIR was
registered in police station
Mansarovar Park. Additional
Sessions Judge (ASJ) Pankaj
Arora of Karkardooma Court
convicted Deepak Mehta
under sections 304 B (dowry
death), 498 A (husband or
relative of husband of a
woman subjecting her to
cruelty) IPC. He has been
acquitted in the offence
under section 406 (criminal
breach of trust) IPC.
Minor among 2 held for
stabbing youth to death in
Jafrabad: A man has been
arrested for allegedly stab-
bing a 25-year-old man to
death two days ago in the
Jafrabad area in New Delhi,
officials said on Wednesday.
According to police, the
arrested accused has been
identified as Manzoor (45), a
resident of Chauhan
Banger, Jafrabad. His minor
son has also been appre-
hended in connection to
the case, they said while
adding that efforts to nab
the third absconding
accused are on. Earlier,
police informed that the
preliminary enquiry
revealed that the deceased
was friendly with a girl for
the past 2 years and the
girl’s family was opposed
to their relationship.
People purchase tomato @ 80 rupees per kilogram from
NCCF mobile van at Shahjahan Road in the Capital on
Wednesday.
Pilot, husband detained for Delhi Police train 19 women commandos
assaulting domestic help as 'Markswomen' ahead of G20 summit
SNS & AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
Delhi Police on Wednesday
detained a pilot and her hus-
band, who also works for a pri-
vate airline, for assaulting their
10-year-old domestic help, a
top official said. The official said
a procedure to arrest the pilot
Poornima Bagchi (33) and her
husband Kaushik Bagchi (36)
has also been initiated.
The couple, who was even
thrashed by the locals after the
matter came to light, have
been booked under sections
323, 324, 342, 370 of the Indi-
an Penal Code and Child
Labour Act, 75JJ Act at the
Dwarka South police station.
Excise policy case: Sisodia
produced in court physically
Special judge directs concerned officials to provide a copy of CCTV footage of the day of the
alleged manhandling of Manish Sisodia to him in a pen drive
SNS & AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
elhi's Former Deputy
D
CM Manish Sisodia
was produced phys-
ically in the Rouse
Avenue court for the hearing
of a money laundering case
related to the Delhi excise
policy. The court had direct-
ed him to appear physically.
Special judge M K Nagpal
on Wednesday directed con-
cerned officials to provide a
copy of CCTV footage of the
day of the alleged manhandling
of Manish Sisodia to him in a
pen drive. An application
alleging manhandling by police
was moved on behalf of Man-
ish Sisodia.
The court has also direct-
ed the jail authorities to file a
detailed medical report of
accused Amit Arora who has
been hospitalized pursuant to
the order of May 27, 2023. He
has been in hospital since
then. The court directed the
Enforcement Directorate (ED)
to supply copies of Hard discs
of documents to the accused
persons who have not been
provided with them. The defi-
DMRC opens parking facility Drunk man stabs person Gurugram: Woman, son injured in attack
at Palam Metro station to death, injures 2 others
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
For the convenience its com-
muters, the Delhi Metro Rail Cor-
poration (DMRC) on Wednes-
day opened a parking facility
at Palam Metro station on
Magenta Line (Line-8 i.e.
Janakpuri West to Botanical Gar-
den).
This parking lot (near Gate
No.1) can accommodate around
40 cars and 450 two-wheelers
(including bicycles). It will be
of great help to residents of the
SUBRATA DUTTA
Deputy Commissioner of
Police (Dwarka) M Harsha
Vardhan said information was
received at around 9 a.m. on
Wednesday regarding the mis-
treatment of a minor domes-
tic help. "Upon reaching the
spot, it was found that the 10-
year- old girl had been
employed by the couple since
the last two months.She was
employed through a relative
of hers who also works in a near-
by house," the DCP said.
"She was allegedly beaten
by the couple. This was noticed
by a relative of the girl today.
This led to a crowd gathering
at the residence of the couple
and confronting and man-
handling the couple.
cient/missing copies are to be
supplied to the accused. The
matter is listed on August 25
for further proceedings.
The supplementary charge
sheet as well as documents have
been supplied to accused per-
sons including Manish Siso-
dia, the court noted.
An application was also
moved to seek to place on
record the CCTV footage of
accused Amandeep Dhall's
interrogation and his move-
ments during ED custody to
preserve and place on record.
The court said that the
CCTV is being preserved pur-
suant to the order of March 2,
2023. The ED filed this sup-
adjoining areas such as Palam
Village, Manglapuri, Raj Nagar,
Sadh Nagar, etc. who use the
Metro station for their daily com-
mute.
The Palam Metro station was
opened to public in May 2018
but due to space constraints,
a parking facility could not be
made available. Realising the
need to provide relief to the com-
muters who could not park
their vehicles at this station, the
DMRC identified and developed
a portion of the station adjacent
to Gate No.1 as parking lot.
Days after flooding, traffic back near Red Fort Agencies working
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
Days after the entire area was
inundated by the flood water
of overflowing Yamuna, traf-
fic on the road near the Red
Fort in the national capital is
back to normal.
For the last six days, vehic-
ular movement on the road
near the Red Fort remained sus-
pended due to severe water-
logging as flood water was
spilled all over the Ring Road
in the backyard of Red Fort since
July 13, as the Yamuna con-
tinued to flow above danger
level.
On Wednesday, the water
level in the river once again
crossed the danger mark,
reaching 205.35 meters. It was
recorded above the danger
level at 7 am in the morning.
An hour later, the water level
reached 205.48 meters. The cur-
rent water level in the Yamu-
na is 15 cm above the danger
mark. Officials are expecting
an increase in the volume due
to the current rain in the hilly
areas.
At 8 pm on Tuesday, the
SNS & AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
The Delhi Police is giving spe-
cial training to Women com-
mandos as 'markswomen' in
the view of upcoming G-20
summit that will be held in New
Delhi.
"Delhi Police will provide
utmost security to the visiting
delegates. So we are giving
training to our women com-
mandos," an official said.
According to Delhi Police
senior officials so far 19 women
SWAT commandos have suc-
cessfully completed a one
month course from the train-
ing team of the Indo Tibetan
Border Police Force in Mad-
Law and order situation has deteriorated
under Cong govt in Rajasthan...
plementary charge sheet on
May 4. The ED had alleged that
a proceed of a crime of around
Rs 622 crore has been gener-
ated due to activities of the pre-
sent accused Manish Sisodia.
Sisodia was arrested by the ED
in this case on March 9. Ear-
lier he was arrested by the CBI
on February 26. He is the 29th
accused arrested in this case.
While dismissing his bail,
Rouse Avenue Court had stat-
ed, "This case of economic
offences having serious reper-
cussions upon the general
public and society at large as
the evidence collected during
investigation speaks volumes
of his involvement in the com-
SNS & AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
A drunk man stabbed a per-
son to death and injured two
others in Delhi's Sunlight
Colony area, a police official
said on Wednesday.
The official said that at
around 11.15 p.m. on Tues-
day, a police patrolling team
saw the accused stabbing the
victims with a knife near the
Macchi Market in the area.
“The patrolling team imme-
diately apprehended the
accused identified as Harsh,
a resident of IG Camp, Sun-
light Colony. Inquiry revealed
that three persons had been
stabbed by Harsh who were
initially sent to Jeevan Hos-
pital and later to AIIMS Trau-
ma centre,” said the official.
The victim, identified as
water level in the Yamuna
was recorded at 205.3 meters,
slightly below the danger level.
However, due to continuous
rain in the hilly areas, it
increased again and crossed
the danger mark.
A "slight rise" was record-
ed in the river's water level on
Monday due to rains that
lashed some areas of Haryana.
As the situation is gradually
getting back on track in Delhi,
the state government has lift-
ed the ban on entry of heavy
vehicles into the national cap-
ital, effective from Wednesday.
"Considering the improve-
ment in the flood situation and
descending water level of
Yamuna River, it has been
decided by the competent
hya Pradesh.
During June-July, the Indo-
Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
trained 19 women comman-
dos as 'markswomen' who
will act as frontline security
ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL
UNION MINISTER FOR LAW AND JUSTICE
mission of the said offence"
Court also noted that some
evidence is also alleged to
have surfaced during the inves-
tigation to show that some part
of the kickback or bribe amount
received from South lobby
was spent or utilized in con-
nection with the election cam-
paign of the AAP in Goa and
some cash payments through
hawala channels are alleged
to have been sent to Goa for
bearing the said expenses and
even some fake invoices are
alleged to have been created
as a cover-up for the cash
amounts transferred through
hawala channels.
It was stated that the above
cash transfers were made as
per instructions of the
co-accused Vijay Nair, who was
the representative of the appli-
cant and the AAP and also the
Media in-charge of AAP and
looking after the work relat-
ed to said elections and he also
roped in a company named
M/S Chariot Productions
Media Pvt. Ltd. owned by the
co-accused Rajesh Joshi to do
the election-related advertis-
ing work and other jobs for the
party during said elections,
Sajid (22), a resident of Sangam
Vihar, succumbed to his
injuries during treatment,
while Mayank and Sahil are
undergoing treatment.
“Initial investigation
revealed that a fight over a petty
issue broke out between Harsh
and Sajid. Harsh in a drunk-
en state pulled out a knife and
started stabbing everyone. A
case of murder has been reg-
istered and the weapon of
offence has been recovered,”
the official added.
authorities to withdraw all the
restrictions imposed as per the
orders on July 13th and 17th
with effect from July 19th," read
an official statement.
Earlier on July 13, the entry
of heavy vehicles into Delhi was
restricted from the Singhu
border, Badarpur border, Loni
border and Chilla border owing
to waterlogging through an
order. However, heavy vehi-
cles carrying food items and
essentials were excluded from
it. However, several areas of the
national capital are still grap-
pling with the problem of
waterlogging. Visuals showed
the areas near Rajghat reeling
under water early on Wednes-
day. Considering the prevail-
ing situation, the National
guard cum sharpshooter dur-
ing all the events of G-20 sum-
mit to be held in New Delhi,
officials said.
Officials said that the com-
mandos were also given marks
noted the court.
Thus, in view of the above
background, the serious nature
of the allegations made and the
role played by the applicant
in the above criminal con-
spiracy, his connection with
the activities relating to the gen-
eration or acquisition and use
etc. of the above proceeds of
crime within the meaning of
Section 3 of the PMLA and the
oral and documentary evi-
dence collected in support of
the same and as placed for the
perusal of the court, this court
is of the considered opinion
that even if the rigours and
restrictions contained U/S 45
of the PMLA are viewed and
construed reasonably, the
prosecution has still been able
to show a genuine and prima
facie case for the involvement
of the applicant in the com-
mission of the alleged offence
of money laundering.
Sisodia was arrested by
the CBI earlier in its ongoing
investigation of a case relat-
ed to alleged irregularities in
the framing and implemen-
tation of the excise policy of
the National Capital Territo-
ry of Delhi (GNCTD).
SNS & AGENCIES
GURUGRAM , 19 JULY
A six-year-old boy and his
mother were injured when
they were allegedly attacked
with a sharp-edged object by
a man in Sarhaul village of
Gurugram, police said on
Wednesday.
The CCTV footage of the
incident went viral on social
media in which the suspect
can be seen attacking the
mother-son duo.
The victim, identified as
Shobha Kumari said that she,
along with her son, was return-
ing from her son's tuition
centre and when they reached
Sarhaul village around 4.30
p.m., a semi-naked man
attacked her sons's neck, face,
and hand from behind, and
when she tried to rescue him
from the attacker, he attacked
her too with a sharp-edged
Disaster Response Force
(NDRF) has deployed 17 teams
for rescue work in flood-affect-
ed districts of Delhi. 1,606
people have been rescued.
Moreover, 7,241 people and 956
livestock have been evacuat-
ed by the NDRF teams. Fur-
ther, pre-hospital treatment has
been given to 908 rescued
persons.
Around 26,401 people have
been evacuated from the flood-
affected low-lying areas of six
districts of Delhi, out of which
around 21,504 people are stay-
ing in 44 camps (including tem-
porary relief camps as well as
Pucca Buildings like schools,
community centres). The rest
of the evacuated people have
shifted to the places of their
choice like their relatives’
houses or rented accommo-
dations. The Yamuna broke a
45-year-old record and reached
its highest level at 208.65
meters on July 13. As a result
of the flood in Delhi, several
low-lying areas were sub-
merged, and many roads were
flooded. The river in Delhi
crossed the danger mark at 5
pm on July 10.
based on their performance.
Constable Kiran stood first and
secured 95 per cent marks,
Constable Vaishali secured
second position with 77.5 per
cent marks and constable
Kavita came third with 75 per
cent marks.
Earlier on Monday, the
Principal Secretary to the
Prime Minister of India, PK
Mishra chaired the sixth meet-
ing of the Coordination Com-
mittee on India’s G20 Presi-
dency and called on all agen-
cies to work in a “Whole of Gov-
ernment” approach, to make
the G20 Summit a success.
The G20 Summit is slated
to be held in New Delhi on Sep-
tember 9 and 10, 2023.
Gang producing fake
pesticides busted, 4 held
SNS & AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
Delhi Police has apprehended
four persons and busted a gang
involved in the illicit produc-
tion of fake pesticides.
The raid, conducted by the
Special Staff of Outer North Dis-
trict, resulted in the recovery of
approximately 3.8 tonnes of fake
pesticides, with an estimated
value of Rs 3.50 crores, from an
illegal unit situated in Pooth
Khurd village, Delhi, said a
police official. In this case, the
breakthrough came when
Paramjeet Singh, an Assistant
Manager at True Buddy Con-
sulting Private Limited, provided
crucial information to the police
on July 11. Singh revealed that
the gang was engaged in fab-
ricating fake pesticide products
associated with renowned
agrotech firms, police said.
Acting swiftly on the provided
tip-off, the police raided the spec-
ified location and successful-
ly seized a substantial quanti-
ty of fake pesticides linked to
the aforementioned agrotech
companies. The police registered
a case under Section 420 IPC
and Sections 103/104 of the DP
Act at PS Bawana, Delhi. Sub-
sequently, they added sections
467, 468, 471 IPC, and Section
63 of the Copy Right Act dur-
ing the course of the investi-
gation. According to the DCP
Outer North, Ravi Kumar Singh,
object and fled the spot. Act-
ing on information, police
reached the spot and rushed
the victims to the general
hospital, where they were
discharged after providing
first aid. Police said the sus-
pect was detained earlier on
Monday after he jumped
inside the Airforce station, but
later it was found that he was
mentally unstable and was
handed over to his relatives.
But the suspect again on
Tuesday targeted a boy and
his mother. "We are very
together to drain out
water at Rajghat: Atishi
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
Delhi Public Works Depart-
ment (PWD) Minister Atishi
on Wednesday informed that
all the Central government
agencies, Delhi government
and Municipal Corporation
of Delhi (MCD) are working
together to drain out water
from Rajghat.
Rajghat, which is one of the
places of national impor-
tance, is affected by water-
logging caused by overflow-
ing Yamuna.
Due to the flooding, sev-
eral areas, including Rajghat-
Shantivan, ITO, and Ring
Road have been affected by
waterlogging. The Central
agencies are working on a war-
footing together with Delhi
government and MCD to
clear the area of flood water.
On Wednesday, the Delhi
PWD minister, during an
inspection of the ongoing
water drainage work, said,
"The 250-acre premises of
Rajghat have been severely
impacted. Efforts are on to
drain out the stagnant water.
Being a place of national
importance, Rajghat attracts
visitors from all over the
world. Therefore, all agencies
are working together to drain
out water as soon as possi-
ble." On her visit, Atishi found
that waterlogging near ITO fly-
on the information and instance
of Paramjeet Singh, a raid was
conducted at Plot No. 488,
Khasra No. 154, Ground Floor,
Village Pooth Khurd, Bawana,
Delhi where a huge quantity of
fake pesticides were recov-
ered.
Further inquiry revealed
that the rented premises in
Pooth Khurd village, where
the counterfeit pesticides were
discovered, were under the
possession of one of the sus-
pects, Hariom, a resident of Janta
Colony, Rohtak, Haryana. Har-
iom was apprehended and
confessed to operating the ille-
gal unit in collaboration with
two labourers named Zakir
and Kadir, both residents of JJ
Colony, Bawana, police said.
Hariom disclosed that he had
been engaged in the pesticide
business for the past 10-15
years and currently owns a
shop near Sabji Mandi in Delhi,
where he sells legitimate prod-
ucts from various agrotech
companies.
For the last six months, he
had been involved in the man-
ufacturing of fake products at
the Pooth Khurd location and
selling them at his shop in
Delhi, police added.
scared after the incident. How
we can do our work leaving
our children behind? Appro-
priate action need to be taken
against such accused," the vic-
tim said. However, police are
yet to receive any complaint
in connection with the mat-
ter. "The incident has come
to our knowledge. We have
beefed up security and
deployed a PCR in the area.
We are looking for the suspect,"
Mangal Singh, Sub-Inspector
of Sector-17/18 police sta-
tion said.
Due to the flooding,
several areas, includ-
ing Rajghat-Shantivan,
ITO, and Ring Road
have been affected
by waterlogging. The
Central agencies are
working on a war-
footing together with
Delhi government and
MCD to clear the area
of flood water.
over has almost been resolved,
and the road has been opened
for traffic. The work to remove
the mud caused by the floods
is also progressing rapidly.
MCD and PWD are cleaning
the roads through pressure
pipes to ensure no inconve-
nience is caused to the com-
muters.
She also inspected the
road stretch between Rajghat
and Shantivan and observed
that traffic is moving smooth-
ly, but some parts of the road
still have stagnant water.
Atishi directed officials to
deploy additional pumps
and expedite the work of
water drainage and road
cleaning process for the entire
stretch.
Atishi highlighted that the
Ring Road section is crucial
for Central Delhi and wit-
nesses heavy traffic daily. To
ensure no inconvenience to
commuters, PWD is under-
taking essential steps in this
direction.
 05
The name INDIA came before us in the meeting and we
unanimously passed the name. I have no objection to it.
BIHAR CHIEF MINISTER NITISH KUMAR
ADDRESSING A PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER THE MEETING OF THE OPPOSITION PARTIES NEW DELHI, THURSDAY 20 JULY 2023

THUMBNAILS
Teenage boy rapes 3-year-
old girl, victim hospitalised:
A teenage boy has allegedly
raped a three-year-old girl
in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi
district. The accused was a
neighbour of the victim
and known to the family.
The incident was reported
Women, children among 8 killed Flood water threat to
in Jammu flash-floods, landslides monuments in Agra
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
‘Mehtab Bagh has been
Vehicular traffic on the vital Jammu-Pathankot and Jammu-Srinagar highways has been affected AGRA, 19 JULY
filled with flood water
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE tration to provide all possible fic. I have immediately got in Flooded Yamuna river waters and it has been closed
JAMMU, 19 JULY aid to the bereaved families, who touch with DC Kathua, Rakesh have threatened prominent for tourists’
have lost their near and dear Minhas as well as the NHAI historical monuments in the
t least eight persons, ones as well as medical assis- authorities. My office is con- city of the Taj Mahal on

at a village in Majhauli area,
around 60 km from district
headquarters Sidhi on Tues-
day. Police said that the vic-
tim has sustained injuries
on her private part and has
been admitted at a govern-
ment hospital in Sidhi. IANS
Punjab Police seize 13.7
lakh pharma opioids cap-
sules, tablets: Punjab Direc-
tor General of Police Gaurav
Yadav on Wednesday said
that it has busted one of
biggest pharma opioids
consignments by arresting
two people and recovered
13.7 lakh capsules and
tablets from their posses-
sion. The seizure by the
Barnala police included tra-
madol capsules. “A first
information report (FIR)
under the NDPS Act has
been registered and fur-
ther backward linkages are
being made to destroy the
illegal pharma drug cartel,”
the DGP tweeted. IANS
A
including women and
children, were on
Wednesday killed due
to flash-floods and landslides
triggered due to heavy rains
in the Bani tehsil of the Kathua
district in the Jammu division.
Several cattle have also per-
ished, reports said.
Vehicular traffic on the
vital Jammu-Pathankot and
Jammu-Srinagar highways
has been hit due to damage
to a bridge and landslides.
The Army has been called
in for rescue operations in the
landslide hit areas of Bani.
Reports said that five per-
sons, including children, were
buried as two houses of Mush-
taq Ahmad and Abdul Qayum
were hit by landslides in the
Surjan Block of Bani area in
Kathua. The bodies of Abdul
Qayum and Tabseem Bano
have so far been retrieved by
the local residents who imme-
diately swung into rescue
operations. Police have also
reached the spot.
The body of a woman,
Naseema Begum, resident of
Mandhota Tehsil of Bani was
found buried under a landslide.
Ajay Singh, a student of 7th
class, was buried under a land-
slide in Sitti area of Bani.
Another person, Sham Lal
a resident of Bhullari in Bani
was also buried under a land-
slide. His body is being searched
for.
Nine goats were buried
under a shed hit by a landslide
in the Sira area of Bani.
The Kathua district admin-
istration has announced an
ex-gratia of Rs. 50,000 to the kin
of those who died and Rs.
25,000 for the injured.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj
Sinha has expressed grief over
the loss of lives in house col-
lapse and landslides triggered
by heavy rains in the Bani area
of Kathua district.
In a condolence message,
the Lt Governor said: “I am
deeply saddened to learn about
the tragic incident triggered by
heavy rains in Kathua, in which
a number of persons have lost
their lives and many others are
feared trapped under the debris.
Rescue and relief operations are
currently underway. I have
directed the district adminis-
tance to the injured".
The Kathua district police
has advised people to stay
indoors because of appre-
hensions of flash-floods.
The Chenab and Tawi rivers
were flowing above the danger
mark. Several other rainfed
rivers have caused extensive
damage in the Kathua and
Samba districts.
The Jammu-Srinagar high-
way is shut due to landslides
at the Cafeteria Morh, Mehar
and T-2 tunnel.
The vital Chadwal bridge on
the Jammu-Pathankot highway,
that links J&K with Punjab,
has been damaged due to flash-
flood. Some pillars of the bridge
have tilted.
Union minister Dr. Jitendra
Singh, in whose Udhampur Par-
liamentary constituency the area
falls, wrote on Twitter; “Con-
cerned to learn about the dam-
age caused to Chadwal bridge
in Kathua due to flash floods,
causing inconvenience to traf-
stantly following up the mat-
ter for expeditious repair and
redressal”.
The building of the Fisheries
department was washed away
by the overflowing Ujh river in
Kathua.
The district administrations
of Ramban, Doda and Kisht-
war have shut all schools as a
precautionary measure.
The total discharge in River
Chenab has risen to 3597.62
cumecs. After entering Jammu
and Kashmir from Himachal
Pradesh, the river passes through
Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Reasi
and Jammu districts before
entering Pakistan.
People living in low-lying
areas have been advised to
remain alert, avoid riverbanks
and take precautionary mea-
sures. Due to incessant rains
the new track to Shri Mata
Vaishno Devi cave shrine has
been closed while the heli-
copter service to the shrine has
also been suspended.
Wednesday. Though there is
no such threat to the Taj
Mahal, flood waters have
inundated several protected
monuments and gardens of
national importance located
on the banks of the Yamuna
in Agra.
Sources here said Mehtab
Bagh has been filled with
flood water and it has been
closed for tourists.
In the rear part of Etmaud-
daulah, popularly known as
Baby Taj, the chambers locat-
ed on the banks of the Yamu-
na have been submerged.
Waters of the Yamuna, still
flowing above the danger
level, have reached the back
wall of Etmauddaula and
tourists are not allowed to go
beyond Noorjahan's grave.
Etmauddaula's Conserva-
tion Assistant Ravi Pratap
Mishra said that Mehtab Bagh
will remain closed till further
orders. Water has filled the gar-
dens. The Taj View Point is sub-
merged. Apart from this, there
is water in the Kala Gumbad
Sarai A-Gate-way Satkuian
monuments at Rambagh have
been submerged in the flood
waters. The river side garden
of the Taj Mahal is full of
water. The Khan-e-Alam mon-
ument is also waterlogged.
ASI Agra Circle Superin-
tending Archaeologist Rajku-
mar Patel said that a drone
survey has been done to
make a detailed assessment
of the damage. He said that
several monuments in
Etmauddaula sub circle have
been damaged by the flood.
The gardens are damaged.
The situation will become
more clear after the water
recedes. He, however said
there is no restriction on the
movement of tourists at the
Taj Mahal. Senior Conser-
vation Assistant Prince Vaj-
payee says that there is no
damage to the Taj Mahal
due to the rise in the water
level of the Yamuna.
Meanwhile, 40 villages
were submerged by the Yamu-
na floods in Agra and 12

Why is BJP afraid of the Opp
Mayawati to go it alone in LS Suspected revenge killing
led to Jodhpur mass mur-
monument, located opposite
Chini Ka Roza.
colonies from Dayalbagh to
Balkeshwar in the city were fac-

alliance name of INDIA: Akhilesh polls, no tie-up with Opp front

STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
LUCKNOW, 19 JULY
Samajwadi Party President and
former Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Akhilesh Yadav has
questioned the BJP that why
it is scared of the name of INDIA
adopted by the Opposition
front.
" Earlier, the people of the
BJP used to scare the Oppo-
sition in the name of India but
now they are afraid of the
name INDIA,” he said.
Mr Yadav, who attended the
Opposition parties conclave
in Bangaluru yesterday, in a
statement here on Wednes-
day said that the name India
is good and it is a message of
development and inclusive-
ness.
“When it comes to devel-
opment and inclusiveness, it
includes our socialist and sec-
ular commitment. May our
country progress, move for-
ward on the path of happiness,"
he said, while stressing the idea
of Opposition unity.
Mr Yadav said that the
people of the country will bid
farewell to the BJP this time.
He said that the BJP showed
a false dream to the people of
the country. “BJP showed a
dream which did not land on
the ground how is that devel-
opment?” he asked.
The SP president said that
the victory of the INDIA
Alliance was decided when the
BJP called the meeting of its
alliance on the same date.
“The public waits for the
visitors and bid farewell to those
who are leaving. The BJP
meeting was his farewell cer-
emony. They feasted, ate and
drank. BJP's farewell is certain.
The new alliance will take
India in a new direction," he
said. Mr Yadav said that the
problems before the country
are quite visible. Unemploy-
ment and inflation is increas-
ing. BJP said that demoneti-
sation would end corruption.
People changed the govern-
ment in Karnataka because
there was 40 per cent com-
mission.
He said that demonetisa-
tion was the biggest decision
in favour of corruption not only
in the country but in the
world. They first brought 2000
rupees note and then withdrew
it. Till date, no information has
been given in which banks Rs
2000 notes were deposited
the most. If the government
is not revealing this, it means
it is with the corrupt. The
truth is that two-thirds of the
people of the country are
against the Bharatiya Janata
Party. This time all are unit-
ed to wipe out the BJP, Mr
Yadav added.
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
LUCKNOW, 19 JULY
In a major setback for the
efforts being made to forge
Opposition unity before the
Lok Sabha polls, the Bahu-
jan Samaj Party, led by for-
mer Uttar Pradesh chief min-
ister Mayawati has
announced it will contest
the 2024 LS polls alone,
except in Punjab and
Haryana.
BSP chief Mayawati on
Wednesday told reporters
that the post will contest the
Lok Sabha elections alone, as
also the Assembly polls in the
three states of Rajasthan,
Chhattisgarh and Madhya
Pradesh. However, in Haryana
and Punjab, it will contest
elections in alliance with
regional parties in the Lok
Sabha polls and in the Assem-
bly polls, she clarified.Miss
Mayawati charged that the
Opposition parties are forg-
ing alliances for their own
vested interests just to get
der: Rajasthan Police on Battiskhamba, Johra Bagh, ing flood water.
Wednesday arrested a
man who killed his uncle
power. and three others of a
Attacking the Congress, family, including a 6-
she said that the Congress is month-old child, in Churai
forging an alliance with village in Jodhpur.
casteist and capitalist forces
like itself.
She said that the Con-
gress remembers the Dalits,
the backward and the poor
only when it is out of power.
“Neither BJP nor Congress
cares for anyone when they
are in power. In 2014, the BJP
had promised to put Rs 15
lakh each in the bank account
of every poor, which was
never fulfilled,” the BSP pres-
ident said. Miss Mayawati said
that BSP will strengthen its
alliance partners in the
upcoming elections. She also
described the opposition
alliance as a forced alliance
for their personal interests.
On Tuesday, a meeting of
leaders of Opposition parties
in Bangaluru had decided to
float a new front named
"INDIA” to take on the rul-
ing NDA, led by Narendra
Modi.

SC Collegium recommends appointment of advocate Haryana gives

as Bombay HC judge, repels government objection `5 crore to
Himachal for
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
junction with the report of the
High Court of Bombay. Also,
relief works
three consultee-judges of the CHANDIGARH, 19 JULY
The Supreme Court Collegium top court have opined on her
headed by Chief Justice of suitability for elevation. “The With 35 people killed in
India, D.Y. Chandrachud on Collegium of the High Court flood-related incidents in
Tuesday recommended the is well-positioned to ascertain Haryana, Chief Minister
appointment of advocate her professional competence. Manohar Lal Khattar on
Manjusha Ajay Deshpande Their assessment is Wednesday announced to
as judge of the Bombay High affirmed by the consultee give Rs 5 crore to neigh-
Court. judges of the Supreme Court bouring Himachal Pradesh,
“The Collegium of the High who have served in that High which was also hit by calami-
Court and are conversant ty, for relief works.
with the performance of the The amount would be
Court presided over by the then Earlier on May 2 this year, Bar. In our assessment, the can- contributed to Aapda Rahat
Chief Justice of the High Court the SC Collegium deferred didate is a competent lawyer,” Kosh – 2023, Himachal Chief
made the recommendation for its decision after issues were said the SC Collegium while Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu
the elevation of Smt Man- flagged by the government on repelling the government said. Khattar told the media
jusha Ajay Deshpande on 26 the recommendation. It then objections. Deshpande has here that the government is
September 2022. decided to seek the report of been in practice for over thir- providing all possible help
The Chief Ministers and the the Acting Chief Justice of ty two years. She is well versed in the state, both financial-
Governors of the States of the High Court of Bombay. in constitutional and service ly and medically, for those
Maharashtra and Goa have The apex court collegium matters and has been on the who have been adversely
concurred in the recommen- said that it has considered the panel of the government since affected due to heavy rain-
dation,” it said. government inputs in con- 2013. fall in the past. IANS

Gujarat may bid for Commonwealth Games 2026

STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, 19 JULY
Australia’s Victoria state’s
pulling out from hosting the
2026 Commonwealth Games
is likely to bring an unex-
pected windfall gain for
Gujarat, which is already
preparing to make a bid for
hosting the 2036 Olympic
Games.
Gujarat’s attempts to build
world class sports infrastruc-
ture suitable for hosting the
Olympics got a major boost
when renovation work on the
Sardar Patel Cricket Stadi-
um, renamed the Narendra
Modi Stadium, was complet-
ed in 2021, marking the start
of the development of a Sar-
dar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports
Enclave.
With another sports com-
plex being built at Naranpu-
ra area of the city, Ahmedabad
is expected to be ready to
host the Olympic Games by
2036.
With the sudden pull-out
of the Australian state of Vic-
toria as host of Common-
wealth Games, Gujarat sees
a good chance to jump into
the ring to host the sporting
event in 2026.
As a prelude to bidding for
the 2036 Olympics, the Gujarat
government was already
preparing to bid for hosting
the 2030 Commonwealth
Games in Ahmedabad so that
its capacity to host to the
bigger event is tested before-
hand.
Australia-based business
planning consultancy Popu-
lous was hired to make the
masterplan for Ahmedabad’s
Olympics bid.
With the Victoria state
formally announcing its deci-
sion not to host the 2026
Commonwealth Games, the
Gujarat government is likely
to approach the Centre for its
approval to bid for hosting the
sporting event among the
former colonies of the British
empire. A decision to this
effect is likely to be taken
soon as hosting all these
events would give a big boost
to the real estate and hotel
industry in Gujarat.
The Australian state of
Victoria this week withdrew
as the host of 2026 Com-
monwealth Games as they
expect the cost of the games
to blow out from Australian
$2.6 billion to Australian $7
billion. Victoria Premier Dan
Andrews said, "Frankly, A$6-
A$7 billion for a 12-day sport-
ing event, we're not doing
that."
06 NEW DELHI, THURSDAY 20 JULY 2023
Incorporating and directly descended
from THE FRIEND OF INDIA - Founded 1818
Growing influence
C election: A progressive
hina’s strategic footprint is expanding across
the globe. Now, it’s the Eastern Mediterranean
region ~ at the maritime crossroads of Africa,
Europe, and Asia and an important transit area for
goods and people ~ which is in focus. Beijing, say ex-
perts, has recognised the region’s geostrategic value
and is leveraging the fact that relations between regio-
nal countries have been complicated by long-stand-
ing rivalries and conflicts to get a foot in the door and
more, as it were. China has used its economic heft to
establish close relations with nearly every country in
the region and its growing influence in the Eastern
Mediterranean is likely to have an impact on the geo-
political dynamics currently at work there. Accord-
ing to Jens Bastian, Fellow at the German Institute
for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin,
China’s infrastructure outreach and lending arrange-
ments in the region through the Belt and Road Initia-
tive (BRI), its purported vaccine diplomacy in Turkey,
Cyprus, Egypt, and Lebanon, and its disaster-relief
efforts following the 6 February earthquake in Turkey,
demonstrate the country’s determination to be seen
as a rising, so-called “responsible power” in the East-
ern Mediterranean. This policy approach, however,
would not have been resulted in an advantage for
China without the countries of the region not playing
ball with Beijing. The willingness of successive Greek
governments over the past decade, for example, to
seek Chinese investment for the privatisation of the
port of Piraeus is an exemplar of local-agency enabled
Chinese influence. Sino-Turkish cooperation, too, is
being driven by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
Eurasian pivot, as seen by the alignment of the BRI
with Turkey’s Middle Corridor Initiative (MCI).
Investments in and acquisitions of ports in Greece,
Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Bulgaria, and even in Beirut,
Lebanon, as well as lending for railway infrastructure
modernisation in Southeast Europe and the Eastern
Mediterranean provide China with two advantages.
First, this process establishes a portfolio of ports and
connects these with railway and highway infrastruc-
ture as entry points into the European Union and the
Western Balkans. Secondly, multi-modal transport
corridors in and through Southeast Europe provide
China with routing alternatives following the sanc-
tions against Russia that have adversely affected
transport operations along the Northern Corridor in
the transit countries of Poland, Belarus, and Russia.
But make no mistake. Beijing’s growing role in the
Eastern Mediterranean and support from regional
states is a consequence of the lack of geostrategic
nous by the West, led by America and the European
Union. Brussels presenting its so-called Global Gate-
way Strategy nearly a decade after the BRI’s launch as
an alternative to China’s massive infrastructure fund-
ing initiative is symptomatic of how matters have
reached the pass they have. While the USA is attempt-
ing to re-engage with the Western Balkans and neigh-
bouring countries like Greece, Croatia, and Slovenia,
says Bastian, there is at the moment little hope that
these countries, which have their own developmental
imperatives, will turn China down. Indeed, such an
approach by Washington, without putting its money
where its mouth is, may eventually prove counter-
productive.
Crisis brews
B
angladesh may be heading for a serious political
crisis as its main opposition parties have come
together to demand that the next general elec-
tion be held under the superintendence and control of
a neutral, caretaker government, and not under the
aegis of the present Awami League dispensation.
Protests by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and
its allies have already led to the death of one person
and injuries to several hundred activists this week. The
parties say they have a one-point agenda ~ that the
general election be conducted by a non-party interim
government. This was written into the country’s Con-
stitution, following a compromise reached between the
BNP and the Awami League in 1996. At that time, the
BNP was in power and the demand for a neutral dis-
pensation to conduct elections was made by the Awami
League. After considerable resistance, the BNP govern-
ment gave in. The 13th amendment to the Constitu-
tion was passed and was immediately hailed as a mea-
sure that allowed a peaceful transfer of power, as well as
equal opportunities to contending parties. But soon
after coming to power, the Awami League government
took advantage of a controversial judgment of the
country’s top court that ruled the 13th amendment was
unconstitutional, and did away with the requirement
through the 15th amendment to the Constitution. The
BNP chose to boycott national elections held in 2014
and lost significant political ground. When it did contest
in 2018, its strength was reduced to seven in a house of
350. Clearly thus, the party lacks the numbers to rein-
state the caretaker government scheme through leg-
islative means ~ a constitutional amendment will
require support of two-thirds of the legislators. The gov-
ernment maintains that the country’s election com-
mission is independent, and quite capable of conduct-
ing a free and fair election. Two months ago, the gov-
ernment announced that electronic voting machines
would be used in all constituencies. The other factor the
BNP must confront is that its base has shrunk. While
the party and its allies, principally the Islamist parties
that share its right-wing agenda, have the numbers to
conduct protests, the assessment of experts is that they
lack the clout to make a significant dent in the Awami
League’s prospects at the ballot box. If the BNP follows
through with its threat to boycott elections, as it did in
2014, it faces the risk of losing all political relevance.
Thus, while a boycott is not in the party’s interest, it
may become a weapon to claim legitimacy by challen-
ging that of its rival. At the same time, the Awami
League, facing increasing international criticism, would
also be keen to defeat the BNP and its allies in an elec-
tion, and not through a walkover. There are months to
go for the elections, due at the year-end, but it is clear
that the political climate in Bangladesh is heating up.
Varsity Woes
Universities today are found to be performing merely two functions — of admission
and examination. The real functions of teaching, research and extension have been
generally relegated to the background. This state of affairs puts a big question mark
on their existence as institutions of higher learning, particularly from the standpoint
of their role in promotion of human and social development
A
s learning was challenged
during the pandemic, so
was the management
and governance of our
universities. Naturally, it is time
now to design the post-pandem-
ic future of higher education in
our governance models to make
them more effective and more
responsive.
Higher education initiatives
need to unlearn the conventional
way of planning and delivering
education through learning
based on innovative pedagogical
approaches.The future of Indian
universities should not be only
about learning in a traditional
way but also about an intercon-
nected process: learning-un-
learning-relearning.
Higher education today is
confronted with a number of
challenges owing to a number of
factors including growing inter-
ference of government leading to
a sharp erosion in autonomy;
snowballing financial resource
crunch chiefly caused by spiral-
ing prices of goods and services
and fixation of grants by some
state governments at old levels;
hike in fees by the universities
making it difficult for the poor to
pursue education; privatization
and even internationalisation of
education at a cost beyond com-
moners, and sharp deterioration
in work culture. Institutions are
so badly managed that quite
often there are agitations by stu-
dents, teachers and employees
leading to widespread indisci-
pline and chaos. Work culture
among all sections of manage-
ment is poor.
One area of concern is the
lack of a well-defined road map
and implementation strategy for
the curriculum reforms envis-
aged at short intervals.
The shift to a new frame-
work, as is currently to be experi-
enced through the ensuing four-
year undergraduate programme
to achieve the goals of NEP 2000
without proper infrastructure in
many cases is likely to under-
mine the quality of higher edu-
cation and effective delivery of
intended outcomes.
It is feared that adequate
resources may not be invested in
capacity-building to ensure a
smooth transition and effective
execution of the curriculum
reform. To satisfy the need of ful-
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Plight of Afghan women
SIR, The article “Bearing the cost
of Taliban’s oppression” (13 July)
by Rafia Zakaria portrays the
pitiable plight of Afghan women
living an isolated and suffocating
life in claustrophobic conditions
with no hope of better days amid
the changed political landscape of
the country post the US withdraw-
al two years ago.
An organised religion, when
politicised and weaponised, has a
negative impact on society. Ever
since the Taliban takeover in Aug-
ust 2021, Afghanistan has been fac-
ing the world’s largest humanitari-
an crisis due to economic slow-
down, food shortage, high infla-
tion, earthquakes, draughts and
diseases. This rapidly escalating
crisis has further aggravated the
ever-deepening erosion of wo-
Vol. CXXXXXVII 169
A MEMBER
OF THE
ASIAN VOICES
Cambodia’s 2023
development toward
democratic maturity
O
n July 23, 2023, the Cambodi-
an people will exercise their
constitutionally guaranteed
civil rights to political partic-
ipation when they go to cast their
votes freely, willingly and accountably
in the election of members of the
National Assembly (NA) for the sev-
enth legislature after the first general
elections held in 1993, back then
under the supervision of the UN Tran-
sitional Authority in Cambodia
(UNTAC). The past six national elec-
tions have laid a firm foundation for
democracy in Cambodia to grow, of
course not of a linear process as global
evidence has shown.
However, Cambodia is a case in
point in which democracy has pros-
pered, gaining steam and momentum
while political parties have in general
made efforts to up their game more
maturely and voters are increasingly
knowledgeable about their civic and
political rights. Evidently, the 2018
national election, the 2022 commune
council elections and the upcoming
July 23 general election have seen a
remarkable progressive improvement
in both the electoral process and the
democratic maturity, a proud moment
to celebrate the success of Cambodia’s
unwavering commitment to adhering
filling the many objectives of cur- been politicized. University autonomy should to the democratic principles and val-
riculum programmes, at times in All constituent elements of be restored by making necessary ues espoused in the Constitution of
experimental mode, classes can- the system ~ teachers, employees changes in the University Act and 1993 that embraces a liberal democra-
not be properly held and exten- and students are associated with Statutes, to ensure they are able cy and political pluralism. The conduct
sion programmers not properly political ~ generally not on the to offer the highest levels of tea-
taken care of in our educational basis of ideological commit- ching, research and extension.
institutions. ments which they have but on They should have freedom
Unfair practices cannot be the basis of personal conve- to frame their academic progra- of regular elections of the five-year
ruled out; question papers are nience, especially from the mmes, conduct research and terms of the Members of the National
leaked; evaluation is questioned, standpoint of self-aggrandize- chalk out extension activities in Assembly since 1993, the commence-
and bias is distinctly visible. The ment. Such politically active accordance with their mission of ment of the local elections since 2022
atmosphere is politically charged teachers and employees are sel- national development. and the Senate elections, the practice
mainly because of dom able to per- They should be given a of political and civic freedom, inclu-
the patronage enjoy- form their duties. free hand in preparing their bud- siveness, absence of violence, a high
ed by leaders of vari- Many stud- get and in identifying and mobi- level of tolerance, co-existence, justice
ous political parties ents are not inter- lizing resources without contra- and rule of law all define Cambodian
on campuses. ested in quench- vention of the general laws of democracy of today.
Even cases of ing a thirst for the land. The forthcoming national election
forged degrees made knowledge. Their Educationists will agree that will further solidify the country’s ongo-
available through objective may be university bodies should be ing democratisation and its continued
employment of cor- contest student supreme in academic matters. march forward on the path of peace,
rupt practices come union elections, The university is not the tool of stability and prosperity. Moreover,
to light. occupy hostel the government, still less it is the thanks to Cambodia’s maturing multi-
In such a sce- seats or gain a cer- instrument of the political pow- party liberal democracy, we will wit-
AK
nario, the universi- tificate as a way to ers of the day. ness one of the most diverse general
ties today are found GHOSH secure a job. Uni- When Harvard University elections in Cambodia’s modern polit-
to be performing The writer, a former Associate versity adminis- began to consider its role in the ical history, where 18 political parties
merely two functions Professor, Department of
English, Gurudas College, trations being bo- New World that followed World from all stripes and political agendas
~ of admission and Kolkata, is presently with und by legal pro- War II, Mr Conart laid it down will be competing for the 125 National
Rabindra Bharati University
examination. The visions and prece- as a first principle that no senior Assembly seats across the 25 con-
real functions of dents, and being appointment on the faculty stituencies.
teaching, research and extension subjected to pressure of varied should be dependent on financ- It looks promising that the July
have been generally relegated to kinds, are forced to adopt an apa- ing beyond Harvard's own election will take place in a peaceful
the background. thetic attitude towards various control. This policy kept and inclusive environment, that is, free
This state of affairs puts a issues that confront the system.
big question mark on their exis- They either refrain from tak-
Harvard free from government
influence. It seems Indian uni-
of political intimidation and violence
and in which all registered parties can
tence as institutions of higher ing any initiatives, or just do versities have yet to learn this campaign, promote their political plat-
learning, particularly from the enough to keep the system going lesson. forms or party policies, and compete
standpoint of their role in pro- in order to meet narrow interests. It is time for a national with one another freely and openly as
motion of human and social Use of the latest information debate on who should be a Chan- guaranteed by the Law on Election of
development. and communication technology cellor or Visitor. Are the President Members of the National Assembly.
Universities are not auto- requires a sound financial base of India or Governors capable of It is also interesting to see that the
nomous institutions either acad- as also competent manpower. providing academic leadership to election campaign process by the
emically or financially or admin- Unfortunately, most universities the university community? political parties since it began on July 1
istratively as they were. lack such resources and in addi- The vital question is about have been smooth, peaceful and
State governments have tion saddled with teachers and the role of the UGC or the Associ- orderly, signifying the growing maturi-
acquired powers to frame even staff selected on the basis of con- ation of Indian Universities on ty of democracy in the Cambodian
their courses from time to time siderations other than merit. issues like autonomy, credibility society. By all accounts, this year’s
as per their ideological commit- There are two kinds of of head of the institution, inquiry election will serve as a means to fur-
ments. opportunities for education at into the functioning of the ther cement the ongoing democratic
Decisions regarding annual all levels. The first is provided administration, academic free- consolidation in Cambodia.
grants-in-aid which might be a by the private sector, which dom and intellectual dissent. Has The commune council elections
small portion of the expenditure charges huge fees and provides our intelligentsia given any seri- held in June 2022 was conducted
are taken by respective state gov- quality education by hiring com- ous thought to dealing with alle- freely, fairly, transparently, peacefully
ernments. petent employees and using the gations regarding irregularities in and inclusively. Central to this elec-
As a populist measure, state latest ICT. our universities? toral process is Cambodia’s National
governments sometimes fix rates The second is offered by Many of our academics Election Committee (NEC), whose pri-
of fees to be realized from the the government as part of its often willingly play into the mary responsibilities are to adminis-
students pursuing regular as well obligation to provide education. hands of vested interests when ter free and fair elections indepen-
as self- financed courses. Since in pursuance of its policy they become vice-chancellors. dently in Cambodia.
Again, to gain popularity, of liberalisation, the state is Irregularities in faculty selection, Despite its commendable and
governments sometimes sanc- gradually withdrawing itself violations of university acts, prudent efforts to register 18 political
tion class III and class IV posts in from social services, including statutes, ordinances and manip- parties, the NEC, however, has recent-
bulk, sometimes even teaching education, and since a major part ulations in regard to the func- ly come under a series of politically
positions, without any obligation of the budget is spent on pay- tioning of academic and execu- motivated campaigns to smear its rep-
to meet the financial burden. ment of salaries, very little is tive committees vitiate the acad- utation and impartiality by a few polit-
University campuses have available for such services. emic atmosphere. ical parties.
editor@thestatesman.com
them to systematically exclude psychological well-being.
them from public and political life. The fear of strict penal action
Dubbing cosmetic services as against violations and remote pos-
anti-Islamic, the recent blanket sibility of any let-up in constrictive
men’s freedoms and empower- been a steady increase in human ban on women working in and vis- circumstances have made these
ment. The Taliban are internation- rights violations against women iting beauty parlours would affect otherwise resilient women angry,
ally notorious for their misogyny and girls. A series of regressive and a number of livelihoods, pursuit of frustrated and cynical. Unfortun-
and violence against women. Des- oppressive edicts have imposed enhancing their beauty and per- ately, even the US-led, 20-year war
pite initial promises, there has various kinds of restrictions on sonality, social interaction and against the Taliban-ruled Afgha-
nistan, waged on the pretext of
championing the cause of women,
did not ameliorate their lot. How
long will Afghan women continue
to be discriminated against, abu-
sed and persecuted?
It is imperative to provide
them free and safe spaces to grow,
learn and work and have full con-
trol over their futures. The inter-
national community should
engage with the theocratic govern-
ment to moderate its ana-
chronistic policies and restore gen-
der equality and women’s rights.
Yours, etc., D S Kang,
Hoshiarpur, 16 July.

Peace commitments are
vital for Taiwan solution
BHARAT DOGRA
he resolution of long-pending
T international disputes involv-
ing big powers has become
more important than ever
before due to the overwhelming need
to avoid catastrophic war between big
powers and the need for international
cooperation to resolve life-threaten-
ing environmental problems led by
climate change. The need for early
resolution of Taiwan-related issues
should be seen in this wider context.
We must also keep in mind that Tai-
wan is a very densely populated coun-
try vulnerable to heavy loss of human
lives in any bombing.
Such complex situations are to a
large extent the result of historical cir-
cumstances combined with the pre-
vailing thinking of dominance among
most people and leaders. Hence apart
from suggesting specific solutions a
continuous spread of thinking and
ideas based on justice-based peace
among people is also important and
for this a strong peace movement is
needed. From this wider perspective
of peace, let us examine the various
possibilities.
One possible solution is that the
people of Taiwan through their elect-
ed representatives decide by a big
majority to join mainland China as a
province and China gives a guarantee
that it will not victimise anyone who
had been known earlier for opposing
this integration. In this scenario a
happy union takes place, based on
complete equality and zero victimiza-
tion, which is accepted by everyone.
The second possible solution is
that Taiwan’s elected representatives
decide by a big majority to join main-
land China, not as an ordinary
province but instead as a special
region having several autonomy guar-
antees and some special status. This
is accepted by China and actually
honoured in practice. Everyone lives
happily thereafter.
But the people of Taiwan may not
endorse these solutions. They may
Perils of misanthropic militarism
MAHIR ALI
he headlines from the Nato
T summit that concluded a week
ago in the Lithuanian capital
mainly reflected the prospect
of Swedish membership and, more
dramatically, the failure to invite
Ukraine into the fold. The petulant
reaction from Volodymyr Zelenskyy
suggested he was counting on not an
immediate induction but at least some
kind of timetable.
Leading figures from the British
and US administrations indicated that
they expected a bit more gratitude
from Kyiv. There is some consterna-
tion among Western political-military
elites that whenever Zelenskyy thanks
his Western backers for their latest
shipment — or promise — of lethal
weaponry, he asks for more.
For obvious reasons, there was
never any question of Ukraine enter-
ing the fold in the middle of a war, but
there was the possibility of announc-
ing that it would be able to join right
after it ended. That, in turn, could
have reduced the likelihood of
Vladimir Putin agreeing under any cir-
cumstances to any kind of truce.
Mind you, the Russian president
has never so much as hinted at the
possibility of a ceasefire, and his impe-
rialist impulses appear undamaged in
the wake of the Wagner mutiny and
the consequent impression of a weak-
er Kremlin. But then, the same goes
for the other side.
CROSSWORD
1 2 3 4 5 6
8 Richelieu used to
9 1 Crown calculation
10 11
12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19
21 22 23
24
25 26
instead express a clear verdict that
they would not like to join mainland
China and would instead prefer an
independent future. Once it is known
that this is the clear and honest
expression of the choice of the people
of Taiwan, China must accept this ver-
dict and give up its claim to Taiwan,
not resorting to aggression to annex
it. Instead it should promote higher
trade and cooperation with Taiwan.
Again everyone can live happily with
friendship in this scenario.
However beyond such happy
solutions, which can be a reality if all
parties accept the overwhelming
importance of peace and of avoiding
war, there are many grim and tragic
realities of the world which have to be
considered in any realistic analysis.
One reality that cannot be
ignored is that of the intense rivalry
between the USA and China, and of
the USA (with or without several Asian
or European or other allies) being
either a big force on the side of secur-
ing a future for Taiwan independent
of China, or of being a force using Tai-
Even before Joe Biden held out
the promise of cluster bombs — a par-
ticularly pernicious weapon banned
by several Nato members — the
response to Russia’s invasion has
involved pumping weapons into
Ukraine, mainly from the US but also
from others. Germany advanced
rapidly from helmets to tanks, and one
of the less-publicised achie-v-ements
of the Vilnius summit was an agree-
ment on training Ukrainian pilots to
fly F-16s.
Those warplanes are among the
7 retire from the Bengal Police service to
YESTERDAY'S SOLUTION
E A RWO RM T RU
I O X A U R
F L A T T E R E R G
F S O E G E
E A T I N G R E I N
L G D S
T U R B U L E N C E
O U E G E R
20 WA N T ME A N D E
E A A N T G
R A R E F I E D B A
O F R A
S A UN A AM B I T
H N I T E A
E NDOR S E D E S
wan to strengthen its wider hostile all Taiwan has been functioning as an
position against China. In such a situ- independent entity for several
ation, a peaceful union of Taiwan and
China would not be acceptable to the
decades now, and the views of the mil-
lions of people living there cannot be
USA and the world’s biggest power ignored. Mainland China and its
today may use various methods to authorities must prepare themselves
prevent this. The USA is also believed for a more reasonable, tolerant and
by some to be planning a war against peace-based stand on Taiwan in
China at some stage and this effort in which the views of the people of Tai-
turn may use Taiwan as a proxy or an wan get adequate attention.
instigation point, with the possibility The USA and China may also seek
that in the process a lot of destruction to influence internal opinion and poli-
would be caused to Taiwan. tics within Taiwan with a view to mobi-
Secondly, China has also taken an lizing forces in their favour and this can
extremely aggressive stand on this lead to internal conflict as well.
issue and even if the genuine verdict So what is the most likely peace-
of people of Taiwan is to remain inde- ful solution? This can be in the form of
pendent, Beijing may not accept this the United Nations first asking China
and may instead resort to use of force on what terms it wants a union, and
to annex Taiwan whenever a suitable whether it will give guarantee of non-
opportunity is available. This has all victimization of forces opposed to the
the possibilities of a very destructive union in case it takes place. Once
war including nuclear war opening these terms are known, the UN should
up, with the USA (and perhaps some organize a referendum in Taiwan on
reluctant allies) also getting involved. whether people want to remain inde-
In any case it is wrong on the part of pendent of China, or whether they
China to have an aggressive, non-
compromising view on Taiwan. After
want to join China on the terms men-
tioned by it. Care should be taken to
coups in Turkey and Greece did not
affect their status, and questions could
justifiably be raised about the quality
of purported democracy in countries
such as Hungary and Poland, not to
mention the US itself.
Following the birth of Nato in the
aftermath of World War II, its first
secretary general, Britain’s Lord
Ismay — who was born in India, and
served as military secretary to colo-
nial viceroy Lord Willingdon — said
that the military alliance was intend-
ed to keep “the Americans in, the
Russians out and the Germans
down”. However, as Grey Anderson
and Thomas Meaney pointed out in a
New York Times column, Nato “was
never primarily concerned with
aggregating military power”, as the
divisions it fielded would never have
been enough to repel a Soviet ground
invasion (which, one might add, was
never contemplated in Moscow).
“Rather, it set out to bind western
commitments Recep Tayyip Erdogan Europe to a far vaster project of a US-
was seeking for his own regime, along- led world order, in which American
side Stockholm’s willingness to turn protection served as a lever to obtain
its back on the Kurds who have sought concessions on other issues, like
refuge in Sweden, as the price for trade and monetary policy.”
agreeing to Swedish membership of “In that mission,” they add, “it
Nato. He also wanted the resumption has proved remarkably successful.”
of talks on Turkey joining the EU, even There is talk now of a ‘global Nato’,
though there is no short-term and putative ‘Indo-Pacific 4’ partners
prospect of accession. — Japan, South Korea, Australia and
Biden has also indicated that the New Zealand — were all present at Vil-
quality of Ukrainian democracy nius, as they were at Madrid last year.
remains a concern, but that’s hardly The potential adversary, in this case, is
bothered Nato in the past. Military China.
ACROSS 14 Refine garden back in high land 5
Respected female
(15) poet embracing
an extent 25 Disheartened the old
little bit short
(6) Ezekiel quits team (7)
MP E T 15 Intended to provide (6) 6 Unfinished Harper
E E (6) funding where one 26 An anthropoid Lee novel about
A P E D 4 Keep one plugging name absconds ape abandoning months passing
away? Hardly
P (6) sick goat (6) (9)
(6)
D E E R 18 Rude little blighter 7 Bouncy castle
9 Have new delivery
T R E to lie outrageously collapses,
F O U L
rounds? (3,3,5,4) (8) DOWN trapping
N I
10 Colleague’s going 21 Puts out paper 1 Design aid — tool one (7)
west, skirting
R I NG constant danger
opposing current that draws street 8 Hound finds elusive
I to shipping
tendencies for page burrowing creature
RO L O (6)
(8) (7) (6)
T D U 22 Spice fanatic 2 Find travel stop up 13 Artist using
11 Arms manufacturer sending over in Seattle tomorrow copper
I O U S Sun might suspect
U L excellent specimen (5) (9)
(8)
T R OY 12 ARP signal everyone
(6) 3 Say again — educated 16 Drive miles up
24 Gossip who lies Liberal must go to resort
understood (3-5) about lake monster (7)
(7)
NOTE: Figures in parentheses denote the number of letters in the words required. (By arrangement with The Independent, London)
NEW DELHI, THURSDAY 20 JULY 2023
ensure that no outside force is able to
influence this referendum in undue
ways, using money or violence.
Whatever the majority verdict of
people is, this should be accepted by
all the people and all the parties
involved.
This, or something very similar to
this, would be needed for peacefully
resolving this complex issue without
resorting to war, a war which can eas-
ily turn catastrophic.
A peaceful solution can be
achieved by both the USA and China
giving more importance to peace than
to their narrowly viewed, self-cen-
tered, aggressive objectives and view-
points. At a wider level, the USA must
entirely give up thinking of a war
against China and China too must
learn to move forward in less aggres-
sive ways. Both big powers need to
display a much higher commitment
to peace.
(The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to
Save Earth Now. His recent books include
Planet in Peril, Protecting Earth for Children,
Earth without Borders and A Day in 2071.)
No challenge to American hege-
mony can be tolerated, and Nato has
never been much more than an
instrument for that mindset, primarily
in Europe — including its bombard-
ment of the Balkans in the 1990s —
but also in territories from
Afghanistan to Libya. It leaves a trail of
mass destruction wherever it goes,
and the project of making the world
safe for capitalism has not been a par-
ticular success outside Europe.
None of the above is intended to
suggest that Russia or China is on the
right track. The monumental folly of
invading Ukraine will haunt Russia
long after Putin perishes, by natural
causes or otherwise, and Xi Jinping’s
‘Chinese dream’ could turn out to be a
nightmare for plenty of less powerful
nations, but also for China itself. Yet
the prospect of entrenching US neo-
imperialism more widely is much like
adding fossil fuel to the fire while the
world experiences some of its hottest
days in thousands of years.
Anthropogenic climate change
has brought humanity to the brink of
self-annihilation. Egged on by the
masters of war — excoriated by Bob
Dylan 60 years ago shortly after
Dwight Eisenhower’s warning against
the military-industrial complex, which
remains dedicated to profiting from
the economies of conflict — misan-
thropic militarism could push us over
the cliff.
Dawn/ANN.
NO-292498
17 Interpreter say
needed in late
summer abroad?
(7)
18 Popular Paraguayan
tea one kept in jug
(6)
19 Somewhat
red governor
initially
in for drink
(4,3)
20 Article on South
African appearing
in May?
(7)
23 After cheers,
negative
utterance
forbidden
(5)
07
100 YEARS AGO
OCCASIONAL NOTE
It will be remembered that Walter
Hagen was reported to have complained
of a lack of sportsmanship on the part of
the British public, during the Open Golf
Championship, and we remarked at the
time that there must have been some
ground for the outburst. It now transpires
that the thoughtless behaviour of some
of the spectators was the cause of the
trouble. When Hagen reached the 17th
hole he was fighting desperately and
required two "threes" to tie with Havers,
who had finished half an hour ahead of
him. He succeeded in doing the 17th in
"three," but at the 18th he drove into a
bunker and thus ruined his chances. A
portion of the crowd along the fairway,
seeing this, could no longer control their
excitement, and knowing Havers was
now assured of the championship, broke
into cheers, which Hagen naturally sup-
posed were evoked by his own failure.
The demonstration was tactless, to say
the least, but the American, who natural-
ly resented it at the time, should not have
been allowed to go away under a false
impression. Surely some one might have
explained the matter to him before he got
back to America. It is pleasing to note,
however, that other Americans have dif-
ferent views to those of Hagen. Johnston
and Hunter, the lawn tennis cracks, and
Hoover who was beaten in the Diamond
Sculls at Henley, are enthusiastic in their
praise of British sportsmanship.
NEWS ITEMS
LOSS OF A BARQUE
RANGOON, JULY 19
It having been held that the Court
had jurisdiction the Eastern sub-Divi-
sional magistrate today proceeded with
the case in which Hasaviah, the owner,
S. Pillay, master, Thambi Raj, mate, and
another who has absconded are charged
with scuttling the country barque
Maschyagandhi between Tundi and
Moulmein. Evidence was given by mem-
bers of the firm of Messrs. Harperink
and Smith as to the insurance negotia-
tions. Sensational evidence was then
given by Mata Appalaswamy, who was
at one time in command of the barque.
He stated that he was offered Rs. 3,000
to sink the ship and later received a let-
ter and cheque. He sent the cheque to
his wife, but he was not willing to scuttle
the ship, so he handed over to the new
captain.
SOCIAL
RESTRICTIONS
The report for 1922 of the Indian
Committee of the District Charitable
Society of Calcutta, who are in charge of
the non-Christian poor of Calcutta and
its suburbs, states that in 1920 the Com-
mittee started an industry class where
they installed three fly-shuttle hand
looms and appointed a teacher to train
able-bodied women to work for a living.
Owing to the restrictions imposed by
social customs, however, the Commit-
tee found it difficult to induce Indian
women of the Bhadralog class to join this
class, although they offered a daily
allowance to those who came to the
class. There were only four women
working in the class. The total amount
expended during the year for monthly
and casual relief, for helping poor stu-
dents and for various other items, was
Rs. 31,487.
COAL TRANSPORT
RATES
The Statesman understands that a
deputation from the Indian Mining
Association and the Indian Mining Fed-
eration will be sent to the Viceroy before
the end of the present session of the Leg-
islative Assembly for the purpose of
pointing out what has been described as
the "present anomalous position with
regard to the transport rates for Bengal
coal, and also the necessity for a rebate
on exported coal." The head of a well-
known coal mining agency in Calcutta
explained to the Statesman that those
responsible for organising the deputa-
tion were not oblivious of the fact that
there was something to be said against a
reduction on the present railway rates
for coal. The benefit to the railways
would arise from a bettered condition of
trade and a bigger volume of railway
traffic.
MR. E.H. CORBETT
Mr. E.H. Corbett, who is shortly to
take up an appointment in Ceylon,
j oi ne d th e Po li c e D e pa rt m ent i n
November, 1897, and, during his period
of service, he was posted to several
important stations, including Darjeel-
ing and Howrah Town. He was also for
a time Superintendent of Railway Police
(East Indian Railway) at Howrah Town.
Mr. Corbett was responsible for the
organisation of the detective depart-
ment, and was also instrumental in the
detection of several big forgery cases
which took place in Calcutta not many
years ago. During his service he has
been very popular with those who have
served under him, his board-minded-
ness, justice, and sympathy towards his
subordinates, being not the least of his
good qualities.
08 NEW DELHI, THURSDAY 20 JULY 2023
THUMBNAILS
Tata Group to set up EV
battery factory in UK: In
a major development,
Tata Group has
announced that it will
establish a battery cell
gigafactory in the UK.
“Today, I am delighted to
announce the Tata Group
will be setting up one of
Europe's largest battery
cell manufacturing facili-
ties in the UK,” said N
Chandrasekaran, Chair-
man of Tata Sons, adding
that the Group is deeply
committed to a sustain-
able future across its
businesses. “Our multi-bil-
lion pound investment
will bring state-of-the-art
technology to the coun-
try, helping to power the
automotive sector's tran-
sition to electric mobility,
anchored by our own
business, Jaguar Land
Rover," the Chairman
added. Though Tata has
by far not revealed the
size of the investment, a
UK government state-
ment billed it to be over
4 billion pounds (over £4
billion). The new gigafac-
tory, at 40GWh, will be
one of the largest in
Europe and will create up
to 4,000 highly skilled
jobs, as well as thousands
of further jobs in the
wider supply chain for
battery materials and
critical raw minerals, said
the UK government
release. “We can be
incredibly proud that
Britain has been chosen
as home to Tata Group’s
first gigafactory outside
India, securing our place
as one of the most
attractive places to build
electric vehicles,” said UK
Prime Minister Rishi
Sunak.
Dunzo won’t pay employ-
ees till early September:
Homegrown quick-gro-
cery delivery provider
Dunzo has said it will not
be able to pay employees
salaries until early Sep-
tember, a further delay
from the earlier deadline
of July 20. The company
has also delayed the
August salary for senior
employees to September
4 as well, it said in an
email seen by
TechCrunch. The delay
comes as the startup
focuses on “streamlining
our cash flow so we can
build a more sustainable
business for the future”,
according to the Bengalu-
ru-headquartered
startup.
Global NBFI distress may have spillover Union Bank of India empowers
effect on other sectors: Moody’s
AGENCIES
CHENNAI, 19 JULY
Amid high interest rates, cou-
pled with lower growth rates,
any distress in non-bank finan-
cial institution (NBFI) sector
globally could have spillover
credit impact on many other
sectors, said global credit rat-
ing agency Moody’s Investors
Service.
"Some economies could
be highly exposed to any pull-
back in lending if NBFIs pro-
vide a significant proportion
of credit to the economy, such
as in the US and the UK. That
said, some specific sectors
within emerging markets like
China's property sector are also
reliant on non-bank fund-
ing," said Michael Taylor, a
India’s overall oilmeal exports IT spending in India to hit $112 bn, CIOs to invest more in productivity
rise 19 pc in Apr-June quarter
AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
India’s overall oilmeal exports
rose 19 per cent on a yearly
basis during the first quarter
of the financial year 2023-24
to 1.21 million tonne, data put
out by The Solvent Extractors’
Association of India (SEA)
showed. In June, exports were,
however, 35 per cent lower.
Indian stock indices remain
bullish; Sensex tops 67,000 mark
Foreign portfolio investors have remained net buyers in Indian stock markets for the fifth straight month
AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
he rally continued in
T
Indian stock on
Wednesday with the
indices reaching fresh
highs as the benchmark Sen-
sex topped 67,000 mark.
Sensex and Nifty settled 0.4-
0.5 per cent higher today. All
the Nifty sectoral indices were
in the green, with Nifty bank,
Nifty financial services, Nifty
media, Nifty PSU bank, Nifty
consumer durables, and Nifty
oil and gas rising the most. Sev-
eral analysts have pointed
out that any further rally from
the current levels is unlikely
as valuations are higher. In the
past one-month, the indices
– Sensex and Nifty -- cumu-
latively gained about 6 per-
centage points.
The consistent inflow of
foreign portfolio funds, firm
economic outlook, firm glob-
al markets, and a relative
moderation in inflation con-
tributed to the latest bull run
3 cr Income Tax Returns
filed till 18 July: I-T dept
AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
Around three crore Income Tax
Returns (ITRs) have been
filed till July 18, the Income
Tax (I-T) Department said
on Wednesday.
"Grateful to our taxpayers
& tax professionals for having
helped us reach the mile-
stone of 3 crore Income Tax
Returns (ITRs), 7 days early this
year, compared to the pre-
ceding year!" the Department
said in a Twitter post.
Over 3 crore ITRs for assess-
ment year 2023-24 have
already been filed till July 18
as compared to the 3 crore ITRs
filed till July 25, 2022.
"Out of the 3.06 crore ITRs
consumers with retail loan choices
Moody's Managing Director.
Moreover, NBFI stress can
rapidly spread to other finan-
cial institutions, weighing on
funding conditions and poten-
tially leading to mark-to-mar-
ket losses at other financial insti-
In the same quarter of
2022, the total oilmeal exports
were 1.01 million tonne. Dur-
ing the April-June quarter,
the exports of soybean meal
were reported at 364,611
tonnes, rapeseed meal 620,738
tonnes, ricebran extractions
125,582 tonnes, and cas-
torseed meal 90,750 tonnes.
South Korea, Vietnam,
Thailand, Bangladesh, and
in Indian stocks.
“Despite the current high
levels, domestic investors
have hardly lost confidence
in the Indian economy. It is
experiencing a broad-based
rally strengthened by encour-
aging domestic macroeco-
nomic data and sustained
inflows from FIIs (foreign
institutional investors),” said
Vinod Nair, Head of Research
at Geojit Financial Services.
Foreign portfolio investors
(FPIs) have remained net
buyers in Indian stock mar-
kets for the fifth straight
month, according to data
from the National Securities
Depository (NSDL).
FPIs bought Indian stocks
worth Rs 7,936 crore, Rs 11,631
crore, Rs 43,838 crore, and Rs
47,148 crore in March, April,
May, and June, respectively.
In July too, the trend is firm
as they have so far bought Rs
34,444 crore worth of equities.
“We expect this momen-
tum (in Indian stocks) to con-
tinue in the near term given
filed till 18th July, 2023, 2.81
crore ITRs have been e-veri-
fied i.e. more than 91 per
cent ITRs filed have been e-
verified," the Department
tweeted further.
Out of the e-verified ITRs,
more than 1.50 crore ITRs have
already been processed.
"So, we hope to keep up the
momentum and urge all those
who haven't filed ITR for AY
2023-24, to file their ITR at the
earliest to avoid last minute
rush," it said.
Last week Revenue Secre-
tary Sanjay Malhotra had
advised that taxpayers should
not wait for the last date to file
their returns as there won't be
any extension beyond
July 31.
tutions.
“In pockets where regula-
tory oversight and trans-
parency are low, it can be dif-
ficult for policymakers to antic-
ipate and quickly stem NBFI
financial stress that damages
Taiwan are some of the key
oilmeal buyers from India.
Oilmeals are basically the
residue left over after the
extraction of oil from oilseeds,
and they are widely used as
livestock feed worldwide.
India is the world's second-
largest consumer and num-
ber one vegetable oil importer,
and it meets 60 per cent of its
need through imports. A large
part of it is palm oil and its
derivatives, which are import-
ed from Indonesia and
Malaysia.
Although oilseed produc-
tion in India has grown over
the years, the production has
lagged behind its consump-
tion, resulting in continuous
dependence on imports.
buoyant domestic cues and
receding global concerns,”
said Siddhartha Khemka,
FM meets World Bank
President Ajay Banga
AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman met World Bank
Group President Ajay Banga
on Wednesday, and discussed
deepening of partnership to
secure tangible outcomes at
the G20 Leaders’ Summit
scheduled to take place in Sep-
tember.
"Union Finance Minister
Smt. @nsitharaman and World
Bank Group @WorldBank
President, Mr. Ajay Banga,
today in New Delhi. President
@WorldBank congratulated
the Union Finance Minister
for the successful G20’s 3rd
Finance Ministers and Cen-
tral Bank Governors
#G20FMCBG meeting in
Gandhinagar," the Finance
Ministry said in a series of
tweets.
"FM Smt. @nsitharaman
appreciated the excellent sup-
port of @WorldBank for
#G20India Presidency and
looked forward to further
deepening of this partner-
market confidence and tight-
ens liquidity,” Moody’s said.
According to Moody’s, the
implications for sovereigns, cor-
porates, banks and structured
finance transactions will vary
depending on their sector or
AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
The IT spending in India is pro-
jected to reach $112.2 billion
this year, slightly higher than
last quarter’s update, a report
showed on Wednesday.
Despite being cautious,
Indian chief information offi-
cers (CIOs) will continue to
invest in improving employ-
ee productivity and customer
experience (CX), leading to a
14.6 per cent annual growth
in enterprise software spend-
ing, according to Gartner.
Talent shortages remain a
perennial concern that is pro-
jected to drive an 8 per cent
annual growth in IT services
spending in India.
While generative artificial
intelligence (AI) is top of mind
for many business and IT
Head - Retail Research, Moti-
lal Oswal Financial
Services.
ship to secure tangible out-
comes at the Leaders’ Sum-
mit in September," it added.
"The Union Finance Min-
ister mentioned that bridging
the knowledge and technol-
ogy gaps is key to future eco-
nomic development and
@WorldBank should accel-
erate efforts to share the Indi-
an development experience
with the #GlobalSouth", it
tweeted.
The two leaders discussed
India’s sectoral priorities that
include municipal financing,
logistics, recycling of water,
renewable energy grids, for
regional exposure to NBFIs.
NBFIs with high leverage,
less liquidity and weak risk
management are most vul-
nerable to stress from higher
rates. Those that have adopt-
ed leverage-driven invest-
ment strategies, as well as
those that invested heavily in
less liquid assets when fund-
ing was inexpensive and abun-
dant, will face difficulties gen-
erating returns amid higher
rates. Open-ended funds
account for a large part of
them.
And financial stress can
escalate quickly for some
open-ended funds when
declining asset values or weak-
er portfolio performance lead
to redemption runs or
margin calls.
leaders, it is not yet significantly
impacting IT spending levels.
In the longer-term, generative
New all time high of Nifty
registered at 19851 pts:After
witnessing high volatility at
seeking assistance from the
World Bank Group in lever-
aging private investments.
"The World Bank President
informed FM Smt. @nsithara-
man about @WorldBank’s
recent initiative of Private
Sector Investment Lab and
added that @WorldBank looks
forward to a partnership with
India to implement ideas that
come from this initiative in
India. Mr. Banga further said
that the ideas implemented
successfully can become a
working model for other coun-
tries," the Finance Ministry
said.
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
KOLKATA, 19 JULY
Union Bank of India organ-
ised a Mega Retail Loan Expo
today at Swabhumi, Kolkata.
Participating from Kolkata
were a total of 18 prominent
builders, 12 leading car deal-
ers and 8 educational insti-
tutions at the expo held
today, with over a thousand
visitors eager to learn more
about the many different
retail credit possibilities.
More than 100 customers
received approval letters
from the bank at the expo for
the purchase of a home, a car,
as well as for educational
expenses.
The expo's standout fea-
ture was the availability of
instant loan approvals with
AI will primarily be incorpo-
rated into enterprises through
existing spending, said the
the highs on Tuesday, Nifty
witnessed choppy movement
for mid part and sharp upsurge
in the later part of Wednes-
day and closed the day high-
er by 83 points, says Nagaraj
Shetti, Technical Research
Analyst, HDFC Securities
After opening with a pos-
itive note, the market moved
up further soon after the
opening. The new all time high
was registered at 19851 and
the market slipped into weak-
ness from the new highs. A
sharp upside recovery has
emerged in the mid to later
part of the session and Nifty
closed at the highs, Shetti
said.
This market action indi-
cates stiff resistance zone for
the Nifty at 19850 levels.
Minor negative patterns are
not getting confirmed at the
highs/hurdles and there is an
absence of any reasonable
downward corrections from
the resistances, he said.
The underlying uptrend of
Nifty remains intact. Nifty is
Shark Tank India season 1
courts controversy, Ashneer
says invested `3 crore
AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
After a report claimed that
some prominent investors at the
inaugural season of Shark Tank
India fell short of their pledges,
prominent VCs and entrepre-
neurs on Wednesday defend-
ed the show, saying the report
findings are "inaccurate".
An analysis by market intel-
ligencefirmPrivateCircleclaimed
that the key investors overall
invested in only 27 of the 65
pledges shown on the TV show,
reports TechCrunch.
"The 'sharks' committed
$4.87 million to the startups, but
had only invested about $2
million as of last week," accord-
ing to the report, citing Pri-
vateCircle analysis.
Sony Network India, the
broadcaster of Shark Tank in the
country, was yet to comment
on the report. However,investors
including former BharatPe Co-
founderAshneerGroverwhowas
the Shark Tank India
judge/investor in season 1,
came out on social media to
defend themselves.
competitive interest rates.
Numerous clients obtained
rapid approval, allowing
them to comfortably and
quickly realise their ambi-
tions. Union Bank of India
provided complimentary
vouchers to all guests to
report.
Globally, the IT spending
is projected to total $4.7 tril-
lion in 2023, an increase of 4.3
per cent from 2022.
“Digital business trans-
formations are beginning to
morph. IT projects are shift-
ing from a focus on external
facing deliverables such as rev-
enue and customer experience,
to more inward facing efforts
focused on optimisation,”
said John-David Lovelock,
distinguished VP analyst at
Gartner.
The software segment will
see double-digit growth in
2023 as organisations increase
utilisation and reallocate
spending to core applications
and platforms that support effi-
ciency gains, such as enterprise
resource planning (ERP) and
customer relationship man-
expected to move above the
hurdle of 19800-19850 levels
in the short term. The imme-
diate upside target to be
watched around historical
20K mark. Immediate support
is placed at 19700 levels, he
said.
Wall Street opens higher,
adding to recent gains:
Stocks are opening higher
on Wall Street, adding to a run
that has pulled the market to
its highest level in more than
15 months. The S&P 500 rose
0.4% early Wednesday. The
Dow added 168 points, or
0.5% and the Nasdaq com-
posite rose 0.3%. Carvana
soared 21% after the used-car
dealer agreed with its lenders
to reduce its debt by $1.2 bil-
lion. Elevance Health jumepd
7.5% after reporting stronger
results than analysts expect-
ed. Stocks also got some help
from easing pressure from the
bond market, where yields fell
after a report showed U.K.
inflation slowed.
"I, Ashneer Grover, invest-
ed Rs 2.95 crore in 11 deals in
Shark Tank Season
1. This makes me the second
highest deployer, only after
Namita Thapar (executive direc-
tor of Emcure Pharmaceuti-
cals),"Groversaidinatweet.Tha-
par was highest both in terms
of "absolute and percentage
closure", he mentioned.
"No surprises, Namita is a
great paymaster! Both Namita
and I are the top 2 in terms of
absolute, percentage deals com-
pleted and percentage com-
mitment invested," Grover fur-
ther said. According to Pri-
vateCircle, Thapar completed
the most number of deals as a
shark in the first season of the
TV show. Anupam Mittal, the
founder of Shaadi.com and as
one of the investors on Shark
Tank India, recently posted on
LinkedIn that 66 per cent of the
deals presented during the
show's inaugural season were
successfully executed. Aman
Gupta, co-founder of consumer
electronics brand Boat and also
an investor on the TV show, has
also defended the programme.
improve the experience and
create a lively environment.
Additionally, there was a big
super lucky draw at the end
of the programme and hourly
lucky drawings where cus-
tomers might win fantastic
gifts.
The Mega Retail Loan
Expo 2023's success has
strengthened Union Bank
of India's determination to
reach out to potential cus-
tomers and offer them the
finest financial options.
The expo was inaugurat-
ed by Mr. Pravin Sharma,
Chief General Manager,
Deposit Mobilisation Depart-
m en t a n d M r . S a nj a y
Narayan, General Manag-
er, Retail Asset Vertical, from
the Corporate Office, Mum-
bai.
agement (CRM) applications.
Vendor price increases will
also continue to bolster soft-
ware spending through this
year, the report noted.
While the overall outlook
for enterprise IT spending is
positive, devices spending
will decline 8.6 per cent in 2023
due to the ongoing impact of
inflation on consumer pur-
chasing power.
“The devices segment is
experiencing one of its worst
growth years on record,” said
Lovelock.
Even as inflation eases
slightly in some regions,
macroeconomic factors are still
negatively impacting discre-
tionary spending and length-
ening device refresh cycles.
Devices spending is not expect-
ed to recover to 2021 levels until
at least 2026,” he added.
 09
There is a desperate and urgent need for regional and global action to
effectively tackle the climate crisis, which poses an existential threat
to the human race. WHO'S REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE HANS KLUGE
CALLING FOR URGENT ACTION AS DEATHS FROM EXTREME HEAT SURGE IN EUROPE
NEW DELHI, THURSDAY 20 JULY 2023

Fire at military base in

WEATHER
CITY MAX(°C) MIN(°C)
Russia unleashes missile attack, Crimea forces evacuation
SINGAPORE
HONG KONG
TOKYO
LONDON
31
21
10
13
25 R
18 H
2 CL
7 H
hits critical port facilities in Odesa of more than 2,000 people
DUBAI 27 19 H This comes days after Putin blamed Ukraine for attack on Kerch Bridge linking Russia with Crimean Peninsula AGENCIES
SAN FRANCISCO 13 8 R KIROVSKE, 19 JULY
NEW YORK 12 7 H ASSOCIATED PRESS Wheat prices rose more showering them with shattered
MOSCOW -4 -22 H KYIV, 19 JULY than 2.5% on Tuesday and over glass and other debris. The A fire that broke out at the
S= sunny, CL= clear, 3% on Wednesday amid the remnants of a downed Kh-59 military training grounds in
H=hazy, R= rainy... ussia unleashed intense Russian attacks in Odesa, a key missile created a large crater the Kirovske district on the

THUMBNAILS
4-year-old boy dies in hit-
and-run in Boston: A 4-year-
old boy has died after being
struck by a vehicle that
then left the area, Boston
police said. An off-duty fire-
fighter was the first on the
scene to provide aid to the
child after he was struck in
the city’s Hyde Park neigh-
borhood at about 9:30 p.m.
Tuesday. Emergency med-
ical services transported
him to a hospital, where he
was pronounced dead,
police said. No names were
made public.
TENDER
R drone and missile
attacks overnight
Wednesday, damag-
ing critical port infrastructure
in southern Ukraine, including
grain and oil terminals, and
wounding at least 12 people, offi-
cials said. The bombardment
targeted the port city of Odesa,
days after President Vladimir
Putin blamed Ukraine for an
attack on the crucial Kerch
Bridge linking Russia with the
Crimean Peninsula, which the
Kremlin illegally annexed from
Kyiv in 2014. Putin also pulled
Moscow out of its participation
in the Black Sea Grain Initiative,
a wartime deal that enabled
Ukraine’s exports to reach
many countries facing the threat
of hunger. Russian emergency
officials in Crimea, meanwhile,
said more than 2,200 people were
evacuated from four villages
because of a fire at a military facil-
ity. The blaze forced the closure
of an important highway, accord-
ing to Sergey Aksyonov, the
Moscow-appointed head of
the peninsula. He didn’t spec-
ify a cause for the fire at the facil-
ity in Kirovsky district.
“A difficult night of air
attacks for all of Ukraine,” said
Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv
City Military Administration,
in a statement on Telegram.
Ukrainian authorities report-
ed more drones and missiles
Trump expects arrest in Capitol riot inquiry
SNS & AGENCIES
WASHINGTON, 19 JULY
Former US President Donald
Trump said that he expects
to be arrested by a federal
inquiry into the January 2021
Capitol riot and efforts to chal-
lenge the 2020 election results.
He made the remarks on
Tuesday in a post on his
Truth Social app, claiming
that he had been sent a let-
ter "stating that I am a TAR-
GET of the January 6th Grand
Jury investigation, and giv-
ing me a very short 4 days to
report to the Grand Jury,
which almost always means
an Arrest and Indictment",
reports the BBC.
The former President
added that he had been
informed of the develop-
ment by special counsel Jack
Smith on Sunday night.
Smith's team has inves-
tigated Trump's handling of
classified documents after
leaving the White House and
with managing a sprawling
sent against more parts of
Ukraine than in recent days.
Popko said the attacks
were especially fierce in Odesa
for a second consecutive night.
The Ukrainian army’s Oper-
ational Command South
reported at least 12 civilians
were wounded in the region.
Gov. Oleh Kiper said the
attack included dozens of
missiles and drones aimed at
the port. Debris from those that
were shot down struck apart-
ment buildings, seaside resorts
and warehouses, sparking
fires and injuring several peo-
ple. Russia used Oniks and Kh-
22 missiles to hit grain and oil
terminals, Kiper said.
federal investigation into the
riot and attempts by the for-
mer President and his advis-
ers to "interfere with the
lawful transfer of power fol-
lowing the 2020 presidential
election".
Such an indictment would
be Trump's third for alleged
criminal offences, includ-
ing 37 counts brought by
Smith's team in June accus-
ing the former leader of mis-
handling classified docu-
hub for exporting grain, illus-
trating jitters in global mar-
kets after Moscow withdrew from
the grain deal, threatening to
worsen hunger in some parts
of the globe. However, Wednes-
day’s trading price of $6.91 a
bushel was still more than 85%
below last year’s peak. Ger-
man Foreign Minister Annale-
na Baerbock tweeted that “Putin
hasn’t just blown up the Black
Sea Grain Initiative; now he has
hit the port city of Odesa with
a hail of bombs for the second
consecutive night.” “In doing
that, he is robbing the world of
any hope of Ukrainian grain.
Every one of his bombs also hits
the world’s poorest,” she said.
Baerbock pledged support for
Ukraine in “turning over every
stone to find alternative trans-
port routes,” perhaps by inland
waterways, rail and road.
The attacks on Odesa
injured at least six people,
including a 9-year-old boy,
ments.
Trump has also been
charged in New York City with
falsifying business records in
2016 hush money payments
to adult film star Stormy
Daniels.
He is due to stand trial in
that case in March 2024,
while a date for the classified
documents case is still being
contested by the president's
lawyers.
Speaking in Cedar Rapids,
in another part of the city,
wounding three civilians and
damaging several buildings.
Eight Iranian-made Sha-
hed drones were also shot
down in the wider Odesa
region, where two warehouses
containing tobacco and fire-
works were reported damaged.
Russia also attacked Kyiv
with Shahed drones without
result, Popko said. Air defens-
es intercepted all the drones
aimed at the capital and a pre-
liminary investigation showed
there were no casualties.
President Volodymyr Zelen-
skyy, meanwhile, welcomed
Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo
Varadkar to Kyiv, hours after the
attacks, and thanked him for his
support in the war that Russia
launched in February 2022. In
a statement published on
Telegram, Zelenskyy noted that
Ireland’s neutrality “does not
mean indifference, and this is
very important.”
Iowa, on Tuesday night,
Trumpexpressed his frus-
tration at the latest devel-
opment.
"I didn't know practical-
ly what a subpoena was and
grand juries and all of this.
Now I'm becoming an expert,
I have no choice because we
have to... It's a disgrace,"
the BBC quoted the former
President as saying.
Meanwhile, state prose-
cutors in Atlanta, Georgia, are
also investigating the for-
mer President, focusing on
whether he illegally pres-
sured state officials there to
discard President Joe Biden's
victory.
In a December 2020 phone
call with Georgia Secretary
of State Brad Raffensperger,
Trump had asked that Geor-
gia officials "find 11,780
votes" that would flip the state
to him.
A decision by Georgia
prosecutors on whether to
indict Trump is expected
next month.
Crimean Peninsula has forced
the evacuation of more than
2,000 people and a closure
of nearby highway, the
Moscow-backed governor
of Crimea said on Wednes-
day.
"It is planned to tem-
porarily evacuate residents
of four settlements - this is
more than 2,000 people,"
Russian-installed Governor
Sergei Aksyonov of Crimea
said on the Telegram mes-
saging app.
There was no reason given
for the fire, which also forced
the partial closure of the
major Tavridy Highway.
Russia's Telegram chan-
nels linked to Russian secu-
rity services and Ukrainian
media reported that an
ammunition depot was on fire
at the base after Ukrainian
overnight air attack.
Reuters could not inde-
pendently verify the reports.
There was no immediate
comment from Ukraine.
Serhiy Bratchuk,
spokesperson for the Odesa
military administration in
Ukraine posted two videos
of a fire in an uninhabited
area, saying, "Enemy ammu-
nition depot. Staryi Krym."
Staryi Krym is a small his-
torical town in the Kirovske
district of Crimea. Russia
annexed the Crimean Penin-
sula from Ukraine in 2014.
Social media videos and
photos showed big flames and
a smoky fire in an uninhab-
ited area, broken by series of
detonations. Some Telegram
channels said that by 0730
local time (0430 GMT), the
fire was going on for about
three hours, still not being
contained.
The fire comes two days
after a blast damaged a bridge
linking Russia to the Crimean
Peninsula on Monday that
Moscow blamed on Ukraine
and for which President
Vladimir Putin vowed retal-
iation.
Overnight, Russia
launched an air attack on the
Ukrainian port of Odesa for
a second night in row.
Ukraine's military also said
that a drone attack at Kyiv was
successfully repelled early on
Wednesday.
Russia's Defence Min-
istry said on Tuesday it had
hit military targets in two
Ukrainian port cities
overnight as "a mass revenge
strike" in response to an
attack on the Crimean bridge
the previous day which it
blamed on Kyiv.
The ministry said it had
struck Odesa, where the
Ukrainian navy has its head-
quarters, and Mykolaiv, near
Ukraine's Black Sea coast.
"The armed forces of the
Russian Federation carried
out a mass retaliatory strike
overnight using precision
sea-based weapons against
facilities where terrorist acts
against the Russian Federa-
tion were being prepared
using uncrewed boats," the
ministry said in a statement.
It said it had struck a ship
repair plant near Odesa
where such boats - thought
to be naval drones of the kind
Russia believes were used to
attack the Crimean bridge -
were being built.
"In addition, storage facil-
ities holding around 70,000
tons of fuel used to supply
the Ukrainian military's
equipment were destroyed"
near the cities of Mykolaiv and
Odesa, it said.
It said all the targets had
been struck and destroyed,
citing fires and detonations
as evidence.
Ukraine's air force said
earlier that six Kalibr cruise
missiles and 31 out of 36
drones had been shot down,
mostly over the coastal Odesa
and Mykolaiv regions in the
south.

Defense wants trial in attack
against Pelosi’s husband
moved from San Francisco
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO, 19 JULY
Lawyers for the man charged
in last year’s attack against
former U.S. House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi’s husband want
his federal trial to be moved
out of San Francisco, saying
intense publicity means he
won’t get a fair trial.
David DePape is set to
appear in federal court
Wednesday. His lawyers will
ask the judge to move the trial
to the city of Eureka, neigh-
boring Oregon. The federal
trial is set to start Nov. 13. His
federal public defenders,
Jodi Linker and Angela
Chuang, say media atten-
tion on the case in the San
Francisco Bay Area has taint-
ed the pool of jurors. They said
a survey they commissioned
shows many potential jurors
already believe he is guilty of
the crimes and would be
unable to change their minds.
Prosecutors say DePape broke
into the Pelosis’ San Francisco
home on Oct. 28 seeking to
kidnap the former speaker —
who was out of town — and
instead beat her 83-year-old
husband with a hammer.
The violence sent shock-
waves through the political
world. DePape, 43, pleaded
not guilty to federal charges
of attempting to kidnap a fed-
eral official and assaulting a
federal official’s family mem-
ber.
Sunak apologises for ban on LGBTQ+ people in military
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON, 19 JULY
British Prime Minister Rishi
Sunak apologized Wednesday
for the treatment of gay vet-
erans, saying a previous ban
on LGBTQ+ people serving in
the U.K. military was “an
appalling failure of the British
state.”
The apology came after an
independent review pub-
lished Wednesday estimated
that hundreds of veterans
were dismissed or suffered
under an official ban on
homosexuality in the British
armed forces that was
enforced until 2000.
“As today’s report makes
clear, in that period many
endured the most horrific
sexual abuse and violence,
homophobic bullying and
harassment, all while brave-
ly serving this country,” Sunak
told Parliament. “Today, on
behalf of the British state, I
apologize.”
The report, which was car-
ried out by a retired senior
judge, compiled evidence
from more than 1,000 veter-
ans. It documented the effects
of what it called “an incom-
prehensible policy of homo-
phobic bigotry in our armed
forces.” Some of the victims
have taken their own lives,
while others have attempted
suicide, the report said.
Veterans’ testimonies “give
shocking evidence of a cul-
ture of homophobia, and of
bullying, blackmail and sex-
ual assaults, abusive investi-
gations into sexual orienta-
tion and sexual preference,
disgraceful medical exami-
nations, including conver-
sion therapy,” the report said.
“The survivors have wait-
ed for at least 23 years for
acknowledgment of what
they have suffered, and for jus-
tice and restitution,” it added.
The report also recom-
mended that financial com-
pensation should be made to
victims, even if litigation time
limits have expired.
The ban on homosexual-
ity was abandoned in 2000,
when the European Court of
Human Rights ruled in favor
of four service personnel who
were investigated then dis-
charged because of their sex-
uality.

Oppenheimerstirs up conflicted history for Los Alamos and New Mexico downwinders
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ALAMOS, 19 JULY
The movie about a man who
changed the course of the
world’s history by shepherd-
ing the development of the first
atomic bomb is expected to
be a blockbuster, dramatic and
full of suspense.
On the sidelines will be a
community downwind from
the testing site in the south-
ern New Mexico desert, the
impacts of which the U.S.
government never has fully
acknowledged. The movie on
the life of scientist J. Robert
Oppenheimer and the top-
secret work of the Manhattan
Project sheds no light on those
residents’ pain.
“They’ll never reflect on the
fact that New Mexicans gave
their lives. They did the dirt-
iest of jobs. They invaded our
lives and our lands and then
they left,” Tina Cordova, a can-
cer survivor and founder of a
group of New Mexico down-
winders, said of the scientists
and military officials who
established a secret city in Los
Alamos during the 1940s and
tested their work at the Trin-
ity Site some 200 miles (322
kilometers) away.
Cordova’s group, the
Tularosa Basin Downwinders
Consortium, has been work-
ing with the Union of Con-
cerned Scientists and others
for years to bring attention to
what the Manhattan Project
did to people in New Mexico.
While film critics celebrate
Oppenheimer and officials in
Los Alamos prepare for the
spotlight to be on their town,
downwinders remain frus-
trated with the U.S. govern-
ment — and now movie pro-
ducers — for not recognizing
their plight. Advocates held vig-
ils Saturday on the 78th
anniversary of the Trinity Test
in New Mexico and in New
York City, where director
Christopher Nolan and oth-
ers participated in a panel dis-
cussion following a special
screening of the film.
Nolan has called the Trin-
ity Test an extraordinary
moment in human history.
“I wanted to take the audi-
ence into that room and be
there for when that button is
pushed and really fully bring
the audience to this moment
in time,” he said in a clip
being used by Universal Stu-
dios to promote the film.
The movie is based on Kai
Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s
Pulitzer Prize-winning Amer-
ican Prometheus: The Tri-
umph and Tragedy of J.Robert
Oppenheimer. Nolan has said
Oppenheimer’s story is both
a dream and a nightmare.
Lilly Adams, a senior out-
reach coordinator with the
Union of Concerned Scientists,
participated in the New York
City vigil and said it was meant
to show support for New Mex-
icans who have been affect-
ed.
“The human cost of Oppen-
heimer’s Trinity Test, and all
nuclear weapons activities, is
a crucial part of the conver-
sation around U.S. nuclear
legacy,” she told The Associ-
ated Press in an email. “We
have to reckon with this human
cost to fully understand
Oppenheimer’s legacy and
the harm caused by nuclear
weapons.”
In developing and testing
nuclear weapons, Adams said
the U.S. government effectively
“poisoned its own people,
many of whom are still wait-
ing for recognition and justice.”
Adams and others have
said they hope that those
involved in making “Oppen-
heimer” help raise awareness
about the downwinders, who
have not been added to the list
of those covered by the fed-
eral government’s compen-
sation program for people
exposed to radiation.
Government officials chose
the Trinity Test Site because
it was remote, flat and had pre-
dictable winds. Due to the
secret nature of the project,
residents in surrounding areas
were not warned.
The Tularosa Basin was
home to a rural population that
lived off the land by raising live-
stock and tending to gardens
and farms. They drew water
from cisterns and holding
ponds. They had no idea that
the fine ash that settled on
everything in the days fol-
lowing the explosion was from
the world’s first atomic blast.
The government initially
tried to hide it, saying that an
explosion at a munitions
dump caused the rumble and
bright light, which could be
seen more than 160 miles
(257 kilometers) away.
It wasn’t until the U.S.
dropped bombs on Japan
weeks later that New Mexico
residents realized what they
had witnessed.
According to the Manhat-
tan Project National Histori-
cal Park, large amounts of
radiation shot up into the
atmosphere and fallout
descended over an area about
250 miles (402 kilometers)
long and 200 miles (322 kilo-
meters) wide. Scientists tracked
part of the fallout pattern as
far as the Atlantic Ocean, but
the greatest concentration
settled about 30 miles (48
kilometers) from the test site.
For Cordova and younger
generations who are dealing
with cancer, the lack of
acknowledgement by the gov-
ernment and those involved
with the film is inexcusable.
“We were left here to live
with the consequences,” Cor-
dova said. “And they’ll over-
glorify the science and the sci-
entists and make no mention
of us. And you know what?
Shame on them.”
10
NEW DELHI, THURSDAY 20 JULY 2023
Putin to skip BRICS summit in SA
South Africa’s president says that arresting Putin if he comes to Johannesburg would be ‘war’
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAPE TOWN, 19 JULY
ladimir Putin has
V agreed not to attend
an economic summit
in Johannesburg next
month after being asked to stay
away by host country South
Africa, which was facing a
major legal quandary over
whether to arrest the Russian
president on an Internation-
al Criminal Court warrant.
The August summit brings
together Brazil, Russia, India,
China and South Africa — a
bloc of developing economies
known as BRICS. Officials
have said that Putin wants to
attend the gathering but have
been trying to persuade him
to stay away to avoid the legal
and diplomatic fallout over his
international arrest warrant.
On Wednesday, the office
8k still displaced
in South Korea
after torrential
downpours
SEOUL, 19 JULY
Nearly 8,000 people in South
Korea are yet to return home
after torrential rains pound-
ed the country last week,
despite the monsoon rain
coming to a lull on Wednes-
day, officials said.
Across the country, a
cumulative 16,514 people
had temporarily evacuated
their homes, and of them,
7,843 were still staying at
relatives' houses or shelters
set up at senior centres, vil-
lage halls or schools, accord-
ing to the Central Disaster and
Safety Countermeasure
Headquarters.
The torrential rain that
swept the country last week
left 44 people dead and six
others missing nationwide,
reports Yonhap News Agency.
Record rainfall hits
Myanmar: Severe weather
triggered landslides and
flooding in southern Myan-
mar, with its southernmost
town Kawthaung experi-
encing its heaviest single-day
rainfall in 76 years.
According to the Depart-
ment of Meteorology and
Hydrology, Kawthaung, a
town located in Tanintharyi
region, recorded 253 mm of
rainfall on Tuesday, sur-
passing the 232 mm figure
recorded in July 2021, reports
Xinhua news agency.
Monsoon rains claim
lives in Pak: As Pakistan is
currently witnessing the first
spell of the monsoon season,
heavy rainfall in parts of the
country has claimed lives,
caused major accidents, trig-
gered waterlogging in low-
lying regions and prompted
emergency alerts for the
locals.At least 11 people were
killed and six others injured
on Wednesday after the wall
of a building in Islamabad’s
Peshawar Road collapsed
following heavy rains. IANS
of South African President
Cyril Ramaphosa said Putin
will not attend the BRICS
summit after a “mutual agree-
ment,” ending months of
speculation. South Africa is a
signatory to the Rome Statute
that established the ICC and
would have been obliged it to
arrest him.
Although Moscow has dis-
missed the warrant and Rus-
sia doesn’t recognize the
authority of the internation-
Pakistan govt gears up to dissolve
Assemblies for general elections
AGENCIES
ISLAMABAD, 19 JULY
The ruling coalition govern-
ment of Pakistan Prime Min-
ister Shehbaz Sharif is prepar-
ing to hold the farewell ses-
sion of the National Assem-
bly and announce the disso-
lution to bring in a caretak-
er setup and move towards
the general elections.
According to sources in the
government, the session is
expected to begin on Friday,
during which some important
lawmaking and electoral
reforms will be conducted
while lawmakers would give
their respective farewell
speeches.
“The session will contin-
ue until the dissolution of the
Assembly,” said a source in
the National Assembly Sec-
retariat.
NK fires 2 short-range US soldier who crossed the inter-Korean border fined by Seoul in Feb
ballistic missiles
AGENCIES
SEOUL, 19 JULY
North Korea fired two short-
range ballistic missiles into
the East Sea on Wednesday,
after the arrival of an Amer-
ican nuclear ballistic mis-
sile submarine here and the
inaugural session of a new
South Korea-US security dia-
logue, Seoul's military said.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff
(JCS) said it detected the
launches from the Sunan
area in Pyongyang between
3.30 a.m. and 3.46 a.m., and
they flew some 550 km before
splashing into the sea, reports
Yonhap News Agency.
The JCS condemned the
launches as "acts of signifi-
cant provocation" that harms
al court, Putin has not trav-
eled to any country that is a
signatory to the court’s treaty
since he was indicted by the
ICC in March for war crimes
relating to the abduction of
children from Ukraine.
South African authorities
had given strong hints that they
would have likely not executed
the arrest warrant against
Putin, but South Africa’s main
opposition party has taken the
government to court in an
attempt to compel it to arrest
the Russian leader if he sets
foot on South African territory.
Russia will be represent-
ed at the BRICS summit by For-
eign Minister Sergey Lavrov,
Ramaphosa’s office said in a
statement. All the leaders of
the other four countries,
including China’s Xi Jinping,
will attend the summit, it
said.
The source also confirmed
that the agenda of the session
is likely to be sent President
Arif Alvi for approval.
“The important Electoral
Reforms Bill will be passed on
July 24 in the National Assem-
bly and on July 26 (after
approval of the lower and
upper house) the bill will be
forwarded to the President for
approval on the same day,”
confirmed the government
peace not only on the Kore-
an Peninsula but also in the
international community,
and as a "clear" violation of
UN Security Council resolu-
tions.
"Our military will main-
tain a firm readiness posture
based on capabilities to
respond overwhelmingly to
any North Korean provoca-
tions," it added.
The missile launch came
after South Korea and the US
held the inaugural meeting
of the Nuclear Consultative
Group (NCG) in Seoul the pre-
vious day to bolster Wash-
ington's extended deterrence
commitment to using the
full range of its military capa-
bilities, including nuclear
weapons, to defend Seoul.
The election on Sunday, July 23, 2023, is a universal, free, fair, equitable
and secret one based on the principle of multi-party liberal democracy
Ramaphosa has said that
any attempt to arrest Putin
would have serious conse-
quences for South Africa,
including it being viewed by
Russia as a “declaration of war.”
“I must highlight, for the
sake of transparency, that
South Africa has obvious prob-
lems with executing a request
to arrest and surrender Pres-
ident Putin,” Ramaphosa said
in a court affidavit related to
the legal case brought by the
opposition party.
“Russia has made it clear
that arresting its sitting pres-
ident would be a declaration
of war,” Ramaphosa added in
the affidavit, which was made
public on Tuesday. However,
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry
Peskov denied that in a con-
ference call with reporters
on Wednesday. That call was
held before South Africa’s
source.
This important develop-
ment comes at a time when
Sharif and other top minis-
ters of his cabinet have empha-
sised that there would be no
delay or any extension in the
term of the National Assem-
bly, insisting that the nation-
al and two provincial legis-
latures may be dissolved a few
days before the end of their
term to give additional 30
days for election campaign-
ing to political parties.
“There will be no extension
in the National Assembly’s
term. The assembly is com-
pleting its term. We have
even kept an option of early
dissolution of the assembly
open,” said Law Minister
Azam Nazeer Tarar.
Foreign Minister Bilawal
Bhutto Zardari has also stat-
ed that the country will move
AGENCIES
SEOUL/WASHINGTON, 19 JULY
A US soldier, who crossed the
inter-Korean border into North
Korea and believed to be in
Pyongyang's custody, had
been sentenced to a fine for
kicking and damaging a police
patrol car in Seoul in Febru-
ary this year, legal sources
said on Wednesday.
Late Tuesday, the UN Com-
mand and US Defense Sec-
retary Lloyd Austin said the
active American service mem-
ber had willfully crossed the
inter-Korean border into North
Korea without authorisation
during a tour to the Joint
Security Area and is believed
to be in North Korea's custody,
reports Yonhap News Agency.
"We are very early in this
event, and so there's a lot
that we are still trying to learn
but what we do know is that
announcement that Putin
would not attend the summit.
“No one has indicated
anything to anyone,” Peskov
said. “In this world, it is
absolutely clear to everyone
what an attempt to encroach
on the head of the Russian state
means. So there is no need to
explain anything to anyone
here.” Although the Kremlin
had not confirmed Putin’s
plans to attend the summit,
South Africa has claimed he
was determined to.
South Africa Deputy Pres-
ident Paul Mashatile said in
an interview with a top South
African news outlet last week
that South Africa had proposed
other solutions to the arrest
warrant issue, including mov-
ing the summit to China or
holding a virtual summit
where Putin could appear on
a screen from Russia.
towards political stability
after the upcoming general
elections, which would have
a positive effect on the finan-
cial stability as well.
“I am optimistic that after
we conduct the elections in
a timely manner, we will be
able to return to a sense of
political stability. The coun-
try will move towards polit-
ical stability after holding the
general elections," he added.
Pakistan is moving towards
a political showdown as polit-
ical parties in the coalition rul-
ing government are joining
heads to discuss the caretaker
setup with a prime mandate
to hold general elections,
while new party formations
are also happening at fast
pace, comprising of detached
and defected members of
Imran Khan's Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
one of our service members
who was on a tour willfully and
without authorisation crossed
the military demarcation line,"
Austin told a press briefing in
Washington.
"We believe that he is in
DPRK custody, and so we are
closely monitoring and inves-
tigating the situation and
working to notify the soldier's
CAMBODIAN KING NORODOM SIHAMONI
URGING CITIZENS TO VOTE IN GENERAL ELECTION
Wildfires continue
to rage near Athens
AGENICES
ATHENS, 19 JULY
Amid extreme heat, hundreds
of firefighters continued for
a second day to battle two
major wildfires near Der-
venochoria, some 30 km
northwest of Athens, and
close to the seaside resort of
Loutraki, about 80 km south-
west of the Greek capital,
authorities said.
No injuries have been
reported, but the blazes
scorched forested areas and
forced the evacuation of six
settlements, Fire Service
spokesperson Vasilios
Vathrakogiannis said in a
statement late Tuesday.
Greece expects two water-
dropping aircraft from Italy
and another two from France
to assist in firefighting efforts,
he said.The fire, which start-
Thai PM candidate suspended
from Parl in disqualification case
AGENCIES
BANGKOK, 19 JULY
Thailand's Constitutional
Court on Wednesday sus-
pended Prime Ministerial
candidate and leader of the
Move Forward Party, Pita
Limjaroenrat as an MP pend-
ing a ruling on his disquali-
fication case submitted by
the Election Commission.
The court's decision came
after it received a complaint
filed by the Commission that
the 42-year-old Harvard grad-
uate and former tech execu-
tive owned shares in a media
company at the time of reg-
istering his election candidacy
for the May 14 election, which
violates electoral rules, reports
Xinhua news agency.
In a written statement,
the court confirmed that it had
accepted the case and direct-
next of kin and engaging to
address this incident," he
added, referring to North
Korea by its official name,
the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea.
The Pentagon later iden-
tified the defector as Pvt. 2nd
Class Travis King in his 20s, and
American media organisa-
tions reported that he was in
ed from Dervenochoria on
Monday, has been fueled by
strong winds measuring up to
7 on the Beaufort scale.
It expanded several kilo-
meters to the south on Tues-
day, approaching Mandra, a
western suburb of Athens.
Weather conditions are fore-
cast to remain difficult in the
coming days and the risk of
further fires in Attica and
other regions of Greece remain
high, Vathrakogiannis said.
"Our main concern is pro-
tecting human life," fire ser-
vice spokesman said.A total
of 81 wildfires have broken out
across Greece since Sunday,
but four blazes were the most
challenging for the fire fight-
ing forces, according to Arto-
pios. The first major fires rag-
ing near Athens this sum-
mer came following the first
heatwave of the season.
ed Pita to cease his parlia-
mentary duties from Wednes-
day until a final ruling is
reached.
Pita was required to pro-
vide an explanation of the alle-
gation to the Constitutional
Court within 15 days, accord-
ing to the statement.
Under the country's Con-
stitutional Law, the Prime
Minister does not necessar-
ily have to be an MP.
In a joint session of the
the process of being sent back
to the US for disciplinary
action in connection with
assault charges he faced in
South Korea.
Legal sources in Seoul said
on Wednesday that King, 23,
was fined 5 million won ($3,943)
on February 8 by a court in the
city on charges including
inflicting damage on public
property. He was suspected of
repeatedly kicking a back door
of a police patrol vehicle in
Seoul's Mapo district on Octo-
ber 8, 2022 and inflicting dam-
age that required repairs worth
584,000 won.
He was apprehended by
police at the scene, but did not
cooperate with police offi-
cers demanding his person-
al information and kicked the
door of the police car shout-
ing foul language against Kore-
ans and the Korean Army,
according to police investi-
Algeria bus
crash kills 34
ALGIERS, 19 JULY
Thirty-four people were
killed and 12 injured when
a bus and pickup truck col-
lided on a highway in south-
ern Algeria on Wednesday,
prompting a huge fire, the
Algerian Civil Protection
service said.
The collision, which
occurred around 4 a.m. in
Tamanrasset province in the
Sahara Desert, resulted in
both vehicles being engulfed
in flames, according to the
civil protection service.
All passengers were
caught in the blaze, it said
in a statement. The cause of
the crash was being inves-
tigated. Images posted
online showed emergency
workers carrying victims in
body bags and the charred
remains of the bus and truck,
which were entangled with
each other. AP
bicameral parliament on
Wednesday, lawmakers are
scheduled to make a second
bid to elect a Prime minister,
following last week's unsuc-
cessful initial attempt.
In a shock election result,
Pita's newcomer party won the
most seats and largest share
of the popular vote as citizens
rejected the conservative mil-
itary rule that had been in place
since the 2014 coup. The
court had also filed a second
complaint against him that
involved Move Forward's pro-
posal to amend the dracon-
ian royal defamation law,
which has jailed hundreds
of critics of the monarchy.
Meanwhile, Pita has denied
he broke election rules and a
statement from Move Forward
accused the Election Com-
mission of rushing the case
to court.
gations.
He also faced suspicions of
punching the face of a Kore-
an national at a night club in
western Seoul on September
25, 2022, but was not indict-
ed for the incident as the vic-
tim said he did not want a pun-
ishment for the soldier.
In a briefing on Tuesday,
US State Department Press Sec-
retary Matthew Miller said
tha the Department of Defense
has also reached out to North
Korea regarding the incident.
"The State Department
has not reached out to the
North Koreans or other gov-
ernments. It is our under-
standing that the Pentagon has
reached out to their counter-
parts in the DPRK," Miller
said. "I will just say that, as
always, the safety and secu-
rity of any American over-
seas remains the top priority
for the US," he added.
 NEW DELHI, THURSDAY 20 JULY 2023 11
Diving into the depths of
Ambedkar’s mind
KRISHNAN SRINIVASAN cal necessity of force for achieving scriptural basis of Hinduism and
moral reform, though both Dewey and called off the speech. Ambedkar’s pur-
his book is by no means an Ambedkar were sceptical of violent poses evolved; he ceased trying to inte-

T easy read and certainly not for

the general reader, being in the
nature of an academic disser-
tation on the influence of the Ameri-
can philosopher John Dewey and, to a
lesser extent, Bertrand Russell, on the
Indian politician and reformer
Ambedkar (1891–1956), best known for
sponsoring the interests of Dalits and
for orchestrating much of the Indian
constitution. He studied under Dewey
(1914–16) at Columbia University, and
the book, in granular detail, shows
Dewey’s teachings on pragmatism in
Ambedkar’s speeches and writings.
The author concludes that Ambedkar
is the central figure in the philosophy
of pragmatism in India.
The reader will find almost noth-
ing here about Ambedkar, the politi-
cian, or the main architect of the con-
stitution. Among the rare references to
Ambedkar the man, we are told he felt
deep loneliness throughout his life. His
first wife died in 1935, and the second
outlived him. He had a library of
56,000 books and gave a ‘stunning
number of public speeches’ when he
was ‘simple, direct, trenchant, and
brutal to a fault.’ On his return to India
from England, he was first in Baroda,
then in Bombay, where he taught at a
college. He was invited to both Round
Table Conferences in 1930 and 1942 as
a Dalit representative.
Dewey’s influence was in the
interrelationship of the individual and
community, force and freedom, indi-
vidualism and collectivism. His psy-
chology and ethics were important
touchstones for Ambedkar’s social jus-
tice within caste-structured Hindu
society. Dewey accepted the theoreti-
means. Ambedkar was struck by
Dewey’s distinction between force as
energy and force as violence: It must
be remembered by those who are
opposed to force that without the use
of it, all ideals will remain empty.’
Ambedkar, in the 1930s, became a
critic of caste and Hindu tradition and
committed himself in the 1940s to
Buddhism reconstructed with prag-
matic ideas. His themes were self-help,
self-respect, and individual initiative.
Freedom matters to individuals, and
freedom is effective if we see how
groups are organised and how individ-
uals can improve communities.
Reform could be pursued by individu-
als, and reform in society had to be
pursued through individual effort.
Ambedkar wanted his audience to
challenge the past, constantly improve
lived experience, and create standards
for progress from values already
immanent in communities. In 1919, he
argued for specific reforms in the form
of reservations for Dalits, but by 1933,
he wanted Hindus to wipe out the
caste system and admit Dalits to soci-
ety without any restriction because
caste was not defensible on economic
or racial grounds. He used metaphors
of disease and pathology to describe
Indian society; things did not gain nor-
mative validity just by being old, and
moral value was not eternal.
Russell said, “It was in matters of
religion that the battle for liberty
began”. Ambedkar broke with Hin-
duism from 1935 onwards with his
undelivered speech on ‘Annihilation
of Caste’ to the Jan-Pat-Todak Mandal
of Lahore in 1936. The Mandal thought
he was seeking the elimination of the
grate Dalits into Hinduism, and in
1950 he called for all Hindus to adopt
Buddhism.
Ambedkar never shied away from
fighting Gandhi, communists, ortho-
dox Hindus and ‘dirty Brahminism’.
He saw himself as a reformer and edu-
cator, a persuader to change minds
without ‘the use of force or compul-
sion’. Congress wanted political
reform before social reform; Gandhi
supported Dalits but wanted reform to
be entrenched inside the Hindu social
system. Gandhi saw untouchability as
sin, but caste was merely a social dis-
tinction to him: Interdrinking, inter-
dining, intermarrying ... are not essen-
tial for the promotion of the spirit of
democracy.’ But Ambedkar wanted
mental attitudes to change, not just
the outward form; democratic egali-
tarianism to rise above ideological
mandates of determining rulers and
slaves.
Only in 1965 did Ambedkar
adopt Buddhism after despairing of
Hindu society's ability to recon- Spot
struct itself. Social democracy
means interacting with others; my
philosophy has roots in religion and
Light
not political science. I have derived The evolution of
them from the teachings of my mas-
ter, the Buddha. A change of reli-
pragmatism in
gion is the only antidote to India
caste oppression. one who is not An intellectual biography
a slave of usage, customs, and tradi- of BR Ambedkar
tions or of teaching because they
have come down from his ances- Harper Collins, Gurugram,
tors, whose flame of reason is not
2023,
extinguished, I call him a free man.
pp 304, Rs 599/-
The reviewer is India’s former foreign
secretary

Calcutta to Connecticut - The

chronicle of an immigrant doctor
H KHASNOBIS the Indian Railways and was posted to his wife later. After finishing his surgi- The Taj Mahal is one of the Seven stituent Assembly in Parliament House appreciated. It is derogatory. A college
Kharagpur. cal programme in Boston in 1968, Dr Wonders of the World. It is one of towards midnight on 14 August 1947. is a college, and a school is a school.
e went back to work know- During his time in the Railways, Roy travelled to Edinburgh for the India’s most recognisable landmarks Reading these paragraphs gives the That is how India’s educational sys-

W
lives.
ing one death in the hos-
pital could not stop us
from preserving other
From Calcutta to Connecti-
cut is a memoir by Dr Amitabha Ghosh
Roy, a distinguished Boston-area sur-
geon who grew up in India during the
tumultuous post-colonial days. The
book is an anthology of events, a
memoir, and a partial autobiography,
chronicling his life in Jalpaiguri and
Calcutta over a 22-year period.
Amitabha Ghosh Roy, MD, grew up in
Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, and later
became a distinguished surgeon in the
Boston area of the USA. The last eight
chapters describe his experiences as
an intern at Griffin Hospital in Con-
necticut for a year. The book chroni-
cles about 17 years of his life in Jal-
paiguri until his completion of the
intermediate science examination and
joining RG Kar Medical College in Cal-
cutta. The book features anecdotes,
antecedents, and exuberance, with the
beauty of hills, tea gardens, Teesta
river, and Sevoke bridge frequently
appearing in the text.
Small incidents and experiences
he qualified for the Educational Coun-
cil for Foreign Medical Graduate
Examination (ECFMG) and passed the
written examination at Calcutta's
Grand Hotel. He received job offers
from various hospitals in the USA, and
one hospital sent him a cheque of $300
for airfare. He moved to Connecticut
in 1962, where he experienced cultural
shocks and adapted to American
workplaces. He has written about the
steps and procedures followed in the
US for educating and training doctors,
describing how they were different
from those in Calcutta.
A cirrhotic patient whom he was
treating died due to continuous vom-
iting of blood. Dr Roy writes, “The
whole floor was sad, the patient’s
death leaving everyone wondering if
there had been anything we could
have done to save him. Eventually, we
accepted that it was not to be. Slowly
things settled down, everyone picked
up the pieces, and we went back to
work knowing one death in the hospi-
tal could not stop us from preserving
other lives.” At the Griffin, Dr Roy did
his turn in various departments by
FRCS. He passed both primary and
final exams back-to-back in his first
attempt and returned to Boston in
1970. He married Margaret in 1971,
and the USA became his permanent
abode. He is close to 87 but still visits
India to meet his relatives and remain
in touch with his roots. He is truly a
man of two cultures. In his own words,
“And it all started because a little hos-
pital in America sent me a check for
airfare to come spend a year in Con-
necticut”.
Chapter 1 of the book is about
Colonial India. The book started with
the arrival of the East India Company
in India around 1600, during the rule
of the Mughal Empire. The writer has
touched upon the Battle of Plassey in
1757, the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857,
the Bengal Famine of
1943, and finally India’s
independence. The
book is a memoir. A
memoir is a biography
written from personal
knowledge. When India
became independent, he
was a young boy of ten or
in general. Thousands of tourists from
all over the world visit these historical
sites and monuments every year. They
are very well documented. The writer’s
purpose was to highlight the qualita-
tive difference between two train trips.
A train journey was the subject. That is
a part of his memoir. Without being
comprehensive and exhaustive, he
could have just touched briefly on the
monuments. The author’s mention of
Pandit Nehru’s famous speech, “Tryst
with destiny”, from the ramparts of the
Red Fort on 15 August 1947, is also out
of context. This cannot be part of his
memoir. This famous speech was
delivered not from the Red Fort
but at the Con-
impression that one is reading a syl-
labus history book rather than a story
book or a memoir. The entire first
chapter and part of chapter 6 have
added more pages to the book but
have not added any value, quality, or
glamour to it. RG Kar Medical College
has been the cornerstone of the
author’s life, shaping his formative
years and laying the foundation for his
journey to eminence and prominence.
It has made him what he is today. It
was his alma mater. To call it a medical
school following the American
system is not
tem is known. This educational system
based on hierarchy was the creation of
British India. We should be proud of
this hierarchy. It appears that the book
was written primarily for American
readers.
In spite of some of the redundan-
cies and out-of-context references, the
memoir is pleasant reading. It is beau-
tiful literature and a document of a
doctor’s journey from obscurity and
adversity to fame and prominence in
the USA. Comparing and contrasting
two different cultures and assimilating
and absorbing them in profession and
real life is the main theme of the book.
I am not aware of any other doctor
who has attempted to write such a
memoir. The book is worth reading
again and again. Thanks also to the
publisher, who has published the
book in a larger font, making
reading a pleasure without
straining the eyes.
(The reviewer is a former central
civil service officer who retired
from the Ministry of Defence)

can inspire inspiration, encourage-
ment, and motivation. For example, a
writer's face and eyes were damaged
by a leaking ammonia bottle during a
Holi celebration. He was fascinated by
anatomical specimens at Jalpaiguri
Medical School's open house and the
healing power of natural herbs in a toe
cut. In the writer's own words, “I want-
ed to be a physician from a young age.
I was fascinated by healing. My experi-
ence of facial trauma from the ammo-
nia, my visit to the local medical
school, observation of the anatomy
specimens and the cadavers definitely,
may be indirectly, influenced my
desire to go to medical school. When
visiting the hospital, I was impressed
by the surgeons in their scrubs as they
talked to the families, and it inspired
me to become a surgeon”.
The writer studied at RG Kar Med-
ical College on a refugee scholarship,
but lost one year due to indisposition.
After completing his medical degree,
he became a doctor and was offered a
house officership in paediatrics. He
treated malnourished and emaciated
children and children of destitute par-
ents from East Pakistan, now
Bangladesh, with thalassemia as a
common problem. After completing
his tenure, he tried to establish a prac-
tice in Kolkata but could not get a
foothold. He eventually got a job with
rotation according to the rules of
internship in consultation with his
seniors. He has compared his intern-
ship with that of his Calcutta experi-
ence and drawn a medico-social pic-
ture of the ambience between the two
hospitals. They are nicely written in a
lucid style without using much med-
ical jargon. Young and aspiring doc-
tors should benefit from his narratives.
“Each rotation taught me something
new and brought more hands-on
experience. On one hand, it seemed as
if I had been away from home for a
long time, and on the other, my time at
the hospital seemed to be going by so
quickly. I had already been there for
almost six months. While my profes-
sors in medical school back home had
been very good, the American system
of training and teaching was simply
better, especially its use of visual aids.”
He further writes in America, “The
hospital surroundings were much
nicer. Everything was delightful on the
floor, except for the death. But even
then, that scenario was much less
cruel than how we experienced death
in India. On the other hand, death is
always cruel, regardless of geography”.
The author’s tenure at Griffin
ended in June 1963, and he left for
Boston on a job offer for further med-
ical training to become a surgeon.
There he met Margaret, who became
Spot
eleven. There are rich
source documents about
India’s freedom movement
and modern Indian history.
Memoir and history cannot
be combined. As one starts
Light
reading the book, one gets From
the feeling that one is reading
modern Indian history but not
Calcutta to
a memoir. It is an unnecessary Connecticut
inclusion. Colonial India had
no influence on his childhood. Dr Amitabha Ghosh Roy
The book should have started in
chapter 2, taking the last para- Sdp Publishing,
graph of chapter 1 as the begin- 2021
ning. This redundancy has been PP 202
repeated in Chapter 6. In the early
days at Griffin Hospital, he went Rs 720/- (paperback)
to New York with his friends by
road but returned by train to Con-
necticut. During the train journey,
the author had reminiscences of
another train journey, which he took
with his friends at the end of his sec-
ond year at RG Kar Medical College.
They went to Delhi, Agra, Hardwar,
and other places. He has given an
elaborate description of the Mughal
architecture of the Taj Mahal, Sikan-
dra, and Bulwand Darwaza in Agra
and the Red Fort in Delhi. He has writ-
ten about the large domes, slender
minarets, massive halls, large vaulted
gateways, and delicate ornamentation
of those Mughal structures.
 ‘A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF THRILL’
Wicket-keeper batter Dhruv Jurel emphasised the storied history and enthralling
nature of the India-Pakistan rivalry. India A will take on Pakistan A in the ACC Men's
Emerging Asia Cup 2023, on Wednesday. Dhruv perceives a standout perfor-
mance in this match as a significant accomplishment due to the fierce com-
petition between the two nations. Speaking to Star Sports, the wicket-keep-
er batter also said, “India-Pakistan has always been a rivalry, like it gives a dif-
ferent level of thrill”. He also added that, “If anyone plays a good game in
this match, it looks like a big achievement for them because it’s the India-
Pakistan match.”
For more updates www.thestatesman.com
THUMBNAILS
Barcelona sign Oriol Romeu
in three-year deal: FC
Barcelona and Girona FC
have reached an agree-
ment for the transfer of
the player Oriol Romeu.
The player will sign a con-
tract with the Club for the
next three seasons, until
2026, and his buy-out
clause is set at 400 million
euros, confirmed by the
club on their website. Oriol
Romeu returns to the Club
for a second time after
arriving at La Masia in 2004
to form part of the FC
Barcelona youth set-up.
The midfielder from Ullde-
cona in Catalonia moved
through the categories to
form part of the Barca
Atletic squad under then-
coach Luis Enrique, gaining
experience playing in the
Second Division of Spanish
Football.
Rodrigues' all-round heroics
help India level series
against B’desh: Jemimah
Rodrigues dished out a
memorable all-round per-
formance -- a quick 86 with
the bat and four wickets
(4/3) with the ball -- to help
India level three-game ODI
series 1-1 with a 108-run
win against Bangladesh in
the second match at the
Sher-e-Bangla National
Cricket Stadium, here on
Wednesday. Jemimah's
superb efforts meant that
the third ODI set to be
played on Saturday will
now be the series decider.
Put into bat first, Jemimah
made a career-best 86 off
78 balls and took four
wickets with her part-time
off-spin, giving away only
three runs.
Asia Cup: India vs Pak clash
set for 2 Sept in Kandy
AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
Team India will play Pakistan
on September 2 in Kandy in the
2023 Asia Cup, scheduled to start
on August 30, said a report.
According to ESPNcricin-
fo, the tournament opener
will be played in Multan with
hosts Pakistan playing Nepal
with the final scheduled in
Colombo on September 17.
“Those matches feature in
the latest version of the draft
schedule which is likely to see
I was cheated: Antim Panghal objects to
Vinesh getting direct entry for Asian Games
AGENCIES
HISAR, 19 JULY
Woman wrestler Antim Pang-
hal has raised questions over
the exemption given to
wrestlers Bajrang Punia and
Vinesh Phogat for direct entry
into the Asian Games 2023 by
the Wrestling Federation of
India (WFI) ad-hoc panel and
said “a fair trial should be con-
ducted”.
Reigning Under-20 World
Champion Panghal released
a video where she highlight-
ed her achievements in the
past year. "Vinesh (Phogat) is
being sent directly, she does-
n't have any achievements in
the last year but despite that,
she is being sent directly.
Even in the Commonwealth
Printed and published by VINEET GUPTA for THE STATESMAN LTD, Statesman House, 148 Barakhamba Road, New Delhi ��Editor: RAVINDRA KUMAR ��Managing Editor: ARYA RUDRA ��Printed at Vibha Publication Pvt Ltd, D-160 B, Sector 7, NOIDA 201301 (UP). ��The Statesman Ltd. RNB REG. No. M-8905,RNI No. 507/57
Ashes: Eng get early wickets,
Australia reach 100-run mark
Smith-Marnus duo took Australia through the remainder of the session with any further loss of wickets till lunch
AGENCIES
MANCHESTER, 19 JULY
S
tuart Broad and Chris
Woakes struck early
for England but the
pair of Steve Smith
and Marnus Labuschagne
put Australia in a position of
comfort at the end of the
first session during the fourth
Ashes Test at Old Trafford in
Manchester on Wednesday.
At the end of the first day,
Australia was at 107/2, with
Smith (33*) and Labuschagne
(29*) unbeaten. After being put
to bat first by England, the
hosts were off to a good start.
Pacer Stuart Broad drew the
first blood, dismissing an in-
form Usman Khawaja for just
three runs off 19 balls after
trapping him leg-before-
wicket. Australia was 15/1 in
five overs. Marnus
Labuschagne was next up
on the crease. He and Warn-
er started to rebuild the
innings.
At the end of 10 overs,
Australia was at 39/1, with
Warner (22*) and
Labuschagne (8*) unbeaten
at the crease. Australia reached
the 50-run mark in 13 overs.
Just when it seemed the
Warner-Marnus will com-
plete a fifty-run partnership,
the former nicked a delivery
by Chris Woakes straight into
the hands of wicketkeeper
Jonny Bairstow. Warner was
dismissed for 32 off 38 balls,
consisting of three fours. The
46-run stand between him and
further changes before the
ACC announces the final ver-
sion. The original draft sched-
ule, prepared by the PCB (the
hosting board), has already
undergone several iterations
mainly because of the six-
nation tournament being
played in Pakistan and Sri
Lanka based on the hybrid
model approved by the ACC
recently,” it said. “A total of 13
matches will be played in the
tournament, all of which are
scheduled to start at 1pm Pak-
istan Standard Time (1.30pm
Games trial, I had a 3-3 bout
with her. Then too, I was
cheated...A fair trial should be
conducted," Panghal said.
"Last year, in the Junior
World Championships, I won
a gold medal and became
the first woman wrestler from
India to achieve this feat. In
the 2023 Asian Champi-
onships, I won a silver medal,
but Vinesh has no achieve-
ment to show in the last one
year. She was also injured,"
she added.
According to sources, there
is a rule in the Wrestling Fed-
eration of India (WFI) that if
there is any situation where
Target Olympic Podium
Scheme (TOPS) athletes need
exemption (world champions
and Olympic medalists) they
Marnus was over.
Australia was 61/2 in 14.1
overs.
Steve Smith was next up
on the crease. Smith got off
the mark with a boundary over
the fine leg region.
At the end of 20 overs,
Australia was 81/2, with
Labuschagne (24*) and Smith
(12*).
With a boundary on James
Anderson delivery, Australia
crossed the 100-run mark in
24 overs.
The Smith-Labuschagne
duo took Australia through the
remainder of the session with
any further loss of wickets.
Brief Scores: Australia:
107/2 (Steve Smith 33*, David
Warner 32, Chris Woakes
1/13).
Women's Ashes:Despite Aus-
tralia retaining the Women's
IST). Pakistan are grouped
with India and Nepal in Group
A while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
and Afghanistan are in Group
B. The top two teams from each
group will qualify for the Super
Four stage with the top two
teams in this phase advancing
to the final. The Asia Cup,
which will be played in the 50-
overs format this time, is essen-
tially a preparation run for
five of the six teams - barring
Nepal - for the ODI World
Cup which begins from Octo-
ber 5 in India,” it said.
can get it.
Rio Olympics bronze
medalist Sakshi Malik didn't
receive an exemption because
she is not a TOPS athlete and
has to appear for trials.
Antim Panghalm who
turned emotional, said ath-
letes like her have been train-
ing hard and should have
“fair” chance to qualify.
“I will try to qualify for the
Olympics by attending the
Ashes, England captain
Heather Knight hailed her
side's T20 and ODI series
victories as "really special".
A thrilling women's Ashes
series came to a close at
Taunton with England defeat-
ing Australia by 69 runs via
DLS method in the third ODI
on Tuesday night.
The victory allowed Eng-
land to clinch the ODI series
2-1, but Australia still retained
the Women's Ashes as the
multi-format series ended
tied at 8-8 following the seven
matches, due to the Alyssa
Healy-led side being previ-
ous holders of the trophy. But
more importantly, England
handed Australia their first
ODI series defeat in a decade.
"I'm hugely pleased, it's
a draw isn't it. And we've got
two trophies against the
Lot of history between these two teams: Rohit
Sharma ahead of 100th Test against West Indies
AGENCIES
PORT OF SPAIN, 19 JULY
Ahead of his side's second Test
against West Indies at Port of
Spain, which is also the 100th
Test between both sides, Indi-
an skipper Rohit Sharma
expressed his happiness at the
privilege of being able to play
and lead the Indian side on
this historic match.
India and West Indies will
lock horns in the second Test
at Port of Spain. This will be
the 100th Test match between
both sides. India is leading the
series by 1-0. "This is a big occa-
sion. The 100th Test between
India and West Indies is hap-
pening. There has been a lot
of history between these two
teams, ever since I was not
even born (laughs). These
both sides have played a lot
of good cricket and entertained
people. I hope this Test match
will also be the same. The
weather will be an issue, but
our focus will be on what we
can do to win the match and
perform well. I am honoured
to lead India in this game. To
be part of these games, it
does not happen often. We all
are fortunate to be a part of
it. They (West Indies) can
(Hangzhou) Asian Games.
But now they are saying they
will send Vinesh. This is not
done," Panghal said.
Vinesh Phogat had with-
drawn from the Budapest
Ranking Series 2023 due to ill-
ness on the eve of the com-
petition.
"I just want to know, why
she has been given direct
entry, on what merit she is
going to Asian games. Sakshi
Malik has also won an Olympic
medal, she too is not being
sent. What is so special about
Vinesh that she is being sent?
Just organise trials. I am not
saying that I am the only one
who can beat Vinesh. There
are several other girls who can
beat her," Panghal said.
"They are also saying that
world champions, which is
really special. I think the fact
that we'd gone so close and
gone toe-to-toe with Aus-
tralia, in the Test and that first
T20, I think it actually built
more belief - even though we
didn't get the results," said
Heather after the match.
England had come close
to taking the Women's Ashes,
but a three-run loss in the sec-
ond ODI at Southampton
had dashed those hopes.
"I think the way that the
group has turned it around
after the Ageas Bowl, it was
a pretty quiet bus journey, on
the way here there was a lot
of emotion and disappoint-
ment that the Ashes had
slipped away, but I think
credit to the group, and to the
staff, the way they've turned
it around and really turned
bounce back, they have a
good team," said Rohit in a
pre-match press conference
on Wednesday.
On West Indies Cricket's
recent downfall, which has
caused them to miss out on
their first-ever ICC Cricket
World Cup this year, Rohit said
that he is not aware of the
things happening within the
team internally, but the play-
the one who goes for the
Asian Games will also go for
the World Championships.
And the one who wins a medal
at the Worlds will go to the
Olympics (in Paris). We have
also been training hard for
years. So, what about us?"
"I request you to support
me like you supported Vinesh
Phogat, I have practiced for
four years, and I just what to
know why they are selected…..
Should we leave wrestling? Tell
us on what basis is she (Vinesh)
being sent," Panghal added.
Sources had said that WFI
panel had given Bajrang and
Vinesh direct entry to par-
ticipate in the upcoming
Asian games, Hangzhou, with-
out appearing in national
trials.
up in the match," added
Heather.
England looked to be
heading towards losing
Women's Ashes early after
being 6-0 behind due to los-
ing the one-off Test and first
T20I match. But the hosts'
staged a remarkable fightback
to win four of the remaining
five matches.
"I think it was just staying
very level, obviously accept-
ing we were in the situation,
but that we could do a lot
about it. We felt like we were
really close, and we had the
players to compete with this
really good side. So credit to
the girls for still believing, and
I think the staff as well deserve
a huge amount of credit for
being able to keep us believ-
ing," stated Heather.
For the ODI leg of the
Women's Ashes, all three
games were sold out and
Heather concluded by say-
ing England wanted to
enthrall the crowd through
their performance in Taunton.
"We wanted to continue
playing how we had all series.
We wanted to entertain and
inspire this crowd that had
come out to support us," the
England skipper said.
"We owed it to everyone
to try to do that, and obvi-
ously, there was a lot on the
line still. So I'm hugely
impressed by how the girls
have done that and very
happy to be finishing with
a draw," she added.
ers are talented.
"I have played a lot of
cricket with them, they are tal-
ented. If they had their spin-
ners in the first Test, there
could have been a threat for
us because the pitch offered
a lot of turn and bounce. The
game is there, but I cannot tell
what is the issue internally.
We do not play against them
keeping their internal issues
Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Tavengwa dispels
questions on corruption at Zim Afro T10
AGENCIES
HARARE, 19 JULY
The much-awaited Zim Afro
T10 is expected to be one of
the finest cricket tourna-
ments, as entertainment
and high-quality sport come
together in Harare, where
some of the most exciting
names in white-ball cricket
have descended.
Organised by Zimbabwe
Cricket along with T Ten
Global Sports, the Zim Afro
T10 is the first tournament
of its kind in the continent
of Africa.
Speaking ahead of the
tournament, Zimbabwe
Cricket’s Chairman Taveng-
wa Mukuhlani was all praise
for the initiative and gave his
nod to what is a new jour-
ney in the history of Zim-
babwe. “The Zim Cyber
NEW DELHI
THURSDAY 20 JULY 2023
Postal Reg. No. DL (ND)-II/6088/2022/-23-24
Korea Open: Sindhu,
Srikanth crash out; Prannoy
advances to second round
HARPAL SINGH BEDI
NEW DELHI, 19 JULY
Two-time Olympic medal-
ist PV Sindhu headlined the
disappointing day for Indi-
an shuttlers in the Korea
Open Badminton as she
along with 9 other compa-
triots lost their first-round
matches of the tournament
in Seoul on Wednesday.
Sindhu, who has endured
a poor season so far, failed
to cross the first-round hur-
dle going down to Chinese
Taipei’s Pai Yu Po 18-21, 21-
10, 13-21.
The first-round exit in
Korea was Sindhu's sixth
opening round ouster in 12
BWF World Tour tourna-
ment appearances this sea-
son. The Indian had also
failed to progress beyond the
first hurdle at the Malaysia
Open, India Open, All Eng-
land Open, Thailand Open
and Singapore Open.
This was also her first offi-
cial match under new coach
Muhammad Hafiz Hashim.
The Malaysian’s appoint-
ment was formally
announced on Tuesday.
Only three of the 13 Indi-
ans in the fray could made
it to the next round of the
tournament .Two of the
three wins came in men’s sin-
gles. HS Prannoy scored an
easy 21-13, 21-17 victory
over Belgium’s Julien Car-
raggi while Priyanshu
Rajawat defeated Korea’s
Choi Ji Hoon 21-15, 21-19 to
set up a second-round clash
against Japanese top seed
Kodai Naraoka.
Former world No. 1
in their mind and if this or that
is happening with them, but
what we can do to do well
against them, get some pos-
itives and win matches," said
Rohit.
On Ishan Kishan, who
made his Test debut in the first
Test, Rohit said that Ishan is
a "very talented" player and
he has been given the freedom
to play however he wants.
City Zim Afro T10 tourna-
ment, which is the first in
Africa, the glamour and the
opportunity around it with
the international cricketers
that are there, we thought it
was a good opportunity for
us and Zimbabwe cricket
in a quest to rebuild and repo-
sition ourselves in the arena
of global cricket. It is a great
opportunity for us to have this
tournament here and every-
one, the technical staff, play-
ers and even the fans and
media, are all excited about,”
said Mukuhlani.
While Zimbabwe and the
cricketing fraternity are excit-
ed about the Zim Afro T10,
there have been questions
raised about possible activ-
ities about the integrity of the
tournament.
Addressing the same with
a straight bat, Mukuhlani said,
12
Kidambi Srikanth conced-
ed a lead to go down 12-21,
24-22, 21-17 to Japan’s Kento
Momota in men’s singles
while his compatriot Kiran
George lost 17-21, 9-21 to
Chinese Taipei shuttler
Wang Tzu Wei. Mithun Man-
junath suffered an 11-21, 4-
21 loss to Malaysian NG
Tze Yong.
In women’s singles,
Malvika Bansod lost 21-17,
21-7 to Chinese Taipei’s Tai
Tzu Ying, the current world
No. 4. Ashmita Chaliha, lost
tothe reigning Olympic
champion China's Chen Yu
Fei 13-21,12-21 .
Another Chinese shut-
tler, Zhang Yi Man, ousted
Aakarshi Kashyap from the
first-round while Tasnim
Mir fell to local player Kim
Ga Yun. Japan’s Saena
Kawakami accounted for.
Tanya Hemnath, B Sumeeth
Reddy and Ashwini Pon-
nappa lost 21-23, 21-13, 12-
21 to the Korean pair of
Song Hyun Cho and Lee
Jung Hyun. Rohan Kapoor
and N Sikki Reddy, mean-
while, made the second
round in mixed doubles
defeating the Philippines’
Alvin Morada and Alyssa
Ysabel Leonardo 21-17, 21-
17. The series of defeats on
Wednesday only leaves Pran-
noy and Priyanshu Rajawat
(men’s singles), Satwiksairaj
Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty
(men’s doubles), Treesa
Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand
(women’s doubles) and
Rohan Kapoor-N Sikki Reddy
(mixed doubles) as the Indi-
an challengers still alive at
the Korea Open 2023.
"Ishan is a very talented
guy. We have seen it in the
short career he has had. He
has scored 200 in ODIs. He has
talent, he is aggressive. We
have to bring out that talent.
I have talked to him and given
him freedom the way he
wants to play. He has that
game, we have to provide
him the freedom to play his
game, his way. He also kept
really well in the first Test, on
a wicket with turn, bounce and
which had many balls which
pitched low. He could score
only 1 run and we had to
declare. I am sure he is rar-
ing to go," said Rohit.
On the transition from
senior talent to youngsters in
the team, Rohit said that his
role as a senior is very impor-
tant. "Transition has to hap-
pen, whether today or tomor-
row but I am happy that
youngsters are coming good
for Indian cricket who can take
this team to greater heights.
We have to give them clarity
of role, our work as seniors is
important. It is up to them to
how to play their Tests and
prepare for it. These young-
sters are talented and will
take Indian cricket to newer
heights," concluded Rohit.
“Integrity is of top priority
in any tournament. Whether
it is club cricket or bilateral
cricket. And it’s no less for
this tournament. We have
gone through a whole process
of due diligence, prior to
licensing T10, and that
involves working together
with the integrity unit at the
ICC. T10 is in its sixth year
and the integrity checks
have been put into place
and addressed and we are
working with the ICC Integri-
ty Unit and our own securi-
ty systems in Zimbabwe to
ensure that the integrity of
the game is not jeopardised.
Maintaining the integrity of
the game is of top most pri-
ority for us and we can assure
you we are doing everything
to ensure the fans and play-
ers enjoy the game proper-
ly.”