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Days after the Home andDefence Ministries

announced 10 per cent reser-vation for demobilised“Agniveers” in the paramilitaryforces and the defence publicsector undertakings (PSUs),Indian business magnates onMonday said the Agnipathscheme has a large potential foremployment and offered torecruit Agniveers in the cor-porate sector.

This support to thescheme, which has led to unrestin many States, came againstthe backdrop of some StateGovernments also assuring asecure future for Agniveersafter the mandatory four-yearstint in the armed forces.

Industry leaders, includingMahindra Group chairmanAnand Mahindra, RPGEnterprises chairman HarshGoenka and Biocon Ltd chair-person Kiran Mazumdar-Shawon Monday came out in sup-port of the Agnipath scheme.

Mahindra also expresseddismay over the violenceagainst the scheme whileasserting that the farm equip-ment to aerospace conglomer-ate welcomes the opportunityto recruit trained, capable andyoung people under the pro-gramme.

Expressing his opinion onthe scheme, Mahindra saidthere is a large potential foremployment of Agniveers inthe corporate sector. “Saddenedby the violence around the#Agneepath program. Whenthe scheme was mooted lastyear I stated and I repeat thediscipline and skills Agniveersgain will make them eminent-ly employable,” he tweeted.

The Mahindra Group wel-comes the opportunity torecruit such trained and capa-ble young people, he furthersaid.

When asked by a Twitteruser on what post will be givenby the Mahindra Group toAgniveers, he responded,“Large potential for employ-ment of Agniveers in the cor-porate sector.

With leadership, teamworkand physical training,Agniveers provide market-ready professional solutions toindustry, covering the full spec-trum from operations toadministration and supplychain management.”

Responding to Mahindra’stweet, Goenka said, “The RPGgroup too welcomes the oppor-

tunity to employ the Agniveers.I do hope other corporates willalso join us to take this pledgeand assure our youths of afuture.”

Expressing similar views,Mazumdar-Shaw tweeted: “Ifirmly believe that Agniveerswill have a distinct advantagein recruitment in the industri-al job market.”

Apollo Hospitals Groupjoint managing director SangitaReddy said in a tweet: “I firm-ly believe the discipline andskills that #Agniveers will gainwill provide market-ready profsol 4 R industry I sincerelyhope the industry supportsrecruiting such capable youngpeople...”

TVS Motor Companymanaging director SudarshanVenu had on Friday said theAgnipath scheme will have asignificant positive impact onthe society, and contributegreatly to nation building.“Agniveers will play a key rolein furthering economic growthand strengthening society inthe coming years,” Venu hadsaid in a statement.

Executive vice chairper-son and founder of Info Edge— the parent company of jobportal Naukri.com — SanjeevBikhchandani hailed theAgnipath and said that if a per-son serves in the armed forcesfor four years, they will finishas a disciplined and trainedprofessional with a collegedegree.

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The day-long Bharat Bandhprotest against the

Agnipath military recruitmentscheme on Monday led to dis-ruption of road and rail trafficin some States amid stepped upsecurity and curbs in the wakeof days of unrest on the issue.

Amid the ongoing disrup-tions, the railways cancelled612 trains, including 223mail/express trains and 379passenger trains, the railwayssaid in a statement. The bandhcall was given on social mediaand did not name the organi-sations behind it, officials said.

The national Capital wit-nessed massive traffic jams asrestrictions were in place dueto the bandh and the satyagra-ha protest by the Congressover the Agnipath scheme andthe questioning of RahulGandhi by the ED

Rajasthan Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot, party’s leader in

the Lok Sabha Adir RanjanChowdhury, senior leadersSachin Pilot, Salman Khurshid,Mallikarjun Kharge and KCVenugopal took part in theprotest at the Jantar Mantar.

Indian Youth Congressworkers stopped a train at theShivaji Bridge railway station inDelhi. Sixteen protesters weredetained and the track wascleared by security personnelafter about half an hour,sources said.

Commuters from Noidaand Gurugram to Delhi werestuck in traffic snarls as theCentral Delhi remained thehub of the protests.

Other States like Bihar,Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh,Ke r a l a , Ass am andRajasthan had also put inplace heightened securitymeasures and imposed pro-hibitory orders in some dis-tricts to thwart possibleprotests and violence duringthe strike.

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In a shocking incident of sus-pected mass suicide, nine

members of a family werefound dead in two differenthouses at Mhaisal village inMiraj taluka of Sangli districtin western Maharashtra onMonday morning.

The deceased -comprisingtwo brothers Dr ManikYellappa Waghmore and PopatYellappa Waghmore, theirmother, wives, and their fourchildren -reportedly commit-ted suicide by consuming somepoisonous substance onSunday night, in what appearedto be fallout of a suicide pactreached among them.

The two brothers used tolive in different houses. “Of thenine bodies, we found threebodies were at one place, whilewe recovered the remainingbodies at different places in thehouse,” Sangli Superintendentof Police Dikshit Gedam said.

The preliminary probe hasrevealed that they had con-sumed some poison simulta-

neously on Sunday night.While it was not known as

to what had prompted them tocommit mass suicide, specula-tion had it that the two broth-ers had borrowed heavily andwere finding it difficult torepay the debt.

The investigators have astrong reason to believe that thenine members of a family —living in two houses — hadreached an understandingabout ending their lives simul-taneously.

The nine deceasedWaghmare family memberscomprised two brothers DrManik, Popat, their mother,and six other members. WhileDr Manik is a veterinary doc-tor, Popat is a teacher.

The police identified thedeceased as Dr ManikWaghmare, his motherAkkatai, wife Rekha ManikWaghmare, children PratimaWaghmare, Aditya Waghmare;Popat Waghmare, his wifeArchana Waghmare and theirchildren Sangeeta Waghmareand Shubam Waghmare.

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Against the backdrop ofcountrywide protests and

stinging Opposition criticismover the Agnipath militaryrecruitment scheme, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi onMonday said some reforms“may look unfair” at first, butwill help in nation-buildinglater.

The three services chiefsare set to meet the PrimeMinister on Tuesday to briefhim on the Agnipath recruit-ment scheme. Navy chiefAdmiral R Hari Kumar isscheduled to meet Modi first,according to sources.

The three services havealready issued notifications tobegin recruitment of Agniveersunder the new military scheme.

As the Opposition leaderssought to put the Governmenton the mat over the ModiGovernment’s new recruitmentpolicy which seeks to recruityouths to the Army, the Navyand the Air Force for four-year-term, the Prime Minister madecomments in Bengaluru with-

out referring to the Agnipathbut apparently alluding to it.

“Several decisions lookunfair at present. In time, thosedecisions will help in buildingthe nation,” Modi said at a pub-

lic address in Karnataka’sCapital.

“Reforms may beunpleasant temporarily butbeneficial over time. Thepath of reforms can alone

take us towards new targetsand new resolve,” he saidafter inaugurating or layingthe foundation for variousdevelopmental works inKarnataka.

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After two tumultuous yearsof the Covid-19 pandem-

ic, India tends to celebrate theeighth edition of InternationalDay of Yoga (IDY) on June 21on Tuesday with PrimeMinister Narendra Modi lead-ing the world by participatingin a mass yoga demonstrationat Mysore Palace ground inKarnataka.

It is expected that over15,000 participants will partic-ipate in the yoga event alongwith the Prime Minister atMysore with crores of peoplejoining various IDY 2022 pro-grams across India and theworld.

Modi is already on a two-day visit to Karnataka fromMonday, wherein, he willlaunch several developmentprojects and also take part inthe International Yoga Day onTuesday. Integrating the“Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”with the yoga day, the PrimeMinister Office (PMO) saidmass yoga demonstrations willbe organised at 75 iconic loca-

tions across the country underthe leadership of 75 UnionMinisters, with Modi attendingthe event at Mysore. An expoon yoga has also been put upon the premises.

The yoga demonstrationswill also be held by variouseducational, social, political,cultural, religious, corporateand other civil society organi-sations, and will be attended bycrores of people across the

country, it said.Modi’s yoga programme

is a part of the novel “GuardianYoga Ring” programme, whichis a collaborative exercisebetween 79 countries andUnited Nations Organisationalong with Indian missionsabroad to illustrate yoga’s uni-fying power beyond frontiers.

As the sun moves from theeast to the west across theworld, the mass yoga demon-

strations in the participatingcountries, if seen from anypoint on the earth, will takeplace one after another, almostin tandem, thus underliningthe idea of “One sun, oneearth”, the PMO said

The theme for this year’sYoga day is “Yoga forHumanity”. The theme portrayshow yoga served humanity inalleviating sufferings duringthe Covid pandemic, it noted.

This flagship event of theMinistry of Ayush is being co-organised with the MorarjiDesai National Institute ofYoga.

Thaawarchand Gehlot,Governor of Karnataka,Basavaraj S Bommai, ChiefMinister of Karnataka, UnionMinister for Ayush, Ports,Shipping & WaterwaysSarbananda Sonowal, and offi-cial of Ministry of Ayush andGovernment of Karnataka andother dignitaries will performYoga in the main Mysore yogaevent.

Sonowal said, “ Theenthusiasm and excitement,which has been createdthrough 100 days, 100 organ-isations, 100 cities campaigns,will lead to record participa-tion not only in India butacross the world.” Variousembassies and diplomatsbesides NRIs will performyogas at their respective coun-tries, he added.

The digital yoga exhibi-tion will showcase the latesttechnologies like virtual real-ity (VR) to project the histo-ry and wisdom of yoga.

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As protests continue againstthe Agnipath scheme, the

Army on Monday set the ballrolling by issuing a formalnotification for recruitment ofjawans known as Agniveersand said it is mandatory toapply online on its website.

The IAF and the Navy willissue a similar notification onJune 24 and 25. The Navy willalso induct women asAgniveers in the first batch.More than 46,000 jawans willbe recruited for the threeServices in the first batch underthe Agnipath scheme.

Army Chief GeneralManoj Pande said the Agnipathscheme was a win-win forboth the youth and the Armyand urged aspirants not to bemisled by wrong information.

Meanwhile, releasing thenotification, the Army made itclear online registration on itsw e b s i t ewww.Joinindianarmy.Nic.In ismandatory for all job aspirantsand registration will begin

from July. The Army also said the

Agniveers will form a distinctrank in the force. This rankwill be different from the exist-ing ranks in the Army. TheAgniveers will wear a “distinc-tive insignia” on their uniformduring their service periodand that detailed instructionson it will be issued separately.

The notification said theAgniveers will be barred fromdisclosing classified informa-tion gained during the four-year service period to anyunauthorised person or sourceunder the Official Secrets Act,1923.

“With the introduction ofthis scheme, the enrolment ofsoldiers in the regular cadre ofthe Indian Army, except tech-nical cadre of the medicalbranch, will be available only tothose personnel who havecompleted their engagementperiod as Agniveers,” it said.

The Army also clarified therelease of an Agniveer at ownrequest prior to completion ofterms of engagement is not per-mitted.

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The Congress continued toput pressure at the Centre

for the rollback of the contro-versial Agnipath scheme. Aftera sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar,the party leaders on Mondaymet President Ram NathKovind and demanded imme-diate rollback of the schemethat has triggered countrywideprotests for the several days.

The grand old party alsocited late Gen Bipin Rawat’s2020 proposal to raise theretirement age of soldiers andofficers and asked if the newrecruitment plan was not aninsult to India’s first Chief ofDefence Staff.

In their meeting withKovind, the leaders also raisedthe issue of alleged ill-treatmentof the party MPs by police dur-ing their protest against the EDquestioning of former partychief Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress delegation

comprised Leader ofOpposition in the Rajya SabhaMallikarjun Kharge, leader ofthe Congress in the LokS abha Ad h i r R anj anC howd hu r y, R aj as t hanC h i e f Mi n i s t e r As h okGehlot, Chhattisgarh ChiefMinister Bhupesh Baghel,

s e n i or l e a d e rs PC h i d amb ar am , Ja i r amRamesh and KC Venugopal.

The leaders along withthe party MPs earlier tookout a solidarity march fromParliament House to VijayChowk, where they werestopped by the Delhi Police.

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After NCP chief SharadPawar and National

Conference supremo FarooqAbdullah, GopalkrishnaGandhi too has refused the jointhe Presidential race as the jointOpposition candidate. Now,former Union MinisterYashwant Sinha is being dis-cussed as probable Oppositioncandidate.

Hours after Gandhi optedout of the Presidential race,senior TMC leaders onMonday indicated that Sinhawill be the possible joint can-didate of Opposition parties.

The next meeting of majorOpposition parties to deliber-ate on a consensus candidatefor the presidential election islikely to be held on Tuesday.

In a statement,Gopalkrishna Gandhi said sev-eral esteemed leaders of theOpposition have done him thehonour of thinking of him forthe Opposition’s candidature inthe upcoming elections for thepresidency. “I am most grate-ful to them. But having con-sidered the matter deeply I see

that the Opposition’s candidateshould be one who will gener-ate a national consensus and anational atmosphere besidesOpposition unity. I feel therewill be others who will do thisfar better than I,” he said.

The name of the formerBJP leader Sinha who joinedthe TMC last year has beenproposed as a presidential pollcandidate by a few Oppositionparties and “three to four”have seconded it, said seniorTMC leaders.

“Yashwant Sinha is a TMCleader now. So, we don’t wantany confusion that the proposalhas gone from us. As of now,three to four parties haveagreed on his name. Now letothers decide,” they said.

Sinha’s name will be dis-cussed at a meeting of majorOpposition parties convenedby NCP chief Sharad Pawar inNew Delhi to build a con-sensus on fielding a jointcandidate against the BJP-led NDA on Tuesday. TMCnational general secretaryand MP Abhishek Banerjeewill represent his party att he meet ing . Mamat aBanerjee had called such ameeting of 22 non-BJP par-ties last week in the nation-al capital. Seventeen of themattended it.

The process to elect a newPresident began on June 15.The last date for filing nom-inations is June 29.

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PNS JAMSHEDPUR

M FAIYAZ AHMAD DALTONGANJ

PNS JAMSHEDPUR

jharkhand 02RANCHI | TUESDAY | JUNE 21, 2022

PNS HAZARIBAG

RAHUL SHARMA BOKARO

SHAILESH SHARMA HAZARIBAG

Artists from all over theworld will participate inthe Painting Competi-

tion 'Vighnaharta'

PNS RANCHI

PANKAJ KUMAR DHANBAD

Little response of Bharat Bandh call was wit-nessed in the coal capital here on Mondaythough all government and private schools re-mained closed owing to government orders.

All important markets of the city remainedopen despite the bandh call here today. Buseswere available for travelling to Ranchi, Bokaro,Asansol besides other locations at the Bartandbus stand.

One of the owners Bharat Singh said, we areoperating buses for all destinations from Dhan-bad for people as trains have been cancelled.

Movement of traffic on National Highway notwo connecting Kolkata to New Delhi remainedas usual and untoward has been reported fromany location all along the 67 km long stretch inDhanbad district.

Meanwhile, elaborate security arrangementswere done to prevent any untoward incident atDhanbad railway station by erecting barri-cades to stop entry of mobs in the station.

Besides, station security forces have beendelayed at different important locations but tilllate afternoon none of the Bandh supporterscame out on road to enforce bandh.

Railways has announced cancellation of daytrains due to the ongoing stir besides severallong distance trains .Some of them have beenrescheduled due to the bandh .

There was no impact on the coal mining ac-tivities too due to the bandh call.

Little response to bandhcall in coal capital

Mixed response to Bharatbandh, five trains cancelled

Hardcore Maoist Bhuiya surrender in Hazaribag

Chairman Award conferred to the Heroes of Steel in ESL

Special team to check nursing homes in Hazaribag

International painting competition on Lord Ganesha

Bandh passes off peacefully in Palamu

SURESH NIKHAR BERMO

PNS RANCHI

PNS RANCHI

PNS RANCHI

PNS RANCHI

jharkhand 03RANCHI | TUESDAY | JUNE 21, 2022

PNS RANCHI

PNS RANCHI

Yoga Day at Jharkhand High CourtThe International Yoga Day will be celebrated at

Jharkhand High Court and all Civil Courts acrossthe state. On the instructions of Jharkhand HighCourt Chief Justice, Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan andHigh Court sports committee chairman, JusticeAparesh Kumar Singh the Yoga Day will be cele-brated at High Court premises and judicial acade-my (Dhurwa). The Yoga will be performed per pro-tocols issued by Ayush Ministry. Yoga will be per-formed from 6 am to 7 am at High Court and CivilCourts and it will be attended by Judges of HighCourts, officers from High Courts and advocatesand others.

CCL holds workshop on ‘Yoga forPeace and Harmony’

Central Coalfields Ltd, a Jharkhand-based sub-sidiary of Coal India Ltd, organised a session on“Yoga for Peace and Harmony,” here at DarbhagaHouse, Rancih today, prior to the special occasionof International Yoga Day 2022. HRD and WelfareDepartment jointly organised the programme inwhich a large number of executives and non-exec-utives participated. Manoj Soni, Professor, RanchiSchool of Yoga took the yoga session along with hisstudents, who performed live demonstration of dif-ferent aspects of Yoga. The yoga session beganwith sanskrit “Shlokas,” read by Manoj Soni in con-tinuation with breathing exercises for all. It also in-cludes discussions on Mental Health and Anger Is-sues and what could be the solutions for the same.In addition, Manoj also mentions the Importance of

“TIME” in every human’s life. ‘Rules to lead ahealthy lifestyle’ and ‘Healthy food consumptiontechniques’ are also a major objective of the event.TS to Director (Pers)/GM(legal) P Bhattacherjee,GM (CSR) Balkrisha Ladi, GM (Welfare) RekhaPandey and others attended the Yoga session.

Father’s Day celebrations at SBPS

Students of Sarala Birla Public School, Ranchiobserved Father’s Day by participating in an arrayof activities. Students presented rhymes composedby them, made beautiful and vibrant cards, colorfulbadges and collage/posters dedicated to their fa-ther. Students responded overwhelmingly, show-casing their creativity in expressing their gratitudefor the contributions made by their father in theirlives. School Head Personnel and Admin Dr. PradipVarma and Principal Paramjit Kaur appreciated theschool for organizing such activities.

Bank of India re-launches ‘BranchAdalat’ campaign

The success of the earlier edition of “BranchAdalat” campaign between 21.05.2022 to26.05.2022, Bank of India (BOI) decided to re-launch the campaign between 21.06.2022 to28.06.2022 at Pan India level. The concept behindBranch Adalat was to provide relief to the borrow-ers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic or any oth-er reason especially the borrowers having out-standing loans up to Rs.5 Crores under agriculture,MSME, retail and personal loan segment. In view ofencouraging response of borrowers, the Bank of In-dia has decided to provide another opportunity tothe Bank’s borrowers through the “Branch Adalat”campaign being organized between 21.06.2022 to28.06.2022.

5 talented girls of Jharkhand willshow their skills in hockey in USA

NEWS IN PIX

BJP Legislative leader Babulal Marandi addresses an election campaign in support of party can-didate Gangotri Kujur ahead of the upcoming Mandar Assembly By-poll at Lapung in Ranchi onSunday. PNS

Chief Minister Hemant Soren during his interaction with five young women hockey players of Jhark-hand selected for a three week talent exchange programme in the USA, at CM official’s residencein Ranchi on Monday. PNS

Brigadier (Retd) BG Pathak with Brigadier (Retd)Niranjan Kumarduring a press conference at Army office in Ranchi on Monday.Pix by Vinay Murmu

Chief Minister Hemant Soren waves to people during an electioncampaign in support of Grand Alliance candidate Shilpi NehaTirkey ahead of the upcoming Mandar Assembly By-poll at Chan-ho in Ranchi on Sunday. PNS

JMM raises finger on BJP Mandar candidate for notmentioning complaint against her in nomination

Security personnel keep vigil at Ranchi Railway Station amid ‘Bharat Bandh’ call to protest againstCentre’s ‘Agnipath’ scheme in Ranchi on Monday. Pix by Vinay Murmu

Ranchi Dist Admin revokes prohibitory orders

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BJP on Monday announcedthat the party will observe

‘Yoga Day’ at over 75,000 placesacross the country on Tuesday,saying the country is leavingits strong imprints on the glob-al culture as it lashed–out atCongress for “hateful com-ments” against the PrimeMinister.

Prime Minister NarendraModi would be leading themega-yoga-event at Mysuru inKarnataka where over 15,000people are expected to do Yogaexercises along with him. BJPpresident JP Nadda would beat Noida for the ‘Yoga day’functions, and union homeMinister Amit Shah will be inthe National Capital.

Addressing a press confer-ence here , BJP spokespersonSudhanshu Trivedi said Indiais the only country which has

spread its cultural influenceglobally saying in the past evenexplorer Columbus usheredinto his sea-voyage to discov-er India but landed in Americawhere the original Indians arecalled ‘red-Indians.’

‘Yoga’ is an extension ofIndian cultural foot-printsacross the globe, he said,informing that BJP wouldobserve the ‘Yoga-day’ in75,000 places in the country.

Trivedi also said that allUnion Ministers, BJP ChiefMinisters, MPs, MLAs, partymembers, and functionarieswould participate in the Yogaevents across the country..

While saying that underPrime Minister’s leadership,‘Yoga’ has been accepted andwhole-heartedly supported bymost of the countries, Trivedislammed Congress for its ‘hate-ful’ comments against thePrime Minister over the yearsand sought to know if it has

expelled or taken any discipli-nary action against anyone.There are more than 80 suchinstances, he said. The BJPspokesperson took on theCongress after SeniorCongress leader and formerUnion minister Subodh KantSahai alleged that PrimeMinister Narendra Modi isbehaving like Adolf Hitler and

"will die like Hitler" if he fol-lows the path of the Germandictator. The Congress, how-ever, distanced itself from thestatement made at the party's'Satyagraha' protest at JantarMantar here against theCentre's Agnipath scheme, say-ing it does not endorse anyindecent remarks against thePrime Minister.

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With an eye on China,Australia on Monday

said India is one of the “closest”security partners and is keen towork closely with it for an openand inclusive Indo-Pacific.

Australia Deputy PrimeMinister Richard Marles, whois also Defence Minister, said"Australia and India areComprehensive StrategicPartners. I am committed tostrengthening Australia'sdefence and security coopera-tion with India."

During his India visit fromJune 20 to 23, Marles is sched-uled to hold wide-ranging talkswith Defence Minister RajnathSingh. "I am looking forwardto meeting with my counter-part, Defence Minister RajnathSingh, and holding our firstbilateral defence ministers'meeting," Marles said, accord-ing to a statement by theAustralian Government onMonday.

India is one of Australia'sclosest security partners, andhis government is focused onrevitalising the country's his-torically deep engagement withits partners across the Indo-Pacific, he said. "The rules-based international order that

has brought peace and pros-perity to the Indo-Pacific fordecades is experiencing pres-sure, as we face shifts in thegeostrategic order," he said.

"Australia stands ready towork closer with India in sup-port of an open, inclusive andresilient Indo-Pacific," headded.

Marles said Rajnath hasbeen instrumental in advanc-ing India-Australia defence tiesand he was looking forward toworking with him to enhancethe defence pillar of the com-prehensive strategic partner-ship between the two sides.

It is the first high-levelvisit to India from Australiaafter Prime Minister AnthonyAlbanese's center-left LaborParty came to power lastmonth defeating predecessorScott Morrison's conservativecoalition in the parliamentary

elections. Marles said the rules-based

international order that hasbrought peace and prosperityto the Indo-Pacific for decadesis experiencing pressure, seenas an oblique reference toChina's growing assertivenessin the region.

The visiting Deputy PrimeMinister will also meetExternal Affairs Minister SJaishankar and interact withnational security and defencepolicymakers and personnel.

The ties between India andAustralia have strengthened inthe last few years. In April, thetwo countries inked a tradepact to diversify bilateral trade.

In June 2020, India andAustralia elevated their ties toa comprehensive strategic part-nership and signed a land-mark deal for reciprocal accessto military bases for logisticssupport.

The Mutual LogisticsSupport Agreement (MLSA)allows the militaries of thetwo countries to use eachother's bases for repair andreplenishment of supplies,besides facilitating scaling up ofoverall defence cooperation.The Australian Navy was partof the Malabar naval exercisehosted by India in November2020 as well as last year.

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Anew study from Tel AvivUniversity offers a unique

treatment for AIDS — a vac-cine or a one-time treatmentfor patients with HIV. Thestudy examined the engineer-ing of type B white blood cellsin the patient's body so as tosecrete anti-HIV antibodies inresponse to the virus.

The study was led by Dr.Adi Barzel and his studentAlessio Nehmad, both fromGeorge S. Wise faculty of lifesciences and the Dotan Centerfor Advanced Therapies in col-laboration with the SouraskyMedical Center (Ichilov).

Published in the journalNature, the study was con-ducted in collaboration withadditional researchers fromIsrael and the US.Dr Barzelexplains: "Until now, only a fewscientists, and we among them,

had been able to engineer Bcells outside of the body, and inthis study we were the first todo this in the body and to makethese cells generate desiredantibodies.

The genetic engineering isdone with viral carriers derivedfrom viruses that were engi-neered so as not to cause dam-age but only to bring the genecoded for the antibody into theB cells in the body.

“Additionally, in this casewe have been able to accurate-ly introduce the antibodiesinto a desired site in the B cellgenome. All model animalswho had been administered the

treatment responded and hadhigh quantities of the desiredantibody in their blood. Weproduced the antibody fromthe blood and made sure it wasactually effective in neutraliz-ing the HIV virus in the labdish."

The genetic editing wasdone with CRISPR, a technol-ogy based on a bacterialimmune system against virus-es. Alessio Nehmad says, "weincorporate the capability of aCRISPR to direct the intro-duction of genes into desiredsites along with the capabilitiesof viral carriers to bring desiredgenes to desired cells. Thus, weare able to engineer the B cellsinside the patient's body.

We use two viral carriers ofthe AAV family, one carriercodes for the desired antibodyand the second carrier codesthe CRISPR system. When theCRISPR cuts in the desired sitein the genome of the B cells it

directs the introduction of thedesired gene: the gene codingfor the antibody against theHIV virus, which causesAIDS." Currently, theresearchers explain, there is nogenetic treatment for AIDS, sothe research opportunities arevast. Dr. Barzel concludes: "wedeveloped an innovative treat-ment that may defeat the viruswith a one time injection, withthe potential of bringing abouttremendous improvement inthe patients' condition.

When the engineered Bcells encounter the virus, thevirus stimulates and encour-ages them to divide, so we areutilizing the very cause of thedisease to combat it.

Furthermore, if the viruschanges, the B cells will alsochange accordingly in order tocombat it, so we have createdthe first medication ever thatcan evolve in the body anddefeat viruses in 'arms race'.”

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The Supreme Court onMonday declined the plea

of jailed Nationalist CongressParty leaders and MLAs NawabMalik and Anil Deshmukhseeking temporary release fromprison to cast their votes in theMaharashtra LegislativeCouncil election.

A vacation bench ofJustices CT Ravikumar andSudhanshu Dhulia, however,issued notice to theMaharashtra Government andothers in the case and agreed toexamine the issue relating tothe interpretation of Section62(5) of the Representation ofthe People Act 1951, whichbars jailed persons from voting.

"In view of the larger ques-tion with respect to interpre-tation of Section 62(5) of

Representation of the PeopleAct 1951, we are of the viewthat matter has to be heard indetail. It's open for the partiesto complete the pleadings with-in four weeks.

"On the question of inter-im relief taking note of the factthat the constitutional validityof Section 62(5) was upheld bythe Supreme Court in theAnukul Chandra Pradhan VsUnion of India case and SRadhakrishnan Vs Union of

India, we are not inclined togrant interim relief," the benchsaid. Senior advocateMeenakshi Arora, appearingfor the jailed lawmakers, sub-mitted that not permitting thetwo from voting in MLC elec-tions will effectively impact therights of all voters who hadelected the two lawmakers.

The senior lawyer saidrather than being a statutoryright, the right to vote is also aconstitutional right.

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After taking actions against2,100 registered unrecog-

nised political parties (RUPP),the Election Commission (EC)on Monday delisted 111 RUPPfor flouting rules and foundthem to be "non-existent" dur-ing a verification exerciseaimed at cleaning up the sys-tem.

According to the EC, itsaction came after chief electoralofficers (CEOs) of states hadreported that these "registeredunrecognised political parties"either have been found to be"non-existent" on verificationor the letters issued by author-ities to verify their addressesand communication detailshad been returned as undeliv-ered by the postal department.

Subsequently, the ECdecided to withdraw variousbenefits accorded to these par-ties under the Symbols Order(1968), including allocation ofcommon election symbol.

The sources said the ApnaDesh Party from Sultanpur inUttar Pradesh had two differ-ent persons as president. In theverification format, one nameis mentioned as president, butthe sign was by another person.Quoting details, they said theparty also failed to provide the

mode of donations received byit. Similarly, they cited theexample of the Sardar VallabhBhai Patel Party in Maharashtrawhose balance sheets of twoconsecutive years were notmatching. The party, thesources said citing details onthe website of the CEOMaharashtra, was investing ingold.

The Bharatiya RajnitikVikalp Party received aroundRs 28 crore donations in twoyears, but no annual auditaccounts were available on thewebsite of the CEO Bihar. Forthe Jan Sangharsh Virat Partyin Madhya Pradesh, the audi-tor certified a one-line profitand loss statement without anydetail, they said.

In a statement, the EC saidany registered unrecognisedpolitical party (RUPP) aggriev-ed by the decision canapproach the CEO concernedwithin 30 days along with allevidence of existence, year-wise annual audited accounts,contribution report, expendi-ture report and updated list ofoffice-bearers.

Sources in the EC sharedspecific details of various par-ties that have flouted laws andrules on disclosure of funds anddonations. These details are inpublic domain and are available

on the websites of state chiefelectoral officers. The EC saida reference has also been sentto the Department of Revenuefor necessary legal and crimi-nal actions against three suchparties involved in seriousfinancial impropriety.

A list of RUPPs that havenot submitted their contribu-tion reports in FY 2017-18,2018-19 and 2019-20 has beenshared with the RevenueDepartment for taking all con-sequential action as perRepresentation of the PeopleAct read with the relevant pro-visions of the IT Act 1961, itsaid.

Another list of 66 RUPPswhich have claimed income taxexemption without submittingcontribution reports as man-dated under law has also beenshared with the RevenueDepartment.

There are nearly 2,800 reg-istered unrecognised politicalparties in India. The poll panelhad been pushing the govern-ment to allow it to de-registerpolitical parties. On multipleoccasions, it has written to theLaw Ministry to amend theelection law to give it thepower to de-register so that itcan deter the parties thatindulge in financial and otherirregularities.

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Home Minister Amit Shahon Monday called for

building a robust cyber securitynetwork for the development ofIndia. Addressing a confer-ence on 'cyber safety andnational security', Shah said,"We all know how importantcyber security is and how it cancontribute to the developmentof India. India's progress is notpossible without cyber securi-ty. Cyber security is integral tonational security and the Modigovernment is committed tomaking it robust."

The Home Minister saideveryone knows that the mis-use of cyber space is not newand various kinds of cybercrimes are seen very often thatinclude malware attacks, phish-ing, attacks on critical infra-structure, data theft, onlineeconomic frauds, child pornog-raphy among others. Such

crimes are expected to increasein the coming days, he said.Shah also cited the data on theincreasing number of cybercrimes being reported in thecountry. "In 2012, a total of3,377 cyber crimes were report-ed and it has gone up to 50,000in 2020. The number of cybercrimes which were not report-ed could be in lakhs. We areresolved to create the mostsecured cyber atmosphere inthe world," he said.

Shah pointed out that theMinistry of Home Affairslaunched a cyber crimesreporting portal about threeyears ago and so far, 11 lakh

different kinds of cyber crimeshave been reported there.Besides, he said, there wereover two lakh social mediacomplaints which were regis-tered on the portal.

"This is going to increase inthe coming days, because cur-rently, 80 crore Indians areactive online. This is a big num-ber and as the prices of data godown, there will be moreusers," he said. Shah said theGovernment wants to progressin digitisation but at the sametime, ensure a secured cyberplace in India.

He said Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's vision is tomake every Indian technolog-ically empowered and due todigitisation, there has beenempowerment and technolog-ical advancement. The HomeMinister said because of tech-nology, 130 crore people in thecountry are getting benefitsthrough the Direct BenefitTransfer (DBT) scheme.

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With India reporting morethan 12,000 new Covid-

19 cases for the fifth straightday on Monday, the countrynow has over 76,000 activecases, the latest health bulletinshows.

In the last 24 hours, 12,781cases were registered, accord-ing to the health ministry'sdaily bulletin. Maharashtraremained the major contribu-tor of the surge followed byKerala and Delhi.

India on Monday logged12,781 fresh COVID-19 casesthat pushed its infection tally to4,33,09,473, while the dailypositivity rate went past 4 percent after 130 days, accordingto Union health ministry data.

The death toll climbed to5,24,873 with 18 new fatalities.The number of active casesincreased to 76,700, the dataupdated at 8 am stated. Thedaily positivity rate was record-ed at 4.32 per cent and theweekly positivity rate at 2.62per cent, the ministry said.

The active cases comprise0.18 per cent of the total infec-tions. The national COVID-19recovery rate was recorded at98.61 per cent, it said. Anincrease of 4,226 cases hasbeen recorded in the active

Covid-19 caseload in a span of24 hours. The 18 new fatalitiesinclude 11 from Kerala, threefrom Delhi and one eachfrom Karnataka, Maharashtra,Punjab and West Bengal. Thedaily positivity rate was record-ed at 2.89 per cent and theweekly positivity rate at 2.50per cent, the ministry said.

On the vaccination front,the officials said that India’scumulative Covid-19 vaccinecoverage exceeded 196.18 croreon Monday, with over 3.57crore first doses being admin-istered to the age group of 12-14 years. Over 4.15 crore pre-caution doses have beenadministered so far.

Meanwhile, the officialssaid that the government’s plat-forms for vaccination of chil-dren, organ and blood dona-tion are expected to be ready insix months but data required tobe seeded on these platformsmay take some more time.

Co-WIN chief andNational Health AuthorityCEO R S Sharma told a newsagency that parents of childrenwill need to provide informa-tion related to birth and vacci-nation of children for trackingtheir vaccination schedule andother agencies will also need topopulate their data like vacci-nation centres etc for it to beready for use.

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The EnforcementDirectorate on Monday

questioned Congress leaderRahul Gandhi for over eighthours for the fourth day in con-nection with a money laun-dering case linked to theNational Herald newspaper.The agency has summonedhim again for questioning onTuesday.

A day after his 52nd birth-day, Gandhi arrived at the EDheadquarters here at 11.05 AMwith his "Z+" category CRPFsecurity escort.

A huge contingent of policeand paramilitary personnelwas deployed around theagency’s office even as Section144 of the Code of CriminalProcedure (CrPC) wasimposed in the adjoining arealike last week in the wake of the

Satyagrah call by the Congress.The Congress MP left the EDoffice for over an hour-longbreak after being quizzed forover four hours. He rejoinedthe investigation at around4:45 PM and continued past 9PM. Gandhi, also a formerCongress president and thecurrent MP from Kerala'sWayanad, has spent over 35hours at the ED office duringthese four days, where he wasquestioned over multiple ses-sions and his statement wasrecorded under the Preventionof Money Laundering Act(PMLA).

The fourth day of ques-tioning was deferred from June17 to Monday after Gandhirequested the agency for post-poning it as he wanted to bewith his mother and Congresspresident Sonia Gandhi, who isundergoing treatment at a hos-

pital here for post-Covid issues.The PMLA probe relates to

alleged financial irregularitiesin the Congress-promotedYoung Indian Private Limited,which owns the NationalHerald newspaper.

The ED questioning isbroadly revolving around theincorporation of the YoungIndian Private Limited, opera-tions of the National Herald,the loan given by the party tothe newspaper's publisherAssociated Journals Limited(AJL), and the transfer of fundswithin the news media estab-lishment as also his role in theconnected decision makingwith respect to the media enti-ties promoted by the party, offi-cials said.

He was also quizzed aboutthe assets owned by AJL, thepublisher of the NationalHerald and the questions cover

a period starting from 2011when Young Indian PrivateLtd. was incorporated. Hismother and Congress PresidentSonia Gandhi has also beensummoned by agency for ques-tioning in case on June 23. Therole of Gandhi and his detailedstatement in case is vital as heis a "major shareholder" (38 percent) in Young Indian PrivateLimited and an "importantperson" in affairs of AJL andNational Herald, sources said.

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New Delhi: Union Housingand Urban Affairs MinisterHardeep Singh Puri onMonday launched an "innova-tive project" for skill training ofconstruction workers. The'National Initiative forPromoting Upskilling ofNirman workers' (NIPUN) isan initiative to train over onelakh construction workersthrough fresh skilling andupskilling programmes, andprovides them with workopportunities in foreign coun-tries as well, it said.

The minister also askedprivate sector to be moresocially responsible. Puri saidhe has been emphasizing onboosting skill sets in construc-tion industry on a war footingbut so far "we have not beenable to achieve what shouldhave been done". PNS

New Delhi: Congress presi-dent Sonia Gandhi was dis-charged from the Sir GangaRam Hospital on Mondayevening. She has been advisedto rest at home. Sonia Gandhi,75, was scheduled to appearbefore EnforcementDirectorate (ED) in a moneylaundering case on June 8 buthad sought more time fromthe probe agency in view of herCovid infection.

The agency has issued afresh summons to her forappearance before it on June23 and according to the partysources she will have to seekanother date for appearancedue to ill health. She wasadmitted to hospital on June12, days after she tested posi-tive for Covid-19 on June 2.

"Congress President SoniaGandhi has been dischargedfrom Sir Ganga Ram Hospitaland advised to rest at home,"party general secretary JairamRamesh said.

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Ajoint team of security forceson Monday eliminated

three more terrorists in two dif-ferent operations in Kupwaraand Pulwama districts withoutsuffering any major collateraldamages.

So far seven terrorists havebeen eliminated in the last 24hours taking the total tally ofkilled terrorists to 114 this yearso far. Of these 114 terrorists, 32were foreign terrorists, InspectorGeneral of Police, Kashmirrange Vijay Kumar said whilepatting the back of the securityforces for successfully conduct-ing anti-terrorist operations toensure peaceful conduct of the

Amarnath yatra. According to police, a total

number of fourterrorists,including three foreignterrorists from Pakistan weregunned down in Lolab area ofKupwara, two in Kulgam whileone terrorist was eliminated inPulwama.

These operations werelaunched only after receiving thepin pointed information aboutthe presence of terrorists hidingin the thickly populated/denseforest areas. To prevent loss ofcivilian lives the security forcesdemonstrated utmost restraint

and delayed operations duringthe night keeping their safety inmind. These men in uniformalso risked their lives to evacu-ate innocent civilians strandedin the line of fire.

To ensure peaceful con-duct of the yatra, the UnionHome Ministry had alreadydeputed around 350 companiesof the para military forces toplug the gaps in the three tiersecurity ring in and aroundyatri niwas, base camps alongtwo different routes of Pahalgamand Baltal, shelter points, com-munity centres, yatra trek etc.

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With the flood situation inAssam remaining critical

on Monday and affecting apopulation of nearly 43 lakh in33 of its 35 districts, ChiefMinister Himanta Biswa Sarmadirected air dropping of foodand other relief materials inareas where there is heavyinundation, officials said.

Sarma gave the directionafter a review meeting with hisCabinet colleagues and seniordistrict officers during the day.

The toll in the ongoingflood and landslides in thestate increased to 73 onMonday. The dead includedtwo policemen, including anofficer in-charge of a police sta-tion in Nagaon district whohad gone to help maroonedpeople but were swept away.Their bodies were fished out inthe early hours of Monday, offi-cials said.

Sarma, who held a virtualmeeting with his ministers,senior state government offi-cials and deputy commission-ers, directed that top prioritymust be given to relief and res-cue operations and thereshould be no delay citing pro-cedural rules.

''Airdropping of relief

materials must be done inareas where there is heavyflooding and army, NDRF orSDRF boats have not beenable to reach'', he said.

The chief minister saidthat for the next few days thedistrict officials should notconcern themselves with pro-cedural rules but concentrateon providing relief to the affect-ed people.

''If certain areas are notcovered in the relief manual, wewill ensure that they are cov-ered under State OwnedPriority Development schemesand CM's Relief Fund''.

He directed deputy com-missioners to keep ready stat-ic teams of the health depart-ment and ensure daily visits ofdoctors to relief camps set upfor the f lood affected.Ambulances should be kept onthe standby to shift patientswho are in serious condition tonearby hospitals.

Night shifts must be aug-

mented in all district hospitalsand special care must be takenof senior citizens, women andchildren, he said.

Sarma directed the author-ities to plan circle-wise megahealth camps with the help ofthe nine medical colleges in thestate to ensure that post-flooddiseases are effectively dealtwith. He also directed thedeputy commissioners of thedistricts to start immediate

assessment of damages as soonas the flood waters begin torecede and complete the workat the earliest.

All guardian ministers andsecretaries, except thoserequired for urgent flood relat-ed work at the state secretari-at, should be in their respectivedistrict headquarters to overseeflood relief work, he added.

The state has been reelingunder devastating floods for

the past one week with 127 rev-enue circles and 5,137 villagesaffected in 33 districts, accord-ing to a bulletin of the AssamState Disaster ManagementAuthority (ASDMA).

Nearly 1.90 lakh peoplehave taken shelter in 744 reliefcamps. Relief materials havebeen distributed from 403temporary centres to affectedpeople who have not movedinto the camps.

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Intensifying their 38 day longagitation in support of their

one point demand of 'relocationto safer areas', outside theKashmir valley, KashmiriPandit employees on Mondaywarned the Union governmentif they will not fulfil their gen-uine demand they willapproach international humanrights organisations for asylum.

"We are not going tobecome scapegoats. We aredetermined to fight for ourrights and we appeal to the gov-ernment of India to review thepolicy under which kashmirimigrants were recruited anddeployed in different parts ofthe Kashmir valley", protestingemployees said in one voice.

These migrant employees,recruited under PM Package,have been sitting on protestdharna since May 12 -the dayrevenue department employeeRahul Bhat was shot dead

inside his office in Chadooratehsil of Budgam district.Killing of another lady teacherRajni Bala, a Scheduled casteemployee hailing from theSamba district of Jammu divi-sion forced them to intensifytheir agitation in support oftheir demand.

On the occasion ofInternational Refugee day, thesemigrant employees made a des-perate bid to wake up theUnion Territory administra-tion from their deep slumber.The migrant employees claimedafter holding only one meetingno one from the UT adminis-tration approached us to resolvethe issue at hand. We want toresolve the issue amicably inconsultation with the UTadministration but after hold-ing only one meeting with theLG Manoj Sinha we have notbeen approached by them to sitacross the table and discuss thematter.

"LG Manoj Sinha had him-

self promised to keep the doorsof dialogue open with theminority employees. But thesedoors have been shut. Issuescannot be resolved in one meet-ing. We are willing to take 10steps but let the government atleast take two", Sanjay Kaul, aleader of the All MinorityEmployees AssociationKashmir (AMEAK), toldreporters at SheikhporaMigrant colony in Budgam.Representatives from Vessu,Mattan and Baramulla alsoattended the protest demon-stration.

"We demand that our elect-ed government relocate andattach us with the office ofRelief Commissioner Jammutill the situation in Kashmirimproves ''

He said if the governmentfailed to address their demandfor relocation, the employeeswill be forced to appeal to theinternational community andhuman rights organisations to

come to their aid.Right now we have hopes

with our elected government. Ifit fails in ensuring our safety,which can only be achieved byrelocating us, we will be forcedto appeal for asylum, Kaul said.

Asked if the employees willresign from the service if thegovernment did not agree totheir demand for relocation,Kaul said, We will announceour future action in due courseof time.

For the time being, we areorganising protests fromKashmir to Kanyakumari.

Kaul claimed that 70 percent of the 4,800 PM Packageemployees have fled Kashmirsince Bhat’s killing.

The government claims onproviding accommodation tominority employees are all lies.Only 1,200 employees havebeen provided accommoda-tion while the rest are living inrented accommodations, heclaimed.

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Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee on

Monday broke her silenceagainst Centre’s Agnipathscheme wondering why anemployment programmemeant for the Defence Ministryneeded to be announced by theHome Minister.

The Chief Minister whilespeaking inside the BengalAssembly said referring to astatement made by saffronleader Kaliash Vijaybargiyathat “the BJP is trying to cre-ate its own armed cadre basethrough this scheme” adding“this job is for four years …what will happen next thesetrained youth with license touse guns … what will they dowith this training … it is clearthat the BJP is trying to createits own armed cadres.”

Asking “why where ascheme meant for the DefenceMinistry was announced by the

Home Ministry Banerjee said,”the entire scheme was plannedwith an eye on the 2024 elec-tions. Saying that the schemewas nothing more than a “four-year lollipop given to the coun-try’s youth” before leaving themto fend for themselves Banerjeesaid “this is nothing but aninsult to the armed forces of thecountry.”

Her nephew and party gen-eral secretary AbhishekBanerjee too came down heav-ily on the saffron governmentfor promising 2 crore yearlyjobs but coming out with a “bigbluff ” for the country’s youth.

Attacking the top saffronleadership the DiamondHarbour MP said “BJP leaders’sons would become the secre-tary of the BCCI, some otherleaders’ (read Vijabargiya) sonswould become MLAs and beatup public servants in publicand the sons of poorer peoplewill work as security guards atthe BJP offices freely trained by

the Army.” Wondering whyVijabargiya was not expelledfrom the party for suggestingthat the retired Agniveerswould be employed as securi-ty guards in BJP offices thejunior Banerjee said “had itbeen any Trinamool Congressleader we would have imme-diately expelled him for insult-ing the armed forces like this.”

Saying that each and everyscheme launched by theNarendra Modi was unplannedso as to bring hardship for thepeople he said “from

Notebandi (demonetiza-tion) to GST to farmers’ billand now to this one whateverthe BJP has done has led toproblems for the people ingeneral.”

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BJP leader Nupur Sharmaaccused of making alleged-

ly objectionable remarksagainst Prophet Muhammadon Monday sought four week’stime to appear from theNarkeldanga Police Station inKolkata.

An FIR was earlier filedagainst her at the NarkeldangaPolice Station in North Kolkata.Sharma was earlier suspendedfrom her party for her remarksin a television channel.

Sharma wrote in her e-mailto the Kolkata Police that shewas apprehending threats toher life and hence wouldrequire some time --- in thiscase four weeks --- to respondto the summons of the

Narkeldanga Police station.Another FIR was also filed atan East Midnapore police sta-tion sources said.

Large parts of Bengal hadwitnessed massive protests afterSharma’s comments went viral.Thousands of people protestersjammed roads leading in andout of Kolkata. Trains wereattacked in Nadia district whilepublic properties too weredestroyed.

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Amidst tight securityarrangements and high

alert, the Bharat Bandh callgiven in protest against thelaunch of Agnipath system forarmy recruitment passed offpeacefully in Uttar Pradeshwith only some rail passengersbearing the brunt due to can-cellation of trains.

In the National CapitalRegion, some traffic snarlswere witnessed due to strictchecking in the wake of thebandh call on Monday morn-ing.

The police increasedchecking on the Delhi-UP bor-der, due to which there was atraffic jam on the Chilla border.

Reports said that in protestagainst the Agnipath scheme,the youth had given a call forBharat Bandh on Monday.During this, the Uttar PradeshPolice remained on high alertin view of the possibility offierce demonstrations.

The Railways also can-celled many trains due to whichthe passengers suffered at therailway stations in UP. TheIndian Railways cancelled 181mail express and 348 passengertrains across the country.According to the NorthernRailway, 31 trains arriving atvarious railway stations inDelhi and Ghaziabad werecancelled.

Police and the GovernmentRailway Police increased vigilin Chief Minister YogiAdityanath's home districtGorakhpur. Railway ProtectionForce Inspector-General TariqAhmed said that GRP, RPF,civil police were deployed forthe security of railway stationsand railway property.

He appealed to the youthnot to fall prey to anti-socialelements. On the problemsbeing faced by the passengersdue to cancellation of trains, IGTariq Ahmed said that timelyannouncements were maderegarding the movement and

cancellation of trains.In view of the Bharat

Bandh, the UP Police tightenedsecurity in the border areas.Prohibitory orders underSection 144 of the CriminalProcedure Code were enforcedin Gautam Buddha Nagar. Dueto this, there was heavy trafficjam on the Chilla border of theNoida-Delhi link road.

ADCP Ranvijay Singh saidthat the police had manyinstructions and inputs regard-ing the bandh due to which aclose watch was kept on pub-lic transport. He said that thepolice were checking the bor-der to ensure that no protest-ers passed through there. Thepolice officers of UP coordi-nated with the Delhi Police.

Heavy security arrange-ments also remained in place at

all important railway stations.Intensive checking was madefor the security of the railwaystation and the ID cards andluggage of the passengers werealso checked at several places.

Meanwhile, Deputy ChiefMinister Keshav PrasadMaurya, on Monday, said thatthe bandh would not be suc-cessful, adding that youngsterswere already aware that it wasa conspiracy by a few politicalparties.

The UP deputy chief min-ister said the youngsters knowthat the opposition to Agnipathwas a conspiracy hatched bysome political parties. Heappealed to the youngsters tonot get involved in protests andvandalism. “Most gettingcaught belong to political par-ties," he said.

Speaking to the media,UP's Additional DirectorGeneral (Law and Order)Prashant Kumar said in view ofthe police deployment, theBharat Bandh call had negligi-ble impact in UP.

"It was fine as long as stu-dents were there in the protestsover the Agnipath scheme, butlater anti-social and politicalelements got involved in it.Now, it is not being looked atsensitively. Anybody found tobe spreading misinformationover the scheme, and promot-ing violence is being dealt withstrictly, and is being arrested,"he added.

The ADG confirmed thatno untoward incident wasreported in the state till filingthis report. He said that allthose responsible for violence

so far were being dealt withstrict hands and cases werealready registered against themin several districts across UP.

So far, 39 cases have beenregistered in UP, in which atotal of 475 people have beenarrested, sources confirmed.

Despite the governmentallaying all fears concerning theAgnipath scheme, widespreadmisinformed and aggressiveprotests were witnessed acrossstates, with youth demandinga complete rollback of thearmy recruitment scheme.Incidents of violence, vandal-ism, torching of railway trains,stone-pelting, and attacks onpolice personnel were seen inseveral parts of Bihar, UttarPradesh, Haryana andTelangana. Many army aspi-rants are unhappy with thechanges introduced under thenew recruitment scheme, par-ticularly the length of service,lack of pension provisions andthe age restriction that makesmany of them ineligible.

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After being denied a friend-ship request on Facebook,

an upset youth brutallyattacked a minor girl and hermother who came to herdaughter’s rescue.

The sensational incidenttook place in Mathura wherethe girl died in the attack whileher mother is battling for herlife.

Fearing being nabbed bythe locals, the accused tried tocommit suicide by stabbinghimself also. He too was admit-ted to a hospital.

“A youth in Mathuraallegedly killed a 16-year-old

girl and injured her motherafter the teenager did notaccept his friendship request onFacebook,” police said onMonday.

The accused, Ravi, is aresident of Muzaffarnagar,Superintendent of Police (City)Martand Prakash Singh said.

The incident took place inNagla Bohra village of Mathuraunder Highway police stationlate on Sunday when Ravicame over to the girl’s housewith a wedding card. As the girlwalked towards Ravi to collectit, he allegedly stabbed her, theSP said.

When her mother Sunitacame to rescue her, the youth

attacked her as well, the officeradded.

Later, the youth tried to killhimself with the knife, the SPsaid.

In his complaint, Tejveeralleged that Ravi killed hisdaughter as she did not accepthis friendship request onFacebook.

Sunita and Ravi are under-going treatment, according toCircle Officer DharmendraChauhan.

Station House Officer(SHO) Ajay Kaushal said a casewas registered based on a com-plaint by the girl's father TejveerSingh, who is a security per-sonnel at a Faridabad factory.

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Social organisation BahujanBharat has termed the inci-

dents of refusing to take foodfrom a Dalit delivery boy aswell as abusive behaviourwith him as serious andshameful act and demandedstrict action against the cul-prit.

The president of theorganisation and former IASofficer Kunwar Fateh Bahadursaid that the Governmentshould strictly deal with thosewho commit such acts.

He said that despite thedelivery boy filing an FIRagainst the accused no onehad been arrested so far.

“It seems that the policeand administration arerefraining from taking actionagainst those who harassDalits and make obscene andindecent remarks againstDalit women,” he said.

Bahadur said that if Dalitswere being humiliated in thestate capital, one could under-stand what was happening inthe rural areas of the state.

He even questioned whythe Government’s “high-octane bulldozer” had so farnot demolished the house ofthe accused.

“Police had gone to thehouse of the accused inAshiyana but did not arrestthe guilty,” he said.

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�� Sir — In spite of widespread protestsagainst the Agnipath scheme, it seems theCentre is stuck upon not rolling it back.The three service chiefs and PM NarendraModi, with no direct reference to thescheme, said it is India’s ‘misfortune’ thatgood intentions get trapped in politics.Almost 90 per cent of defence job aspi-rants participated in agitations against thescheme. It is ridiculous to note that Lt GenAnil Puri, the additional secretary in theDepartment of Military Affairs, said thatall those who want to become part of thearmed forces under the Agnipath schemewill have to give a certificate that they werenot part of any protest.

Even the comments made by UnionTourism Minister G Kishan Reddy andBJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya display apoor mindset. Reddy says that thoseselected as Agniveers would be impart-ed the skills of drivers, washermen, bar-bers, electricians and other professionals.Vijayvargiya offered to hire Agniveers athis party’s office as security guards. Theyouth work hard because they want toserve the country for by joining the Army,not because they want to be appointed asguards outside the BJP office.

Zakir Hussain | Kazipet

�� Sir — The airports in India are facing theproblem of bird hit as there are a num-ber of abattoirs near their vicinity andthere is a threat to flight operations. Thesituation is turning worse. The Spicejetaircraft took off from the Patna airportwhen the engine was hit by a bird and thepeople, seeing the plane in flames, report-ed the matter to the airport authorities andthat helped take timely action. Thankfully,all the 185 fliers were safe as the planereturned to the airport with all securitymeasures in place.

The aircraft landed safely in Patna andthe passengers safely deboarded. Post-flight inspection showed a bird hit withthree damaged fan blades. Fortunately,

timely action was taken to avoid a majortragedy. Fire engines were deployed at theairstrip where the emergency landing wasmade though the flames had, by then,come under control. The Patna airauthorities should ensure strict action andsee that the presence of abattoirs causingdangerous situations and the danger incausing human deaths due to planecrash at landing or takeoff is avoided. Itis time to address the pathetic position ofairports on priority basis.

CK Subramaniam | Navi Mumbai

�� Sir — India hosted the Chess Olympiadfor the first time and in Asia after 30 years,which has been organised since 1927. Inreality, Russia’s loss has been India’s gain.Chess has always been seen as an analo-gy for war, but a real war, Russia’s invasionof Ukraine, has sent the entire chess worldinto turmoil. Due to this war, theInternational Chess Federation (FIDE)revoked Russia’s rights to host the 2022

Chess Olympiad as well as the 93rd FIDECongress, while Russia and Belarus havealso been suspended from playing in thetournament.

With 188 registered countries, Indiais set to witness a huge congregation ofnations for a sporting event for the firsttime. To make India’s Chess Olympiadmemorable, FIDE introduced anOlympic-style torch relay tradition forits Olympiad from this year and namedIndia as the starting flame point. FIDEPresident Arkady Dvorkovich handedover the torch to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, who gave it to five-time world champion ViswanathanAnand and flagged off the first ever-torch relay for the Chess Olympiadahead of the 44th edition, and made aceremonial move on the chessboardagainst woman Grandmaster KneruHumpy.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee | Faridabad

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Radical Bosnian Croatpolitical forces attempted thesame, but under US pressurein 1994 allied with Bosniaks(Bosnian Muslims) and creat-ed the Federation of Bosniaand Herzegovina. After muchfighting and political mas-querading, Serb forcesadvanced and took control ofmajor portions of the country.The coalition fought back, asa result thousands — Serbs,Bosniaks and Croats, wereforced to leave homes. TV, anew medium in the 90s inBosnia, was harnessed tospread hate propaganda. It isduring the fighting years, theUN decided to create UN safezones — the first time ever! —in vulnerable pockets to pre-vent genocides. Dutch peace-keepers were protectingSrebrenica near the Serbianborder. The UN military offi-cials guaranteed safety to peo-ple of Srebrenica, who hadnow doubled to over 60,000due to the ongoing ethnicviolence. Now Serb forcesclaimed that the UN safe areawas being used to carry outattacks on nearby Serb villageand Ratko Mladic reacted bypersonally leading the assaulton the UN safe zone. First,Serbs stopped all supplies,starving not only the peoplebut the UN peacekeepers of

food and medicines.As the crisis aggravated,

supplies had to be airdroppedin mountains. Desperate res-idents risked their lives every-day just to get flour or sugar.Then Mladic’s troops usedYugoslav armies’ Russian tanksand artillery to shell UN postsin Srebrenica and finallymoved in to capture the UNstronghold. Despite Srebrenica’sUN commander’s repeatedrequest for air support againstheavy tanks, the UN highcommand did nothing. Withthe UN stronghold overrunand looted, peacekeepers heldhostage, residents of Srebrenicawere now at the mercy ofMladic’s troops. AndSrebrenica was lost without abullet being fired by the Dutchpeacekeepers in its defence.

After nights of plundering,rapes and murder, womenand children (12 and below)were separated from the men.The women and children weresent to inhumane prisoncamps and the men werestarved and shot! ReportedlySerb platoons were doingseven-hour shifts shootingblindfolded, unarmedMuslims. Serb resisters weretreated as Muslims sympathis-ers and shot, too. Thousandswere killed within days andburied in mass graves. The

world watched and Srebrenicawas uprooted forever.

Later, the InternationalCriminal Tribunal forYugoslavia (ICTY) accusedand sentenced Mladic andKaradzic for war crimes,genocide included. Miloševicwas the first head of Stateaccused of war crimes afterWWII. He died during thetrial.

Although ICTY has endedits ad hoc mandate recently,denial of genocide committedin Srebrenica became part ofpolitical “games” not only inBalkans but other pro-ultranationalist circles. The con-scious forgetting of the geno-cide indicates that the lastphase of genocide is com-plete. Srebrenica today hasalmost no Muslims, and it’spart of the Serb-majorityRepublika Srpska — Serbrepublic within Bosnia andHerzegovina. Most of Muslimslie dead, some in the gravesand others numb with painand indignation, perhaps ques-tioning how many more inno-cent lives be lost before justiceis delivered.

(The author writes on agri-culture and environment, andis a former Director — Policy& Outreach, National SeedAssociation of India. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

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As July 11 passes, myheart bleeds forSrebrenica. I rememberthe attack on the UN-

protected safe area at Srebrenicaand the genocide that followed;an act so egregious that even thetwo international tribunals at TheHague shivered at the evidenceof butchering of people. Imaginean entire civilian population,first starved, raped and finallymassacred for revenge. Peoplehigh on hate killed other people,political experts are quick to callthe victims — Muslims and theaggressors — Serbs, but myheart tells me that the real victimwas humanity, and the winnerwas greed. Allow me to narratea genocide that happenedbetween July 11 and 22, 1995, innewly independent Bosnia andHerzegovina. This is story ofSrebrenica — Silver Town.

Now Srebrenica is an oldmining town, where silver andother metals were mined sinceRoman times. Over time, itchanged political overlords, butthe life of people remained con-stant. They lived a hard moun-tainous mining town life as theirancestors had. But trouble start-ed brewing with breakup of for-mer Yugoslavia. After the 1990s,as a socialist country non-alignedcountry in the new unipolarworld, her days were numbered.Marshall Tito’s death in 1980 hadYugoslavia practically leaderless,and its federal “socialism” wasthreatened by new radical ethno-nationalism. 1992 to 1995 werethe bloodshed years which beganwhen Croatia and Slovenia —two most developed republicswithin Yugoslavia — seceded perthe Yugoslavian Constitution,but Yugoslav army troops weresent in. After an armed resis-tance, Croatia and Sloveniareminded sovereign. But by theninsurgency spread to Bosnia.The Serbian and Bosnian Serbsleadership led by SlobodanMiloševic (Serbia) and RadovanKarad�ic was supported byYugoslav army from Belgradeand its proxy in Bosnia andHerzegovina Army of RepublikaSrpska (VRS) of Ratko Mladic tocarve out another Serb republic,perhaps to complete the mythi-cal ‘Greater Serbia’ destiny.

evident from some countries insist-ing on ‘safeguards’ and ‘transparen-cy’ obligations after it invoked thepeace clause in 2018-19.

Against this backdrop, India waslooking for a “permanent solution.”It had asked for “total exemption forsupport to PSH for food security.”Alternatively, it sought to rework theformula for computation of theAMS by removing flaws under theAoA. The flaws include (i) takingERP for the year 1986-88; (ii) notexcluding subsidies given to theresource-poor farmers; (iii) using theentire output instead of quantity pro-cured for PSH.

These flaws “artificially” inflatethe AMS thereby pushing Indiansubsidy beyond the 10 per centthreshold, hence vulnerable toviolation of its obligations underthe WTO.

Despite its overwhelmingimportance to India and otherdeveloping countries, the issue wasnot even put on the table (it has beendeferred to the next ministerial).Meanwhile, the MC-12 decidedagainst any export restrictions onWorld Food Programme (WFP)purchases for food security in othercountries. For India, the only savinggrace is that it may restrict exportsfor “domestic food security.”

The second major issue wasIndia’s demand of Trade-RelatedAspects of Intellectual PropertyRights (TRIPS) waivers for allCovid-related therapeutics and diag-nostics, besides vaccines. Againstthis, the MC-12 has granted apatent waiver (albeit ‘temporary’ and‘limited’) only for Covid-19 vaccineswhich will allow India to authoriseproduction of patented vaccineswithout taking consent of the patentholder for domestic requirementsand exports.

War against the Covid pandem-

ic has to embrace all the three crit-ical dimensions—testing, tracking,and treatment. Apart from the vac-cine, diagnostics and therapeuticstoo need to be supplied at affordablerates.

To say “A decision on thesewould be taken in six months” is nei-ther here nor there.

Even for the vaccines patentwaiver, putting a time limit of fiveyears is too restrictive consideringthat Covid- 19 is here to stay anda host of new variants popping upevery now and then, and even theWorld Health Organization(WHO) cautioning people againstoccurrence of the pandemic everysix months.

As for the third issue on fish-eries subsidies, in sync with theprinciples of “polluter pays” and“common but differentiated respon-sibilities,” India had proposed thatdeveloped countries abolish theirsubsidies over the next 25 years evenwhile exempting developing coun-tries from over-fishing subsidy pro-hibition within these 25 years.

The MC-12 has decided that “nosubsidies will be given for fishing inareas outside EEZ (exclusive eco-nomic zone) or RFMOs (regionalfisheries management organiza-tion); these are inter-governmentalorganizations having competence toadopt legally binding conserva-tion/management measures regard-ing fisheries especially in the highseas as set out in the 1982 UN Lawof the Sea Convention and describedfurther in the 1995 UN Fish StocksAgreement).”

It has also agreed to check ille-gal, unreported and unregulated(IUU) fishing and mooted “verystrict controls” on overfishing so thatfish stocks are restored.

This is a path-breaking decisionthat should help in curbing fishing

(rather over-fishing) by big playersin the deep ocean. However, itwould have been better if time lineswere agreed upon for abolishingsuch subsidies and mechanismslaid down for its enforcement andmonitoring.

These decisions don’t impact us,as the curbs are only on subsidies forIUU fishing and fishing outside EEZor RFMOs, and India does notindulge in any such activities.

The fourth issue pertains to themoratorium on customs duty on e-commerce. The developed coun-tries have been the prime beneficia-ries of this arrangement in voguesince 1998. India was keen that itshould go as developing countriesare losing billions of dollars induties foregone. Yet, it was decid-ed to extend the moratorium till thenext MC-13 or March 2024,whichever is earlier.

India could have used it as a bar-gaining chip to make developedcountries agree to a ‘permanent solu-tion to the PSH program for foodsecurity.’

Here, it may be worth recalling:In the WTO-General Council (GC)meeting in Geneva (July 31, 2014),India had insisted on a time boundaction plan to find a permanentsolution on food security to be exe-cuted before end of 2014 co-termi-nus with approval of TradeFacilitation Agreement (TFA)—an area of great interest to devel-oped countries. But it let thisopportunity go in December 2014.At the WTO, India has missed thebus yet again.

To conclude, at MC-12, it isadvantage developed countries allthe way, though India was able toavoid further harm to its interests,courtesy deft handling of the issuesby the Indian team led byCommerce Minister Piyush Goyal.

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(www.uttamgupta.com)

The government’s recentlyannounced Agnipathscheme for recruitment of

youth in the three wings of mil-itary—the Army, the Air Forceand the Navy—has been metwith violent agitation in manyparts of the country.

The scheme, ‘a tour of duty,’usually is a period spent by sol-diers in combat or in a hostileenvironment. This scheme pre-cisely provides this opportuni-ty to the patriotic and motivat-ed youth to serve the defenceforces. Many countries allowtheir youthsto serve for a fewyears in the Army which bringsa feeling of patriotic fervouramong them. It also createsreserve combatants at the timeof emergency.

In India, the governmentallows a 10-year service, with anoption of a four-year extension,

as commissioned officersthrough the short-service com-mission. Previously—during1948, 1962 and 1965—officerswere recruited under theEmergency Commission tomeet the shortage.

The Agnipath scheme is asimilar scheme for the non-offi-cer cadre with the difference thatit would be the only way to enterthree Indian defence forces. Ifimplemented properly basedon merit and transparency, it willbe one of the most forward-looking revolutionary stepstaken by the government post-Independence for the moderni-sation of the defence forces.

The scheme will make theIndian military younger: theaverage age of soldiers, which is32 years now, will be reduced to26 year in due course. This willalso reduce other expenditures

which can be diverted to mod-ernise and make them techno-logically equipped to fight mod-ern wars, while promotingyoungsters to join armed forcesfor a short period.

The question is: why hasthe scheme become politicised?Youths have taken to the streets,with many indulging in vio-lence and arson. There areinstitutions and forums toexpress dissent but of late hooli-ganism and road blockageshave become the norm. Most of

the time, such stirs are takenover by external as well asinternal anti-national forces.Such protests cause immensehardship for the people.

The government to a certainextent must share the blame.Howsoever good a scheme maybe, it must be introduced afterwide consultations with thestakeholders. Especially afterthe experience of farmers’ agi-tation, one would have thoughtthat the government wouldlearn this lesson; for good lawshad to be rolled back by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi.

For the Agnipath schemethe Ministry of Defence shouldhave invited public commentsand then announced it ratherthan the government now say-ing 10 per cent vacancies inCentral police organisationswill be reserved for Agniveers

and also increased the upperage to 23.

A few anti-social elementsbacked by frustrated leaders arewaiting to cash in on suchopportunities, as they knowthey can force a rollback and thepolice cannot take strong actioneven if they indulge in arson andviolence.

As a student of resourcemanagement, this writer wouldlike to suggest the PrimeMinister and the DefenceMinister that the concept ofAgnipath is definitely a revolu-tionary one which needs to beintroduced in a gradual manner.We must also be aware aboutour socio-economic conditions.

Further, there is the possi-bility of the militarisation ofyouth. Some thought should goto a difficult question: what willhappen if the energies of the

youth, with four years of mili-tary training, are not chan-nelised carefully after theirreturn from the Army.

The government shouldcontinue to fill up at least 50 percent posts in technical wings fora few years directly on a regularbasis till the efficacy of Agnipathis ensured. Second, there is noprovision for Gorkhas of Nepalwho are a very vital part of theIndian Army and a shiningexample of Indo-Nepal ties.

Third, the caste, religion andregion-wise constitutions of reg-iments must not be abandonedas it has been a big motivation-al factor. Fourth, it should bepossible to have a provision offour years’ extension for theAgniveers without any pensionliability. Fifth, the governmentmust suitably enhance itsmonthly contribution, allow

dearness allowance and give agratuity of 10 lakh in addition towhat has been promised.

Sixth, the insurance cover of�44 lakh for a young Agniveeris on a lower side. It should beat least �1 crore.

Last but not the least, theverbal and executive instructionsare pooh-poohed by politicalleaders and bureaucracy.Therefore, some percentage ofposts in police and other uni-formed services, both underthe Central as well as in statesand also in private sector shouldbe reserved for eligibleAgniveers by an Act ofParliament. If these suggestionsare considered, the scheme maywell change the future of Indiandefence forces as well as themindset of our youth.

After all, change is a mustand it is inevitable.

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Environment

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��/�*/ /�21� At the World Trade Organization(WTO), even as all decisions aretaken by consensus and everymember country has equal voice,

when it comes to actual confabulations, thereare glaring inequalities. The developedcountries—the US, the European Union, theUK, Australia, etc.—exercise disproportion-ately greater influence. They set the agen-da of meetings, and get away with what theywant even as developing countries aremade to concur.

The outcome of the just concluded 12thMinisterial Conference (MC12) at theWTO headquarters in Geneva (June 12-17) is broadly in sync with this trend seenin the past.

For India, the most crucial area was ‘apermanent solution to the public stock-holding (PSH) program for food security.’Under this program, government agencieslike Food Corporation of India (FCI) buyagri-produce such as wheat, rice/paddy, andcoarse cereals from farmers at the mini-mum support price (MSP) and distributeit at a subsidised price of Rs 1/2/3 per kgto meet the needs of India’s poor and vul-nerable population.

The excess of MSP plus handling, stor-age and distribution cost over the realisa-tion from sale (that is, Rs 1/2/3 per kg) ispaid as subsidy from the Union Budget.This includes (a) subsidy to the farmer,being the excess of MSP of, say, rice overits international price also known asExternal Reference Price (ERP) in WTOparlance and (b) subsidy to the food con-sumer, being the excess of ERP over theprice paid (Rs 3 per kg rice).

The WTO is concerned with (a) brand-ed as “product-specific” subsidies. It is alsoconcerned with subsidies on agriculturalinputs like fertilizers, seed, irrigation, power,etc., referred to as “non-product specific”subsidies.

Under the Agreement on Agriculture(AoA) of the WTO, the sum total of prod-uct and non-product specific subsidies oraggregate measurement support (AMS) iscapped at 10 per cent of the value of agri-cultural production for a developing coun-try. If a member country gives AMS inexcess of 10 per cent, it is a violation.

At present, India enjoys protectionunder a “peace clause” which was sanctionedin the 9th MC held in Bali (2013). It said“if a developing country gives AMS in excessof 10 per cent, no member will challenge thisuntil 2017, when the WTO would look fora permanent solution.”

In the General Council (GC) held inDecember 2014, this sanction was modifiedto say “the peace clause will stay till a per-manent solution was found.”

However, the peace clause comes withseveral riders, such as submission of data onfood procurement, stockholding, distribu-tion and subsidies.

These also include establishing that sub-sidies are not “trade distorting.”

This makes India vulnerable which is

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Russia's military machinepersevered in its fero-cious effort to grind down

Ukraine's defences on Monday,as the war's consequences forfood and fuel supplies increas-ingly weighed on minds aroundthe globe after warnings that thefighting could go on for years.

In Ukraine's easternLuhansk region, which in recentweeks has become the focalpoint of Moscow's attempt toimpose its will on its neighbour,battles raged for the control ofmultiple villages, the local gov-ernor said.

The villages are aroundSievierodonetsk andLysychansk, two cities in theLuhansk region yet to be cap-tured by the Russians, accord-ing to Luhansk governor SerhiyHaidai.

Russian shelling andairstrikes on the industrial out-skirts of Sievierodonetsk haveintensified, he said.

Haidai told The AssociatedPress on Monday that the situ-ation in Sievierodonetsk was"very difficult," with theUkrainian forces maintainingcontrol over just one area - theAzot chemical plant, where anumber of Ukrainian fighters,along with about 500 civilians,are taking shelter.

The Russians keep deploy-ing additional troops and equip-ment in the area, he said.

"It's just hell there.

Everything is engulfed in fire,the shelling doesn't stop even foran hour," Haidai said in writtencomments.

Only a fraction of 100,000people who used to live inSievierodonetsk before the warremain in the city, with no elec-tricity, communications, food ormedicine.

Even so, Haidai said, thestaunch Ukrainian resistance ispreventing Moscow fromdeploying its resources to otherparts of the country.

The British defence min-istry noted that the war is not

going all Russia's way, despite itssuperior military assets.

Russian ground troops are"exhausted", the defence min-istry said in an intelligencereport on Monday. It blamedpoor air support for Russia's dif-ficulty in making swifterprogress on the ground.

Across the world, driversare rethinking their habits andpersonal finances amid surgingprices for gasoline and diesel,fuelled by Russia's war inUkraine as well as the globalrebound from the COVID-19pandemic.

Energy prices are a keydriver of inflation that is risingworldwide and making the costof living more expensive.

The European Union's topdiplomats gathered inLuxembourg on Monday fortalks focused on Ukraine andfood security.

EU foreign policy chiefJosep Borrell called on Russia tolift its blockades of Ukrainianports to help deliver the millionsof tons of grain waiting to beexported.

"I hope - more than hope,I am sure - that the UN will at

the end reach an agreement,"Borrell said.

"It is unconceivable, onecannot imagine that millions oftons of wheat remain blocked inUkraine while in the rest of theworld, people are suffering(from) hunger. This is a real warcrime ... You cannot use thehunger of people as a weapon ofwar."

Financial help for childrendisplaced by the war in Ukrainewas due to come from anunlikely quarter later Monday,when Russian journalist DmitryMuratov looked to auction offhis Nobel Peace Prize medal inNew York.

Muratov was awarded thegold medal in October 2021. Hehelped found the independentRussian newspaper NovayaGazeta and was the publication'seditor-in-chief when it shutdown in March amid theKremlin's clampdown on jour-nalists and public dissent in thewake of Russia's invasion ofUkraine.

Muratov had alreadyannounced he was donating tocharity the USD 500,000 cashaward that came with the prize.The proceeds will go directly toUNICEF in its efforts to helpchildren displaced by the war inUkraine.

In other developments onMonday, a Russian governorsaid Ukrainian shelling of aRussian village near the borderwith Ukraine wounded oneperson. A power station was hit,

leaving parts of the village with-out electricity, according toAlexander Bogomaz, governorof the Bryansk region.

The Russian military said ithit an airfield in Ukraine'ssouthern Odesa region with amissile, destroying twoBayraktar drones and a dronecontrol station.

Defence Ministryspokesman Igor Konashenkovsaid a high-precision Oniksmissile hit an Artsyz airfield onthe Odesa region.

Earlier on Monday, theUkrainian military said its airdefence system deterred twoairstrikes on the Odesa region,destroying the incoming mis-siles. The contradicting reportscouldn't be immediately recon-ciled.

Russia's governor of Crimeasaid "enemy units" struckdrilling rigs operating off thepeninsula, which Russiaannexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Sergei Aksyonov said 12people had been on the plat-forms at the time. Five were res-cued and three were injured, hesaid in a brief statement onsocial media. It wasn't imme-diately clear what happened tothe other four people.

He didn't say how thereported strike was conductedor how many rigs were affect-ed. It also wasn't clear whetherthe platforms were drilling foroil or gas. There was no imme-diate comment from theUkrainian government.

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Ukraine will continue fight-ing against Russia even if it

has no weapons whatsoever, sothe West should speed up itsshipments of arms or be respon-sible for the deaths of its troops,Foreign Minister Dmitry Kulebasaid.

"If we don't get weapons,fine. Then we will fight withshovels. But we will keep defend-ing ourselves because this is awar for our existence," Kulebawas quoted as saying in aninterview with German publicbroadcaster ARD.

"The sooner we get theweapons, the sooner they aresent, the more good they will dous. If they come late, we will stillthank you, but then there will bea lot of waste, and many peoplewill have died by then," headded.

He made the remarks dur-ing a panel discussion, RTreported.

The list of guests on the

show also included the Presidentof the European CommissionUrsula von der Leyen and sev-eral German politicians andpolitical experts.

Kuleba said that Russianartillery outgunned Ukraine'sin Donbas 15 to 1, echoingstatements that several seniorUkrainian officials have madelately.

Kiev cannot win with suchan imbalance of power, the for-eign minister added.

Western politicians, whobelieve Kiev should make con-cessions to Russia and agree tosettle the conflict with a peaceagreement due to the dire sit-uation on the battlefield, arewrong, Kuleba claimed.

Ukraine was left with someof the largest military stock-piles among former Sovietrepublics when the USSR dis-solved.

Now it says it's lost up tohalf of its heavy weapons fight-ing against Russia and alliedforces in the east.

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One photograph shows akneeling soldier kissinga child inside a subway

station, where Ukraine familiesshelter from Russian airstrikes.In another, an infant and awoman who appears on thebrink of tears look out from adeparting train car as a manpeers inside, his hand spreadacross the window in a gestureof goodbye.

In an uplifting Father'sDay message Sunday,Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy posted10 photos of parents and chil-dren set against the grim back-drop of war, praising fatherswho "protect and defend themost precious."

There are scenes of child-birth, as a man and womanlook toward a swaddled baby inwhat appears to be a hospitalroom where the spackled wallsshow scars of fighting. Inanother, a man lifts a child overa fence toward a woman withoutstretched arms on a trainplatform.

"Being a father is a greatresponsibility and a great hap-piness," Zelenskyy wrote inEnglish text that followed theUkrainian on Instagram. "It isstrength, wisdom, motivation

to go forward and not to giveup."

He urged his nation's fight-ers to endure for the "future ofyour family, your children, andtherefore the whole ofUkraine."

His message came as fourmonths of war in Ukraineappear to be straining themorale of troops on both sides,prompting desertions andrebellion against officers'orders. NATO's chief warnedthe fighting could drag on for"years."

"Combat units from bothsides are committed to intensecombat in the Donbas and arelikely experiencing variable

morale," Britain's defence min-istry said in its daily assessmentof the war.

"Ukrainian forces havelikely suffered desertions inrecent weeks," the assessmentsaid, but added that "Russianmorale highly likely remainsespecially troubled."

It said "cases of wholeRussian units refusing ordersand armed stand-offs betweenofficers and their troops con-tinue to occur."

Separately, the UkrainianMain Intelligence Directoratereleased what it said were inter-cepted phone calls in whichRussian soldiers complainedabout front-line conditions,

poor equipment, and overalllack of personnel, according toa report by the Institute for theStudy of War.

In an interview publishedon Sunday in the Germanweekly Bild am Sonntag,NATO Secretary-General JensStoltenberg said that "nobodyknows" how long the war couldlast.

"We need to be preparedfor it to last for years," he said.

He also urged allies "not toweaken support for Ukraine,even if the costs are high, notonly in terms of military aid,but also because of the increasein energy and food goodsprices."

In his nightly addressSunday, Zelenskyy said theweek ahead would be "historic"and perhaps bring Ukrainecloser to membership in theEuropean Union. But thatmove could portend a morehostile response from Russia,he warned.

EU leaders recommendedFriday that Ukraine join thebloc, and their proposal was togo to members for discussionthis week in Brussels.Zelenskyy called the outcomeof those talks one of the mostfateful moments for Ukrainesince independence from theSoviet Union in 1991.

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Russia has become China'sbiggest supplier of oil as the

country sold discounted crudeto Beijing amid sanctions overthe Ukraine war, media reportssaid.

Imports of Russian oil roseby 55 per cent from a year ear-lier to a record level in May,displacing Saudi Arabia asChina's biggest provider, BBCreported.

China has ramped up pur-chases of Russian oil despitedemand dampened by Covidcurbs and a slowing economy.

Chinese companies,including state refining giantSinopec and state-run ZhenhuaOil, have increased their pur-chases of Russian crude inrecent months after beingoffered heavy discounts as buy-ers in Europe and the USshunned Russian energy inline with sanctions over its waron Ukraine, BBC reported.

The imports into China,which include supplies pumpedthrough the East Siberia PacificOcean pipeline and shipments

by sea, totalled nearly 8.42mtonnes last month, according todata from the Chinese GeneralAdministration of Customs.

That pushed Saudi Arabia- formerly China's biggestsource of crude oil - into sec-ond place with 7.82m tonnes.

In March, the US and UKsaid they would ban Russianoil, while the European Unionhas been working towards end-ing its reliance on Russian gas,as the West steps up the eco-nomic response to the invasionof Ukraine.

At the time, US PresidentJoe Biden said the move tar-

geted "the main artery ofRussia's economy".

Energy exports are a vitalsource of revenue for Russia butthe move is also likely to impactWestern consumers.

Last week, a report saidRussia earned almost $100 bil-lion in revenue from fossil fuelexports in the first 100 days ofthe country's invasion ofUkraine, despite a fall inexports in May, BBC reported.

The European Union madeup 61 per cent of these imports,worth approximately $59 bil-lion.

Overall, exports of Russianoil and gas are falling andMoscow's revenue fromenergy sales has alsodeclined from a peak of wellover $1 billion a day inMarch.

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European Union foreignpolicy chief Josep Borrell

has called the Russian block-ade of Ukrainian grainexports a "real war crime,"adding that the bloc's sanc-tions on Russia have playedno part in the global foodcrisis, CNN reported.

Speaking to journalistson his way to a EU ForeignAffairs Ministers meetingin Luxembourg on Monday,the EU's High Representativefor Foreign Affairs andSecurity Policy said that "it'snot the European sanctions"that are "creating this crisis."

Russia's war in Ukrainecould push up to 49 millionpeople into famine orfamine-like conditionsbecause of its devastatingimpact on global food sup-ply and prices, the UnitedNations has said.

Countries are scram-bling to find a way aroundthe blockade, and the USNational Security CouncilCoordinator for StrategicCommunications John Kirbyhas said that RussianPresident Vladimir Putin

"absolutely has weaponizedfood" by blockading grainexports out of Ukraine, CNNreported.

Borrell's remarks cameafter Putin said that Russia'sactions in Ukraine are notresponsible for the globalfood crisis and accused theUnited States of driving upfood prices, in his speech tothe St PetersburgInternational EconomicForum on Friday.

"Famine in the poorestcountries will be on the con-science of the US adminis-tration and the Eurocrats," hesaid.

Borrell countered theseclaims on Monday, sayingthat the "the problem comesfrom the Russian blockade ofUkrainian grain." Countrieswho want to buy Russian fer-tilizers are free to do so,Borrell said, reiterating thatthe bloc's sanctions do nottarget food or fertilizers.

He added that he didn'tsee the food crisis lasting"much longer," expressing hishope that the UN "reaches anagreement" with Russia soonto unblock Ukrainian grainexports, CNN reported.

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China says it has success-fully conducted a mid-

course missile interceptiontest, a move that couldadvance its ability to with-stand foreign intervention asit presses its territorial claims.

A brief statement from theDefence Ministry late Sundaygave no details, but said thetest was purely defensive innature and was not aimed atany foreign nations.

Missiles are a major com-ponent of China's defenceand are the backbone of itsspace programme that has

launched astronauts and com-ponents to the nation's orbit-ing space station.

The interception testcomes as China has beenescalating threats against theself-governing island ofTaiwan, which Beijing claimsas its own territory to beannexed by military force ifnecessary.

A conflict over Taiwanwould likely bring in the US,which is the island's main

source of weaponry and islegally bound to regard threatsto it as a matter of "grave con-cern".

China is also engaged interritorial disputes with thePhilippines, Vietnam andother governments over theSouth China Sea.

China is also seen as back-ing Russia in its invasion ofUkraine, although it has notprovided material support toits actions.

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German prosecutors said onMonday that they have

seized three apartments and abank account owned by aRussian lawmaker and his wifeunder European Union sanc-tions imposed because of theinvasion of Ukraine.

Prosecutors in Munich saidthe Duma lawmaker and hiswife - identified only as L. AndK. Respectively in line with

German privacy rules - jointlyown two of the apartments inthe Bavarian city, and continuedto earn money from rent on theproperties in violation of sanc-tions.

They said the wife, who isregistered as a resident inMunich, also is the sole ownerof a third Munich apartment onwhich she continued to collectrent. That means both are sus-pected of violating Germany'sforeign trade law.

The seizure was orderedlast week and took effect onMonday, prosecutors said. Thepeople living in the apartmentsare allowed to stay, but they'reno longer allowed to pay rent tothe lawmaker and his wife;payments must be depositedwith the Munich district court.

The bank account that wasseized receives monthly rentalpayments of around 3,500 euros(USD 3,670), according to pros-ecutors.

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Lithuanias decision to blockthe transit of sanctioned

goods to Russias exclave ofKaliningrad is unparalleled,Kremlin spokesperson DmitryPeskov told journalists onMonday. Speaking to themedia, Peskov describedLithuania's move as "trulyunprecedented" and a "viola-tion of anything and every-thing".

He said Moscow under-stands that Lithuania's decisionis connected to EU's move toalso impose sanctions on goodsin transit. However, accordingto Peskov, Russia sees thisextension of the punitive mea-sures as illegal, RT report-ed."The situation is more thanserious and calls for deep analy-sis before any measures anddecisions are formulated,"Peskov noted. He added that"this deep analysis" would beconducted in the coming days.

When asked if Lithuania'sactions were a blockade of theRussian exclave, Peskov repliedby saying "this is an element ofa blockade, of course".

Meanwhile, Russia'sForeign Ministry has issued astatement demanding thatLithuania "immediately" liftthe ban imposed on the tran-sit of certain goods toKaliningrad Region.

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Agroup of protesters in Sri Lankademanding the resignation ofPresident Gotabaya Rajapksa for

the mismanagement of the economyblocked all entrances of the presidentialsecretariat here, forcing the police onMonday to arrest 21 people, including aBuddhist monk and four women.

The island nation, home to around22 million people, is currently facing itsworst economic crisis in more than 70years. Sri Lanka's economy is experienc-ing extreme fuel shortages, soaring foodprices and a lack of medicines.

The demonstration at theGotaGoGama, a protest site at the GalleFace, entered the 73rd day on Monday.

The protesters last night blocked thetwo entry points to the presidential sec-retariat in addition to the entrance whichthey have been continuously blockingsince April 9.

Police arrested 21 people, including

a Buddhist monk and four women.Police said the latest action by the pro-testers to block the two gates which pro-vide access to the finance ministry andthe government treasury was uncalled for.The police wanted to clear the two gatesas an IMF team is due to visit the financeministry.

The International Monetary Fundteam is visiting Colombo to continue dis-cussions on a possible bailout pro-gramme to support the island nation's

economic recovery.The GotaGoGama protest demand-

ing the resignation of President GotabayaRajapaksa started on April 9.

Protesters blame the governmentfor the mismanagement of the economy,which has sent prices of goods skyrock-eting and the country's reserves plum-meting to levels reaching a record low.

The protest in Colombo spread toother parts of the country with widerpublic support.

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Floods in Bangladesh continued to wreakhavoc Monday with authorities struggling to

ferry drinking water and dry food to flood shel-ters across the country's vast northern andnortheastern regions, officials and local mediasaid.

More than a dozen people died across thecountry since the monsoon began last week,authorities said. The government called in sol-diers Friday to help evacuate people.

Ekattor TV station said millions remainedwithout electricity.

Enamur Rahman, junior minister for dis-aster and relief, said that up to 100,000 peoplehave been evacuated in the worst-hit Sunamganjand Sylhet districts, and about 4 million peo-ple have been marooned in the area, the UnitedNews of Bangladesh agency said.

In the latest statement Sunday from thecountry's Flood Forecasting and WarningCenter in the nation's capital, Dhaka, said thatflooding in the northeastern districts ofSunamganj and Sylhet could worsen further innext 24 hours. It said the Teesta, a major riverin the northern Bangladesh, may flow abovedanger. The situation could also deteriorate inthe country's northern districts of Lalmonirhat,Kurigram, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Gaibandha,Bogra, Jamalpur and Sirajganj, it said.

Officials said water has started recedingalready from the northeastern region but it isposing a threat the country's central region, thepathway for flood waters to reach the Bay ofBengal in the south.

Media reports said those affected by flood-ing in remote areas are struggling to accessdrinking water and food.

Arinjoy Dhar, a senior director of the non-profit developmental organization BRAC, askedfor help ensuring food for the flood-affected ina video posted online.

Dhar said they opened a center Monday toprepare food items as part of a plan to feed 5,000families in Sunamganj district, but the arrange-ment was not enough.

BRAC said they alone were trying to reachout to about 52,000 families with emergencysupplies. The latest floods have devastatedBangladesh since Friday amid heavy monsoonrains, just as the country began recovering froma flash flood.

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Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said onMonday that her party's extraordinary

surge in the country's parliamentary electionis a "historic victory" and a "seismic event" inFrench politics. Many voters in Sunday's pollopted for far-right or far-left candidates, deny-ing President Emmanuel Macron's centristalliance a straight majority in the NationalAssembly.

Le Pen's National Rally got 89 seats in the577-member parliament, up from a previoustotal of eight. On the other side of the polit-ical spectrum, the leftist Nupes coalition, ledby hardliner Jean-Luc Melenchon, won 131seats to become the main opposition force.

Macron's centrist alliance Together! wonthe most seats - 245 - but fell 44 seats short

of a straight majority in the National Assembly,France's most powerful house of parliament.

The outcome of the legislative election ishighly unusual in France and the strong per-formance of both Le Pen's National Rally andMelenchon's coalition - composed of his ownhard-left party, France Unbowed, theSocialists, Greens and Communists - willmake it harder for Macron to implement theagenda he was reelected on in May, includ-ing tax cuts and raising France's retirementage from 62 to 65.

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Belgian authorities onMonday returned a gold-

capped tooth belonging to theslain Congolese independencehero Patrice Lumumba, as theformer colonial power con-tinues to confront its bloodypast and look toward recon-ciliation.

The restitution of the relictook place after Belgium's KingPhilippe earlier this monthexpressed his "deepest regrets"for his nation's abuses in its

African former colony, Congo,which is 75 times the size ofBelgium.

Following a private cere-mony in the presence of rela-tives of Lumumba duringwhich the federal prosecutorhanded over a case containingthe tooth, Belgium's primeminister Alexander De Crootold Congolese officials andLumumba's family that therestitution came way too late.

"It is not normal thatBelgium held onto the remainsof one of the founding fathers

of the Congolese nation for sixdecades," said De Croo, whoalso offered apologies for therole played by his country inthe assassination.

Congolese Prime ministerJean-Michel Sama Lukondesaid the return of the relic willbe essential for the country'snational memory.

After his assassination in1961, Lumumba's body wasdismembered and dissolvedwith acid in an apparent effortto keep any grave from becom-ing a pilgrimage site.

The tooth was seized byBelgian officials in 2016 fromthe daughter of the Belgianpolice commissioner who saidhe took it after overseeing thedestruction of Lumumba'sbody Two years ago, the fed-eral prosecutor's office saidthere is no absolute certaintythat the tooth being returnedis Lumumba's since no DNAtest could be conducted.

Lumumba's daughter,Juliana, agreed with De Croothe handover was long over-due.

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An early-morning shooting Mondayat a gathering in Harlem left a man

dead and eight other people wounded,New York City police said.

Officers responded about 12:40 amto reports of a shooting on a footpathalong the FDR Drive and found five peo-ple shot, police said, citing preliminaryinformation. They were taken to hospi-tals for treatment.

Four other people who were shotalso arrived at hospitals for treatment,police said. A 21-year-old man was pro-nounced dead at a hospital, police said,

and the wounded included six othermales and two females.

"This Father's Day weekend is aweekend where people were supposed tobe able to enjoy themselves with theirfamilies," Police Commissioner KeechantSewell said at a news conference. Theinvestigation was ongoing Monday andpolice didn't immediately have detailsabout the gathering or what may have ledto the shooting. Information about pos-sible suspects wasn't immediatelyreleased, but police said on Twitter thata gun was recovered from the scene. Tipswere being sought from the public as partof the investigation.

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Lawyers on Monday renewedcalls for the International

Criminal Court to open aninvestigation into China's treat-ment of Uyghurs and other pre-dominantly Muslim groups inChina's Xinjiang region as theypresented a dossier of evidenceto prosecutors. Activists andlawyers accuse Beijing of crimesagainst humanity and genocideagainst the groups. China's rul-ing Communist Party has vehe-mently denied all reports ofhuman rights violations andgenocide in Xinjiang. Monday'sfiling is the latest attempt to havethe global court open an inves-tigation into widespread allega-tions of abuse against Uyghursby Chinese authorities.

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Colombia will be governed bya leftist president for the first

time after former rebel GustavoPetro narrowly defeated a realestate millionaire in a runoffelection that underscored people'sdisgust with the country's tradi-tional politicians.

Petro's third attempt to winthe presidency earned him50.48% of the votes Sunday, whilepolitical outsider RodolfoHernández got 47.26%, accordingto results released by electionauthorities.

The election came asColombians struggle with risinginequality, inflation and violence- factors that led voters in the elec-tion's first round last month topunish long-governing centristand right-leaning politicians andpick two outsiders for the runoffcontest.

Petro's win in Latin America'sthird most populous nation wasmore than a defeat of Hernández.It puts an end to Colombia's longstigmatization of the left for itsperceived association with thecountry's half century of armedconflict. The president-elect wasonce a rebel with the now-defunctM-19 movement and was grant-ed amnesty after being jailed forhis involvement with the group.

Petro issued a call for unityduring his victory speech Sundaynight and extended an olivebranch to some of his harshestcritics, saying all members of theopposition will be welcomed atthe presidential palace.

��■ '.-)�$-'.)

Agovernment attorneyfor the Philippines was

fatally shot in an Uberwhile visiting Philadelphia,officials said.

John Albert Laylo washeading to PhiladelphiaInternational Airport withhis mother to board a flightand was stopped in theUber at a red light near theUniversity of Pennsylvaniaaround 4:10 am Saturday,officials said.

Several rounds werefired into the Uber from ablack car behind it, policesaid. The black car thenpulled up alongside theUber and fired severalmore rounds into it, police

said in a news release.Laylo was shot in the

back of the head and takento a hospital, where he waspronounced dead Sunday,police said. No one wasarrested, and no weaponhas been found, police said.Authorities did not offer asuspected motive or saywhether Laylo, his motheror the Uber driver wereintentionally targeted.Homicide detectives areinvestigating and are look-ing for surveillance video.

The consulate generalof the Philippines said thevictim was an attorney forits government,Philadelphia's KYW-TVreported. It wasn't clearwhether the Uber driver or

Laylo's mother wereinjured, but the latter post-ed to Facebook on Sunday,indicating she had been hitby shrapnel and saying shehad been on vacation withher son, whom she referredto as Jal and said was 35years old.

"Never did I imagine ordream that ... The end ofour vacation will be likethis!" Leah BustamanteLaylo wrote in a postaccompanied by snapshotsof her and her son touringsites in New York,Washington andPhiladelphia. "We travelledtogether and we are sup-posed to go home togeth-er! I will bring him homesoon in a box!"

�� -8+�8+

Britain is facing its biggestrail strikes for decades

after last-minute talksbetween a union and traincompanies failed to reach asettlement over pay and jobsecurity.

Up to 40,000 cleaners,signalers, maintenanceworkers and station staffare due to walk out for threedays this week, on Tuesday,Thursday and Saturday. Thestrike is expected to shutdown most of the rail net-work across the country,with London Undergroundsubway services also hit by

a walkout on Tuesday.The Rail,

Maritime and TransportUnion branded employers'latest offer "unacceptable"and said "the strike actionscheduled this week will goahead."

Secretary-General MickLynch said rail companieshad "proposed pay rates thatare massively under the rel-evant rates of inflation, com-ing on top of the pay freezesof the past few years."

Unions are warning of asummer of strikes as soaringinflation hits the pay pack-et of workers across theeconomy.

Millions of peoplein Britain, like those acrossEurope, are seeing their costof living soar. Salaries havenot kept pace with inflation,which has hit 9% and is fore-cast to rise further, asRussia's war in Ukrainesqueezes supplies of energyand food staples includingwheat. Prices were alreadyrising before the war, as theglobal economic recoveryfrom the COVID-19 pan-demic fueled strong con-sumer demand.

At the same time, UKpassenger numbers remainbelow pre-pandemic levelsand train companies are

seeking to cut costs andstaffing.

Talks on resolving thedispute have faltered, andunions are calling on thegovernment to get involved.They accuse Prime MinisterBoris Johnson'sConservative administrationof standing on the sidelinesso it can blame unions, andthe left-of-center opposi-tion Labour Party, for thedisruption. Johnson'sspokesman, Max Blain, saidit would not be “helpful” forthe government to getinvolved.“Inserting ourselvesat the last minute would bea distraction,” he said.

��■ �8-8�"8

Sri Lankan PresidentGotabaya Rajapaksa on

Monday expressed his appre-ciation for China for its "con-tinued friendship, particularlyduring these trying times", ashe thanked his Chinese coun-terpart Xi Jinping for wishinghim on his birthday.

Rajapaksa was born onJune 20, 1949. "Thank youPresident Xi Jinping for thewarm birthday wishes. Alongwith all of #lka I also want tothank #China for her contin-ued friendship, particularlyduring these trying times. Maythe ties between our two

nations grow from strength tostrength," he tweeted, referringto the worst economic crisisfaced by the island nation andRajapaksa's bid to restructuredebts owed to Beijing.

It is estimated that Lankaowes debt payments to Chinain the region of $ 1.5 to 2 bil-lion this year. China's loans andinvestments in Sri Lanka wereestimated to be more thanUSD eight billion in the last fewyears.China's takeover of theHambantota port on 99 years'lease for $1.2 billion debt swapdrew international concernsover Beijing acquiring strategicassets far away from home byproviding heavy loans.

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Mumbai: The rupee appreci-ated by 7 paise to settle at 77.98(provisional) against the USdollar on Monday as crude oilprices retreated from elevatedlevels. However, unabated for-eign fund outflows restrictedthe appreciation bias in therupee, forex dealers said.

At the interbank forexmarket, the local unit openedstrong at 77.98 against thegreenback and witnessed anintra-day high of 77.87 and alow of 78.03.

It finally settled at 77.98,a rise of 7 paise over its previ-ous close of 78.05. “Rupee con-solidated in a broad rangedespite volatility in domesticand global equities. Fed pro-jection showed economicgrowth slowing to a below-trend rate of 1.7 per cent,” saidGaurang Somaiya, Forex &Bullion Analyst, Motilal OswalFinancial Services. PTI

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Mumbai: Snapping a six-daylosing run, equity indices set-tled in the green after a highlyvolatile session on Monday,with the Sensex climbing 237points amid positive cues fromEuropean markets.

The BSE benchmarkgained 237.42 points or 0.46per cent to settle at 51,597.84.During the day, it hit a high of51,714.61 and a low of51,062.93.

The NSE Nifty ended56.65 points or 0.37 per centhigher at 15,350.15.

From the Sensex pack,Hindustan Unilever, HDFC,Wipro, UltraTech Cement,Asian Paints and HDFC Bankwere among the biggest gain-ers.

On the other hand, TataSteel, IndusInd Bank, RelianceIndustries, M&M, NTPC andState Bank of India were amongthe major laggards.

In Asia, markets in Tokyo,Seoul and Shanghai settledlower, while Hong Kong endedwith gains.

European markets weretrading in the green in mid-ses-sion deals.

Meanwhile, internationaloil benchmark Brent crudegained 0.06 per cent to USD113.2 per barrel.

Foreign institutionalinvestors (FIIs) remained netsellers in the capital market, asthey sold shares worth Rs7,818.61 crore on Friday, as perexchange data. PTI

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New Delhi: Markets regulatorSebi has set up an advisorycommittee on hybrid securities,which will make recommen-dations for giving a fillip to thegrowth of such instruments,including measures focusing onease of issuance and attractingdomestic and global capital.

The 20-member commit-tee will be chaired by K VKamath, Chairperson ofNational Bank for FinancingInfrastructure andDevelopment, an update withthe Securities and ExchangeBoard of India (Sebi) showed.

In addition, the committeecomprises top level officials ofinfrastructure investment trusts(InvITs), real estate investmenttrusts (REITs), finance as wellas legal experts and represen-tatives of Sebi. REITs andInvITs are classified as hybridsecurities and they are relativelynew investment instruments in

the Indian context but areextremely popular in globalmarkets. The committee hasbeen given the task of advisingSebi on issues related to devel-opment and regulation of pri-mary and secondary markets ofhybrid securities in the coun-try.

Further, it will identify usecase scenarios of hybrid secu-rities in the context of theinfrastructure financing needsof the Indian economy andmake recommendations fordeveloping instruments to meetthe needs of the infrastructuresector. PTI

New Delhi: Inox Green EnergyServices, a subsidiary of InoxWind, has filed fresh prelimi-nary papers with capital mar-kets regulator Sebi to raise Rs740 crore through an InitialPublic Offering (IPO).

The IPO comprises freshissuance of equity shares worthRs 370 crore and an offer-for-sale of equity stocks aggregat-ing to Rs 370 crore by promoterInox Wind, according to theDraft Red Herring Prospectus(DRHP) filed on Friday.

Besides, the company mayconsider a pre-IPO placement.If such placement is complet-ed, the fresh issue size will bereduced.

Proceeds from the fresh

issue will be used for paymentof debt and general corporatepurposes.

Inox Green EnergyServices is engaged in the busi-ness of providing long termOperation and Maintenance(O&M) services for wind farmprojects, specifically for WindTurbine Generators (WTGs)and the common infrastructurefacilities on the wind farm,which support the evacuationof power from such WTGs.

Earlier, the company hadfiled the DRHP for its proposedIPO in February with the Sebi.However, the draft offer docu-ments for the IPO were with-drawn in late April without dis-closing any reason. PTI

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New Delhi: Anupam Agarwalhas taken over as Director(Finance) of ONGC VideshLtd, the company said onMonday.

“Agarwal was recom-mended to the position byPublic Enterprises SelectionBoard (PESB) on February 28,2022 and has (now) beenappointed to the post by thePresident of India,” the com-pany said in a statement.

He took over on June 18.Prior to this, Agarwal served asExecutive Director (Finance) inOil and Natural GasCorporation (ONGC) - OVL’sparent firm - since January2020. PTI

��+��9�,��+� ��:; ��<New Delhi: Expressing con-

cern over growing consolida-tion of internet-based eco-nomic activities among a fewcompanies in many sectors, thegovernment on Monday saidthere is a need to protect theconsumers’ interest and preventthem from being exploited.

The government also saidconsumer complaints related toonline transactions are risingand pointed out that of the totalcomplaints registered lastmonth on the NationalConsumer Helpline (NCH),38-40 per cent pertained to e-commerce trade.

Addressing a nationalworkshop for effective andspeedy consumer disputesredressal, Food and ConsumerAffairs Minister Piyush Goyal

said that consumer commis-sions are the only hope for con-sumers who are need of justice.

However, growing pen-dency of cases and delayed jus-tice is a cause of concern whichneed to be addressed with“collective effort,” he said.

The minister suggestedthat reducing the number ofadjournments, augmentinginfrastructure in district courts,promoting mediation, e-filingand e-disposal should helpreduce the pendency of cases.

Asserting that consumercourts have greater role to playin safeguarding the consumerrights amid growing consoli-dation of internet-based eco-nomic activity, ConsumerAffairs Secretary Rohit KumarSingh said: “With the consoli-

dation, the power of majorplayers is increasing and thereis imbalance in power towardsconsumers.”

When internet came in2000, it was felt it would leadto democratisation and decen-tralisation but today all eco-nomic activities are slowly get-ting consolidated, he said.

For example in e-com-merce, taxi aggregators, foodand beverages businesses, thereare two-three major players. Intelecom services too, there arefour major players, he said.

To ensure the growingpower imbalance of majorplayers does not affect con-sumers’ interest, the secretarysaid, “... It is important for usto stand firm beside consumers”. PTI

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Doha: The airlines’ lossesglobally are expected to bedown from USD 52 billion in2021 to USD 9.7 billion thisyear and industry-wide profitshould be on the horizon in2023, Director General of IATAWillie Walsh said here onMonday.

International Air TransportAssociation (IATA) representssome 290 airlines comprising83 per cent of global air traffic.

Walsh, in his inauguralspeech at the 78th annual gen-eral meeting of IATA here,said that while the outlook forairlines globally is positive, thebusiness environment remainschallenging.

Listing all the challenges,

he said inflation topped 9 percent in the Organisation forEconomic Cooperation andDevelopment (OECD)- agroup of 38 developed coun-tries - in April.

“Our outlook expects(global) GDP to grow 3.4 percent this year. Not bad butdown on earlier forecasts,”Walsh noted.

The World Bank expectsenergy prices to soar 50 percent compared with 2021, headded. “Russia’s illegal invasionof Ukraine has destabilisedglobalisation, threatened theworld’s food supply, and recre-ated a geopolitical divide notseen since the Cold War,” hesaid. PTI

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New Delhi: Automaker KiaIndia on Monday said its com-pact SUV Kia Sonet has crossedthe cumulative sales milestoneof 1.5 lakh units since launchin September 2020.

The model has con-tributed over 32 per cent of thecompany’s total sales andcommands almost 15 per centshare in the highly competitivecompact SUV category, KiaIndia said in a statement.

“The Sonet has won sever-al accolades not only for itsdesign, performance, and prac-ticality but also by creatingfavourability for iMT (intelli-gent manual transmission) andintroducing the only DieselAT in the segment,” Kia IndiaChief Sales Officer Myung-sikSohn said. PTI

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New Delhi: India’s steel exportsis expected to come down by 40per cent to 12 million tonnes(MT) in the ongoing fiscal, asa result of the duty-relatedmeasures taken by the govern-ment last month, according toCRISIL.

The export of finished steelhad reached a record high of18.3 million tonnes in the2021-22 financial year and theprices were at their all-timehigh, the agency said onMonday.

On May 21, the govern-ment announced waiving ofcustoms duty on the import ofsome raw materials, includingcoking coal and ferronickel,used by the steel industry.Also, the duty on exports ofiron ore was hiked by up to 50per cent and for a few steelintermediaries to 15 per cent.

“India’s steel exports willdrop 35-40 per cent to 10-12million tonnes this fiscal fol-lowing the 15 per cent exportduty imposed on several fin-

ished steel products last month.Exports of iron ore and pelletswill also fall this fiscal, andlower domestic prices,” theCRISIL research analysis said.

Steel exports had reacheda record high of 18.3 MT lastfiscal. However, it will contin-ue to see momentum becauseof the disruptions caused by theongoing Russia-Ukraine con-flict, and Russia is a keyexporter of steel, coking coaland pig iron.

In addition, the EuropeanUnion’s (EU) move to raiseIndia’s export quota – amid awidening differential betweensteel prices in the two geogra-phies – benefited domesticsteel makers, and limited theimpact of a 25 per cent tariff onsteel imports imposed by theEU, the report said.

But while steel firmsenjoyed fat realisations over-seas, domestic demand grew 11per cent year-on-year, drivingdomestic prices to all-timehighs. This led to soaring con-

struction costs and multipleprice hikes by makers of auto-mobiles, consumer appliancesand durables to pass on theincrease. The hike in exportduty was aimed at curbing thisinflation.

Hetal Gandhi, Director,CRISIL Research said “Theduty-driven price correctionwill improve availability ofsteel in the domestic market asfinished steel exports dwindle.This will directly impact India’sexport volume in the currentfiscal.

Steelmakers will attempt toskirt the duties by bumping upexports of alloyed steel and bil-lets, but that is unlikely to com-pensate for the loss of finishedsteel exports.”

CRISIL further said thecombined export volume ofiron ore and pellets is expect-ed to see a massive drop from26 MT last fiscal to 8-10 MT inthe current one, and bringabout a sharp correction indomestic prices. PTI

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New Delhi: The country’slargest carmaker Maruti SuzukiIndia on Monday announcedopening of bookings for theupcoming new version of itscompact SUV Brezza.

The new Brezza, to belaunched at the end of themonth, will come with featuressuch as electric sunroof alongwith an array of sophisticatednew-age tech, comfort, conve-nience and connected features,the company said in a state-ment. It will also have a nextgeneration powertrain with 6-speed automatic transmissionoption, it added without dis-closing details.

Customers can pre-bookthe new Brezza with an initialpayment of Rs 11,000 at any ofthe company’s Arena show-room or from its website, itsaid. Since its launch in 2016,Brezza started a new trend ofcompact SUVs in the country,

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd(MSIL) Senior ExecutiveDirector (Marketing & Sales)Shashank Shrivastava said.

“With over 7.5 lakh unitssold in just 6 years, Brezzacommands a strong marketshare in the compact SUV seg-ment in the country. Today weare happy to share that we willbe introducing the most-await-ed compact SUV in an all-newavatar,” he added. PTI

Oakland: The price of a bitcoininched above USD 20,000 onSunday after the broader cryp-to selloff dragged it below thesignificant psychologicalthreshold a day earlier. The price of the world’s mostpopular cryptocurrency wasUSD 20,129.70 as of Sundayafternoon. On Saturday, bitcoinhad plunged as much as 9.7 percent to less than USD 18,600 bylate afternoon on the EastCoast, according to the cryp-tocurrency news siteCoinDesk. At some points dur-ing Saturday, it was below USD18,000.

On Sunday, though, thevolatile cryptocurrencyclimbed higher, though it is stillmore than 70 per cent below itsNovember 2020 all-time highof nearly USD 69,000. Many inthe industry had believed it

would not fall under USD20,000 again.

Ethereum, another widelyfollowed cryptocurrency thathas been sliding in recentweeks, took a similar tumbleSaturday to well below USD1,000 but also regained groundSunday, adding nearly 11 percent to USD 1,101.81.

The cryptocurrency indus-try has seen turmoil amidwider turbulence in financialmarkets. PTI

Mumbai: Auto ancillaries’ rev-enues are expected to grow 8-10 per cent in 2022-23 on theback of a stable demand andlikely easing of supply-chainconcerns in the second half ofthe year, Icra said on Monday.

At the same time, the sec-tor’s coverage metrics is alsolikely to remain comfortable in2022-23, benefitting fromhealthy accruals and relativelylow incremental debt fundingrequirements, the rating agencysaid in a release.

In last fiscal year, 31 autocomponent companies withcumulative revenues of over Rs1,75,000 crore had registered a23 per cent year-on-yeargrowth in revenues, driven bydomestic original equipmentmanufacturers (OEMs),replacement, export volumesand pass-through of commod-ity prices.

Though the growth cameon a relatively low base ofFY21, the actual revenue

expansion was better than Icra’sestimates, partly on account ofbetter-than-expected exportsand increase in realisations topass on the impact of highercommodity inflation andfreight costs, it said.

Icra’s estimation of oper-ating margins for FY2022 hadfactored in operating leveragebenefits.

However, the unprece-dented inflation in raw mate-rial costs and freight costs inH2 FY2022 (October-March)and inability to pass onthe same completely and in atimely manner impacted theprofit margins in previous fis-cal year, according to therelease. PTI

New Delhi:Crude oilprices onMonday roseby �94 to�8,467 perbarrel as participants widenedpositions on a firm spotdemand.

On the Multi CommodityExchange, crude oil for Julydelivery traded higher by �94or 1.12 per cent at �8,467 perbarrel in 3,978 lots.

Analysts said the raising ofbets by participants kept crudeoil prices higher in futurestrade.

Globally, West TexasIntermediate crude oil was upby 0.07 per cent at USD 109.64per barrel, and Brent crudetraded 0.06 per cent higher atUSD 113.19 per barrel in NewYork. PTI

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Mumbai: Portfolio flows inIndia are the most sensitive toshifts in risk sentiment global-ly and in an adverse scenario,potential portfolio outflowscan average up to 3.2 per centof GDP or USD 100 billion (Rs7.8 lakh crore) in a year, an RBIarticle said.

The article, titled ‘CapitalFlows at Risk: India’sExperience’ published in theRBI’s latest bulletin, further saidin a ‘black swan’ event com-prising a combination ofshocks, potential portfolio out-flows can rise to 7.7 per cent ofGDP, highlighting the needfor maintaining liquid reservesto quell such potential bouts ofinstability.

With the spate of emerg-ing market crises since the1990s and the experience withthe global financial crisis andits aftermath, attention hasturned from the benefits asso-ciated with capital flows to theirconsequences such as accentu-ating financial vulnerabilities,aggravating macroeconomicinstability and spreading con-tagion, it said.

“For India, portfolio flowsare the most sensitive to shiftsin risk sentiment globally andspillovers,” it said.

“Applying a capital flows at

risk approach, it is observedthat in an adverse scenario,potential portfolio outflowscan average up to 3.2 per centof GDP,” said the articleauthored by RBI DeputyGovernor Michael DebabrataPatra, along with HarendraBehera and Silu Muduli.

“In response to shocks toeach of the determinants of asize that is at least equal to whathas been observed in the his-torical experience, potentialportfolio outflows can be in therange of 2.6 to 3.6 per cent ofGDP, averaging to 3.2 per centof GDP (or USD 100.6 billionin a year),” the article said.

It further said there is a 5per cent chance of portfoliooutflows from India of the

order of 3.2 per cent of GDP orUSD 100.6 billion in a year inresponse to a COVID-typecontraction in real GDPgrowth, or a GFC (global finan-cial crisis) type decline in inter-est rate differentials vis-a-visthe US.

A ‘black swan’ event couldbe characterised by a combi-nation of all adverse shocksexperienced in Indian historycoming together, leading to aperfect storm.

Aggressive rate hike by theUS Federal Reserve, coupledwith elevated inflation andhigh valuation of equities con-tinued to keep foreign investorsat bay from the Indian stockmarket as they pulled out Rs31,430 crore in this month sofar. PTI

New Delhi: India is facingnear-term challenges in man-aging its fiscal deficit, sustain-ing economic growth, reiningin inflation and containing thecurrent account deficit but thecountry is relatively betterplaced to weather these head-winds compared to othernations, the finance ministrysaid in its monthly economicreport.

Near-term challenges needto be managed carefully with-out sacrificing the hard-earnedmacroeconomic stability, theMonthly Economic Reviewsaid.

“Many countries aroundthe world, especially devel-oped countries, face similarchallenges. India is relativelybetter placed to weather thesechallenges because of its finan-cial sector stability and its vac-cination success in enabling theeconomy to open up,” it added.

India’s medium-term

growth prospects remain brightas pent-up capacity expansionin the private sector is expect-ed to drive capital formationand employment generationin the rest of this decade, as perthe report.

Observing that the capexbudget for 2022-23 is expectedto underpin growth, the reportsaid an upside risk to the bud-geted level of gross fiscal deficithas emerged following cuts inexcise duties on diesel andpetrol.

An increase in the fiscaldeficit may cause the currentaccount deficit to widen, com-pounding the effect of costlierimports, and weaken the valueof the rupee thereby, further

aggravating external imbal-ances, creating the risk (admit-tedly low at this time) of a cycleof wider deficits and a weakercurrency, it said.

“Rationalising non-capexexpenditure has thus becomecritical, not only for protectinggrowth supportive capex butalso for avoiding fiscal slip-pages.

Depreciation risk to rupee,however, still remains as longas net Foreign PortfolioInvestor (FPI) outflows con-tinue in response to theincrease in policy rates andquantitative tightening inadvanced economies as theywage a prolonged battle tocalm inflation,” it said. PTI

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New Delhi: Telecom playersraised technical queries relatedto 5G spectrum auction, andflagged their concerns overissue of private captive net-works, during the pre-bid con-ference held by DoT onMonday.

The auction related pre-bidconference was attended bytelecom operators Reliance Jio,Bharti Airtel and VodafoneIdea, sources said.

The industry representa-tives attended the pre bid con-ference in hybrid mode, withsome company executivesphysically present at the meet-ing held in the Department ofTelecommunications (DoT)and others attending the meet-ing, virtually.

Sources said that one ofthe major issues flagged by thetelcos in the Monday meeting

related to the issue of privatecaptive networks.

Telcos also sought moreclarity on matters related tonetwork roll-out obligations,and also manner in whichspectrum will be reserved.

Reliance Jio, Bharti Airteland Vodafone Idea -- the threemobile players operating inthe 114-crore subscriber Indiantelecom market -- are gearingup for the launch of 5G ser-vices.

The government will auc-tion, next month, about Rs 4.3lakh crore worth of airwavescapable of offering fifth-gen-eration or 5G telecom ser-vices.

It has also given a nod forsetting up of captive 5G net-works by the tech firms, muchto the dismay of telcos. PTI

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World champion MaxVerstappen increased hislead in this year's Formula

One title race on Sunday when hedrove his Red Bull to a thrilling vic-tory in a closely-fought CanadianGrand Prix.

The 24-year-old Dutchman con-trolled a tactical race from pole posi-tion through three safety car interven-tions and resisted intense late pressurefrom Ferrari's Carlos Sainz to win byunder a second.

Seven-time world championLewis Hamilton, who on Fridaydeclared his car as "undriveable",came home third for Mercedes toclaim his second podium of a diffi-cult season ahead of team-mateGeorge Russell in fourth.

It was Verstappen's first Canadianvictory in his 150th career start, hissixth this year and the 26th of hiscareer, hoisting him 46 points clearof his rivals in the championship.

"I was giving it everything," saidVerstappen. "But so was Carlos. Hewas pushing, charging, pushing,charging. Naturally, it's easier tocharge with DRS! I had fun today."

Sainz said: "We were quicker,faster all race, but it's difficult to over-take round here. I'm particularlyhappy with the race pace and with thepressure we put on Max."

Hamilton, a record seven-timewinner in Montreal, cheered the bigcrowd - part of a weekend attendanceof 338,000 — and said he was "over-whelmed to get third place. It's beenquite a battle, but we've never givenup. I've been inspired by my crew."

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, whostarted at the back of the grid aftertaking a penalty for a new engine, fin-

ished fifth ahead of Esteban Ocon ofAlpine.

Valtteri Bottas and his AlfaRomeo team-mate Zhou Guanyuwere later promoted to seventh andeighth after Fernando Alonso in anAlpine was penalised five seconds forhis defending against Bottas.

The Spaniard slipped to ninthwith Lance Stroll 10th for AstonMartin.

After Saturday's deluge, the race

began with a mixed-up 'wet' grid —with Leclerc, Perez and several oth-ers out of their normal race posi-tions — as Verstappen made a cleanstart from his 15th pole position totake control.

Behind him, Kevin Magnussenmade a dazzling departure fromfifth to challenge Hamilton, but theBriton resisted and retained fourthas the order settled, Russell makinghis move early to pass Mick

Schumacher for seventh.

F�G �� GOn lap three, Sainz passed

Alonso, who had been unable todeliver the attacking start hepromised, to take second and beginhis pursuit of Verstappen.

Perez suffered ill-luck on lap ninewhen, battling in midfield after start-ing 13th, his Red Bull lost drive atTurn 13.

"I've lost the engine, man," he toldthe team as a Virtual Safety Car (VSC)was deployed and Verstappen andHamilton pitted promptly to switchfrom mediums to hards.

Seeking his first F1 victory, Sainzpulled clear at the front as Verstappeneased past Alonso, with a DRS move,to take second by lap 18.

A second VSC on lap 20, whenSchumacher pulled up and retired atTurn 13 after his highest ever gridposition of sixth. It appeared his Haascar had suffered a power failure.

Sainz also pitted, re-joining thirdahead of Hamilton - with Verstappenback in the lead ahead of Alonso, whodid not pit.

Alpine's reluctance to pit Alonso,still on his original mediums, result-ed in Hamilton making an easy passfor third on lap 25.

The two-time champion finallycame in after 29 laps and re-joinedeighth behind Leclerc, who wasstruggling on old tyres to pass Ocon.

By mid-distance, Verstappen ledSainz by 7.5 seconds with Hamiltonthird, a further nine seconds adrift.

A lap later Verstappen made hissecond stop, emerging just behindHamilton who pitted again on lap 45,gifting Russell third place, briefly,before he too came in.

Sainz led again, 7.5 secondsahead of Verstappen, with 20 laps togo when Yuki Tsunoda crashed hisAlpha Tauri at Turn Two and a fullSafety Car was deployed.

Sainz pitted, followed by bothAlpines and Bottas, all opting formediums.

Verstappen regained the lead,but faced a close scrap with theSpaniard when the action resumed,after a 10-minute delay, with a finaldash to the flag.

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Lewis Hamilton said he was"ecstatic" on Sunday after

claiming his second podium ofthe season with a strong thirdplace ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell in theCanadian Grand Prix.

The seven-time world cham-pion, who had complained his carwas "undriveable" on Friday, saidhis success had been rejuvenat-ing.

"I'm back to feeling youngagain," said the 37-year-oldBriton who suffered acute backpain and struggled to climb fromhis car after last week'sAzerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.

"Honestly, I am ecstatic," hesaid at the Circuit Gil lesVilleneuve.

"I didn't expect this cominginto this weekend. It's my secondpodium of the year and it feelsreally special - especially as it iswhere I got my first Grand Prixwin.

"I love it here in Montreal."Hamilton claimed his maid-

en F1 victory in Montreal in 2007and holds the joint record ofseven wins at the Canadian race.

"We have had such an awe-some crowd here this weekend.It's been quite overwhelminghonestly to get this third place asit has been such a struggle thisyear with the car and for the

team."But we have continued to

stay vigilant and to stay focussedand never giving up. That's some-thing I am so proud of and I aminspired by my crew.

"So a big shout out andthanks to all the team, the menand the women, back at the fac-tory and here at the circuit. Theyall work so hard."

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With the World Cup just over 10 days away, the Indianwomen's hockey team would look to utilise its last FIH

Pro League double-header tie against lowly USA, startinghere on Tuesday, to address its weak areas ahead of the mar-quee event to be co-hosted by the Netherlands and Spain.

The Indian women produced a remarkable performancein their debut FIH Pro League season, occupying the thirdspot in the standings with 24 points from 14 games behindNetherlands (32 points from 14 matches) and Argentina,who have already clinched the title with 42 points from 16games.

Belgium are close on the heels of India with 22 pointsfrom 14 matches and the Savita Punia-led Indian side wouldbe eyeing to sign off the campaign with wins over theAmericans to finish a creditable third.

The second match of the double-header will be playedon Wednesday.

In their last Pro League tie, India registered a 2-1 shoot-out win (2-2 in regulation time) and a narrow 2-3 loss toOlympic silver medallist team Argentina here over the pastweekend.

The two matches against the USA will provide theIndians a perfect platform to measure their strength aheadof the World Cup beginning on July 1.

"For us, the most important thing is that we could exe-cute our plans and put up an improved performance overthe weekend against Argentina. However, we could havedone better, but I feel these matches are a confidence boost-er for us ahead of the World Cup," India captain Savita said.

"There is still room for improvement for us and we lookforward to plugging the loopholes in the matches againstthe USA. We've gained good momentum and hopefully, wewill finish our debut Pro League campaign with good results,"she added.

With the World Cup just around the corner, Savita saidthe team is shaping up really well for the quadrennial tour-nament.

"We are glad that we have got a good opportunity of play-ing in Europe just a few days ahead of the World Cup, sothe build-up towards the big event has been really great. Theteam is shaping up really well for the World Cup."

India vice-captain Deep Grace Ekka said the team is con-fident of outclassing USA, who lies at the bottom of the FIHPro League standings with just five points from 12 games.

"The matches were really tough against Argentina, butwe are glad that we stuck to the plans and did really wellagainst a strong team. We are looking forward to the lastset of matches of our memorable Pro League campaign. Weare confident of getting positive results against the USA,"she said.

In the World Cup, the Indian women's hockey team isplaced in Pool B along with England, China and NewZealand. India will kick off their campaign against Englandon July 3 in Amstelveen, Netherlands.

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India on Monday named a full-strength 18-member senior men's

hockey squad for the CommonwealthGames with Manpreet Singh return-ing as captain and dragflickerHarmanpreet Singh as his deputy.

Hockey India (HI) had initiallydecided to send a second-string teamto the CWG due to the short turn-around time between the Birminghamevent and the Hangzhou Asian Games,which is a qualifier for the 2024 ParisOlympics.

However, with the Asian Gamesnow postponed to next year owing tothe COVID-19 situation in China, HIdecided to pick a strong team for theprestigious event, scheduled to beginfrom July 28.

The Indian team has beengrouped in pool B along with England,Canada, Wales and Ghana.

The two-time former Silvermedallists will begin their campaignon July 31 against Ghana.

Manpreet had led the Indian teamto a historic Bronze medal at theOlympic Games in Tokyo last year andhe will take over the reins from AmitRohidas, who was the captain for the

FIH Pro League tour of Belgium andthe Netherlands.

Harmanpreet, who has been

named the deputy, emerged as thehighest goal scorer of the FIH HockeyPro League.

"We have gone with a tried-and-tested team for the CommonwealthGames. These players have the expe-rience of playing top teams in highpressure games in the FIH Pro Leaguewhich was a good exposure for usahead of the prestigious quadrennialevent," chief coach Graham Reid saidin a release.

"After a brief break when wereturn home from Netherlands, wewill resume camp in SAI, Bengaluruwhere we will analyze our perfor-mance against Belgium andNetherlands.

"While there are many takeawaysfrom this outing in FIH Pro League,there surely are a few areas that we canimprove upon ahead of theCommonwealth Games."

The squad includes experiencedgoalkeeper PR Sreejesh and Krishan

B Pathak, who returns to the teamafter a brief injury break. DefendersVarun Kumar, Surender Kumar,Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas,Jugraj Singh and Jarmanpreet Singhhave been named in the team.

The midfield comprises Manpreet,Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad,Shamsher Singh, Akashdeep Singhand Nilakanta Sharma.

Seasoned strikers Mandeep Singh,Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Gurjant Singhand Abhishek will lead the charge inattack.

Goalkeeper Suraj Karkera andforwards Shilanand Lakra andSukhjeet Singh, who were part of theFIH Pro League, are missing from thesquad.

India had finished fourth at the2018 Commonwealth Games in GoldCoast.

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Antonio Rudiger said onMonday Carlo Ancelotti

was instrumental in his deci-sion to join Real Madrid fromChelsea this summer.

Rudiger has moved to theSantiago Bernabeu on a freetransfer after choosing not toextend his Chelsea contract.The 29-year-old defender hassigned a four-year deal with thereigning Spanish and Europeanchampions.

Rudiger, speaking at hispresentation ceremony at theclub's training ground inValdebebas, said he made hisdecision in April, after a con-versation with the Italiancoach.

"The first time I got in con-tact, not really me, my agent,was early September. The sec-ond time, I spoke with MrAncelotti, that was in April,"Rudiger said.

"That was the most impor-tant moment, to speak with MrAncelotti. That was when I

made my choice, that I want-ed to play for this club underhim.

"He said he wanted me,trusted in my abilities, that Icould be very helpful to theteam, and at my age, that'senough. At the end of the day,

it's Mr Ancelotti. You alwaysknow at Madrid that nothingis guaranteed. You have tofight for your place. I'm readyto do that."

As well as turning downthe chance to stay at Chelsea,Rudiger said there was also

interest in him from Barcelona."There was interest fromBarcelona but I told my broth-er, it's Real or nothing," Rudigersaid.

The German will be com-peting with Eder Militao andDavid Alaba for a spot inMadrid's central defence nextseason, although Ancelotticould also switch to a backthree in defence to accommo-date an impressive trio ofoptions.

After the departures ofSergio Ramos and RaphaelVarane last year, Militao andAlaba formed a superb part-nership, becoming an essentialpart of Madrid's success lastterm.

"Real Madrid is stackedwith very, very good players,also in my position," saidRudiger.

"But I'm looking confi-dently going into this. What doI bring? Competition, which ishealthy for everyone. It keepseveryone going and I'm look-ing forward to the challenge."

��■ -8+�8+

West Ham announced the signing ofRennes defender Nayef Aguerd on

Monday in a deal worth a reported £30million ($37 million) once add-ons areincluded.

The Morocco international, 26, whospent two seasons with the French Ligue1 club, has signed a five-year contract withDavid Moyes' side.

"I was really excited when I heardabout West Ham United's interest," saidthe left-sided player.

"When I heard about it, I knew I need-ed to go to the Premier League, because

it's a dream for every player."West Ham is a historic club. I saw a

few of their games this year, and I saw thefans and the atmosphere were fantastic."

Moyes, whose side finished seventh inthe Premier League last season, saidAguerd had been on the club's radar forsome time.

"I am delighted to welcome Nayef toWest Ham United," said the Hammersmanager.

"We have tracked his progress forsome time and I'm very pleased that wehave been able to complete the signing.He's a great addition that will add to ourdefensive options."

��.-)+

Matteo Berrettini is quietlyconfident he can win

Wimbledon after retaining hisQueen's Club title over theweekend to join an elite groupof players and continue animpressive return from injury.

World number 11 Berrettinidefeated Serbia's Filip Krajinovic7-5, 6-4 in Sunday's final of thewarm-up event for the grasscourt Grand Slam to claim hissecond straight title in London,a week after beating AndyMurray to the honours inStuttgart.

The 26-year-old Italian lostto Novak Djokovic in last year'sWimbledon final and is keen togo one better this year afterbouncing back from a nearthree-month injury lay-off towin two tournaments in a row.

"I don't know if I'm thefavourite as Novak and Rafa(Nadal) are always there; Rafahas already won two Slams andno-one expected him to win inAustralia," said Berrettini in aninterview with Sky Sport Italiabroadcast on Monday.

"I don't feel like I'm the

favourite but I know I can doit, I can't pull the wool overpeople's eyes. My aim is tohave a big tournament atWimbledon and I hope it willbe two intense weeks."

Sunday's victory meantBerrettini joined JohnMcEnroe, Jimmy Connors,Boris Becker, Ivan Lendl,Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddickand Murray as the only play-ers in the Open era to winback-to-back Queen's titles.

Before his two recent winsBerrettini had gone through adifficult few months, droppingout in Acapulco with abdom-inal problems in February andthen missing the entireEuropean clay court swingfollowing hand surgery.

"After a really good weekin Stuttgart it would havebeen easy to not exactly takemy foot off the gas but let myproblems overwhelm me," hesaid.

"Instead I found the rightenergy levels and to win sucha prestigious tournament isreally very special."

Wimbledon begins nextMonday.

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It's 8'o clock in the morningand one by one, all the

wrestlers sneak out of traininghall after the regular 90-minutesession. But not Bajrang Punia.

Drenched in sweat, Bajranggets ready for a 'plyometric'workout and slogs for another45 minutes. An athlete usesspeed and force of differentmovements to build musclepower through plyometricworkouts.

His new-found energy andenthusiasm come from encour-aging results from a few testshe underwent -- TechnobodyAssessment, FunctionalMovement Screening BodyComposition Analysis andVo2max.

There is nothing wrongwith his body, these tests affirmand help in getting rid of a"mental block" that hadstraight-jacketed the TokyoOlympics bronze medallist onthe mat.

It was this mental blockthat had tied him to an ultra-defensive approach ever sincehe suffered a knee injury aheadof the Tokyo Games last year.

He appeared in the CWGtrials in New Delhi and justabout managed to beat hiscompatriots. A few days later, hecompeted at Bolat TurlykhanovCup in Almaty and lost a bout- against Uzbekistan's AbbosRakhmonov - that he had in hisgrasp.

All because of his defensivetactics, that had triggered spec-ulations that Bajrang ispast his prime. EvenBajrang himself began todoubt his worth.

"I told my coach that Iwill attack more and play myold style but the body did notsupport me in Almaty. There isno lack of effort, I was actual-ly putting in extra effort but wasnot getting performance and

results," Bajrang said."At times I thought I will

never be able to repeat thosestupendous performances. Ifelt my body has slowed down.Something was amiss in mybody and it was consistentlyplaying in my mind," he sharedhis doubts.

But he is quick to remindthat he has overcome that self-doubting phase.

"Now I feel my best is yet tocome and you will see that."

"After coming back fromKazakhstan I underwent a fewmedical tests on the advice of

my physio Anand Dubey toassess power, speed, body bal-ance, stamina and endurance.The results are 'super' if notexcellent.

"After seeing the encourag-ing test results, I analysed thatI am doing better in training.Perhaps a mental block wasthere. It's broken."

Bajrang reveals that even anathlete of his calibre can startdoubting himself if the mindgets clogged or if the fear ofinjury grips the mind.

The 28-year-old earned apodium finish in each andevery tournament he entered inlast five years. But all of thatdidn't matter.

"I was disturbed, I knowmedia was also calling me outof concern (in Russia), but I didnot need media at that time butrehabilitation. There was moreload on left knee because ofinjury in right knee.

"I did not have a physioand was doing rehab on

my own afterOlympics. I trainedfor 8-10 days andinjured my rightknee again. Thefear of gettinginjured again stuck

to mind, it just crip-pled me, my attack-

ing instincts."

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South Africa head coachMark Boucher termed

India seamer BhuvneshwarKumar's performance in theseries as "special" while ruingthe absence of AidenMarkram, who he feels couldhave made a lot of differencefor the Proteas over the courseof the five T20Is.

Bhuvneshwar, who nowonly plays white-ball cricket,got six wickets in four com-pleted games and gave awayonly 85 runs in 14 overs at aneconomy rate of almost sixruns per over.

"Bhuvi was special in thiswhole series as we came upagainst some quality bowling.He put us under pressure inPowerplays and barring onegame (Delhi), where we gotoff to a good start, they havedominated us with both balland bat in Powerplays,"Boucher said after the seriesended in 2-2 despite Proteasgoing 2-0 up at the onset.

However, losingMarkram due to COVID-19at the start of the series had ahuge impact, felt the formerglovesman.

"It was tough losingAiden Markram even beforewe started the first game. Wewanted to play six batters withAiden being our sixth optionand we couldn't do that,"Boucher added.

The long IPL did makethe players tired and that alsohad an effect on the final out-come, he said.

"We didn't play our bestcricket and it was quite toughon our IPL players to staythroughout the whole IPLand then come to India back-to-back as well," he explained.

"Guys are little bit tired aswell. So they will all enjoy thebreak and (having learnt a) lot

of lessons in World Cup year.And see, if we can plug a fewgaps going into Australiaalbeit in different conditions."

While stars like RohitSharma, Virat Kohli andJasprit Bumrah were rested forthe series, Boucher lauded thedepth of the Indian cricketsystem created by the IPL.

"I know there weren't a lotof top (India) players overhere but the depth that Indiancricket has at the momentlargely due to the IPL, theycan take lot of confidence aswell."

"You just can't walk up inIndia and expect to win aseries as well. So, we played acouple of good games and twobad games and there are acouple of reasons for that, butyou can't get too much into it,"he added.

However in Australianconditions, South Africa willhave a different gameplan.

"Plans will change inAustralia and we are aware ofthat. We tried a few options inthese conditions and saw ifthey worked or not.

"And I think, we asked afew questions and we gotsome good answers."

Boucher made no bonesabout the fact that SouthAfrica need to improve upontheir Powerplay batting.

"We struggled to getgoing in few of the games andwe speak about it after everygame and may be see how wecan change our mindset andintent, specially after thirdgame, when we went afterwith the intent we needed," hesaid.

"And our bowling at cer-tain stages was very good andat certain stages, we lookedrusty and sort of understandthat couple of guys cominginto the series after IPL andmay be a bit tired," he added.

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Dinesh Karthik as an "enforcer"opens up a lot of options goinginto the T20 World Cup, says

India head coach Rahul Dravid, whowants to identify a core group of 18-20 players by the end of England series.

For Dravid, to be a part of theWorld T20 set-up, it won't be enoughto just the "knock the door". Anyonewho wants to stake a claim in thatsquad of 15 will need to "bang it down".

"It was really nice to see Karthikcome off and do what he has beenpicked to do. That was good and itopens up a lot more options for us,going forward," Dravid said after thefive-match series against South Africaended in a 2-2 draw.

The last game was abandoned dueto rain.

"He was picked for what he hasbeen doing exceptionally well for thelast two or three years (in IPL) and kindof indicated in the sense that it almostcame together in the game at Rajkot,"Dravid spoke about the Tamil Nadudasher's 27-ball-55 that was crucial inIndia restoring parity in the series.

For Dravid, Karthik and HardikPandya are the two "enforcers" in thedeath overs.

"We needed that big performancein last five overs to make a par scoreand he and Hardik batted beautifully.Both of them are enforcers for us at theend," Dravid spelt out what role theteam management has in mind forKarthik.

The coach had no hesitation inadmitting that Karthik has made agood case for himself going into theT20 World Cup.

"I was telling guys that you have tostart banging the door down and notjust knocking the door down andinnings like that (Rajkot fifty) meanshe is knocking very hard."

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Dravid doesn't want to put a timeline but by the end of the EnglandT20Is, he wants to have a fair ideaabout the 18 to 20-odd players hewould be looking at ahead of WorldCup in Australia.

India and England will clash in sixwhite-ball games (July 7-17) after one-off Test.

"As you come closer and closer tothe event, you want to firm up yourfinal squad or if not, obviously youwant to have some contingencies inthe kind of world we live in today.Obviously you want to take only 15 tothe WC but (need to identify) top 18

to 20 players," he replied to a query onwhere he stands on his core team.

"Obviously, there could be oddchanges due to injury and things thatare beyond your control but we aregoing to start looking to firm up thatsquad as quickly as possible.

"Whether that will happen innext series (Ireland) or series after that(England) is hard to tell but we are cer-tainly looking to do that as quickly aspossible," he revealed.

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If there were two people who haveideally blown away their chances to bea part of World T20 core squad, theyare Ruturaj Gaikwad (96 runs in 5games) and Shreyas Iyer (94 runs in5 games). Gaikwad is looking com-pletely out of place in internationalcricket and Iyer's struggle against qual-ity pace bowling is now well-docu-mented.

The head coach however chose tobe a bit more empathetic towards theduo even though one will not playagainst Ireland (Iyer is in Test team)and other unlikely to get any morestarts.

"We are not going to make knee-jerk reactions on people just like that.I don't like judging people after oneseries or one game," Dravid said.

"Shreyas on a couple of trickywickets showed a lot of intent, played

really positively for us. Ruturaj in oneinnings showed what he has got. Weare not disappointed with anyone,"Dravid once again showed the doggeddefence of his playing days.

�� A��"As a group, we wanted to play a

certain brand of cricket and we weretrying to play a slightly more positiveand attacking brand of cricket rightfrom beginning and we knew whenyou try and do that, it is not alwaysgoing to come off. But we are certain-ly clear about the kind of cricket wewant to play," he said.

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Dravid is known to rely a lot ondata analysis and he would love togather information on playing condi-tions and oppositions before the tour-nament-proper.

"Lot of our boys have played inAustralia and we certainly will be hav-ing conversations with them on whatkind of tactics and strategies work," hesaid.

"In terms of data and analysis, wewill look at all games being played inAustralia and obviously they areinternational games, there is Big Bashand I mean we will do all our researchand background things that happensin terms of analysis.

"And of course, we don't have aseries against them (Australia inAustralia), so we can't change that. Iguess we have to make do with twoweeks we have in the lead up to theWorld Cup and make best use of it."

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Rahul Dravid loved playing Testcricket in England and loves coach-ing a Test team. He reckons that theone-off 'fifth Test' against the hosts willbe a different proposition from lastyear when the team under ViratKohli led 2-1 before Covid-19 cases inIndia camp forced the cancellation ofthe final game.

"England are playing well at themoment and it is going to be a bit dif-ferent from last year when Englandwere probably a little bit on backfoot.They have played some good gamesand we have a pretty good side aswell," Dravid said, referring to BenStokes' side's series win against NewZealand.

"Loved playing Test cricket, lovewatching it and love coaching in Testcricket and so you know, looking for-ward to it," he concluded.

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India head coach Rahul Dravid hasmade it clear that the under-fire

Rishabh Pant is a "big" and "integral"part of the set-up heading into theT20 World Cup in Australia.

"Personally, he would have likedto score a few more runs but it is notconcerning him. Certainly, he is avery big part of our plans goingahead in next few months," Dravidsaid during the post-match pressconference.

He was categorical that he won'tjudge someone based on one series— whether it is batting form or cap-taincy. "I just don't want to be crit-ical. In the middle overs, you needpeople to play slightly attackingbrand of cricket, to take the gameon a little more. Sometimes it's very

hard to judge it based on two orthree games," the head coach said.

Pant's is a high risk game thatcomes with a price and the coach isready to pay the price looking at thebigger picture.

"In the process (of playing an

attacking game), he might go wrongin a few games but he remains anintegral part of our batting line-upwith the power he has and the factthat he is a left-hander is importantto us in the middle overs, he playedsome good knocks," he said.

About his captaincy, Dravidfelt that Pant did well consideringthat he led the side back in the seriesfrom 0-2 down.

"To bring a team back from 0-2 down and to level it at 2-2 and giveus a chance to win was good.Captaincy is not about wins andlosses only. He (Pant) is a youngcaptain, growing as leader. It is tooearly to judge him and you don'twant to do that after one series,"Dravid was clear in his thought-process.

"It was nice to see he has gotopportunities to lead, keep andbat. He had a lot of load on him butgaining from that experience andcredit to him for ensuring that wewent from 0-2 down to 2-2," thecoach was all praise for the stand-in skipper.

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England beat off a pluckyattack by the Netherlands on

Sunday to defeat the hosts by sixwickets in a shortened secondODI at VRA cricket ground out-side Amsterdam.

The win by the world cham-pions give them an unassailable2-0 lead in the series, with thefinal match to be played at thesame venue on Wednesday.

The Netherlands won thetoss and opted to bat, settingEoin Morgan's men a target of236-7 in 41 overs.

Heavy rain overnightdelayed the start of the matchwith officials waiting for wetpatches to dry next to the bat-ting-friendly pitch and on theoutfield.

England opener Phil Saltslapped 77 off 54 balls beforefalling to Dutch youngster ArjanDutt, who also claimed thescalp of fellow opener Jason Roy.

Roy, who scored a single runin England's record total of 498on Friday, redeemed himself byhitting 73 off 60 balls.

Unlike Friday's run-festwhich was peppered with sixes,Sunday's match was a moredemure affair, with England'sfirst six only coming in the 15thover when Roy smacked Duttover midwicket to clear theboundary.

Salt survived an early scarewhen an attempted off-side cutsent the ball into the air, only tofall between two Dutch fielders-- none of whom decisivelynominated for the catch.

The Welsh-born Salt neverreally seemed troubled afterthat, celebrating his half-centu-ry with a stylish four off thebowling of Bas de Leede.

Dutt however had the lastlaugh when Salt attempted toplay around the ball and wasbeaten, seeing the bails flying off

the stumps behind him.England however scored

freely, smacking 29 fours despitethe fall of Morgan and LiamLivingstone's wickets in quicksuccession.

"I'm delighted," Morgan toldSky Sports after the match.

"With the ball, BrydonCarse came into the game andhit the series with plenty of paceand with something we haven'tseen before.

"And with the bat again PhilSalt contributed for the secondtime doing what he does. JasonRoy did well in his 100th cap,"Morgan said.

The Netherlands earlierposted a solid 235-7 against ablistering England attack led byDavid Willey and Carse on adeck that mainly stayed low.

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After missing out the secondODI match against

England, Netherlands skipperand batter Pieter Seelaar onSunday announced his interna-tional retirement, citing persis-tent back problems.

The 34-year-old made hisdebut for the Netherlands teamin 2005, eventually taking overfrom Peter Borren in the lead-ership role in 2018. Starting hiscareer as solely a left-arm ortho-dox spinner, Seelaar's battingbecame more vital for the side,and he moved up the battingorder as a result.

"Since 2020 my back prob-lems got worse to such an extentthat - much to my regret - I amno longer able to give everythingI've got," said Seelaar in a state-ment.

Seelaar played 57 ODIs and

77 T20Is for the Netherlands,taking over 100 wickets acrossthe two formats. Known for sti-fling opponents with craftyangles and subtle changes, thecanny spinner kept his ODIeconomy to just 4.67 and T20Ieconomy at 6.83.

Seelaar was part of the teamthat famously ran over Englandboth at Lord's in the openingmatch of the T20 World Cup in2009, and in Bangladesh in thesame tournament five yearslater.

Seelaar claimed four-wick-et hauls in both internationalwhite-ball formats, though hisbest achievement with the batcame in red-ball cricket, making138 not out against Hong Kongin the ICC Intercontinental Cup.Seelaar and Ben Cooper added288 runs for the sixth wicket, arecord partnership in the com-petition.

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Sidelined after the TokyoOlympics debacle, star Indian

archer Deepika Kumari is all setto make a India comeback in theupcoming Stage 3 of the WorldCup beginning here on Tuesday.

Exactly a year after she wonan individual Gold here in thesame tournament last year, the28-year-old world number threewill look to redeem herself afterfailing to win a medal at theTokyo Games.

That the Olympics is slatedin two years at the same venuewill be an added motivation forDeepika, who also has won aWorld Cup Final Silver medalhere in 2013.

Having returned empty-handed from her third Olympicscampaign last year, Deepika

saw a slump in form along withher husband and country's topmale archer Atanu Das andfailed to make the Indian team.

The duo also could notqualify for the team for the AsianGames which was later post-poned as the ArcheryAssociation of India conducteda fresh trial of the top-eight

archers for the Stage 3 of theWorld Cup.

Earlier the same squad wasto compete in both the WorldCup Stage 3 and the AsianGames but after the postpone-ment Deepika and PravinJadhav, who were in the top-8 ofthe earlier conducted trial, got afresh opportunity and madethe cut.

Das, however, missed outhaving finished outside top-8 inthe earlier conducted trial.

Deepika made the cut at theexpense of Komalika Bari, whileher Tokyo Olympic mixed teampartner Jadhav ousted SachinGupta to complete the WorldCup Stage 3 lineup.

Deepika was last seen inaction for India in the YanktonWorld Cup Final in September2021 where she finished fourth.

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Dutch skipper Seelaar announcesretirement due to back injury

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