a notification for Sharif s disqualification.

Transcription

1 C M Y K RNI Regn. No. MPENG/2004/13703, Regd. No. L-2/BPLON/41/ akistan s Supreme Court on PFriday disqualified the Lion of Punjab Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the Panama Papers scandal, forcing the embattled leader to resign. The federal Cabinet also stands dissolved. The top court took up the case in October last year on petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Awami Muslim League and Jamaat-e- Islami and reserved the verdict in February after conducting hearings on a daily basis. It is the third time that the 67-year-old veteran politician s term as premier has been cut short. The much-awaited verdict plunged Pakistan into a political crisis at a time when the country is facing a brittle economy and a surge in militancy. Though there was no official announcement, Pakistan Muslims League Nawaz (PML- N) sources said Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Nawaz, was most likely to succeed him as PM after the court verdict. However, a name has not been announced for the interim PM, who will fill the 45-day vacuum until Shehbaz, 65, is elected to a National Assembly seat. igh political drama played Hout in Ahmedabad on Friday following the resignation of three more Congress legislators from Gujarat Assembly during the day. The party booked a chartered flight to ferry its remaining MLAs from Ahmedabad to Bengaluru in order to keep them away till the Rajya Sabha elections. This dramatic exercise to take MLAs away from Gujarat has been done in order to stop The verdict meant that yet another Pakistani premier has failed to complete a five-year term. No Pakistani PM has ever completed a full five-year term with their tenures cut short by the military, the judiciary or they were ousted by their own party, forced to resign or assassinated. It is the second time in Pakistan s 70-year history that the SC has disqualified a sitting exodus from the Congress. However, some of Congress legislators could not be contacted. They were given message on social media platform to reach at the airport by pm. It is believed that those in queue to exit the party, deliberately switched off their mobile phones and went to untraceable locations. Meanwhile, BJP national president Amit Shah, Union Minister for Textile Smriti Irani, and the new entrant in the saffron brigade Balwantsinh Rajput filed the nomination for the elections of three Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat. The election is slated on August 8. Rajput was chief whip of the Congress in the Gujarat Assembly but after resigning as MLA on Thursday. ammu & Kashmir Chief JMinister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi the man of the moment and said he had the potential to become the man of the history by taking Kashmir out of the mess. Speaking at a public event, Understanding Kashmir a composite dialogue on peace, stability and a way forward, at India International Centre, she also said National Investigative Agency (NIA) s crackdown on the separatists is only an administrative measure while reviving talks with Pakistan and dialogue with other stakeholders was necessary for the resolution of larger Kashmir problem. Modi is the man of the moment and he has the potential to rise and become a man of the history. His leadership is an asset, PM, the first being in 2012, when Yousaf Raza Gilani was disqualified over contempt of court charges for refusing to reopen a graft case against then President Asif Ali Zardari. As the unanimous verdict by the five-judge Bench was read out by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan inside the packed courtroom 1 of the SC, a large number of Opposition PTI workers celebrated outside ational Security Advisor NAjit Doval and other top security czars of the BRICS nations on Friday called on Chinese President Xi Jinping, who praised their efforts in enhancing mutual trust and cooperation despite the vast geographical distance among the member nations. which needs to be harnessed. The democratically-elected Government needs to get together under his leadership to take Kashmir out of the mess, Mehbooba said at a two-day event organised by BRIEF, a socioeconomic consulting company. She also defended her ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) underlining that the reason behind not delivering agenda of alliance was due to circumstances created by the law and order situation in Kashmir Valley. The Valley has witnessed two violent summers after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and BJP formed a coalition Government in Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh made several visits to discuss the law and order situation in the Valley in the recent past. chanting the slogan, Go, Nawaz, Go. The court disqualified Sharif under Article 62 and 63 of Pakistan s Constitution. The Articles state that a Member of Parliament should be truthful and righteous. He is disqualified as a Member of the Parliament so he has ceased to be holding the office of Prime Minister, Justice Khan The court ordered the Election Commission to issue a notification for Sharif s disqualification. Following the order, the EC de-notified Sharif from NA-120 constituency (in Lahore). The court verdict said that having furnished a false declaration under solemn affirmation, Sharif was not honest under terms of the Constitution. The SC disqualified him for failing to declare the receivable salary from a UAE-based company of his son in the 2013 nomination paper. The court termed the salary which was not paid to Sharif as an asset. The meeting comes amid a stand-off between China and India in Doklam area in the Sikkim sector.after day-long deliberations over improving cooperation in a number of areas, the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) NSAs met Xi and interacted with him.xi, in his address to the BRICS NSAs, praised them for building a mutual trust and cooperation among the member nations. Every minister has done a great job for improving our mutual trust and security cooperation. I sincerely thank for all your efforts, Xi who is heading the BRICS group this year said about the deliberations by the NSAs on Friday on host of security related issues. She said that the idea of India was incomplete without the idea of Kashmir. There is an emotional leak with respect to Kashmir but there are people in the country who are concerned about us. Kashmir is an idea like the idea of India so the basic question is how much is the idea of India ready to accommodate the idea of Kashmir? Mehbooba asked. She said taking the path of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by engaging in the dialogue process with Pakistan was the only way forward. Citing the Lahore declaration in which Pakistan had assured that it will not allow its land to be used against anti-india activities, Mehbooba said, In spite of Kargil Continued on Page 4 he Supreme Court on TFriday stayed the decision of Election Commission of India to disqualify Madhya Pradesh Minister Narottam Mishra from contesting elections for three years in a paid news case. The apex court has directed a division bench of the C M Y K Delhi High Court to hear Mishra s plea. The apex court said that the matter involves substantial questions of law regarding interpretation of the provisions of the Representation of the People Act and requested the Delhi High Court to hear Mishra's pending appeal expeditiously, preferably within two weeks. However, the division bench of the high court had said that there was no urgency for hearing Mishra's appeal against its single judge decision upholding his disqualification and it would be heard by a regular bench later. The apex court said, "We are of the opinion that the matter involves substantial questions of law regarding the interpretation of various provisions of the Representation of People Act (sections 10A, 77, 78, 123 etc). In the circumstances, we are of the opinion that the ends of justice would be met in the instant case by requesting the High Court of Delhi to hear the above-mentioned LPA expeditiously preferably within a period of two weeks from today. Contined on page 4 hief Minister Nitish Kumar- NDA Govt in Bihar on Cled Friday proved its majority in the Assembly getting 131 votes while the Opposition managed to secure 108 votes. In the House of 243, 239 votes were exercised with one MLA each from the RJD, Congress and BJP not turning up and the Speaker not casting his vote. Both the CM and Deputy CM Sushil Modi are not voters as they are members of the Legislative Council. Not satisfied with the voice vote, the Opposition forced division of vote.while Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav vehemently opposed the motion through his hard hitting speech, the CM said the mandate in 2015 was not to turn a blind eye to corruption and asserted that his joining hands with the BJP did not mean any compromise with his commitment to secularism. JP's tribal leader Sampatiya BUike on Friday filed her nomination papers for the vacant Rajya Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh. The election was necessitated following the death of the then Environment minister Anil Madhav Dave in May this year. n a bid to placate senior IJD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday called on him on phone and explained the need for joining hands with the BJP. Sources said that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has also spoken to Yadav in a bid to persuade him to continue to be part of the NDA. While JD(U) leaders are hopeful that differences will be resolved, Sharad Yadav remained tightlipped for third consecutive day about his future course of action. Two Rajya Sabha members, Ali Anwar and MP Veerendra Kumar, have openly opposed Kumar s decision. Uike (50), the present district Panchayat president in Mandla, handed over her nomination papers to Returning Officer AP Singh at the Vidhan Sabha secretariat in the presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the BJP's state unit chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan. She had unsuccessfully contested the assembly elections in Friday was the last day for filing of nominations. The scrutiny of papers would be done tomorrow. The election, if required, will be held on August 8. K Padmarajan filed his nomination as an Independent on July 26, an Assembly Secretariat official said Ȯut of the total 11 Rajya eavy rainfall has disrupted Hnormal life at several places in the State; among the nearby regions of the State capital low lying areas of Raisen have been water logged on Friday and more rains are likely to occur as warning of heavy rainfall has been issued by Met department for the next 24 hours. A two kilometer stretch of NH 86 was completely submerged due to the heavy rainfall and Reliance petrol pump situated in the middle of the city was also submerged in water. From Friday morning Bhopal-Sagar-Kanpur Allahabad highway has been shut as the around 3 km of road is submerged in water. The water is around 4 ft which has stalled the traffic on the national highway.the rainfall has continued for the past four days with regular intervals and heavy rainfall in the night on Thursday. At Kaudi Bridge the water is flowing three ft above the bridge. Several rivers and water bodies have swollen across the State. Contined on page 4 Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, seven seats are currently represented by the BJP while the Congress holds three. In the 230-member House, whose effective strength is reduced to 228 due to the death of an MLA and the disqualification of a Cabinet minister, the ruling BJP has 165 members, the Congress 56, the BSP four, and others three. M adhya Government and Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are facing uncertainty over the cabinet expansion in the light of disqualification of Water Resources Minister Paid news case implicating Public Relations Minister Narottam Mishra. On June 23, the Election Commission in its decision had held Mishra disqualified for contesting elections for three years. Since then, uncertainty is prevailing in the Government, as the departments that were in possession of Mishra are unable to take important decisions. On Friday, while talking to media persons at his residence, Chouhan told that cabinet expansion is being mulled. However, in the afternoon, Mishra got relief from Supreme Court in the afternoon, in which the Apex court directed to stay the decision nullifying the seat of Mishra and asked the Delhi High Court to hear the plea in two weeks. Contined on page 4

2 C M Y K t was a mesmerizing evening Ifor the Bhopalites, as they witnessed the calmness of devotional music. A three-day event Santvaani began at Bharat Bhavan on Friday wherein the Bhopalites experienced the beauty of devotional music. Based on the poems of Kaljayi poets, the event is all about the sheer devotion towards the god. On Friday, the event kicked off with the wondrous performances by two renowned devotional singers Vidya Shah and Sulekha Bhatt. The Antarang Hall was jam packed with the audiences as the singers gave melodious performances back to back. To begin with the programme, Vidya Shah was introduced on stage. Her decency and elegancy on stage proved her passion for devotional singing. Notably, Vidya P Nagar police have Mbooked the store manager and the godown incharge of Go Colours store at DB Mall for stealing garments worth 9 lakh; two other accused went missing after a case was registered against them on Thursday. Police said that the store presented enormous beautiful bhajans and ghazals before the audiences. It is to be noted that she is a cultural and musical icon of the country for past several years. Further, she has performed under various big banners and has enthralled the music lover across the nation. Whatever the genre, Vidya presented her vocal skills wonderfully which created an impact over the listeners. Then it was the presentation by Sulekha Bhatt. Notably, Sulekha is a pioneer in devotional songs, earthy geets, ghazals, film music and folk music. The clarity in her voice made all the genres more melodies and an impact indelible. Her performance is more like a feast for the classical music lover. Her performances took the audiences into mesmerizing heights of ecstasy anyway. It was a treat for the music lovers of the city. Manager Pramod Dhakad and godown in-charge Ekta Sahu were booked for criminal breach of trust. The store located at second floor of the DB Mall and the godown is also situated in DB Mall. The store owned by Fashion India Private limited and when audit was conducted by the company it was he collage of three short Tplays explained the essence of life. The Hindi play Chhot Badi Baatien-2 was staged at Madhya Pradesh State Tribal Museum on Friday. The play was performed under the regular series of tehatre presentations Abhinayan. Directed by Rajiv Verma, the play Chhoti Badi Baatien 2 was beautifully presented by the artists of Bhopal theatre and art and culture group. Rajiv Verma who is better known for his characters in movies is yet another brilliant theatre director. Rajiv has combined various shades of life together which showcases the colours of relationship. All through the play, he defines the ups and downs, the wants and needs and other variations of human life. The audience at Tribal Museum enjoyed every nit of the play. The play Chhoti Badi Baatien 2 is a combination of three stores Ataichi Kaif, Fasle and Akhri Chitthi. All the three stories highlight about the different phases of life. iddh Bhauji has said that Sblindness eradication is the common objective of International NGO Sight Savers and Sewa Sadan Eye Hospital. The mission of both the organisations is common. Siddh Bhauji was addressing in a programme organized for free distribution of specs to students of Sadhu Vaswani School Sant Hirdaram Nagar on Friday. Senior Social Media Ambassador and Liaison Officer of Sight Savers, London Laura Farhall and Corinne Ckark were mainly present in the programme. Siddh bhauji and guests distributed 235 specs to the students of refraction error. These spaces were sponsored by an International NGO ORBIS. State programme officer of Sight Savers Jayshree Kumar, Managing Trustee LC Janiyani and senior educationist Vishnu Gehani were also present on the occasion. Siddh Bhauji said that the main objective of Sewa Sadan is not to earn money but to spread services in rural areas. In view to achieve this object Sewa Sadan has now started organising three free eye camps every week in the periphery of 200 km of Sant Hirdaram Nagar. He said the villagers have no means and facilities to save their vision. Therefore, Sewa Sadan Eye Hospital is trying to spread its services in found that garments were missing. The store manager and godown in-charge were questioned by the company officials who conducted the audit and they were not able to provide any satisfactory answer to the question. During the audit over 1500 garments were found missing which were worth Rs 9 lakh. The fraud was committed in the past one year during which the two were responsible for operating the store and managing the godown. The area manager of the company Saddam Hussain lodged a complaint with the MP Nagar police and the police started investigation. After the preliminary investigation the police have registered a case under section 406 and 408 of the IPC against Pramod Dhakad and Ekta Sahu on Thursday and have started further investigation. The two went absconding after the case was registered and search for the two has been started said the police. Details of the fraud would be revealed after the arrest of the accused. rural areas. He said that this organisation can achieve its optimum objects with the cooperation of International organisations like SightSavers. Media Ambassador and Liaison Officer of Sight Savers, T he 36th meeting of Town Official Language Implementation Committee (TOLIC) was held the other day in association in with GAIL (India) Limited and Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited. On this occasion DK Thakur, Executive Director, BHEL, Bhopal and President, London Laura Farhall said that she has come to assess the quality of cataract surgeries and prevalence of disease in Bhopal and North India region. She appreciated the work and services spirit of TOILC was present as the Chief Guest. Harish Singh Chouhan, Assistant Director, Union Ministry of Home Affairs US Pandey, DGM, GAIL (India) Ltd.; Dinesh Kumar Togaria, Deputy Regional Manager, Rajasthan Electronic and Instruments Ltd.; MS Kinra. General Manager (HR & Quality); Sharif Khan, Secretary, DGM (HR-CLC) Sewa Sadan Eye Hospital. Laura said she is very much influenced with the rich cultural heritage of India. She further disclosed that somehow her family was earlier connected with India. and other senior officials were also present in the programme. Thakur inaugurating the website of TOLIC said that a nation progresses with the progress of language. He further urged the gathering to maximise the use of Hindi in all IT related work areas. Later, prizes were given to the winners of the Rajbhasa Vyjayanti Puraskar C M Y K

3 sity Conservation, Additional Principal Chief Conservation of Watershed Conservator of Forests DN he National Green areas and Pollution and Pandey will take part in the TTribunal s (NGT) Central Sustainable Development Watershed area Conservation Zone Bench, Bhopal, is organising a two-day Regional Conference on July in the city. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan would be the chief guest. State Environment awards would also be given away during the conference. National Green Tribunal during the conference. Madhya Pradesh High Court Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Padma Bhushan HS Pawar, Additional Chief Secretary Deepak Khandekar, Madhya Pradesh Bio-diversity Board Member Secretary R Srinivasa Murthy and Admin Staff College of Hyderabad s session. Member of NGT West Zone Bench, Pune Justice UD Salvi, South Zone Bench, Chennai Specialist member PS Rao, Principal Secretary to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Aman Singh and Chhattisgarh Environment and Housing Secretary Sanjay Shukla would Chairman Justice Swantantar Additional Director take part in the Pollution Kumar, Central Member Justice Dalip Kumar, High Court judges of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Judicial Achalendran Reddy will take part in the River and Biodiversity Conservation session. and Sustainable Development session. There will be a 20- minute open discussion after each session. member, Indian Rajasthan High Court Supreme Court Justice Administrative Service officers and subject experts are taking part in the conference. Technical sessions will be held on River and Bio-diver- Justice PS Bhati, Rajasthan Additional Chief Secretary NC Goyal, Rajasthan River- Basin Authority Chairman Ram Vedire and Rajasthan AK Sikri will be the chief guest and Justice Arun Mishra would be the special guest during the concluding ceremony to be held on July 30. he Bhopal music lovers Tenjoyed a calm and refreshing evening with the Kabir ke dohe. A classical event Kabir Gyan was organised at Dushyant Kumar Memorial Museum of Manuscript on Friday. The Kabir Gayan was beautifully presented by a renowned Kabir singer Bheru Singh Chouhan. It is to be noted that Bheru Singh is one of the renowned devotional singers of the State. For past 25 years he has been presenting his talent on stage and has performed across the country. On Friday Bheru Singh gave a fantastic performance before the music lovers of the city. Hailing from Indore, Bheru Singh belongs to the mandali that specializes in singing Bhajans of Kabir, Mira, Dharmdas and other mystic saint poets. Bheru Singh's father was part of a mandali and later Bheru Singh also formed an interest in it. While talking to The Pioneer, Bheru Singh said, Kabhir s poetry is one of the milestones for the young generation to understand the right path of the life. Elaborating further he said that today Kabir s poetry is much needed as the young generation is seemed to follow what s not right. It teaches love, kindness and much more. Kabir s poetry brings out the essence of life, added Bheru Singh. To begin with the evening, Bheru Singh performed one of the Kabir s poetry Moh Ko Kahan Dhunde Re Bande, Main toh Tere Paas Hoon. He then performed poetries of Kabir including Mohe Sun Sun Aaye Hasi. Adding much enchantment in the rainy evening, Bheru Singh performed Peele Amaras Dhara Gaggan Jhadi Lagi. He performed as many as 10 Kabir s compositions before the Bhopalites including devotional poetries which was much appreciated by the audience. The event Kabir Gayan was organised by Indian Council For Cultural Relations (ICCR) Bhopal chapter, under its horizon series. howcasing the notorious Sand loving nature of Lord Krishna, the renowned kathak exponent Vishal Krishna mesmerized the audience. On Friday he gave a splendid performance at Institute of Hotel Management (IHM). A cultural event was organised by Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture among Youth (SPIC MACAY) Bhopal chapter. The event was organised under the series of cultural performances Virasaat. Under this series, SPIC MACAY invite artists from across the country to perform before the youngsters of city. Vishal Krishna is a promising young exponent of the Benaras gharana. Born in 1991, 38-year-old man died after Ahis motorbike met an accident near Bhouri jod under Khajuri police station area in the wee hours on Thursday. Police said that an injured was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died during treatment. The deceased was identified as Jitendra Maran of Bhori village. After the preliminary investigation the body was sent for the post mortem and the police have registered a case under section 174 of the CrPC and started further investigation. The incident took place late in the night on Wednesday and deceased died in the wee hours on Thursday. Police said that the post mortem report is awaited which could help in further investigation. Meanwhile, a 22-year-old he is the great grandson of the late Sukhdeo Maharaj (the founder of the Benaras gharana) and the grandson of the eminent dancer, Sitara Devi. His energetic performance and early proficiency in the mathematical aspects of Kathak have mesmerized the audiences at the show. His performance won huge round of applause from kathak lovers. He refined the dramatic and rhythmic aspects, delighting audiences with the performance over rhythm and the stylized presentation. He began his performance with Ganesh Vandana. After that, he presented traditional composition of his gharana wonderfully, won hug round of applause from kathak lovers.he then performed Krishna Leela which spell bound the audience. During his performance, he also interacted with the audience and told them about the origin of Kathak dance. He told them that the dance is a huge form of mathematics, each chakra and each movement is performed according to the counts. Notably, his choreographies are appreciated across the world. Bringing new innovations in the classical dance form, Vishal has created a different impact over the classical dance lovers. The day turned out to be the wonderful experience for the audience as the performer beautifully presented the unique compositions. The audience watched their performance with rapt attention. married woman who committed suicide by setting herself ablaze at her residence at Hinotia Peeran village on July 7 died during treatment on Thursday. The deceased Poonam Bai died while undergoing treatment at Hamidia hospital. Police said that the deceased set herself ablaze on July 7 at her house and was rushed to Hamidia hospital where she died on Thursday. xhibiting an impressive Eperformance, the players of Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy marked the grand closure of two-day seventh State Shooting Shotgun Championship on Friday. The players of Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy on the last day of the State championship won seven medals including five gold medals, one silver and one bronze medal. It is to be noted that as many as 12 events were played at the championship. Interestingly, putting up a great match both the days, the players of State shooting academy have bagged six gold medals, three silver medals and three bronze medals. Besides, during the championship, players from various districts of Madhya Pradesh and the female players from women shooting clubs participated. Showcasing a brilliant performance each player gave a tough fight to their opponent. It is noteworthy that the players wonderfully showcased their talent and hardwork on the first day of the competition. But, an impressive show was put up by the players of Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy. Under various events including skeet shooting and doubles, the players played wonderfully. On the last day of the championship player Rituraj won a gold medal under Skeet event male category. Besides, under skeet event female category player Parvati won a gold medal. Notably, on the first day players of State academy bagged gold, silver and bronze medals in various categories. After the match, a felicitation programme was held wherein the winners of the matches were awarded with certificates and medals. o protect the environment, Twe must change our mindset first, said environmentalist Professor Subhash C Pandey. Professor Subhash was addressing a seminar on Nature Conservation at Patel Group of Institutions here on Friday. Observing the World Nature Conservation Day, the seminar was organised at the college premises. The students of pharmacy attended the seminar. Professor Subhash C Pandey was addressing the students wherein he defined the about the World Nature Conservation Day. He said that the day is observed every year on July 28. The day recognizes that a healthy environment is the foundation for a stable and productive society and to ensure the well-being of present and future generations, each individual must participate to protect, conserve, and sustainably manage our natural resources. He further said that Conservation of nature is very important, with scientists warning of mass extinctions in the near future. It is now the time to take stren steps and save our environment. If we do not work for it today then our future generations will never be able to experience a good environment, he added. Using many revolutionary words, professor Pandey explained the young students about the inter-connectivity of five elements of nature i.e. Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. He said, Today we have to work to make our environment clean so that we could be save from various harmful and deadly diseases. He also explained the importance of nature conservation through PPT presentation. Later the students asked their queries to professor Pandey about the issues of environment. Vice Chairman of Patel Group Ajit Singh Patel and the faculty members of the college were also present during the seminar. rime branch police have Cbooked a fraudster for duping a woman to the tune of 50,000 in the name of lucky draw on Thursday. The police said that the Tahseen Bi of Itwara was cheated in the name of lucky draw and was told that she had to deposit for getting the prize in the lucky draw. The accused asked for money to register the victim. Later, when the victim tried to contact the fraudster mobile phone was found switched off. The victim later approached crime branch and lodged a complaint. In her complaint the victim stated that she received call regarding a luck draw in her name and the prize was a motorbike and other expensive products. The caller assured her that she would get the gifts once she gets registered and for registration, she has to deposit a fee of in advance. After she got assured that she would be provided with gifts she deposited and waited for the response of the caller and after waiting for long when she contacted the mobile numbers, they were found switched off. The victim told that police that the accused used to call using different mobile numbers and it was found that the accused used four mobile numbers to call the victim. Based on the complaint after the preliminary investigation the police have registered a case under section 420 A and 120 B of the IPC and 66 D of the IT Act.

4 he Central Government Thas turned down Chhattisgarh Government s proposal for establishing Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET) in three more locations, namely, Jagdalpur, Korba and Rajnandgaon, in the State. "Government of India approved setting up 16 centres of Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (CIPET) in different parts of the country including one centre in Chhattisgarh at Raipur during to Requests have been received from Government of Chhattisgarh to set up CIPET centres at Jagdalpur, Korba and Rajnandgaon", the Central Government has informed. As the Government of India has to ensure full utilization of the facilities at the existing centres in a State before considering a new centre based on justification and availability of resources, no further proposal for setting up of CIPET centre in Chhattisgarh can be considered at the present juncture, it stated. Notably, CIPET is an Autonomous Institute under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers,. It is an ISO 9001:2008 QMS, NABL, ISO/IEC accredited premier national Institution devoted to Academic, Technology Support & Research (ATR) activities for the growth of Polymer & allied industries in the country, officials stated. The domestic plastic sector has been deregulated and delicensed. Compulsory licensing is required for the following three items only viz. Hydrocyanic acid and its derivatives, Isocyanates and Di-isocyanates and Phosgene and its derivatives, some of which are used in the production of polymers, a Central government policy document stated. enowned orator Didi RMandakini called upon youth not to follow western culture blindly. It is the need of the hour that we should feel importance of our traditions and culture and further develop it. Youth having character will build the nation and make it powerful. She was speaking on 'Youth in Nation Building' on the second day of three-day orientation programme of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication today at Ravindra Bhawan. She quoted various references of the Ramcharitmanas and said that we have great culture, ritual and knowledge base. She appealed the budding journalists to use power of their pen to make India again 'Vishwa Guru'. Referring the present conditions in the society, she said that development has taken place in every field. The number of hospitals has gone up but The entire chain in the Plastic industry can be classified into (A) manufacturing of Polymers and is called upstream and (B) conversion of polymers into plastic articles and is known as downstream. The upstream Polymer manufacturers have commissioned globally competitive size plants with imported state-of-art technology from the world leaders. The upstream petrochemicals industries have also witnessed consolidation to remain globally competitive, it stated. The downstream plastic processing industry is highly fragmented and consists of micro, small and medium units. Presently there are about 26,000 registered plastic processing units of which about 75% are in the small-scale sector. The small-scale sector, however, accounts for only about 25% of polymer consumption. The industry also consumes recycled plastic, which constitutes about 30% of total consumption, the document mentioned. Plastic processed articles which were earlier exclusively reserved for Small Scale sector has now been de-reserved. The Micro Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Act 2006 increased the investment in plant and Machinery to Rs 5 crore and the current exemption on Excise Duty is Rs one Crore. This initiative helped the industry to increase competitiveness and meet the global challenges, it stated. Notably, Chief Minister Raman Singh in March this year had handed over appointment letters to ten youth at the Beergaon-based (CIPET). He had congratulated the appointees and wished them a bright future. It may be mentioned here that the Institute had been established just eleven months ago. About 2,358 candidates were enrolled to learn various it indicates that diseases have increased. Similarly, rising number of courts shows that the number of disputes has gone up. She said that because of crisis of trust, people have used animal like dog for security. Media coverage on daily happenings gives pain and it seems that positive approach has ended. She said that race for the success should be healthy competition and it should not be for causing pressure on personal life of people. Competition has turned as conflict not only in politics but in sports, art field and music as well. University Vice-Chancellor Prof Brij Kishore Kuthiala felicitated Didi Mandakini in the programme. Head of Journalism Department Rakhi Tiwari conducted the proceedings. In the session on 'Time From Page 1 Following this, Chouhan again addressing media persons in the State assembly premises, said that he was not considering cabinet expansion. The relief from Supreme Court seems to have brought life to not only Mishra, but the Chief Minister too. After June last week, Mishra arrived here on Friday. Soon after the decision of the ECI, Mishra was busy in taking legal advices first in Gwalior and Jabalpur and then in New Delhi. First, the hearing on the plea of Narottam Mishra was scheduled on July 24 and when nothing took place, it was considered as nothing would happen in the case. Political observers feel that sensing that nothing was taking place, the Chief Minister decided to expand the cabinet to fill the post of Water Resources and Public Relations Minister. However, as soon as the decision came in, he decided to wait for two more weeks. trades under the Chief Minister Skill Development Project from 14 out of 27 districts, officials informed. About 730 youth had already completed their training so far and 508 youth had been appointed in various companies. He also launched MobileApp of the Skill Up-gradation Project. Technical Education Minister Prem prakash Pandey, MP Ramesh Bais, Beergaon Municipal Corporation Mayor Ambika Yedu and several senior officers were also present. The Chief Minister later also visited processing unit, Tool room, computer lab and library at CIPET. He said within one year the institute had earned a good reputation in the entire state. The youth at the institute are trained in making plastic buckets, tubs, lunch box, mugs and several other items. They are from Bijapur, Bastar, Dantewada, Kanker, Kondagaon, Sukma, Narayanpur, Surguja, Balrampur-Ramanujgang, Korea and Jashpur, Rajnandgaon, Korba, Raigarh, Management', renowned thinker and former bureaucrat Vijay Agrawal said that time is very precious thing. It is like God and is not visible. It cannot be measured only psychological clock in the human mind describes its length. He suggested students to involve themselves in the work what they do deeply and it would change the quality of result. University Rector Lajpat Ahuja was present on the dais. Associate professor of computer department Manish Maheshwari conducted the session. Two more sessions were held on the day. Head of Vaidik Mission Trust, Rajkot, Swami Dharmabandhu addressed students on 'Rising India and Youth' subject. Swamiji quoted various references and said Indian traditions and culture still prevail despite frequent attacks of Muslim rulers, Britishers and others in previous 1000 years only because of its great thinking given by Vedas. O Noted crime reporter Vivek Agrawal spoke on 'Terrorism, Crime and Journalism' in another session. He shared the tips with students to become crime and investigative reporter. From Page 1 The bench said, "We also deem it appropriate, in the circumstances, to keep the operation of the order of the Election Commission dated June 23, 2017, referred to supra, in abeyance. The apex court, while disposing of Mishra's plea, made it clear that it has not expressed any opinion regarding any question or any matter on merits. Mishra is facing opposition fire for continuing to occupy a seat in the Assembly and in the cabinet despite a clear direction from the EC. Following the SC stay, Mishra could continue to serve as cabinet minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. He holds Public Relations, Water Resources and Parliamentary Affairs portfolios. Former Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti, who lost to Mishra from Dabra constituency in in the 2008 Assembly polls, had filed a complaint with the EC accusing Mishra of getting paid news published in his favour during election campaigning. After prolonged probe, which also was intercepted by legal course taken by Mishra, the EC recently not only nullified his election but also disqualified him from contesting any election for three years. Mishra had first sought relief from Madhya Pradesh High Court and later at the Delhi High Court but did not get any relief. He was also barred from casting his vote in the Presidential elections. During the monsoon session of Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the Congress had repeatedly attacked the BJP government for not removing Mishra from the cabinet. he The Institute had been inaugurated on April last year. Notably, as many as 86 youth hailing from the five insurgency-infested districts of Chhattisgarh have been employed in plastic industry in various parts of the country last year. The youth had been trained at the Raipur-based Central Plastic Engineering and Technology Institute (CIPET). It may be mentioned here that the youth are provided employment-oriented courses and training in technical assistance services in the plastic industry. The academic session had begun in the year and the youth from Bastar, Bijapur, Sukma and Surguja and Jashpur districts had been upgraded in the skills of their choice. Eighty-six youth had been provided employment in Bangalore and Pune. It may be mentioned here that Union Chemicals Minister Ananth Kumar and Chief Minister Raman Singh on April 22 last year had dedicated new building of the ollowing hospitalisation of Fa Delhi businessman for drinking a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen this month, Haryana Government has prohibited flushing or mixing of liquid nitrogen with any drink or food article. The orders to this effect has been issued under section 34 of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (Central Act 34 of 2006), said Commissioner (Food Safety), Haryana Food and Drugs Administration Department, Saket Kumar on Friday. He said that as per the expert medical opinion, any drink or food article whose preparation involves the flushing or mixing of liquid nitrogen is harmful for humans. Due to its low temperature, liquid nitrogen could be extremely damaging to body tissue causing frostbite and cryogenic burning on contact. Moreover, if ingested, it could Central Plastic Engineering and Technology Institute (CIPET) in Raipur. The Institute imparts Diploma, post-diploma, postgraduate diploma, graduation and post-graduation degrees courses. Skills' upgradation courses are also given to the students. About 1100 youth had been provided with skill up-gradation training in various trades. Notably, the Union Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers has also accorded 'in principle' approval to the proposed Plastic Park project in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh, officials stated. The proposed Plastic Park will be established by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation (CSIDC) as a partner. Around 50 units to be set up in this park, officials stated. The Chhattisgarh government would hold a mandatory 26 per cent equity in the SPV. Notably, the Chhattisgarh government sent a proposal to the Central government for setting up a Plastic Park on July 7, The Chhattisgarh government in a bid to provide a major boost to industrial development is now planning to establish many more industrial areas and industrial parks in the State. Significantly, the Industrial Growth Centre at Urla near Raipur is set to emerge as one of the key industrial zones having world-class infrastructure in the country. The Centre has already accorded final approval for upgradation of infrastructure at Industrial Growth Centre, Urla in Raipur district at a total project cost of Rs crore. The Central government s grant approved for the project is Rs crore, officials stated. The upgradation of the infrastructure is being done under Central government s Modified Industrial Infrastructure Scheme (MIIUS). As many as 11 projects in the country have been accorded final approval with central assistance of Rs crore. Notably, CSIDC has also identified Industrial Growth Centre at Siltara near Raipur to be developed as a Steel Cluster under Centre s 'Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme' (IIUS), officials stated. The administrative approval of Rs crore had been received from the Central government for the scheme. A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)-- Chhattisgarh Ispat Bhumi Ltd., Raipur (CIBL) has been formed under Public- Private Partnership for implementation of the project. The project would be developed by CSIDC. The objective of the IIUS is to enhance international competitiveness of the domestic industry by providing quality infrastructure through publicprivate partnership approach in selected functional lead to severe internal damage, destroying tissue in the mouth and intestinal tract, said the official. He added that furthermore, as it evaporates liquid nitrogen releases a large volume of gas, it could burst the stomach if ingested in a sufficiently large quantity. clusters/locations which have greater potential to become globally competitive. On the other hand, the Chhattisgarh Government is aggressively seeking private sector participation for imparting skill development training to the youth in Livelihood colleges of the State, officials informed. There is limited participation of the private sector in skill development space in Chhattisgarh, the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) had observed in its recent study report. Notably, the NSDC had got carried out a skill gap study' for the State of Chhattisgarh recently. The NSDC in its recommendation had advised the State government to form State-level Industry-Vocational Education Council in collaboration with existing industry bodies. Under the tie-up, the industry bodies could be tasked with facilitation of industry participation in design and delivery of courses and skill development programmes, it has advised. It also recommended Employee satisfaction survey with on/off campus companies. NSDC advised facilitation of two-way sabbatical /exchange programme between industry and ITIs to address issue of industry orientation of faculty. District-level incremental manpower requirements estimation indicates that the districts of Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur, Korba and Raigarh account for around 47 per cent of the manpower requirement with most incremental demand to be generated in sectors such as Agriculture, manufacturing( mineral and metal based), building an construction, mining and quarrying and trade ( wholesale and retail), it had observed in its report. Notably, a 30-year-old Delhi man had ended up in a hospital with an abdomen that was torn. It was reported that he apparently did not wait In terms of manpower supply, the estimated incremental supply over the aforesaid period is around lakh.the proportion of incremental supply of skilled manpower is 55 per cent compared to 27 per cent of semi skilled and 18 per cent of skilled manpower ( ). During the period , the incremental demand supply of the State to be a surplus of about 3.83 lakhs i.e. the State will have excess of incremental manpower supply. While a shortage of manpower is likely to be expected across semi-skilled (0.72 lakhs) segment, an excess supply is estimated in the skilled (1.34 lakhs) and minimally skilled (3.21 lakhs segment), it observed. Meanwhile, for all-round development of college students, the State Government will be launching Mukhyamantri Yuva Jeevan Kaushal Vikas Karyakram (Chief Minister Life Skills Development Programme) for College Youth). This programme will be started from upcoming academic session, officials informed. It is noteworthy that objective of this scheme is to enhance employability of college students, and improve their confidence level as well as creative competitive skills. Under this scheme, students will be trained in English language, computer education and behavioural skills. This will improve their employability to greater extent. This scheme will be implemented under National Higher Education Campaign. As per the instructions of State Government, implementation of this scheme will commence from upcoming academic session, for which State Project Office has issued necessary guidelines to all the Collectors under National Higher Education Campaign. From Page 1 war and attack on Parliament, Vajpayee went ahead with Lahore declaration. The PDP-BJP alliance has to revive the same Vajpayee magic. If we want that the closed roads in Jammu & Kashmir open, Pakistan s positive contribution is very necessary, she added. She said the idea of Azadi in Kashmir has to be replaced with something better. We have to replace the idea of azadi or separation, secession by a better idea. Are we ready to do that? Or are we just going to depend on the administrative measures to tackle the situation. You may be able to contain the situation. For the last 70 years, we have not been able to address it, Mehbooba stressed while referring to the measures of security, siege on separatists and other armed measures taken to control the situation in Kashmir. The raids of NIA on separatists were a part of the same administrative measures, she added Defending her alliance with the BJP in terms of deliverance of their agenda of alliance, Mehbooba said the situation was not conducive because of which law and order took the priority and other things went to the back burner. It is a disappointing thing but I do not blame the BJP leadership alone. I also think that the circumstances did not give us enough time. The event was attended by known civil society faces, including politicians and journalists. Senior Journalist Shujaat Bukhari moderated the first panel discussion. On Saturday, former J&K Chief Minister and Beerwah MLA Omar Abdullah will preside over the event. She expressed her concern over the tampering with the Article 35A that gives special status to J&K under Article 370, and that its constitutional validity has been challenged in the Supreme Court by way of a PIL. Who is doing it? Why are they doing it?... The separatists agenda is different and it is totally secession. But you are weakening those powers which are Indian and trust India and participate in elections (by challenging the Article 35A), she From Page 1 The State capital witnessed heavy spell for short periods during the day on Friday. In the past 24 hours city recorded 4.5 cm of rainfall, Indore recorded 5.6 mm of rainfall, Khajuraho recorded 4.7 cm of rainfall. Except Gwalior all the major cities have recorded day temperature below 30 degree Celsius. Increased monsoon activities were witnessed in Bhopal, Ujjain, Indore and Gwalior divisions. In the present weather conditions of active monsoon increased rainfall activities have been witnessed for the past two days.alert of flood like situation has been raised for Rajgarh, Mandsaur, Agar and Neemuch districts. Alert has been issued for Raisen, Guna, Ratlam, Jhabua, Ujjain, Shajapur and Dewas districts. Warning of very heavy to heavy rainfall has been issued for Neemuch, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Ujjain, Jhabua and Agar districts while warning of heavy rainfall in Rajgarh, Shajapur, Dewas, Indore, Guna, Alirajpur, Barwani, Khandwa, Khargone, Sehore, Dhar and Burhanpur. According to the forecast Ujjain and Indore divisions are likely to witness good amount of rainfall and winds with a speed of km per hour. for the chemical, that creates a white smoke, to dissipate before consuming it at a Gurugram pub. After the gory episode, he underwent a surgery and was hospitalised for several days. Liquid nitrogen is used at bars to quickly chill glasses, freeze ingredients or provide a smoky effect to drinks. Doctors who attended on the victim had said his condition was so critical that his stomach looked like an "open book". The surgical procedure lasted for four hours and the doctors had to stitch up the patient. According to the doctors, The effect of mixing alcohol and nitrogen can lead to disastrous results. When it is mixed with any cocktail it produces a bubbly and smoky concoction. This is a popular novelty but controversial. The boiling point of this concoction is minus 196 degree C and this makes the consumption potentially lethal. hief Minister Shivraj Singh CChouhan said that internal happiness and peace is not possible only by physical prosperity. Infrastructure and creative development work is priority of the government but the government is also responsible to create such an atmosphere so that citizens can feel pleasure. He further mentioned that Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country which has prepared happiness indicators. Road map for Anand Vibhag will be ready by next year. Chouhan was addressing the first general body meeting of Anand Sansthan at Mantralaya today. It may be mentioned that Chouhan is the Chairman of the general body of Anand Sansthan. Chouhan informed that a work to collect toys for children will be undertaken voluntary by Anandaks linked with the Anand department shortly. These toys will be given to those children whose parents are not able to afford toys. A total of 33,000 has registered voluntarily till date. The number is increasing continuously. Activities that give pleasure were conducted at large scale within one year from the formation of Anand department. Anand Utsavs were organised at about 7,000 places. Chouhan stated that the roadmap of Anand department will be made incorporating suggestions of member scholars of the general body. Appreciating the initiative of Chief Minister Chouhan for forming Anand department, member scholars of general body gave valuable suggestions for expansion of Anand department s activities. Swami Govinddev Giri linked with the Ved Education while lauding the initiative for forming Anand Vibhag described it as a creative project. He mentioned that Sanstahn team and Anand team are entitled for felicitation. He suggested for holding Sarvadharm Anand Katha. Moreover, he termed Anand department as best gift given by the Chief Minister to the citizens of the State.

5 he Comptroller and Auditor TGeneral (CAG) has raised questions about the operational preparedness of the armed forces in the Eastern sector facing China due to delay in the induction of strategic missiles there. It is all the more a matter of concern in the backdrop of ongoing stand-off between the Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam in Sikkim sector. In its report tabled in Parliament on Friday, the Government watchdog observed that Akash surface-to-air missile project to provide necessary deterrence for the eastern sector and some locations in Ladakh was given the go-ahead in 2010 due to threat perception. The induction was to be completed within two years from in a phased manner but till date none of the missile systems was installed, it noted. Due to the foetus.the bench of Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud said, We are t the age of 10, carrying an satisfied that it is neither in the Aeight-month old foetus, a interest of the girl child nor of rape victim in Chandigarh is staring at the prospect of giving birth to a child, saddled with the double mental agony of being sexually assaulted at a tender age and now, having to undergo a delivery that poses serious risk to her life. On Friday, hope ended for the family of the girl after the Supreme Court denied permission to abort the 32-week old foetus. The minor, who is currently undergoing treatment at a Government Hospital in Chandigarh, was raped by her uncle earlier this year following which she became pregnant. The Court relied on a medical opinion sent to it by a team of doctors from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh. Acting on a Court order passed on Monday, the doctors examined the girl and the live foetus, presently stated to be approximately 32 weeks, for abortion. We decline the prayer by the petitioner. The Board of doctors said that already, the girl is traumatized following the rape and the thought of bearing a child at this young age will cause further mental scars. On the other hand, her body is physically incapable to bear the pain of pregnancy and even a Caesarean surgery will be took risky a choice to undergo at this belated stage.helpless at the victim s plight, the Court asked Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar who was present in Court, While the Bill to amend the MTP Act is pending, you (Centre) can think of constituting a permanent Medical Board in each state so that at the first stage itself such cases can be dealt with. The need was felt by the came to a unanimous conclusion Court as the Medical that at this advanced stage of pregnancy it was too big a risk for the mother to abort the Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act prohibits abortion of foetus beyond 20 weeks. A runachal Pradesh Congress MP Ninong Ering, in a recent letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claimed that vested interests are bent on denying mobile connectivity to the people of the northeast and, in particular, to Arunachal Pradesh. He threatened to sit on a day-long protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi statute inside the Parliament if the project is not cleared by August 14. Arunachal Pradesh has two Lok Sabha seats and the other constituency, Arunachal West, is represented by Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and Arunachal Pradesh East seat is represented by Ering who is from Congress party. Ering, has also faulted some un-named bureaucrats who, he alleged, were acting unprofessionally in this case. In my last meeting with Hon ble minister in April 2017, he told me that the bids had been finalized and BSNL would place purchase orders with successful bidders by the mid May. Placing purchase order is the first steps towards implementation of the project, the letter delay in having this urgently needed capability, the strategic objective remains unachieved, the CAG The medium range supersonic missile developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for air defence to shoot down an incoming missile or aircraft has a range of more than 40 he Government on Friday Tmaintained that armed forces were fully equipped to face any contingency and any shortage of arms and ammunition will be increasingly made up by the participation of private companies in the defence sector. The Government also said that it was not closing any of the Ordnance factories and none of the 90,000 employees would be rendered jobless. Replying to questions during the question hour, Union Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said ammunition was manufactured by Public Sector Units and ith health failing to Wemerge as an election issue despite overwhelming concerns over the quality of its delivery system, Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr Soumya Swaminathan on Friday stressed that it was high time that it (health) should be a major political agenda and debated at various forums. I think unless health takes off in a big way, on to a political agenda, to political manifesto and people starts demanding health to be the first major issue to be discussed, then we can hope to see a big positive change in the health sector, Swaminathan said here delivering the 25th Rosalind Wilson Memorial Lecture Speaking on the topic, Achieving the Health 2030 Goals: What will it take?, the Secretary of Department of Health Research under the Health Ministry, spoke on a range of issues confronting the health sector such as shortage of human resources, infrastructure and lack of public awareness besides poor sanitation and disease burden in the km and is manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited(BEL). The government had approved the project for installation of these missiles at six designated sites and the contract is worth over Rs 3,619 crores. Highlighting the importance of the project, the CAG said the Indian posture in designated areas in Eastern Sector much of it was being imported but gradually the indigenous production is increasing. Asserting that any shortage in terms of arms and ammunition would be expeditiously made up, the Minister said the observations by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) about ammunition supplies was for a particular period. Last week, the CAG had slammed the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) for critical deficiency in availability of ammunition to the Army. In a report, the apex auditor had also criticised the OFB for inadequate quality of ammunition supplied to the Army since March According to the report, olkata stood the worst in Kthe sex ratio among the 161 districts undertaken for Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme, launched in January, 2015, by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Fifty districts have done well and a state like Sikkim has even more girl child population than that of males. Giving this information in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi said West Bengal is the only state which has completely refused to the implement the BBP scheme which, she said is not political. The ready response of the minister came during the Question Hour when a Trinamool Congress member mentioned that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had initiated a programme Kanyashree which has also received a UN award. TMC member Mriganka Mahato also requested that `Kanyashree` programme s model should be followed by other states.maneka said out of 161 districts under BBBP scheme,, Kolkata has shown a was changed from dissuasive to deterrence due to buildup of large scale military infrastructure by the adversary. Therefore, the Cabinet Committee on Security(CCS) in November 2010 approved the induction of six squadrons from BEL to be located at six Indian Air Force(IAF) stations. Approval was also given for creation of necessary infrastructure like missile preparation and storage facility, ramp country. Stating that health cuts across all the ministries whether health, transport, housing or environment, she said, I think that the realisation has now come, that many ministries are now looking at promoting positive health policies. She rued that despite India being top exporter of medicine in the world, drugs were unaffordable to a large chunk of people in the country. Also we are too much dependent on China for import of bulk drugs. It s time that we ensure domestic production. Swaminathan also highlighted that currently more than half of India s rural population is using private healthcare, which is four times as costly as public healthcare, and can cost the poorest 20 per cent of Indians more than 15 times their average monthly expenditure. Earlier, former Attorney General Soli J Sorabjee, who chaired the event paid rich tributes to Rosalind Wilson, a British expatriate who taught at Springdales School and later became editor of the famous children magazine, Target. She died of cancer in Swaminathan also shared a beautiful audio video presentation of the collective reflections of Wilsons work in various fields in the presence of the Springdale School children, who came to pay tribute to Wilson. ith several Pakistanis Wapproaching Sushma Swaraj directly to get medical visas almost on a daily basis, the External Affairs Minister on Friday asked them why is their Foreign Adviser Sartaj Aziz not helping them in even serious medical cases. And a Pakistani national went on to criticise her own Government terming it to be corrupt and saying that the people in her country do not even know if anyone like Sartaj Aziz exists. It so happened that a Pakistani woman, Hijaab Asif, through her Twitter handle pleaded with Swaraj to grant a medical visa to her relative who was seriously ill and could not present himself at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad for visa. Dear maam we ve applied visa for india, the condition of patient is not good we ve got invitation kindly grant us visa, tweeted one Syed ali Mohd Taqvi, which Asif retweeted. Dear ma am, spoke to DHC in Isalamabad, told the patient's current condition and he said it's all up to you. If you allow. he would give us the visas right away. Ma'am please take a look into this. We are ready to provide you with any medical verifications or whatsoever by being present at IHC in Islamabad. We need your help, the patient's very serious," Asif added. Responding to the tweet, Swaraj took a dig at Aziz: "Did Sartaj Aziz not give a letter approving an Indian visa even in such a serious case as yours?" What followed was an interesting thread of messages from Asif that possibly took even Swaraj by surprise. "Nobody in our government is we have #SartajAziz who nobody knows even exists or not," Asif wrote. Swaraj intervened and asked High Commissioner Gautam Bamabwale on Twitter itself to grant visa to the patient. This led Asif to praise the Indian government and Swaraj. "@SushmaSwaraj what do I call you? Superwoman? God? No words to describe your generosity! Love you maam Can't stop praising you in tears," Asif "Our government is corrupt, we don't hate India. I've been to India and I swear I love India and the Indians. In fact, everyone here does!!... Indeed! Haven't seen a woman like her before, despite all the conflicts, she didn't stop doing the great work! Long live maam Lots and lots of love and respect from here. Wish you were our Prime Minister, this country would've changed!" she added. Swaraj has gained so much popularity among Pakistanis that they are now requesting her directly for help, particularly in getting medical visas for which India has put a rider that it must be supported with a letter from Pakistan Foreign Adviser Aziz. despite serious concerns highlighted in a high-level report on Ammunition management in Army in 2015, no significant improvement took place in the critical deficiency in availability of ammunition and quality of ammunition supplied by the OFB. Referring to the report, members asked whether the Government would be taking action in the light of CAG observations. The Defence Minister said that as per procedure, after tabling in Parliament, they go to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and if the latter makes some recommendations, then action would be taken. severe declining trend in terms of child sex ratio. In fact, Kolkata is unfortunately the worst of the 161 districts that we have taken, the minister The Women and Child Development Minister said while the `Kanyashree` programme was effective, West Bengal is the only state in India which has completely refused to implement the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme. Maneka also said that many states - Mamta Yoja in Goa, `Ladli` Yojana in, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, `Balika` Samridhi Yojana in Gujarat, `Bangaru Talli` scheme in Andhra Pradeshhave done equally well in implementing schemes similar to Kanyashree.The Minister urged West Bengal government to adopt BBBP scheme saying there is no reason why Chief Minister not adopt it. structure and workshop buildings at these six locations. However, infrastructure to be built by BEL could not be completed till October last year at any of the sites. The CAG said the main reason for not meeting the induction schedule was delay in execution of civil works at the sites. Audit also found the missile systems delivered by BEL were deficient in quality. Out of 80 missiles received up to he Lok Sabha on Friday Tpassed the Bill to provide greater autonomy to the 20 Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), reducing the Government control considerably. The Bill - The Indian Institutes of Management Bill, as also HRD Minister Prakash Javdekar received much appreciation from all parties. After the bill is passed, there will be no Government role in the appointment of Board of Directors in IIMs. Let the government come out of it. It will be for the betterment of our higher institutions, Javadekar said while summing up the discussion in the house, thanking all parties for supporting the bill. The Indian Institutes of Management Bill, 2017, provides for giving statutory powers to these institutions in their running including appointment of directors, faculty members, and gives them powers to award degrees instead of post graduate diplomas. The bill also has provisions for appointment of members of the board of governors (BoG) in each of the 20 IIMs through a transparent process, while limiting even the HRD Minister s role, he Government s attempt Tto keep judges from heading vital tribunals, including the National Green Tribunal among 19 others, faced scrutiny before the Supreme Court on Friday. A bench of Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud sought the Centre s response in two weeks to a PIL filed by a NGO Social Action for Forests and Environment filed in this regard. The petition argued by advocate Vivek Chib challenged the introduction of the Tribunal, Appellate Tribunal and other Authorities Rules 2017 as part of the Finance Act that came into effect from April 1 this year. Besides Kolkata, the worst performing districts included Etawa, Farrukhabad, Saharanpur, Eta, Bijnore ( in UP), Champawat, Pithoragarh, Hardwar, Dehradun and, Chamoli, all in Uttarakahnd. As one of the members asked the minister to encourage people s involvement to improve sex ration, She said BBBP scheme has been successful because of the active participation of people. She said centre has no feet on the ground and states are taking initiative and innovating under the scheme.as one of the member said about a racket of people getting sex-selection outside their respective states, the minister said if state are doing well then people go outside and do abortions adding we have informed police on these sex selection. Maneka said under BBBP scheme all medium for creating awareness were used which included 140 radio stations and TV channels. She said people have been asked to give information on sex selection and license of 114 diagnostic centres were cancelled. Districts showing good results were awarded and rewarded. November 2014, 20 missiles were test-fired. Six of these, that is 30 per cent, failed the test. Preliminary failure analysis revealed that the missiles fell short of the target, had lower than the required velocity and also there was malfunctioning of critical units like servo control unit and connector. Two missiles had failed to take off because of the booster nozzle had failed. These posed an operational risk during hostilities, the CAG said Javadekar, clarifying to MPs. The bill also seeks to declare the IIMs as institutes of national importance and abolish the post of visitor. Currently, the President is the visitor of the IIMs. Moving the bill for consideration and passage, Javadekar said the aim of the bill is to remove the government s interference in IIMs. He said the proposed legislation will usher in a new era of freedom in the IIMs and these institutes will not require to come to the government for various permissions and clearances. It is a historical bill which will bring a new era in management education in the country, he said, noting that financial transaction will be subject to CAG evaluation as the institutes run on tax payers money.he said it was not an ideal situation to run the IIMs from Delh. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said it was a remarkable moment when a minister surrenders (his) powers. At the he Congress on Friday Taccused the BJP of horsetrading in Gujarat and using money, muscle and state power to engineer defections ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha polls. Stating that the party is keeping all options open, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi warned the MLAs of serious consequences of anti-defection law that can lead to disqualification from contesting elections up to six years. Singhvi recalled court judgements that termed defections a constitutional sin and unprincipled defections a social evil. Crores of rupees have been spent in horse-trading in Gujarat by the BJP. You have seen this naked drama... The he Rajya Sabha proceedings Ton Friday were marred by vociferous protest by Congress alleging abduction of their MLA by the Gujarat police and the BJP charging them for defaming the State. Members of the main Opposition members trooped into well of the House shouting slogans forcing repeated adjournments throughout the day. Even as Deputy Chairman P J Kurien time and again asked the agitating members to take up the issue with the Election Commission and ruled he cannot direct it to ensure free and fair polls in the State for Rajya Sabha seats as demanded by Congress, its members did not relent. They charged the ruling combine for stealing Congress MLAs to win the polls adding similar practice was adopted to form Governments in Goa Moreover, constructing external services like approach roads for maneuvering specialist vehicles, drainage system, power supply and water supply were yet to be executed. Sixteen such proposals at a cost of crore at six stations were sanctioned between March 2014 and March Probable date of completion is between two to four years. However, of this, contract for only work was concluded, the report same time, the former minister criticised the Government for not enhancing financial assistance to IITs and IIMs, saying they are reeling under funds crunch. He suggested the government should have some say in determining fee structure in the IIMs as higher fees may badly hit students from the poor families. He also pitched for clarity in having reservation in recruitment of faculty staff from SC and ST community. Trinamool Congress leader Sougata Roy also praised the government for bringing the bill, saying it will further improve the functioning of the IIMs. M B Rajesh (CPI-M) also raised the issue of high fees in IIMs, saying the autonomous status should not lead to moneymaking by these institutions. Nagendra Kumar Pradhan (BJD) said the IIMs charge fees between 9 lakh and 20 lakh and because of the limited number of seats these institutes have, students have to opt for private MBA institutes. policy of the BJP in Gujarat is - by hook or by crook, come to power by breaking all laws, he said at AICC briefing. The comments come after six Congress MLAs quit the party ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha elections for three seats that may alter the result. The party had 57 MLAs in the 182- member Assembly. While BJP President Amit Shah and Union Minister Smriti Irani have been fielded by the BJP, the Congress has again fielded Ahmed Patel, the political secretary of Sonia Gandhi, for the third seat and the defections may have a bearing on the election for this seat. Singhvi said, The antidefection law is supreme and repeatedly the Supreme Court has called defections a constitutional sin. and Manipur in the recent past. When the House met at 2.30 pm after four adjournments in the pre-lunch session, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi demanded that the Opposition should tender an apology to Gujarat for tarnishing its image. Earlier, his party colleague and Minister of State for Agriculture Purshottam Rupala said the leader of Opposition in Gujarat assembly had quit the Congress and some others followed. Claiming that such phenomenon was an internal matter of Congress, he also claimed that some Congress MLAs in Gujarat did not even vote for the party s Presidential candidate. Congress made its intentions clear to disrupt the proceedings as soon as the House met for the day with Anand Sharma raising the issue.

6 The decision taken by the US Congress to punish Russia for alleged meddling in the US elections with the maintenance of existing sanctions, has been followed by a Bill to weaken the ability of President Donald Trump to weaken sanctions on Russia, thus presenting a direct challenge to the President s authority. The Bill was passed in the House of Representatives by an overwhelming majority and, at time of writing, awaits a hearing in the Senate, which along with the House makes up the US Congress. The legislation also includes new sanctions against not only Russia but also Iran and North Korea, thus maintaining the pattern of waging economic war against states which refuse to accept that Washington s writ should run wherever it decides. Economic sanctions are not the benign instrument that some might assume. On the contrary, they are tantamount to an act of war, a means by which economic might is wielded as a club to bludgeon recalcitrant nations and states into submission. And though sanctions may not evoke the same sense of potency of cruise missiles, they kill just the same. The experience of the Iraqi people leaves no doubt of it. Between 1990 and 2003, sanctions on Iraq, imposed by the United Nations, are estimated to have been directly responsible for the deaths of two million people, half a million of them children according to Unicef. Multilateral sanctions were imposed on the country in response to Iraq s invasion of Kuwait in August Under UN Security Council Resolution 661 it was mandated that UNmember states should prevent all imports originating in Iraq and Iraqi-occupied Kuwait, business activity between nationals of member states and Iraq, and should undertake an embargo of funds or economic resources to Iraq or Iraqioccupied Kuwait, except for medical or humanitarian purposes. As journalist John Pilger wrote in a March 2000 article: Under economic sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council almost 10 years ago, Iraq is denied equipment and expertise to clean up its contaminated battlefields, as Kuwait was cleaned up. At the same time, the Sanctions Committee in New York, dominated by the Americans and British, has blocked or delayed a range of vital equipment, chemotherapy drugs and even painkillers. For us doctors, said Dr Al-Ali, it is like torture. We see children die from the kind of cancers from which, given the right treatment, there is a good recovery rate. Three children died while I was there. The sanctions imposed on Iraq were so draconian and sustained that two UN Humanitarian Coordinators in Iraq, Denis Halliday and Hans von Sponeck, resigned in protest. Yet, even with the evidence of the role of the sanctions in killing half a million Iraqi children, Washington remained unrepentant. The by now infamous words of former UN Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in 1996, when in response to a question during an interview about the infanticide that was taking place as a result of the sanctions she said the price is worth it, exposed the barbarity that lies behind the mask of Western civilisation. The fact the sanctions were only lifted from Iraq after the devastating war unleashed on the country by the US and its UK ally in 2003 had killed countless more children, tells its own story. Cuba has suffered under the iron heel of US economic sanctions and embargo longer than any other country on the planet. A raft of economic sanctions were originally imposed on the island in 1960 by the Eisenhower Administration after the Cuban revolution of the previous year succeeded in toppling the US-supported dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, after which Sir This refers to the editorial, Nitish Kumar s wapsi (July 28). Nitish Kumar had committed a political blunder by parting ways with the BJP in 2013 after Narendra Modi was made the BJP s prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 general election, and he joined hands with Lalu Prasad to remain in power in Bihar. He again became the Chief Minister after the victory of the Janata Dal (United)-Rashtriya Janata Dal-Congress mahagathbandhan in 2015 Assembly election, but it was not smooth sailing. After Lalu Prasad s refusal for resignation of his son Tejashwi Yadav from the Cabinet, against whom a case has been registered by the CBI for alleged corruption, the choices before Nitish Kumar were: To keep quiet and let Tejashwi Yadav continue in his Cabinet, sending the message that he had compromised with corruption; or to resign, get rid of the RJD and form a new Government with the support of the BJP. His decision to dissociate him from the Opposition s quixotic battle of ideology narrative against the Bharatiya Janata Party is an example of his independent thinking and ability to take bold decisions without caring for what his critics say. Nitish Kumar is a man of conviction. His and party s homecoming into the NDA fold has shattered the 2019 dream of the Congress which stood with Lalu Prasad in the Chief Minister s fight against corruption. MC Joshi Lucknow US corporations and businesses that had been operating without restraint in Cuba were expropriated and nationalised. Relations between Havana and Washington turned even more sour two years later when Fidel Castro defied Washington in forging close ties with the Soviet Union. In response, the Kennedy Administration imposed complete economic sanctions, which have remained more or less in place. As French journalist Salim Lamrani pointed out in a 2016 interview on the history of US sanctions against Cuba: The sanctions are anachronistic because they date back to the Cold War. They are cruel because they affect the most vulnerable categories of the Cuban people, not the leaders. Finally, they are ineffective to the extent that the initial goal of overthrowing the Cuban Revolution has clearly failed. Most cogently, Lamrani makes the point that rather than isolating Cuba internationally, these sanctions have instead isolated the United States. The sanctions imposed by the US and its European allies/vassals on Russia, meanwhile, have been justified as a response to Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, along with re-unification of of Crimea with Russia in As I have written previously, this is a false and tendentious rendering of what has occurred in Ukraine and why. But regardless of the whys and wherefores, the idea that the largest country in Europe with the second most powerful military in the world, whose economy is stable and built on solid foundations, could ever be brought to its knees by economic sanctions, is so preposterous that it is laughable. However, the mendacity and arrogance behind Washington s history of imposing economic sanctions against other states is certainly no laughing matter, not when we consider the ineffable human suffering they have caused and continue to cause. Moreover, a history of subverting, destabilising, and destroying one country after another, is all the evidence needed to label the US a country so drunk with power and a corresponding sense of exceptionalism that the rest of the world would be more than justified in uniting to impose sanctions on it. (Courtesy: Sputnik International. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik) Sir This refers to the editorial, Nitish Kumar s wapsi (July 28). The sudden turn of events in Bihar politics has been along expected lines. Recent meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar were an indication that the JD(U) leader was sure to shift base. And it happened. While forming the mahagathbandhan, he was well aware of Lalu Prasad and the RJD s reputation. Despite that, he forged an alliance and aligned with the RJD after leaving the BJP, with which party he had a long association with. He had hoped against hope that the new alliance would work. It worked only half-way. He could not muster more seats than the RJD in the Assembly election. His Government was formed but the pressure from the RJD was intolerable. Add to it, the Central probe agencies raids over Lalu Prasad and his family members, and the alliance with Lalu Prasad became untenable. Now that Nitish Kumar has formed a Government in Bihar in association with the BJP, he is expected to govern with stability. Yet, it must be said that his has been a case of political opportunism. It is an assault on the democratic machinery. Resigning in the evening and taking over charge again the following morning with BJP support, is nothing but a mockery of the people s mandate. NR Ramachandran Chennai

7 nce again, a messenger died Oquietly in the Middle Kingdom fighting consistently for peaceful political reform. With the demise of Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Peace Laureate, the regime in Beijing failed to hide from the world that China was really scared of a man who simply demanded human rights for his countrymen and a change in the one party rule of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Liu and a group of fellow activists started an initiative called Charter-08 on December 10, It was a manifesto of human rights and democracy in China. This Charter finally brought death to him on July 13, 2017, while he was serving an 11-year prison term in China. The world knows much better how the socialists in China will react to people like him. Probably, he was also quite aware of what could happen to him eventually. Now, it is time to uncover the mystery behind this historic charter, about the life and living of the writer and political thinker Liu, and the subsequent actions initiated by Beijing against this crusader of human rights. The Charter-08 exemplifies a rare citizens movement that strongly urges the Chinese people to work together for bringing forth major changes in society. This historic manifesto was formulated along the lines of Charter 77 of Czechoslovakia, wherein more than 200 Czech and Slovak intellectuals established a loose union to appeal to their Government to respect human and civil rights both within and outside the country in January Besides, this charter is also a testimony to the fact that time has come for due recognition of the Chinese people s years of incessant search for freedom of choice of their representatives. Most importantly, it was born at such a crucial juncture in 2008 that marked the sixtieth anniversary of the promulgation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the thirtieth anniversary of the appearance of the Democracy Wall Movement in Beijing, and the tenth anniversary of China s signing of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and approaching to the twentieth anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre. By virtue of all these, the charter and Liu unknowingly set the stage for a new chapter in the age-old Chinese civilisation. Thus, it was, in fact, different from all earlier and the recent dissident actions, including the one launched by the Hong Kong prodemocracy movement known as Umbrella Movement. Why was it giving sleepless nights to the Chinese leaders starting from Hu Jintao to the current President Xi Jinping? Precisely, the deteriorating law and order situation in China today is compounded by the reality that reforms pertaining to political matters and rule of law have practically stalled for decades now. The Communists in China do not wish to shake the status quo in their country. In fact, on December 9, the Chinese State Security Police arrested Liu hours before the online release of the Charter 08. What hurt the bosses in the CPC is the appeal for transition to constitutional democracy in China by Liu and his team in the charter. Afterwards, in the weeks that followed the authorities detained, interrogated and searched the residences of more than hundred of the initial 303 signatories of the declaration. After prolonged detention, Liu was convicted of inciting subversion of State power and handed him an 11- year jail. Certainly, Liu wanted to fight the system, but he had no intention to overthrow it. He wanted to practice what has already been prescribed in the current Constitution of China (1982). Article 33 of the Constitution says that the State respects and guarantees human rights and states that all Chinese citizens enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration and freedom of religious belief (Articles 35 and 36). Sadly, the same Constitution also makes it clear that all such guarantees of rights and freedoms must be subject to the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the guidance of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought. Frankly, this overarching dogma of the Constitution practiced by the successive leadership in Beijing has strangled the very spirit and reality of the basic freedoms in the country. Therefore, all these precious rights documented in the Constitution have become null and void over the years. They are simply on paper. And today, the CPC decides everything from the grassroots to the National People s Congress as there is no single opposition to it. The Recommendation-1 of the Charter-08 states, We should recast our present Constitution, rescinding its provisions that contradict the principle that sovereignty resides with the people and turning it into a document that genuinely guarantees human rights, authorises the exercise of public power, and serves as the legal underpinning of China s democratisation. Thus, the CPC is really fearful of the charter and its activists as they called for a new Constitution. The Charter clearly exposes the deceitful façade of the Government, which tries to make the ordinary Chinese feel that the existing Constitution is the sacred rule of law. But the reality is that the CPC is above the law, in fact it is the Supreme Law. The party s control over all organs of the Government and the judiciary is total. Liu was one of the most famous dissident Chinese leaders, and he was able to create global awareness about the dark side of China s rule of law and the ruthless attitude of the successive leadership in power. It seems he was very happy about the life of a dissident when he wrote in 1992, If you want to enter hell, don t complain of the dark; you can t blame the world for being unfair, if you start on the path of the rebel. This clearly demonstrates how he was simply ready to accept the hard realities of China s prison life under the close surveillance of the State. He became the second person to receive the Nobel Prize in prison the other was German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who won the award in 1935 while languishing in a Nazi concentration camp under Adolf Hitler s rule. The life and death of Liu clearly highlights the cost of political defiance in China for the man who struggled to get justice for fellow democracy activists since the bloody crackdown of the Tiananmen Square. Though many gave up demanding democracy due to extreme pressure and ruthless treatment meted out to them by the Government, he stood firm and made it a mission of his life. That s why when the Nobel Committee awarded him the prize for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China, he was not allowed to travel to Norway to receive the same. Hence, the entire ceremony was marked by an empty chair. This brought him more laurels and soon he became a figure-head for human right advocates outside the mainland without even knowing much about his work as the authorities had severely censored all types of news and views across the country. Further, the authorities in China have tightened control over all kinds of activities related to freedom of assembly, association and expression. Particularly, after the coming of Xi to power in 2012, the crackdown on civil rights activists has risen enormously. The interference of the CPC on the criminal justice system has risen to all-time high. And this campaign has already extended beyond the mainland i.e. Hong Kong. Hence, the Charter-08 has strongly highlighted the entrenched conundrum of China s lack of an impartial judiciary since the beginning. This indirectly supports the authorities to penalise the dissident political and religious leaders, and civil society groups. The Recommendation-4 of the Charter demands that the rule of law must be above the interests of any particular political party and judges must be independent. We need to establish a constitutional Supreme Court and institute procedures for constitutional review. As soon as possible, we should abolish all of the Committees on Political and Legal Affairs that now allow Communist Party officials at every level to decide politically sensitive cases in advance and out of court. This emboldens the CPC and its functionaries both at the Government and at party levels to derail all rightsbased campaigns, protests and organisations within the country. As Liu s friends, fans and sympathisers have all quietly marked the traditional Chinese observance of the rituals after his death, Western Governments and his supporters are worried about the security of his wife Liu Xia, who has been living in West Beijing. Last seen in official pictures showing her lowering an urn containing her husband s ashes into the sea, her whereabouts remain unknown to the rest of the world. This has happened only after concerns came from human right activists and strong demands by various foreign governments that Beijing lift all restrictions on her movement. Ironically, Liu Xia has so far not charged by the Chinese authorities for anything despite her support to her husband s entire campaign against the Government. There were rumours that she has been forced by police to go on a vacation in the south western province of Yunnan, where she has few friends. Now the moot question is how the West should have responded to the Liu saga and what kind of impact it could have on Beijing in the coming days? Mostly, the Western Governments have typically responded with cynicism and timidity to China in regard to its treatment given to the dissidents in the past. When the G-20 meet was held in Germany early this month, Xi was very much present among the rest of the Western leaders and incidentally, the deteriorating health condition of Liu was making headlines around the same time. Alas! Not a single leader raised the issue or had a discussion with his or her Chinese counterpart. The reasons for not making a hullabaloo are economic concern: for the West, China has turned out to be a big economic saviour. And, after the 2008 global financial crisis, China has shown to the world how it can survive such a crisis and can move further. This has tipped the balance further towards the country and its market-friendly authoritarian model of development has grabbed the attention of many developing countries of Asia. This rightly shows how business interests prevail over human rights issues as no country can compromise its growth index with anything else. It was legendary Deng Xiaoping, who in the early 80 s opened the country s economy to outside world saying that A fundamental contradiction does not exist between socialism and a market economy. Equally, the Western Governments took this opportunity and encouraged their corporate houses to invest in this huge market. So, then why to complain about the reform-minded Deng when he was offering billion-plus to the greedy enterprises which were always in search of new markets? This was plain and simple. That is why around the same time when Deng was crushing the Democracy Wall Movement across China and jailing activists like Wei Jingsheng for 15 years, almost all the leading Western Governments maintained their deafening silence, except making some sharp diplomatic statements. But all was not well when the mighty Deng openly took on the Tiananmen Square protesters, resulting into the deaths of many. Then, indeed it was really fashionable for the West also to talk about the gross violation of human rights and abuse of State power in China. But by 1990s, a thriving Chinese economy once again caught the attention of the West. Therefore, the frontline critics such as the US, Britain, etc, smartly manoeuvred their way to establish humanrights dialogue just to separate human rights issues from business deals so as to make both back home liberals and Chinese administration happy. The impact of such reaction to China from the West in no way helps the lone human right fighter like Liu in the mainland and others in Hong Kong. Particularly, Xi, who is popularly known as an incarnation of Mao, is unlikely to listen to any Western appeal even for allowing Liu s wife to travel abroad if she wants at all. The silence on the part of the West largely undermines the cause of the pro-democracy advocates. All the Western leaders should have loudly spoken about Liu, but by gauging the mood of these so-called champions of democracy, we can safely say that they quietly sided with Xi for exploiting their own commercial benefits from the huge markets in China. By now the writing on the wall has become clear to the world: China matters to all. It s an emerging economic engine. But then we all, including China, would be a party to derail the prophetic words inscribed in the UN s Universal Declaration, All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. How does this affect China when the citadels of democracies are simply putting their back to the credentials of human dignity and freedom? It may so happen that there will either be no place for peaceful protest or there will be another revolution in China. And this time, the uprising will aim at overthrowing the decaying socialist system. China s aggressive market socialism will not be able to take the country further. Certainly, Liu has done his work. Now, the rest of the international community must take it forward. At least for safeguarding the basic human rights enshrined in the UN declaration. Hope, the Charter- 08 will invigorate many more like Liu to raise the voice of dissent in China. The West should put pressure on Beijing. Else, the haggard and old-style Communists who have been ruthlessly governing the billion-plus Chinese in the name of upholding the People s Republic of China will continue suppressing the genuine freedom across the country. China s one-party rule of the CPC is clearly afraid of any kind of opposition, whether it emerges from within or outside. It always remains a mystery why the Chinese leadership is wary of popular protests despite having one of the largest armies in the world and governing the country in the name of the common people. With Liu s sad demise, the Chinese people in particular and the rest of the world in general must see to it that there is enough place for debate, dialogue and discussion (as it is guaranteed in the Chinese Constitution itself) in China so as to move beyond what once an uppity Deng proclaimed Do not debate! Is one of my inventions. The conceited and decrepit Communists must understand that the hoi-polloi in China today live in a globalised world though they are not accessible to popular international social media outlets except the Weibo, the officially permitted outlet. The unwieldy expansion of the country s influence across the world does not signify the greatness of the Chinese State; rather it should make enough room for its people to live in a free world. Flagrant violation of basic freedoms might be the death knell for the largest socialist regime in the world. The journey towards a China free from the iron fist of the CPC and the worn out Maoism is not surely Timbuktu, but can be reached, that is what the Western liberals believe. But it might take more time and may demand persistent fights from many more like Liu. Fighting a dogmatic socialist establishment would be a Herculean task for anyone, including a group of human rights activists. And what Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei recently revealed truly reflects the true character of the regime: China is such a society (where) the Government is very arrogant and will never listen to or negotiate or tolerate these kinds of ideas. It s not only Liu Xiaobo, before him millions lost their lives. Whatsoever it may be, the decadent socialists in China finally ensured a lasting legacy for the Nobel Peace Laureate. As he was secretly buried in the sea, many feel that like the sea waves, his ashes will spread the message of democracy wherever the water flows. But certainly it demands a second revolution to change China probably! (The writer is an expert on international affairs)

8 K erala s capital Thiruvananthapuram slipped into the grip of panic on Friday as security was stepped after incidents of violence erupted in several parts of the city following a shocking early morning attack on the BJP s State committee office allegedly by CPI(M) activists. BJP leaders said party s State president Kummanam Rajasekharan was in the office when the attack took place and they alleged that the attack was in fact an attempt on his life. This was the second attack on the State BJP office in ten months. As per CCTV visuals from the spot, the BJP office was vandalized at after 1.15 AM Friday by a six-member gang led allegedly by DYFI leader and CPI(M) s Corporation councilor IP Binu and district SFI president Prathin Saj. The attack took place in front of five policemen including a Sub- Inspector but all of them, except one, remained mute witnesses to the violence. The Marxist gang that reached the BJP office on three motorbikes damaged six vehicles, including the car of Kummanam, parked in the compound. They also threw stones and bricks at the office of the BJP president, party leaders The attackers left the place after creating a terror situation for about 15 minutes at the office compound. I am safe. They couldn t kill me this time too. Each attack serves to strengthen our resolve in fighting, Kummanam said in a tweet. Alleging that Kummanam was the attackers target, State BJP general secretary MT Ramesh said that this attack and other incidents in the city showed the law and order system in the State had collapsed under the rule of the CPI(M)-led LDF. The policeman who tried to stop the attackers had to be hospitalised after being manhandled by them while two policemen who remained idle during the attack were suspended from service. Four CPI(M) activists including Binu and Prathin were arrested for the attack while DGP Loknath Behera claimed that the situation had been brought under control. Areas falling within the Thiruvananthapuram City Police s limits were on Friday afternoon brought under prohibitory orders for three days in the context of the incidents that followed the attack on the BJP office. Some parts of the capital district were already under such orders following the tension over the sexual scandal involving Congress MLA A Vincent. Security was stepped up across the capital city and the additional police were deployed at the offices of the BJP and the CPI(M) and at important centres even as violence threatened to spread beyond the city s borders. Party offices in Kannur district, known for its history of CPI(M)-BJP conflict, were also brought under tight security. The attack on the BJP office triggered violence and tension across the State capital and houses of several BJP and CPI(M) leaders and workers came under attack. Among the houses that came under attack was that of Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of State CPI(M) secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and the latter alleged that he was the target of the attackers though he was not present there. Friday s attack on the BJP office, which had come under a bomb attack allegedly by Marxists on September 7, 2016, followed a series of violent incidents involving the CPI(M) and the BJP that Thiruvananthapuram witnessed on Thursday. Several party offices and houses of workers on both sides had come under attack. Kodiyeri alleged that the incidents in the capital were not isolated but were the result of a conspiracy of the RSS to spread lawlessness in the State with the blessings of the NDA Government in the Centre while the BJP accused the CPI(M) of trying to turn the State capital into another Kannur, the northern district infamous for its history of CPI(M)-BJP conflicts. BJP leaders said a complaint had already been lodged with the Union Home Department in the context of the recurring attacks on the State office. If the Government can t ensure our leaders safety, BJP workers know how to do that, said MT Ramesh, adding that the CPI(M) s Kannur lobby, to which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Kodiyeri belonged, was behind the attack. The Congress put equal blame on the CPI(M) and the BJP for the violence continuing in the State capital for the past two days. State Congress chief MM Hassan said that the CPI(M) was perpetrating violence in order to hide the failures in its rule while the BJP was trying to divert attention from the bribery scandal involving its leaders. here was a quick fallout of TCPI(M) central committee s decision not to resend Sitaram Yechury to Rajya Sabha with Congress support with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee smartly grabbing the opportunity to drive a wedge in Left-Congress camaraderie built up in Bengal for the past six years or so. While the Congress which had earlier offered to support only Yechury should he get a re-nomination fielded outgoing RS MP Pradip Bhattacharya the CPI(M) too threw its hat in the ring on ideological grounds, by nominating former Kolkata Mayor And senior advocate Bikash Bhattacharya known for his excellent chemistry with the Pradesh Congress leadership. None of the Left or the Congress with 33 and 36 MLAs can see their candidates through without mutual backing or the help of Trinamool Congress which will be left with six surplus votes after electing five candidates nominated by the ruling party. With six seats up for the grabs the Trinamool has fielded five candidates. The Left tried to field an apolitical consensus candidate but the Congress stuck to its stand of nominating its own candidate in the absence of Yechury. Though the Congress and the Left largely kept from accusing each other apparently to keep scopes of future understanding open, Banerjee quickly lapped up the opportunity and offered her support for Bhattacharya saying the remaining six TMC candidates would vote for the Congress. The refusal of CPI(M) central committee to resend Yechury to Rajya Sabha with Congress help is largely seen as a victory for the Prakash Karat lobby seen as Kerala line over Yechury-Buddhadeb Bhattacharya lobby known as Bengal line. The CC decision seems to have left a majority of the Bengal leaders and subaltern cadres infuriated who called Karat s decision as suicidal at a time when the Bengal unit which still had larger number of party members was gasping for oxygen and badly needed Congress support to survive politically in the State against unremitting attack by Trinamool mercenaries. Though the two Bhattacharyas refused comment on their contesting against each other the peculiarity of the situation tended to leave many a gray areas in the Congress-Left relationship that had developed through a joint struggle against the Trinamool Congress in Bengal for the past 5-6 years, experts JP president and Union LMinister Ram Vilas Paswan with his son and MP Chirag Paswan and brothers Ram Chandra Paswan and Pashupati Kumar Paras called on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with bouquets and assured that Centre would fully take care of Bihar and fulfil its demands for the speedy development of the State. Union Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Paswan said that wheel of development came to a standstill for about two years in Bihar and now it was the responsibility of the CM and NDA Government to accelerate the pace of development in which Centre would fully help it. The development work will accelerate 10 times under the new NDA Government, he Paswan urged the CM to strictly restore law and order situation and devote full time for the welfare of the State and its people particularly dalits, backwards, minorities and weaker sections. He expressed concern over the rampaging RJD workers who indulged in violence at many places and even attacked DM of Saran. Earlier talking to the media Paswan, who turned bitter critic of RJD chief Lalu Prasad after remaining in his company, said that he had predicted when the Mahagathbandhan Government came into existence that it would not last for two years. At that time, he recalled, many had made fun of him and Lalu had called him mausam vaigyanik (meteorologist) but he proved right and that Government fell in only 20 months. The LJP chief hailed Nitish Kumar for his bold step and master stroke in resigning and severing ties with Lalu on the ground of morality and zero tolerance policy on corruption. Now Nitish has got back natural allies, he added. he police in Jammu & TKashmir have begun investigation into reports that a breakaway Hizbul Mujahideen militant Zakir Musa has associated with an Al Qaeda affiliate even as the State police chief said that it makes no difference in dealing with these elements because a terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his organisational affiliation. A terrorist is a terrorist whichever tanzeem (outfit) he rmy chief General Bipin ARawat, along with top brass of the Northern Command headquarters, on Friday took stock of the operational preparedness of the troops deployed along the Line of Control (LoC) in frontier Rajouri district. During the day-long stay, Army chief visited some of the forward posts and also boosted the morale of the soldiers. Gen Rawat also directed the troops to remain ever prepared to counter the nefarious designs of the adversary. Army chief 's visit was significant as the Pakistan Army has been repeatedly targeting Indian troops and civilian areas in the region since second week of May In the month of July, so far 11 people, including nine soldiers, have attained martyrdom in unprovoked incidents of ceasefire violations and sniper attacks on the Indian soldiers. More than 1000 families from forward villages have belongs, Director General of Police Shesh Paul Ved said at a Press conference in Srinagar. If somebody has picked up a gun, he is a terrorist for us. Ved was referring to the reports that an Al Qaeda linked outfit Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind has declared Zakir Musa, a 22- year engineering college dropout from south Kashmir, as its chief in Kashmir. Musa was an aide of slain Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani but he recently closed ranks with the outfit been camping across different relief camps in the wake of prevailing security situation. In response to the misadventures attempted by the Pakistan Army, the Indian Army has hit back strongly and inflicted heavy damages across the LoC by razing Pakistan Army bunkers and notorious posts to the ground. Defence spokesman of Northern Command Headquarters in a statement said, Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat accom- panied by the Northern Army Commander Lt Gen D Anbu on Friday visited White Knight Corps to review the operational preparedness and the prevailing security situation in the Corps Zone. The Sefence spokesman said, The Army chief was briefed by Lt Gen AK Sharma, GOC, about the preparedness of White Knight Corps in dealing with the emerging and dynamically changing security situation and the measures taken to thwart any misadventure by inimical forces". Gen Rawat also visited Rajouri wherein he was briefed on the operational readiness by the GOC Ace of Spades division. He visited forward posts along the LoC where he was briefed in detail on the actions being undertaken to ensure a robust counter infiltration grid. Gen Bipin Rawat complimented the troops for their unflinching efforts and reiterated the need to remain ever prepared to counter the nefarious designs of the adversary, the Defence spokesman after issuing a series of statements against Pakistan and a section of separatist Hurriyat Conference leadership. While Zakir has not rejected or confirmed his association with the group, the police sources said they have initiated investigations into the affair. Sources said that Musa, a resident of Noorpora village in Tral of south Kashmir has around a dozen gunmen in his breakaway group, few of them former Hizb cadres. Shortly after a Londonbased newspaper reported Musa s assignment, Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin in a video statement said that freedom movement of J&K had no international agenda. The three prominent separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik also denounced linkage of Kashmir s separatist movement with global organisations. Without naming Musa, they said the announcement was a ploy of Indian agencies.

9 n a major swoop, the Central IBureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an Indian Army officer Lt Col JS Bath working as Garrison Engineer at Karnwar in Karnataka and his assistant RB Chawan. According to a Press release issued by the CBI, an officer of the Indian Army and his associate were arrested on Thursday for accepting a bribe. The Army officer working as a Garrison Engineer and the assistant of Garrison Engineer were apprehended while accepting a bribe of 50,000 and 30 coins of gold. They have now been booked under Prevention of Corruption Act by the CBI when they were allegedly taking a bribe for clearing pending bills of a civil contractor, says the Press Release. In the complaint, it is said that the two engineers allegedly demanded a sum of 1.5 and he Madras High Court s Trecent order making singing of Vande Mataram compulsory in Tamil Nadu schools had its echo in the Maharashtra Assembly, with senior BJP leader and former State Minister Eknath Khadse conveying it to the Opposition s two Muslim MLAs that if one were to live in the country, he or she would have to chant the national song. Khadse and another BJP MLA Anil Gote joined issue with Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi and his counterpart from MIM Warin Phatan on the chanting of Vande Mataram, after Gote raised the issue and objected to Azmi s recent statement that he would rather leave the country than chanting Vande Mataram. Taking exception to Azmi s recent comment on the issue, Gote said that if Azmi chose to remain in the country he would no other way but to chant the national song. In response, Azmi said: I can chant Sare Jehaan se Acha, Hindustan Humara... Hindustan Zindabad thousand times. But I would not chant Vande Mataram because it is against Muslim community. Several Muslims have sacrificed their lives for the country. Several of the sardars of Chhatrapati Shivaji were Muslims. Therefore don t dub as anti-nationals. Phatan of MIM also supported the stand taken by Azmi. Is Deshme Rehana Ho tho, Vande Mataram Jehna Hoga, Khadse told the two Opposition MLAs, taking strong exception to their opposition to Vande Mataram chant. Wondering as to how anyone could refuse to chant Vande Mataram in a country where freedom fighters won the independence by singing that national song, Khadse said: You were born, brought up and will be buried in this country. How can you refuse to salute the motherland? That being the case, you have to chant to chant Vande Mataram if you are to live in this country. In a significant ruling, Justice M V Muralidharan of the Madras High Court had said early this week that private and government schools in the state should ensure that their students sing the national song at least twice in a week, preferably on Monday and Friday, while the national song could also be played in other government and private establishments at least once in a month. 1 lakh from a civil contractor to clear his pending bills and for the payment already made. He further stated that the amount was demanded in instalments. At first, they demanded 50,000 in the form of gold and cash. The Army officer was caught red handed while accepting 30 gold coins and Chawan was seen taking 50,000 from the complainant. Searches by the CBI have also been conducted on the premises of Bath and Chawan. Congress workers forced Tthe cancellation of the shows of Madhur Bhandarkar s controversial film Indu Sarkar in many theatres across the State on the day of its release on Friday. The Congress workers, who had earlier this month staged protests in the cities of Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur and prevented the promotion of the film by Bhandarkar, were at their aggressive best as they either forced the theatre owners to cancel the shows of Indu Sarkar or disrupted the screening of the film. Following the protests, the owners of four theatres in former CM Ashok Chavan s home town of Nanded, cancelled all the shows of Indu Sarkar on the first day of its release. Similarly, the Congress workers forced the cancellation of the film screening at a theatre in Thane s Korum Mall, Kalyan s INOX theatre, Fame theatre at Nashik and Natwar multiplex theatre at Jalgaon. At all these places, the Congress workers staged massive demonstrations against the controversial and raised slogans against the filmmaker. At Jalgaon, the protesters tore the posters of the film. leuths of National SInvestigation Agency along with forensic experts visited the Assembly on Friday to make an on-the-spot inspection of recovery of the powder which the State Government earlier termed as plastic explosive PETN. The officers also met senior officials, including Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar and DGP Sulkhan Singh to enquire about the progress made so far by the State agencies. Sleuths of UP Anti- Terrorists Squad and IG (ATS) At Thane, the Congress workers, led district party president Manoj Shinde, barged inside the INOX Cinema in Korum Mall and raised slogans condemning the film and Bhandarkar. Having climbed on the stage near the screen, the protesters also shouted slogans against the NJP-led governments in Maharashra and at the centre. Talking to media persons, Shinde charged that Bhandarkar, acting apparently at the behest of the BJP, was trying to tarnish image of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who had contributed a great deal to the country. We will now allow the film to be screened, Shinde With no alternative, the Aseem Arun and other members accompanied the NIA team during their inspection in the Assembly. Sources confirmed that NIA team along with officers from Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Chandigarh, reached the Assembly and inspected the area from where the explosive was recovered. According to a senior official of NIA, the list of employees of the Assembly, Marshals, security staff along with the MLAs, who had assess to the area on the fateful day, has been procured. He said that soon they would start recording their statements. theatre owners cancelled the show and refunded the ticket money to viewers. Set against backdrop of Emergency, Indu Sarkar has characters inspired by late Mrs Indira Gandhi and her younger son Sanjay Gandhi. Apprehending that the film might portray its leaders in a poor light, the Congress workers have been protesting against the film for nearly a month now. The Congress had earlier this month disrupted the promotion of the film by Bhandrakar at Pune and Nagpur. The Congress workers had also staged protests in front of the office of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) against contentious portions in the film. enior NCP leader Ajit Pawar Son Friday charged that an effort was being made in certain quarters to suppress the case involving the alleged murder of a life convict Manjula Shetye inside the Byculla women s prison on June 23. Participating in a calling attention debate on the death of Manjula at the Byculla jail, Pawar demanded that a thorough enquiry be conducted into the circumstances leading to the death of the woman convict. The women prisoners are meted out inhuman treatment by the officials inside the Byculla jail. I have proof to substantiate my charge. NCP s group leader Jayant Patil alleged that Manjula died The NIA also took possession of CCTV footage of the Assembly and asked the Doordarshan officials to hand over the entire recording made on the day of recovery as well a day earlier to it. Earlier, about 150 grams of PETN (Pentaerythritol tetranitrate) explosive was found lying spread under the cushion of an Opposition MLA s seat on July 12. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had described it as a dangerous terror conspiracy while confirming the powder was deadly explosive PETN. He later recommended a probe by the NIA. However, Chief Minister s claim came under cloud after suspicion was raised that the powder recovered was not PETN. To clear the doubt, the State Government has already sent the powder for examination in CFSL in Hyderabad and the result is awaited. after she was thrashed badly and subjected to sexual assault by the jail officials. The circumstances that led to the woman inmate s death have made to hang our heads in shame. If the prison authorities are to treat a jail warden (a post that Manjula had been designated as), then what kind of treatment that the ordinary inmates can expect from the jailors?, Patil asked. It may be recalled that Manjula, a resident of Bhandup in north-east Mumbai who had earlier been serving life sentence in Pune s Yerwada for the murder of her sister-inlaw and was recently shifted to Byculla jail, had succumbed injuries that she had suffered during her thrashing by jail officials on June 23. rime Minister Narendra PModi on Friday announced an ex-gratia of 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed during the floods in Assam and 50,000 to seriously injured persons from the Prime Minister s National Relief Fund (PMNRF). Prime Minister s Office requested the Assam Government to furnish details of fund requirement along with list incorporating the names of deceased, their next of kin and seriously injured persons with their complete postal address. Sonowal in his recent meeting with the Prime Minister in New Delhi apprised him about the gravity of flood in Assam. The Prime Minister assured the Chief Minister of extending all support to the State Government in tackling flood and accordingly the ex-gratia relief is announced today. Further, as per direction of the Prime Minister, a seven member Inter-Ministerial Central team visited Assam with three days programme and carried out on-the- spotassessment of flood damage. The team has already completed the assessment and would soon submit their report with recommendations to the Government of India for early release of fund to tackle the flood damages in Assam. Meanwhile, the Central team called on the Assam Chief Minister today and apprised him about the findings of their visit to the flood affected districts.

10 The Government has set up a panel to look into various aspects, including usage, of crypto currencies like bitcoins, Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Friday. The inter-ministerial panel held a meeting recently, he The stakeholders consultation is on. Once, it is finalised we would be in a position to inform, Meghwal said on the sidelines of a CII event here. RBI Governor Urjit Patel earlier this month had informed a parliamentary panel that it is keeping a close watch on transactions involving crypto currencies. The Government has been debating issues concerning bitcoins and sought public opinion on allowing virtual currencies a few months ago. The circulation of such currencies have been a cause of concern among central bankers the world over for quite a while now. In March, the Finance Ministry had constituted an Inter- Disciplinary Committee to take stock of the present status of Virtual Currencies (VCs) both in India and globally and suggest measures for dealing with such currencies. Ahead of the next monetary policy review in August first week, Reserve Bank Governor Urjit Patel today called on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and is believed to have discussed various macro-economic issues. After meeting the minister, Patel met the newly appointed Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg. RBI governor usually meets Union finance minister before the monetary policy review. The six-member monetary policy committee (MPC) of the RBI headed by Patel will meet on August 1-2 for the third bi- monthly policy statement for Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian had earlier this month said there had been a paradigm shift in inflation trajectory which has been missed by all. His comments were seen as an apparent reference to the decision of the MPC, which has kept the key policy rate unchanged so far this year. Bitcoins were in news recently after a massive global ransomware attack WannaCry hit systems in over 100 countries. The cyber criminals demanded a fee of about $300 in crypto currencies like bitcoin for unlocking affected devices. On Goods and Services Tax, Meghwal said, government is keeping a watch on impact of GST on prices of various commodities. A team of 180 officials and 30 ministers are monitoring the price impact. They are getting feedback from various districts and towns and also trying to assess what kind of procedural difficulties business are facing. Procedural issues are sorted out by tax authorities while issues related with taxes will be taken up in the GST Council meeting scheduled for August 5, he Meghwal also said that the Government has saved 57,000 crore by weeding out corruption from various schemes through the use of technology. This is the first government which has been able to check corruption and plug the leakage through the use of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), he Diversified conglomerate ITC Limited on Friday said that while demonetisation had disrupted the wholesale trade channels, implementation of GST had created some hiccups in transition, but becoming better every week. There had been some hiccups after the implementation of GST, but is becoming better every week. The wholesale channel is taking time while the retail channel is less affected. But disruptions are far less lower than expected, CEO of ITC Sanjiv Puri told reporters after the company s AGM here. Puri said that while GST was supposed to be revenue neutral, the dual tax rates on certain FMCG categories like atta had created some anomalies. Taxation rates on unbranded and branded product categories like atta had led Chinese handset maker Xiaomi on Friday said it has secured a $1 billion loan to fund its global expansion plans and strengthen retail footprint. Xiaomi HK Ltd has signed a three-year term $1 billion syndicated loan agreement... In total, 18 banks across Europe, the Middle East, India, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan participated in the new syndicated loan, Xiaomi said in a statement. The company had previously secured a three-year term $1 billion syndicated loan in Xiaomi founder, Chairman and CEO Lei Jun said new retail (an integration of online and offline retail) and globalisation are two of the company s top strategic areas for development. The syndicated loan will further boost its efforts to develop these areas, he added. to creation of anomalies. There should have been a standard rate to promote the processed food industry which could have created more jobs. He Asked to comment on impact of different GST rates on the entire FMCG portfolio of ITC, Puri said the impact had been more or less even. While taxes on soaps are low, it is high on shampoos. On the whole, Puri said ITC s overall FMCG portfolio had seen robust growth and grew faster than the industry. ITC was building on segments in the FMCG space where not present now. Chairman of ITC Y C Deveshwar said anomalies are there and not economically ideal. The purpose of GST was not have multiple rates, adding that eventually it would become a single rat, he Our target is to reach a E-tailing giant Amazon s net profits tanked 77 per cent to $197 million ( 1,264 crore) in the June quarter hurt by wider losses in international operations, but said it remains committed to investing in India. Amazon s operating losses in its international business widened to $724 million (Rs 4,646 crore) in June 2017 quarter against a loss of $135 million in the year-ago period. Its revenues, on the other hand, jumped close to 25 per cent to $37.5 billion. Operating income of Amazon s North America business fell 38 per cent, while that from Amazon Web Services (AWS) rose 27 per cent. Despite widening losses, Amazon remains committed to making further investments in India....We continue to invest turnover of Rs one lakh crore by We will be looking towards to enter at all possible FMCG categories, Deveshwar Expressing concern over the taxation on cigarettes, Puri said It is a major cause for worry. There had been 202 per cent rise in tax which had led to smuggling of cigarettes and shift towards other forms of tobacco consumption. Puri said that after the excise imposition in the budget, there had been successive bouts of taxation on the legal cigarette industry which comprise 11 per cent of total cigarette consumption. 68 per cent of cigarette sold escape regulatory oversight, he With increase in taxation, the legal cigarette industry is being put under pressure, he FMCG major Hindustan Financial technology software services market is expected to increase to $14 billion in next three years given the proliferation of digital payments in the country, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said today. Currently, more than 600 startups are in the field of lending, payments, insurance and trading and the current financial technology software services market stands at $8 billion and this is expected to grow to about $14 billion by 2020, Kant Reeling out growth numbers for digital payment following demonetisation, he said volume of digital payment has increased by 55 per cent in as compared to previous fiscal. The average CAGR was 28 per cent in the previous 5 years, he added. Unilever (HUL) on Friday said the new tax regime of goods and services tax (GST) has not impacted the consumer offtake and expects the price cuts undertaken by it to drive sales. I don t think GST has impacted the consumer offtake. In fact, with us taking the lead in reducing the consumer price, it should give a fillip to consumer demand and consequently to the volume, HUL Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Sanjiv Mehta said here. The company had reduced the prices of some of its detergents and soaps, extending the tax benefits it got under the GST regime to consumers. Mehta said most of the trade channels are returning to normalcy, barring a few wholesale traders in the central part of the country. There are some channels like modern trade which have gone back to their normal rhythm, canteen store department, which had stopped buying a few weeks before ating agency Fitch Ratings has placed RLodha Developers Private Limited s B Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) and the B long-term rating on its outstanding $200 million 12 per cent unsecured unsubordinated notes due 2020 on Rating Watch Negative (RWN), following the company s announcement that it is seeking the consent of the holders of its US dollar notes to amend certain covenants in indenture and to waive a breach of covenants. The RWN will be resolved following a review of the outcome of the consent solicitation, said the report. Fitch noted that the company has until 9 August 2017 to obtain bondholder consent. In the event that this is unsuccessful, the US dollar bonds may need to be redeemed should the bondholders holding at least 25 per cent of the face value of outstanding bonds exercise the right of acceleration and the company is not able to rectify or refinance the bonds within 30 days. The US dollar notes are issued by Lodha s wholly owned subsidiary, Lodha Developers International Limited, and guaranteed by Lodha and certain subsidiaries. in India. We are very hopeful with the progress we have made with sellers and customers alike in India and we see great momentum and success there, so we continue to invest and we have some of our best people in that business, Amazon Chief Financial Officer Brian T Olsavsky said in an investor call. Explaining the company s strategy, he said:... We continue to invest in, as I said, fulfilment capacity and logistics services, digital video... India, the buildup at the AWS infrastructure, all the things I mentioned not to mention Prime Now and Amazon Fresh and Prime benefits. The Seattle-based company, which is locked in an intense battle with Flipkart in India, has been aggressively pumping in money across its units here, including e-commerce and payments. Since January this year, it has pumped in $600 million ( 3,800 crore). It had committed investments worth $5 billion to the Indian market last year. Amazon India, which has recently completed four years of operations, has been directing its investments towards building warehouses, strengthening logistics and increasing product assortment. Besides, money is also being invested in marketing and promotions as the company looks to bring more consumers into shopping online on its platform. In April, Flipkart had raised $1.4 billion in funding from Tencent, ebay and Microsoft. It is also believed to be in discussions to buy smaller rival, Snapdeal that is expected to further intensify the battle. Debit card usage has gone up by 104 per cent, pre-paid instruments have seen a jump of 163 per cent, POS installation has gone up by 83 per cent, Kant said at a CII event here. Noting that cost of cash is very high, he said RBI spends 21,000 crore in currency circulation per annum. Around half of that just in ATM operations. So, my personal view is that Indian rural the transition, they have started buying and they are slowly getting into the rhythm. There are sections of general trade in some parts of the country, which are limping back to normalcy, he The company s topline and volume growth were impacted by 200 basis points with the canteen store department not buying from it. I think the most affected still remains the wholesale in the territory of central India like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, those are the cases where the traders are still sitting on the fence, waiting to understand what they need to do and how they need to react to the new era of GST, he I would believe that sooner or later, the trade channel should start unclogging and there would be some element of channel reset but the large number of wholesalers who are engaged in trade, would have to find ways and means of engaging with the trade, accepting GST is a reality and they will have to live with that, he added. market is just waiting to become prime customer of the financial technology revolution, he India is in the top of ten financial technology markets in the world. Current financial technology offerings are mainly accessible to elite. Therefore, there is a need to reorient innovative potential to solve problem of rural and unbanked India, he added. Lodha is seeking the consent from bondholders of its USD200 million unsecured unsubordinated bonds to waive the breach of the restricted payments covenant. As of 30 June 2017, Lodha and certain restricted subsidiaries advanced loans and provided shortfall guarantees to its 40 per cent-owned joint-venture in London - which is not part of the original restricted group, in excess of the consolidated net income basket limit allowed under the bond indenture. Concurrent with the consent solicitation process, Lodha is seeking consent to reorganize, such that the London properties become part of the restricted group as Lodha increases its stake in the London properties to at least 75 per cent. Fitch estimates that Lodha s consolidated leverage would drop to 72 per cent if the London business were amalgamated, from 80 per cent previously. At 31 March 2017, the London business had external debt of 26.4 billion and adjusted inventory of 60.7 billion, which amounts to a leverage ratio (defined as net debt/adjusted inventory) of 43 per cent. Our leverage ratios exclude London business outstanding loans payable to Lodha. As such, there would be no immediate rating impact on the IDR should Lodha receive the necessary consents.

11 C M Y K ussia s Foreign Ministry on RFriday announced counter measures in response to tough new sanctions proposed by the United States, ordering Washington to reduce its diplomatic staff. Moscow ordered the US to reduce its diplomatic presence in Russia to 455 diplomats and staff and also barred it from using a Moscow summer house and storage facility. The Ministry said that this was in response to the passing of a new bill on sanctions by the Senate late on Thursday. US President Donald Trump will now have to decide whether to accept or veto the measures. US Ambassador John Tefft expressed his strong disappointment and protest at the development, the US embassy spokesperson told AFP, adding that we have passed the notification back to Washington for review. The embassy spokesperson declined to comment on the current number of US diplomats and staff in Russia. President Vladimir Putin Washington: The US on Friday said it is looking forward to a smooth political transition in Pakistan as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif stepped down after the Supreme Court disqualified him for dishonesty over the Panama Papers scandal. We look forward to a yesterday slammed what he called anti-russian hysteria in Washington and said that Russia could not endlessly tolerate this kind of insolence. Moscow complained that the new sanctions bill showed with all clarity that relations with Russia have fallen hostage to the domestic political struggle in the US. It warned that it reserves the right to carry out other measures that could affect the interests of the US while acting in a reciprocal fashion. The move comes after Russia has repeatedly expressed anger at Washington barring its diplomats access to two compounds in the US in December last year, under Barack Obama, in response to suspected Russian meddling in the US election. Obama at the same time expelled 35 Russian diplomats for spying. President Vladimir Putin initially held off from retaliating, saying he would wait to see how Trump reacted after he came into the White House. Trump and Putin discussed this diplomatic spat at their first smooth transition as Pakistan s parliament selects the next Prime Minister, a State Department official said when asked about the disqualification of Sharif for dishonesty. The official, however, described Sharif s resignation as Pakistan s internal matter. PTI meeting at the G20 in Hamburg this month. Russia s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov had said after subsequent talks in Washington that the matter was almost resolved. The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday slammed what it called extreme aggressiveness of the US in international affairs and said Washington was using the absolutely far-fetched pretext of Russia s interference in its internal affairs to carry out flagrantly anti-russian actions. The Ministry said We propose to the US side to bring the number of diplomatic and technical staff working in Russia in exact accordance with the number of Russian diplomats and support staff in the United States by September 1. It said that this would reduce the number of US diplomats and staff to 455. The ministry also said it would bar access to a summer house and storage facilities in Moscow used by the US embassy from August 1. Washington: In a major setback to President Donald Trump, the US Senate on Friday failed to repeal and replace the landmark Obamacare bill as three senior Republican lawmakers, including Senator John McCain, voted against the measure. Repeal and replace of Affordable Healthcare Act, popular as Obamacare, has been Trump s major electoral promise. While Trump succeeded in getting the Senate to vote for a debate on Obamacare early this week, all efforts of his party to repeal the healthcare of his predecessor has failed so far, mainly due to the opposition of some of his own Senators. In a dramatic late night vote, Senator McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee joined two of his other Republican colleagues Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski along with all the 48 Senators of the opposition Democratic party to vote against the proposal to overhaul the 2010 health care law. PTI Houston: A woman trying to burn a bug inside her apartment s bedroom in the US started a fire which resulted in the evacuation of people from the building and an estimated $140,000 damage to the property. The incident took place at an apartment complex in Topeka, Kansas, with Topeka Fire Marshal Mike Martin saying that an investigation determined the blaze occurred in the master bedroom of an apartment. The cause was listed as being accidental, resulting from Doha: Qatar refuses to bow to Saudi-led demands to outsource its foreign policy to resolve the Gulf crisis, its Government spokesman has Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed Al-Thani, who holds ministerial rank, accused Doha s adversaries in the crisis Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt of meddling in Qatar s internal affairs. What s behind this crisis of course is Qatari sovereignty and independence to put it very simply. It is about... Outsourcing our foreign policy so that decisions are not made in Qatar, and that is something that will never be acceptable, he told AFP in an interview. Sheikh Saif said the Saudiled bloc had laid down a new ultimatum on Tuesday by publishing a list of individuals and terrorist entities allegedly linked to Doha. This list, it s still an ultimatum, it s still something that is stalling resolving the crisis, the official However, we have said it London: Scotland Yard believes there are reasonable grounds for a corporate manslaughter charge against the organisations overseeing the Grenfell Tower in west London which went up in flames last month killing at least 80 people. The two organisations under suspicion are Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, according to the Metropolitan Police led criminal investigation into the fire. In a letter sent to survivors and the families of those who died, the Met Police said the an occupant trying to kill a bug with a lighter, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported. Ausha Scott said she was inside the apartment unit at the time of the fire with her mother, Monique Quarles, and 2- year-old child, Avionna Scott- Quarles. Quarles said the blaze started on Monday after she tried to burn a bug that was found in the unit s master bedroom with a flip-style lighter that malfunctioned. Quarles said she had from the start, we are open to dialogue, we are open to negotiating... The first step should be lifting the illegal blockade. In the region s worst diplomatic crisis in years, Riyadh and allies have been boycotting Doha since June 5. They have sealed the emirate s only land border, ordered its citizens to leave, and closed their airspace and waters to Qatari flights and shipping. They are demanding that Qatar break its longstanding ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, blacklisted as a terror group by the four Governments although not by the international community. They also want Doha to close broadcasting giant Al- Jazeera and a Turkish military base, and to fall in line with Saudi-led policy in the region, particularly towards Iran. Sheikh Saif insisted that this crisis was again triggered by them not by us. Qatar was prepared to discuss anything openly as long as it does not impinge on the country s sovereignty and independence, he AFP Colombo: The funds of the LTTE will remain frozen in the European Union countries despite the recent judgement by the 28-member bloc s top court to remove the Sri Lankan Tamil rebels from its terror list, the grouping has In 2006, the EU banned the LTTE as a terrorist organisation and has maintained the LTTE on its list. In 2014, the General Court annulled the restrictive measures concerning the LTTE due to procedural shortcomings. The 2014 judgement was appealed by the Council of the European Union at the European Court of Justice. PTI decision to identify the two organisations as suspects follows the seizure of documents and witness statements. After an initial assessment of that information, the officer leading the investigation has today notified Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that each organisation may have committed the offence of corporate manslaughter, under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, the letter reads. PTI picked up the first bug, put it in her hand and lit it on fire. She said she and her daughter then looked under the mattress to see if there were any other bugs. They then found what Quarles said was a medium-sized bug. When I grabbed the bug and I had it, I went to light it and then the lighter started sparking, so these sparks then went onto the box springs, Quarles The sparks just started flying on it and inside of it. PTI Madrid: Emergency services say some 50 people have been injured when a morning commuter train crashed into the buffers in a station in northeastern Barcelona. The Catalan regional emergency services said 48 people were treated and 18 taken to city hospitals, five of them in serious condition, following the accident on Friday at Francia station on the northern side of the city. Television images showed many passengers being tended to on the ground in the station. The train driver was among those seriously injured. The train had left the southern coastal town of Sant Vicenc de Calders and arrived at Francia station at 7.15 am (local time). AP Hamburg: A man killed one person and wounded several others in a knife attack at a supermarket in the German city of Hamburg on Friday before being detained by police. There is no valid information yet on the motive or the number of people injured by the man, who entered a supermarket and suddenly began attacking customers, said police, adding that one victim died from his severe wounds. AFP Shah Alam (Malaysia): A Malaysian judge set an October 2 trial date on Friday for two women accused of murdering the North Korean leader s half brother. Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong are accused of smearing Kim Jong Nam s face with the banned VX nerve agent at a crowded airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur on February 13. He died about 20 minutes later. The women, who face a possible death penalty if convicted, say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank for a hiddencamera TV show. Judge Azmi Ariffin estimated the trial will last for two months. AP Jerusalem: Israel barred men under 50 from Friday prayers at a sensitive Jerusalem holy site after two weeks of tensions and deadly unrest, leading thousands of Palestinians to hold mass prayers outside. Thousands of others entered the Haram al-sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, for prayers after Palestinians ended a boycott of the site the previous day. AFP C M Y K

12 C M Y K T he fifth season of Vivo Pro Kabaddi League began with a bang as Telugu Titans edged out debutants Tamil Thalaivas in Hyderabad on Friday. It was Rahul Chaudhari who started the season in fine form and came up with a super 10 to lead his team to an impressive victory. Nilesh Salunke ably supported Chaudhari and contributed 7 points as Titans began their campaign in style. For Thalaivas it wasn't a happy debut as they struggled to match Titans' experience and might. Prapanjan scored the first point of debutants Thalaivas in the second minute as he secured a bonus point. Rakesh Kumar opened Titans' account in the third minute. Chaudhari opened his account for the season in the third minute with the score tied at 2-2. Both teams exchanged a couple of ndian's women cricketers have attained Iovernight stardom and are now hoping the handsome financial rewards for their stellar World Cup show will be followed by lucrative sponsorship deals, which their male counterparts attract. Ten of the 15 squad members have job security as they are employed with the Indian Railways but they feel it is time top corporates also open up to women's cricket. It has been almost a week since the World Cup final at Lord's but most of the squad members are yet to be approached for sponsorship. Captain Mithali Raj is among the few who have tied up a sports management company to take care of her commercial interests. The cricketers may have become household names but they have not yet attracted much interest as far as sponsorship is concerned. India's star all-rounder Deepti Sharma, all of 19, did not have much clue when inquired about a major corporate showing interest in her. For now, she is just happy that she has got a kit sponsor. "Vampire has been sponsoring my equipment for a while now. That's about it," Deepti, who hopes to get a Railways job just like the majority of her teammates. "My father also retired from the Railways so it will be nice if I get to work there too," she added. The 21-year-old opener Smriti Mandhana, whose form deserted her after a scintillating 90 and 106 in the opening two World Cup games, says she has been approached by companies. "I have been talking to a few companies about sponsorship. Hopefully things will work out. It will be nice to have sponsors behind us after all the support we have got from the BCCI and Railways," said the Mumbai-born southpaw. However, leg-spinner Poonam Yadav and left-arm spinners Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Ekta Bisht, have not heard from the sponsors yet. "I think it is too early to say whether big corporates will invest in us. We have just come back, may be in the coming months, they will show some interest. It is definitely the time women get attention from the sponsors," said Poonam. "As of now, Railways is the only body which has been supporting me. Terms like sponsorships and deal with companies are new to me. But it is something that we would love to have to boost our financial security. Having a women's IPL will also be a step in that direction," said the Bijapur-based Gayakwad. C M Y K elhi Dynamos have signed D29-year old midfielder Paulinho Dias as the club's first foreign recruit for the coming season of the Indian Super League. Paulinho's movement, both on and off the ball, and his ability to bring his teammates into play makes him a great threat for the opposition defense. The Brazilian could make a strong impact for Dynamos this season as he is known to find the back of the net from distance, along with his expertise in the holding midfield role. A graduate of the Cruzeiro academy, Paulinho was last plying his trade with Joinville in Serie B. His signing marks a reunion with head coach Miguel Angel Portugal who had initially signed him back in 2014 at Atletico Paranaense. "I'm very excited to welcome Paulinho to the club. This is a player the coach immediately he American president of the Roma Tfootball club is running out of patience. If regional authorities don't approve construction of a long-delayed new stadium for the team, Boston executive James Pallotta says he is prepared to sell the club. "We have to be breaking ground in February or March. The approval has to be any day now," Pallotta told The Associated Press this week. "We don't want to sell it. We think there's a huge opportunity for us to build a championship-caliber team with a stadium and an entertainment complex," Pallotta added in a telephone interview from Boston, where the team was training. "But if they can't get the approval stuff in order then someone else is going to have to go through with it." Pallotta first presented the stadium plan in March 2014 alongside then-mayor Ignazio Marino, saying that it would be ready for the season - which ended two months ago. But the massive project - due to include a training center, entertainment complex, three office towers and extensive transportation works - has been delayed by environmental concerns and criticism over public funding. The project's cost was originally valued at 1.6 billion euros (nearly $2 billion), including more than 200 million euros in public financing. Earlier this year, the office towers were empty raids before Salunke scored a bonus point to give Telugu Titans 3-2 lead after five minutes. Titans scored the first tackle point of the match in the sixth minute as they led 5-3. The first do-or-die raid came in the 11th minute as Nilesh scored a point to give Telugu Titans 7-4 lead. Tamil Thalaivas came back into the game as they scored with a super tackle in 12th minute to tie the game at 8-8. Titans scored six quick points in a minute and inflicted the first all out of the match to lead 14-8 after 17 minutes. Chaudhari scored three points in two minutes as Titans ended the first half leading Telugu Titans began the second half strongly and led after 22 minutes. Salunke scored his fifth raid point of the match as Titans led after 27 minutes. Rahul Chaudhari attained a super 10 in the 28th minute as Titans led In the last 10 minutes of the match, Thaliavas tried to mount a comeback but their raiders disappointed. Titans tightened their grip on the match and led after 35 minutes. Tamil Thaliavas scored two quick points to reduce the deficit to eight points as they trailed Thalaivas rallied in the last minute to score three more points but lost identified when he came aboard and I'm sure he can be a defensive anchor in our midfield. He will make his mark in the ISL like the other Atletico Paranaense players who came before him," Delhi Dynamos Director Rohan Sharma Paulinho has previously had stints with the likes of Ipatinga, Chapecoense and Veranpolis where he started majority of the games and helped the clubs in promotion to the top division. Defender John Johnson of Bengaluru FC will join the team on Saturday. "John is joining us tomorrow and straightaway, we are expecting him to kick off his pre-season with an open training session," a BFC official told PTI here. John has been the bedrock of BFC defence and had won accolades in the very first season when he was named I- League's 'Best Defender' and took home cut from the project to gain approval from current mayor Virginia Raggi. Approval from the Lazio region is the next step. The proposed stadium site in Tor di Valle is about halfway between downtown and Leonardo Da Vinci Airport. With a design inspired by the Colosseum, the stadium is slated to seat 52,500 and be expandable to 60,000 for major matches. Roma currently shares the 72,000-seat Stadio Olimpico with city rival Lazio. In a lengthy interview, Pallotta also discussed several other issues: Pallotta is finding it difficult to fathom how rival AC Milan has spent more than 200 million euros (nearly $250 million) the most in Europe this transfer campaign. UEFA put a financial fair play investigation into Milan's books on hold until October. "I'm so upset at UEFA. It's a joke," Pallotta "It's crazy. It makes no sense. They don't have the money." US private equity fund Elliott provided backing to the Chinese-led consortium that purchased Milan from Silvio Berlusconi for $800 million in April. "(Elliott CEO Paul Singer) is a friend of mine," Pallotta "They're going to own the team. They have the debt." Next month will mark five years since two trophies in his first tryst with Indian football. John became an integral part I n another European summer of lavish transfer deals, it can seem that UEFA has given up trying to curb clubs' excessive spending. Skeptics question AC Milan's 200 million euro ($240 million) spree and how Paris Saint- Germain could squeeze a 220 million euro ($258 million) pursuit of Barcelona's Neymar by the UEFA rules. Don't believe it, says the "Financial Fair Play" project leader monitoring hundreds of clubs' accounts since "Certainly FFP is not dead and we will, for sure, reinforce the rules going forward," Andrea Traverso told The Associated Press at UEFA headquarters. Luxury taxes and salary caps once dismissed as unworkable in Europe are again talked about. UEFA could start evaluating club debts and make competitive balance a formal goal. "We have continuous dialogue with the clubs. They are all aware of the rules," Traverso said, noting Champions League regular Porto was sanctioned last month. After Porto overspent on first-team budget targets, UEFA deducted 700,000 euros ($820,000) prize money and limited the squad to 22 instead of 25 senior players in this season's competition. UEFA's independent club finance panel praised the 27-time Portuguese champion's "realistic financial and business plan," and expects compliance by Still, do clubs ignore the scrutiny that goes with entering UEFA competitions? Milan's new Chinese owners, who needed American equity fund cash, spent heavily on players after six years without a Serie A title. "I'm so upset at UEFA. It's a joke," Roma president James Pallotta told the AP about Milan's offseason. "They don't have the money." of BFC, and once again bagged the 'Best Defender' award for the second time in three seasons. Pallotta became Roma's president. A hedge-fund manager with the Raptor Group, Pallotta had no previous experience in football. "I wish I knew the sport back then as well as I do now," he "And I wish I knew a lot of the characters and the players - both good and bad - in the game. There's just a lot of things to learn and navigate." After a sixth-place finish in his first Meanwhile, draft recruit and attacking midfielder Alwyn George has already joined the team, the official The team kicked off its preseason on Thursday. With the AFC Cup Interzonal semifinal against North Korean side April 25 SC fast approaching, the Blues wasted no time in starting their pre-season training after the ISL draft. Speaking on the sidelines of the season's first ever training session, head coach Albert Roca was delighted to be back in action. "We are happy to be back on the field. Our target is to build on last season's progress as we move into a new chapter in the club's history, but before our domestic season begins, we have got big matches coming up fast in the AFC Cup," he Roca also said the Spain tour will help massively as it will give them a good opportunity to gel as a squad. "We don't want to waste any season in charge, Roma has become a perennial challenger for the Serie A title, placing no worse than third each of the past four seasons. "The first couple of years I ended up spending so much time with the financial side of it and cleaning it up and dealing with the banks," Pallotta "I inherited a bunch of things that have taken some time to clean up and I feel like we're now in the right spot for a lot of things." Recent Milan spending outweighs its 217 million euro ($254 million) revenue in 2015, according to a UEFA review of club accounts. However, UEFA cannot stop clubs buying, while Milan can use August and January trading periods to balance its books. "Milan will not be an exception to Financial Fair Play, because no club enjoys an exception," Traverso "All clubs are free to operate on the market but then they might face consequences if they do not operate according to the rules." Milan's case is unusual because it had no FFP assessment for three years. A Europa League qualifying match on Thursday was its first UEFA game since March New club officials will meet UEFA in October to explore a "voluntary agreement" on financial targets. It continues Milan's interesting history with the UEFA project. In 2009, then-uefa President Michel Platini cited lobbying by owners, including Milan's Silvio Berlusconi, to limit clubs spending only what they earned. Critics said it protected elite clubs with global income, and blocked ambitious clubs with wealthy owners. When UEFA rules took full effect in 2014, Qatar-owned PSG and Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City were hardest hit. Both had 20 million euros ($23.4 million) deducted. By 2015, Milan was slumping when UEFA offered to be sympathetic with clubs which had an affordable business plan. This helped clubs to woo buyers, including Chinese investors who now own Milan and city rival Inter. As the $800 million Milan sale was sealed in April, PSG and Man City completed periods of stricter UEFA monitoring. Both clubs are high in UEFA's revenue-earning list with more than 460 million euros ($540 million), and are major transfer market players. time and prepare the best way possible for the first leg at home. The Spain tour will also help us massively as it gives us a good opportunity to gel as a squad," he Day two of pre-season began with an introductory meeting between the new players and the staff, both technical and nontechnical, as the club welcomed its new signings into the fold. Roca and his coaching staff also briefed players about their expectations from the season ahead, while encouraging them to train at the highest level. Captain Sunil Chhetri said he was confident of the task ahead despite the reshuffle in the squad. "Things will get tougher from here given we have only just assembled a squad. But we have got a really good set of players that I am confident will turn into a unit with time. There is a nice blend of experience and youth and it is going to be an exciting season ahead," he Pallotta gushes with enthusiasm over the club's new sports director, Monchi. After enabling Spanish club Sevilla to punch above its weight and win 11 trophies during his tenure there, Monchi joined Roma in April. Pallotta singled out the manner in which Monchi selects players who fit the squad's style of play - recruiting defenders who can pass well and feed speedy wingers to set up center forward Edin Dzeko, who led the Italian league with 29 goals last season. "It's just a completely different animal from what I've seen before," Pallotta "When he was at Seville he knew that for 15 years he had to make up revenue or losses because they didn't have enough revenue," Pallotta added. "So he became really, really good at identifying players young players that he didn't have to pay a lot of money for and created a lot of value with." Pallotta said it reminded him of how when he traded stocks as a hedge-fund manager, "I tried to buy low and sell high." Pallotta called the purchase of defender Aleksandar Kolarov from Manchester City for 5 million euros ($6 million) "a steal." While Roma has been criticized for allowing starters like Antonio Rudiger and Mohamed Salah to depart to the English Premier League the club is slated to take in up to 80 million euros in transfer fees for the duo.

13 C M Y K I t can be surprisingly hard asking for help, even when it's only for some minor difficulty. Doing so is an admission that you aren't perfect, which can lead to feelings of weakness or inadequacy. Yet, it's a vital life skill. Many of life's obstacles can't be tackled alone - we simply don't live long enough to learn how to do everything on our own. Whether you're looking for a little assistance with a homework assignment or seeking treatment for a serious disease, asking for help is the first step towards positive progress. Doing so is an admission that you aren't perfect, which can lead to feelings of weakness or inadequacy. Yet, it's a vital life skill. Many of life's obstacles can't be tackled alone - we simply don't live long enough to learn how to do everything on our own. Whether you're looking for a little assistance with a homework assignment or seeking treatment for a serious disease, asking for help is the first step towards positive progress. It sounds simple, it can be truly difficult to swallow your pride and accept that you can't solve this problem on your own. Tell yourself that you need help - you might even want to try saying it out loud if you're having trouble convincing yourself. If you can't seem to stir yourself to action, try asking yourself the following questions. If you find yourself answering "yes," you probably need help. Once you've convinced yourself you need help, you need to pinpoint the exact problem. This will both make it easier to C M Y K ask another person for help and easier for you to communicate to this person what the problem is. Sometimes this process is remarkably simple - if you can't remember your lines for the school play, it's easy to articulate this to the director. However, complex emotional issues can be tricky to pin down. If, for instance, you're unhappy but you're not sure why, you may feel hopeless. Though you may be surprised by the willingness of strangers and casual acquaintances to help you, you should probably pick someone who's well-qualified to give the help you're looking for. Sometimes, this may be a friend, other times, a professional. Sometimes it can even be both. For instance, if you've decided that you need help getting in shape, asking one of your friends to be your workout buddy and seeking out a trainer at your local gym are both valid, sensible options. Maintain a positive self-image as asking for help is not a reason to feel weak, inadequate, or stupid. Seeking help when you need it is a sign of strength, not of weakness. It's easy to deny you have a problem. It's hard to put aside your pride in an effort to fix it. As you seek help, you might feel bashful or embarrassed. Don't be, even if you're not seeking help for the first time. Think of it this way: asking for help isn't as embarrassing as failing at whatever's giving you difficulty. When you ask for help, you have to admit that you can't do something on your own. It's an acknowledgement that you have your own personal faults and struggles. Remember that it's not a big deal! No one's perfect - everyone needs help at some point or another. Going through life without ever admitting you're wrong is no way to live - people who are too proud to ask for help have to rationalize their stubbornness through increasingly complicated internal justifications. Don't be like them - suck it up and ask.. If you don't know this person well, introduce yourself briefly and make it clear that you need help. If it's urgent, introductions can wait until later. Explain politely, quickly, and clearly that you need help. Then, if they're willing to give it, explain what you need help with. Your willingness to ask for help is a sign of your closeness and intimacy. Asking for help can even be an affectionate gesture. Go somewhere else to talk. If your problem is a physical, practical one, rather than an emotional one, it's often more useful to watch your helper fix the problem than to try to remember their verbal advice. If you can, take your helper to the problem situation and allow them to show, rather than tell you how to fix it. Even if your problem isn't a physical or practical one, a change of scenery can be necessary. Personal emotional problems, for instance, aren't best discussed in cramped train cars or in your cubicle where someone can overhear. To avoid extreme awkwardness, discuss any serious problems you need help with in a private place. Don't be afraid to take notes as they explain or demonstrate how to fix your problem - if, for example, they're helping you jump start your car, you should make note of the order you should attach the alligator cables to each car's terminals. Remember, the better you're able to remember how to solve your problem, the less likely you are to need to ask for help again. The person who helped you deserves your thanks. Everyone's time is precious - the fact that they gave you some of theirs shows that they're compassionate and care about you. At the very least, give your helper a hearty "thank you.". It's usually not necessary to be too extravagant - it's much more important to show that you're sincerely grateful. They'll appreciate it immensely and they'll be more likely to help you out in the future. Asking for help can be really hard, especially if you feel stressed or confused. Getting the support you need during tough times can help you get through the situation, give you strategies to deal with the situation and give you some perspective. Be very clear that thinking a problem will go away by itself, being embarrassed or afraid to ask for help. Thinking you should be able to cope without help and no one wants to help or will understand. Thinking things aren t bad enough to seek help, not knowing where to find help.

14 T oday is Global Tiger Day and there are reasons which have led to the decimation of the animal s population and need to be seen in their entirety. Activists are urging tigerrange governments to strengthen antipoaching efforts and crack down on a severe wildlife snaring crisis that is threatening wildlife across Asia, especially the world s remaining wild tigers, which number only around 3,900. Easy to make from widely available material such as bicycle cable wires and quick to set up, wire snares are deadly traps that are fast becoming the plague of Asia s forests. Driven by the growing illegal wildlife trade, which is now reaching an estimated US$20 billion annually, illegal wildlife trade is estimated to reach $20 billion per year, which makes wildlife trafficking the world s fourth largest illicit trade, after narcotics, human trafficking and trade in counterfeit goods. Within the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the only place on earth where wild tigers, orangutans, elephants and rhinos are found in the same habitat, snare traps are estimated to have doubled between 2006 and The number of snare traps in Sumatra recorded in 2013 and 2014 are doubled, when compared to the preceding eight years, suggesting a higher number of poachers in the area. Yet, many of such critical habitats lack adequate resources for protection. In nearby Rimbang Baling, one of several protected areas in Sumatra, only 26 rangers patrol over 1,400 square kilometres, an area equivalent to nearly twice the size of New York City. In India, reported tiger deaths related to poaching reached an all time high in These reported figures might represent only a fraction of actual mortality. Electrocution and poisoning of the big cats have also been recorded across tiger habitats. With wildlife traps and electric wires embedded deep into the ground or hid among debris, the detection of these devices are often difficult and missed by forest guards who manually patrol our forests to ensure protection of our wildlife. Snares are dangerous, insidious and quickly becoming a major contributor to the wave of extinction that is spreading throughout southeast Asia and tigers are being swept up in this crisis. All efforts to recover wild tigers are now imperiled by snaring on a massive scale. We cannot over-emphasise the need for strong government commitment and investment in rangers who are on the frontline of conservation, clearing snares and apprehending those who set them. It s impossible to know how many snares are being set up every day and threatening wildlife in these critical habitats. Hundreds of thousands of deadly snares are removed by rangers from Asia s protected areas annually, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. We have been working with communities on holistic approaches to conservation. Making them primary stakeholders in the protection of forests and its wildlife can go a long way in enhancing anti-poaching efforts of the country. Snares are a problem in Asia. In India, while snares are used for poaching but there are other issues which are affecting the tiger population. Habitat degradation and habitat loss have a huge impact on tiger population. Oftern there are development projects, industries and roads which come up around the tiger reserves. If 500 resorts come up around the reserve, it means that it becomes an island. Tigers are large animals and need a large space to move about. Sometimes the movement happens through forests an at other times through human dominated landscapes. When industries or roads come up, they block the tiger corridors. Industries need to some up with solutions. For development, it is essential for roads and industries to come up and when we talk to a road engineer or a road construction company and tell them that a reallignment of he road is needed to avoid the forest or that they should include a mitigation measure like an overpass for the passage of a tiger and other animals, the response often is that why is it important to save the four or five tigers. But they need to understand that the future security of the national heritage of the country is at stake. A higher GDP is important but what this needs to be focussed on too. We need to take into account development along with mitigation measures. At the Asia Ministerial Conference on tiger conservation, the Prime Minister did say that tiger conservation was important. ot everyone has the guts to Nquit their high-paying job as a communication professional to follow their passion. But for Parul Sharma, passion overpowered her job, albeit a little later in the day. What her naked eyes took for granted assumed a newer level of perception as she began to realise the possibilities of encasing them in photography frames. And the visions welled up inside her, resulting in Parulscape, her debut black and white urban essay at the Bikaner House, this weekend. Sharma shared the inspiration behind her collection. This series primarily focusses on patterns, structures and geometrical shapes in black and white. It s an abstract collection with no theme. The photographs are asymmetric and about everydayness. In stillness, I saw movement. In structures, I saw patterns. In shadows, I saw light. It led me further to explore the realm where every object is a text and every space abandoned by our casualness is a context. I still travel alone in those spaces, enchanted by the perpetual shadow play. All the 40 images being showcased at the exhibition are in black and white. She believes the combination has spark and rawness. Also, we tend to measure our life in black and white. Unlike other photographers who title their photographs and represent a theme, Sharma keeps it simple. I don t want to convey any message through my photos. That s why I didn t give any title to my photographs. I don t want my photographs to be confined in a box. Similarly, people also try to put their fellows into some sort of boxes. We are constantly judging and labelling others. I absolutely hate those people who define others. The aim of art is communicating without words, about making an emotional connect. I want my photographs to be interpreted by everyone according to their own perspective, she told us. Having had a successful career as the spokesperson of Rupert Murdoch in India, she quit her post two months ago to devote more time to photography. Last five years I was highly caught up with my job and meetings. During my travels, I used to capture the photographs on my phone but not with an objective of showcasing them some day. Since I like the beautiful aspect of architecture and nature, I clicked them randomly. Till Swapan Seth, the curator, chanced upon them and asked me to do the exhibition. This shift from a full-fledged job to a passionate photographer was unintentional, she For Sharma, her exhibition is a parallel world for her. She is planning to showcase the collection in Mumbai, too. Though my photos will be considered as abstract photography, I don t consider them as representative of that genre. The usage of light in my photos represents eternity or Supreme. It contains poetry and magic at some level. On being spontaneous, the artiste said, I never decide before shooting. The pictures were shot while I was travelling to either Delhi, Mumbai or Tokyo. The images come to me, I don t go to them. Moreover, I don t know the technicalities of photography. I will someday definitely shoot nature but my favourite genre will always be architecture and patterns. Unlike other photographers who click extraordinary photos, I click ordinary ones. Ranging from the conveyor belt at the airport to a light streaming into the waiting room of the terminal and shadow plays from Sujan Singh Park to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the minutiae of Delhi is the highlight of the collection. Sharma had a word of advice for budding photographers. Follow your heart. People in India are mostly copying already established work while in the West there is a lot of innovation happening. Artists there believe in deconstructing. How did they get you to do this movie? Everyone thinks that I needed to be convinced, I really didn t. It was an amazing script though it may have looked weird. I basically play a magical dead body, who about 3-4 minutes after the film starts, comes back to life and is discovered by Paul Dano s character, a hopeless lost soul wandering on the beach. He finds my character and they go on a magical journey together. It was quite an adventure. Were you drawn to it not just because of the originality of the film but also because you play a corpse? I would never get a chance to play a dead guy who comes back to life and talks, yet is not a zombie. I was also attracted to the sort of physical nature of the role, like how much he gets chucked around. The moment when I got to the second page, where I was being used as a jet ski, I was like yeah, I will probably be doing this film. It sounds weird but it is actually a very beautiful story between two human beings or rather one human being who is alive and one who is dead. It teaches you a lot about what s important in life and what you take away from it. It s really a movie about joy, like there are these two slightly odd characters but he s reminding this dead body about how life is worth living and together they are exploring all the things that give us joy and make us happy. It s a brilliant performance by yourself and Paul Dano. To give him credit, he had to literally put you on his shoulder the entire time. He said he has never been stronger than after he finished this film. I mean, I am not particularly heavy, but I know the weight of a human being which he was lugging around. There was actually a line he improvised through the film which makes me laugh. I am not supposed to be saying it but there s a scene where I moved my head down to avoid the camera see me laugh, as he was saying I am feeling buffed just carrying you around. That wasn t even part of the script, it took me by surprise. See that s the thing with corpsing. There are a lot of things which you find amusing but you have to continue to be dead and not even blink. I couldn t blink. In fact, I got very good at not blinking. There was a sort of fear as Paul was giving an amazing performance opposite me and I thought that if I moved a bit, I would ruin the scene. It is one of the most original comedies certainly of recent times. Did you have any idea how funny audiences would find it when you were making it? It was very original but it was also very funny. I was laughing at some of the ideas, the images. There was a part of me which was laughing at how do you do that, how do you intend to make any of this happen, but they did. The only thing which was not there in the script was that epic feel in some of the moments. The directors of the movie talk about using music to sneak some of their weirder ideas past the audience. That is why the soundtrack is kind of key to that. There are some instances in the movie where if there was no soundtrack, you would wonder what am I watching, but somehow with the music it makes it great. Swiss Army Man to premiere on Star Movies Select HD on August12 at 9:00pm.

15 A nju Modi s collection Sunehri Kothi focussed on Rajputana s haveli culture and tradition on the fourth day of the Indian Couture Week. In her couture line, she focussed on intricate details and the use of threadwork on a variety of rich fabrics. It was her tribute to heirlooms of a grand past, much of which has been decimated, but much of which has passed down and lived on in the smallest of details. Travelling through the land of the kings, Rajasthan, I found myself on a road less taken to a humble yet resolute mansion, the Sunehri Kothi. Its weathered and rugged exteriors did not take away the grandeur of what was once a golden chalet. In this collection, I bring alive its gold emblazoned interiors and intricate architectural detail, allowing a peek into the Sunehri Kothi that also emerged in the miniature art forms of that region, said Modi. The stage was set up as a forest where birds could be heard chirping incessantly. The show started with Umrao Jaan style lehengas that models draped from the left and tucked into their waists. Embellished with laser-cut gota and 3-D flowers, the lehengas swished about with a breath of life. The show started with allwhite ensembles. Both male and female models sashayed down the ramp with elan, with a side shawl as accompaniment. The look was further enhanced by dhoti pants, modernised kurti, layered blouses and flared long skirts. Modi, who is into minutiae, give credit for this collection to Princess Vaishnavi Kumari today s context. Unlike similar colours, I m experimenting which was approved by the audience. Vrindavan s raaslila, a standard motif of the Kishangarh school of miniature paintings. So while Dia was made to look like Radha, the rest looked like gopikas and men in Krishna attire. After the white collection, it was purple and yellow with a heavy usage of velvet. The designer revived the vintage style of draping the saree from the shoulder. Dia wore the collection s most embellished piece, which was made of hand-crafted organza. Modi said, We are in a country where more than 350 years ago, the couturiers used royal textiles and elevated dressing up into an art form. We are trying to revive this attitude, albeit through wearable adaptations. Krishna always appeared in layers of drapes and I have tried to keep the same logic for the men, said the designer. Mirza was happy to be Modi s showstopper. Said she, She is one of the designers, who for the last 20 years has been responsible for protecting and nurturing our heritage, handicrafts and textiles. She likes to cherish what is Indian. I don t like to mess with it and that s what so resonant in her collection. I felt exquisite today wearing this beautifully handcrafted outfit. It s delicate and intricate. It has researched about of Kishangarh who provided with several combinations of Net, gota and embroidery a mix of traditional as well as Rajasthani miniature art, be it in paintings, enamelled art or jewellery. The miniature art inspired me. My show-stopper, Dia Mirza, looked like a Rajasthani princess. I want to me the details regarding miniature art. The portraits and the fashion that we saw in those eras are immemorial but what I tried to do is reinterpret them as costume art in unusual colours. This thought came from miniature paintings, she told us. The collection was contemporised with the use of sea blue, dark green and maroon was seen in almost all her attires. I like organic fabrics which I have been developing for 25 years. I ve used chanderis, velvet, dupion silk, organza and much more. We ve also included a contemporary touch. I felt transported to some other world while depicting Radha from this miniature painting. This will be one of my iconic performances. esigner Anita Dongre has Dhelped put India on the global map. And the woman whose creation Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton picked for an outing and who has unveiled two stores in New York, says the Indian diaspora has influenced fashion across the world. The Indian diaspora has influenced worldwide fashion, making borders just a little bit thinner, said she. About her foray into New York, she said: We wanted to reach out to our overseas consumers. The US has a lot of young women who buy from us online or when they visit India. When we thought of having a presence overseas, SoHo in New York was an obvious choice, Dongre H o w different are those pieces from the ones available in India? The Grassroot collection that is available in every store and online will be the same, said the designer, whose Bollywood clients include actresses like Kareena Kapoor Khan and Dia Mirza. And what about Hollywood films? I have always maintained that I am a designer and love designing clothes. I enjoy seeing how stylists work magic with my design but that is an entirely different skillset. I would love to see Hollywood wear my designs, she Dongre is all geared up to showcase her latest work at the India Couture Week here on Saturday. Rajasthan is the backdrop to some of my most cherished memories. It s the place I go back to season after season to draw joy, colour and grandeur from everything that is so intrinsic to a bride s special day, she Every season the state inspires my designs with its rich heritage, culture and crafts. The last collection, Alchemy, was inspired by the wildlife of Ranthambore against the glistening sands of the desert state, she added. This time her collection is a tribute to the Bishnoi tribe of Rajasthan. The Bishnoi tribe is most recognised for Amrita Devi and her village s sacrifices to save the khejri trees. It s this dedication and identification with nature that inspired me to both design this collection and plant a forest of 25,000 trees at the Bassi Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan, she The motifs and gota pati embroidery beautifully translate the essence of the khejri on to silks. Deep hues of maroon, ink blue and olive green accented with our signature red fuchsia and royal blue highlight the collection, she added. What is particularly special about this collection is it is ethereal and light at the same time, much like the strong women of the Bishnoi community. I celebrate learning from craftspeople, added Dongre. ell-known fashion designer Masaba Gupta is all set to cre- an exclusive collection for the winter festive edition of Wate Lakme Fashion Week. The collection will be inspired by the unique qualities of a non-carbonated mineral water she is endorsing with flavours of apple, strawberry and peach. Gupta said that she will be using fruity colours in her new designs. I ll be using a range of pastels which are inspired by the water along with fruit-inspired embroidery. We ll try to create something for everyone and for varied tastes. emember actress Madhoo Rwho caught the national imagination as the vivacious and innocent Roja girl? And who, after a brief Bollywood spike, just as swiftly receded into the recesses for domestic bliss? But as they say you can never keep an innate artiste down. And so it is that Madhoo, who was away for a long break, is back on the small screen. Shah will be playing the role of Queen Sambhavija in TV s larger-than-life drama Aarambh, which has been penned by the writer of the much-acclaimed Baahubali and which talks about the clash of the Indus and Dravidian civilisations. Having tested waters with television in an earlier drama called Mann Mein Vishwass Hai, Shah says she immediately accepted the offer of Aarambh because it came from its director and industry stalwart Goldie Behl. He called me up and I just heard two lines. He said it was a very powerful role of a queen. And I just felt I should do it. It was an intuitive decision. Apart from the role, I know what kind of a filmmaker and visualiser Goldie is and the way he directs a story, she Though Shah has usually portrayed soft-hearted characters, this time around she will be playing a ruthless warrior with clever tricks and wisdom that help her unite a matriarchal society. In reality, I m not this kind of a person who yells and gets angry. People know me to be a very kind and gentle person. Though the temperament of the character is different, I m portraying it by using my internal strength. I feel I am a strong person internally and this kind of role gives me the opportunity to show it outwardly. I don t have to put any effort to fit into the character. It feels like I m just me, said Shah on her similarity and disparity with the character. Shah doesn t think it is unusual to sign a television drama. She said, No filmmaker has come with a role which was tempting enough for me to accept. When Goldie called me I never looked at it as a television project because the people associated with Aarambh are from the movies. I never think about the medium, especially in today s flat world where consumption of art can be on any platform. The role I m playing is larger than life and the time they are spending on me feels like that I m doing a mega movie. Shah has even worked in an online series. She feels if she had restricted herself to one platform to exhibit her art, then she would still be waiting for a chance. Recently, I ve shot a short film Sab Thik Hai which has just released and I got this chance as the viewership across platforms has opened up many media. If it was just movies or TV, people like me would not have got an opportunity. Moreover, every medium is merging with one another. I m enjoying this intersection, she Shah was extremely popular in Tamil cinema but she was equally fluent in other languages. Shah s main concern since her childhood was her education. Recollecting her memories, she said, I come from a very intellectual Tamil family. My parents wanted me to become either a doctor or an engineer, so they always told me to focus on studies. But gradually I made them understand my interest was in acting. Shah stated that while working in mainstream Hindi cinema, she was always recognised as a good artist. Though I didn t get the kind of roles in Hindi films as I did in Tamil because at that time the industry was dominated by action movies and male actors. On the other hand, in Tollywood the script was made keeping me in mind. Had I stayed on in Bollywood till 2000, I would have got some unique subjects to work on when the industry changed with the advent of Karan Johar and Adita Chopra, said she. On her short Bollywood journey, Shah has no regrets. Thanks to the Mani Ratnam movie, I came to be known as the Roja girl. The movie has kept me alive among the audience even after 25 years. If there s anything that she missed, it was working with Shah Rukh Khan. He is my all-time favourite. Shah s philosophy of life is It is what it is. Living in the moment rather than thinking about the past or the future. In that space, she blooms fully as an artiste.

16 C M Y K I ndia closed in on a big win as their domination went uncontested for the third successive day in the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka here. Virat Kohli (76 batting) and Abhinav Mukund (81) put on 133 runs for the third wicket as India reached 189 for three in 46.3 overs at stumps on a rain-affected day three. Overall, the visitors have a lead of 498 runs after they decided against enforcing the follow-on. In reply to India's mammoth first-innings total of 600, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 291 in 78.3 overs. After a rain-break that cost 86 minutes, playing time was extended until 6pm local time to make up for the lost overs. Kohli and Mukund made hay while the sun was out as they barely countered any trouble from the Sri Lankan bowlers. Mukund scored only his second Test half-century off 78 balls, after his previous effort of 62 runs against the West Indies at Roseau in Dominica he Sri Lankan cricket board has turned down Tan invitation from the Pakistan Cricket Board to send its team to Lahore to play two T20 matches at the start of its home series in October. PCB Chairman, Shaharyar Khan confirmed that after the suicide bomb attack in Lahore earlier this week, the Sri Lankan cricket authorities has refused to send their team for the T20 matches. "I had spoken to my Sri Lankan cricket counterpart during the ICC meetings and I had invited him to send his team to Lahore to play the T20 matches and start the series against Pakistan with rest of matches to be played in the UAE," Khan He said he had been given assurance by the Sri Lankan cricket head that he would speak to his government and get clearance for the matches. "I am a bit surprised at Sri Lankan's refusal because terror attacks are happening everywhere in the world and sports events are still going on. It is unfair to just single out Pakistan for secu- rity reasons." Khan said the PCB had successfully held the Pakistan Super League final in Lahore in March and provided top security for the event. "The ICC and other security experts of cricket boards had come to Lahore to see for themselves the security arrangements and some shortcomings were pointed out which we promised to resolve but overall they were all satisfied with the way security was provided for the final," he It was Sri Lanka's team which had come under attack from militants in March, 2009 in Lahore after which no top Test team has toured Pakistan because of security concerns and the PCB has been forced to hold its home series in the UAE. Recently Sri Lankan great, Kumar Sangakkara claimed that the team was sent to Pakistan in 2009 by the Sri Lankan authorities despite serious reservations expressed by the players over the security situation in Pakistan. He has called for an inquiry to find out who was behind forcing the team to travel to Pakistan in those conditions. C M Y K back in He then proceeded to overtake that mark to record his highest score in Test cricket. Overall, he faced 116 balls, and hit eight fours. At the other end, Kohli overcame his bad patch in Tests by scoring his 15th fifty off 68 balls. This was the first time since February that the Indian skipper had crossed the 40- mark, after scoring 204 and 38 against Bangladesh at Hyderabad. His highest against Australia in five innings across three Tests was 15. Here, he picked easy runs off the Lankan bowling and overcame that mental hurdle after scoring only three runs in the first innings. Overall, Kohli faced 114 balls, and hit five fours. His 50-partnership with Mukund came up in only 51 balls, and the duo crossed the 100-mark in 120 balls. The day's play ended when Mukund fell lbw to part-timer Danushka Gunathilaka (1-15). The batsman opted to review, but that decision too went against him. Earlier, India had reached 56 for two in 16.5 overs in the second innings when rain intervened in the ommonwealth Games gold Cmedalist Jwala Gutta has been very vocal about what she perceives as the neglect of doubles badminton in India. On Friday, her former partner Ashwini Ponappa also expressed similar views. "Our singles players have done well because there has been a lot of support and encouragement. The same kind of encouragement needs to be given for doubles also, especially at the grassroots level," said Ponappa on the sidelines of the awards distribution ceremony of PNB Metlife Junior Badminton Championship at the Thyagaraj Stadium on Friday. She believes that though the situation is slightly better, more needs to be done for doubles' players. "I think a lot more can be done. I believe a lot more support ustralia vice-captain Dave Warner has Aaccused Cricket Australia of wrongly blaming players for not resolving a bitter pay dispute saga which threatens next month's Test tour to Bangladesh. CA chief executive James Sutherland upped the ante on Thursday when he said unless intensive talks over the next few days produced a compromise, his organisation would seek the intervention of an industrial umpire to end the impasse. The Australian Cricketers' Association hit back, saying CA was to blame for the crisis dragging on and that it had "lost the players" through its hardball tactics. Warner, who has been outspoken in the push for players to keep a 20-year revenuesharing arrangement in place against CA opposition, also fired back at the governing body. "This Baggy Green (cap) means the world to me," he wrote on Instagram late Thursday beneath a picture of himself in his Test kit. "Myself and all the other players, female and male, want to get out there and play. "We offered Aus$30 million ($24 million) of our money to grassroots as a peace plan. It was ignored. We asked for mediation twice before and it was rejected. Now second session of play. Post lunch, Ravindra Jadeja (3-67) brought the hosts' innings to a quick end as he bowled Lahiru Kumara (2). CA says there is a crisis. "The players are unemployed and some are hurting financially but continue to train. Administrators all still being paid. How is it our fault no deal is done?" After months of negotiations, the players and CA have failed to reach agreement, leaving 230 cricketers unemployed since the end of June when their contracts expired. Sutherland went on the attack after knocking back recent compromise proposals from the ACA, who remain adamant that players must receive a percentage of the game's gross revenues. Dilruwan Perera was stranded on 92 not out, facing 132 balls, inclusive of 10 fours and four sixes. India took a first innings' lead of 309 runs. Shikhar Dhawan (14) then fell quickly, caught at backward point off Perera (1-20), chasing a wide delivery. He put on 19 runs for the opening wicket with Mukund. He then added 37 runs with Cheteshwar Pujara (15) for the second wicket. Some 40 minutes before tea, a thunderstorm lashed the sea-facing ground. But Lahiru Kumara (1-53) had enough time to bowl one more delivery and Pujara was caught at leg slip. An early tea was taken to make up for lost time. In the morning, Perera and Angelo Mathews (83) defied India as Sri Lanka reached 289 for eight at lunch. The two batsmen put on 62 runs for the sixth wicket as the visitors led by another 311 runs. Starting from overnight 154 for five, Perera and Mathews continued from where they had left yesterday evening and extended their defiant partnership. Umesh Yadav (1-78) and Jadeja got proceedings underway for India, but neither were troubled the duo as they brought up their 50-partnership off 96 balls. Sri Lanka's 200 came up in the 57th over, and they nearly batted out the first hour without any loss when Mathews chipped a catch off Jadeja straight to Virat Kohli at short cover in the 59th over. There was slight turn available for the spinners on this day three pitch and this wicket was a result of constant pressure built up by the left-arm spinner. In all, Mathews faced 130 balls inclusive of 11 fours and a six. Two overs later, Perera survived a confident lbw shout off Jadeja via DRS. Originally, he was ruled out lbw but the review came out in his favour, surprisingly. The ball appeared to be sailing well over the stumps, unexpectedly though as seen from Kohli's astonished reaction. Perera then reached his fifth Test half-century off 94 balls, inclusive of four fours and three sixes. He added 36 runs with Herath for the seventh wicket and another 39 runs with Nuwan Pradeep (10) for the 8th wicket. At the other end though, stand-in skipper Rangana Herath (9) was not so lucky as he went for a reverse sweep off Jadeja and only ended up lobbing up the ball off his glove to Ajinkya Rahane at slip for a catch. The batsman went in for DRS confidently assuming the ball had hit his arm, but Ultra-Edge replay showed that there was some glove involved. Sri Lanka's 250 came up in the 70th over, as Perera started throwing his bat around and getting runs in boundaries. Hardik Pandya (1-13) came on to bowl close to the end of session, and cleaned up Pradeep to claim his maiden Test wicket. and encouragement can be there for doubles player. If doubles is not being given importance, youngsters are not going to pick up double because it would seem that singles players get all the limelight while doubles players are ignored. This difference needs to be erased," added the Commonwealth Games gold medalist. She also sees the recent appointment of a coach specifically for doubles players as an important move. "Having a doubles coach is really important. In the past we never really had an expertise in doubles. We always had coaches who have come and gone and while we had them, it's been beneficial to us because as a country we never really were doubles-centric. So having coaches with a long term vision definitely helps because they can come and give their inputs which benefits every- one from juniors to the seniors," the shuttler added. Ponappa revealed that she raised this issue at the Badminton Conclave organised some weeks ago at the time of Himanta Biswa Sarma taking over as the President of BAI and she was happy that he took interest in the issue. "A lot of us did voice our opinion and he was very kind to listen to all our queries and listen to what we wanted and he definitely said that he would work towards making sure that the best came out of the conclave," she Ponappa has been playing women's doubles recently with N Sikki Reddy. On being asked to compare this new partnership with the one she had with Jwala Gutta, the 27-year old felt the two cannot be compared. "I wouldn't compare the two at all because Jwala and I had a different kind of partnership. In fact, every partnership is different. Jwala and I had a great couple of years in which we had great en Stokes struck a belligerent cen- on day two of the third test Btury against South Africa, guiding England to a respectable first innings total of 353 on Friday. At tea, South Africa was Debutant pace bowler Toby Roland- Jones induced the faintest of edges from opener Dean Elgar and he was caught behind by Jonny Bairstow with the last ball before the break. Elgar reviewed the decision, but replays showed a slight touch. Stokes hit 112 in 153 balls, reaching and passing his century in dramatic fashion by smashing three consecutive sixes off the bowling of spinner Keshav Maharaj. The England left-hander had resumed on Friday with opener Alastair Cook, who added just six runs to his overnight 82 before Morne Morkel beat his bat and trapped Cook leg before wicket, 12 short of a 31st test century. Resuming on 171-4, England advanced to at lunch as Stokes and Bairstow shared a 75-run partnership. Two wickets fell in the morning session, those of Cook and Bairstow. Vernon Philander, the pick of South Africa's bowling on the first day at the Oval, sent down five overs but I t took him six years to make a comeback to the Indian Test team and his spot as an opener is still not guaranteed but Abhinav Mukund would prefer to live in the present and contribute in team's cause rather than thinking about past or future. With his 81-run knock, Mukund on Friday scored only his second Test half-century after his previous best effort of 62 against the West Indies in Dominica back in "I have the opportunity to do something in this Test. I don't want to think ahead to the next Test," said Mukund. Being the first- choice opener or second-choice opener doesn't make a difference. When you get a chance in the middle, I want to capitalise on it. That's what I thought." "There was a point of time I am very honest about it that I was not raring to even put on whites. I wasn't part of any team I wasn't part of any first-class team. There was a time when I was dropped from my own First- Class team. To have this opportunity to be part of the Indian team is such a huge bonus. I take every game as an opportunity, that's all. If I am part of the team, not part of then left the field again for treatment, apparently for a stomach ailment that also forced him off the field on the first day. It was later reported that Philander had been taken to hospital. Stokes and Bairstow looked comfortable against the remaining bowlers until the new ball was taken 20 minutes before lunch. With the swinging ball, Kagiso Rabada induced an edge from Bairstow the team, again, I will try to do my best wherever I am," said Mukund. The Tamil Nadu opener said his teammates have been very supportive since his comeback. "The support staff and the senior players have made my stay quite comfortable. I have played a lot with Virat Kohli and Ravindra jadeja and all of these guys at junior level. I think the culture is as such that it is relaxed in the dressing room. During his knock of 81, Mukund put on 133 runs for the third wicket with skipper Virat Kohli who also overcame his bad patch to score an unbeaten 76. "We have certain plans, where we try to hold our partnership together at the start and end of each session because when you start and end the session well, it is a big plus for the team. That's something we speak about a lot. "I thought if two settled batsmen were not out today, that would have given us the impetus to get a few more in the first hour and then out them back in. Unfortunately I got out. It is not something we can control, but it is something we have in the back of our head that we finish the session well," he match and some really good wins. Sikki and I are just starting out and we have had a couple of good tournaments as well. So I am just looking forward to better results and better match performances," asserted the former World Championship bronze medalist. Ponappa is going to be in action in both women's doubles and mixed doubles. On her expectations in the former discipline, she is cautiously optimistic. "I wish to do the best I can and hopefully win a medal." While Ponappa has been playing mixed doubles with both Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and B Sumeeth, she confirmed that at the World Championships, it would be the latter whom she will partner with. "Sumeeth and I have qualified for the World Championships because we have been playing for the last couple of months so Sumeeth would be my partner in this event." to second slip, where captain Faf du Plessis took the catch. Bairstow scored 36 in 52 balls. Moeen Ali and Roland-Jones added valuable runs and were able to witness another Stokes blitz in an innings that included nine fours and four sixes. Heino Kuhn was 10 not out at the break. The four-match series is tied 1-1.