Yoga most unifying force in divided world: Modi

Follow us on: OPINION 8 TURKISH STRONGMAN SET TO WIN ELECTIONS? @TheDailyPioneer WORLD 12 TRUMP ENDS MIGRANT FAMILY SEPARATIONS POLICY facebook.com/dailypioneer LUCKNOW, FRIDAY JUNE 22, 2018; PAGES 16 `3 SPORT 15 BRAZIL UP AGAINST COSTA RICA IN WCUP RNI No.2016/1957, REGD NO. SSP/LW/NP-34/2016-18 Established 1864 Published From DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL BHUBANESWAR RANCHI RAIPUR CHANDIGARH DEHRADUN Late City Vol. 154 Issue 168 *Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable } I BELIEVE IN AN EQUAL WORLD 13 VIVACITY www.dailypioneer.com Yoga most unifying force in divided world: Modi } ARCHANA JYOTI n DEHRADUN s the world joined India in Acelebrating the fourth edition of International Day of Yoga on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the ancient Indian discipline has emerged as the most powerful unifying force in a strife-torn world. In yoga, we have the perfect solution to the problems we face, either as individuals or in our society... instead of dividing, yoga unites. Instead of further animosity, yoga assimilates. Instead of increasing suffering, yoga heals, Modi said before he went on to perform asanas with over 50,000 yoga volunteers who had started congregating at the sprawling campus of the British-era Forest Research of India (FRI) here in Uttarakhand since wee hours of Thursday. Modi said yoga has become the biggest mass movement across the globe in the quest for good health and wellbeing, which is crucial to the creation of a peaceful world. Dehradun to Dublin, Shanghai to Chicago, Jakarta to Johannesburg, Himalayan highlands or deserts, yoga is enriching millions of lives all over the world. Similarly, from Tokyo to Toronto, from Stockholm to Sao Paulo, yoga has become a positive influence in the lives of millions. Be it in the Himalayas or the acrid desert, yoga is developing life. When forces defeat us and break us, there is division within society and family. The person breaks from he collapse of the TMehbooba Mufti-led coalition Government has created an existential crisis for the two-decade old People s Democratic Party (PDP) founded by Mufti Muhammad Sayeed as an alternative to the National Conference and the Congress besides a buffer between separatists and unionists in the embattled State. The PDP gained its bestever tally in 2014 Assembly elections to emerge as the single largest party, but the verdict in Jammu region was in favour of the BJP. The PDP had campaigned to keep the BJP out of power but eventually the hung verdict compelled it to align with the nationalist party. Mufti Muhammad Sayeed had termed the alliance as an opportunity to bridge the gap between distinct topographical regions of the State. He described Narendra Modi as toofan ka aadmi (tempestuous person) and expected overwhelming support from the Centre to the State within, with loneliness enveloping him/her. Yoga does the work of joining these pieces, Modi said in his 15-minute address. Calling yoga as a force that binds the entire world, he said, Family, society, country, world, yoga connects all of them. Connecting the mind, body, intellect and soul, it brings about peace. Wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of white trousers, the PM who arrived at the event around 7 am joined the yoga enthusiasts in performing around 20 asanas in tune with commentary delivered by Dr Ishwar Basavaraddi, Director of Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga under the Ayush Ministry. Modi also praised the Himalayan State for being a centre for yoga for several decades. The mountains around here inspire people to do yoga. Man experiences a divine intervention, he said recollecting the proposal for the Yoga Day at the UN was accepted in record time with a majority of nations backing it. The world has embraced yoga and proof of this can been seen in how the International Yoga Day has been marked, the Prime Minister said, adding that Yoga is beautiful because it is ancient yet modern, constant yet evolving. It is a ray of hope for our future. In yoga, we have the perfect solutions to problems we face. As India struggles with the non-communicable diseases like diabetes and heart attacks which are on increase, Modi Government to bring about groundbreaking changes. However, he died a dejected person in January 2016, a few weeks after Modi s public snub that he did not require advices from anyone on Kashmir. Mufti had dared to tell Modi that Kashmir required political initiatives and dialogue with Pakistan. After Mufti s demise, his daughter initially showed reluctance to step into her father s shoes and sought assurances from the Centre that issues concerning Kashmir would be addressed on priority. There was no public assurance but she eventually fell in line and took over as Chief Minister in April 2016. This reduced her image as a weakling who acquiesced for the sake of power. After 22 months in chair, she had to make unceremonious exit. During this period, a bloody campaign to quell a massive public uprising following the Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga during a mass yoga event on the 4th International Yoga Day in Dehradun on Thursday Mehbooba in wilderness after fall PDP in existential crisis as party chief Mehbooba lacks charisma of Mufti File photo killing of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani was centred in PDP s pocket borough of south Kashmir. Mehbooba started her political career by speaking against atrocities and identifying herself with the victims of State terror but during her latest tenure she justified the killings. She infamously questioned whether the (slain) boys had gone to get candies from Army camps (when they were killed), said Tariq Ahmad, a resident of south Kashmir s Bijbehara. This volte face for the sake of power buried PDP s appeal, he Observers say that Mehbooba had lesser clout and exposure in New Delhi as compared to her father. She could not prove to be assertive and effective and this was one of the reasons for her unceremonious exit, said an observer. Ideally, she should have Continued on Page 7 took the opportunity to highlight the health benefits of performing yoga. Every year, almost 18 million people die due to heart-related diseases. About 1.6 million people lose the fight to diabetes. The way to lead a calm, creative and content life is yoga. Instead of dividing, yoga also unites; instead of animosity, yoga assimilates; instead of increased suffering, yoga heals, he said, adding it helps reduce medical expenses also. While calling the Modi s proposal at the UN for holding an International Yoga Day historic, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said yoga not only leads to wellness but also happiness. Echoing similar sentiments, Union Ayush Minister Shripad Naik said the fact that yoga helps in tackling various challenges of life is yet to be understood by the people. He announced that soon all the Ministries will take yoga as part of their annual activities. Besides drones, nearly 3,000 security personnel were on duty and over 65 CCTV cameras kept a close watch on the one-hour event. Terror funding mastermind arrested by UP ATS in Pune PNS n LUCKNOW he sleuths of the Anti- TTerrorists Squad of Uttar Pradesh, in a joint operation with their Maharashtra counterpart, arrested the Gorakhpur terror funding case mastermind from Pune district in the wee hours of Tuesday. The ATS had unearthed the terror funding gang in Gorakhpur few days back. The arrested kingpin of the gang was identified as Ramesh Shah (28). He was absconding ever the UP ATS nabbed 10 junior members of his gang in Gorakhpur on March 24 last. Shah was being brought to the Uttar Pradesh capital on transit remand. Giving details of the breakthrough here on Thursday afternoon, ATS officials claimed the team trailing Shah for the past three months got success when it succeeded in tracing his whereabouts in Pune. The team rushed to Pune and sought help from the local police and finally arrested Shah on Tuesday. On reaching Lucknow, the ATS will produce Shah in a local court and seek police Continued on Page 7 Nitish skips celebrations Patna/Kolkata: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a key BJP ally, on Thursday stayed away from the International Yoga Day event in Patna, which was a low-key affair in West Bengal where his counterpart Mamata Banerjee too gave it a miss, in moves marked by possible political overtones. Rajasthan makes Guinness record PTI Kota/Jaipur: Rajasthan on Thursday created a world record bringing over a lakh of people together at a yoga session to mark the International Day of Yoga. Two representatives from Guinness World Records watched as yoga guru Ramdev put the gathering which included Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje through a series of asanas. Desi, videshi twist & turn PNS n NEW DELHI rom sport stars to cine Fstars, political bigwigs to diplomats and members of armed forces to policemen, tens of thousands of people, both in India and abroad, joined the fourth International Day of Yoga on Thursday. President Ram Nath Kovind performed yoga along with his Surinamese counterpart Desire Delano Boutersel while External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj joined the celebrations at the European Parliament. President Kovind, who is in the Surinamese capital Paramaribo on the second leg of his three-nation tour, and Boutersel wearing round neck T-shirts joined dozens of yoga practitioners in this Latin American country to perform the asanas. Extremely happy to have participated in #InternationalYogaDay celebrations - 14,000 kms away from India - at Paramaribo with President Bouterse of Suriname. I thank all the yogis who joined us and made this event truly memorable, President Kovind told the gathering. This was the first (Right to left) Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath leading a mass yoga event at Raj Bhawan in Lucknow on the occasion of 4th International Yoga Day on Thursday Rajnath leads Yoga Day event in city PNS n LUCKNOW nion Home Minister URajnath Singh took the lead in performing yoga on the lawns of Raj Bhawan along with Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as the International Yoga Day was celebrated across Uttar Pradesh with fervour. It was the first time that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wore a saffron T-shirt instead of a kurta while the Union Home Minister was seen wearing a white T-shirt and black lower instead of his traditional dhoti-kurta. Rajnath Singh hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his initiative to make yoga a public movement across the world. He said that yoga was an ancient yet modern art that kept every individual physically fit and mentally active. Yoga does not have a religious colour. Though this art was born in India, many Islamic countries have accepted it. The Indian government has conferred Padma Shri on a yoga teacher from Saudi Arabia and this is no less achievement, Singh said, adding that now even Americans were adopting yoga as a way of life. Governor Ram Naik said that yoga was the biggest gift to the world from India. This is the cheapest method to keep one fit. No one need to pay a penny and instead, one gets a good body and mind, Naik Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that yoga had brought the focus back on the importance of good health. Yoga not only talks about wellness but also about the spirit of tolerance in the Indian culture. Yoga is required to maintain a balance mental as well as physical, he AYUSH Minister Dharma Singh Saini said that grand preparations were made for the 4th International Yoga Day and the event was enthusiastically celebrated at every tehsil headquarters, block headquarters and municipalities in UP. Crores of people performed Yoga today in UP. Continued on Page 7 India hits back at US tariff, hikes duty on 29 products time that heads of two countries together participated in the International Day of Yoga. In Brussels, Sushma joined the yoga day celebrations at the Yehudi Menuhin Space in the European Parliament. Indian and Chinese troops performed yoga together at Daulat Beg Oldie in East Ladakh as part of confidence building measure on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The decision to perform yoga jointly was taken during the Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) between the two sides last month. The drill on Thursday on the Indian side in Daulat Beg Oldie saw at least 20 Chinese soldiers and officers performing asanas along with their Indian counterparts at a height of 16,942feet in sub-zero temperature. Incidentally, June 21 is the longest day of the year. In New Delhi, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi performed prenatal yoga asanas along with pregnant women and advised them to practise the ancient Indian fitness regime under trained professionals. She was speaking at an event organised at the Natural Childbirth Centre. Continued on Page 7 GROUP C DENMARK 1 AUSTRALIA 1 GROUP C FRANCE 1 PERU 0 GROUP D CROATIA 3 ARGENTINA 0 CSULE MAN S MURDER: WIFE, PARAMOUR GET 23-YR JAIL Melbourne: A Kerala woman and her lover who murdered the woman s husband with cyanidelaced orange juice have been sentenced to 23 years in jail by an Australian court on Thursday. BABU SHIFTED FOR SLUR ON INTER-FAITH COUPLE Lucknow/New Delhi: A Passport Seva Kendra official in Lucknow was transferred on Thursday after he allegedly humiliated an inter-faith couple, asking the husband to convert to Hinduism and pulling up the wife for marrying a Muslim. GOVT BANS AL-QAEDA, ISIS OFFSHOOTS New Delhi: The Centre has banned new offshoots of terror organisations al-qaeda and ISIS under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, according to an official order. PNS n NEW DELHI itting back at the US on Htariff war, India has increased customs duty on 29 products, including pulses and iron and steel products, which are imported from the US. The duty hike would come into effect from August 4, according to the Finance Ministry s notification released on Thursday. The move comes at time when a trade war-like situation that has been emerging as the United States projects protectionist policies and hikes import duties. The European Union too has decided to levy higher import duties on variety of US products and similar action is being contemplated by China. As far as India s effort on this issue is concerned, India had submitted to the WTO a list of 30 items last week, on which it proposed to raise customs duty by up to 50 per cent. The decision to hike duties is in retaliation to the unilateral increase in tariff by the US on certain steel and aluminum products earlier this year which had tariff implication of $241 million on India. The duty hike by India will have equivalent tariff implications for the US. India exports steel and aluminum products worth about $1.5 billion to the US every year. India s exports to the US in 2016-17 stood at $42.21 billion, while imports were $22.3 billion. Focusing on some specific products, the duty on some daily-used items like chickpeas, Bengal gram (chana) and masur dal has been increased to 70 per cent from 30 per cent earlier, while that on lentil has been hiked to 40 per cent from 30 per cent. Besides, shelled almonds imported from the US will now attract import duty at `120 per kg as against `100 per kg earlier. Almonds in shell will attract import duty at the rate of `42 per kg as against `35 per kg. Import duty on walnut in shell will also attract customs duty at the rate of 120 per cent as against 30 per cent earlier, while apples will attract import duty of 75 per cent as against 50 per cent earlier. The duty on boric acid has been hiked to 17.50 per cent, while the same on phosphoric acid has been raised to 20 per cent from 10 per cent each earlier. Import duty on diagnostic reagents has been doubled to 20 per cent, and binders for foundry moulds have also been hiked to 17.5 per cent. Flat rolled products on iron has been raised to 27.50 per cent from 15 per cent earlier, while certain flat rolled products on stainless steel would now attract 22.50 per cent duty as against 15 per cent earlier. Duty on artemia, a kind of shrimp, has been raised to 30 per cent. The Finance Ministry in the notification said there is no mention of duty hike on motorcycle with engine capacity of over 800cc. As per the list, India submitted to the WTO, it had proposed to hike customs duty on specified motorcycles, which primarily include Harley Davidson and Triumph, to 50 per cent. For automobiles and earth moving equipment, SIM socket/other mechanical items (metal) for use in manufacture of cellular mobile phones, the duty has been hiked to 25 per cent from 15 per cent earlier. Reacting on the development, Deloitte India Partner MS Mani said that on several products such as pulses the increase is very steep (30 per cent to 70 per cent), while for iron and steel products, the increase is at least 50 per cent of the existing rate (from 15 to upwards of 22.5 per cent). The increase in the customs duties on goods originating from the USA was expected, but the magnitude of the increases would have been unexpected. These increases would make the domestic products cheaper compared to imports and lead to domestic manufacturing / demand pick-ups as a corollary, Mani On March 9, US President Donald Trump imposed heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminum items, a move that has sparked fears of a global trade war. India has said the duty imposed by the US has affected steel exports by $198.6 million and aluminum shipments by $42.4 million. India has also dragged the US to the World Trade Organisation s (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism over the imposition of import duties on steel and aluminum.

city 02 INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY AT RAJ BHAWAN CM stress on agri diversification for prosperity PNS n LUCKNOW C hief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Thursday that farmers could prosper only if they looked for avenues for diversification because change is the way of life and change brought in a systematic manner can bring prosperity in the farm sector. This government is committed to doubling the income of farmers and this can be achieved only if the farmers use technology and opt for diversification, Yogi said while launching the second edition of the Million Farmers School here on Thursday. One can feel the changes in the farm sector before and after 2014. It is no longer a secret that between 2004 and 2014 the number of suicides by farmers was the highest. People were no longer interested in farming because they were not getting remunerative prices of their produce. The middlemen were calling the shot and farmers were shifting to other vocation, he This was a sign of worry because the agriculture sector, which once was so lucrative, all of a sudden became unprofitable for farmers. No previous government ever thought of correcting this anomaly and so the problem aggravated, Yogi The Chief Minister said that after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, he gave a serious thought to reverse this trend. So, the system of soil testing was introduced for the first time. The farmers now know what exactly their soil, which they called as mata, need. Once they replenished the soil with the required nutrients, the production increased, he Uttar Pradesh became the first state in the country to release 1.60 crore soil testing cards. The soil testing was done systematically and the result was for everyone to see. UP had a record wheat production this year, he Yogi also asked the officers of Agriculture department to educate the farmers about the benefits of diversification. Wheat, paddy, potato and sugarcane are traditional crops. The farmers should now diversify to fisheries, horticulture and coarse grain. The Million Farmers School can play a decisive role in this field, he The Chief Minister also talked about a farmer from Barabanki, Ram Sharan, who opted for diversification and grew banana. There is a tremendous increase in the income of Ram Sharan. There are people like Ram Sharan in every village. The need of the hour is to identify them and educate them about the benefits of diversification, he Earlier, the Chief Minister launched an on-line portal and book dedicated to agriculture. Hkk-d`-vuq-i-&Hkkjrh; cht fokku lalfkku ICAR - Indian Institute of Seed Science xzke o ikslv&dq'keksj] eå ¼m0iz0½ 275103 Village & Post-Kushmaur, Mau-275103 Qksu ua0 % 0547-2530386 QSDl ua0 % 0547-2530325 bz&esy % admin.dsr@gmail.com F. No. 01/IlSS/2018-19/Estt./552 Dated : 21.06.2018 Walk-In-Interview The desirous applicants are invited to appear in the Walkin-Interview for the post of Young Professional-Il at lcar-indian Institute of Seed Science, Village and Post-Kushmaur, Mau (U.P.)- 275103 at 10.00 A.M. on 28.06.2018 respectively. S. Category No. of Consolidated No. position Emoluments 01. Young Professional-II 03 Rs. 25,000/- For detailed information please refer our website www.seedres.in (Ajay Kumar Soni) Administrative Officer LS polls: Congress not keen on tie-up with SP PREETAM SRIVASTAVA n LUCKNOW he Congress, which was Tearlier thinking of forming a grand alliance of major parties to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2019 general election, now appears to be heading for a lone electoral battle in Uttar Pradesh. While party leaders in the state were not interested in joining hands with Samajwadi Party, their plan for an alliance with Bahujan Samaj Party seems to have run into bad weather as Mayawati is planning to contest maximum seats to project her case as a contender for prime minister s post in case of a hung Parliament. After committing the blunder of aligning with the SP during the last Assembly election in UP when the party got the minimum seats, we are against repeating the mistake, asserted a senior Congress leader. He said the Congress was not going against the SP as it did not want to project that it was against opposition unity as this might create a negative picture across the country. The party is serious on alliance with parties like Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar, All India Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra etc. and talks are underway in this regard. But in UP, we are Babbar announces interim committee Lucknow (PNS): A day after dissolving media, finance, administration and organisation units of UP Congress Committee, party state chief Raj Babbar on Thursday announced a four-member interim committee to run the administration on ad hoc basis. As per a communiqué released by the party on Thursday evening, the interim committee comprises UPCC vice-president RP Tripathi, Satish Ajmani, Harish Bajpai and Hanuman Tripathi. While Tripathi was earlier the head of organisation and administration, before it was dissolved on Wednesday, Ajmani and Hanuman Tripathi were also in the committee. The surprise inclusion is that of Harish Bajpai, who was head of administration during the previous Nirmal Khatri regime and was ousted when Babbar took charge. Sources said that the new office-bearers of the dissolved units would be announced very soon. But disbanding of the media committee has created more ruckus within UP Congress as all the 21 spokespersons and other leaders have been instructed not to give any byte or statement to the media. Sources said that on Thursday, Raj Bahadur of disciplinary committee issued show-cause notice to three former spokespersons Suchi Viswas, Surendra Rajput and Hilal Ahmed asking them why action should not be taken against them for representing the party despite Babbar s recent orders. Interestingly, a former spokesperson said that Babbar could not restrict any UPCC office-bearer from talking to anyone as he/she was elected by consent of the Congress president and the constitution does not empower Babbar to give gag orders. finding it difficult on this score, the leader quipped. He revealed that after deciding not to have any truck with the SP, the party leaders tried to reach out to BSP for an understanding since the latter party had some influence on voters in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan also. But chances in this regard now look bleak as Mayawati is said to be demanding around 100 odd seats in parliamentary elections across the country and this is not possible. If Mayawati does not slash her demand to half, the Congress would prefer to go it alone or take on board regional outfits having some influence, the leader revealed. Interestingly, Bharatiya Janata Party is also toeing similar formula of having truck with smaller parties as it wants a major share of seats from Uttar Pradesh which sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha. PNS n LUCKNOW 10-member delegation of Athe National Association of Small and Cottage Industries of Bangladesh (NASCIB) arrived in the state capital on Thursday for a 3-day interaction with the members of IIA in Lucknow and Kanpur on the invitation of Indian Industries Association. The NASCIB delegation is led by its president Mirza Nurul Ghani Shovon. The delegation had a networking meeting with the senior office-bearers of IIA at IIA Bhawan, followed by Business-to-Business meeting with the IIA member industries in Lucknow, Barabanki, Unnao and Amethi. IIA s former presidents Sanjay Kaul, VK Agarwal and GC Chaturvedi were also present in the meeting. Speaking at the networking meeting, the NASCIB president said that India and Bangladesh shared similar cultural and social values and therefore business between the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) of both the countries would be much more easy. MSMEs are growth engines of all countries in the world so is it in Bangladesh and India. The government of Bangladesh is developing 100 exclusive economic zones in the country where Indian businessmen have better opportunities to set up industrial units by self or through joint ventures. If any of IIA member is interested to invest in these economic zones, the NASCIB will help them locally, Shovon He further offered the services of his association to solve any of the problems coming in the way of doing business in Bangladesh by IIA members. Court timings of High Court s Lko bench changed PNS n LUCKNOW he court timings of the TLucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court have been changed as per the full court resolution dated May 26. A notification in this regard has been issued by the Chief Justice. The new timings will come into effect from July 2. Registrar General of Allahabad High Court, Mohd Faiz Alam Khan, disclosed this here on Thursday. According to the notification, the court sitting hours will be from 10:15 am to 1:15 pm and from 2:15 pm to 4:15 pm. There will be lunch break from 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm. ADDITIONAL CHARGE The government has given additional charges to five deputy chief accounts audit officers along with the work already assigned to them under the chief accounts audit officer of cooperative committees and panchayats. As per the order issued by the Finance department, deputy chief accounts audit officer Kailash Chandra Mishra of Moradabad division, Surendra Kumar Pandey of Bareilly division, Krishna Pal of Lucknow division, Rajesh Kumar Pandey of Kanpur division and Rajeev Ratna S Malviya of Allahabad division have been given additional charge of Saharanpur division, Agra division, Faizabad division, Jhansi division and Chitrakoot division respectively. FUND SANCTIONED FOR FISH BREEDING The Uttar Pradesh government has sanctioned Rs 65,000 in the current financial year for strengthening departmental fish farm at Rampur Maniharan in Saharanpur district under the scheme for strengthening departmental fish farms for fish breeding. A government order in this regard has been issued by the Fisheries department. In another directive, 12 senior fish inspectors have been promoted. Bangladesh MSMEs explore tie-ups in UP He said that the two governments had cordial relations hence there was a better atmosphere for initiating business ties. A large number of products from India can be exported to Bangladesh and vise-versa, he The delegates from Bangladesh expressed their business interests in the field of spare metal parts, foundry items, electrical parts, plastic molds, leather molds, metal molds and other engineering products. However, the IIA delegates expressed their interests in export of other MSME products also for which IIA and NASCIB would explore the possibilities in future. During the B-2-B interaction, 40 members of IIA had one-to-one discussion with the delegates of Bangladesh. IIA president Sunil Vaish in his welcome address said that it was a historical day for Indian Industries Association as it was hosting the first ever delegation of industries from Bangladesh. The first phase of this interaction has started from the state capital of the biggest state of India i.e., Uttar Pradesh. If Uttar Pradesh were a country, it would be the fifth largest populous country with 224 million people. Uttar Pradesh is also the biggest state in India in terms of number of MSMEs as 8.999 million MSMEs are operative in UP and this number is almost equal to the number of MSMEs in Bangladesh, Vaish He said that both IIA and NASCIB were dedicated for the promotion and development of micro, small and medium enterprises hence the alliance would go a long way in the uplift of MSMEs of both the countries. Five killed in road accidents PNS n LUCKNOW A woman and her 4-year-old son were among five killed in separate road accidents in the state. A woman and her 4-yearold son were killed in a road accident on National Highway 91 in Sikandrabad town in Bulandshahr in the wee hours of Thursday. The victims were triple riding on a motorcycle driven by another person and were headed for Aligarh, Superintendent of Police (City) Pravin Ranjan The two-wheeler lost control and hit a divider in Sikandrabad around 4 am due to which the mother-son duo fell on the road and were crushed under the wheels of a vehicle coming from behind. Both Shivani and Tushar died on the spot. In Hathras, three people including a minor were killed when their motorcycle dashed into a roadside tree in Tarfara village under Hathras Kotwali police station, officials said on Thursday. The accident took place on Wednesday night when the motorcycle driver was speeding and lost control of the vehicle, police station in-charge GS Pawar The deceased were identified as Anshul (14), Salman (22) and Vishnu (24), Pawar Anshul died on the spot, while Salman and Vishnu succumbed to injuries at the Aligarh Medical College, he added. The bodies were sent for a post-mortem. Printed and Published by Vijay Prakash Singh for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., 4th Floor, Sahara Shopping Centre, Faizabad Road, Lucknow-226016 and Printed at Tin Tin Printech Pvt Ltd., C-33 Amausi Industrial Area, Nadarganj, Lucknow. Tel: (0522) 2438656 / 9336266608. Editor: Chandan Mitra. Resident Editor: Vijay Prakash Singh. RNI No. 2016/57. Lucknow Telephones: EPABX: 4036600 Fax: 2345582. Allahabad Office: (95532) 2420818, 2421018, 3290460. Kanpur Office: (95512) 2304006, 2304416. Varanasi Office: (95542) 2414294, 2414295. Delhi Office: Link House, II Floor, 3 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110 002. Tel: (011) 23755271-274, 41509074.

city 03 Over 50,000 people perform yoga in city International Yoga Day celebrations at Swarnjyanati Park (left) and Central Command PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW O ver 50,000 people from all walks of life and belonging to all age groups from the state capital participated in the International Yoga Day event on Thursday. Secretary, Ayush department, Mukesh Meshram said people performed yoga at separate programmes organised by government and non-government organisations. It was a good response to the International Yoga Day which witnessed participation of children as young as 4 and senior citizens as old as 84. In major parks, people gathered in numbers varying from 1,500-2,000. The good response was because of the increasing awareness among people regarding health, he The parks remained abuzz since early morning as clear weather added to the enthusiasm of the enthusiasts. The day was also observed across the seven states of Army s Central Command Zone. In Lucknow Cantonment, yoga sessions were organised at Central Command Headquarters, 11 Gorkha Rifles Regimental Centre, Army Medical Corps Centre and College and Surya Khel Parisar which witnessed participation of around 4500 Army personnel and their families. The Indian Army has incorporated yoga into its daily routine for soldiers even in the most hostile weather conditions. A yoga exhibition and training camp was organised in the morning at King George s Medical University. The programme was organised jointly by Social Outreach Programme Cell, KGMU, Arogya Bharti Awadh Prant and National Medicos Organisations. Speaking on the occasion, KGMU Vice- Chancellor Dr MLB Bhatt said: By doing yoga, we can keep away from various mental and physical problems. Today, people are doing yoga throughout the world and it is a matter of pride for us that our oldest tradition is getting global recognition. Yoga is effective in fighting various types of diseases and it has also been confirmed by scientific research. In today s era, young people are suffering from problems like obesity, depression etc which can be overcome by self-belief and control of mind. Chief medical superintendent of Yoga and Spirituality Medicine University Dr SN Sankhwar said: If you keep yourself healthy, you keep the society healthy. Head of the department of Trauma Surgery Dr Sandeep Tiwari said: If we want to be healthy, we have to give place to yoga in our life. It is useless to connect yoga with any belief. Yoga is a remedy for Police giving long rope to owners of hotels? PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW re the Lucknow police giv- a long rope to the Aing owners of SSJ International and Virat International hotels in Naka where a massive fire claimed the lives of six persons, including a toddler, on Tuesday morning. Two days after a manhunt launched by a dozen police teams for nabbing Surendra Jaiswal (owner of SSJ hotel) and Arpit Jaiswal (owner of Viraat hotel), the police failed to get any lead about the absconders. Police teams have been raiding houses of the relatives of both the accused but till now, they have failed to arrest them. Now, senior officials are mulling to issue lookout notices against them which cannot be done at our level, SHO, Naka, Parshuram Singh Cops in civvies have been deployed at Charbagh/ Lucknow Junction railway stations, airport and bus stations. We are also in contact with informers and have asked them to collect details of their location, the SHO added. Meanwhile, sources claimed that owners of both the hotels had a good rapport with the Naka police and officials of the west circle of Lucknow police. The local police are playing the waiting game to let the media hype die down and hence delaying the arrests. Some well-wishers of the hotel owners had met the local police to plead their case after their names surfaced, they claimed. However, ASP (West) Vikas Tripathi rubbished the reports, saying that teams were working day and night in search of the hoteliers. He said the police were making all possible efforts to nab the owners and no one found guilty would be spared. Earlier, the police arrested security guard Raj Kumar of SSJ hotel and supervisor Pankaj Singh of Viraat hotel. Mangers and owners of both the hotels and some other staff members were named in the case for causing deaths due to negligence. By arresting the low-rung staffers, the police will not get anything substantial like the number of visitors to the hotels on Monday night and those bribed to flout construction and fire safety norms, the sources Meanwhile, the identity of the woman, whose charred body was recovered from under the debris at SSJ International Hotel, could not be ascertained even on Thursday. The Naka SHO said that the police contacted their counterparts in neighbouring districts and provided details of the deceased for ascertaining her identity. Four more hotels sealed PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW our more hotels were Fsealed in Charbagh area on Thursday after a team, led by the city magistrate, conducted a checking drive for fire safety norms. Talking to The Pioneer, city magistrate Vivek Srivastava said they had sealed Basant, Cauvery, Shyam and Metro hotels for poor fire safety standards. He added that all those who wanted to give their eyewitness account of the major fire incident which occurred on Tuesday could report to him in room number 21 at Collectorate in the next 15 days. Srivastava has been appointed as the nodal officer for preparing the magisterial inquiry report, to be submitted to the District Magistrate. living a healthy life. Meanwhile, CSIR-NBRI organised a yoga session in the morning at its KN Kaul Block. Experts from Art of Living highlighted the benefits of yoga and shared with the participants tips for being healthy by adopting yoga in daily lives. Scientists, students and staff of the institute participated in the session. The day was also celebrated at RDSO in the premises of RDSO Officers Club and New Badminton Hall. DG, RDSO, Margoob Hussain and a large number of senior officers, employees and their families performed yoga under the guidance of Arun Kumar Pandey and Suresh Kumar Sharma. Regional Science City also held a special yoga camp to mark the day. The camp was conducted by coordinator of The Art of Living Centre (Aliganj) Piyush Khanna. PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW n yet another blow to the Isloth Lucknow police, unidentified miscreants killed a 24-year-old girl by chopping off her head after sexual assault in Bakshi-Ka-Talab police station area early Thursday morning. The incident came to light when some locals spotted the torso and head lying in a mango orchard. On being informed, police reached the place and after preliminary investigations, registered a murder case. As per reports, the girl, identified as Meena (name changed) of Vishrampur village of BKT, left her house to relieve herself around 4 am on Thursday. When she did not return home, her anxious family members started searching for her. They later found her torso lying in an orchard owned by Shamsher Singh on the fringes of the village. A little later, they found the severed head lying about 10 feet away from there. A large number of local residents gathered at the scene as the news spread. Later, a police team, led by BKT (SHO) Tej Prakash Singh, reached the scene. The police sent the body for autopsy. The autopsy report is awaited. The wounds suggest that she was attacked with some sharpedged weapon. She was killed at some other place and the dumped here to mislead the cops, ASP (Rural) Gaurav Grover He ruled out the possibility of honour killing, saying nothing of that sort surfaced as yet, but the police were conducting probe considering all angles. The police also recommended an examination for sexual assault. A team of doctors conducted the autopsy and it was videographed, Grover Initial probe hinted at the role of an acquaintance or Meanwhile, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised a yoga meditation session at its Lucknow office with its members under the expert supervision of Rashmi Daani and Jyoti Prakash. Both the experts introduced people to different asanas which, if done on regular basis, would help in reducing cervical problems, arthritis, joint pains, blood pressure etc. Besides, officers and employees of ICAR-Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture performed Yoga on Thursday morning. The programme started with the chanting of Om after which the participants practised several asanas. CISH director Shailendra Rajan highlighted the importance of yoga and spoke about the importance of yoga for a healthy body and mind. Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) also celebrated International Yoga Day with its top management, officials and staff practising yoga in the morning at Transport Nagar Metro Depot. Amity University also celebrated the day on Lucknow campus. All the heads of departments, teachers and staff participated in the programme. Meanwhile, the day was also celebrated by Lucknow University, Baba Bhim Rao Ambedkar University, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Urdu- Arabi-Farsi University and Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation. Jankipuram-based Remote Sensing Applications Centre celebrated the day with fervour. Chairman of governing body Sudhakar Tripathi led the employees in the event. Director Rajiva Mohan and scientist Aniruddh Uniyal were among those who performed yoga in the frontline. 24-yr-old girl beheaded after sexual assault Lucknow (PNS): In a sensational incident, the semiburnt unidentified body of a man was recovered from thickets in Ashiyana on Thursday evening. Some passersby spotted the body in thickets near Maharja Bijli-Pasi Qila around 6 pm. They informed police after which a team reached the place. ASP (North) Anurag Vats said the body was semiburnt and the face was charred beyond recognition. He said the autopsy report would ascertain if the victim was first killed and then his body burnt or was burnt alive. However, sources said the face of the victim resembled that of a domestic help working for a government official living in the area. The domestic help had left work some time back and was reported missing. Some of his family members were summoned to the spot but they were not sure. Other family members of the missing domestic help are being contacted, the sources They said the police were making investigations and the identity of the deceased would be ascertain by Friday. The sources opined that Pioneer insider. Some residents hinted at the role of a relative of the victim in her murder. However, the family did not endorse it, sources However, the sources claimed that the victim s kin had visited her house on Wednesday and stayed overnight. The entire area was searched by the police but no trace of blood was seen except where the body was recovered. Little blood was found on the place from where the torso was recovered, indicating that she was killed at some other place, they The sources said that the number of miscreants was suspected to be more than one. Some sharp-edged weapon was used in hacking the girl. It is practically impossible for one person to execute this crime, they opined. They said that the role of a relative or acquaintance could not be ruled out. Semi-burnt body recovered the face of the victim might have been burnt to conceal his identity and mislead the police. It seems that the man was killed out of hatred. The area usually remains deserted but students of degree colleges in the locality hang around near Bijli- Pasi Qila. The police are looking for some eyewitness to lay their hands on the miscreants, the sources SHO, Ashiyana, Jitendra Singh exuded confidence saying the police had almost ascertained the identity of the victim. We have just to connect some missing links, he Yoga Day celebrations organised by LMRC (top), Regional Science City (middle) and KGMU on Thursday Armyman s wife, children threatened with acid attack Lucknow (PNS): The wife of a Subedar Major, who is presently posted in Assam, received acid attack threats from a local resident, who is said to be having good rapport with low-rung cops in Sarojini Nagar. The complainant, identified as Mithilesh of Shanti Nagar locality in Sarojini Nagar, alleged that Yash Singh Chauhan of same locality threatened her and other family members. He called me on my contact number and threatened to throw acid on me and my children. I am very scared but the police are not helping me, she alleged. She added that Chauhan held her two minor children hostage in a room at her house and issued life threats when she and her elder daughter were out of the city. On June 16, I had to visit Kanpur urgently as my elder sister had taken ill. I left my minor children in the house. Chauhan, along with his aides, visited my house after I left for Kanpur. He and his men locked both my children and beat them up. They snatched their phone when they tried to call police control room. My children are still in a state of fear and I am also frightened, she alleged. The woman said the accused had been harassing her and her family for a long time. My husband is posted in Assam and he comes home after long gaps. Chauhan seems to be having some ulterior motive, she alleged. CH. CHARAN SINGH UNIVERSITY, MEERUT Registration/Admission Notice B.Tech/BBA/MBA/MBA(HA)/MCA-2018 Sir Chhotu Ram Institute of Engg. & Tech.(SCRIET) Institute of Business Studies (IBS) applicants are invited from eligible aspirants for registration /admissions in B.Tech- Ist & 2nd year (Lateral Entry), BBA, MBA, MBA (Hospital Administration-2 Years), MBA (Hospital Administration-5 Years integrated with BBA (HA)), MCA- Ist & 2nd year (Lateral Entry) in the university campus. All admissions shall be based on the online merit against the registration on CCS University web portal (www.ccsuweb.in or www.ccsuscriet.org) on the seats lying vacant after UPSEE-2018 counseling in MBA (HA-2 Years) and MBA (HA-Integrated 5 Years) programme, admission shall be purely on merit basis declared by the University. The tetails of the courses and eligibility criteria are available on University official website ccsuniversity.ac.in Contact : 6397557205, 6397540225, REGISTRAR

a a a a LUCKNOW FRIDAY JUNE 22, 2018 city 04 Fond of kathak: Tushar Lucknow (PNS): Choreographer Tushar has been fond of kathak dance because his mother has learnt this form. In the city on Thursday for promotion of a dance reality show, he said the Lucknow Gharana kathak had been made popular at the show by one of the contestants from the state capital. 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The format is the king, said Tushar, who is known for choreography in films like Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. He is debuting as a judge on Dance Deewane. Speaking about the show, he said: My journey on Dance Deewane has been absolutely fantastic. The acts we have been witnessing are phenomenal. A contestant who recently wowed us on stage was Siza, who is also from Lucknow. Her love for dance and the grace with which she performs kathak is mindblowing and I believe she has great potential. mrrj izns'k ikoj Vªkalfe'ku dkjiksjs'ku fyfevsm bz&fufonk vkea=.k lwpuk izfrf"br] vuqhkoh,oa bz&fufonk gsrq iathd`r fuekzrkvksa ;k muds vf/kd`r izfrfuf/k@ vkiwfrzdrkzvksa ls ikjs"k.k nf{k.k&iwoz {ks=] bykgkckn ds vurxzr fueu lkexzh dh vkiwfrz gsrq fufonk;s a nks Hkkxks a es a muds leeq[k vafdr frffk,oa le; rd vkeaf=r dh tkrh gsa fufonk ds Hkkx izfke,oa Hkkx f}rh;] fu/kkzfjr frffk,oa le; rd m0iz0 ljdkj ds bz&izksd;ksjesuv fllve ds vurxzr osclkbv www.etender.up.nic.in ij viyksm fd;s tk ldsaxsa fufonk 'kqyd,oa /kjksgj jkf'k vkjvhth,l@,ubz,qvh ds ek/;e ls tek djk;h tk;sxha fufonk [kqyus dh fu/kkzfjr frffk,oa le; ¼;fn vodk'k gks rks vxys dk;zfnol es a½ ij [kksyh tk;sxha fufonk dh os/krk [kqyus dh frffk ls 06 ekg gksuh pkfg,a l'krz fufonk;sa fdlh Hkh n'kk esa Lohdk;Z ugha gksaxha vyidkyhu bz&fufonk la0&02@eq0v0¼ik0n0iw0½@ 2018&19] fo qr ikjs"k.k [k.m] fetkziqj ds vurxzr 132 ds0oh0 midsunz dnok ds fuekz.k gsrq 36 ds0oh0 lh0vh0@ih0vh0 dh vkiwfrza fufonk izkir djus dh vafre frffk 10-07-2018 le; 13%00 ctsa fufonk [kqyus dh fnukad 10-07-2018 le; 15%00 ctsa fufonk izi= 'kqyd th0,l0vh0 lfgr :0 1]180@&¼:0,d gtkj,d lks vllh ek=½a /kjksgj jkf'k :0 8]000@& ¼:0 vkb gtkj ek=½a bz&fufonk la0&03@eq0v0 ¼ik0iw0½@2018&19] fo qr 400 ds0oh0 midsunz [k.m] lkjukfk ds vurxzr 400 ds0oh0 midsunz] lkjukfk gsrq vfxu jks/kd la;a=ksa dh vkiwfrza fufonk izkir djus dh vafre frffk 24-07-2018 le; 15%00 ctsa fufonk izi= 'kqyd ¼th0,l0Vh0 lfgr½ :0 1]180@&¼:0,d gtkj,d lks vllh ek=½a /kjksgj jkf'k :0 7]000@& ¼:0 lkr gtkj ek=½a bz&fufonk la0&04@eq0v0 ¼ik0iw0½@2018&19] fo qr ikjs"k.k [k.m& prqfkz] okjk.klh ds vurxzr 132 ds0oh0 midsunzks a ij vuqj{k.k dk;z gsrq lkexzh dh vkiwfrza fufonk izkir djus dh vafre frffk 24-07-2018 le; 13%00 ctsa fufonk [kqyus dh frffk 24-07-2018 le; 16%00 ctsa fufonk izi= 'kqyd ¼th0,l0Vh0 lfgr½ :0 2]360@&¼:0 nks gtkj rhu lks lkb ek=½a /kjksgj jkf'k :0 12]000@& ¼:0 ckjg gtkj ek=½ bz&fufonk la0&05@eq0v0 ¼ik0iw0½@ 2018&19] fo qr jpuk bdkbz usuh] bykgkckn ds vurxzr vu&bzou LVhy lsd'ku dh vkiwfrza fufonk izkir djus dh vafre frffk 24-07-2018 le; 13%00 ctsa fufonk [kqyus dh frffk 24-07-2018 le; 17%00 ctsa fufonk izi= 'kqyd ¼th0,l0Vh0 lfgr½ :0 2]360@&¼:0 nks gtkj rhu lks lkb ek=½a /kjksgj jkf'k :0 30]000@& ¼:0 rhl gtkj ek=½ bz&fufonk la0&06@eq0v0 ¼ik0iw0½@2018&19] fo qr ikjs"k.k [k.m] Qrsgiqj ds vurxzr 220 ds0oh0 midsunz ekyoka ds fuekz.k gsrq xsyokukbtm uv] cksyv,oa okw'kj dh vkiwfrza fufonk izkir djus dh vafre frffk 25-07-2018 le; 13%00 ctsa fufonk [kqyus dh frffk 25-07-2018 le; 15%00 ctsa fufonk izi= 'kqyd ¼th0,l0Vh0 lfgr½ :0 2]360@&¼:0 nks gtkj rhu lks lkb ek=½a /kjksgj jkf'k :0 21]000@& ¼:0 bddhl gtkj ek=½ bz&fufonk la0&07@eq0v0¼ik0iw0½@ 2018&19] fo qr 400 ds0oh0 midsunz [k.m] lkjukfk ds vurxzr 400 ds0oh0 midsunz] lkjukfk ij vuqj{k.k dk;z gsrq lkexzh dh vkiwfrza fufonk izkir djus dh vafre frffk 25-07-2018 le; 13%00 ctsa fufonk [kqyus dh frffk 25-07-2018 le; 16%00 ctsa fufonk izi= 'kqyd ¼th0,l0Vh0 lfgr½ :0 2]360@&¼:0 nks gtkj rhu lks lkb ek=½a /kjksgj jkf'k :0 10]000@& ¼:0 nl gtkj ek=½ fufonk izi= dh gkwmz dkwih Mkd }kjk vfkok O;fDrxr leokgd ds ek/;e ls fdlh Hkh n'kk esa Lohdkj ugha fd;s tk;saxsa fufonkvksa ls lecfu/kr fooj.k@ MkmuyksM@la'kks/ku@foLrkjhdj.k gsrq fufonk [kqyus dh fnukad rd osclkbv www.etender. up.nic.in ij ns[kh tk ldrh gsa fufonkvksa dks fcuk dkj.k crk;s vlohd`r @fohkkftr djus dk vf/kdkj eq[; vfhk;urk ¼ik0n0iw0½] bykgkckn ds ikl lqjf{kr jgsxka vf/k'kklh vfhk;urk ¼la0½] d`rs eq[; vfhk;urk ¼ik0n0iw0½] bykgkckna i=kad& 1333 fnukad 20-06-2018 ^^jk"vª fgr esa ÅtkZ cpk;sa** Streamline traffic, says CM PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW C hief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday instructed the officials concerned to prepare a work plan for improvement in traffic and implement it in an effective way. He asked the officials to locate vending zones, parking management and develop trisections for better traffic management. The work should be done of priority, he The officials were asked to repair traffic signals and make effective one-way traffic plan and earmark roadways bus stands outside the city for smooth flow of traffic. The Chief Minister was addressing the officials during a presentation of traffic management system at Shastri Bhawan on Thursday. He inaugurated Uttar Pradesh Traffic Police website and Uttra Pradesh Traffic Police App for the safety of citizens during traveling/commuting on roads. While reviewing the status of ongoing works in Public Work Department, LDA, NHAI, Municipal Corporation, Transport department, Irrigation department and Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation, he asked the officials to get the PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW n a tragic incident, a 25-year-old youth Iwas mowed down by a speeding vehicle while he was running to avoid being attacked during a brawl in a baraat on Kanpur road in Sarojini Nagar late Wednesday night. Police registered a case of death due to negligence against the errant driver. The victim, identified as Govind alias Bhura of Hasanganj in Unnao, visited to Daroga Kheda locality in Sarojini Nagar for his uncle Sonu s marriage on Wednesday night. His grandfather Kadhile told the police that some of the tipsy baraatis indulged in a brawl, making others run for cover. It was around 1 am on Thursday when two groups clashed during the function, creating a stampede-like situation. Scared out of his wit, Govind ran towards the CITYBRIEFS SCRIBE BEREAVED Father of senior journalist Vivek Srivastava died after a prolonged illness here on Thursday. Puran Chand Srivastava, 80, died due to multi-organ failure. He is survived by five sons. Srivastava had been ailing for the last several days and was admitted to a private hospital. He died at his residence on Thursday evening. Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief on his death. His mortal remains will be cremated at Bhaisakund at 10 am on Friday. work completed in time. He instructed the officials to place no-entry boards, draw zebra/stop lines, road dividers etc for safety purpose. He asked the officials to implement the policy for roadside vendors and fix vending zones for them. The vehicles parked on roads are a major obstacle in smooth flow of traffic and they should main road to avoid being attacked but was knocked down by a speeding vehicle. He died on the spot, his grandfather told the police. Sources said both the groups were in a drunken state and they had a fierce fight. They opened fire in the air to show muscle power and some of them lunged at Govind when he tried to intervene. He ran to save his life unmindful of the vehicles passing via the road and lost his life, the sources However, sub-inspector Brijbhan, who is investigating the case, said the youth was crossing the road when he was hit by some unidentified vehicle. Most of the baraatis are usually in an inebriated state and probably Govind was also drunk, he He said a case for rash driving and causing death due to negligence had been registered in this connection against the unidentified vehicle driver. It is yet to be DISCIPLINARY ACTION The UP Housing Development Board on Thursday initiated disciplinary action against three executive, four assistant and five junior engineers for using sub-standard building material for construction of Shikhar Enclave, Vasundhara Housing Scheme, in Ghaziabad. They were also found involved in over-payment of Rs 58.17 lakh to the builder. In an official release, the Housing commissioner said on Thursday that the allottees lodged a complaint with the Board authorities about the sub-standard material and poor quality of civil work. A departmental probe was Lucknow (PNS): Member (traffic), Railway Board, New Delhi, Mohd Jamshed reviewed passenger amenities and projects on train operations during a meeting with the Lucknow division officials of Northern and North-Eastern Railways in Lucknow on Thursday. Assistant commercial manager Brij Bahadur said top railway official discussed in detail with the Lucknow division officials projects on passenger amenities and train operations. Mohd Jamshed instructed the officials concerned to bring the projects into play in a timebound way, Brij Bahadur Jamshed also reviewed be parked in a proper way, Yogi The Chief Minister said the district administration should have a dialogue with school authorities and a plan for proper parking place for vehicles outside the schools should be in place. He also asked for new bus terminals and sheds for the passengers. The traffic load ordered and the findings were tabled before the commissioner. The probe indicted the engineers after which the commissioner took prompt action. YOGA CAMP Punjab National Bank, Lucknow circle, organised a yoga camp on the occasion of International Yoga Day at PNB Regional Staff College. Zonal manager Vivek Jha and challenges in train operations, passenger traffic and freight train operations during the meeting. ED (coordination) Sanjay Bajpai, CFTM Vikas Chaube, ED (coaching) Mandeep Bhatiya, DRM (NR, Lucknow) Satish Kumar, DRM (NER, Lucknow) Vijay Laxmi Kaushik and senior DCM Jagtosh Shukla were present in the meeting. Though the officials were non-committal about sharing more details of the meeting, sources said Jamshed was not satisfied with the officials over delay in projects. Issues like passengers making complaints on social media and other platforms, media highlighting in the city can be minimised by developing the outer ring roads and officials should work on this, he Transport Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Principal Secretary (CM) SP Goel, Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar, DGP OP Singh and other senior officials were present in the meeting. Youth mowed down by speeding vehicle (Left) Yoga Day celebrations organised by Punjab National Bank, Lucknow circle. (Right) Yoga Day at SR Institute ascertained if the victim was being chased by some persons, as stated by his grandfather, he added. Meanwhile, an employee of an LPG agency was killed in a road mishap in Chinhat on Thursday. The victim, identified as Manoj Kumar Raj (35) of Barabanki, was hit by an unidentified speeding vehicle in on Thursday morning. Reports said Manoj worked at an LPG agency in Chinhat and was returning home after his duty was over when he met the mishap at Matiyari crossing. His brother Vivek told the police that he got a call from some person about the accident on Thursday morning and when he reached the scene, he was told that Manoj had been taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. I reached the hospital and found Manoj lying dead there, he added. deputy circle head Manoj Kumar Upadhyay along with other senior officials and staff members participated in the camp. Greeting the employees, Jha said that for being healthy and free of diseases, regular practice of yoga was a must. The camp was held under the guidance of yoga instructor Rakesh Kumar Bhargava. YOGA MEET CMS Rajajipuram (Campus I) organised an interschool yoga meet at Kanpur road auditorium on the occasion of International Yoga Day on Thursday (pic left). The chief guest was mayor Sanyukta Bhatia, who inaugurated the yoga meet. Peethadhishwar of Sant Sai Chandu Ramji of Sant Aasudaram Ashram and CMS founder Jagdish Gandhi were also present on the occasion as were several other dignitaries. Railway Board official reviews passenger amenities, train ops the pathetic state of passenger amenities and trains running late in different sections were discussed in the meeting, the sources A number of top railway officials have visited the Lucknow division in past and held meetings with the officials to look into these issues. The state of affairs can be gauged from the fact that even the trains originating from Charbagh and Lucknow Junction are running behind schedule. Basic amenities at both the railway stations are in a shambolic state. The ticketing system is also in a dismal state and the passengers are facing a lot of hardships, sources LDA to reduce prices of flats in two schemes PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW he prices of flats of two Tpremier housing schemes of Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) will come down soon. The reduction in their prices will be between 6.50 per cent and 17 per cent. The reason for this big rebate is stated to be the change in their land use. About 822 flats in five apartments will be sold at a lesser price. It is said that the apartments were planned on commercial land in the year 2007 due to the lop-sided planning and careless approach of the planners and engineers. But surprisingly no senior official noticed such a big mistake in the blueprint. The costing of the flats was done at the prevailing commercial rates due to which their prices went up several fold and no one was coming forward to purchase them. LDA Vice-Chairman PN Singh said that the people would now opt for such flats after the reduction in their prices. The flats had been lying unsold for the past several years. The prestigious Mansarovar and Sharda housing schemes are located on Kanpur Road. It is learnt that a change in land use was done to bring down the prices to PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW t Paschim village in AMadiaon, the families of two persons, identified as Surendra Pal and Vikas Pal, locked horns over dumping of garbage on Thursday morning. Later, over two dozen unidentified youths from Vikas s side opened fire in the air, lobbed sutli bombs and pelting Surendra s house with stones. Surendra s family members remained huddled inside the house for several hours due to late arrival of police. SHO, provide residential accommodation to the entrepreneurs who were engaged in running their projects in Lucknow Industrial Development Authority (LIDA). There will be a great need of housing facilities in five years time when they will be fully developed. The LDA administration cannot construct multi-storeyed buildings for housing purposes in the proposed Aero City Project due to its close proximity to the Chaudhary Charan Singh (Amausi) Airport. It is said that the LDA administration is planning the Aero City near the CC Singh (Amausi) Airport to provide all the facilities to the entrepreneurs who were running their units in the industrial belt. The reduction in prices of these flats will be between Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 12 lakh depending on their size. The allotment of these houses will be done on the basis of first come, first take basis. It is said that the houses and flats were allotted through a draw of lots which was conducted only for the fresh ones. It is expected that this big reduction would evoke a good response. The location is ideally located on Kanpur Road which is well connected with the other parts of the city. 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He said a bike was recovered from the crime scene. In another incident in Anna market in Madiaon, two groups resorted t stone-pelting, lobbed crude bombs and opened fire in the air around 4 pm on Thursday. Local residents remained confined to their houses for hours. Shop owners also downed shutters in fear. 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nation 05 INVESTIGATION IN AIRCEL-MAXIS CASE Proxy petition will delay probe: ED officer tells SC Singh said the fresh PIL is a brazen attempt to delay the completion of 2G spectrum case and the Aircel-Maxis case where a time-bound probe has been ordered by the SC PNS n NEW DELHI nforcement Directorate EJoint Director Rajeshwar Singh has approached the Supreme Court with a plea to initiate criminal contempt against a PIL petitioner who has filed a plea to probe alleged disproportionate assets against the officer. The PIL has been admitted for hearing by the Supreme Court and is expected to be listed in the first week of July. The petition by the officer follows an application filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy who wanted to be a party to the PIL filed by one Rajneesh Kapur. He pointed out that Singh is probing the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case in which former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti have been questioned. As the apex court directed Singh to complete the probe by September this year, Swamy alleged that Kapur acted as a proxy of certain vested interests who will benefit by stalling the probe. The Vacation Bench on Wednesday refused to hear Swamy s application after one of the judges expressed reservation to hear the matter. Singh s criminal contempt lists out the apex court orders insulating him from any kind of attempt to impede investigation in to the 2G spectrum and Aircel Maxis cases. In his petition, he stated that the probe so far has irked a sizeable number of individuals, corporate, lobbyists and corrupt and dishonest persons who have time and again filed false, frivolous and motivated complaints against him. Another similar petition seeking probe against Singh was filed by a journalist who recently withdraw the case from the apex court. Singh said the fresh PIL is a brazen attempt to delay the completion of 2G spectrum case and the Aircel-Maxis case where a time-bound probe has been ordered by the SC. He pointed out that seven years ago, the ED, CBI and CVC gave him a clean chit following their independent probe. Sushma, Nirmala to begin first US 2+2 Dialogue on July 6 PNS n NEW DELHI xternal Affairs Minister ESushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will on July 6 visit the United States for the first meeting of the 2+2 Dialogue with Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo and Secretary of Defence James N Mattis. This new dialogue format was agreed to between the two sides during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington on June 25-26, 2017. The two sides are expected to share perspectives on strengthening their strategic and security ties and exchange views on a range of bilateral, MEETING BETWEEN KAMAL HASSAN & CONGRESS TOP BRASS New alliance in Tamil Nadu in offing Makkal Needhi Maiam president Kamal Haasan addresses the media after meeting UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Thursday PTI PNS n NEW DELHI he meeting between actor- Kamal Tturned-politician Hassan and the Congress top leadership is likely to throw up a new alliance in Southern Indian politics. While the actor needs the backing of a major political party to get identified as a politician of standing in the country, Congress too wants to keep its option open in politically-significant Southern States like Tamil Nadu with the fast changing scenario for 2019 general elections. A senior Congress leader put the meeting of Haasan with TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI astigating the Modi CGovernment over its double-speak on its resolve to tackle terrorism, the Shiv Sena on Thursday charged that the BJP walked out of the PDP-led Government in Jammu & Kashmir like the British quit India, after creating anarchy in the Valley State. The Modi Government had cited the need to crush terrorism as one of the objectives behind its demonetisation move. But, when it quit the Mehbooba Mufti Government in Jammu & Kashmir, the BJP is pointing its fingers at the PDP for failure to tackle acts of terrorism, while abdicating its own responsibility..., the Sena stated, as it slammed the BJP for its double-speak over its commitment to tackle terrorism emanating from across the border. In an editorial published in its official mouth-piece Saamana, the Sena stated: (During the course of the BJP-PDP Government), there has been a spurt in acts of terrorism in Kashmir by thousand folds. There has been an increase in infiltration of terrorists from Pakistan. Even Congress President Rahul Gandhi and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi as significant for both sides. Haasan met Rahul on Wednesday and called on Sonia on Thursday. Haasan is president of Makkal Needi Maiam (MNM), which he founded recently. Congress and DMK have been UPA partners and the relation withstood the onslaught faced by the latter during the multi crore 2G scam. Haasan in recent months himself has been in regular touch through meetings with DMK leadership. Though both sides Sena blames BJP for current situation in J&K the terror attacks have been on the rise. Indian soldiers are lying down their lives even without a war. After failing to curb increasing terror acts and finding it difficult to administer the state, the BJP laid the entire blame chief minister Mehbooba Mufti s door. The BJP has walked out of the PDP Government like the British quit India. Do Modi or his bhakts have any plan to save Kashmir? the Sena asked. Holding the BJP squarely responsible for the situation in Jammu & Kashmir, Modi said: The BJP has walked out of the Mehbooba Mufti Government by creating anarchy In the Kashmir Valley. The situation had never in the past worsened in the valley State as much it is now. Never had we seen so much of blood-letting in that State. Never have so many Indian soldiers have died. It is under the BJP regime that the situation in Kashmir has turned dangerous. Congress, Haasan are tightlipped on whether the meeting was a precursor to an alliance, speculations are there since the meeting on both the days lasted for over an hour. AICC sources said that Tamil Nadu Congress Committee was clueless about the meeting till Haasan reached the Congress president s residence. Haasan needs political brethren when his newly founded party has just been floated. Certainly he will be the bigger gainer, which is already evident as his meeting with the Congress leadership is making headlines, said the leader. According to an AICC Member Secretary, Congress too would gain if its existing UPA partner Dravida Munnetra Kazgham (DMK) tries to play smart. Options are open. If DMK thrown tantrums for seat-sharing, the Congress can look to smaller parties like that of Haasan, said the member. On both occasions (after meeting Rahul and Sonia), Haasan said that it was just a courtesy call and that there is something which cannot be discussed with the media now. He mentioned that his party would take a decision on joining the larger national alliance at an appropriate time. I met Sonia Gandhi and we discussed the political situation in general in Tamil Nadu, Haasan told reporters after the meeting. On whether he would support the Congress in its endeavour to bring opposition parties together on one platform to defeat the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabh polls, Haasan said, It is too early to decide. Haasan had met Rahul and other Opposition leaders in Bengaluru at the swearingin of HD Kumaraswamy as Karnataka Chief Minister. Before beginning his political journey Haasan had sought blessings of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi early this year and then again the actor called on DMK working President Stalin last month. Haasan s onscreen rival Rajinikanth who too has set himself into politics too called on DMK leaders indicating that both the megastar too can join hands with a major political party for its political foray. The ruling AIADMK, and the BJP, sought to make light of Haasan s meeting with Congress leaders saying they will not be bothered even if he met US President Donald Trump. BJP leader and Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan said Haasan had met leaders of a party that had been rejected by people. regional and global issues of mutual interest, Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. The inaugural 2+2 Dialogue was earlier scheduled to be held in April but was postponed after US President Donald Trump fired Rex Tillerson from the post of Secretary of State and nominated Mike Pompeo in his place. Pompeo got his confirmation by the US Senate at a later date. Incidentally, the Indian delegation comprising of Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra were in the US shortly after Tillerson was sacked by Trump. 4TH INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY Yoga enthusiats participate in a mass yoga session to mark the 4th International Day of Yoga, organised by Brahma Kumaris, at Red Fort in New Delhi on Thursday PTI Yoga enthusiasts perform during a mass yoga session on the 4th International Day of Yoga at Rajpath in New Delhi on Thursday Rajnath leaves for his first three-day Mongolia visit PNS n NEW DELHI iming to strengthen India s Arelation with Mongolia, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday left for his maiden three-day visit to the strategically important East Asian country that shares its boundaries with China and Russia. The Minister in his predeparture message said India wants to realise the huge potential of bilateral relations with Mongolia. Leaving for Ulaanbaatar on a 3-day visit to Mongolia. Looking forward to further India s relations with Mongolia and strengthen security cooperation. Mongolia as an important strategic partner. India wants to realise the huge potential of bilateral relations with Mongolia, Singh said in a tweet. He will participate in the ground breaking ceremony of an oil refinery at Ulaanbaatar on Friday, a Home Ministry spokesperson said, adding that Singh will also attend a reception hosted by the Mongolian Prime Minister on the same day. Singh will call upon the Mongolian president on June 23, the spokesperson The Home Minister will also visit a Buddhist monastery PNS n AGENCIES/NEW DELHI ith the Government s WChief Economic Adviser (CEA) Arvind Subramanian announcing his decision to step down, RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) has said the next economic consultant should be one who believes in Indian ethos and values, and is not obsessed with FDI or is on sabbatical. The SJM also alleged that Subramanian lacked an understanding of the country and ignored farmers. Subramanian lacked knowledge about India, he was obsessed with only Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and ignored the most important aspect of our economy agriculture and farmers, SJM coconvener Ashwani Mahajan told PTI. Like former vice-chairman of Niti Aayog Arvind Panagariya, he was also speaking the language of Washington Consensus. His agenda and purpose was not clear, said Mahajan, who has been critical of Subramanian on various policies. The Washington Consensus is a set of economic policy reform package promoted for crisis-wrecked developing countries, by Washington-based institutions the IMF, the World Bank and the United States Department of the Treasury. We need someone who believes in Indian ethos, our values... Our people. The Government should appoint such a person, the SJM co-convener Mahajan, in a tweet, requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to see to it that the next CEA is one who has faith in farmers, workers and entrepreneurs of Bharat and is not on sabbatical. Yesterday, Union Minister Arun Jaitley, in a Facebook and hold a meeting with his counterpart and Mongolia s Minister for Justice and Interior Affairs on Saturday. He will also visit the headquarters of Mongolia s Border Protection Force there before returning to Delhi on June 24. Singh was to visit Mongolia late last year. However, the visit was postponed after he suffered a hairline fracture. The Home Minister s visit is likely to further intensify the bilateral relations in various key areas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in 2015 visited Mongolia, the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was also in Mongolia in April this year where she discussed economic cooperation in infrastructure development, energy, services Indian ethos, values should guide next CEA: RSS affiliate post, announced that Subramanian will quit his job. Jaitley, who had requested Subramanian to continue for some more time after his term expired in October last year, also thanked him for his contributions. The Minister also said that he will miss Subramanian s dynamism, energy, intellectual ability and ideas and credited the economist for various policy initiatives. Subramanian was appointed as the CEA to the Finance Ministry on October 16, 2014 for a period of three years. In 2017, his term was extended for a year. THE HOME MINISTER S VISIT IS LIKELY TO FURTHER INTENSIFY THE BILATERAL RELATIONS IN VARIOUS KEY AREAS and information technology with her Mongolian counterpart. The two countries also agreed to explore the possibility of launching direct air connectivity between New Delhi and Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar. Swaraj was the first Indian Foreign Minister to visit the resource-rich country in 42 years. Diplomatic relations between India and Mongolia were established on December 24, 1955. India was the first country outside the then Socialist Bloc to establish diplomatic ties with Mongolia. India had supported Mongolia in getting the United Nations and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) berths. Both the countries also share common concern on terrorism. INSHORT CONG POINTS NEW PARTY SECY S FOR T New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi has appointed NS Bose Raju, Sreenivasan Krishnan and Saleem Ahmed as AICC secretaries for Telangana. While Raju and Ahmed hail from Karnataka, Krishnan hails from Kerala. The party appreciates the hard work and contribution of Satish Jharkiholi, who will be stepping down from his responsibility as Secretary AICC, Telangana, a statement from AICC General Secretary Ashok Gehlot AIFC DRAFTING FISHERMEN MANIFESTO, SEEKS RIGHTS New Delhi: The All India Fishermen Congress (AIFC) is drafting a Fishermen Manifesto' to draw the attention of the Centre and State Governments towards the rights of the community. The Chairman of All India Fishermen Congress, TN Prathapan, made the announcement on Thursday, saying the AIFC is committed to fight for the cause of fishermen. SC JUDGE CHELAMESWAR TO DEMIT OFFICE TODAY New Delhi: Justice Jasti Chelameswar, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, who led three senior judges to an unprecedented press conference, mounting a virtual revolt against Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, will demit office on Friday after a nearly seven-year tenure in the top court. Indian Navy personnel perform yoga on INS Sahyadri to mark the International Yoga Day, off Guam, a major US Naval Base in the Western Pacific on Thursday PTI PTI Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Sanjay Gandhi participates in a programme (Yoga for pregnant women) in Delhi on Thursday PTI

nation 06 CUSTODY MURDER Kerala Govt defends top cop s decision VR JAYARAJ n KOCHI espite its claim that the Dpolice s probe into the alleged murder of a youth, Sreejith of Varappuzha near Kochi, over two months ago is progressing in the right direction, the Kerala Government on Thursday vehemently defended Superintendent of Police AV George, who is facing the charge of instructing his subordinate officers to take the youth into custody. The State Director General of Prosecutions told the High Court on Thursday that there was not even a speck of evidence to name George, former SP (Ernakulam Rural) whose three subordinate officers had taken Sreejith into custody, as an accused in the case pertaining to the custodial murder. He said George had not issued instructions to take anyone into custody. The Government made this submission in the court when it was considering a petition filed by Sreejith s widow Akhila seeking orders for a CBI probe into the murder of her husband. A special investigation team of the Kerala Police is presently probing the custodial death. The Government had on Wednesday ruled out a CBI probe in the case. Sreejith (26), father of a three-year-old girl, was taken into custody by three officials from the now-disbanded Rural Tiger Force, constituted illegally by George, while he was asleep in his house at Devaswompadam, Varappuzha at midnight on April 6 in connection with the suicide of a neighbour. He died at a Kochi hospital on April 9 as a result of alleged torture in custody. It was later established that Sreejith was not an accused in the case related to Bihar govt to demand increased allocation of funds from Centre PTI n PATNA he Bihar government will Turge the 15th Finance Commission to raise the allocation of tax revenue shared by the states on the pattern of the 11th Finance Commission recommendations, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi has It will also demand that henceforth the entire expenditure for disaster management in Bihar be borne by the Centre, he said in a statement here. A team of the 15th Finance Commission, led by its Chairman N K Singh, will be on a three-day tour of Bihar from July 10. Sushil Kumar Modi, who also holds the finance portfolio, said in the statement on Wednesday. The 11th Finance Commission had fixed allocation of 12.589 per cent of the tax revenue shared by the states which was slashed to 9.6 per cent by the 14th Finance Commission. The deputy chief minister also alleged that the 14th Finance Commission had allocated Rs 2,591 crore for Bihar for disaster management, though the outlay for states like Maharashtra and Rajasthan was much higher at Rs 8,195 crore and Rs 6,094 crore respectively. This was despite the fact that we face both droughts and floods everywhere. The floods last year involved an expenditure of about Rs 5,000 crore. We would demand that henceforth the entire expenditure for disaster management in Bihar be borne by the Centre. The state government, he said, will submit a memorandum and make a presentation before the team on July 12. The state government will also discuss with the visiting team various schemes under the agricultural road map and seven resolutions of CM Nitish Kumar, he added. During the three-day visit, the commission members will have meetings with the state ministers, political parties, panchayati raj organizations, urban local bodies and representatives of industry and trade. the neighbour s suicide and that his arrest was a case of mistaken identity. The SIT has already arrested nine police officers including the three RTF men in connection with the incident and 11 have been suspended from service. The Government submitted in the court that no evidence was available to establish that George had instructed his subordinates to take Sreejith into custody. The Opposition had accused the Government the other day of refusing to name George as an accused for protecting certain regional leaders of the ruling party, CPI(M), who were allegedly behind Sreejith s arrest. Unconvinced by the Government s justification for not making George an accused, the High court asked whether the RTF men could have acted without the permission of their chief. It also wondered whether this was a lawless land where members of an illegally constituted police group could act on their own and without their chief s instructions or permission.while stating that it was up to the court to decide whether it should probe the death of Sreejith, the CBI said that there could have been serious lapses from the part of the police in its probe from the very beginning. It pointed out that the police had failed to register the case under Section 302 of the IPC even after they were convinced that this was a case of murder. The counsel for Sreejith s widow persisted in his prayer for orders for a CBI investigation saying that the truth would not come out if the police probed the case in which police officials were the accused. The High Court is KHURSHEED WANI n SRINAGAR ormer Jammu & Kashmir FChief Minister Omar Abdullah has demanded dissolution of Assembly to prevent horse-trading in the follow up of sudden break-up of PDP- BJP alliance that paved way for imposition of Governor s rule in the embattled State. The demand came amid unsubstantiated rumours that legislators were being approached to change their loyalties to form new Government. Abdullah said that People s Democratic Party (PDP) and BJP have been watching Bollywood movies for political strategy and this is how they have crafted their divorce. He said the withdrawal of support to Mehbooba Mufti was a fixed match. The PDP & BJP have been watching Bollywood movies for political strategy. This is how they have crafted likely to pronounce its verdict on the plea seeking CBI probe on June 26. Like the Congress-led Opposition UDF, the family of Sreejith also believes that the RTF men were sent to take Sreejith into custody by none other than George who had allegedly received instructions from a big regional leader of the CPI(M). George must be made an accused. Without that, the probe would reach nowhere, Sreejith s brother Ranjith told the media. The State Assembly had witnessed noisy scenes the other day over the special investigation team s decision not to name George as an accused on the basis of a legal advice it had got from the Director General of Prosecutions and the Chief Minister s statement that there was no need of a CBI probe into the custodial death. their divorce. Brilliant fixed match, scripted to perfection except the audience aren t fools & neither are the rest of us, Abdullah wrote on twitter and uploaded a video clip from an old Bollywood movie that buttresses his argument on the latest political developments in the state. Abdullah had earlier said that horse-trading was possible because the state assembly has been put in suspended animation after the imposition of Governor s rule. The BJP national General Secretary Ram Madhav took a dig on Abdullah asking him as to why he was scared of horsetrading. I m sure his (Omar s) partymen are loyal to him, Madhav wrote on twitter. In response Omar said, I have no doubt about my MLAs but we all know what happened in the PDP after its party patron Mufti Mohammad Syeed died and the sort of pressure that was applied to War of words follows as Didi terms BJP party of militants SAUGAR SENGUPTA n KOLKATA ew war of words ensued Nbetween the BJP and Mamata Banerjee after thebengal Chief Minister called the saffron outfit a party of militants. While addressing a party core committee meeting Banerjee said thattrinamool Congress was not a militant organisation like the BJP. We are not a militant organisation like the BJP, she said accusing thesaffron outfit not only driving a wedge among Hindus, Muslims and Christians but also within the Hindu society. Her remarks drew a prompt reaction from the BJP top leadership thatre-directed the militant remark at Banerjee saying it was her Trinamool Congress which had shunned all humanity and was running the State with groups that Mehbooba Mufti. In another tweet Omar wrote: Then why not dissolve the assembly? If @rammadhavbjp is true to his word that there is no question of horse trading & clearly no new alliances are being formed then the assembly should be dissolved. Keeping it suspended has encouraged dalals. The call for dissolution of state assembly came amid rumours that a split was underway in PDP as several legislators have been approached to change their loyalties. At least three legislators took to social media refuting the rumours. Former finance minister Haseeb Drabu, who was sacked by Mehbooba Mufti for a statement that allegedly went against PDP s core ideology was reported as attending a meeting with rebels. He clarified that he was at his residence in Mumbai and it appeared that his clone has been created who attended a rebel indulge in violence and reminding her of how she enjoyed the backing of ultra-leftists. In an apparent reference to a statement made by BJP State president Dilip Ghosh where he threatened to carry out encounters of the Trinamool Congress leaders, Banerjee said, these people are threatening us with encounter deaths because they are in power in Delhi. But they are not aware of the hard realities that they will have to face in a few months time when they will lose power after the coming elections. Daring the BJP to carry out its encounter threats she said come and do what you have We will give you a fitting meeting.meanwhile, independent legislator Sheikh Rashid asked NC and PDP to forge alliance to give a befitting reply to BJP s machinations. He said the way BJP withdrew support reply just the way we did in the panchayat elections, Banerjee said adding in any case you will not be there in power in Delhi after a few months and gradually fade into oblivion after that. Reacting to Banerjee s remarks BJP leader Nalin Kohli said instead of cursing the saffron party Banerjee would do well to collect data on how many BJP workers were killed in Bengal by Trinamool workers. The BJP leaders reminded about the secret murders of two party men in Purulia allegedly because they had played a role in its victory in the panchayat elections in the district. Omar urges dissolution of J&K Assembly Shutdown in Kashmir against killings KHURSHEED WANI n SRINAGAR he normal life was affect- across Kashmir on Ted Thursday in response to a shutdown call by separatists against recent civilian killings including that of journalist Shujaat Bukhari. Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) led by prominent separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik had called for the shutdown. Shujaat was assassinated along with two of his security guards in Press Enclave in Srinagar on June 14. Shops, public transport, fuel stations, other businesses and educational institutions remained shut at most of the places while attendance in banks, post offices and government offices was thin due to nonavailability of public transport. Scanty private transport and some three wheelers moved in uptown and city outskirts in Srinagar. Tourists were seen to throng Mughal gardens in the Srinagar outskirts.similar reports of disruption in normal life from other cities and towns in the Valley were also received. to PDP; it was a slap on the face of regional parties who have been making tall but false claims of fighting for protecting the special status and interests of the State. Naidu for more pro-farmer policies PTI n PUNE itching for more pro-farmer Ppolicies, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said loan waiver is not a permanent solution and in the long-term, it would affect the agriculture sector and hurt cultivators. Claiming that farmers who take up allied activities such as poultry and dairy along with traditional farming, do not commit suicide, he said cultivators must be able to export their produce for better returns. In many policies, consumers are given more importance because of their large number, but farmers concerns shouldn t be ignored, Naidu said, adding, How do we balance the two conflicting interests in practical terms? That is a major challenge. The vice president was here to inaugurate a national consultation on making agriculture sustainable and profitable at the Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management. Agricultural scientist and the Father of Indian Green Revolution Dr M S Swaminathan, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and NCP chief Sharad Pawar were present at the event. Loan waiver is not a permanent solution and in the long-term, it will affect the agriculture sector and hurt farmers, the vice president said, and opined that since a huge population is dependent on agriculture for livelihood, increasing the income and purchasing power of this group is extremely important. Naidu said the major challenge is to make agriculture economically viable and the solution to it lies in identifying gaps in policy formulation. We should make our policies more pro-farmer. Secondly, we should streamline the implementation processes keeping the end consumer the farmer always in mind, the vice president It is important to encourage farmers to take up allied activities such as poultry, dairy, fisheries and aquaculture that can not only enhance their income of but also cushion them against the adverse impact of failed crop season, he Farmers who take up allied activities like poultry, dairy along with traditional farming, do not commit suicide, Naidu Noting that selling of agricultural produce and getting a fair return was a big challenge for most farmers, the vice president said cultivators still rely on local markets and have to very often resort to distress sale. Reliable, real-time information is the key... e-nam implementation needs to be further streamlined. The Agricultural Produce Market Committee (MC) Act needs to be amended by introducing single-point levy of market fee across a state and a unified single trading licence, he The e-nam pan-india electronic trading portal networks the existing MCs to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities. Naidu appealed to scientists to work with the government s extension machinery, like Krishi Vigyan Kendras, to advice farmers on cropping patterns, postharvest processes and food processing technologies. The government is focusing on developing rural roads, supplying reliable power, setting up godowns, cold storage facilities, refrigerated vans and market yards, he Admitting that agriculture today is at cross-roads and is facing many challenges, Naidu said, We need to evolve a multi-pronged strategy to make it viable, profitable and sustainable. That is the purpose of this consultation. We cannot be complacent about food security situation as it exists today. The growing needs of our country s increasing population require our own home-grown food security strategy as suggested by Prof Swaminathan, Naidu Stressing on four I s irrigation, infrastructure, investment and insurance he said these sectors need to be strengthened for development of the farm sector. Secondly, lab-to-land transfer of technologies need to be enhanced. Thirdly, strengthening of marketing systems is the need of the hour, the vice president said, adding an increased productivity is possible if farmers have greater access to knowledge, technology and credit. Swaminathan said the time has come for people to move from green revolution to evergreen revolution. Asserting that market linkage is a major challenge in sustainability of agricultural prices, Fadnavis said, We have expertise in procurement of agri-produce and today our all warehouses are full of procured produces but we don t know how to sell the produce and we need to work on it. He said a lot of technologies can be brought into agriculture by adopting Artificial Intelligence. We have started end-toend integrated agriculture programme in 5,000 villages right from soil development to crop planning to market linkage and with this integrated approach, we can bring sustainability, he On the occasion, Pawar said there is a need of wealth creation in the field of agriculture. Indian agriculture sector has a great potential but there is a deficit in terms of infrastructure, credit policies, knowledgesharing, skill development and marketing of agriculture products. Experts should give valuable inputs to make improvements in these sectors, he Vested interests scuttling probe in Aircel-Maxis case PTI n NEW DELHI n ED officer probing the AAircel-Maxis money laundering case has petitioned the Supreme Court that he is being hounded by frivolous allegations by proxies who hold vested interests in the highprofile 2G spectrum allocation case. ED Joint Director Rajeshwar Singh on Wednesday filed a criminal contempt plea before the court against Rajneesh Kapur who had recently moved the apex court against him, alleging the officer possessed disproportionate assets. The apex court had admitted Kapur s PIL that also sought a probe against the ED officer. The officer, nominated by the top court as the lead ED investigating officer in the 2G case few years ago, has charged in his petition that his probe has irked a sizeable number of individuals, corporate, lobbyists and corrupt and dishonest persons who have time and again filed false, frivolous and motivated complaints against him. He said the fresh PIL against him is nothing but a bunch of old and unsuccessful allegations against him and are a brazen attempt to delay the completion of 2G spectrum case and the Aircel-Maxis case. Singh said the allegations levelled against him are not new as no new evidence has been filed adding that the allegations of improper conduct and disproportionate assets, filed in the PIL recently, were made in a similar fashion about 7 years ago also and his organisation (ED), the CBI and the CVC had given him a clean chit after a probe was conducted. The Supreme Court had then ordered that no interference should be made by anyone in the functioning of the officers who are probing the 2G case, including Singh and had also issued a contempt notice. The ED officer charged that his reputation has suffered grave attack ever since he had been investigating the 2G scam and related investigations. Singh said that the apex court s order in March to finish probe in the Aircel-Maxis case in six months time is the trigger for the latest allegations of misconduct being levelled against him. This order is probably the reason for filing such a frivolous petition by the contemnor (Kapur) who is acting as proxy of some vested interests with the sole motive to obstruct the justice delivery system and frustrate the proper functioning and administration of duties by the petitioner in utter disregard to the orders passed by this court (SC), he He said that the CBI and CVC have also examined these complaints in the past and have found them to be frivolous. It is thus clear and apparent that the sole motive of the contemnor (Kapur), by acting as a proxy to those holding vested interests, is to somehow scuttle, delay and frustrate the ongoing investigation being carried out by the petitioner in the Aircel Maxis case and delay the completion of the investigation by the petitioner, he The ED recently filed a charge sheet against former finance minister P Chidambaram s son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis case and has twice questioned and recorded the statement of the senior Chidambaram. It has, in the past, also questioned senior officials of the Union finance ministry and the now defunct Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) in connection with this case. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had on Wednesday filed a plea in the apex court as he sought to implead himself in the defence of the ED officer in light of the latest complaint. A vacation bench of justices S Abdul Nazeer and Indu Malhotra had subsequently asked Swamy to mention the matter on June 25 before another bench as Justice Malhotra recused herself from hearing in the matter without assigning any reason. Kapur in his petition had said that certain orders have been passed by the apex court protecting Singh, against any action by any of the authorities. It was contended in the petition that earlier orders of apex court can apply only against any mala fide or frivolous complaints but there cannot be absolute bar against action for the criminal acts of the officer, which may be seen by the apex court itself by any independent mechanism.

nation 07 Harrassed inter-faith couple gets passports Concerned UP staff transferred, showcaused PNS n LUCKNOW he ordeal of an inter-faith Tcouple from Aminabad, who were questioned by Regional Passport Office (Lucknow) staffer for their marriage, ended on Thursday with the concerned officer being shifted and a show cause notice being served on to him. Rectifying the mistake, Regional Passport Officer Pitush Verma issued them passports. The matter has been resolved. The couple has been issued new passports on Thursday. The officer has been transferred and a show cause notice has been served on him, Verma told reporters flanked by Anas Siddiqui and his wife Tanvi Seth at the RPO-L on Thursday. Verma said that they have sent a report to External Affairs ministry about the incident and action was being taken against the erring officer. We sincerely apologise to the couple for the incident and assure the people that such incidents would not be repeated in future, Verma said while stressing that staffers and officers were subjected to counselling sessions and asked to be friendly with those seeking passport. Showing their new passports, Siddiqui and Seth expressed satisfaction over the action taken by the RPO-L. The harassment we underwent at the RPL on Wednesday was very disturbing and it forced us to tweet our problem to External Affairs Ministry. Thankfully, our problem was heard and today we got our passports. It was a new passport for myself while Anas passport was renewed, said Tanvi. Narrating the Wednesday ordeal, Tanvi said that when they reached counter no 5, official Vikash Mishra said that there was some problem with the file as she had married a Muslim but chose to retain her maiden name. The officer also insulted me and even asked my husband to convert to Hinduism if he wanted his passport renewed, she alleged. Later, they met an Additional Passport Officer, who was sympathetic and asked them to come to the main office on Thursday. Tanvi married computer engineer Anas Siddiqui 12 years ago and has a six-year-old daughter. The couple work for multi-national companies. Later, Tanvi tweeted details of her ordeal to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. She wrote, I tweet this with immense faith in justice and in you and ironically with a lot of anger /hurt and agony in my heart because of the way I was treated at Lucknow Passport Office at Ratan Square by Mr Vikas Mishra, the reason because I married a Muslim and did not change my maiden name. She also tweeted, I never felt so insulted in the last 12 years of my marriage with my husband. It is my personal choice to chose a name I want to after marriage. In response, Additional Private Secretary to Swaraj, Vijay Dwivedi asked Secretary to Cong targets BJP over incident PNS n NEW DELHI Congress has attacked Tthe BJP over an incident in Lucknow in which a Passport Seva Kendra official allegedly humiliated an inter-faith couple, claiming that it reflected the psyche of hatred and division imbibed by the BJP. AICC communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala accused the BJP of dividing the minds, hearts and soul of Indians. "Obnoxious demand by MEA officials for conversion, in order to issue a passport reflect the psyche of hatred and division which the BJP has imbibed," he tweeted. "It seeks to divides the minds, hearts and soul of Indians and is an assault on our Constitutional values," he He also tagged a news report Passport, Visa and Overseas Indian affairs at MEA, D M Mulay, to look into the issue. Mulay later replied to Tanvi, I sought report from RPL - Lucknow. Will take appropriate of the alleged harassment of the couple at the MEA's Lucknow office, where an official humiliated the woman for marrying a Muslim man. The official was transferred today after he allegedly asked the husband to convert to Hinduism and pulled up the wife for marrying a Muslim, when they went to the office with their passport applications. Seeking action, Mohammad Anas Siddiqui and Tanvi Seth, who have been married for 12 years, wrote about their ordeal on Twitter and tagged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday. A day later, the Regional Passport Office in Lucknow transferred Vikas Mishra, the official accused of humiliating the couple. action. After getting the passport, Tanvi thanked Swaraj, RPO Lucknow and CPV for timely action through a series of tweets this morning. Avoid posting fake items on social media, Shah tells BJP workers PTI n NEW DELHI JP president Amit Shah on BThursday counselled social media-savvy workers and supporters of his party s Delhi unit to avoid committing mistake of posting fake items online to avoid losing credibility among people, sources In an address to social media warriors, including party workers and supporters, of the BJP, Shah also asked them to highlight the achievements of the four years of the Modi Government. The party president asked us to avoid committing mistake of posting fake pictures, data and messages on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. He said such action endangers our credibility before the people, said a participant, seeking anonymity. 10K students grab 20% DU seats in 3 days COLLEGE NUMBER OF ADMISSIONS Miranda House College 575 Hindu College 558 LSR 535 Gargi College 531 SRCC 519 ARSD 325 COURSE ADMISSIONS B.Com (Hons) 1,141 B.A Programme 931 B.A(Hons) Political Science 767 BA (Hons) History 602 B.Com 578 CATEGORY NUMBER OF ADMISSIONS Unreserved 6,458 OBC 1,160 SC 662 ST 237 Person with Disability(PwD) 128 Kashmiri Migrant (KM) 59 Sikh Minority 191 ABHINAV SINGH n NEW DELHI y the end of third and the Blast day of admissions against the first cut-off at Delhi University (DU), nearly 10,000 students (fee paid) have taken admissions in various undergraduate courses at DU colleges. The figure this year is about five times that of the total number of admissions made against the first cut-off last year. With close to total 56,000 seats in DU colleges approximately 20 per cent of seats have been filled in the first cut-off itself. Like second and the first day, students throng to the colleges for taking admissions and confirming their seats. In north campus Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), out of 624 seats collectively in B.Com (Hons) and BA (Hons) Economics, 519 have already been filled. At Ramjas College of north campus huge rush is witnessed on third and the last day. Keeping in view that the large number of students who flocked to the colleges without having generated their admission application form and in the backdrop of the fact that many of them faced problem while generating it over the UG admission portal, the DU extended the admission timing for 2 hours in the afternoon. With the payment of fees being allowed till Friday noon, the numbers of paid admissions are expected to rise further as close to 12,369 admissions have been approved against first cut-off. Among the colleges Miranda House College at the north campus tops the chart with 575 admissions being made against the first cut-off. It is followed by Hindu College, Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College, Gargi College, Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma (ARSD) College and then others. Among the courses category maximum admissions are for B.Com (Hons) at 1141 followed by B.A. (programme), B.A. (Hons) Political Science, B.A.(Hons) History and others. As per the data provided by the DU officials at 3.30 pm on Thursday, close to 6500 general category (unreserved) candidates have taken admission. While the Kashmiri Migrant and Sikh Minority stood at 59 and 191 respectively. DESI, VIDESHI... Tennis ace Sania Mirza came under special praise from the Minister after the former posted a picture of herself doing an asana. International Day of Yoga or any other day, #PreNatalYoga is my way of keeping fit during pregnancy. What s yours? @MinistryWCD and @ManekaGandhiBJP (sic), the tennis star posted on Twitter, along with the photo. Maneka lauded Mirza for following the ancient Indian fitness regime during pregnancy. Wonderful, Sania!! #PreNatalYoga is indeed an exhilarating way to be fit during pregnancy. @MirzaSania (sic), the Union women and Child Development Minister tweeted. The International Yoga Day was observed across Haryana and Punjab, with Union Minister Smriti Irani and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar participating in programmes in Chandigarh and Jhajjar respectively. In Ahmedabad, around 750 differently-abled people joined Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in doing exercises based on the ancient Indian discipline. Vice- President M Venkaiah Naidu advocated inclusion of yoga in school curriculums to create a healthy nation. Naidu participated in an event at Mumbai s Bandra Reclamation Sealink Promenade where Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was present. The practice of yoga is important for positive thoughts. If it is included in the school curriculum it is possible to create a healthy nation. Yoga also helps in relief from stress due to the changing lifestyles, Naidu Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, in Amravati, said everyone should practise yoga for a complete and healthy life free from stress. The 4th International Yoga Day was celebrated in Sikkim with Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling leading hundreds of people in performing asanas. In West Bengal, Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said Yoga had gone global with its origin rooted in Indian culture. In other States including Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Jharkhand, yoga events saw enthusiastic participation. In Pakistan, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad celebrated the yoga day as a festival of health and well-being. Over 100 members of the diplomatic community and Pakistani CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 citizens from different walks of life joined the guided yoga and meditation sessions at the mission. The yoga day celebrations were also held in different cities of Pakistan, including Karachi and Lahore. In Nepal, a special mass yoga demonstration was held on the premises of Nepal Police Training Academy in capital Kathmandu which was attended by hundreds of people despite rain since early morning. Nepal s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ishwor Pokharel, along with Indian Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri and hundreds of yoga enthusiasts, performed yoga postures in an hour-long event. A massive yoga session was held at the holy premises of Janaki temple in Janakpur where Governor Ratneshwar Lal Kayastha and Chief Minister Lalbabu Raut attended the event. In China, Indian envoy Gautam Bambawale along with other diplomats, staff of the Embassy, yoga teachers and students of a yoga centre participated in a colourful yoga event in Beijing. Over 500 yoga lovers turned up to take part in over hour-long special yoga workout at the old Indian Embassy premises. I would say tens of thousands took part in China. But millions will be doing in their way either individually or in smaller groups, Bambawale The day is celebrated in 25 to 30 cities in different parts of China with larger turnouts, he said, adding that the popularity of yoga is going to increase not only in India but also in China. In Bangladesh, around 10,000 people attended the ancient Indian discipline at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. UN ambassadors, diplomats, spiritual leaders, members of civil society and children participated in a flagship Yoga Day event organised by India s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York. Voicing her deep appreciation to India for organising the yoga day event, Mohammed underscored the importance of yoga in the overall well-being of individuals and even in various aspects of the world body s functioning. India s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, who joined those gathered in performing yoga exercises and asanas, said yoga has become even more relevant as the world is recognising the critical importance of moving towards more sustainable lifestyles, in tune with surroundings and more in harmony with nature. MEHBOOBA IN... been able to complete her term in a relatively peaceful atmosphere and gain the lost ground with uptick in developmental activities, he Now, it cannot be predicted as to when the Assembly elections would be held in J&K. Presently, the situation is not conducive to test the prospects of pro-india parties. Mehbooba sought to revive her party s politics on the day she lost power. In her presser soon after, she sought to convey her insistence on dialogue with separatists and Pakistan did not go down well with the BJP. She declared that her party would continue to campaign for the rights of people of J&K. Observers say that the emerging situation on law and order and security fronts during the upcoming months of Central Rule would decide the possibility of political activity on the ground. Interestingly, a section of PDP leaders expect this period not to be better than the PDP s rule. Those who have been criticising us these years will finally realise our essence with the time, Waheed Parra, youth PDP leader tweeted. I agree the PDP suffered a great deal during its alliance with the BJP. This does not mean that the party is doomed. It has the inherent capacity to resurrect and there is lot of political space available, said a senior PDP leader, wishing not be identified. TERROR FUNDING... custody remand to extract details about the operations made by him to finance terror modules. The ATS officials claimed that Shah was involved in distributing money to terrorists after receiving it in his bank account from foreign handlers. particularly in Pakistan. Earlier on March 24, the UP ATS had arrested 10 persons, including half a dozen aides of Shah. They were identified as Mukesh Prasad, Nikhil Rai alias Mushrraf Ansari, Ankur Rai, Dayanand Yadav, Naseem Ahmed and Naim Arshad. Shah, who owns a shopping mart in Gorakhpur, was in direct touch with foreign handlers and used to get inputs about money transfer through internet calling. He is reported to have facilitated funding of over Rs 1 crore in terror operations. It is also reported that Shah was behind funding ultras in Kashmir, Kerala, North East and other parts of the country. The arrested members also have links with Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT). A LeT member used to be in touch with Shah and his men and had asked them to open bank accounts in fake names. Later, money was deposited in these accounts and the gang was directed to transfer amounts to various outfits and ultras. Shah and his team used to get 10-20 per cent commission for the job, IG ATS Asim Arun revealed. Shah is a native of Gopalganj district of Bihar and has been staying with his family in Bichiya locality of Gorakhpur for the past couple of years. His father and brother were vegetable vendors but now they own huge properties, including a shopping complex. RAJNATH LEADS... People thronged the lawns of Raj Bhawan and village chaupals to celebrate this day, he Later, under the watchful eyes of Dr Shiv Shankar Tripathi, the dignitaries and other participants performed different asanas. Senior bureaucrats, literati of the city, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and journalists took part in the celebration. In Varanasi, over one lakh people participated in the Yoga Day event at different places, including Sampurnanand Sports Stadium where BJP state president Mahendra Nath Pandey, minister Neelkanth Tewari and international athlete Neelu Misra performed asanas. Hundreds of saints, seers and locals performed yoga at the ghats of the river Ganga in Varanasi early in the morning. Under the banner of Subah-e- Banaras, the people performed asanas for healthy life. Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh celebrated Yoga Day in Meerut with hundreds of enthusiasts. He said that yoga brought joy in life and provided the passport for a healthy life. In Bareilly, Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi s sister Farhat Naqvi performed yoga with triple talaq victims. She said that yoga brought physical as well as mental strength to an individual. They started with Surya Namaskar and performed many other asanas. NSG to be deployed in J&K for anti-terror op PTI n SRINAGAR he elite National Security TGuards, popularly known as Black Cats, are likely to be deployed soon in counter-militancy operations in Jammu & Kashmir which was placed under Governor's rule on Wednesday, officials They said a team of NSG has been stationed in the Kashmir Valley for quite some time and is undergoing rigorous training in the outskirts of the city. The State was on Wednesday placed under Governor s rule for the fourth time in the last one decade after the BJP withdrew support to its alliance partner, the PDP, prompting Mehbooba Mufti to resign as the Chief Minister. The decision for their deployment in counter-terror operations was taken by the Home Ministry recently and they will be put to use soon after their acclimatisation programme is over, the officials The teams will be kept at the disposal of the Jammu & Kashmir Police, which is the nodal agency for all anti-militancy operations, they added. While the Union home ministry is upbeat about deploying the NSG in the Valley, counter-terror experts feel that the black cats would be helpful in a situation where room-to-room intervention is required. Such situations rarely come during a counter-militancy operation as it is virtually a door-die battle for the forces, mainly led by the state police and ably assisted by the Army and paramilitary forces, the experts The move to deploy NSG commandos in Kashmir comes in the wake of increasing incidents of encounters where security forces have lost many soldiers during high-risk house intervention operations in densely populated localities. The NSG commandos, when allowed, will get opportunities to test their skills and it will be a force-multiplier for anti-militancy forces deployed in J&K, they

opinion 08 www.dailypioneer.com paper with passion Dharma vs dharna All s well that ends well. Now, both A and Delhi s bureaucracy must work together T hey have agreed to disagree on a few things but agreed to work on deliverables. The truce between the A Government in Delhi and the bureaucracy, howsoever temporary, has brought relief among Delhiites, who are clueless about the direction the civic administration is taking. Not unknown to many, there are unmet challenges of summer pollution, transportation and the crumbling health infrastructure that need urgent looking into. Already water wars, dengue and malaria have reared their ugly heads. Although both sides claimed that they have been working, with optics of files being signed and moved, the fact is there has been no convergence, leave aside congruence, between the Kejriwal Government and bureaucrats ever since Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash was allegedly assaulted by A MLAs about four months ago. Now after his prolonged sit-in at the LG s office and the latter s intervention, Chief Minister Kejriwal has promised security to his officers. While it is true that Delhi lacks full statehood and the LG s office is not bound to heed the council of ministers, fact is both the Government of the day, the bureaucracy and the LG have to find an operable space for smooth functioning of the nation s Capital rather than scoring brownie points over each other and playing the game of who s the boss. Both would gain from mutual efficiencies in the end. And whatever the rulebook says about comparative powers, one must realise that A has the people s mandate and the bureaucracy must show some respect towards it rather than antagonising the people and making them hate the establishment it represents. In fact, bureaucrats have a shot at leaving their own legacies. Delhi Metro will forever be known for E Sreedharan, a public servant, rather than the enablers in the Government. Similarly, A, which has used agitationist tactics to get what it wants, must realise that its ministers need to build more credibility in governance rather than behaving like an Opposition party. That will only invite criticism about it being an attention-seeking party that endorses the personality cult while failing to honour the core job it has been tasked with. Continuing his crusade for Delhi s statehood under the Constitution, Kejriwal must not forget that he could work effectively in existing authorised areas and would be seen as more of a doer than going after Central bureaucrats or police officers. By the time elections take place, his outcome will depend solely on how he governed despite the challenges, his dharma of delivering to his voters, rather than his aggressive dharnas that may grab headlines but end up alienating his own vote base. Already the spoiler card has cost A its image and overshadowed its positive performance in building transparency and accountability into the system and statistically proving how leakages can be stopped. All the A needs now is sound execution within the sphere it has and showing demonstrable evidence of its good intentions. All eyes are on Delhi as the Capital and governance templates here are more likely to get emulated. Therefore, the bureaucracy must stop being politically exploitative and the A must give up the idea of teaching them a lesson and work with the mindset of a healthy competition. Long way to go National Health Mission report should ring alarm bells on the female burden of family planning I t is disappointing that despite India setting ambitious family planning targets each year, we refuse to learn from our past failures. The 11th report of the National Health Mission released earlier this week has once again lamented the fact that the entire burden of family planning has been lobbed into the women s court as men have yet again failed to stand up and be counted. Data revealed that in the period between 2017-18, out of a total of 14,73,418 sterilisation procedures conducted across the country, women accounted for 93 per cent of them. That is a shocking statistic. Some will argue that this is a slight improvement from the situation earlier which was much starker 98 per cent of the tubectomies were done on women but that would be evading the central issue. It is this: Misogyny begins at home and is carried over to reproductive and family planning duties. This skew in reproductive health/family planning decision-making ought to be a top national concern. And a debate on measures to reverse this trend is long overdue. The most obvious question that comes to mind is why do these shocking gaps exist between men and women undergoing procedures. Lack of awareness about sexual/reproductive health, long-standing unscientific beliefs regarding impact on sexual pleasure of any medical procedure, poor availability of healthcare facilities and lack of access to contraception are the obvious ones. But the primary reason is the sense of entitlement Indian males have internalised, allied to their lack of responsibility in planning a family. Myths and traditions which equate sterilisation with a loss of masculinity have to be challenged. There can be no justification for this false sense of manliness' as it is well-known that just as in the case of procedures for females meant to prevent unwanted pregnancies, male sterilisation is a simple surgical procedure. In fact, male sterilisation is a medically easier and safer procedure whether in terms of surgical risks or recovery time or the possibility of complications. Deaths too are rarer among males if there is a botched up procedure. The only difference is that the burden to take care of such issues has always been on women, which has to change. We must accept that we are a country where female autonomy is restricted in almost every sphere of life and then work to change this situation. Governments can do their bit by ensuring proper healthcare infrastructure incidents like the botched operations in Chhattisgarh where 13 women lost their lives besides leaving more than 60 impaired are unacceptable. But society too must step forward to become change agents. The United Nations has projected that India s population is set to cross the 1.44 billion-mark by 2024. But that does not mean that we need to opt for a target-driven mindset that has utter disregard for female health given the state of medical infrastructure and regressive societal mindsets that exist in India. Turkish strongman set to win elections? Erdogan never had the support of more than half the population and the other half loathes him. He looks unstoppable, but Turks are better informed and sophisticated politically than any other electorate in the region GWYNNE DYER There is no possibility of a happy outcome in Sunday s election in Turkey. Almost exactly half the population adores President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in power since 2002, while the other half hates him and believes his victory would mean the death of democracy in the country. That could well be the case, but he is going to win. Erdogan is one of the nationalist strongmen who have come to power in countries that aspired to democracy in the first two decades after the end of the Cold War. From Vladimir Putin in Russia and Viktor Orban in Hungary to Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, these men populists, as we call them abide by the democratic rules unless they absolutely have to cheat. Instead, they aim to win free elections by stirring up hatred of minorities and foreigners and dominating the media, and it usually works. For Putin, Orban and Duterte, nationalism plus a hard man image produce election victories without any need to massage the voting numbers, but Turkey is a tougher nut to crack. If Erdogan could not pose as the defender of Islam as well as of ethnonationalist values, he would probably never have won an election in Turkey - and the 75-80 percent majorities Putin enjoys are far out of his reach. His Justice and Development (AK) Party has never got even 50 percent of the votes in a general election, and is running this time in coalition with an ultra-nationalist but secular party. About half of Turkey s voters still want the secular state they used to have, which means that Erdogan s ostentatious piety and strident promotion of political Islam alienate almost as many voters as they seduce. His margins of victory have dwindled as his Islamism has become more visible, and in the last two elections the AK Party only got around 40 percent of the votes. In a multi-party system that excludes any party winning less than 10 per cent of the national vote from parliament, that was enough to give AK a parliamentary majority, but you wouldn t think it would provide a secure foundation for an electoral dictatorship. Even in last year s constitutional referendum, where the usual multi-party mess was reduced to a simple yes/no choice, Erdogan only got 51.4 per cent of the vote. Unfortunately, that was enough, because the referendum approved Erdogan s proposal that Turkey should switch from a parliamentary to a presidential system of Government. The referendum downgraded the SOUNDBITE With the imposition of Governor s rule, the situation in the J&K will change for the better, and it is already apparent with the security forces working with more confidence now. Union Minister Mahesh Sharma India plays a vital role in forming international opinion. It must continue to persuade North Korea to recalculate its strategy to to change its course to denuclearisation. South Korea's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Enna Park It is alright to be a fierce female achiever and yet be okay with being vulnerable. Our feminity is our greatest strength. Actor Priyanka Chopra Yoga is a personal choice. It is their private decision to do yoga or not. I also do yoga at my residence daily and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar too does yoga. But we never display it in public. JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar parliament and gave the president such sweeping powers that he would be, in practice, an elected dictator. It was a constitutional change in the service of one man s ambition. To put the change into effect, however, required new presidential and parliamentary elections, which were only due in late 2019. Sensing an imminent collapse of the economic boom that has sustained his party politically for so long (the Turkish lira has lost almost a fifth of its value in the past two months), Erdogan brought the elections forward and on 24 June he will win again. To be more precise, he might get 50 per cent of the vote on the 24th and win outright, but with three opponents who appeal to widely different electorates he is more likely to have to go to a run-off presidential election on July 8. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that a man who has the support of barely half the voters is probably going to become, by formally democratic processes, the de facto dictator of Turkey. How can this happen? It can happen because the failed coup of 2016 enabled Erdogan to declare a state of emergency, jail tens of thousands on flimsy pretexts, and shut down most free media. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Failing to meet targets Sir This refers to the editorial, End of an alliance (June 21). The PDP-BJP pre-poll alliance in Jammu & Kashmir, which helped them form the Government way back in 2014, was as bizarre as is BJP s abrupt pull-out, given their four-year-old bonhomie. The marriage of two bed-fellows, polls apart on ideological grounds, was dogged by severe castigation in the State and the national political quarters alike. Nevertheless, some political analysts were of the opinion that the coalition in Jammu & Kashmir was, despite the divergence of ideologies, in the best interests of the people of the Valley in light of the fact that one of the partners had also formed the Central Government. Hence, the BJP was morally and dutifully bound to do a world of good to uplift the State and its people in terms of allocation and sanction of the funds without any hindrance. Sadly, the much-hyped alliance fell apart without achieving the target vision of bringing peace and prosperity back to the State because the two parties couldn t agree on whether the ceasefire should be extended or not. Azhar A Khan Rampur Unholy alliance Sir After being a partner in pushing Jammu & Kashmir to the present state of anarchy and terrorism, the BJP has ditched its political partner PDP for selfish ends, particularly, the 2019 General Election. There is no other reason for the saffron Inflation is already in double digits and the economy is heading for a fall, but Erdogan will probably be able to ride out the discontent that creates for a while by beating on the nationalist and Islamist drums Normal monsoon is the only hope T his refers to the article, Robust monsoon the only palliative (June 21) by Kota Sriraj. The writer s suggestion for our country to strategise plans to enable normal monsoons, though welcome and desirable, represent an uphill task. Environmental problems in the sub-continent stem from a exploding population and political mismanagement. Poverty, inequality, and half-hearted efforts for substantive development have left no hope for a frogleap economic growth. Clouds of political upheavals and social discord are currently looming large. This is a bad omen for the nation. Add to this the the fact that most campaigns have failed to increase awareness amongst the public so far. In the situation, how can we just stop using fossil fuels without developing a viable alternate energy solution? Without this, there will definitely be an economic fallout. Natural phenomenons such as monsoons are beyond our control. In this situation, the best we can do is to make a massive effort to cut down on our pollution levels and start using methods like rainwater harvesting and the sand-bore technique to save water. These steps can make a marginal change in terms of receiving a more favourable monsoon. Increased public awareness and support will also improve the dire situation we are in right now. Prakash C Dixit Rishikesh It is happening because Erdogan reopened the war against Turkey's Kurdish minority in 2015, and is now free to practice voter-suppression policies in the south-east of the country where the Kurds are the majority of the population. It will happen because Turkey s invasion of northern Syria last January has unleashed an orgy of nationalist self-congratulation in the Government-controlled media. But the fact remains that the Turkish strongman has never had the support of more than half the population and the other half actively loathes him. He looks unstoppable at the moment, but Turks are better informed and more sophisticated politically than any other electorate in the region. Inflation is already in double digits and the economy is heading for a fall, but Erdogan will probably be able to ride out the discontent that creates for a while by beating on the nationalist and Islamist drums. (You can actually do both at the same time in practice, although in theory it should be almost impossible.) Erdogan s subversion of Turkey s promising young democracy is a tragedy, but not necessarily an irreversible one. (The writer is an independent journalist) party to abhor the PDP with whom they had formed an alliance just to be in power. By this act, the BJP has demonstrated beyond doubt that they are willing to stoop down to any level to fulfill their selfish ends. This betrayal of the BJP should be an eye opener for leaders of all other parties that have political alliances with the BJP, particularly, Nitish Kumar of the JD(U) and Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena. Tharcius S Fernando Chennai Unity in yoga Sir This refers to the editorial, Doing it right (June 21). Yoga asanas can only be a part of yoga and certainly not the whole concept of yoga. It cannot be described as a religious teaching as religion spoils the very concept of yoga. It is all about realising the oneness by tuning the body and mind with the cosmic spirit. The literal meaning of yoga is to connect. Thus, everything is in yoga or in other words, is in unison. They cannot be made finite or segregated. There is no place in yoga for religious differences. Unfortunately, when spiritual endeavours produce religions, they become confined and start fighting amongst each other about things that ahrdly matter. This has caused several communal bloodbaths in India over the years. And unlike religion, yoga is all about spirituality, unity and fraternity. Sujit De Kolkata Send your feedback to: letterstopioneer@gmail.com

3rdeye 09 Nathu Ram Godse, who killed Gandhiji, was part of the RSS. It spreads hate. Hate leads to violence and violence leads to terrorism. Congress leader DIGVIJAY SINGH POINTCOUNTERPOINT He (Digvijay Singh) should be sacked from the Congress. He pointed a finger at the Hindu community and called them terrorists. BJP spokesperson SAMBIT PATRA UN Rights body discredits itself The report issued by the UNHRC is highly motivated. India must take on such attempts to embarrass it at the United Nations with all the force at its command K N PANDITA For the first time in the history of the Kashmir question at the United Nations (UN), the Chairman of the Human Rights Commission, Zeid Ra'd Al Hussein of Jordan has issued a 49-page tutored report spread over 20 paragraphs on abuse and violation of human rights in the State of Jammu & Kashmir mainly by India, and peripherally by Pakistan. The report is a forceful indictment of India, particularly of her security forces operating in Kashmir. Why has the report come today after 28 years of externally sponsored Theofascist activities in Kashmir that consumed so many innocent lives besides the ethnic cleansing of the Valley of its religious minority of the Pandits? Obviously, the report is meticulously timed to serve a specific purpose of the Chairman. This report is not to be seen in isolation. It came out at the same time when the Jordanian Chairman put the Israel resolution in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for a vote. There was no mention of Hamas in that resolution and it was approved with overwhelming majority. In all probability, the Chairman, who is handling sensitive matters like Israel and Kashmir almost at par and without consulting his aids intends to take a Kashmir resolution to the UNGA in the future whether or not the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) debates on the matter. Much is to be read between the lines. The report picks up the thread of alleged human rights abuse from the incident of the killing of a hardcore Jaish terrorist named Burhan in July 2016 in an encounter with the security forces. He was in regular communication with Hafiz Saeed, an international terrorist, as designated by the UN and the US. While the report meticulously recounts civilian fatalities that happened from July 2016 to March 2018, it carefully avoids the large number of attacks undertaken by the jihadists in Kashmir, most of who originated from Pakistan. Confining the report to post-2016 incidents reflects two things; first is the advertent or inadvertent ignorance of the Chairman of the roots of the Kashmir conflict, and the second is his clean chit to Theo-fascists unleashing spate of violence against the civil society at the behest and support of external handlers. This is a blatant politically motivated report aimed at raising a heap of human rights violations and carrying the bagful all the way to the doorsteps of India and her security forces. In doing so, the Chairman has not only shown his partisan approach to the issue, but has also crossed the jurisdiction and limits of the terms of reference of his office. By directly addressing the Indian security forces operating in strife-torn Kashmir and not the Government of India, the Chairman has tried to undermine the sovereignty of the Indian Government, something incompatible with the powers, jurisdiction and authority of his office. By castigating Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts (AFSPA), the Chairman has challenged the authority of the elected Government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir in taking steps for the maintenance of law and order. The Chairman is ignorant of the fact that the Army has been called to restore law and order in the State at the request of the State Government meaning that the elected Government in the State has sanctioned the imposition of AFSPA owing to disturbed conditions. And who the source of this disturbance is, the Chairman fails to understand or mention. The report keeps clear of the armed attack on Jammu & Kashmir in October 1947, abetted and sponsored by the Pakistain army; it is silent about the horrendous killings, kidnapping and rapes in the Muzaffarabad and Baramulla district in October 1947 by the invading tribesmen and their Pakistani handlers in civilian uniforms. The Commission wants an international inquiry committee to probe into the alleged abuse of human rights in Kashmir. It forgets that the first and the most glaring violator of human rights in Kashmir is the UN Security Council which deliberately politicised the Kashmir issue by bringing the aggressor and the aggressed at par to serve the interests of particular lobbies. The practice continues till date. The report suppresses the destructive role of the Theo-fascist organisations raised by the Pakistani Army on its soil and purported to act clandestinely in the Indian part of Kashmir and Afghanistan in line with Pakistan s strategy of depth eastward and westward. The Pakistani Army never made a secret of its full involvement in the Kashmir incursion of 1947 and its aftermath. The report does not say a word about the ethnic cleansing of Kashmir as early as 1990 or of the five massacres of non-muslims in Kashmir which tantamount to genocide committed by the Theo-fascists coming from across the border. It has specifically mentioned the killing of a terrorist called Burhan Wani but it has no word for large scale destruction of public property and the civilian structures in Kashmir like burning of schools, laboratories, libraries, court complexes, bridges and other infrastructure by the terrorists. The report is totally silent about the numerous terrorist training camps set up by Pakistan in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and elsewhere on its territory and manned by retired Army officers from the Pakistani Army. It is silent about the wide scale anti- India campaign launched by Pakistani jihad organisations by whipping up religious sentiments of the people and raising huge funds for Kashmir jihad. The report rakes up the 24-year-old Kunan Poshpur rape charade and states that Indian security forces raped 23 women but does not make a mention of the inquiry conducted by the Indian Army and the State Government into the incident that absolve the security forces of all accusations. Kunan Poshpura incident is its concern but the rape and abduction of nearly five thousand Hindu and Sikh women and girls on the night of 22 October 1947 in Muzaffarabad during the tribal attack on Kashmir is not its concern. In the eyes of the Chairman, those thousands of women raped and kidnapped did not have the human rights which it thinks the alleged 23 women of Kunan Poshpora had. In particular, the Chairman directly admonishes the Indian security forces operating in Kashmir. It is a blatant abuse and misuse of his powers because he is trying to bypass the Indian Government and raise accusing finger towards the Army. Who is he to tell the Indian security forces what they should or not do? He cautions the Indian security forces of possible violence during the following week. Obviously, he is referring to the Eid-ul-Fitr festival. Does the Chairman not know that India is home to almost all major religions in the world and yet he has the cheek to talk selectively and in hyperbole? It is a highly prejudicial report, based on motivated and mutilated information. The Chairman has stepped out of constitutional and administrative jurisdiction by issuing such a partisan report. This is a gross violation of the fundamental norms of impartiality of the UN in dealing with international issues of sensitive nature. Who is he to ask for an international inquiry committee to probe into the Kashmir situation? Did he ever ask for an inquiry into the Baluchistan atrocities or the repression in Gilgit and Baltistan? Did he ever ask for an inquiry into the massacre of Kurds by the Turkish Government? Did he ever ask for an inquiry into the aggressive designs of Saudi Arabia in Yemen? Did he ever ask an inquiry into rape, abduction and killing of Yazidi girls in the Middle East? Did he ask for an inquiry into the persecution and suppression of Pakistani religious minorities like Ahmadiyya, Christians, Hindus and now Shias for whose decimation jihadi organisations like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Jundullah etc. make open statements. Are these not unfortunate minorities part of humanity and don t they enjoy human rights like any other community on the globe? Why does not the violation of their human rights touch the delicate humanitarian sense of the Chairman? This is a highly motivated, parochial, prejudicial and offensive report of which India should take very serious notice. India should take several steps in this connection. Without a day s delay, New Delhi should lodge a very strong protest with the UN Secretary General bringing to his notice the partisan approach of the Chairman of the Human Rights Commission. India should bring a motion of No Confidence against the Chairman and his team and demand his immediate removal from a very sensitive position of an institution that is required to command the trust of the international fraternity. Not only that, India should announce a boycott of the session of the Human Rights Council and its affiliates unless the Chairman is removed. She should record her protest formally. The Chairman of the Human Rights Commission has embarked on a very dangerous course and his intentions are deeply suspected of functioning in a partisan manner. It will be a sad day for the UN if such biased and politically motivated persons head its critical subsidiaries. The pious institution of the UN Human Rights Commission cannot be and should not be in the hands of those who are miserably ignorant of the past and present history of a long standing dispute, and especially of issues that have been hounding the international community for decades at a stretch. It has to be made clear that the Kashmir issue is the creation of the Anglo-American bloc and is the modern avatar of mid-19th century British diplomacy called The Great Game. New Delhi has to remember that if it does not rise to counter the report today, it will have to face innumerable embarrassments at the United Nations in future. Its image will get tarnished for all times. It should also be made clear to the Chairman and the entire HR Commission that the Kashmir issue is closely and tightly linked to the resurgence of Islamic fundamentalism and jihadist ideology that have gripped the entire globe in one way or the other. If jihadism is to be fought tooth and nail, human rights shall have to remain in the backyard till sanity prevails. The Chairman of the Human Rights Commission should understand that during only one month in the past, Kashmir terrorists have launched 47 attacks and hurled 20 hand-grenades on the camps of security forces. The Chairman should try to understand what role India, as the world's largest secular democracy is playing to democratise a populace that has been brought up in closed and restricted environs of exclusiveness for centuries in the past. (The writer is former Director of the Centre for Central Asian Studies, University of Kashmir) Afghanistan's push for peace Ashraf Ghani's peace offer to the Taliban is more than generous and the possibility of a US withdrawal in the near future is in everyone's best interests O ver the past few weeks, there have been some significant developments in Afghanistan. On June 16, President Ashraf Ghani's Government unilaterally extended its Eid ceasefire with the Taliban stating that there was a consensus' on peace between the KRITI SHAH Afghan Government and the militant group. Ghani also announced the willingness of the Government to negotiate with the Taliban about the presence of foreign troops. A day earlier, on Eid-ul-Fitr, social media was awash with photographs of Afghan security forces and the Taliban celebrating the end of Ramadan together, breaking their fast, hugging and clicking selfies. This bizarre occurrence comes days after a US drone strike took out the leader of the Pakistani Taliban Mullah Fazlullah in Kunar Province. This sudden turn of events indicates a shift in the momentum towards peace talks between the Government and the Taliban. While one should not be prematurely excited about the potential for peace, the developments of the last few days are noteworthy and cautiously optimistic. Since coming to power in 2014, Ashraf Ghani's Government invested great political capital towards reconciliation with the Taliban and Pakistan. While the Government had earlier set down certain preconditions for peace talks, the Taliban did not reciprocate the offer for peace and continued with offensive operations against the Government and foreign forces in the country. Ghani's extension of the Government's 10-day long Ramadan ceasefire, offer to release some Taliban prisoners and promise to discuss the foreign troop presence in the country shows that Kabul is determined and desperate for peace. Last week the Taliban called for its fighters to observe a threeday truce around Eid-ul-Fitr, which overlapped with the Government's 10-day ceasefire. Since then, a number of photographs show purported Taliban militants fraternising and offering prayers with Afghan security forces and local residents all over the country. Many questioned whether these images were indicative of a change in the attitude amongst the members of Taliban. Questions were put to rest when the Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that the Taliban has no intention to extend the ceasefire and that they would soon resume their normal operations'. While the Government is seeking peace with the Taliban, foreign groups such as ISKP continue to threaten the country. The US welcomed the ceasefire with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issuing a statement on June 7 in support of Ghani's offer for peace talks. Pompeo also stated that the US and its international partners (Pakistan) look to the Taliban to honour the ceasefire. The fact that the US has put its back behind Ghani's offer for peace talks means that it is entertaining the possibility of decreasing the number of international troops significantly (or completely) to encourage talks between the Taliban and the Afghan Government. The US currently has around 15,000 troops in Afghanistan. Their role in advising and training Afghan security forces has been crucial in holding off the Taliban in the region. The US statement is reflective of a major step forward in the Afghan- US-Pakistan cooperation. Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa has been in contact with Pompeo discussing political reconciliation and has visited Kabul to discuss the peace process, days before the June 15 American drone strike that killed the leader of the Pakistani Taliban. This shows that Trump Administration's pressure on Pakistan to use its influence on Taliban to persuade the group to join negotiations with the Government is having positive effects, at least for now. However, the ceasefire and the hobnobbing with the Taliban have not been welcomed by everyone. There are many who have voiced their fear and concern about the Government's ceasefire and the offer for peace talks. Notwithstanding the absolute absurdity of the situation, Opposition leaders have criticised Ghani for putting the lives of the security forces at risk by ordering a ceasefire, leaving them vulnerable to Taliban attacks. Allowing Taliban militants to enter cities armed means that the Government is now unaware of the number of militants that may be living in Government-controlled cities and threatening the lives of the local population. While these political developments have unfolded in Kabul, a powerful grassroots movement is taking hold in the south of Afghanistan. The Helmand peace march initially started as a hunger strike in the Helmand Province after a suicide bombing in March this year. Since then, the protest evolved into something bigger as a group of Afghans, marched 600 kilometers to Kabul protesting the war. Now marching for over a month, the group is steadily growing due to stops in rural villages along the way. As it is getting international coverage, the peace march is being touted as one the most striking anti-war protests in recent years. It is difficult to analyse and predict what these recent events mean for the future of Afghanistan. Only time will tell whether the Taliban will negotiate with the Government; and if it does, what will peace look like. However, what has become evident is that the political climate in Afghanistan has never been more conducive towards peace. Ashraf Ghani's peace offer is more than generous, it's almost dangerous. It is crucial that General Bajwa and the establishment he leads, encourages the Taliban to talk. While it can be argued that the Taliban at present has no incentive to negotiate as they are winning', the current peace offer by the Afghan Government and the possibility of a US withdrawal in the near-future is in their best interests. Domestically, President Ghani must now work towards building a political consensus amongst members of the Parliament, political parties and members of the civil society. Without widespread domestic support, any peace deal will risk falling through, causing more damage. (The writer is a Junior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi) US-Pakistan relations under the Trump Administration Despite the recent controversial turn in US-Pakistan relations under Donald Trump, it must be kept in mind that the symbiotic links between the two states are not really diminishing, writes AAKANKSHA NEHRA A lot has transpired in US- Pakistan relations since Donald Trump entered the White House as the US President. Various analysis and assessments have been doing the rounds since the Trump presidency commenced. For instance, Pakistan is now being being hard-pressed by the US for its role in the war on terror. Pakistan has been a non-nato ally of the United States since the commencement of the global war on terror in 2001 with the Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan ( now Operation Resolute Support). The US has increasingly shown scepticism regarding Pakistan's approach and sincerity in fighting terrorism. This has risen to be a major hiccup in the development of US-Pakistan ties. Although Pakistan s support is pivotal for America s presence and role in Afghanistan, the differences between the US and Pakistan have further stretched out in the recent past, coming out most overtly in a tweet by President Trump on January 2, 2018, The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies and deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more! A report authored by David Albright, Sarah Burkhard, and Frank Pabian from the Institute of Science and International Security a US-based international nuclear proliferation watchdog, stated that Pakistan s application to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) should be denieddue to Pakista s illegal nuclear procurements abroad and refusal to split its civil and military atomic programs. This has only led to an increment in terrorist activities across borders. Hence, much of the public criticism for Pakistan by the Trump Administration and its public has been over the outcome of US aid to Pakistan. The politics of aid in US-Pakistan relations is not a novel episode, but these recent events over Trump s transactional turn have pulled up the relationship for more public scrutiny, providing a pedestal for apprehensions and questions over the future of ties between the two countries. The politics of foreign assistance has remained a fundamental feature of US foreign policy throughout the Cold War era to attain global leadership and circumvent Soviet Union s influence. And speaking of Pakistan in particular, the US provided an enormous amount of two billion dollars military aid and three billion dollars of economic assistance to set afloat an anti-soviet insurgency in Afghanistan. After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the relevance of Pakistan in US foreign policy seemed to wane a little. But after the 9/11 attacks, Pakistan resurfaced as a frontline state for the US global war on terror. Thus, began another phase of US aid to Pakistan in the name of fighting terrorism, which has now unfolded into Trump era s and its impact on US- Pakistan ties. Pakistan has received assistance of billions of dollars under the Coalition Support Fund. However, Pakistan has been re-evaluated to play a double game in terms of selectively targeting terrorist groups and showing no sincerity in terms of fighting the Taliban, which it sees as a tool for maintaining strategic depth in Afghanistan. Pakistan s tolerance for the dreaded Haqqani network has been a major sore point in US-Pakistan ties and as seen in recent times, has gradually affected the nature of the relationship. America s decision to block a $300 million military aid to Pakistan after its May 2016 drone strike in Balochistan, which killed the Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor created tensions in the already quivering ties between the two states. While on one hand, Pakistan was seeking clarification from the US for the surgical strike within their territory, the US raised questions on how the Taliban leader was able to transit through the Pakistani territory with such ease. Not only the military aid, American economic developmental aid to Pakistan in terms of USAID programmes for humanitarian response, power generation, literacy, maternal health and higher education initiatives has also dwindled. There are no doubt that these shifts in US-Pakistan ties will have an impact on the regional security scenario, most particularly in Afghanistan; this infact will also influence regional partnerships/alliances. For instance, in the nature of China-Pakistan nexus. All these trends will have serious implications for India s foreign policy. Thus warranting a nuanced assessment on New Delhi s part regarding the changing events in US-Pakistan relationship. The recent announcements made by Trump are not a testimony to the withdrawal of American support for the existing projects in Pakistan. This can be assessed from America's approach to the controversial China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This economic corridor, which is claimed to be the biggest project of Belt and Road Initiative till date, transverses through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), leading India to raise objections to this project. The absence of any sort of mention by the US for withdrawal of support from the CPEC raises a key question as to whether the US is sincere in putting Pakistan's feet on fire as far as the latter's record on counterterrorism is concerned or is Pakistan still too strategically important for the US to be able to turn Trump's rhetoric into reality. The disturbances in the bilateral ties between USA and Pakistan are a result of a multitude of factors. It can be assessed that with dynamic changes in global as well as regional geopolitics, the symbiotic needs of these two states are declining, not diminishing. Like most bilateral relationships of the US that have been feeling jolts from the uncertain style of Trump, US- Pakistan relationship in recent times, has been facing similar disruptions which go beyond the diplomatic caves of just these two states. While denying Pakistan s admission to the NSG, the US also put forth a stance that any state, especially China, should not provide Pakistan with nuclear procurements and non-fulfilment of this clause would indicate a violation of the commitments of NSG. Nevertheless, it must be noted that the issues brought forth during Trump s presidency regarding Pakistan s double-faced approach to fighting terrorism is nothing new and the brunt of which has been largely felt by India vis-à-vis Pakistan s support for anti-india terrorist groups. Though the Trump Administration has taken a harder stance towards Pakistan and has initiated stricter measures to bring it in line, its success remains ambivalent. Till what extent will the US be able to pressurise Pakistan and turn words into real action for the sake of regional peace and security? Will military and economic diplomacy prevail over strategizing measures to fight against the three evil forces of terrorism, extremism and separatism? (The writer is independent researcher, M.A. in European and International Studies, King s College London)

Markets skid on trade turbulence, macro risks PTI n MUMBAI financial markets, which further Auto 1.37 per cent, among sapped confidence. others. S tocks surrendered early Foreign portfolio investors Among the sectoral gains to finish with losses (FPIs) net sold shares worth indices, healthcare fell 1.11 per on Thursday as lingering `1,442.61 crore, while domestic cent, capital goods 1.09 per worries over global trade and lack of definitive domestic triggers institutional investors (DIIs) bought equities worth cent, metal 0.98 per cent, infrastructure 0.93 per cent, held investors back. `1,473.65 crore on power 0.91 per cent, auto Unabated capital outflows by foreign funds and a weakening rupee too weighed on sentiment, brokers The 30-share BSE Sensex, which rose over 131 points in Wednesday, provisional data showed. Market continued to be under pressure as trade tensions between the US and China is getting escalated. 0.90 per cent, PSU 0.85 per cent, consumer durables 0.84 per cent, FMCG 0.58 per cent, realty 0.51 per cent, bankex 0.38 per cent, teck 0.31 per cent and IT 0.12 morning trade, soon lost Emerging markets per cent. momentum in choppy trade. It finally ended at 35,432.39, down 114.94 points, or 0.32 per cent. The broader NSE Nifty, after shuttling between 10,809.60 and 10,725.90, finished 30.95 points, or 0.29 per cent lower at 10,741.10. including India were underperforming due to FII selling. OPEC meeting on Friday will be a key event, relaxation in production cuts will provide some relief to Indian markets, said Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Financial Services. Oil and gas, however, managed to end in the green, inching up 0.60 per cent. The broader markets too came under selling pressure. The BSE small-cap and midcap indices fell by 0.79 per cent and 0.53 per cent, respectively. Most Asian and European Bucking the trend, Shares of Bank of markets traded lower on uncertainties surrounding US- China trade relations. Reliance Industries continued its upward trajectory, spurting 1.22 per cent to a Maharashtra slumped 1.19 per cent following the arrest of its chief executive officer in a Meanwhile, India slapped fresh closing high of cheating case. retaliatory tariffs on a clutch of goods imported from the US, joining the EU and China in taking counter-measures against duties imposed by the Trump administration. `1,032.35. Other index gainers were ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Tata Motors and Infosys. However, M&M emerged as the biggest loser in the Globally, Hong Kong s Hang Seng fell 1.35 per cent, Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.37 per cent, while Japan s Nikkei gained 0.61 per cent. Minutes of RBI s June policy Sensex pack by falling 2.11 per In the Eurozone, meeting, released after market hours on Wednesday, flagged inflation risks on the back of factors like firm oil prices and volatile global cent, followed by ONGC 1.90 per cent, PowerGrid 1.88 per cent, SBI 1.67 per cent, Sun Pharma 1.67 per cent, Asian Paints 1.39 per cent and Bajaj Frankfurt s DAX dropped 0.51 per cent, while Paris CAC 40 lost 0.21 per cent in early deals. London s FTSE was up 0.05 per cent. HCL Tech inks global IT infra deal with Nokia New Delhi (PTI): Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia on Thursday said it had inked a five-year global IT infrastructure and application services deal with Indian IT firm HCL Technologies. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Nokia has selected HCL Technologies as part of an important effort of streamlining Nokia s outsourced IT management services, a statement Nokia will partner with HCL for transforming and modernising its IT infrastructure and applications landscape. HCL will transition services from four incumbent vendors to establish an integrated IT services delivery and design framework and will implement a transformation roadmap, it added. The deal is intended to help Nokia drive operational efficiencies in line with previously announced targets, the statement HCL will leverage its next-generation technology services portfolio to provide Nokia with services around key transformational areas like cloud orchestration, digital platforms, big data analytics, cybersecurity, autonomics and modern collaborative workplaces, it added. This is an important development for Nokia and takes our digital transformation efforts to a new level, both for how it will enhance our IT and operational efficiencies internally for Nokia, and for how it will enable us to further elevate service delivery to our customers, Nokia Chief Operating Officer Joerg Erlemeier HCL Technologies president and chief executive officer C Vijayakumar said the telecommunications industry was at the forefront of today s fast-paced digital-led change. Cipla gets USFDA nod for generic Testosterone Cypionate injection New Delhi (PTI): Drug firm Cipla on Thursday said it had received final nod from the US health regulator for generic Testosterone Cypionate injection used for replacement therapy in males for deficiency or absence of endogenous testosterone. The company has received final approval for its abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for Testosterone Cypionate injection in the strengths of 100mg/ml and 200mg/ml from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Cipla said in a filing to BSE. The product is generic version of Pharmacia and Upjohn s Depo- Testosterone injection, it added. PTI n NEW DELHI ata Motors plans to launch Taround 50 commercial vehicles (CVs) this fiscal as it looks to further consolidate its position in the segment, a top company official The auto major, which saved close to `1,900 crore in 2017-18 by enforcing costsaving measures across CV and passenger vehicle segments, aims to achieve similar kind of savings in the current fiscal as well. The company has also lined up a capex in the range of `1,500 crore for CV vertical for the current fiscal. The amount would go into R&D, capacity expansion and towards making products compliant with BS VI emission norms before government deadline of April,1, 2020. Last year we launched more than 50 new products including variants and facelifts. This year also we will continue at the same rate in terms of new product launches, Tata Motors president (commercial vehicles business) Girish Wagh told PTI in an interview. In order to set up a longterm strategy to introduce new products in the country, the company is in the process of putting up a very strong product planning vertical in the company, he added. The focus of this entity is only to look into the future, see how customer requirements are changing, how global markets are and how things have changed there, Wagh The entity is tasked with the job of creating a five-year product plan, he added. Tata Motors is the leading player in the CV space in the country. At the end of last fiscal, the company s market share in the segment in domestic market stood at 45.1 per cent, up from 44.4 per cent in 2016-17. Commenting on the cost saving measures adopted by the company, Wagh said the initiative helped accrue good cost reduction last fiscal. With the ideas generated last year, we continue to work during this year as well and there is a very good potential for cost reduction even this year, he added. With significant increase in commodity prices this year, the cost reduction measures would further help the company in negating some of the cost increase, he added. When asked about the quantum of cost saving last fiscal, Wagh did not share details. However, Tata Motors in an analyst meet earlier this month, confirmed that it had money 10 Tata Motors plans to drive in 50 commercial vehicles this fiscal realised savings of `1,900 crore in 2017-18 as part of turnaround strategy. When asked about capex for the current fiscal, Wagh said, Our capex generally has been around `1,500 crore a year in CV business...we will continue at the same rate and infact the rate may go up slightly over the next two years especially because of the BS VI coming into force. He added that a significant amount of effort is going on in the company to meet BS VI emission norm compliance before the government deadline. We are tracking it on a weekly basis and as of now we are on track..., Wagh The company, which usually exports around 12-15 per cent of its total CV production during a year, is now scouting for new markets besides strengthening its presence in regions where it is already present. Our plan in a way is two fold. Our first focus will be on increasing our presence in the existing markets and at the same time we are also exploring some of the new markets. So we are looking at Latin America for example, Wagh The company has already entered some of the countries in the region, he added. NIFTY 50 SCRIP OPEN HIGH LOW LTP CHANGE IOC 166.35 172.4 163.65 172.05 6.65 BPCL 414.9 426.4 407.25 426 15.3 HINDPETRO 309.4 318.4 301.5 318.4 10.5 ICICIBANK 294.8 300.35 294.55 297.95 4.75 RELIANCE 1,023.45 1,036.00 1,021.30 1,031.60 12.35 BAJAJFINSV 5,959.00 6,034.00 5,950.60 5,990.05 42.5 HDFC 1,855.00 1,876.60 1,844.45 1,857.90 10.9 TATAMOTORS 307.9 308.5 305.5 307 1.4 ZEEL 557 575 556.5 563.15 2.25 INFY 1,245.95 1,256.50 1,236.00 1,246.55 3.4 ADANIPORTS 369 374.8 365.95 366.55 0.9 CIPLA 608.8 609.7 602 604 1.15 HINDUNILVR 1,594.00 1,610.50 1,588.00 1,591.50 1.1 VEDL 227.5 230.8 226 228.8 0.1 LUPIN 907.6 907.6 891 900 0.15 HDFCBANK 2,060.00 2,070.80 2,047.05 2,056.55 0.4 TCS 1,832.00 1,832.00 1,817.60 1,820.00-2.45 INDUSINDBK 1,969.30 1,975.75 1,946.05 1,964.50-2.9 KOTAKBANK 1,332.00 1,332.00 1,311.10 1,319.00-5.6 BAJFINANCE 2,277.00 2,288.00 2,250.10 2,257.20-10.6 WIPRO 261 261.3 257.1 258.4-1.3 BHARTIARTL 374.95 375 363.8 369.95-1.95 GRASIM 1,017.00 1,019.00 1,007.00 1,012.00-5.3 HEROMOTOCO 3,648.00 3,675.90 3,624.00 3,634.95-20.85 YESBANK 336.8 337.6 331.2 333.2-2.9 TECHM 694.7 702.75 682.2 684.2-6.35 ULTRACEMCO 3,673.00 3,673.00 3,600.00 3,617.00-34.35 MARUTI 8,978.00 8,986.00 8,852.95 8,860.00-88.3 HCLTECH 912.1 917 899.1 900.95-10 TATASTEEL 568.95 568.95 556.1 556.85-6.4 GAIL 345.4 345.4 336.3 339.05-3.95 NTPC 157.7 157.7 154.9 155.25-1.8 UPL 652.25 654.35 641.1 644.55-7.7 ITC 264.4 264.8 260.4 260.65-3.1 BAJAJ-AUTO 2,873.05 2,877.95 2,822.70 2,834.85-34.8 AXISBANK 521.25 522 511.1 512.75-6.35 COALINDIA 270.7 272.9 266.3 267-3.6 LT 1,310.00 1,316.00 1,286.00 1,288.50-18.25 ASIANPAINT 1,272.00 1,279.90 1,246.00 1,253.45-17.85 IBULHSGFIN 1,198.00 1,202.25 1,166.65 1,176.65-17.4 EICHERMOT 29,880.00 30,058.30 29,355.75 29,370.00-435.3 ONGC 163.7 163.7 158.25 160.1-2.65 SBIN 274.75 274.75 268.1 268.8-4.5 HINDALCO 228.3 228.3 221.5 222.05-4.15 POWERGRID 198.1 198.65 193.8 195.45-3.7 SUNPHARMA 565 567.45 552.6 553.4-10.7 TITAN 894 894.8 866 871-17.35 DRREDDY 2,389.00 2,389.00 2,306.50 2,318.00-49.75 INFRATEL 286.9 286.9 274.55 278.95-6.35 M&M 909.8 909.8 874.1 883.1-21.3 NIFTY NEXT 50 SCRIP OPEN HIGH LOW LTP CHANGE INDIGO 1,153.00 1,204.70 1,150.00 1,179.00 42.55 DABUR 381.2 386.1 379.8 385.55 5.75 LICHSGFIN 495 509.8 494.95 502.5 6.65 CUMMINSIND 676.45 685.45 674 677.1 8.7 BOSCHLTD 17,849.85 18,070.00 17,820.00 17,940.05 189.55 DMART 1,487.00 1,514.90 1,476.00 1,490.25 6.5 ICICIPRULI 388.85 390.4 386.4 389 0.7 BHEL 75.65 76.65 75 75 0.1 SUNTV 837 863.4 825.45 839.95 0.55 GODREJCP 1,157.00 1,177.15 1,153.90 1,162.95 0.7 CADILAHC 413 415 409.05 411.95 0.15 GICRE 721.35 726.7 718.2 721.05-0.1 PGHH 9,950.00 9,996.00 9,900.75 9,950.00-0.95 SBILIFE 676.2 685.75 675 675.5-0.7 MARICO 335.7 337 328.7 335-0.4 OFSS 4,025.05 4,065.00 4,005.00 4,045.00-9.1 ABB 1,219.90 1,225.50 1,200.00 1,201.00-3.4 AMBUJACEM 198 198.25 195.55 197.1-0.65 MRF 74,990.00 75,500.00 74,566.05 74,621.20-256.45 HAVELLS 539.6 542.8 531.3 533-1.9 ACC 1,280.00 1,280.00 1,260.90 1,270.00-5.2 MOTHERSUMI 309.5 313 305.5 306.05-1.3 EMAMILTD 536 546.95 518.1 530.5-2.55 BRITANNIA 6,000.00 6,029.95 5,950.00 5,966.15-29.4 SRTRANSFIN 1,499.00 1,502.00 1,470.15 1,483.25-7.65 OIL 212 214.5 208.8 209.85-1.4 IDEA 61.9 61.9 60.3 60.95-0.55 PEL 2,569.00 2,584.95 2,520.00 2,524.15-23.95 JSWSTEEL 337 337.45 331.55 331.75-3.4 RECLTD 112.6 112.6 110.05 110.25-1.15 PFC 83.2 83.45 80.75 81.3-0.9 SIEMENS 1,007.00 1,007.00 981 987.8-11.7 ASHOKLEY 137.05 138.55 134.65 135.4-1.6 NHPC 25.25 25.45 24.9 24.95-0.3 DLF 201 201.9 197.25 197.9-2.8 COLPAL 1,195.00 1,196.50 1,174.55 1,174.95-17.75 L&TFH 164.7 164.7 160.5 160.85-2.5 SHREECEM 15,500.00 15,619.95 15,213.00 15,250.00-249.95 PETRONET 212.75 214 209 209.3-3.5 AUROPHARMA 621.7 621.7 606.1 608.5-10.3 HINDZINC 295 295.7 289 290-5 NMDC 109.85 109.95 107 107.25-1.9 CONCOR 1,270.80 1,280.50 1,249.80 1,252.00-22.3 ABCITAL 141 141.65 136.7 136.8-2.45 MCDOWELL-N 668 669.9 648.1 653.5-13.55 SAIL 84.95 85.25 82.25 82.45-2 BANKBARODA 125.7 125.9 121.5 122.1-3 BEL 112.4 112.4 108.05 108.9-2.85 PIDILITIND 1,074.70 1,077.10 1,033.90 1,040.60-32.15 PNB 86.25 86.55 83.2 83.35-2.85 BSE 500 Script Last Abs Change Traded Price Change % 3MINDIA 19887.15 55.95 0.28 8KMILES 520.15-3.85-0.73 AARTIIND 1211-13.55-1.11 ABB 1206.2 2.9 0.24 ABBOTINDIA 7297.95 142.6 1.99 ABFRL 146.45 0.45 0.31 ACC 1269.35-5 -0.39 ADANIPORTS 366.85 0.85 0.23 ADANIPOWER 18.7-0.4-2.09 ADANITRANS 154.85 2.65 1.74 ADVENZYMES 218.5-2.5-1.13 AEGISLOG 238.15 0.15 0.06 AIAENG 1535.95-7.2-0.47 AJANTPHARM 1042.95-10.85-1.03 AKZOINDIA 1858.65-11.65-0.62 ALBK 43.55-1.05-2.35 ALKEM 1960.65 1.5 0.08 ALLCARGO 107.75-2.55-2.31 AMARAJABAT 758.45-8.15-1.06 AMBUJACEM 197.3-0.1-0.05 ANDHRABANK 33.8-0.35-1.02 ARINDS 716.2-5.6-0.78 LOLLO 1838.15 45.6 2.54 LLTD 521.6 5.5 1.07 OLLOHOSP 1021-27.3-2.6 OLLOTYRE 273.85 2.65 0.98 ARVIND 410.55 4.8 1.18 ASAHIINDIA 335.8 0.7 0.21 ASHOKA 225.55 2.6 1.17 ASHOKLEY 135.3-1.6-1.17 ASIANPAINT 1254.4-17.7-1.39 ASTRAL 1016.05 23.05 2.32 ATUL 2689.5 2.75 0.1 AUBANK 691.05-17.85-2.52 AUROPHARMA 608.55-9 -1.46 AVANTI 1561.85-63.8-3.92 AXISBANK 513.25-5.9-1.14 BAJAJ-AUTO 2832.95-40.35-1.4 BAJAJCORP 408.5-3.8-0.92 BAJAJELEC 530-8.55-1.59 BSE: GAINERS Current (Chng %) VAKRANGEE 50.00 (4.93) CENTURYPLY 272.40 (4.51) FSL 75.00 (3.95) BAJAJHLDNG 3218.15 (3.47) INDIGO 1175.40 (3.45) BAJAJFINSV 5989.5 45.2 0.76 BAJAJHLDNG 3218.15 107.85 3.47 BAJFINANCE 2257.15-8.2-0.36 BALKRISIND 1107.35-17.15-1.53 BALMLAWRIE 217.95-0.5-0.23 BALRAMCHIN 67.4-3.85-5.4 BANKBARODA 122.1-3.4-2.71 BANKINDIA 93.55-1.5-1.58 BASF 1957.1-23.9-1.21 BATAINDIA 834.35-9 -1.07 BAYERCROP 4595.3-66.2-1.42 BBTC 1480.15-47.8-3.13 BEL 109.45-2.2-1.97 BEML 856.85-18.1-2.07 BERGEPAINT 283.95 2.75 0.98 BHARATFIN 1174.1-8.05-0.68 BHARATFORG 608.6-22.1-3.5 BHARTIARTL 368.2-4.05-1.09 BHEL 75.25 0.35 0.47 BIOCON 620.1-3.55-0.57 BIRLACORPN 707.9-1 -0.14 BLISSGVS 183.6-3.05-1.63 BLUEDART 3639.5-63.95-1.73 BLUESTARCO 652.75 2.25 0.35 BOMDYEING 219.6-3.15-1.41 BOSCHLTD 17968.55 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world 11 Saeed s son among 265 JuD candidates in Pak elections PTI n LAHORE umbai-terror attack mas- Hafiz Saeed s Mtermind son and his son-in-law are among 265 candidates fielded by the Jamaat-ud -Dawah for national and provincial assembly seats across Pakistan in the July 25 general election, with the banned group s political wing vowing to make the country a citadel of Islam. Saeed, who also carries a USD 10 million American bounty on his head for his role in terror activities, is not contesting the election. The JuD, a front for the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group that carried out the deadly 2008 Mumbai attack, launched its political front Milli Muslim League (MML). The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) denied registration of the MML as a political party following objections from the Interior Ministry which argued that the entity was an offshoot of the JuD, led by Saeed, banned by a UN resolution. With general elections approaching, the group decided to contest on the platform of a little known dormant political entity, Allaha-u-Akbar Tehreek (AAT), registered with the ECP. The nomination papers of all the MML backed candidates have been accepted by the Returning Officers during the scrutiny process, the MML The nomination papers of 265 candidates - 80 on National Assembly (NA) and 185 on provincial assembly seats - including that of Hafiz Saeed s son Hafiz Talha Saeed and son-in-law Hafiz Khalid Waleed have been accepted by the Returning Officers, a MML official told PTI today. Talha is contesting from NA-91 seat from Sargodha (about 200-km from Lahore) while Khalid Waleed from NA-133 in Lahore on AAT s election symbol Chair, he Sargodha is the home town of Hafiz Saeed. Also, our candidates are contesting on Lahore s four NA seats and 15 Punjab Assembly seats, apart from these, the MML-backed candidates would be contesting on Islamabad and Rawalpindi NA seats, he Similarly, the MML-backed candidates have been fielded in Karachi, interior Sindh and Kyber- Pakhtunkhawa and other parts of the country, he added. MML President Saifullah Khalid said that his party would not leave vacuum in July 25 elections for the secular forces as the country was created in the name of Islam. We have entered the political arena not to get power, but to fight corruption, eliminate politics of opportunism, strengthening ideology of Pakistan and making the country citadel of Islam, he Another senior JuD leader, Qari Muhammad Sheikh Yaqoob, who is on the US-designate terror list, has also been given AAT ticket for NA-125 Lahore. In September last year, he had contested a bypoll as an independent candidate on NA- 120 Lahore seat, from where wife of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Begum Kulsoom Sharif had won. According to the US Treasury Department: Qari Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh, a member of LeT s central advisory committee, has held several different leadership positions in the group since 2006. Sheikh has served as a leader in LeT s foreign affairs department since 2006, including acting as the department s deputy director of political and foreign affairs between 2008 and 2009. The AAT was registered with the ECP in 2011 and it got the election symbol after 2013. The JuD had formed MML when Saeed was under detention by the Punjab government in Lahore. Saeed and his four aides - Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain - were placed under house arrest in Lahore on January 30 under anti- terrorism act. The JuD was declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014. Yoga is very apt for UN: Dy secy-gen Pak has not taken decisive actions to bring Taliban to peace talks table: US PTI n WASHINGTON he US has not seen Pakistan Ttaking sustained and decisive actions required to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, a top Trump adminstration official told lawmakers who demanded suspension of all American aid to Pakistan. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice Wells during a Congressional hearing on Afghanistan told the lawmakers that Pakistan has a particularly crucial role to play in the war-torn country as without its support it will challenging to achieve the US' objectives under the South Asia strategy. While we've seen some positive steps, our assessment has been that we have not seen the sustained and decisive actions that are really required to ensure that the Taliban take this peace process seriously, she "We would like to see Pakistan arrest, expel or bring to the negotiating table Taliban leadership, Wells said in response to a question from Congresswoman Ileana Ros- Lehtinen. Ros-Lehtinen, the Congresswoman from Florida, asked Wells if she has seen any evidence that Pakistan has taken any steps to cut off the flow of arms, of fighters or support for the Taliban. Have we in the US allowed for any waivers or made any exceptions to military assistance to Pakistan since the suspension of the aid was announced? the lawmaker asked. Responding to another question from Congressman Ted Poe, Wells said she agrees with the assessment that the biggest problem in Afghanistan are the sanctuaries in Pakistan that shelter terrorists. Thousands watch the sun rise over Stonehenge London (): Thousands have watched the sun glint over the horizon at Stonehenge, celebrating the summer solstice at the Neolithic stone circle. The sun rose behind the Heel Stone, which traditionally marks the spot on the horizon for the sunrise, at 4.52 AM today (0352 GMT; 23:52 EDT Wednesday). Crowds cheered and raised mobile phones for images as the rays flooded through the monument and announced the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. English Heritage, which cares for historic sites, tweeted that it was the "perfect morning for the #SummerSolstice sunrise at Stonehenge." The stone circle in southern England, believed to be 4,500 years old, is a World Heritage site known for its alignment with the movements of the sun. Thousands visit to mark the solstices in summer and winter. The sun rises through the stones at Stonehenge as crowds of people gather to celebrate the dawn of the longest day in the UK, in Wiltshire, England, Thursday. The neolithic Wiltshire monument is built along the solstice alignment of the summer sunrise and the winter sunset. The Pakistan government has hidden terrorist leaders in the past, they're a sanctuary for terrorist leaders, and somehow we still give Pakistan money with the promise that they will do better. They sweet talk us and say, 'Oh, give us more American aid, we will go after the terrorists'. We do that every year, we continue to do it, we've done it for I don't know how many years, 17, and yet nothing changes, Poe They harbour terrorists. They fight terrorists in their country, but they pay for terrorists to go across the border into Afghanistan that kills Americans and our allies and Afghans. I think it is nonsense that we continue to send money to Pakistan," he Congresswoman Ann Wagner said that Pakistan has a clear interest in preventing the cessation of hostilities in Afghanistan, but has made itself central to American operations. In the past, Pakistan has wagered, correctly, that the US would rather accept Pakistan incomplete support than lose it entirely. I believe the president was correct to demand full cooperation from Pakistan last August," she Under the Trump administration, Wells said the US not only had direct talks with the senior leadership of Pakistan, but also has taken the unprecedented step of suspending military assistance and coalition support funds, as a result of US assessment that Pakistan had not been undertaking the decisive and sustained steps that are necessary. We agree that Pakistan has a lot to gain by peace in Afghanistan. And so, the challenge is, how do you secure Pakistan's support for a negotiated political process, rather than its tolerance of proxies? she Geneva (AFP): Pope Francis vowed to seek deeper "unity" between the Catholic Church and other Christian faiths as he arrived in Geneva, a centre of Protestantism, amid Christianity's waning influence in Europe. Francis touched down in Geneva, the home of French Protestant reformist Jean Calvin, shortly after 10:00 am (0800 GMT), and was met by Swiss President Alain Berset and other government ministers. "This is a trip towards unity," the pontiff told reporters on the plane before landing. He came at the invitation of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which was created in 1948 and groups 350 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican churches from more than 100 countries around the world, with around half a billion believers among them. During his visit he will take part in an "ecumenical prayer" for the organisation's 70th anniversary, highlighting his commitment to unity between various Christian denominations. He will also celebrate Mass in front of tens of thousands of Catholics at the city's Palexpo convention centre. The Catholic Church is not part of the WCC but Francis is keen to close the gap between its 1.3 billion-strong faithful and the Churches under the WCC umbrella, in INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA PTI n UNITED NATIONS oga is "very apt" for the UN Yand in today's complex world where stress and delusion are prevalent, the ancient Indian physical and mental practice plays a central role for wellness and peace of the mind and body, UN Deputy Secretary- General has UN ambassadors, diplomats, spiritual leaders, members of civil society and children participated in a flagship Yoga Day event organised yesterday by India's Permanent Mission to the UN. They enthusiastically participated in the two-hour long yoga session with the theme of 'Yoga for peace', performing different yoga asanas and exercises on colourful yoga mats spread across the expansive North Lawn in the UN Headquarters."Today's world is incredibly complex. We are challenged by an erosion of our core values and in many walks of life stress is given, delusion prevails especially amongst our youth Yoga, deriving from the Sanskrit word of unity, is so very apt for the United Nations," Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, said in her address yesterday to mark the fourth anniversary of the International Day of Yoga. Voicing her deep appreciation to India for organising the Yoga Day event, Mohammed underscored the importance of yoga in the overall well-being of individuals and even in various aspects of the world body's functioning. "In the UN, our three pillars are stressed and therefore require us to be even more resolute in our service to humanity. Therefore, physical and mental health must be at the core of our attention to ourselves. And this is where yoga can play a central role," she said, referring to the three founding pillars of the UN system - peace and security, human rights and development. She said balance in life is essential to living a long and healthy life and has deep meaning and a commitment to humanity and oneness with nature. "Key elements of the body, mind and spirit woven into our human being allows us to know peace and tranquillity, giving a space in our minds for reflection which in turn allows us to be so much more productive and serving the values that we stand for," she Mohammed noted that her appreciation of yoga has deepened over the years and given the manifold mental and physical benefits on yoga, she wished she had been exposed to the practice much earlier in her life. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said the growing popularity of yoga over the years and it's global embrace is based on the simple fact that "yoga works" for people across societies, age, gender, ethnicity and profession, by contributing to personal, physical and mental wellbeing and promoting individual and societal peace and harmony. Yoga acts as a bridge between India and China: Bambawale Beijing (PTI): Yoga has now become a bridge between India and China to bring the people of the two countries together, Indian envoy Gautam Bambawale said on Thursday as he along with large number of Chinese yoga enthusiasts participated in a colourful yoga event here on the fourth International Yoga Day. Bambawale, other diplomats, staff of the Embassy, yoga teachers and students of China s Yogi Yoga centre took part in the event. Over 500 yoga lovers turned up to take part in over hour-long special yoga workout at the old Indian Embassy premises. Every year large number of people participate in Yoga Day events in China since UN General Assembly declared June 21 as International Day of GLOBE TROTTING Yoga. I would say tens of thousands took part in China. But millions will be doing in their way either individually or in smaller groups, Bambawale The day is celebrated in 25 to 30 cities in different parts of China with larger turnouts, he Delighted that Yoga has become so popular in China. It helps in providing a bridge between India and China and bringing people of the two countries together, he We always stressed that apart from government-to-government ties, people-to-people relations, friendship between people are important to strengthen India- China relations. Yoga is exactly doing that, he It shows how yoga is spread widely in China. The reason is not because of anything else but because ordinary people in China like other parts of the world are beginning to realise that yoga is contributing to making their lives successful both at the personal and professional level. It is undeniable fact, he said The popularity of Yoga is going to increase not only in India but also in China, he Prosecutor charges Netanyahu s wife with fraud: Justice ministry Jerusalem (PTI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s wife Sara was charged today with fraud and breach of trust after a long police probe into allegations she falsified household expenses, the justice ministry The Jerusalem district prosecutor a short time ago filed charges against the prime minister s wife, the ministry The allegations announced last year are that she and an aide falsely declared there were no cooks available at the prime minister s official residence and ordered from outside caterers at public expense. The cost amounted to over 350,000 shekels ($97,000)), the justice ministry She has denied any wrongdoing. Her husband is himself under Pope seeks unity' with non-catholics in Geneva particular given the regularity of deadly attacks on Christians. In December nine people were shot dead by a gunman who opened fire at a Coptic Christian church in Cairo in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group (IS). In April, Egypt sentenced 36 people to death for their role in a string of bomb attacks on Coptic churches in Cairo, Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta between 2016 and 2017 that killed at least 80 people. The pontiff has at times faced criticism for making ecumenism and interreligious dialogue -- most notably with Muslims -- one of the priorities of his pontificate. He has frequently referred to "ecumenism of blood", deploring the indiscriminate murder of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestant Christians. "If the enemy unites us in death, who are we to be divided in life?" Francis asked in 2015. investigation on suspicion of corruption offences. In one case, he and family members are suspected of receiving one million shekels ($285,000, 240,000 euros) worth of luxury cigars, champagne and jewellery from wealthy personalities in exchange for financial or personal favours. In the other case, investigators suspect the premier of trying to reach an agreement with the owner of Yediot Aharonot, a top Israeli newspaper, for more favourable coverage. Netanyahu has protested his innocence and vowed to remain in power, saying he is the victim of a witch-hunt. He also faces suspicions of government favours that allegedly saw regulatory breaks go to File photo - In this Wednesday, June 6, 2018 file photo, Israel's Prime Minister's wife Sara Netanyahu arrives for the meeting with French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire at Bercy Economy Ministry, in Paris, France. Israel s largest telecom firm Bezeq, in return for favourable coverage of him and his wife by a news website. D e s p i t e his troubles, opinion polls suggest Netanyahu s right-wing Likud party would remain the largest in parliament if elections scheduled for November 2019 were held now. WE CANNOT LET THESE CHILDREN BECOME A LOST GENERATION: PEECEE ON WORLD REFUGEE DAY Los Angeles: Actor Priyanka Chopra made a passionate appeal for refugee children and said the world cannot lose an entire generation of kids to violence and displacement.on World Refugee Day (June 20), the 35-year-old star, who is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, pledged her support to the kids who have been forced to flee their homes. In a video shared by UNICEF on Facebook, Chopra said besides being stripped of their basic necessities, these children have also been robbed of hope. More than 22 million of these are children under the age of 18. They don t just lose family members, friends and everything they know and love. They lose the protection of their most basic rights that are a necessity for every child. Many suffer without food, shelter, health and education and fundamentally, these children lose complete hope for their future. We cannot let these refugee children become a lost generation whose entire lives will be shaped by violence, displacement and lack of opportunities. The world needs to care. We need to care, the Quantico star Chopra, who has travelled to refugee camps in Jordan and more recently in Bangladesh, also shared a video on Instagram urging the world to extend their support to these children.... Right now there are more than 65 million people around the world that have been forcibly displaced from their homes. I ve met a few of these children in both Jordan and Bangladesh. Many told me stories of lost family members and friends. Many suffer without adequate food, shelter, health and education. All the stories are heartbreaking. On #WorldRefugeeDay, I m supporting @unicef s goal to protect the rights of refugee children. No matter where they come from #AChildIsAChild and they deserve the right to a childhood, she captioned the video.

world 12 Trump orders halt to family separations PTI n WASHINGTON Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said Trump s new executive order allows for indefinite resident Donald Trump on PThursday reversed his controversial detention of families which is decision on immi- gration by signing an executive order to end the separation of immigrant families on the US- Mexico border, after images of children in cages and audio of them crying for their parents sparked global outrage. I did not like the sight of families being separated, Trump said while signing the executive order at the White House, but added the administration would continue its zero tolerance policy of criminally prosecuting anyone who crosses the border illegally. Trump signed the executive order following widespread protests against the absolutely unacceptable. She said immigrant internment camps are cruel and inhumane. Moreover, lengthy or unnecessary detention of children has been ruled unlawful. The zero-tolerance policy itself must end. If the Trump administration wants to now detain families during a criminal court case, that is unprecedented and will likely be challenged in court. Family separation is wrong. So is throwing families in jail, Jayapal Senator Kamala Harris from California said the executive order does not fix the crisis. Indefinitely detaining chil- move of his administration to President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth on Wednesday. separate children from their dren with their families in parents who illegally enter the country. In recent weeks, more than 2,500 such children were separated from their parents. We re keeping families together, and this will solve that problem. At the same time, we are keeping a very powerful border and it continues to be a zero-tolerance. We have zero tolerance for people that enter our country illegally, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. The executive order, signed by Trump, asks the Department of Homeland Security to keep families together while people await trial for illegal border crossing. But cases where there is a concern that parents would pose a risk to the child s welfare strong border. And border security will be equal, if not greater than previously. We are going to have very strong borders, but we re going to keep the families together, he Trump s climbdown came after he faced intense pressure from across the political spectrum and from religious, political and world leaders to halt the separations, which led to days of heartrending news coverage of crying children some of whom were kept in cage-like detention centres. The US first lady Melania Trump and the president s daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump had urged Trump to end family separations on the border. On Wednesday, Pope ing came an hour after Speaker Paul Ryan said the House of Representatives would vote today on a compromise between conservative and moderate Republican lawmakers that would address the issue of family separations, US media reported. Meanwhile, Trump s opponents are not satisfied with the executive order, asserting that it was not enough to address the crisis. The President s Executive Order seeks to replace one form of child abuse with another. Instead of protecting traumatised children, the President has directed his Attorney General to pave the way for the long-term incarceration of families in prison- unspeakably appalling moral low-point for our nation. Top Democratic leader Congressman Joe Crowley said while this order stops the separation of children from their parents, it does not end the administration s despicable policy of unreasonably detaining asylum seekers and families fleeing violence. Instead of pushing legislation that endorses the Trump administration s policy of detaining families, House Republicans should join Democrats in calling for an end to the policy and in making sure we reunite the families that have been ripped apart, he Indian-American lawmakers have also slammed camps is inhumane and will not make us safe, she This executive order in no way deals with reuniting the 2,300 children who have been torn away from their parents and remain separated. When will they see their parents again? They must be reunited immediately, Harris Congressman Ro Khanna said Trump s executive order will still result in humans being locked behind bars. I m glad these children will no longer be torn from their parents arms, but this is solution doesn t come close to fixing the problem. We demand more! he Khanna said Trump s executive order is a very small nod towards decency by ending have been exempted from Francis, British Prime Minister like conditions, said President Trump for his new the barbaric practice of sepa- the executive order. Trump said the executive order is about keeping families together while at the same time making sure that they have a very powerful and Theresa May and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had described the Trump administration s policy as wrong. The shift in Trump s think- Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi said using terrified small children as leverage to push the President s anti-immigrant agenda represents an executive order that calls for indefinite detention of families who illegally enter the country even though it stopped the practice of separation of children from their parents. rating children from their parents. But it simply just replaces one problem with another by locking up families in detainment together, he China disrupting global steel market: US PTI n WASHINGTON hina is not only disrupting Cthe global steel market but also causing both direct and indirect damage to it, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has alleged, as he defended the Trump administration s decision to impose a 25 per cent tariff on import of steel. China is the world s biggest producer of steel and aluminum, which have been subject to 25 per cent and 10 per cent import tariffs, respectively, in the US. President Donald Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminium which he said were necessary to boost the US industry suffering from unfair business practices, a move that has sparked fears of a global trade war. Ross during a Congressional hearing on tariffs told members of the Senate Finance Committee that looking at the raw data, one would not think China is a problem for the US, as it is masking their exports to America by shipping them through other countries. If you just believe the raw numbers, China is shipping less to us than they did five years ago. The reality is quite to the contrary. They are disrupting the global steel markets. They are causing both direct and indirect damage to it. So we have to do it on a global basis, he The reason the tariff is being put on essentially all countries, most of whom are friendly countries and have good relations with us, and some others of which also have surpluses with us, the reason it has be a global solution, Ross Ross agreed with the assessment of lawmakers that China uses unfair trading practices to gain market share not just in steel but other sectors down or up the supply chain. Senator John Thune alleged that China has been stealing US intellectual property and using unfair trade practices for far too long. We all acknowledge that. And I m glad the president is taking this problem seriously, unlike his predecessor, he According to the Commerce Secretary, the basic strategy is to try to bring enough pressure on parties who are not behaving appropriately so that they conclude that the alternative of continuing their present behaviour is going to be more painful to them than acceding to the requests the US has made that they honour intellectual property. So far the US tried negotiations, he said adding that it did not work. We tried negotiation. I, myself, have been, four or five times, in China, negotiating, over the last year or so, and the president has concluded that we need more than just negotiation. There have been years of talk with China about intellectual property, he The president feels, and I agree, that now is the time for action. And, unless we make it more painful for them to continue those practices than to do otherwise, unless we put that that kind of pressure on, it s unlikely we will succeed, Ross UK ex-model claims ISIS recruiter groomed her to be next White Widow PTI n LONDON former UK glamour Amodel has claimed she was groomed by a Pakistaniorigin ISIS recruiter to become the next White Widow in Syria. Kimberley Miners said she was brainwashed by the ISIS recruiter Naweed Hussain on Facebook who wanted to marry her and sent her hundreds of messages a day. Hussain, a Briton of Pakistani-origin who joined ISIS in Syria in June 2015, was killed last year. The 29-year-old Miners told The Sun that ISIS operatives wanted her to become the next White Widow, she said, referring to Sally Jones, another British female recruit from Kent who moved to Syria with her son and was killed in an airstrike last year. I was totally taken in. I was groomed and I fell for it. I was a propaganda trophy to be won. I dread to think what would have happened, she The western girls who travel to Iraq and Syria to marry ISIS terrorists are described as White Widow. Miners was arrested after counter-terrorism police intercepted messages from Hussain asking her to come to Syria. Police directed her to take a terrorism prevention course, but she dropped out and was arrested in October 2016. She was released with no further action in March last year but said she had been warned that she could spend 10 years in prison. Miners said that she had taken to social media after losing her baby and fiance and was all alone. She added: I was upset by what was happening in Syria to the children. I started sharing videos of bomb attacks. I soon started receiving lots of friend requests from people in Syria. It s embarrassing now but I liked the attention. People have no idea, but ISIS is actively searching Facebook for vulnerable people. People just like me. told lawmakers. Senator Sherrod Brown said that China has been trying to gain US market share by buying up US companies. Responding to questions, Ross said the Trump administration is developing a list of downstream products that have been hurt by imports since the tariffs have been imposed. We are incorporating as many of these as are logical to the list we are recommending for inclusion in the 301 tariff listing of USD200 billion that will be released shortly. We ve already found some 50 products that will be included in that list, he Ross told lawmakers that the US is not the only country that has expressed concern about the types of unfair trade practices and excess capacity that are prevalent in the steel and aluminum industries. He said countries like China have provided massive subsidies to their companies, and this is harming markets worldwide. Recognising our shared concern about global excess capacity, the president s proclamations announcing these actions welcomed any country with which we have a security relationship to discuss alternate ways to address the threatened impairment of the national security caused by imports from that country, he AFP n AUCKLAND ew Zealand Prime Minister NJacinda Ardern gave birth to a baby girl in an Auckland hospital on Thursday, becoming only the second world leader to do so while in office. It was the first child for the 37-year-old and her 40-year-old partner Clarke Gayford, with the new arrival weighing in at 3.3 kilogrammes (7.3 pounds). I m sure we re going through all of the emotions new parents go through, but at the same time feeling so grateful for all the kindness and best wishes from so many people. Thank you, Ardern She added on Instagram that the baby was healthy and doing well. We re all doing really well thanks to the wonderful team at Auckland City Hospital. The charismatic Ardern follows Pakistan s prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 1990 as the only women in recorded history to give birth while in power, but she downplayed the significance. Lots of people juggle a lot of things in their personal and private lives, and I m not unusual in that. Plenty of women have multitasked before me, and I want to acknowledge that, she said when revealing the pregnancy in January. The birth capped an eventful year for Ardern who became prime minister last October, three months after inheriting the leadership of the Labour Party Monsanto faces first US trial over Roundup cancer link San Francisco: In the first trial of its kind, a Californian dying of cancer is suing US agrochemical giant Monsanto, claiming its popular herbicide Roundup caused his disease -- a case that could have sweeping ramifications. The stakes are high for Monsanto, which could face massive losses should it have to pay out damages over the product, whose main ingredient is glyphosate, a substance which some say is dangerously carcinogenic. Dewayne Johnson, a 46- year-old father of two, says he is sick because of contact with Roundup, which he used for two years from 2012 as a groundskeeper for the Benicia school district near San Francisco, his lawyer Timothy Litzenburg told AFP. Thousands of lawsuits targeting Monsanto are currently proceeding through the US court system, according to American media. Indian-American lawmakers slam Trump s new order PTI n WASHINGTON ndian-american lawmakers Iand rights activists have slammed US President Donald Trump for his new executive order that calls for indefinite detention of families who illegally enter the country even though it stopped the practice of separation of children from their parents. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said Trump s new executive order allows for indefinite detention of families which is absolutely unacceptable. She said immigrant internment camps are cruel and inhumane. Moreover, lengthy or unnecessary detention of children has been ruled unlawful. The zero-tolerance policy itself must end. If the Trump administration wants to now detain families during a criminal court case, that is unprecedented and will likely be challenged in court. Family separation is wrong. So is throwing families in jail, Jayapal Trump has ordered an end to the separation of migrant children from their parents on the US border reversing a tough policy under heavy pressure from his fellow Republicans, Democrats and the international community. The executive order came after more than 2,300 children were separated from their parents and relatives after illegally crossing the Southern US border since May 5 and placed in tent camps and other facilities. Trump s executive order comes as a response to the movement against the clear moral and human rights violation of separating children from their parents, she However, it is far from sufficient. The president could have ended family separation with a simple phone call, but his new order expands family detention and continues Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., speaks as he is joined by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, second from left, and other House Democrats calling for passage of the Keep Families Together Act, legislation to end the Trump Administration's policy of separating families at the US-Mexico border, at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday. the criminal prosecution of asylum-seekers, Jayapal Senator Kamala Harris from California said the executive order does not fix the crisis. Indefinitely detaining children with their families in camps is inhumane and will not make us safe, she This executive order in no way deals with reuniting the 2,300 children who have been torn away from their parents and remain separated. When will they see their parents again? They must be reunited immediately, Harris Family incarceration is not the answer to ending family separation and moving children from one cage to another is an outrage, said Indian American Neera Tanden, who heads Centre for American Progress, a top US think-tank close to the Democratic party. Instead of ending his zero tolerance policy of prosecuting even those exercising their legal right to apply for asylum, President Trump is using this executive order to double down NZ PM gives birth to baby girl Litzenburg says he represents hundreds of people who also say they are victims of glyphosate. Whether the substance causes cancer has been the source of endless debate among government regulators, health experts and lawyers. "A major part of that job was spraying Roundup or Ranger Pro (a similar Monsanto product)... He sprayed it 20 to 40 times per year, sometimes hundreds of gallons at a time on the school properties," Litzenburg In 2014, Johnson was diagnosed with non-hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that affects white blood cells. Two years later, and no longer able to work, he filed suit against Monsanto, which he accuses of hiding its product's dangers."his case has been expedited because he currently has only a few months to live," his lawyer AFP In this photo released by the Office of the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern and her partner Clarke Gayford pose with their newborn daughter at the Auckland City Hospital, Thursday. when it was languishing in the polls. When no party won sufficient support in the election to form a government, she was anointed prime minister by New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, the kingmaker in a three-party coalition also involving the Greens. Peters, who became Ardern s deputy, is now acting prime minister while she takes six weeks maternity leave, although she will continue to be consulted on significant issues. New Zealand opposition leader Simon Bridges offered congratulations. Being parents is a joy and a privilege and we are sure your new arrival will fill your lives with all the happiness our children have ours, he Ardern, who refused to discuss plans for motherhood during the election campaign, waited until January to reveal on Facebook she had conceived and was going to be prime minister and a mum. Her plans for a family had sparked a sexism row during the election when a television host quizzed her on the issue, saying voters had a right to know before they cast their ballots. on his lie that Congress or the courts are forcing his administration to separate families, she This is and has always been a policy choice of this administration. Rather than end it, Trump is taking advantage of the outrage over the inhumanity of his family separation policy to ramp up the mass incarceration of children and parents, Tanden Congressman Ro Khanna said Trump s executive order will still result in humans being locked behind bars. I m glad these children will no longer be torn from their parents arms, but this is solution doesn t come close to fixing the problem. We demand more! he Khanna said Trump s executive order is a very small nod towards decency by ending the barbaric practice of separating children from their parents. But it simply just replaces one problem with another by locking up families in detainment together, he Af official says Taliban kill 8 cops AFP n KABUL he Taliban killed eight Tpolice in two separate attacks in Afghanistan on Thursday, officials Arif Noori, a spokesman for the governor of the southern Ghazni province, says six police were killed and four were wounded in an attack on security posts early Thursday. He says at least seven insurgents were killed in the hours-long gunbattle. In the northern Baghlan province, the Taliban killed two police and wounded another three, according to police spokesman Zabiullah Shuja.No one immediately claimed either attack. The Taliban have seized several districts across the country in recent years, and carry out near-daily attacks, mainly targeting security forces. They resumed their attacks after a three-day ceasefire last weekend coinciding with the Muslim Eid al-fitr holiday. Twitter reveals distinct daily cycles in our thought patterns PTI n LONDON ur mode of thinking Ochanges at different times of the day and follows a 24-hour pattern, say scientists who decoded the human thought cycle after analysing 800 million tweets. Researchers at University of Bristol in the UK used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse aggregated and anonymised twitter content sampled every hour over the course of four years across 54 of the country's largest cities to determine if our thinking modes change collectively. The, study published in the journal PLOS ONE, revealed different emotional and cognitive modalities in our thoughts by identifying variations in language through tracking the use of specific words across the twitter sample which are associated with 73 psychometric indicators, and are used to help interpret information about our thinking style. At 6 am, analytical thinking was shown to peak, the words and language at this time were shown to correlate with a more logical way of thinking. However, in the evenings and nights this thinking style changed to a more emotional and existential one. Although 73 different psychometric quantities were tracked, the team found there were just two independent underlying factors that explained most of the temporal variations across the data. The first factor, with a peak expression time starting at around 5 am to 6 am, linked with measures of analytical thinking through the high use of nouns, articles and prepositions, which has been related, in other studies, to intelligence, improved class performance and education. This early-morning period also shows increased concern with achievement and power. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the researchers find a more impulsive, social, and emotional mode. The second factor had a peak expression time starting at 3 am to 4 am, the aggregated twitter content found this time to be correlated with the language of existential concerns but anti-correlated with expression of positive emotions. Overall, the study discovered strong evidence that our language changes dramatically between night and day, reflecting changes in our concerns and underlying cognitive and emotional processes. These shifts also occur at times associated with major changes in neural activity and hormonal levels, suggesting possible relations with our circadian clock.

vivacity 13 Arjun pairs up with Parineeti Actor Arjun Kapoor says his Namaste England co-star Parineeti Chopra brings out his best while shooting for a film. He says, As an actor, Parineeti brings the best out of me because I feel that if you are honest with your co-actor, then automatically, you deliver good results.there is not a feeling of fear in me while working with Parineeti as I can tell her to improvise on a certain scene or ask her to do some more retakes together. There is no sense of insecurity among us in terms of outdoing each other. So, you look forward to work with such actors because eventually it helps both the actors to perform a good scene. That is the reason I enjoy working with her. KUSHAN MITRA The refresh of the Mercedes- Benz C-Class has a little more of everything making it better than the sum of its parts D riving the 2018 Mercedes- Benz C-Class down the lovely roads of the Mosel Valley in western Germany, you get a sense that this car is ever so slightly improved over its earlier iteration. To be sure, initially I was driving the updated C43 AMG Cabriolet, but even that car is slightly better. However, before we head into the nitty-gritty of the driving dynamics and performance, a bit about the interiors and exteriors of the updated car. From the outside, the changes are a bit more subtle, depending on the range you buy the car in. There is a new multi-faceted LED cluster option, but the Ultra Beam option also remains, which can throw a beam of light up to 650 metres, the maximum permissible limit in most countries. Up close and personal, you can see the amount of engineering that has gone into the headlights, it is quite remarkable to experience that. The tail light cluster also gets a refresh, with a new C design. While in many countries, the basic option car is available with standard halogen headlights, that is unlikely to come to India. The other noticeable change are some nicer wheel options. The aluminium and piano-black 18-inch wheels are very smart, but again, specific options such as wheels and lights are configured for the local market, so it remains to be seen how Mercedes-Benz India configures the car. The AMG C43 across its body shapes gets twin double-barrel exhausts and lovely 20-inch matt-finished wheels as well as a unique grill. HARDER, BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER In the inside, the change is very obvious when you get behind the wheel. The C-Class also acquires the same multi-function steering wheel that the S-Class and E-Class have. A 12-inch digital display, which can be configured in a multitude of ways, but these displays are differently styled on regular cars and on the AMG range. The C-Class variants I drove in Europe, which were the C200, C300 and C43, all came with fully-featured radar equipped adaptive cruise control which adjusts speeds according to the vehicles in front of you and laneassist. This allowed me to drive the cars completely with a couple of fingers on my left hand just to adjust speed on the cruise control and distance the car should maintain from the car on front. The lane assist kept the car inside the lane and in situations where there was no lane markings, the system sends either an aural warning that it has disengaged or follows the car in front in case there is one to follow. Mercedes-Benz India is unsure whether these features will come on the India spec C-Class because while S-Class has them the E-Class does not and of course, that is an issue. Anyway, this deserves a column in itself because these features will become standard even in more affordable cars within a few years. Mercedes has made modifications to the engine and electrical system; they have for example in the petrol engine OM654 moved to steel pistons from aluminium in the earlier engines. While that seems counterintuitive, the way the pistons have been shaped and through advanced design, they make the car more efficient. The 48-volt lithium-ion battery system too provides up to 14hp more power in the car, not to the top-end but it fills in the gaps at the bottom and mid-range of the engine as well as when you shift gears. Sure, on the AMG you can clearly make out the engine note and gear changes, they are completely seamless. If you were not looking at the instrument cluster or changing gears with the paddle shifters, you would have no clue you have changed gears. The new petrol engine is available in 1.5 and 2.0 litre variants, the C200 has the smaller engine with an output of 184 horsepower. The C300, which is unlikely to come to India, has 258 horsepower and the C43 AMG, which as a twin-turbo V6 has 390 horsepower, 23 more than earlier. There will also be a C220d and C300d with diesel power with 194 horsepower and 245 horsepower respectively. Unfortunately I didn't get my hands on a diesel properly but the interior trims will be similar to the cars we drove. The C43 AMG on the other hand will likely come in different body styles, not just the current sedan but also likely a coupe and a Cabriolet with all featuring Mercedes 4Matic all-wheel drive system. Personally, while the C43 AMG was a load of fun with its manic acceleration (you can somehow feel that extra 23 horsepower) and beautiful handling, it isn't what one would call playful even in 'Sport+ mode as I found out on the twisty German B-roads. This is not a criticism of the car, it is just that the car is not as manic as previous generation Mercs. Sure you can throw it into a corner but it still has insane amounts of grip and sort of chides you for being an idiot. That is the essence of the car, it is idiot proof. And fast. Very fast and gets fast very quickly. And the best part of driving in Germany are those unrestricted Autobahns without an speed limits. One moved from an area of roadworks with a limit of 50 to an unrestricted stretch. And these aren't eightlane mega-highways these are just four-lane dual-carriageways. This is because people on their roads are not morons like we have here who destroy public property and park in the middle of highways. You can drive fast in Germany because they follow rules and are not selfish people. And I went fast, maxxing the car out at its restricted top-spec of 250kmph. The car is restricted since above that speed German law mandates much bigger and more expensive brakes but cars like the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT can drive at top-speed perfectly legally in Germany. And then there was the fact I chose the Cabriolet, but that was more because the weather demanded that we put the roof down. Just note that if you floor a Cabriolet with the roof down it is horribly loud. Also please respect speed limits no matter where you are. That said, I really enjoyed the C300, it isn't bonkers because it doesn't have the aerodynamic modifications and the massive turbochargers of the AMG but it is pleasant to drive, with more than enough power not just to deal with the Autobahns but also the smaller roads. It is far softer in terms of suspension, thatnks to its air suspension, feels more luxurious inside with lovely leather seats and inserts. The C-Class is a major product for Mercedes-Benz India, and the refresh will easily make it the leader of the pack. Pricing is unlikely to change from the current model and this car should go on sale within the next couple of months. We need to change the environment where more women feel safer and more comfortable to talk about who is harassing them. It is our responsibility as a society. I don't believe in an unequal world. An equal world can be created when men and women come together. Huma Qureshi Actor SIDHARTH MALHOTRA, who is shifting to a new centrally located house in Bandra, says it is a step close to his perfect home as it will reflect his preference and personality. It is always exciting to move to a new space. I needed a bigger apartment since my parents often visit me. They say, 'Create a space that reflects your personality'. And you know what? I am doing exactly that, he Paul to return as super hero Actor PAUL RUDD has promised fans that Ant-Man and the Wasp will be funny and surprising. Rudd will be back as superhero Ant-Man with the film. "The movie checks a lot of boxes. People can expect to be emotionally invested, with not just Scott's relationship with his daughter, but with his relationship with Hope and Hank as well, Rudd Every character in the film has a connection with one another and hopefully people will relate to that. The visuals are as always stunning, as is the case with Marvel films. But this movie is bananas. There are action sequences that you have never seen before, and it is really funny in a way that might be surprising, he added. Directed by Peyton Reed, the movie is set to release in India on July 13. The AMG C43 across its body shapes gets twin double-barrel exhausts and lovely 20-inch matt-finished wheels as well as a unique grill ark wall colours, an overload of Ddecor, bright fixtures, heavy curtains and shoddy carpets; these are a common sight inside every house. But while visually everything is in alignment, is it in keeping with your health requirements? Colour, texture and pattern are the three principles of interior designing. Only when these follow certain parameters, can the inhabitants hope to work effectively. It is equally important to ensure the right path for air and daylight to flow in. Anuj Srivastava, cofounder and CEO at Livspace says, A healthy home design entails using natural materials, embracing a sustainable way of living, generating minimum waste, bringing in more greenery into the house and letting in more of natural light and ventilation. It is a conscientious effort from construction to decor and maintenance to ensure that a home and its inhabitants are healthy. USING NATURAL MATERIALS Natural materials should and can be easily incorporated into your home design for a more rooted, earthy feel and to ensure sustainable living, when the right materials are chosen. Srivastava says, For the flooring, opt for travertine or terracotta tiles. There are even cheaper options like red oxide flooring. You will find that these options work for your backsplash and bathrooms too. Wood has been the conventional choice for furniture and now for flooring too. You can also explore bamboo, rattan and wicker for some stylish seating options and accessories. Rattan, sisal and jute can be used for rugs and baskets. You can also make planters with cane baskets. If you decide to go the industrial route, pick out brick and stone for exposed walls in a rustic setting. DAY LIGHTING Priyanka Mehra, principal architect, PS Design says, It is essential that the home should have large windows to let in as much as natural light as possible. Use nature paintings and art work in your rooms to create a feeling of outdoor living. In case natural light is not in abundance, use daylight bulbs so that your lamps can mimic daylight and give you a bright environment. INDOOR PLANTS The World Health Organisation noted in one of its studies, Household cooking with coal or biomass-burning stoves led to 4.3 million deaths in 2012 as compared to 3.7 million deaths from outdoor air pollution With excessive use of chemicals in paints, textiles and INTERIOR FIT How a home looks is not enough, rather how it makes you feel healthwise is what should be the top priority, says ARNA BHALLA cleaners, indoor air pollution can be deadlier than the one outdoors. Indoor plants work wonders in such situations by infusing ample amount of positive energy. Srivastava added, Indoor plants are pretty and low maintenance. Choose from the vastu-friendly aloe vera, the adaptable spider plant that purifies air at home, the easy-to-grow money plant, the lucky bamboo that is a natural humidifier and pretty succulents that have health benefits. Snake plant is considered to be a healing plant for asthmatic patients. AROMATIC FRAGRANCES Coming back to a fragrant home is always relaxing. With hectic lifestyles and endless meetings, a fresh smelling home can be therapeutic for a tired mind. You can recreate a luxurious fragrant hotel-feel within the comfort of your home by getting the smell right. Use incense sticks, diffusers, scented candles and air fresheners that are easily available in the market. Inhaling essentials oils stimulates the olfactory system. It aids in relaxation with its respiratory, disinfection, decongestant and psychological benefits. COLOUR SYNCHRONISATION Pastel colours can have a soothing effect without being overpowering. Srivastava elaborates, The biggest advantage of delectable ice-cream colours is that it balances the interiors without look dull. When used well, they can lend a relaxed feel to your living areas and a retro twist to your kitchens and so on. But there can be hints of brighter colours as well. Priyanka Mehra says, Warm tones like red, yellow and oranges stimulate conversation and work well for living rooms. Greens, blues and lavenders have cooling effect and work well in the bedrooms where you want to connect with your partners. CURTAIN PICKING The two factors that you should consider while picking your fabric are the amount of sunlight you want streaming in and the mood and décor of your room. For example, heavier fabrics suit more traditional rooms while sheer fabrics work best in more minimalistic rooms. Mehra has more tips for choosing the right curtains, Always try and have two set of curtains. One to protect from the harsh sun and one to let in a little light in the morning. In hot weather, cottons would be ideal. Similarly for choosing furnishings, she said, In hot and humid conditions, cotton and linen are the best options. They can be washed easily and are easy to maintain. If you are living in a cold climate, silks and wools are ideal. Srivastava further advises, If the curtain hangs on a window that receives direct sunlight, a protective lining can make it more opaque so that they fade slower and last longer. Also, two layers one sheer, one opaque can give you the flexibility to choose the amount of privacy and light. Children reflect pure innocence Director NILA MADHAB PANDA talks to ARNA BHALLA about his latest movie Halkaa and why it will appeal to the Indian audience N ila Madhab Panda is known to make socially relevant films that strike a chord with the audience. His recent movie Halkaa is a special take on the heroism of a child who stays in the slum, his wishes and hopes. With his bravery, he wishes to eradicate all the problems that he faces on a daily basis, like defecating in public. The film features child actor Tathastu as Pichku in the protagonist s role wherein Ranvir Shorey and Paoli Dam essay the roles of his parents. The movie has been conferred with two international awards, Grand Prix Award at Kinolub Fest and Grand Prix de Montreal. The movie is set to release on August 31 in India. n Halkaa has been felicitated twice with Grand Prix at film festivals. How will it give you an edge? Awards definitely attract a mass audience. If you remember I Am Kalam, its first definite outreach happened when we won an international and a national award. Even before Halkaa releases in India, it has awards and recognition. What else could we need? n Do you think a movie like Halkaa will have the same depth of impact here? Well of course, I do understand that India is a star-driven country and it looks for movies which have eminent actors. Nevertheless, we do know that we are always going to have a new audience because of drifting perceptions of people. Several small budgeted films have also worked in India in the past. So all we can do is to hope and work hard at the same time. We are doing both. n Halkaa is set in the backdrop of a slum area. What kind of roadblocks did you face in the course of filming it? The hurdles were endless. However, they were not the ordinary problems that a filmmaker faces. The real struggle was in maintaining the balance between an artistic perspective as well as keeping the emotional value intact. Also, it was important for us to make it light-hearted and joyous. We were shooting in 45 degrees temperature, excessive humidity and one of the dirtiest places in the country. n How did you come up with the idea of Halkaa? The real challenge was in articulating the thought that had been a part of me since many days. The thought was not special, it was very simple. Just imagine yourself roaming around a rural village and you have this sudden urge to defecate. It is immensely claustrophobic. The real issue was in converting this observation into a film action. n Recognition for alternative cinema is hard to come by despite movies like I Am Kalam and Kadwi Hawa. How do you feel now, having reached that point? I am not hungry for recognition. That is not my work and that is not why I began filmmaking. Moviemaking is an art and I am here for that. Recognition comes after you make good films. n Children feature prominently in your movies. Why is that so? Are they able to convey what adults can t? You know what, too much of maturity is dangerous in this fast-paced world. We are excessively moving towards perceptions of adulthood. We don t consider children an important part of the society. Their thoughts don t matter us. Children are a reflection of innocence and purity. We should not neglect them. My movies are just some steps towards not doing that. n Your movies often deal with a socially relevant issue. How popular are they in the multiplex crowd which prefers commercials? Entertainment business should not be categorised into commercial or art films, filmmaking is an art and nothing else. Every movie is a message in itself. What is a commercial one? One which has dance, music and drama? I don t believe in it. Filmmaking involves reflecting on society and that s what every filmmaker is doing in one or another way. For example, take Rowdy Rathore which was said to be a commercial film but had some meaning where a loyal policeman fights for the good of society. Cinema is as important as food or anything that we need for our survival. We need pleasure and entertainment to lead a happy life.

LUCKNOW FRIDAY JUNE 22, 2018 14 ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI RUED HIS TEAM'S ERRORS AND THEIR UNWILLINGNESS TO TAKE RISKS DURING THEIR 2-1 WC LOSS TO SENEGAL EL HADJI DIOUF HAILS SENEGAL'S VICTORY AS A "PERFECT START", BUT WARNS THEM THEIR TOUGHEST TESTS ARE STILL TO COME PHILIPP LAHM STILL BELIEVES IN GERMANY'S WORLD CUP CHANCES AS THE FORMER CTAIN BACKS COACH JOACHIM LOW ROBERTO MARTINEZ SAYS BELGIUM'S WIN OVER PANAMA WAS "EXACTLY WHAT WE WANTED" AND CALLS FOR MORE OF THE SAME AGAINST TUNISIA HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN Big teams, including defending campions and the runners-up from last year fail to impress as World Cup round 1 throws up plenty of surprises. PIYUSH BISHT takes a look at how the surprises unfolded in Russia T he Germans were supposed to be on course to become only the second team to retain the World Cup trophy, but they began their campaign on the wrong foot and the easiest analysis that has come after the supposed failure have been along the lines of they bottled it. There is, of course, more to it than that and it has a lot to do with the sheer brilliance of Die Mannschaft rather than their shortcomings. Germany were the team who entered the tournament as the biggest favourites after having won the World Cup four years ago and the Confederations Cup in 2017 the latter with their B team. Against Mexico, the Germans did what they do best. With a host of attacking talent at his disposal, Joachim Loew opted for a strategy that can be identified as the most flattering to a side like Germany: hold a high defensive line and attack, attack and attack. Anything lesser than that would have suggested that the team has lost its charm. The approach required the full backs to drift forward and join the fray in the rivals final third and right back Joshua Kimmich seemed the most enthusiastic about the task in hand. The 23-year-old was seen exploding forward on almost every occasion for remaining happy with setting up camp at the back would be unbecoming for a player in that glorious Germany shirt. Across Kimmich s yard, Marvin Plattenhardt was expected to do the same, and he obliged, which left Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels as the sole guardians tasked to keep Manuel Neuer from any impending harm. As favourites, that was the right way to go about it by dazzling the world with an attacking brilliance seldom seen before. But clearly, the will to please the world by staying loyal to their reputation backfired as Mexico caused the biggest upset of this year s tournament. Kimmich, too overwhelmed with the adrenaline up front failed to track back in time as the Mexicans drove forward and Hirving Lozano dealt the killer blow. The damage had been done and Mexico had to absorb the incoming pressure now. The scoreline suggests that they did alright there by soaking on wave after wave of German attacks with Ochoa, the Mexican keeper, pulling off a couple of saves and the team restricting Toni Kroos impeccable vision and playmaking abilities. The Mexican win was historic as Germany the favourites succumbed to the overpowering expectations stacked upon their own brand of football. It deserved seismic celbrations, and that is exactly what it got. ARGENTINA-ICELAND Back in 2016, when Iceland were on the receiving end of Cristiano Ronaldo s diatribe about how the Nordic men showed a small mentality by choosing only to defend against Portugal in their group match at the Euro Championship, Iceland s Kari Arnason chose to respond with equal malice. He s just a sore loser, Arnason said before he went on to point out why the Portuguese will always remain second to Lionel Messi, about whom the veteran defender remarked, He s the king. Little did Arnason know back then that two years later he and his towering company would eventually be confronting the King himself at the FIFA World Cup in Russia. And that they would force a complete lockdown of the said King at that stage was a prospect farther away than even their most far fetched of thoughts. But when the moment came, Iceland did not bow down to the King. Instead, they stifled him by standing tall and firm even as his royal entourage joined in to probe and prod for a thaw in the opponents ranks. 90 minutes later, it was an Icelandic victory regardless of the 1-1 scoreline. And as the tale had unfolded, the world had seen a film director answering to the name of Hannes Thor Halldorsson deny Lionel Messi a goal from the spot. The moment was cathartic, but not the only one to stand out in the narrative of Iceland s bravado and Argentina s failure. You see, in football the beauty is in the pedantry of it all and Iceland s approach towards the game deserves to be absorbed as much as the sheer romance in their tale. It begins with a dentist managing a national football team. Heimir Hallgrimsson took the reins of the Iceland side from Lars Lagerback after Euro 2016 and eventually morphed the team to a highly defensive 4-5-1 formation with the full-backs not heading out on attacking adventures, but holding fort in their own half. An extra defensive midfielder only adds to the impregnability of the structure. However, there is more to it than just the defensive nuances and in the game against Argentina it became all the more comprehensible to the world when Iceland equalised against Argentina and showed glimpses of a snappy offence up front throughout the match. They were quick on counter and impassive in the defence, but it was the latter that brilliantly stood out. Iceland s men, committed to defend against Argentina s attacking talismans - Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria and of course, Lionel Messi - never looked in discord. They not only crowded the edge of their penalty box, but also stood rock solid in the centre of the Albiceleste s attacking routes. Di Maria s runs overlapping with Messi s zone did not help Argentina s cause as that only pulled the Iceland defence closer into tighter knots. The only time that Iceland looked threatened was when Sergio Aguero received a Marcos Rojo shot inside the box, dismantled his marker with a fine turn and shot into the top corner. But that solitary goal was going to be Argentina s only contribution to the scoreboard. Iceland replied in just four minutes, thanks partly to Alfred Finnbogason s presence of mind and partly to Argentina s sloppy defending. With that goal, Iceland were happy to sit further back, crowd Messi with two-three men on him as soon as he received the ball and stifle his chances of receiving those nightmarish return passes from his quick give-and-takes that have so often worked in a Barcelona shirt. Alongside these crude defensive tactics aided by their burly frames, Iceland were quick to grasp breakthrough opportunities on the counter, at the same time maintaining their defensive rigidity. Argentina looked stifled in the attacking-third and Iceland exploited that to the fullest. And that is precisely how they kept the King at bay. O F R E D C A R D S A N D H A T T R I C K S SECOND FASTEST RED CARD Carlos Sanchez was sent off in the third minute by Slovenian referee Damir Skomina for handling the ball. He had struck out his arm to stop a shot that looked bound for the Colombian net at the Morodovia Arena in Saransk. Uruguayan player Jose Batista was shown a red card in the 52nd second against a Scotland team coached by Alex Ferguson, after he bought down midfielder Gordon Strachan at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. It could have been even earlier as the foul was committed in the 39th second. OLDEST TO SCORE 3 Cristiano Ronaldo became Portugal's second and 47th player overall to to perform a hat trick in World Cup final by scoring three goals in his team's 3-3 draw with Spain at Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi on Friday (June 15). He scored his 51st hat-trick for club and country, while it was also the 51st hat-trick scored in the history of the World Cup. Four players, Hungary's Sandor Kocsis (both in 1954), France's Just Fontaine (both 1958), Gerd Muller (both 1970); and Argentina's Gabriel Batistuta (1994 and 1998) have scored two hattricks in World Cup matches.in the 39th second. BRAZIL-SWITZERLAND After the German routing four years ago in their own backyard, Brazil had started to smile again. The Canarinha, under Tite s tutelage were displaying glimpses of Brazil s trademark beautiful football and the world was quick to brand them as favourites before a ball was kicked in Russia. Switzerland, however, came up with a tough challenge that seemed to put a question mark upon Brazil s position. They did not do it with grace, though. Switzerland s tactics were crude and included intense pushing and shoving for the most part. Neymar was the man most targeted by the Swiss ranks, being on the receiving end of ten faulty challenges through the course of the entire 90 minutes. However, after Coutinho did a Coutinho, the Swiss seemed to have slumped, but not in totality. They equalised, but even there there was more pushing an shoving being used rather than a tactical brilliance. A push on Miranda freed Zuber to time a header decent enough to beat Alisson, the Brazilian goalkeeper, and many have said that it was the push on Miranda that was more perfectly timed than the header itself. JAN-COLOMBIA James Rodriguez had always been a fan of Captain Tsubasa the protagonist in a Japanese football manga. And the Japanese only helped realise James fantasy on the football field with a spectacular display of football that resulted in a historic win as Japan became the first Asian side to beat a South American nation. Sadly, for James, the South American country happened to be his own Colombia. Japan s quick attacks in the final third caused havoc among Colombia s defenders. An early send off further aided the Samurais as they converted the penalty resulting from a silly and deliberate handball.

LUCKNOW FRIDAY JUNE 22, 2018 15 CTAIN GUNNARSSON HAILS SUPPORT FOR ICELAND AFTER 99.6% OF COUNTRY'S AUDIENCE TUNE IN TO WATCH THEIR 1-1 DRAW WITH ARGENTINA MOHAMED SALAH INSISTS THERE HAS BEEN NO DISCORD IN THE EGYPT CAMP DESPITE THEIR IMPENDING EARLY EXIT FROM THE WORLD CUP HUMMELS INSISTS THE ATMOSPHERE WITHIN THE TEAM IS BACK ON TRACK AFTER THE CRITICAL FALLOUT FROM THEIR SHOCK LOSS TO MEXICO SAMI KHEDIRA TURNS DOWN A REPORTER'S OFFER OF FLIGHT PASSES TO TAKE HIM AND HIS TEAM-MATES HOME, INSISTING THEY WOULD NOT BE NEEDED BRA-ZEAL FOR A WIN MUSCOB TES MOTION PICTURE Fitness doubts surround Selecao s key No 10 ahead of crucial battle against Costa Rica AFP n SAINT PETERSBURG A battered and bruised Neymar will aim to get Brazil's World Cup campaign back on track here Friday as the pre-tournament favourites seek to re-assert their title credentials with victory over Costa Rica. Neymar was given a rough ride in Brazil's disappointing 1-1 draw with Switzerland on Sunday, fouled 10 times during the match, the most for any player in a single World Cup game for 20 years. The world's most expensive player then set alarm bells ringing when he hobbled out of training on Tuesday in full view of the cameras. However, he returned to the training pitch 48 hours ahead of the clash in Saint Petersburg, raising hopes he will feature. Even before his latest setback, there were doubts over Neymar's fitness heading into the World Cup after a three-month layoff. The Switzerland clash was his first competitive game for nearly four months after a broken bone in his right foot ended his club season with Paris Saint-Germain in February. To the frustration of many in the French capital, Neymar returned home for much of his recovery process with the intention of being fully fit for the World Cup. NEYMAR STILL THE KEY However, questions remain whether he is seriously lacking match practice. Brazil looked to their talisman time and again in the final stages in Rostov-on-Don, but he failed to find the final pass or finish to unlock a wellorganised Switzerland defence. Instead, it was Philippe Coutinho n KALININGRAD A leksandar Kolarov knows that after victory in its opening World Cup match his Serbia lineup cannot ease off the intensity against Switzerland. Two draws in its remaining matches could be enough to secure a spot in the round of 16 but with Brazil waiting in its last Group E game, beating the Swiss would take the pressure off Mladen Krstajic's team. "If we do the math and start playing for a draw then it will not be successful," Kolarov "Of course we want to win." The Serbia captain's precisely placed free kick in the 56th minute was the only goal in Serbia's victory over Costa Rica. Krstajic wants his forwards to step up another level against Switzerland on Friday. Live on Sony Ten Network FRIDAY 5:30 PM Live on Sony Ten Network SERBIA COSTA RICA Serbia look for Swiss roll Krstajic appears to be keeping faith in striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who scored six goals in Serbia's World Cup qualification campaign but couldn't find the target against Costa Rica. "I know his qualities, everybody knows his qualities," the coach "He lacked luck to score (against Costa Rica) but we are keeping him there for the forthcoming games." Mitrovic is unlikely to have an easy day against a Switzerland defense and midfield that held Brazil to a 1-1 draw in its opening match. Steven Zuber's powerful second-half header equalized for Switzerland after Philippe Coutinho's curling shot had given Brazil the lead. One of the keys to Switzerland's success was midfielder Valon Behrami, whose tough tackling and marking of Neymar canceled out the threat of the world's most expensive player for most of the match against Brazil. He was eventually replaced because of a thigh muscle strain in the 70th minute. Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic was relieved when tests showed no serious injury to Behrami, who became the first Swiss player to appear at four World Cups when he started against Brazil. SWITZERLAND FRIDAY 11:30 PM Switzerland players during training session Brazil's Neymar, centre, exercises with his teammates during Brazil's official training on the eve of the group E match against Costa Rica who got Brazil's campaign off to a flying start with a wonderful long range strike to open the scoring. In contrast to Neymar, Coutinho ended the season in sensational form for Barcelona after sealing his dream move from Liverpool. Should Neymar not be fit, Coutinho could be moved into his role on the left of a front three with Tite bolstering his midfield. However, Coutinho insists Neymar remains the key figure in Brazil's pursuit of World Cup glory. "Neymar is one of the best players in the world. Of course having him in our side is a big plus for us," said Coutinho. HEAD TO HEAD Matches: 10 Brazil won: 9 Costa Rica won: 1 Goals Scored Brazil: 32 Costa Rica: 9 Faisel Features Needing a break and to relieve the pressure with a win, Brazil could hardly have picked better opposition in Los Ticos, who have only beaten Brazil once World Cup win, when Fabien Barthez's teammates rubbed the goalkeeper's bald head for good luck. Defender Laurent Blanc planted a big kiss on Barthez's pool-ball pate before every match, right up to the final against Brazil. Perhaps the strangest example of the power of suggestion helping a team to World Cup glory is Argentina's triumph in 1978. in 10 meetings way back in 1960. Costa Rica shocked England, Italy and Uruguay to reach the quarter-finals four years ago, but are even more in need of the points after losing 1-0 to Serbia in their opening game. They also lost heavily to Belgium and England in warm-up friendlies, but captain Bryan Ruiz believes they can follow Switzerland's example to cause another massive upset. "Switzerland pressed them in midfield and that's what you need to do because everybody knows that Brazil are best from midfield going forward," said the Sporting Lisbon attacker. YOUTHFUL NIGERIA FACE TOUGH ICELAND AFP n GELENDZHIK igeria take on Iceland on NFriday, seeking to salvage their faltering World Cup campaign but wary of the Nordic team's capacity to go toe to toe with their supposed superiors. Coach Gernot Rohr's Super Eagles - who brought the youngest squad to Russia, with an average age of around 25 years of age - have now won just one of their past 13 games at World Cups. Their side, including 19- Nigeria players practice during a training session year-old goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, were almost unrecognisable from the team beaten by France in the last 16 four years ago. "Sometimes we were a little bit naive on set pieces but we will Live on Sony Ten Network ing football and lost 5-0. People can have their opinion about it but we really don't care," said goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson. The Nigeria game in Volgograd will be "a bit more work on it," said Rohr. Iceland are buoyant after NIGERIA ICELAND FRIDAY 8:30 PM open," said the 34-year-old 'keeper, whose string of saves, kept the what their coach Heimir Hallgrimsson described as a "schoolbook example" of how to defend against Lionel Messi's Argentina. Messi complained that "Iceland didn't want to play" but the Nordic minnows, playing in their first-ever World Cup, were unimpressed by the criticism. "Maybe he would have been happier if we had played attack- 2014 finalists at bay. "Nigeria will be difficult to beat. They are fast and more direct than Argentina. It will be a different game in many ways," he added. World Cup superstitions putting a spell on players AFP n MOSCOW ome players believe World SCup success is earned through exercise, diet and endless practice drills - others are convinced it's a matter of wearing lucky underwear. Players and coaches can be a superstitious bunch and often have a ritual or item of clothing they believe is a charm that has (From L to R) Laurent Blanc planting a big kiss on Barthez's pool-ball pate, Colombian keeper Rene Higuita, Dele Alli, Mario Kempes, Herve Renard and Marcelo contributed to a winning run. They range from former before a match and I usually hold my bag in my locker and I bring the good fortune that has long eluded the Three Lions at foot. "Everybody likes to enter Colombian keeper Rene throw on two or three sprays of international tournaments. with the right foot, right? I'm no Higuita's insistence on wearing blue underpants to current German striker Mario Gomez's habit of only using the far-left urinal to relieve himself before a match. Gomez's Germany teammate perfume. It gives me a feeling of happiness." "However, if a player creates the perception that they are, then the action can become a hinge factor for how a player feels," said the specialist, who works with "I've had the same shinpads since I was 11. They are battered (but) I am very superstitious," the Tottenham midfielder Some players such as England's Phil Jones do not like stepping on white lines, while different," he laughed when quizzed by reporters. Morocco coach Herve Renard has worn a white shirt on the sidelines since he took Zambia to a surprise victory at the Africa Cup of Nations in Julian Draxler gives himself Premier League club Brazil defender Marcelo always 2012. a spritz of scent before a big Bournemouth. runs onto the pitch right foot He is doing so again in match. first. Russia, although it has not "Sometimes my teammates BEST FOOT FORWARD The habit is so ingrained that proved so lucky this time as ask me if I'm not right in the head," the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder "Every player has a ritual England's Dele Alli is using the same shin guards he has worn since childhood when he plays in Russia, hoping they during training in Rostov-on- Don he left the pitch and reentered after realising he had accidentally led with his left Morocco will be heading home after the group stages. France are convinced superstition played a part in their 1998 THE MO MUST GO In an era of short shorts and long hair, Argentina's star striker Mario Kempes was a dedicated follower of fashion, sporting a stylish horseshoe moustache and flowing locks. But Kempes failed to find the net in the group stages, prompting coach Cesar Luis Menotti to offer a suggestion to the forward nicknamed "El Matador". Menotti, who had omitted a teenage prodigy named Diego Maradona in favour of Kempes, pointed out that when he visited the striker in Spain before the tournament he was clean-shaven and scoring freely for Valencia. Why didn't he get rid of the moustache and see if it brought a change of fortune? The impact was immediate. Kempes scored two goals in his next match against Poland, then two more against Peru to seal a spot in the final. Another two goals in the decider against the Netherlands saw Kempes claim the Golden Boot and gave Argentina their maiden World Cup title. "The moustache had to go... That was the start of a new chapter for me," Kempes later PREDICTION: Boar Eberhard who is called 'Harry' nudges a ball toward the German flag in Cologne predicting a German win in the World Cup match against Sweden. BURGER KING SORRY FOR PREGNANCY AD MOSCOW: Burger King has apologized for offering a lifetime supply of Whoppers to Russian women who get pregnant by World Cup players. Critics assailed the offer, announced on Russian social media, as sexist and demeaning. The announcement was removed Tuesday from Burger King's social media accounts but was still circulating among Russian social network users. It promised a reward of free burgers to women who get "the best football genes" and "ensure the success of the Russian team for generations to come." In a statement on Wednesday, Burger King said, "We are sorry about the clearly offensive promotion that the team in Russia launched online." It said the offer "does not reflect our brand or our values and we are taking steps to ensure this type of activity does not happen again." REPORTER SEXUALLY ASSAULTED ON LIVE TV MOSCOW: A female journalist reporting at the World Cup in Russia was sexually assaulted live on air and she later posted a video of the incident on social media. Julieth Gonzalez Theran - a Colombian reporter - was reporting from Saransk for German broadcaster Deutsche Welle's Spanish news channel on June 15 when a man grabbed her breast, kissed her cheek and quickly ran off, on Wednesday. The reporter, who was talking on camera when the incident took place, maintained her composure and finished her report. "I had been at the scene for two hours to prepare for the broadcast and there had been no interruptions. When we went live, this fan took advantage of the situation. But afterward, when I checked to see if he was still there, he was gone," she told Deutsche Welle. After posting the video on her Instagram account, Theran called for more respect for female journalists. "We do not deserve this treatment. We are equally as professional and deserving. I share the joy of football but we must identify the limits between affection and harassment," she wrote. The man who harassed Theran has not been identified yet. FIFA DISMISSED VAR COMPLAINT: BRAZIL SOCHI: The Brazilian football federation says FIFA has dismissed their complaint over the use of video review in the team's World Cup opener against Switzerland. The federation on Wednesday said FIFA didn't specifically address the plays contested by Brazil: non-calls on a push inside the area before Switzerland's equalizer and a penalty on Gabriel Jesus. They said FIFA reiterated VAR is used only to eliminate clear and obvious mistakes by the officiating crew. The federation said their request for the audio used by match officials was denied by FIFA, which claimed the decision not to release such recordings was made before the tournament started. They said we still believed the use of VAR would have avoided the "clear" refereeing mistakes that went against Brazil during the match. They said that keeping an open dialogue with FIFA will prevent future mistakes in incidents involving VAR and contribute to improve the system. STAFF MEMBER HOSPITALISED DURING GAME KAZAN: A member of the Iranian national team staff was hospitalized on Wednesday after the team was denied a goal following a video review during a World Cup match against Spain. Iran coach Carlos Queiroz did not reveal the identity of the person, who felt ill after referee Andres Cunha disallowed Saeid Ezatolahi's goal. Cunha overturned the goal after an assistant referee and the video assistant signaled that the player was offside. "We're more concerned because one member of our staff is in difficulties from a health point of view after the VAR decision," Queiroz "He went to the hospital. We hope everything will be all right. Our prayers go out to him at this moment." With three points from its opening win against Morocco, Iran can still qualify for the knockout round but will need to beat Portugal on Monday in Saransk. Spain and Portugal are tied for the Group B lead with four points each. SOUTHGATE DISLOCATES SHOULDER REPINO: England's players got a bit of a surprise when they arrived for a team meeting at their World Cup base on Wednesday: Their coach had his right arm in a sling. Gareth Southgate dislocated his right shoulder while out running during England's scheduled day off from training and was taken to the hospital by a team doctor. "It is better this is me than one of the players," Southgate "They were a bit surprised in the team meeting and were asking, What have you been doing?' As always, they were probably quite amused." England won its opening group game 2-1 against Tunisia on Monday, with Southgate celebrating a late winner by Harry Kane by punching the air in delight. "I might not be celebrating any goals as athletically in future," said Southgate, who was in jovial mood discussing his injury. Agencies

LUCKNOW FRIDAY JUNE 22, 2018 16 MARCUS RASHFORD IS DETERMINED TO MAKE A BIG IMPACT AT THE WC AFTER WATCHING CRISTIANO RONALDO SHINE FOR PORTUGAL MAURICIO POCHETTINO REVEALS HE WAS CELEBRATING 'LIKE AN ENGLAND FAN' WHEN HARRY KANE SCORED HIS LAST MINUTE WINNER DANI CARVAJAL DESCRIBED IRAN'S TACTICS AS "DISLOYAL" EVEN THOUGH SPAIN RECORDED THEIR FIRST WORLD CUP WIN JORGE SAMPAOLI FEELS LIONEL MESSI IS UNFAIRLY CRITICISED WHEN ARGENTINA STRUGGLE. "IT'S A LOT OF PRESSURE FOR A SINGLE PLAYER," HE SAID Australia get crucial 1-1 draw Christian Eriksen opens the scoring for Denmark before Mile Jedinak s penalty equals advantage n SAMARA M ile Jedinak's penalty kick gave Australia a 1-1 draw against Denmark and new life at the World Cup on Thursday. The 38th-minute penalty was set up after Denmark forward Yussuf Poulsen was called for a handball following a video review. Poulsen was also given a yellow card and will be suspended for the team's final group match against France because of accumulation. The goal was Jedinak's second from the spot at this year's World Cup, and it snapped Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel's five-match streak of shutouts for the Danes. Christian Eriksen scored in the opening minutes for Denmark, which has gone unbeaten in 17 straight international matches. Going into the tournament, No 36 Australia was the lowest-ranked team in Group C with the others all in the top 12. With a loss to France in the opener, a defeat Thursday would have made it nearly impossible for the Socceroos to advance to the next stage. Denmark, meanwhile, won its first match against Peru. Australia again took a defensive stand against Denmark, which was back at the World Cup after missing out on the tournament in Brazil. The Danes were coming off a 1-0 victory over Peru on Saturday in Saransk. Poulsen, who plays for German club RB Leipzig, scored the lone goal. It is the fifth World Cup appearance for the Danes, who reached the quarterfinals Australia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan catches the ball in front of Denmark's Thomas Delaney during the group C match between Denmark and Australia at the Samara Arena on Thursday in 1998. Australia was also making a fifth trip Australia added some firepower in the CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN two ribs and is likely to miss the rest of al team's last 20 matches. to the World Cup. The team's best 68th, bringing on 19-year-old Daniel the tournament. He was replaced in the During World Cup qualifying, he showing was in the 2006 quarterfinals. Arzani as both teams scrambled for a SCORED IN THE starting lineup against Australia by Lasse scored 11 goals for the Danes, thirdbest in Europe behind Poland striker Moments after Mathew Leckie's winning goal. Schone. header for Australia sailed over the goal, Australia lost Andrew Nabbout in the OPENING MINUTES FOR Denmark's last loss was in October Robert Lewandowski with 16 and Eriksen sent a left-footed shot over 74th minute with what appeared to be a 2016 against Montenegro, 1-0 in Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo goalkeeper Mathew Ryan's outstretched dislocated shoulder. He was replaced by DENMARK, WHICH HAS Copenhagen. with 15. arms. Tomi Juric. GONE UNBEATEN IN 17 Now 26, Eriksen was the youngest Pione Sisto nearly gave the Danes the Denmark's opening victory over KEYS TO SUCCESS player at the World Cup in South advantage just after the halftime break, Peru was marred by the loss of starting STRAIGHT MATCHES Eriksen, who plays for Tottenham in Africa. He has 79 appearances for the but his shot went to the right of the goal. midfielder William Kvist, who fractured England, has scored in 17 of the nation- national team and 23 goals. Mbappe makes history as France battle into last 16 France's Kylian Mbappe scores his side's opening goal during the group C match between France and Peru at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Yekaterinburg Arena in Yekaterinburg on Thursday YEKATERINGBURG: Teenager Kylian Mbappe became France s youngest World Cup goalscorer as they beat Peru 1-0 on Thursday to reach the last 16 and condemn the South Americans to an early exit. France, one of the pre-tournament favourites, join Uruguay and hosts Russia in the knockout rounds with one group game to go. Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe aged 19 years and 183 days underlined his rich talent and claimed his place in the French record books when he poked home in the first half. Didier Deschamps side face Denmark on Tuesday with top spot in Group C up for grabs but progression to the next stage assured. In contrast, Peru face Australia with their fate sealed and just pride to play for in front of their passionate and large following that has decamped to Russia. Some Peru fans were in tears even before kickoff a generation of Peruvians have never known their country in the World Cup before. The South Americans last appearance was in 1982 and they made this like a home game, ensuring their red and white dominated the Yekaterinburg Arena. That included the two enormous temporary stands that stretch high above both ends, exposed to the elements, where Peru fans bobbed and bounced to keep warm. Paul Pogba, the Manchester United midfielder who a few days ago called himself the most criticised player in the world, flashed a drive wide and defender Raphael Varane did likewise from a header. With 15 minutes gone, Pogba and France began to impose themselves. Antoine Griezmann drove straight at goalkeeper Pedro Gallese after Olivier Giroud starting in place of Ousmane Dembele set up the Atletico Madrid forward. Deschamps had clearly told his side, disappointing in beating Australia 2-1 in their opener, to go long and use Giroud s physicality. Peru s best outlet in the first half was rampaging full-back Luis Advincula, who had the beating of defender Lucas Hernandez down France s left flank. Peru, unfortunate to lose 1-0 to Denmark in their first game, took until the halfhour to have their first serious chance, with recalled skipper Paolo Guerrero stinging the legs of Hugo Lloris. France captain Lloris, making his 100th appearance for his country, was a bystander for long periods. On 34 minutes France went in front. Pogba cleverly played in Giroud, his shot took a deflection and looped over Gallese, allowing Mbappe to stab into an open net. New-found confidence ran through the French and Hernandez should have made it 2-0 just before the break. As in the first half, Peru made the better start to the second and midfielder Pedro Aquino arrowed a long-distance rocket onto Lloris s upright. But for all their possession, Peru in their distinctive white kit with red sash caused the French defence few problems. Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti was imperious alongside Real Madrid s Varane. IANS n KAZAN ran national football coach Carlos Queiroz praised his Iteam's performance in their loss to Spain and blamed the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for denying the Asian side a draw. "For me, VAR comes a little late and it's a shame it hadn't arrived in South Africa to disallow (David) Villa's goal against Portugal," he said, recalling the match that saw Spain eliminate the Portuguese from the 2010 World Cup. Queiroz was then the national coach for his native Portugal. "When (Spain) scored from an offside position there was no VAR and when we do it, there is," he said, referring to the decision to disallow what would have been the tying goal for Iran in Wednesday's match. At the same time, Queiroz said that Spain were worthy World Cup champions in 2010, and he endorsed VAR as "good for the credibility of soccer." Despite the loss, Iran remain in the fight to advance from Group B. Spain and Portugal are tied for the lead with 4 points each, followed by the Iranians with three. "If you think of it like tennis, we had one match point today and we will have another against Portugal. Everything is still open. We are still alive and still dreaming," Queiroz "We showed that we were ready to suffer and ready to compete. I felt we deserved a better result," he said of Wednesday's contest. "There's no doubt Spain play wonderful, stylish football but I thought we deserved more Costa sizzles in Spanish win n KAZAN atience is a virtue, and Spain showed plenty of it to Povercome a tough challenge from Iran at the World Cup. During a frustrating evening at the Kazan Arena when the 2010 champions struggled to break through the stubborn Iranian defense, Diego Costa scored on a deflection for a 1-0 win on Wednesday. Costa scored in the 54th minute after being set up by Andres Iniesta. The powerful striker turned in the area and took a shot that deflected off Ramin Rezeian before bouncing back onto Costa's knee and into the net. It was far from a beautiful win, but the goal was enough to make Spain coach Fernando Hierro smile. "We have four points," Hierro "We were happier after the match against Portugal, but we only had one point." Spain and Portugal lead Group B with four points each following their 3-3 draw and 1-0 victories. Iran has three points, but Morocco has been eliminated. Costa, who scored twice against Portugal, has three goals at this year's World Cup, trailing Cristiano Ronaldo by one. He also has nine goals in his last nine starts for Spain. He only had one chance against Iran, and he converted it. "It's going be tight (with Ronaldo)," Hierro "I know Diego is really committed, he has scored three goals in three matches. He can do better, he works hard, he is fighting both at the back and at the front." We deserved a draw against Spain for the way we played." "But congratulations to Fernando Hierro and Spain. We will learn a lot from this game," the Iran coach added EACH DAY IT BECOMES HARDER TO WIN Spanish national football team midfielder Sergio Busquets expressed his satisfaction following his team's victory over Iran (1-0) and said each day it becomes harder to win. "We know what a World Cup is and we also know that each day it becomes harder to win. For me, Morocco has played two matches much better than its rivals and is now going home," Busquets explained in the Kazan Arena on Wednesday. The most important thing, especially in the group stage, is to win," he added. Busquets stressed that the priority is now to defeat Morocco on the last day and try to finish first in Group B. "Hopefully we can win against Morocco, but it will be much harder because it is a team that plays a lot better... it has played much better than its rivals in these first two days. I wish we can have a good match and win," he "The priority is to qualify as first in group. If we can make more goals, even better," Busquets added. Meanwhile, captain Sergio Ramos said that he is satisfied with his squad's 1-0 triumph, adding that they knew the match was going to be a complicated one. "We knew it was going to be a difficult game. They were very defensive-minded and it was hard for us to create scoring chances," Ramos said after the match O T H E R S P O R T INDIA TO PLAY 203 GAMES WITH 51 TESTS NEW DELHI: World cricket's most marketable team India will once again play the maximum number of international matches across three formats - 203 in the next five-year Futures & Programme Cycle (2018-2023). In this period, India is expected to play 51 Test matches, 83 ODIs and a record 69 T20 Internationals. India's number of matches is significantly more than second-placed West Indies (186 matches) and third-placed England at 175. However, contrary to popular perception, India will play the second highest number of Tests, which is four more than Australia, who are third with 47 games in longest format. However in ODIs and T20s, India are playing more games with West Indies playing 75 ODIs and 68 T20s. SRIKANTH, PRANNOY SLIP IN BWF RANKING NEW DELHI: Indian shuttlers Kidambi Srikanth and H S Prannoy on Thursday slipped three and five places to be placed at the seventh and 13th spots respectively in the latest BWF world ranking. Srikanth, who had clinched the Silver at the Commonwealth Games, has not played in any tournament since participating at the Asia championship in April, while Prannoy had decided to not defend his US Open title and it seemed to have affected their ranking. In women's singles, P V Sindhu and Saina Nehwal continued to remain static at the third and 10th spot respectively. 2014 Commonwealth Games Gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap, who had reached the finals at US Open last year, meanwhile, crashed out of the top 50 after he couldn't play at the tournament following an injury. He is now at 51st position. Former world no 13 Ajay Jayaram, who had slipped out of the top 100 after missing in action due to a long injury lay-off following a hamstring injury, was rewarded for his semifinal finish at the US Open. He jumped 39 places to be at the 95th spot. AMIT, GAURAV ENTER SEMIS OF GERMAN TOURNEY NEW DELHI: Commonwealth Games medallists Amit Panghal (49kg) and Gaurav Solanki (52kg) were among the three Indians boxers to enter the semifinals but Vikas Krishan (75kg) bowed out of the Chemistry Cup in Halle, Germany. Dheeraj Rangi (64kg) was the third Indian boxer to be assured of a medal after he defeated local hope Wladislaw Baryshnik 4-1. However, Vikas' campaign ended with a loss to Olympic champion Arlen Lopez of Cuba. In bouts held Wednesday night, Amit defeated Germany's Christopher Goman 5-0, while Gaurav recorded a comprehensive win over Russia's Vadim Kudriakov by a similar margin. However, CWG Silvermedallist Manish Kaushik (60kg), Bronze-medallist Naman Tanwar (91kg) and Ankush Dahiya (60kg) bowed out after opening-round losses. CHANDIMAL PEALS AGAINST SUSPENSION GROS ISLET: Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal on Thursday appealed against the ICC's decision to suspend him from the third Test of the ongoing tour of the West Indies due to ball-tampering. Chandimal had been charged by the ICC for balltampering during the second Test here after video evidence suggested that he applied saliva to the ball shortly after putting what appeared to be a sweet in his mouth. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, before attending the hearing where match referee Javagal Srinath, after utilising the time available to him under the code to make his decision, handed Chandimal the maximum punishment. Agencies