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THE ASIAN AGENATION| 4
www.asianage.com
WINDOWS
Britain’s Kate Middleton,
Princess of Wales, arrives for
the Trooping the Colour cere-
mony at Horse Guards Parade
in London on Saturday. — AP
Delhi govt urges
Haryana to release
water amid crisis
New Delhi: In view of the
water shortage, the Delhi
government has appealed
to Haryana to discharge
additional water into the
Yamuna on humanitarian
grounds, senior AAP leader
and minister Atishi said on
Saturday. Delhi’s water min-
ister also told a press con-
ference here that the capital
is facing a shortage of 70
million gallons per day in
production due to a lack of
raw water in the Munak
Canal and Wazirabad reser-
voir. Delhi’s water produc-
tion has dropped to 932
MGD due to insufficient
inflow from Haryana.
Full report on Page 2
4-member BJP panel
to probe WB violence
New Delhi/Kolkata: BJP
president J.P. Nadda
formed a four-member
committee to look into the
alleged political violence in
West Bengal. The commit-
tee includes Biplab Kumar
Deb, Ravi Shankar Prasad,
Brij Lal and Kavita Patidar,
all BJP MPs, with Mr Deb as
its convener.
Full report on Page 3
Sahitya Akademi
announces awards
New Delhi: The Sahitya
Akademi announced the
names of 23 writers, includ-
ing English writer K. Vaishali
and Hindi author Gaurav
Pandey, who will receive the
Yuva Puraskar. The Sahitya
Akademi also announced
the names of 24 winners of
the Bal Sahitya Puraskar.
Full report on Page 2
COUNTERPOINT
WEATHER
Max : 45OC
Min: 34OC
RH: 54%
Rain: Nil
Forecast: Sunny
ASTROGUIDE
Krodhi: Uttarayana
Tithi: Jyeshta Shukla Dasami
till 4.43 am (Monday)
Star: Hasta till 11.10 am
Varjyam: 8.02 pm to 9.48 pm
Durmuhurtam: 5.04 pm to
5.56 pm
Rahukalam: 4.30 pm to 6 pm
SUNSET TODAY 7.21 PM
SUNRISE TOMORROW 5.23 AM
MOONRISE TOMORROW 3.02 PM
MOONSET TODAY 1.17 AM
Odisha CM Mohan Charan
Majhi allocates portfolios;
keeps home, finance depts
RNI No. 57290/94, Regd No: DL-SW-05/4189/15-17
PM to release
20K-cr under
PM-Kisan in
Varanasi Tue
New Delhi, June 15:
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi will visit
his parliamentary con-
stituency Varanasi on
June 18 for the first time
after assuming office for
a third consecutive
term, during which he
will release the 17th
installment of PM-Kisan
scheme amounting to
over `20,000 crores for
9.26 crore farmers
across the country.
Mr Modi will also con-
fer certificates to more
than 30,000 members of
Self Help Groups (SHGs)
who have been trained
as “Krishi Sakhis” to
work as para-extension
workers, supporting fel-
low farmers with agri-
cultural practices.
Briefing the media,
Union agriculture min-
ister Shivraj Singh
Chouhan highlighted
the government’s com-
mitment to the agricul-
ture sector.
“Agriculture has
always been a priority
for the PM in his last two
tenures. He took several
key decisions in the
interest of farmers.
After taking oath as PM,
Modiji first signed a file
related to the release of
the 17th installment of
the PM-Kisan scheme,”
Mr Chouhan said. — PTI
Shah to review J&K, 14 killed as
yatra security today vehicle falls
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15
Union home minister
Amit Shah will chair a
high-level meeting on
Sunday to review secu-
rity situation in
Jammu and Kashmir
and preparedness for
Amarnath Yatra with
all major security
stakeholders including
lieutenant-governor
and the National
Security Adviser.
Mr Shah is likely to
give further guidelines
to intensify ongoing
counter operation
against the terrorists in
Jammu region.
To ensure safe and
secured Amarnath
Yatra, beginning June
29 in the backdrop of
recent spate of terror
8 Naxalites, 1 STF jawan
killed in C’garh gunbattle
Raipur, June 15: One
jawan and eight
Maoists were on
Saturday killed in an
encounter in Abujhmad
area under Narayanpur
district in Bastar in
Chhattisgarh. Two
security personnel
were also injured in the
incident.
Peace summit over Ukraine conflict
starts in Switzerland; Russia absent
Obburgen (Switzerland),
June 15: Dozens of world
leaders converged on a
Swiss resort Saturday to
discuss how to bring
peace to war-ravaged
Ukraine, though any
hopes of a real break-
through were muted by
the absence of Russia.
Three years into the
war, the combatants
remain as far apart as
they’ve ever been, with
Kyiv sticking to its
demands that Russia
leave all Ukrainian terri-
tory it has seized and
Moscow pressing on
with its grinding offen-
sive that has already
taken large swaths of
NEW DELHI SUNDAY 16 JUNE 2024
■ ‘50-min’ meeting aborted due to tight schedule, delays at G-7: Reports
After Modi-Biden meet at G-7, fight Maha polls
focus on US NSA’s India visit jointly as equals
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15
After the brief meeting
and handshakes between
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and United States
President Joe Biden on
the sidelines of the G-7
summit in Italy, all eyes
are now on the next high-
level exchange in the form
of the visit of US national
security adviser Jake
Sullivan to India, expect-
ed next week “to engage
the new government on
shared US-India priori-
ties, including the trusted,
strategic technology part-
nership”.
The visit will also be an
opportunity to strengthen
the “United States-India
comprehensive and global
strategic partnership” and
to “advance both coun-
tries’ shared vision of a
free, open and prosperous
Indo-Pacific region” with
an eye on growing Chinese
military assertiveness in
the region.
It may be recalled that
Mr Biden had discussed
the forthcoming visit of Mr
Sullivan to India with Mr
Modi in the congratulatory
phone call made on the
morning of June 6 in the
wake of the NDA’s elec-
toral victory on June 4.
incidents in the Jammu
region, the government
has decided to further
strengthen the security
grid in J&K, and nearly
500 companies of
Central Armed Police
Forces (CAPFs) is like-
ly to be deployed for the
upcoming annual pil-
grimage of Amarnath
Yatra in wake of the
security situation in
the Union territory, the
sources said.
Decision has also been
taken to rope in spe-
cialised forces like the
National Disaster
Response Force
(NDRF), State Disaster
Response Force (SDRF)
and snow and
avalanche study estab-
lishment, besides 500
CAPFs battalions,
sources said.
A joint search opera-
tion involving person-
nel of district reserve
guard (DRG), STF, ITBP
and BSF was launched
in the forests of Kutul,
Farasbeda and
Kotameta falling under
Abujhmad in
Narayanpur district.
■ More on Page 4
MEA secretary will
attend peace meet
New Delhi: India will
be represented by the
MEA’s secretary
(West) Pavan Kapoor
at the two-day summit
on the Russia-Ukraine
conflict that began on
Saturday near the
Swiss city of Lucerne
that is being hosted by
Switzerland. PAGE 4
eastern and southern
Ukraine.
Despite Russia’s
absence from the sum-
mit, Ukrainian
President Volodymyr
cmyk
WORLD| 6 DELHI AGE| 16
China to detain foreigners Raveena Tandon files `100cr
for ‘trespassing’ in disputed defamation case against
waters of South China Sea man for fake road rage video
Vol. 31 No. 121 | 16 PAGES | `5.00
MVA resolves to
PM reviews ties ‘Seat division based on winnability’
SONU SHRIVASTAVA
with Italy, Japan MUMBAI, JUNE 15
at meetings with Dismissing the reports of
inter-party discontent,
Meloni, Kishida Maha
(MVA)
Vikas
leaders
Aghadi
on
AGE CORRESPONDENT Saturday announced that Uddhav Sharad
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15 they will contest the
Thackeray Pawar
upcoming Maharashtra
Prime Minister Narendra Assembly elections lies and roadshows, as he
Modi held the scheduled together as “equal part- ensured the victory of
bilateral meeting with his ners”. The winnability MVA candidates. Mr
Italian Prime Minister will be the only criteria Modi has held 18 rallies
and G-7 summit host for the seat distribution, and roadshows (in the
Giogia Meloni late on
Friday night (IST), where
they said.
The NCP founder
state) and the voters have
showered their blessings
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni takes a selfie with
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G-7
both nations agreed to
strengthen their strategic
Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena
(UBT) chief Uddhav
on our candidates. If the
Prime Minister continues
summit in Apulia, Italy, on Friday. — PTI
◗ THE INDIA-Middle expected to be discussed
partnership, trade and
security ties. Soon after
Thackeray and senior
Congress leaders
to hold rallies in the
Maharashtra Assembly
during the visit, along his meeting with Ms Balasaheb Thorat and elections, it will help to
East-Europe Economic with the current situation Meloni, Mr Modi entered Prithviraj Chavan held a create a conducive atmos-
Corridor (IMEC), a in West Asia arising from into a bilateral meeting meeting at the Y.B. phere for a majority for
connectivity initiative the Israel-Gaza conflict with Japanese PM Fumio Chavan Centre in connec- us. Therefore, it is my
envisaged to connect and Iran-Israel tensions. Kishida, wherein the two tion with the upcoming duty to thank him,” the
India to Europe via the During his visit, Mr Prime Ministers Maharashtra Vidhan NCP founder said.
Middle East that was Sullivan is also likely to reviewed collaboration Sabha elections. Mr Chavan said that the
launched at the G-20 take the Pannun case. It between India and Japan Addressing a joint press alliance has registered a
may be recalled that the in several important conference after the MVA big victory in
summit hosted by India United States has also areas. leaders' meeting, Mr Maharashtra in the
The India-Middle East- been demanding for the During Mr Modi’s meet- Pawar took a dig at Prime recently concluded Lok
Europe Economic past several months that ing with Ms Meloni on the Minister Narendra Modi, Sabha elections and it
Corridor (IMEC), a con- India take action on an sidelines of the G-7 sum- stating that wherever Mr will repeat its perfor-
nectivity initiative envis- alleged plot to kill US citi- mit in the Apulia region Modi held rallies and mance in the state
aged to connect India to zen and pro-Khalistan of Italy, the warm friend- roadshows, the MVA can- Assembly elections. “The
Europe via the Middle extremist Gurpatwant ship and camaraderie didates won and thanked farmers have taught a
East that was launched at Singh Pannun last year, between the two leaders the Prime Minister. good lesson to the BJP.
the G-20 summit hosted by in which the Americans were evident, especially “We must thank Mr Efforts were made (by the
India last year, is also ■ Turn to Page 4 ■ Turn to Page 4 Modi for holding his ral- ■ Turn to Page 4
into gorge in
Uttarakhand
AGE CORRESPONDENT
with agency inputs
DEHRADUN, JUNE 15
Fourteen tourists were
killed and 12 seriously
injured when a tempo
traveller skidded off the
road and fell into the
Alaknanda river on the
Badrinath national high-
way in Uttarakhand’s
Rudraprayag on
Saturday. Ten people
died on the spot while
four others succumbed
later in hospitals,
according to the district
administration.
In a post on X, the
Prime Minister’s Office
said, “The road accident
in Rudraprayag is heart-
breaking. My deepest
condolences to
bereaved families who
the
lost their loved ones.
Along with this, I wish
speedy recovery of all
the injured.”
The Prime Minister
also announced an ex-
gratia of `2 lakhs from
the Prime Minister’s
National Relief Fund
(PMNRF) to the next of
kin of the deceased and
`50,000 each to those
injured, the PMO posted.
■ More on Page 4
Zelenskyy predicted at
the outset that the talks
would lead to “history
being made.”
“We have succeeded in
bringing back to the
world the idea that joint
efforts can stop war and
establish a just peace,”
he said at a news confer-
ence alongside Swiss
President Viola
Amherd.
During a press briefing
later with US vice-presi-
dent Kamala Harris, Mr
Zelenskyy said the sum-
mit could lay the
groundwork for an even-
tual end to the conflict.
— AP
■ More on Page 6
 CITY
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 16 JUNE 2024 | NEW DELHI
pg 2

■ Delhi to Haryana: Give water for humanity

IN BRIEF
Plea in SC seeks scrapping of Neet
Police nabs 8 crime
suspects in 48hrs
Water war: AAP MLAs exam, court-monitored CBI probe
Noida: The Noida police
nabbed eight criminal sus-
pects within 48 hours after a
series of encounters in which
seven of them suffered gun-
write to Union minister
AVINASH PRABHAKAR JHA
Protesters booked AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15

A group of 20 medical for trying to enter

shot injuries, according to
officials. Among those held is
a Delhi-based robber who has
over two dozen criminal cases
registered against him at vari-
ous police stations in the
National Capital Region and
two members of the ‘Thak-
Thak’ gang, the officials said.
The first of the four encoun-
ters took place on the inter-
vening night of Wednesday
and Thursday during a routine
police check at Sector-96
junction, under Sector-39
police station limits, a police
spokesperson said. “The
police signalled three individ-
uals who were on a motorcy-
cle to stop for inquiry. The
suspects attempted to flee
towards the Hajipur under-
pass. A chase ensued, during
which the suspects fired at
the police near Sikka Mall on
the service road,” the
spokesperson said. “In the
retaliatory action by the
police, two suspects, Arun
and Gaurav, were shot in the
legs and apprehended while
the third suspect, who fled
the spot, was nabbed later,”
the official said. — PTI
Fire at 2 adjoining
factories in Noida
Noida: A fire broke out at a
garment factory here and
spread to an adjoining
pharmaceutical factory, offi-
cials said on Saturday. Chief
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15
Amid escalating water cri-
sis in the national capital,
the Delhi government on
Saturday appealed to
Haryana to discharge addi-
tional water into the
Yamuna on humanitarian
grounds.
The ruling AAP MLAs
have also written a letter
to Union Jal Shakti minis-
ter C.R. Paatil urging his
intervention to solve the
water crisis faced by the
national capital amid the
prevailing intense heat-
wave.
“The Delhi government
has appealed to Haryana
to release additional
water for the people of the
city on humanitarian
grounds. The Upper
Yamuna River Board
(UYRB) has advised Delhi
and Haryana to hold a
bilateral meeting and con-
sider whether Haryana
can give some extra water
to Delhi.
“Also, a delegation of
senior Delhi government
officials will go to
Chandigarh on Sunday
and meet Haryana offi-
cials. We appeal to the
Haryana government on
humanitarian grounds
that, considering the cur-
rent situation in Delhi,
the Haryana government
should give some extra
Congress workers carry earthen pots during ‘matka
phod’ protest in New Delhi on Saturday.
Amid water crisis, Congress holds
‘matka phod’ protests across Delhi
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15
Amid a water crisis in the
national capital, the Delhi
Congress held ‘matka
phod’ protests across the
city on Saturday with its
members smashing earth-
en pots to the ground.
The protests began at
around 10 am in all 280
blocks in Delhi. Carrying
earthen pots on their heads
and Congress flags, the pro-
Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Haryana, or Delhi, all
these states have been
— PTI
testers raised slogans
against the Delhi govern-
ment and chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal.
Delhi Congress chief
Devender Yadav, who also
joined the protests,
demanded a special ses-
sion of the Assembly to
discuss the issue. He had
alleged on Friday that
the Delhi government
had not taken effective
steps to address the
water shortage.
water and the number of
water tankers be
increased.
aspirants has moved a
plea before the Supreme
Court seeking scrapping
of the Neet-UG 2024 and
an apex court-monitored
probe by the CBI or any
other independent agency
into the alleged irregulari-
ties in the test held on May
5.
The petition has also
sought a direction to the
National Testing Agency
(NTA) to conduct the test
again.
While hearing separate
petitions raising griev-
ances over the national
eligibility-cum-entrance
test (Undergraduate)-2024,
the apex court on Friday
sought responses from the
Centre and the NTA on a
plea for a CBI probe into
allegations of question
paper leak and other
irregularities in the exam.
The fresh plea stated
that in view of “rampant
irregularities and fraudu-
lent practices,” re-exami-
nation would only help in
short-listing deserving
students to get admission
to medical institutions.
The petition said the
result declared by the NTA
disclosed that 67 candi-
dates have scored the max-
imum possible marks of
720 out of 720.
A closer analysis would
also reveal an extraordi-
Pradhan’s house
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15
A group of people was
booked for allegedly
protesting and trying to
enter the residence of
Union minister of educa-
tion Dharmendra
Pradhan, officials said on
Youth Congress activist during a protest in New Delhi Saturday.
on Saturday against the allleged Neet scam. — G.N. JHA A case under section 188
narily significant increase and unfair means among (disobedience to order
of more than 400 per cent others in Neet-UG in the duly promulgated by a
in the number of students future. public servant) was regis-
scoring 620-720 marks, it The Centre and the NTA
tered at the South Avenue
said. had on Thursday told the police station on
The plea has sought a top court that they had Thursday, they said.
direction to a court- cancelled the grace marks
appointed committee or given to 1,563 candidates
According to the FIR,
around 20 people arrived
any other independent who took the examination
agency to conduct “post- for admission to MBBS
in three to four cars and
gathered outside the Union
exam analysis including and other such courses. minister’s residence —
academic background Such candidates will have house number 19, Kushak
check, forensic analysis, the option to either take a Road in South Avenue.
and investigate all such retest or forgo the compen- The protesters were car-
candidates who have scored satory marks awarded to rying pamphlets of
620 and above” under the them for the loss of time, National Students’ Union
supervision of the court. the Centre had said. of India (NSUI), it said,
The petitioners also The entrance was held adding that some media-
sought directions to the on May 5 across 4,750 cen- persons were also present
NTA and others to take tres and around 24 lakh at the spot.
effective steps to ensure candidates appeared for it. The police informed the
transparency and fairness
in the
There have been allega-
examination tions of question paper
protesters that as section
144 of CrPC has been
process and to address the leaks in states like Bihar
concerns pertaining to and other irregularities in
imposed in the area, they
cannot gather here but
alleged fraudulent prac- the entrance test for they did not stop and
tices, leakage of question admission into medical raised slogans, the FIR
papers, impersonation, and allied courses. stated.

Excise case: HC tells Sunita Man held for

water to Delhi,” said allocated a share of “The capital is facing a
fire officer Pradeep Kumar
water minister Atishi. Yamuna water. But the shortage of 70 million gal-
said no one was trapped in
“Yesterday, a meeting of board has asked for some lons per day (MGD) in pro-
the multi-storey building
and there were no casual-
the Upper Yamuna River documents and calcula- duction due to a lack of kidnapping,
ties in the incident. The fire
was reported from the gar-
ment factory building locat-
Board was held
improve this situation but
to

it did not yield any result.

Himachal has reiterated
tions from Himachal
Pradesh on this,” She
mentioned.
Ms Atishi also called an
raw water in the Munak
canal and Wazirabad
reservoir. The normal
water production of
to take down videos of trial killing teen
ed in Sector 67 at 12 noon,
he said. “Fire tenders, along
with teams of fire-fighters,
in this meeting that it is
ready to give its surplus
emergency meeting on the
persisting water crisis on
around 1,002 MGD in
Delhi on June 6 went
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15
forms.”
The court also men-
to repay debt
137 MGD water to Delhi. Saturday and instructed down to 932 MGD on tioned the list of URLs to Faridabad, June 15: The
were rushed to the spot.
All the Upper Yamuna the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) Friday because of lack of The Delhi high court on be removed and said it police has arrested a
Additional vehicles were
states, whether it’s to make a new assessment raw water,” Ms Atishi Saturday ordered the should be ensured that the man for allegedly kid-
called in from nearby dis-
Himachal Pradesh, Uttar of areas not getting any said. removal of a video record- audio/video is not re- napping and killing a 13-
tricts, such as Bulandshahr,
ing of court proceedings uploaded on their plat- year-old boy here in a bid
Ghaziabad and Hapur,” Mr
forms till further orders.
Bibhav to remain in
related to chief minister to demand ransom from
Kumar said. “Fortunately, no
person was trapped in the
Terror funding Arvind Kejriwal in the
excise policy case from
“Notice of the petition
be issued to other respon-
the parents and repay his
debt, officials said on
building and there has been
case: Separatist social media platforms. Sunita Kejriwal dents no. 1 to 7, to be Saturday. The police

custody till June 22

no injury to anyone,” the
CFO said. Due to the hot
weather conditions in the
city and accompanying
winds, the fire from the gar-
ment factory spread to the
adjoining pharmaceutical
factory, he added. — PTI
3-day India health
exposition concludes
New Delhi: A three-day India
health exposition, which con-
cluded on Saturday, brought
together a multitude of
stakeholders, spanning bio-
medical engineers, patholo-
gists, radiologists, hospital
consultants, medical device
distributors, clinicians, pro-
curement managers, R&D
professionals, and regulatory
representatives. The event
was inaugurated on Thursday
by ambassador of Hungary
Istvan Szabo and high com-
missioner of the Republic of
Fiji Jagnnath Sami among
others. India health aims to
providing a global platform
for advancing healthcare
together, along with nurtur-
ing a transformative environ-
ment for learning.
MAN BEATEN TO
DEATH BY DRUG
DEALER, HIS SONS
Gurgaon: A 28-year-old man
was beaten to death
allegedly by his drug dealer
and his sons over some
issue here, the police said
on Saturday. The deceased
was identified as Raja
Kumar, living in Bas Kushla
village in the IMT Manesar
area. He worked as a helper
in a departmental store
owned by Rahul Chauhan.
According to the complaint
filed by Pintu Jha, the vic-
tim’s elder brother, Kumar
was addicted to marijuana.
On Friday morning, they
both went to the accused
Sanjay’s house in Kasan vil-
lage to buy marijuana.
However, Sanjay and his two
sons, Gaurav and Saurav,
beat Kumar over some
minor issue, Mr Jha said.
Kumar then went to
Chauhan and told him about
the fight, Mr Jha added. On
Friday evening, Chauhan
took Raja to Sanjay’s resi-
dence again to talk about
the fight and sort the issue,
he said. When Chauhan
asked about the fight to
Sanjay, he got angry. Sanjay
and his sons dragged Raja
into a room and beat him
up, he added. They then
threw him out of the house
in a critical condition, Jha
said in his complaint.
leader Shabir
Shah gets bail
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15
A Delhi court has grant-
ed bail to Kashmiri sepa-
ratist leader Shabir
Ahmad Shah in a money
laundering case related
to alleged terror funding
in Jammu and Kashmir.
The court noted that
Shah was in custody for
six years and 10 months
in the case in which the
maximum punishment
was seven years. Addit-
ional sessions judge Dhe-
eraj Mor, while granting
statutory jail to Shah in
an order passed on June
7, observed that the other
cases in which the sepa-
ratist leader was in cus-
tody were very serious.
“However, that cannot
be a sufficient ground for
declining him statutory
bail, when he has not
been convicted in any of
the offences,” the judge
said. “Even if he is grant-
ed bail in this case, he is
not likely to be released
from jail in the other said
offences before July 24,
2024 — the date on which
the maximum punish-
ment of seven years in
the present case expires
for him as an under-trial
prisoner,” the judge said.
Shah had sought bail on
the grounds that he had
already suffered more
than half of the period of
the maximum punish-
ment prescribed in the
offence.
Sahitya Akademi announces Yuva Puraskar Centre nod to construction of
and Bal Sahitya Puraskar winners for 2024 Rithala-Narela-Kundli Metro
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15
Acclaimed literary insti-
tution Sahitya Akademi
on Saturday announced
the names of 23 writers,
including English writer
K. Vaishali for her mem-
oir “Homeless: Growing
up Lesbian and Dyslexic
in India” and Hindi
author Gaurav Pandey’s
poetry collection
“Smritiyon Ke Beech
Ghiri Hai Prithvi,” who
will receive the presti-
gious Yuva Puraskar
across as many languages
among others.
The National Academy
of Letters also announced
the names of 24 winners of
the Bal Sahitya Puraskar
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15
A Delhi court on
Saturday extended till
June 22 the judicial cus-
tody of chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal’s aide
Bibhav Kumar.
Mr Kumar is accused of
assaulting AAP Rajya
Sabha MP Swati Maliwal
on May 13 at the chief min-
ister’s official residence.
Mr Kumar was produced
through video conferenc-
ing before the duty metro-
politan magistrate, who
extended the custody and
directed the Delhi police to
produce him on June 22.
Earlier on Friday, the
court had extended Mr
Smoke billows after a fire broke out in a factory at Loni in Ghaziabad district on
Saturday.
K. Vaishali
for 2024.
The winner of the Yuva
Puraskar in Sanskrit will
be announced at a later
date.
The Yuva Puraskar has
been awarded for 10 poet-
ry books, seven collections
of short stories, two col-
lections of articles, one of
essays, one novel, one
book of ghazals, and one
Kumar’s cus-
tody by one
day after not-
ing that the
investigating
Bibhav officer (IO)
Kumar
was not pres-
ent. Mr
Kumar was arrested on
May 18. He was sent to
police custody for five
days the same day by a
magisterial court, which
observed that his antici-
patory bail plea had
become infructuous
because of his arrest.
On May 24, he was sent
to four days judicial cus-
tody, following which he
was again remanded in
police custody for three
days.
memoir.
The other winners of the
Yuva Puraskar are Naya-
njyoti Sarma (Assamese),
Sutapa Chakraborty (Ben-
gali), Self Made Rani Baro
(Bodo), and Heena
Choudhary (Dogri).
Rinku Rathod (Gujarati),
Shruti B.R. (Kannada),
Mohd Ashraf Ziya (Kash-
miri), Adwait Salgaonkar
(Konkani), Rinki Jha
Rishika (Maithili), and
Shyamkrishnan R.
(Malayalam) are also
among the winners.
W a i k h o m
Chingkheinganba
(Manipuri), Devidas
Saudagar (Marathi), Suraj
Chapagain (Nepali),
Sanjay Kumar Panda
(Odia), Randhir (Punjabi),
In the video, Arvind
Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) national con-
venor, is seen addressing a
trial court.
A bench of justices
Neena Bansal Krishna
and Amit Sharma issued
notices to six people, in-
cluding Sunita Kejriwal,
and social media interme-
diaries X (formerly known
as Twitter), Meta, and
YouTube on a petition all-
eging violation of the vid-
eo conferencing (VC)
rules of the Delhi high
court.
“Prima facie it is
observed that the court
proceeding recording is
violative of Rule 3(vi) of
Delhi High Court Video
Conferencing Rules, 2021,
and cannot be permitted
to remain in the public
— PTI
and Sonali Sutar
(Rajasthani) have also
been picked for the Yuva
Puruskar.
The other winners are
Anjan Karmakar
(Santali), Geeta Pradeep
Rupani (Sindhi), Lokesh
Raghu-raman (Tamil),
Ramesh Karthik Nayak
(Telugu), and Javed
Amber Misbahi (Urdu).
For the Bal Sahitya
Puraskar, the Sahitya
Aka-demi has picked
English writer Nandini
Sengupta for her histori-
cal fiction “The Blue
Horse and Other Amazing
Animal Stories from
Indian History” and
Devender Kumar’s collec-
tion of children’s stories
“51 Baal Kahaniyan.”
domain,” the bench said
in its 6-page order.
The high court directed
the social media interme-
diaries to forthwith take
down the audio or video
recording from their
respective platforms.
During the hearing, the
bench asked the respon-
dents, including the six
individuals, to take down
the content from social
media platforms.
However, the order
uploaded on the court
website said, “The social
media platforms namely X
(formerly ‘Twitter’), Meta
(formerly ‘Facebook’),
Insta-gram, and YouTube
are hereby directed to
remove forthwith the
audio/video recording
from their respective plat-
No respite for Delhi from sizzling
heat; orange alert for next 3 days
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15
There was no relief from
the searing heat in Delhi
on Saturday as the maxi-
mum temperature settled
six notches above the sea-
son’s average at 44.6°C offi-
cials said. Of its several
weather stations, Aya Nag-
ar recorded 46°C while Pal-
am recorded 45°C, they
said.
Similar weather is like-
ly on Sunday with mainly
clear skies and heatwave
conditions in several
parts of Delhi.
The capital will be on
“orange’ alert for the next
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15
The Centre has cleared a
ministry of housing and
urban affairs-DDA pro-
posal for the construction
of the Rithala-Narela-
Kundli Metro corridor. In
a statement, Raj Niwas
said on Saturday that
Delhi lieutenant-governor
V.K. Saxena had taken up
the construction of this
Metro corridor with the
Centre on various occa-
sions.
The said Metro corridor
will be constructed at a
cost of `6,231 crore with
the Delhi portion estimat-
ed to cost `5,685.22 crore
and the Haryana portion
`545.77 crore, the state-
served through ordinary
post and electronic mode,
returnable for the next
date of hearing. The order
be communicated within
48 hours to the respon-
dent(s),” the bench said.
The high court was hear-
ing the petition filed by
lawyer Vaibhav Singh.
In his petition, Mr Singh
claimed that when Arvind
Kejriwal was produced
before a trial court on
March 28 after his arrest
in the Delhi excise policy
case, he chose to address
the court in person and
the video recording of the
proceedings was posted
on social media platforms
which is prohibited under
the High Court of Delhi
Rules for Video
Conferencing for Courts,
2021.
three days, which stands
for “Be prepared” in the
India meteorological
department colour codes.
The maximum and mini-
mum temperatures are
likely to hover around 45
and 32°C.
Meanwhile, the Air
Quality Index (AQI) of
the national capital was
recorded in the “moder-
ate” category with a read-
ing of 185 at 9 am, accord-
ing to the Central
Pollution Control Board.
Among other places,
Abohar in Fazilka,
Punjab, recording a maxi-
mum temperature of
47.1°C.
ment said. This corridor
is planned as an extension
of the existing Red Line.
Nearly 40 per cent of the
cost of the Delhi portion
will be borne by the
Central government. The
Delhi Development
Authority (DDA) will be
contributing `1,000 crore
of the remaining cost
while 37.5 per cent of the
capital will come from
b i l at e r a l / m u l t i l at e r a l
loans and about 20 per
cent from the Delhi gov-
ernment, it said.
For the Haryana por-
tion, while the state gov-
ernment will provide
grants amounting to 80
per cent, the remaining
20 per cent will come
through Central govern-
identified the accused as
Vishal, a medical store
operator and a resident
of the housing board
colony, sector 62
Ballabgarh, they said.
During the investiga-
tion, the police found
that Vishal killed Kush,
a student of Class 8, by
overdosing him with an
intoxicant which he
gave to render him
unconscious, officials
said.
He then dumped
Kush’s body near the
Agra canal, which the
police recovered on
Friday, they said.
According to the
police, Umesh Chand,
Kush’s father, filed a
complaint reporting that
his son had been missing
since Thursday evening.
He told the police that
Kush had gone on his
bicycle around 6.30 pm
to bring some ice from a
neighbouring shop.
However, when Kush
did not return, Chand,
with some locals, began
searching for him but
could not trace him.
They then examined the
CCTV footage and found
that Kush had passed
Vishal’s home some time
ago, Chand said.
They searched Vishal’s
house and found Kush’s
bicycle on his terrace.
During interrogation,
Vishal confessed that he
had kidnapped Kush to
demand ransom from his
parents and repay his
debt. He injected Kush
with an intoxicant but he
died due to overdose, the
police said. — PTI
ment grants. This 26.5-
km line with 21 stations
will be completed within
four years. It will mas-
sively improve connec-
tivity of Narela, Bawana
and Alipur areas with
the remaining city and
bring about an infra-
structure boom, the
statement said.
The main stations on the
line will include seven
sectors of Rohini, villages
like Barwala, Sanoth,
New Sanoth and Narela,
JJ Colony and other two
stations in the Bawana
industrial area and five
stations in Narela —
Anaaj Mandi, Narela DDA
Sports Complex, Narela
Village, Depot Station and
Narela Sector-5.
 NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 16 JUNE 2024 | NEW DELHI
SHORT TAKES
Jaishankar will visit
Sri Lanka on June 20
Colombo: External affairs
minister S. Jaishankar is set
to visit Sri Lanka on June 20,
foreign ministry sources said
here on Saturday. Sri Lanka
was anticipating a visit by Mr
Jaishankar, and Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi too
was expected to visit the
island nation at a later date,
foreign minister Ali Sabry
told reporters on Friday. Mr
Sabry said the visits were a
sequel to President Ranil
Wickremesinghe’s visit to
New Delhi last week to
attend Mr Modi’s swearing-in
ceremony after he won the
third term. However, there
was no official announce-
ment on Mr Jaishankar’s visit
from India’s ministry of
external affairs. If confirmed,
this could be Mr Jaishankar’s
first official visit abroad after
he was appointed India’s
external affairs minister in
the new government. Last
time, Mr Jaishankar partici-
pated in the 23rd council of
ministers’ meet in Colombo
in 2023. — PTI
BJP to expose Cong
lies on quota: Saini
Ambala: Haryana chief min-
ister Nayab Singh Saini on
Saturday lashed out at the
Congress party and accused
them of spreading lies and
claimed that the BJP would
soon “expose” them. Mr
Saini held a meeting with
the workers of the Ambala
district at the BJP office and
discussed the results of the
Lok Sabha polls. Talking to
the reporters, he said, “The
Congress tried to spread lies
by saying that the
Constitution and reservation
will end.” He said that the
Congress never brought any
scheme for the welfare of
the people, whereas, the
Bharatiya Janata party
brought multiple schemes to
empower people in the last
10 years. The Congress
wanted to “suppress” the
works of the Modi govern-
ment by “spreading lies”,
he alleged. — PTI
DMK blames NTA on
Neet, targets Centre
Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s ruling
DMK on Saturday accused
the National Testing Agency
of spoiling the sanctity of
Neet and blamed the BJP-
led government at the
Centre for being a “specta-
tor” and backing coaching
centres that earned in
crores. Yet again, the DMK
sought scrapping the nation-
al test, saying it alone
would protect the sanctity of
education sector. Referring
to the Centre telling the
Supreme Court days ago
that the grace marks of 1,563
students would be cancelled,
DMK’s Tamil mouthpiece
Murasoli said the BJP gov-
ernment would not have
done this if the matter had
not been taken to the apex
court. Over the years, several
irregularities have been hap-
pening in Neet and the
Bharatiya Janata Party gov-
ernment did not take note of
it, the daily in an editorial on
June 15 alleged. — PTI
ACCEPT ROLE OF
LOP IN LS: J&K
CONG TO RAHUL
Jammu, June 15: The Jammu
and Kashmir unit of
Congress on Saturday
passed a resolution here,
appealing former party pres-
ident Rahul Gandhi to take
the role of Leader of
Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
The resolution was
passed at a one-
day convention of
the Pradesh
Congress
Committee (PCC)
chaired by J-K unit
president Vikar
Rasool Wani and Rahul
attended by Gandhi
almost all senior
leaders and workers, a party
spokesman said. “Rahul
Gandhi taking over as the
Leader of Opposition in Lok
Sabha is the need of the
hour. This is the demand of
general workers and the
people of this country who
desire a strong opposition to
raise the issues faced by the
common people,” the
spokesman said, quoting the
resolution. The convention,
first after the recently con-
cluded Lok Sabha polls
which saw the BJP retaining
both seats of Jammu region
for the third term, also con-
gratulated Sonia Gandhi on
being elected chairperson of
Congress parliamentary
party, lauding her leadership
and dedication towards the
party throughout her
political career. — PTI
■ ‘BJP took on board JD-U & TDP to whom they had shut doors’
‘No entry’ to turncoats, will win Bengal post-poll violence
in Maha, say Sharad & Uddhav Saffron party looking for excuses after jolt in WB: TMC
SONU SHRIVASTAVA
MUMBAI, JUNE 15
Amid the speculation over
party turncoats wanting
to come back to their old
folds, NCP founder Sharad
Pawar and Shiv
Sena(UBT) chief Uddhav
Thackeray on Saturday
made it clear that they
would not allow any turn-
coats back in their parties.
Buoyed by the success of
the MVA in the recently-
concluded Lok Sabha elec-
tions, the Shiv Sena(UBT)
and the NCP(SP) are confi-
dent that they can turn the
table in the upcoming
Maharashtra Assembly
polls without the leaders
who have shifted their loy-
alties in difficult times.
Recently, Sharad Pawar’s
grandnephew Rohit
Pawar claimed that 19
MLAs from the Ajit Pawar
faction are in contact with
the senior Pawar for “ghar
After poll debacle,
Maha BJP plans
Maratha outreach
Party faces community’s ire in polls
PRASAD PATIL
MUMBAI, JUNE 15
After the Lok Sabha deba-
cle, the BJP has planned a
Maratha outreach with
an eye on state Assembly
polls. The party will com-
municate the steps it has
taken for the welfare of
the Maratha community
in the last 10 years.
The protest led by
activist Manoj Jarange
proved to be one of the
biggest factors that
worked against the BJP
in the Lok Sabha polls.
Despite the 10 per cent
reservation in education
and jobs provided by the
Eknath Shinde govern-
ment, Maratha organisa-
tions ensured the commu-
nity votes to defeat BJP
picks, particularly in the
Marathwada region.
Rejecting the separate
10 per cent reservation,
Mr Jarange is insisting
the reservation under the
OBC category. Though no
political party is support-
ing Mr Jarange’s demand,
the community voted in
favour of Maha Vikas
Aghadi comprising the
Congress, Shiv Sena
(UBT) and the NCP
Kerala issues
guidelines to
contain avian
flu outbreak
Thiruvananthapuram,
June 15: Kerala state
health department on
Saturday issued special
guidelines to prevent the
spread of avian flu.
The standard operat-
ing procedure (SOP) of
guidelines and technical
aspects was issued after
a meeting of the Rapid
Response Team, chaired-
by health minister
Veena Geroge.
The action was taken
after the confirmation of
avian flu among ducks
and crows at Cherthala,
the minister said in a
release.
Ms George said as part
of it, people connected
to the avian sector will
be monitored.
“People with heavy
body pain, cough, cold,
and breathlessness will
be closely monitored
and will create aware-
ness among the public,”
she said. The health
department said the flu
was reported from parts
of Alappuzha, Patha-
namthitta and Kottayam
districts of the state.
She also urged the pub-
lic to inform the health
department in case of
any unnatural deaths
among birds, including
crows.
“The meat and eggs
should be consumed
only after proper cook-
ing,” the release said.
Avian flu infection
among humans was not
reported from Kerala
until now, the release
said adding that proper
precautions should be
taken. — PTI
BJP forms panel to probe
NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena(UBT) chief
Uddhav Thackeray and Congress leaders Balasaheb
Thorat and Prithviraj Chavan during a joint press
conference in Mumbai on Saturday.
wapsi”. Rohit had said it
would be Sharad Pawar’s
decision if to bring them
back in the party or not.
Asked whether those
who want to return to the
Shiv Sena (UBT), Mr
Thackeray said, “I will
◗ DESPITE 10 per cent
reservation in education
and jobs provided by the
Shinde government,
Maratha organisations
ensured the community
votes to defeat
the saffron party
(Sharadchandra Pawar).
Former Maharashtra
BJP chief Chandrakant
Patil admitted that there
is a massive unrest in the
Maratha community
against the BJP, which
was the biggest factor of
the party’s Lok Sabha
performance.
Maratha community is
The
the single largest caste in
the state accounting for
approximately 30 per cent
of the population.
“The BJP gave reserva-
tion and other conces-
sions to the Maratha com-
munity. But despite that,
there is anger against the
BJP in the community.
We discussed it in the
meeting held on Friday.
We failed to communicate
the work done by us to
people from the commu-
nity, Mr Patil said.
We have decided to rec-
tify it,” Mr Patil said.
July 10 bypoll in Chhindwara
district to be acid test for Nath
RABINDRA NATH
CHOUDHURY
BHOPAL, JUNE 15
The July 10 bypoll to the
Amarwara Assembly
constituency in Madhya
Pradesh may prove to be
an acid test for Congress
veteran Kamal Nath in
the wake of the loss of
the Chhindwara Lok
Sabha seat, considered
his family bastion for the
last 44 years, to the BJP
in the recently held polls.
Mr Nath’s son Nakul,
who was seeking re-elec-
tion from the Chhin-
dwara seat in the LS
polls, was defeated by
BJP pick Bunty Sahu by
over one lakh votes.
The bypoll to the
Amarwara Assembly
constituency, which falls
■ ‘Poll results in Gurdaspur, Amritsar & Hoshiarpur worrisome’
BJP did better in LS polls in Punjab: Jakhar
Chandigarh, June 15: As
the BJP reviewed its per-
formance in the recently
concluded Lok Sabha polls
in Punjab, state unit chief
Sunil Jakhar on Saturday
said his party performed
“better” in the general
election but asserted that
“better is not enough”.
He also expressed con-
cern over the BJP losing
its traditional Lok Sabha
seats of Gurdaspur,
Amritsar and Hoshiarpur,
saying the results in these
constituencies were not
according to expectations.
The Punjab unit of the
BJP on Saturday held
— PTI
certainly not take them
back.”
When asked whether
Ajit Pawar will be allowed
to join the NCP(SP),
Sharad Pawar said there
is no question of taking
rebels back into the party.
Students clash with security personnel during a protest over the Neet-UG exam issue
in Patna on Saturday.
■ Move after leader, 2 Independents fight LS polls against apex council’s decision
Manipur Naga body calls for boycott of Cong MP
MANOJ ANAND
GUWAHATI, JUNE 15
The United Naga Council
(UNC) — an apex body of
Nagas in Manipur — on
Saturday asked for social
boycott of newly-elected
Congress MP Alfred
Kanngam Arthu and two
independent candidates
from the Outer Manipur
Lok Sabha constituency.
Stating that they failed to
respect and honour the
position of the UNC in the
recently-concluded Lok
Sabha elections, the UNC
under the
Ch-hind-
wara LS
seat, was
necessitat-
ed with the
sitting
M L A ,
Kamal Nath Kamalesh
S h a h ,
resigning from the House
before the polls. Mr Shah,
once a close aide of Mr
Nath, subsequently quit
the Congress and joined
the BJP. The BJP has
already declared Mr Shah
as the party candidate for
Amarwara.
However, the Congress
is yet to finalise its candi-
date for the seat.
“Mr Nath has already
started the exercise for
selection of a candidate
for Amarwara,” a senior
The target was to make the
BJP successful in Punjab.
Better is not enough. We
have to succeed. Though we
did not get success, the people
gave immense response to
the BJP.
— Sunil Jakhar,
Punjab BJP chief
meetings of party candi-
dates, office-bearers and
other party leaders here to
review its performance in
the recently concluded
Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP could not win
“This question does not
arise,” the NCP founder
said.
Taking a swipe at senior
BJP leader Amit Shah, Mr
Thackeray also said that a
few months ago, the leader
in Bihar had made it clear
that the BJP had closed
the doors for JD(U) chief
Nitish Kumar and TDP
chief Chandrababu
Naidu. “However, the BJP
formed alliance with both
of them, who are now in
the role of kingmakers in
the NDA government led
by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi,” Mr
Thackeray said.
In June 2022, Eknath
Shinde rebelled against
the then Maharashtra
chief minister Uddhav
Thackeray and split the
Shiv Sena. Mr Shinde
became the chief minister
of Maharashtra with the
support of the Bharatiya
Janata Party.
in a resolution said they
should be boycotted from
public platforms and hold-
ing any position or leader-
ship in Naga society for a
period of seven years with
immediate effect.
It is significant that
before the LS polls, the
Naga body had announced
support for a consensus
Naga candidate identified
by the apex body for the
Outer Manipur con-
stituency. However, the
three candidates were
against this decision and
decided to contest the elec-
Congress leader said on
Saturday, unwilling to be
quoted.
In the last Assembly
elections, the Congress
had won all seven
Assembly seats, includ-
ing Amarwara.
Sources said the Cong-
ress may explore the
option of roping in a
leader from the
Gondwana Gantantra
Party, a tribal political
outfit with considerable
influence am-ong the peo-
ple in the region, as the
Amarwara candidate.
The Congress is facing
an uphill task to find a
party candidate with
winning prospects in the
byelection after Mr
Shah’s exit from the
party, a senior party func-
tionary said.
any of 13 Lok Sabha seats
during the 2024 general
elections in Punjab.
However, the vote share
of the BJP, which went
solo in the elections, dou-
bled to 18.56 per cent, as
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15
The Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) on Saturday
formed a four-member
committee to look into the
alleged political violence
against the party workers
and supporters in
Mamata Banerjee-ruled
West Bengal. The saffron
party accused the chief
minister of being a mute
spectator during violence
in the state.
The committee, formed
by the BJP president J.P.
Nadda, included Biplab
Kumar Deb, Ravi Shankar
Prasad, Brij Lal and
Kavita Patidar, all BJP
MPs, with former Tripura
CM as its convener.
In a jibe at the BJP, the
TMC spokesperson and
former Rajya Sabha MP
Santanu Sen said the BJP
is now hunting for excus-
es after being rejected by
the people of West Bengal
— PTI
◗ THE DECISION was
taken according to the
resolution adopted by
the UNC in its
emergency assembly
held on May 29 at Town
Hall, Panchai, Chandel
district, Manipur
tion despite the decision of
the UNC.
Four candidates contest-
ed from the Outer
Manipur constituency in
the recent Lok Sabha
polls: Alfred Kanngam
BSY to appear before
CID for probe June 17
Bengaluru, June
Senior BJP leader B.S.
15:
Yediyurappa, facing a
Pocso charge, returned to
Bengaluru on Saturday
and said he would appear
before the Criminal
Investigation Department
(CID) on June 17 for ques-
tioning. The former CM
returned a day after the
Karnataka high court had
restrained the CID from
arresting him in connec-
tion with the Pocso case.
It also directed the vet-
eran BJP leader to appear
before CID, which is prob-
ing the case, on June 17.
Addressing reporters
here, Mr Yediyurappa
said, “I had gone to Delhi
for a pre scheduled pro-
gramme. I had informed
in advance in writing that
I will appear for an
inquiry on June 17. The
HC has given an order
restraining
compared to 9.63 per cent
in 2019. The Punjab BJP
president said the party
performed much better in
the LS polls.
“We have done better but
better is not enough. We
have to succeed,” said Mr
Jakhar, who was flanked
by Union minister of state
for railways and food pro-
cessing industries
Ravneet Singh Bittu.
“The target was to make
the BJP successful in
Punjab,” he added.
However, he expressed
gratitude to the party
cadre for their efforts in
the elections. — PTI
J.P. Nadda
in the Lok Sabha polls. Of
the 42 LS seats, the TMC
won 29, whereas, the BJP
bagged 12 seats and the
Congress won 1.
The BJP said, “Mamata
Banerjee remains a mute
spectator, while criminals
of her party attack
Opposition workers and
voters with impunity.
Even the Calcutta high
court has taken note of
these excesses and extend-
ed deployment of CAPF
till June 21 and has listed
the matter for hearing on
June 18.”
BJP pride crushed into dust:
Abhishek on LS poll results
Kolkata, June 15: Hailing
the Lok Sabha elections
as that of “protest, resist-
ance and revenge”, senior
Trinamul Congress
leader Abhishek Banerjee
said the poll results have
“crushed BJP’s arro-
gance and pride into
dust”.
He also accused the saf-
fron party of “abusing
Central agencies, cor-
rupting the judiciary, gag-
ging the media and
manipulating the
Election Commission to
cling to power”.
In a Facebook post late
on Friday night after
meeting party workers
Arthur as the Congress
candidate, Alyson
Abonmai and S Kho John
as independent candi-
dates, and Kachui
Timothy Zimik as the
Naga People’s Front (NPF)
candidate.
The Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) did not con-
test in Outer Manipur, but
supported the regional
party NPF.
Mr Arthur won the seat
with a margin of 85,418
votes against his nearest
rival Kachui Timothy
Zimik.
CID (from
arresting).
I’m appear-
ing for an
inquiry on
M o n d a y.
Unnece-
B.S. s s a r i l y
Yediyurappa some tried
to create
confusion, I don’t want to
blame anyone, everyone
knows the fact.” “People
will teach a lesson to
those indulging in con-
spiracies,” he said.
A court here on
Thursday had issued a
non-bailable arrest war-
rant against Mr
Yediyurappa in the case
registered against him
under the Protection of
Children from Sexual
Offences (Pocso) Act on
March 14 this year.
MrYediyurappa said he
would fight the case legal-
ly. — PTI
Devotees arrive to have “darshan” of Baba Neem Karoli
Maharaj at the Kainchi Dham on its foundation day in
Uttarakhand’s Nainital district on Saturday.
pg 3
The BJP said the LS
polls were held across the
country and no instance
of political violence was
reported from anywhere
except West Bengal. “It
continues to be in the
vice-like grip of post-poll
violence, the kind we saw
post-2021 Assembly elec-
tions,” the BJP alleged.
In response to the allega-
tion, a TMC leader said
the BJP candidates had
“described polls as free
and fair. But after the dis-
mal show, they are now
inventing excuses and
weaving false narratives
of post-poll violence”.
“There could have been
stray incidents, which
were the results of family
or local disputes,” he said.
The state Leader of
Opposition Suvendu
Adhikari met BJP work-
ers affected by the alleged
attacks by TMC cadre
after the polls, in
Coochbehar district.
and common people in his
Diamond Harbour con-
stituency, from where he
was re-elected by a record
margin of over 7 lakh
votes, the TMC national
general secretary said
that the 2024 LS polls
would be etched in golden
letters in history as ‘jono-
goner gorjon’ (people’s
roar).
“The ‘jonogoner gorjon’
(people’s roar) will be
etched in golden letters in
the history. This Lok
Sabha election was one of
‘protibaad, protirodh and
protishodh’ (protest,
resistance and revenge),”
Mr Banerjee said. — PTI
In a public notification
the UNC’s secretary of
information and publicity,
H. James Hau said that the
newly-elected Congress
MP Arthur, along with two
independents, has been
socially boycotted for a
period of seven years from
the date of issue of the
notification.
The decision was taken
according to the resolu-
tion adopted by the UNC
in its emergency assembly
held on May 29 at Town
Hall, Panchai, Chandel
district, Manipur.
Sibal questions
Modi’s silence
over Neet row
New Delhi, June 15 :
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil
Sibal on Saturday hit out
at the Centre over the
Neet exam issue and
questioned
Minister
Prime
Narendra
Modi’s “silence” over
the matter.
The examination was
held on May 5 across
4,750 centres and around
24 lakh candidates
appeared for it.
The results were
expected to be declared
on June 14 but were
announced on June 4,
apparently because the
evaluation of the answer
sheets was completed
earlier.
There have been alle-
gations of question
paper leaks in states like
Bihar and other irregu-
larities in the presti-
gious exam. — PTI
— PTI
 NATION
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 16 JUNE 2024 | NEW DELHI
pg 4

■ PM, Prez condole loss of lives ■ `2L to kin of deceased, `50K for injured
SHORT TAKES 8 Naxals gunned
3 women killed in
Koraput landslide Vehicle falls into U’khand gorge, 14 die down in firefight
Bhubaneswar: Three women PRITHVIRAJ SINGH cle lost control. The vehi- the next of kin of the
died in an unfortunate land-
slide incident at Matikhala
murram hill near Kolab dam
in Odisha’s Koraput district
with agency inputs
DEHRADUN, JUNE 15

Fourteen were killed and

on Saturday. The deceased
were identified as Purni Jani,
Sanmati Jani and Champa
Badnayak. All of them hailed
the nearby Salmanguda vil-
lage. As per reports, as many
as 10 persons from Salman-
guda village had gone to the
hill to dig murram. While they
were digging murram, a sud-
den landslide occurred and in
the process, as many as three
of them were killed. The
National Disaster Response
Force (NDRF) team, fire
brigade team, sub-collector
and local MLA rushed to the
spot following the incident.
The rescue operation was
currently underway. The min-
ing, forest department and
tehsil officials have also
reached the spot to expedite
the rescue operation. The
Koraput Town police reached
the spot immediately and
started an investigation into
12 seriously injured when
a tempo traveller skidded
off the road and fell into
the Alaknanda river on the
Badrinath national high-
way in Uttarakhand’s
Rudraprayag on Saturday.
While some of the injured
were shifted to
Rudraprayag district hos-
pital, the others were air-
lifted to AIIMS, Rishikesh.
Two of the victims later
died during treatment.
The incident occurred
around 11.28 am as the
driver of the ill-fated vehi-
Majhi allocates
portfolios; keeps
in Bastar district
cle did not plunge into the
river, but crashed 500
metres down the hill, the
state disaster response
force (SDRF) said.
According to the SDRF,
26 tourists, mostly resi-
dents of Delhi, were
returning from their trip
to Chopta, Tunganath and
Chandrishila.
Chief minister Pushkar
Singh Dhami expressed
grief over the accident
and ordered the district
magistrate to investigate
the incident. He also
directed officials to pro-
vide necessary treatment
to the injured.
The PM Modi, President
A rescue operation underway after a vehicle fell into a
gorge in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag on Saturday. — PTI
Droupadi Murmu and
Union home minister
Amit Shah condoled the
loss of lives in the accident
and prayed for the speedy
recovery of the injured.
Mr Modi also announced
an ex-gratia of `2 lakh
from the PM’s National
Relief Fund (PMNRF) to
deceased and `50,000 each
to those injured in the acci-
dent, the PMO posted.
Two teams of the SDRF
were immediately dis-
patched for the rescue
operation as soon as the
control room received the
information.
SDRF commandant
Manikant Mishra said
that one of the injured
women was thrown out of
the vehicle and was found
hanging onto the buses 80
metres down the road. The
rescuers spotted her dur-
ing the search operation.
The SDRF added that the
bodies of all the deceased
were recovered.
STF jawan killed, 2 hurt in gunfight
RABINDRA NATH
CHOUDHURY
RAIPUR, JUNE 15
One jawan and eight
Maoists were killed in an
encounter in the
Abujhmad area in
Chhattisgarh’s Bastar on
Saturday.
Two security personnel
were also injured in
the incident, the police
said.
According to the Bastar
police, a joint search oper-
ation involving personnel
of the district reserve
guard (DRG), special task
force (STF), Indo-Tibetan
Border Police (ITBP) and
the Border Security Force
(BSF) was launched in the
forests of Kutul,
Farasbeda and Kotameta,
◗ BODIES OF eight
Maoists were recovered
along with a huge cache
of weapons such as
Insas assault rifle, .303
rifle and barrel grenade
launcher (BGL) at the
encounter site
ment has intensified anti-
Naxal operations and is
determined to end left-
wing extremism in the
state.
“We are giving a good
fight to the Naxals,” Mr
Sai said.
“The security forces
came face-to-face with the
Maoists at several places
in these forests at around
7 am on Saturday, leading
to fierce encounters
between them,” a senior

Houses demolished
the incident.
home & finance falling under Abujhmad
in the Narayanpur dis-
trict, following specific
intelligence inputs on the
police officer posted in
Bastar said.
“Bodies of
Maoists were recovered
eight

as beef found in it
Mandla: Houses built on gov-
ernment land by 11 persons
were demolished in tribal-
dominated Mandla in
Madhya Pradesh as part of
action against the illegal
beef trade in the state, a
police official said on
Saturday. The action was
taken after a tip off was
received that a large number
of cows had been held cap-
tive for slaughter in
Bhainwahi area in Nainpur,
Mandla Superintendent of
Police Rajat Saklecha said.
“A team was rushed there
and we found 150 cows tied
in the backyards of the
accused. Cow meat was
recovered from the refrigera-
tors in the homes of all the11
accused. We also found ani-
mal fat, cattle skin and
bones, which were stuffed in
a room,” he said. — PTI
Mother kills autistic
daughter, surrenders
Bengaluru: A 35-year-old
woman allegedly strangled
her three and half year-old
autistic daughter to death and
surrendered before the police,
officials said on Saturday. The
woman had twin girls, both of
whom are autistic. While one
AGE CORRESPONDENT
BHUBANESWAR, JUNE 15
After three days of wait,
ministers of the newly-
sworn BJP government in
Odisha were on Saturday
evening allotted portfolios
by chief minister Mohan
Charan Majhi following
approval by governor
Raghubar Das.
Mr Majhi kept home,
finance and several other
departments to himself,
according to an order
issued by Raj Bhavan.
Deputy CM K.V. Singh
Deo, who alone has the
experience of working as a
minister, was given the
charge of agriculture and
farmers' empowerment
and energy departments.
The other deputy chief
minister, Pravati Parida, a
debutant MLA and the
lone female in the 16-mem-
ber council of ministers,
has been assigned women
and child development,
Mission Shakti
tourism departments.
and
Mr Majhi was sworn in
as the state's first BJP
chief minister here on
June 12.
The other departments
that are also held by the
Panel probing JJB members
chief minister are general
administration and public
grievances, information
and public relations, water
resources and planning
and convergence.
Veteran BJP leader
Suresh Pujari was allocat-
ed revenue and disaster
management, while Rabi
Narayan Naik, a farmer
leader, was given rural
development, panchayati
raj and drinking water
departments.
Mukesh Mahaling was
allocated health and fami-
ly welfare, parliamentary
affairs, electronics and
information technology
departments.
Tribal leader
Nityananda Gond got
school and mass educa-
tion, ST&SC development,
minorities and backward
classes welfare, social
security and empower-
ment of persons with dis-
abilities departments, the
statement said. While
Krushna Chandra Patra
was given food supplies
and consumer welfare, sci-
ence and technology
departments, Prithiviraj
Harichandan was allocat-
ed portfolios like law,
works and excise. — PTI
Goats being kept in a taxi ahead of the Id al-Adha festival in Kolkata on Saturday. — PTI
■ 2-day meet on Russia-Ukraine conflict hosted by Switzerland
MEA secy will attend peace summit
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JUNE 15
India will be represented
by the MEA’s secretary
(west) Pavan Kapoor at the
two-day peace summit on
the Russia-Ukraine con-
flict that began on
Saturday near the Swiss
city of Lucerne that is
being hosted by
Switzerland. New Delhi is
expected to pitch “dia-
logue and diplomacy” as
the only way forward to
arrive at a resolution of
the conflict that has now
dragged on for more than
two years.”
“India has close ties with
both Russia and Ukraine
and has already declared
that it would “continue to
do everything within its
means to support a peace-
ful solution”.
India had announced
earlier this week that it
would participate in the
conference which is
backed by the West.
Russia has not been invit-
ed to the Summit and
China too has decided to
stay away.
However, India’s deci-
sion to attend the confer-
ence, albeit at a senior
instead of top level, indi-
cates New Delhi’s desire to
contribute to a solution to
the conflict that has
already consumed thou-
sands of lives on both
sides besides bring
tremendous destruction to
Ukraine. It may be
recalled that Russia had
launched a military offen-
sive against neighbouring
Ukraine in February,
2022.
This comes after Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
had on Friday met
Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a
bilateral meeting on the
sidelines of the G-7 sum-
mit in the Apulia region of
Italy during which Mr
Modi told him that “India
presence of armed
Maoists in the area.
Chhattisgarh chief min-
ister Vishnu Deo Sai
expressed grief over the
death of a jawan in the
incident.
He, however, congratu-
lated the security forces
for the successful count-
er-insurgency operation.
He said that his govern-
believes in a human-cen-
tric approach and contin-
ues to encourage peaceful
resolution of the (Russia-
Ukraine) conflict through
dialogue and diplomacy,
and reiterated that India
would continue to do
everything within its
means to support a peace-
ful solution”.
Both leaders had also
discussed the agenda of
the Peace Summit on the
conflict to be hosted by
Switzerland this weekend,
with Mr Zelenskyy thank-
ing Mr Modi for the
“expected presence of the
(Indian) high-level delega-
tion at the event”.
along with a huge cache
of weapons such as Insas
assault rifle, .303 rifle and
barrel grenade launcher
(BGL) at the encounter
site,” the police officer
said.
A jawan of the STF was
killed and two other secu-
rity personnel were
injured in the incident,
the police said.
Toddler falls into
borewell in Guj’s
Amreli dist, dies
Amreli, June 15: A one-
and-a-half-year-old girl
died after falling 50-feet
deep into a borewell at
Surajpura village in
Gujarat’s Amreli dis-
trict, officials said on
Saturday.
The victim, Aarohi, fell
into the borewell at
around 12.30 pm on
Friday and was brought
out unconscious early
on Saturday after an 17-
hour-long rescue opera-
tion involving the
National Disaster
Response Force (NDRF),
following which she was
declared dead, they
said. — PTI

of them is mildly autistic, the

other one has severe autism,
they said. The accused is said
to have killed her daughter
with severe autism symptoms
as she was concerned about
her future. As per police, the
woman had on Thursday
strangled her daughter to
death. After killing her, she
turned herself in at the
Subramanya Nagar police sta-
tion here. “During question-
ing, the woman said that she
was worried as to how her
daughter would lead her life
owing to her condition and
hence decided to kill her. She
also claimed that she was in
depression for few months
and out of frustration, she
killed her daughter," a senior
police officer said. — PTI
finds lapses in Porsche case
Pune, June 15: A commit-
tee formed to probe the
conduct of two JJB mem-
bers in connection with
the bail given to the
minor accused in the
Pune Porsche crash case
has found “procedural
lapses”, “misconduct”
and “non compliance of
norms”, a senior official
said on Saturday.
On May 19, two IT pro-
fessionals were killed in
Kalyani Nagar here after
their motorcycle was hit
by a speeding Porsche car
allegedly driven by a
minor in an inebriated
condition. The case
caused a national uproar
after the Juvenile Justice
Board gave bail to the
accused on very lenient
terms, including writing
a 300-word essay on road
safety.
“The five-member com-
mittee submitted its
report on Friday to the
Women and Child
Development department
commissioner. The WCD
department, after receipt
of the report, has issued
notices to two JJB mem-
bers who were appointed
by the department,” the
official said on condition
of anonymity. — PTI
‘Modern warfare no longer solely physical domain’
Hyderabad, June 15:
Modern warfare is no
longer a solely physical
domain, but a dynamic and
ever-evolving landscape
increasingly influenced by
complex data networks and
advanced cyber technolo-
gies, IAF Chief Air Chief
Marshal V.R. Chaudhari
said on Saturday.
Addressing the
Combined Graduation
Parade (CGP) of the 213
Officers’ Course at the Air
Force Academy (AFA) at
Dundigal near Hyderabad,
Air Chief Marshal
Chaudhari also said tomor-
row's conflicts cannot be
fought with yesterday's
mindset.
“Modern warfare is a
dynamic and ever evolving
landscape. It is no longer
solely a physical domain. It
is increasingly influenced
by complex data networks
and advanced cyber tech-
nologies. As leaders, you
all need to adapt, innovate
and leverage technology
effectively for proving deci-
sive in winning wars,” the
Air Chief Marshal said.
He further said profes-
V.R. Chaudhari
sionalism, aggressiveness
and initiative are the three
most admired qualities of
a leader and at the same
time, leaders who are
thinkers are also needed.
“As you embark on this
extraordinary journey, let
the core values of the
Indian Air Force — mis-
sion, integrity and excel-
lence be your guiding bea-
con,” he advised the newly
commissioned officers.
“For us, the men and
women in uniform, mis-
sion accomplishment is of
utmost importance. It is
vital for maintaining the
direction, efficiency and
overall success of an
organisation,” he said.
He also suggested that
they must cultivate the
habit of reading and that it
would bear rich dividends.
“The more you read, the
better you will understand
the complexities of your
field. A well read mind is
capable of adapting and
leading with clarity in the
face of the unknown,” he
said.
While gaining profession-
al knowledge is para-
mount, the newly commis-
sioned officers should
hone their skills in
other areas as well, Air
Chief Marshal Chaudhari
said. — PTI

PM reviews ties with Italy, Japan
at meetings with Meloni, Kishida
■ Continued from Page 1
in the video selfie in which the
Italian PM is seen waving with
the Prime Minister and saying
“Hello from the Melodi team”
and the two leaders having a
hearty laugh.
In a statement on the meeting
between Mr Modi and Ms
Meloni, New Delhi said, “The
two leaders noted with satisfac-
tion the regular higher politi-
cal dialogue and reviewed the
progress of the India-Italy
strategic partnership. While
expressing happiness at grow-
ing trade and economic collab-
oration, they called for expand-
ing commercial ties in clean
energy, manufacturing, space,
S&T, telecom, AI and critical
minerals to build resilient sup-
ply chains. In this context, they
welcomed the recent signing of
a MoU on industrial property
rights, which provides a frame-
work for cooperation on
patents, designs and trade-
marks.”
The ministry of external
affairs added that the two sides
discussed bilateral defence and
security cooperation and
hoped for further enhance-
ment of defence industrial col-
laboration. They welcomed the
forthcoming visit of the Italian
aircraft carrier ITS Cavour and
training ship ITS Vespucci to
India later this year.
“The Prime Minister thanked
the Italian government for
recognising the Indian Army’s
contribution to the Italian cam-
paign during WW-II and
informed that India will be
upgrading the Yeshwant
Ghadge Memorial at Montone
in Italy. Taking note of the
coordination under the Global
Biofuels Alliance, the leaders
welcomed the signing of the
letter of intent for cooperation
in the energy transition that
will boost bilateral cooperation
in clean and green energy.
They expressed happiness at
the new executive programme
of cooperation for 2025-27 to
promote joint research and
development in science & tech-
nology,” the statement said.
New Delhi further said: “The
two leaders called for an early
implementation of the
Migration and Mobility
Agreement, which will facili-
tate the mobility of profession-
als, skilled and semi-skilled
workers, students and
researchers. Both leaders look
forward to joint activities to be
implemented under the Indo-
Pacific Ocean Initiative frame-
work to fulfil their shared
vision for a free and open Indo-
Pacific. They also discussed
important regional and global
issues and agreed to strength-
en cooperation in global
forums and multilateral initia-
tives, including the India-
Middle East-Europe Economic
Corridor.”
In a separate statement on
the meeting with the Japanese
PM, New Delhi said, “India and
Japan are collaborating on sev-
eral important areas, includ-
ing the landmark Mumbai-
Ahmedabad high-speed rail
project that will usher in the
next stage in mobility in India,
the targeted 5 trillion yen
worth of Japanese investment
in India in 2022-2027 period,
and the India-Japan Industrial
Competitiveness Partnership
aimed at the transformation of
our manufacturing coopera-
tion."
The foreign ministry said
that the meeting between the
two Prime Ministers provided
an opportunity to review some
of these ongoing works of
cooperation. The two leaders
looked forward to continuing
their discussion at the next
India-Japan annual summit.
The ministry of external
affairs added: "Mr Modi
affirmed that bilateral ties
with Japan will continue to
receive priority in his third
term. The two leaders noted
that the India-Japan special
strategic and global partner-
ship is in its 10th year and
expressed satisfaction at the
progress made in the relation-
ship. They discussed ways to
deepen cooperation further,
adding new and emerging
areas and strengthening B2B
and P2P cooperation."
Modi & US President Punjabi NRI thrashed in HP; SAD,
meet at G-7 summit Cong netas link it to Kangana row
■ Continued from Page 1
have claimed that two Indian nationals, Chandigarh, June 15: A a row with Punjab NRI
affairs minister Kuldeep
Spanish wife, who had
been living in Spain for 25
including an Indian government employee, Punjab-origin non-resident
were involved. Indian on Saturday alleged Singh Dhaliwal, Amritsar years, had returned to
Ahead of the US NSA visit next week, the that he was assaulted by a MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla Punjab recently. He said he
Prime Minister and the US President briefly group of men after an and Akali leader Bikram went along with his wife
met on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Italy. argument over parking Singh Majithia demanding and a relative to the tourist
However, the expected pull-aside meeting when he was visiting action from the HP govern- destination of Dalhousie
between Mr Modi and Mr Biden failed to mate- Dalhousie in Himachal ment in the case. two days ago.
rialise on Friday night (IST) as the G-7 summit Pradesh. Majithia and Aujla even Mr Singh alleged that he
schedules were delayed by more than two Kawaljit Singh, who is suggested that the attack was attacked by a group of
hours. undergoing treatment at a was linked to the recent around 100 people follow-
The pull-aside meeting was initially sched- hospital in Amritsar, incident involving actor ing an argument over some
uled to take place for a full 50 minutes but could claimed that he was target- and BJP MP from Mandi in parking issue.
not happen eventually. The meeting was initial- ed as he was Punjabi, but Himachal Kangana He also alleged police
ly scheduled between the bilateral meetings of HP police denied it and Ranaut, who was allegedly apathy in the matter. But a
Mr Modi with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and said the incident is not slapped by a CISF woman senior IPS officer from
Japanese PM Fumio Kishida. The initial indi- linked to any “interstate or constable at Chandigarh Himachal Pradesh rejected
cations that the meeting between Mr Modi and inter-community dispute”. airport. Mr Singh’s claims.
Mr Biden would not take place came when the The incident has sparked Mr Singh and his — PTI
Prime Minister began the bilateral meeting
with the Japanese PM soon after the bilateral
meeting with the Italian PM ended. In fact, Mr
Modi’s speech at the Outreach Session of the G-
7 summit itself was delayed due to the signifi-
MVA to fight Maha polls together
cant delays in the summit schedules. ■ Continued from Page 1 When asked who is a big in the MVA. Mr Thackeray
The US President, too, had a tight schedule. ruling parties) to cause brother in the MVA, Mr said that there was an
The US media reportedly pointed to the paucity religious polarisation. Chavan said there is no big atmosphere in the Lok
of time as the reason why Mr Biden could not However, it did not work,” brother or small brother in Sabha elections that no
have a regular bilateral meeting with several he said. the MVA. “In each con- one could defeat the BJP,
leaders attending the G-7 summit, including Mr Mr Chavan said that they stituency, we will sit but the people of Mahara-
Modi. are going to contest the together and find which shtra have shown that the
As a result, the meeting between Mr Modi and upcoming Maharas-htra party has a good candidate. BJP’s invincibility is false.
Mr Biden in Italy was limited to a brief Assembly polls together. Accordingly, we will make “Even after all this, if the
exchange and a handshake, after which Mr “Today, we held a prelimi- a decision regarding seat BJP does not accept reality,
Modi said both nations will continue to work nary meeting in view of distribution,” he said. they will have to face a
together for the global good. the Assembly elections. After the Congress’s challenge in the upcoming
Photographs showed Mr Modi shaking hands Like the Lok Sabha elec- impressive performance in Assembly elections. The
with Mr Biden and the two leaders warmly tions, we are going to con- Maharashtra, Mr Patole general election was a bat-
embracing each other. “It’s always a pleasure to test the Vidhan Sabha elec- had said that it had tle to save the Constitution
meet President Joe Biden. India and the USA tions together. We will cer- become the big brother in and democracy. This victo-
will keep working together to further global tainly change the state gov- the MVA, to which the Shiv ry is not the last, but it is
good,” the Prime Minister posted on X late on ernment,” the senior Sena (UBT) had retorted the beginning of the bat-
Friday night. Congress leader said. that all partners are equal tle,” Mr. Thackeray said.
 EDIT
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 16 JUNE 2024 | NEW DELHI
pg 5

Subhani

16 JUNE 2024

Rupa Gulab
Off the beaten track

Up in the air and

down in the dumps
I
’m old enough to remember the joys of flying when cabin crew wel-
comed us with cotton wool sachets and boiled sweets. You could take
as many sweets as you wanted. If you were a kid, the flight attendant
would grab a hefty handful and give you more — even if your doting par-
ents were the only people in the world who thought you looked cute!
Whenever I hear babies wailing raucously during take-off and landing, I
have to suppress the urge to write a vituperative letter to the CEO of the
airline, accusing him/her/them of skimping on basic necessities to make
flights comfortable. Even the widest and most relaxing ergonomically-

China’s legacy chip threat LETTERS

designed seats cannot soothe those babies when the cabin pressure fluc-
tuates wildly and causes ear aches.
Just how expensive are tiny sachets of cotton wool and sweets for heav-
en’s sake? Sure, one must economise, but there are so many other areas ARSENIC IN KOLKATA
where airlines can cut costs, like those deathly dull inflight magazines
packed with run of the mill articles by hacks, specially designed to make

and some ideas for India

you fall asleep so you won’t keep pressing the call button for flight atten- The benefit of science
dants. Save trees and ears, bring back the sweets and cotton wool now! must percolate down to
If the tight-fisted sods still refuse to provide them, shouldn’t they at least the unprivileged classes
warn passengers to bring their own sweeties and ear plugs, and explain
why these are important?
who have to bear the
They could add this mes- India boasts a appears to be misguided. The brunt of the evil conse-
sage to that section that robust chip design $11 billion fab being built by quences of water pollution.
warns us not to pack the Tata Group, for instance, Groundwater is a source of
coconuts and other pecu- Manish Tewari ecosystem that
could be harnessed
will focus on assembly, test-
drinking water in a majori-
liar things in check-in bag- ing, and packaging rather
gage, or they could add it to to develop than the high-value design ty of Indian states. But it is
the barrage of text mes- specialised work that could differentiate unsafe to consume for pro-
sages they attack us with State of the Union semiconductors India from China.
longed periods, causing
when we book a flight. You Ultimately, India will need
know, the usual repetitive
that China struggles a much more comprehensive cancers and heart disease.

T
pleas to upgrade, book he China years, China has been pour- to make, like analog and proactive strategy to Arsenic contamination
their efficient car partners Challenge is real ing staggering sums into chips and secure its semiconductor
for smooth airport rides, and it is not con- legacy chip production, with microcontrollers supply chain and mitigate
problem is pronounced in
book their charming hotel fined to the four- the goal of achieving self-suf- the risks of Chinese domi- the lowlands of West
partners for luxurious year-long stand-off ficiency and global preemi- nance. This should include: Bengal. The Indian Institute
stays, and someday soon on the Line of Actual Control nence. In 2022, Chinese pared to China’s state backed Strict prohibitions on of Science has achieved a
perhaps, even book their (LAC). Its omnipresence goes foundries grabbed 10 per fund of 40 billion dollars. Chinese-made chips in criti-
designer partners for chic across the board and is not cent global market share for With utilisation rates for cal infrastructure and gov- breakthrough by develop-
and comfortable co-ords. In Do your bit to make flying safe limited to the land, maritime the first time. By 2027, China legacy fabs falling and mar- ernment systems. Contrac- ing a three-step remedia-
case you’re wondering again and vote out right wing and cyber domains alone. Its is projected to control a stag- gins being squeezed, it will tors must be held to this stan- tion process through the
what on earth co-ords are leaders across the world please. real salience is in the realm gering 39 per cent of the lega- be exceedingly difficult for dard as well. A robust moni-
(I did, last year), it’s just a of both legacy and cutting cy chip market. India’s new facilities to com- toring regime to track the use of adsorbent beds to
fancy marketing term to
Greens are not only healthy to edge science. This breakneck expansion pete, even with government origin of every chip entering render ground-based
make pajamas legitimate eat, but healthy parties to vote In the high-stakes world of is being fuelled by enormous support. Additionally the country, down to the arsenic harmless.
outdoor wear. If you for. Till then, go ahead and buy advanced technology, it’s government subsidies, China’s current and project- product and company level.
Authorities must spring
haven’t seen posh fashion those ghastly co-ords. If you’re easy to become fixated on the which have allowed Chinese ed production capacity for Customs authorities need
victims wearing pajamas going to be rushed to hospital cutting edge — the latest firms to rapidly scale up and legacy chips is significantly visibility into where chips into action and implement
at airports these days, after a flight, best to go in comfy breakthroughs in artificial undercut foreign competi- larger than India’s with were made, who owns the these for mass usage.
you’re way overdue for an intelligence, quantum com- tors. The playbook is eerily major facilities expected to fab, and who did the design, Vijay Singh Adhikari
eye test. Suburban Dadar pajamas. puting, and 5G networks. But similar to how China came to start production by 2025-2026. in order to enforce restric-
aunties who do their daily as the US and China engage dominate solar panels and If you look at the numbers it tions. Currently, the govern- Nainital
veggie shopping in colourful cotton nighties are having the last laugh. in a fierce battle for techno- 5G infrastructure — flood the is surprising, China’s inte- ment has little idea where
And then there’s the food. Whether it’s on the house or sold on-board, it
is uniformly bad. I heartily agree with late American chef and author
logical supremacy, a critical
front in this conflict is going
market with cheap, sub-
sidised products and drive
grated circuit (IC) output
surged by 40 per cent, reach-
the chips in imported goods
are coming from, a danger- DON’T TARGET HIM
Anthony Bourdain who once said in an interview with Bon Appétit mag- largely unnoticed — legacy everyone else out of busi- ing a record-breaking 98.1 ous blind spot. Targeted DARSHAN, as described by Sanjjanaa
azine that “No one has ever felt better after eating plane food.” He went on semiconductors. ness. Industry experts warn billion units. export controls on chip Galrani, one of his colleagues, as a
to say that while he had no choice on super long flights, he’d restrict him- Legacy chips, also known Chinese legacy chip makers There are also troubling design software and manu- demigod in the Kannada film industry,
self to cheese and port: “I’d eat some cheese and drink myself stupid.” The as mature node semiconduc- could do the same, making security implications to con- facturing equipment to slow has a reputation for courting contro-
interviewer wryly reminded us that this is the man who happily ate still- tors, are the unsung work- the rest of the world precari- sider. Investigations have China’s progress. This will versies. The abusive messages sent to
beating cobra heart and seal eyeballs without flinching. So, yeah, airline horses of the modern world. ously dependent on China found that over a dozen require close coordination his girlfriend by his fan infuriated him
food. Plenty of computer chips are for these essential Indian firms have been sell- with the US and EU. Increa- so much that he allegedly murdered
I cannot remember the title or author of a book I once read, but I do not leading-edge. They are components. ing the government Chinese- sed government support for him. Celebrities are no ordinary folk.
recall a sentence. One character dryly tells the other to shun airline food “legacy”, “trailing-edge”, or At the forefront of this made microchips in critical domestic chip design and They are recipient of adulation from
and consume the paper napkin on the meal tray instead because it’s far “foundational” chips. With effort is Semiconductor systems, in violation of pro- specialised manufacturing, millions. Their adolescent fans, mak-
more edible. I have to confess that I’m not that picky, shame on me. I transistors measuring 14 Manufacturing Internatio- curement rules. The spectre rather than large-scale pro- ing little difference between real and
attack the mandatory bread roll and butter with relish — it’s a right treat nanometres or larger, these nal Corporation (SMIC), of hidden Chinese chips in duction of commodity chips. real, try to copy their mannerisms and
because bread and butter are banned at home (doctor’s orders). Then I chips power everything from China’s largest chipmaker. cars, laptops, and infrastruc- The focus should be on areas acts, in a bid to look cool and impress
demolish the dessert no matter how awful it is, because I have a demand- automobiles and home appli- SMIC has benefited from bil- ture is a serious vulnerabili- where India has an edge and their buddies. Celebrities need to
ing sweet tooth. If I’m still hungry, I open the main course container, and ances to factory equipment, lions in state support and is ty that could be exploited for China has struggled, like understand that they are not mere
eat gravy with rice. Gravy and only gravy because I absolutely detest medical devices, and even using this financial muscle surveillance or sabotage. analog chips and microcon- entertainers. They are seen as icons.
chicken and paneer (the usual staid vegetarian and non-vegetarian military systems. As the to undercut rivals and India’s 2020 Mumbai black- trollers. A long-term plan to They are, therefore, expected to beh-
options everywhere in homogenised India). And finally, I pop an antacid Rhodium group notes, “They expand its market share. out, for instance, was linked build up local suppliers for ave responsibly in their personal lives.
in my mouth, so I don’t feel as sick as a dog for the rest of the day. are pervasive therefore they Even more worrying are to a breach in the power semiconductor-grade materi- This murder calls for a fair trial and
Airline food, however, is less frightening than turbulence — a factor we are essential.” They may SMIC’s deep ties to the grid’s Chinese-built als, equipment, and compo- the man must, if proved guilty, get the
really must keep in mind even though most right wing world leaders pre- lack the buzz and glamor of Chinese military, as docu- components. nents. These upstream harshest punishment to set an exam-
tend that climate change and global warming is a wicked leftist conspira- their bleeding-edge counter- mented in a report by def- To be sure, India does have chokepoints are just as ple for society. However, no one should
cy. I have flown since I was a baby (cotton wool firmly in ears, sweet in parts, but legacy chips are ence expert James Mulve- some key advantages it can essential as the fabs be made to pay for being a celebrity.
mouth), and never experienced fear. Till a few years ago when flying over absolutely vital to the global non. This raises the spectre leverage in the legacy chip themselves. S.H. Quadri
the gorgeous Indian Ocean, the plane went bumpity bump bump and economy and national of the People’s Liberation race. The country boasts a The stakes could not be Bikaner
dropped sharply all of a sudden — gravity wasn’t merely calling, it was security. Army gaining control over a robust chip design ecosys- higher. Legacy chips may be
screaming along with some passengers. Since then, I have always kept my
seat belt fastened and the air sickness bag in a prominent place.
The importance of these
chips was starkly illustrated
vital slice of the global semi-
conductor supply chain.
tem that could be harnessed
to develop specialised semi-
older technology, but they
are the irreplaceable founda- A MYTH BUSTED!
Turbulence is only going to get worse as we recently saw in the in Ukraine, where captured For India, China’s legacy conductors that China strug- tion of the modern world. BY PROTESTING against the alloca-
Singapore Airlines flight that dropped 54 metres in altitude in less than Russian military equipment chip ambitions pose an espe- gles to make, like analog Ceding this market to China tion of a government flat to a Muslim
five seconds over Myanmar. The toll was horrifying, with one passenger was found to be filled with cially thorny challenge as it chips and microcontrollers. would be a disaster for both single mother, the residents of a
dead of a suspected heart attack, and dozens badly injured with brain, semiconductors scavenged races to build up its own Chinese firms have doubled economic competitiveness “Hindu-dominated peaceful area” in
skull, and spinal cord injuries — life altering injuries in some cases. Far from dishwashers and refrig- semiconductor industry. The their share of the analog chip and national security. If Vadodara have not only proved how
worse than indigestion after an airline meal, right? erators. It’s a stark reminder Indian government has ear- market since 2019, but have India plays its cards right, it “peaceful” the Hindus indeed are but
Do your bit to make flying safe again and vote out right wing leaders that even the most advanced marked $15 billion to con- struggled to make further may have a legacy of its own also that not the Muslims, but they in
across the world please. Greens are not only healthy to eat, but healthy militaries rely on a steady struct new chip fabrication inroads due to the complexi- making. fact prefer to live in majority ghettos
parties to vote for. Till then, go ahead and buy those ghastly co-ords. If supply of legacy chips. plants, or fabs. But these fabs ty of these designs. of their own, thereby compelling the
you’re going to be rushed to hospital after a flight, best to go in comfy Which is why the world will be entering a market This is where India should The writer is a lawyer, MP minorities to dwell in areas dominat-
pajamas. should be deeply concerned that is already oversupplied, be focusing its efforts, not on and former Union minister. ed by their religious brethren! Whose
about China’s aggressive thanks to the deluge of cheap large-scale manufacturing of The views expressed are fault is that?
Rupa Gulab is an author and push to dominate this crucial Chinese chips. The 15 billion commodity chips. Unfortun- personal. Twitter handle Kajal Chatterjee
columnist sector. Over the past few dollar fund is paltry com- ately, the current approach @manishtewari. Kolkata

I
ndia is establishing targets to reach
its vision of a developed India by
2024 and to become a $30 trillion
economy within the next 23 years.
The Niti Aayog, the premier public poli-
Pradeep S. Mehta cy think tank for the Government of
India, has defined India’s short-term,
and Mehak Sharma medium-term and long-term goals. Its
initial focus for growth centres is on four
cities — Mumbai, Varanasi, Surat, and
Vishakhapatnam — to build a national
development strategy. The subsequent
stages entail choosing an additional 20 to
contributes around 20 per cent to the
state’s GDP.
However, this transformative journey
has been anything but smooth and
straightforward. The path to develop-
ment began around 2004, following a sig-
nificant setback a decade earlier in
September 1994, when a severe plague
struck the city. This epidemic, initially
pneumonic but later turning bubonic,
deeply impacted Surat’s economy and
caused widespread disruption, both
locally and globally. The aftermath of
and Prevention, Atlanta, and quarantine
measures in Italy and Russia added to
the economic toll, estimated at around
$600 million.
Despite facing numerous adversities,
Surat persevered. The credit for its
progress goes to the intrepid business
community, particularly the textile, dia-
mond, and the proximal Hazira industri-
al belts. Credit should also go to the
Gujarat Industrial Development Corpor-
ation (GIDC), and a good municipal com-
missioner, Mr S.R. Rao. These sectors
changing market dynamics, fostering
economic diversification and resilience.
A major factor in Surat’s growth is its
rapid infrastructure development, inclu-
ding advancements in transportation,
real estate, and urban planning, all of
which support economic activity and
enhance the quality of life. Additionally,
the agriculturally rich regions sur-
rounding Surat contribute to its econo-
my through the processing of cotton,
rice, and other crops. Through multiple
interviews with prominent city industri-
can also ensure their economic growth
by adopting several strategies inspired
by the development path of Surat. This
includes creating ample employment
opportunities by investing in key indus-
tries and providing support through sub-
sidies, tax incentives and infrastructure
development.
To ascertain its economic progress,
India, in line with the growth model
adopted in Surat, should ensure an all-
round development approach focusing
on major labour-intensive industries.

Surat’s industrial 25 cities to drive economic development

and beyond. The four initial selected
cities have demonstrated robust growth
trajectories in terms of population and
renaissance is a flourishing industrial units over the past
20 years. Here, we have focused on Surat
in Gujarat as a case study because of its
this epidemic created chaos.
The consequences were no less than
the recent Covid-19 pandemic. The
UAE’s halt on cargo transhipment from
India severely impacted India’s agricul-
tural exports, causing a $420 million loss.
The global media coverage of Surat’s
have been key drivers of Surat’s growth.
The city boasts a vibrant textile market
and is globally renowned for its diamond
polishing and cutting industry, process-
ing nearly 90 per cent of the world’s dia-
monds.
The nearby Hazira port plays a crucial
alists, several key drivers of the city’s
economic growth have emerged. These
include the unwavering and resilient
This should be coupled with ensuring a
considerable expenditure on the existing
human capital, such as health, education
attitude of the citizens, who persist even and skills. Strategic investment and
in the toughest situations. Additionally,
many industrialists have operated with
a vision of contributing to society and
guided interventions from the govern-
ment can only ensure a resilient and
thriving economy in future. Today,

model for India’s unique dimensions, which can serve as a

good role model for all other cities.
This involves understanding how
Surat can evolve into a megacity and sig-
economic growth nificantly contribute to the solid eco-
nomic growth of India. This city hosts
more than 6,000 industrial units and has
plague outbreak led to London’s global
depository receipts plunging and local
agricultural stocks tumbling. The situa-
tion disrupted international relations,
postponing a Mauritian minister’s visit,
cancellation of several international
conferences, and failing to attract the
role in maritime trade, with its strategic
location and robust infrastructure, facil-
itating the import and export of goods.
the nation, and this constructive
approach has significantly fostered both
industrial and overall economic growth.
Surat is the second largest city of Guja-
rat and the fastest growing city in India.
The example of Surat certainly shows
Surat is also home to numerous Special Surat’s diverse economic activities that nothing is unattainable, and so
Economic Zones, which attract invest-
ments in chemicals, petrochemicals,
engineering, and information technolo-
and its strategic initiatives in industrial
and infrastructural development play a
pivotal role in driving not only the city’s
should be the spirit if India wants to
attain its goal of “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.

a population of approximately 7.5 mil- foreign media and tour operators. Global gy. Known for its entrepreneurial spirit, growth but also contributing significant- The writers work for CUTS
lion. Despite occupying just about four travel restrictions, enhanced surveil- the city’s local entrepreneurs and busi- ly to the economic growth of Gujarat and International, a global public policy
per cent of Gujarat’s total land area, it lance by the Centres for Disease Control nesses continually innovate and adapt to India as a whole. Other cities in India research and advocacy group

EDITOR: KAUSHIK MITTER, PRINTER & PUBLISHER: K. SUDHAKAR; THE ASIAN AGE office is located at: New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi-110002. Phone: (011) 23211124;
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 WORLD
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 16 JUNE 2024 | NEW DELHI
SHORT
SA’S RAMAPHOSA
TAKES
RE-ELECTED AS
PREZ AFTER DEAL
Cape Town, June 15: South
African President Cyril
Ramaphosa was re-elected for a
second term after his humbled
ANC cobbled together an
unprecedented coalition gov-
ernment. Lawmakers in Cape
Town voted overwhelmingly on
Friday to put Ramaphosa, 71,
back in office for another five
years after the May 29 general
election produced no outright
winner. “I am humbled and
honoured that you, as members
of the National Assembly,
have... decided to elect me to be
the President of South Africa,”
Ramaphosa said.
CYBER ATTACK ON
PAK’S UN MISSION:
EMAIL BREACHED
Islamabad, June 15: Pakistan’s
Permanent Mission to the UN
was targeted by a cyber attack,
infiltrating its official email
account and the YouTube chan-
nel, a media report said on
Saturday. The cyber attack
occurred on Friday, at 4 pm US
time, The Express Tribune
newspaper reported. The
breach targeted the email ID
used by the Permanent
Mission's information wing,
the report said. The mission's
YouTube channel was also
compromised, and the attack-
ers altered its name, banners,
and content, the report said,
quoting sources.
CHINA CALLS TO
IMPROVE TIES
WITH AUSTRALIA
Sydney, June 15: Chinese
Premier Li Qiang called
Saturday for “shelving differ-
ences” with Australia as he
embarked on a four-day trip
dangling the promise of
expanded trade despite their
geopolitical rivalry. Li — the
second most powerful man in
China after President Xi
Jinping — touched down in
Adelaide at the start of a diplo-
matic mission across the
resource-rich continent. China
has gradually removed swinge-
ing trade sanctions on
Australian wine, timber, barley
and beef exports imposed in
2020.
NORTH KOREA WALL
IN DMZ AGAINST
SOUTH KOREA
Seoul, June 15: North Korea’s
military has been building
roads and walls inside the
Demilitarised Zone that sepa-
rates it from the South, the
Yonhap news agency reported
Saturday. The construction
activities are taking place
north of the Military
Demarcation Line (MDL) that
runs through the middle of the
DMZ, the South Korean agency
said, citing an unnamed mili-
tary source. The report follows
an incident last week when
South Korean forces fired
warning shots after North
Korean soldiers briefly crossed
the MDL.
ONE JAPANESE
CLIMBER FOUND
DEAD IN PAKISTAN
Skardu, Pakistan, June 15: One
of two Japanese climbers was
found dead and his body recov-
ered from a mountain in north-
ern Pakistan on Saturday, with
a search ongoing for the second
man, an official said.
Ryuseki Hiraoka and Atsushi
Taguchi were trying to summit
the 7,027-metre Spantik moun-
tain in the Karakoram range
before they went missing this
week. “The dead body of a
Japanese climber was found,
and a search is ongoing for the
second climber,” Wali Ullah
Falahi, the Shigar district
deputy commissioner, said.
The body was found 300 metres
below Camp 3, he said.
FLESH-EATING
FATAL BACTERIA
SPREADS IN JAPAN
Tokyo: A disease caused by a
rare “flesh-eating bacteria”
that can kill people within 48
hours is spreading in Japan
after the country relaxed
Covid-era restrictions. Cases of
streptococcal toxic shock syn-
drome (STSS) reached 977 this
year by June 2, higher than the
record 941 cases reported for all
of last year, according to the
National Institute of Infectious
Diseases, that has been track-
ing incidences of the disease
since 1999. Group A blame, shame, and impos-
Streptococcus (GAS) typically
causes swelling and sore throat
in children.
Ukraine peace summit starts China will detain
in Switzerland, Russia absent South China Sea
Two-day gathering brings together 100 countries, global institutions
Burgenstock, Switzerland,
June 15: World leaders
were joining Ukrainian
President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy in Switzerland
on Saturday for a summit
on peace in his country,
but with Russia staying
away it is seen as the first
step in a long process.
The Swiss hosts have
sought to temper expecta-
tions at the two-day gath-
ering, with an agenda lay-
ing the groundwork for a
path to peace — with futu-
re summits envisioned,
eventually involving
Moscow. But Zelenskyy
himself expressed high
hopes for the outcome.
“We will see history
being made here at the
summit,” he said on social
media platform Telegram,
as he greeted presidents
and prime ministers arriv-
ing at the luxury
Burgenstock resort high
above Lake Lucerne.
“Together, we are mak-
ing the first step toward
just peace based on the UN
Charter and fundamental
principles of internation-
al law,” he said on X, for-
merly Twitter. But in a
combative speech on
Friday, Russian President
Vladimir Putin slammed
the conference and
demanded that Kyiv effec-
tively surrender before
any actual peace negotia-
tions. Zelensky branded
Putin’s demands a territo-
rial “ultimatum” reminis-
cent of Nazi Germany’s
dictator Adolf Hitler,
while Nato and the United
States also immediately
rejected the hardline con-
ditions. The conference,
convening exactly 100
countries and global insti-
tutions, comes at a per-
Princess returns
Catherine, Princess of Wales, on Saturday made a tentative return to public life for the first time since being diag-
nosed with cancer along with Britain’s King Charles III, Prince William, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte on the
Balcony at Buckingham Palace after attending the Trooping the Colour ceremony.
Sentosa island Ship evacuated, blaze after
beaches closed attack by Houthis: UKMTO
Singapore, June 1 5 :
Beaches on Singapore’s
top resort island of
Sentosa, which also house
luxury waterfront homes,
were shuttered on
Saturday due to an oil
spill at a nearby port,
maritime authorities
said. The oil spill resulted
from an accident on
Friday at the Pasir
Panjang terminal
between a Netherlands-
flagged dredger and a sta-
tionary Singapore-
flagged bunker vessel,
Singapore’s Maritime and
Port Authority said.
Waters of three popular
beaches on the island
“are currently closed for
beach clean-up works due
to instances of oil
spillage observed in the
sea waters,” the island
A worker clears the oil slick in plastic bags on Sentosa
island’s Siloso beach in Singapore on Saturday. — AFP
PEACE ELUDES
AMID THREATS
SCHOLZ SAYS PUTIN IS
TRYING TO ‘DICTATE’ PEACE
German Chancellor Olaf
Scholz said on Saturday
Russian leader Vladimir
Putin was trying to dictate
the conditions for peace.
“What we need is not a dic-
tated peace but a just and
equitable peace that takes
into account Ukraine’s (ter-
ritorial) integrity,” he said.
UKRAINIAN SHELLING KILLS 5
IN RUSSIAN BORDER TOWN
Ukrainian shelling on the
Russian border of Shebekino
killed five and wounded sev-
eral, the governor of
Belgorod said on Saturday.
“Four bodies were found in
a rubble” of a
house, he said
while a woman
died in hospi-
tal.
ilous moment for exhaust-
ed Ukrainians and out-
gunned soldiers, more
than two years since
Moscow launched its full-
scale invasion. Over 50
heads of state and govern-
ment figure among the
attendees, including all of
the G7 leaders who have
been meeting in Italy —
with one notable excep-
tion. The leaders of
Britain, Canada, France,
Germany, Italy and Japan
are attending. China is
absent, insisting it will not
take part without
Moscow’s presence.— AFP
said in a notice on its
website.
Black residue from the
oil slick is visible on the
beaches, an agency pho-
tographer on the scene
said.
One sign put up on a
cordoned off beach read
“Oil slick spotted. Clean
up in progress. Please
stay clear of water.”The
MPA said patches of oil
and light sheens have
been observed off Pasir
Panjang Terminal and
along Tanjong, Palawan,
and Siloso beaches.
Sentosa is a popular
tourist destination that
hosts a casino, Southeast
Asia’s only Universal
Studios attraction and
luxury waterfront homes
for expats and the ultra-
rich. — AFP
foreigners in
UKRAINE LGBTQ
ACTIVISTS FEAR
PARADE VIOLENCE
Kyiv, June 15: Ukrainian
LGBTQ activists on
Saturday warned of
potential violence against
this weekend's Kyiv Pride
parade amid pressures
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Swiss from far-right groups and
Federal President Viola Amherd during the summit for the Russian war.
peace in Ukraine in Switzerland. — AFP Sunday’s event is the
first parade in the capital
UKRAINE SOLDIERS, CIVILIANS SHRUG OFF SUMMIT
On the front line and in war-fatigued Kyiv, hopes for
since the beginning of the
Russian invasion, which
any breakthrough are nil. Sergiy, a deputy command-
er of a tank brigade in eastern Donetsk where fight-
Kyiv often portrays as an
existential fight to be part
ing is fiercest, said that when powerbrokers sit down of the West and its liberal
to really thrash out an end to fighting, it
values. “We are seriously
concerned about possible
probably won’t be at a plush summit. attacks on march partici-
pants,” the LGBTIQ+ mili-
HARRIS VOWS $1.5 BN U.S. ENERGY AID tary union that defends
US Vice-President Kamala Harris the rights of veterans and
announced on Saturday more than soldiers said on
$1.5 billion in new aid for Ukraine Instagram. The march
for its energy sector and in will be held in a closed for-
humanitarian aid. It includes mat — with 500 people
attending — while its loca-
$500 million in new funding. tion is confidential.— AFP
Sweden says Russian bomber
violated airspace, gets jets ready
Stockhom, June 15: A Nato, dropping two cen- heeded and the aircraft
Russian SU-24 bomber vio-
lated Swedish airspace
turies of military non-
alliance. “On Friday after-
did not deviate from its
route, it was dismissed
near the Baltic Sea island
of Gotland, leaving only
noon, a Russian SU-24 jet
fighter violated Swedish
from Swedish airspace by
two JAS-39 Gripens,” it
after Sweden scrambled airspace east of Gotland's said. “The Russian
two JAS-39 fighter jets, southern tip. The Swedish actions are not acceptable
Sweden’s military said on air combat command and demonstrate a lack of
Saturday. The incident on warned the Russian air- respect for our territorial
Friday occurred three craft with a verbal call,” integrity,” the head of
months after the country the Swedish armed forces Sweden’s air force, Jonas
became a full member of said. “When this was not Wikman, said. — AFP
ISLAMIC JIHAD:
PULL OUT FOR
HOSTAGES
Cairo, June 15: The
armed wing of
Palestinian Islamic
Jihad said on Saturday
the only way to return
Israeli hostages is
through Israel's with-
drawal from Gaza, end-
ing its offensive and
reaching a deal for
exchanging Israeli
hostages for Palestinian
prisoners.
spokesman of Al-Quds
Brigades, the armed
The
wing of the Palestinian
group, made the
remarks in a video on
Telegram. Islamic Jihad
is a smaller ally of the
militant Islamist group
Hamas, which led a ram-
page in Israel on
October 7 in which 1,200
people were killed and
— AP over 250 taken hostage.
— Reuters
Cairo, June 15: The United struck the Verbena in the between Israel and
Kingdom Maritime Trade Gulf of Aden on Hamas.
Operations (UKMTO) said Thursday, sparking a fire The Houthi campaign in
on Saturday the crew of a and severely injuring one the Red Sea region has
Palau-flagged cargo ship of its crew, U.S. Central disrupted global shipping,
had been evacuated and Command said. cascading delays and
the ship was on fire and The Iran-allied Houthis costs through supply
sinking, referring to an have launched dozens of chains. The militants have
incident that happened 98 attacks on international sunk one ship, seized
nautical miles east of shipping in the Red Sea another vessel and killed
Yemen's Aden on June 13. region since November in three seafarers in sepa-
Missiles fired by solidarity with rate attacks.
Yemen’s Houthi militants Palestinians in the war — Reuters
TOXIC | WORK Musk’s firm sued as animals scratched skin via defective gloves
Herpes monkey infects ex-Neuralink staff
Washington, May 31: Elon
Musk’s brain-implant
that she was pregnant.
Short sued the company
● NEURALINK DIDN’T
immediately respond to a
startup Neuralink Corp.
forced an employee to
for retaliation, wrongful
termination and discrimi- request for comment on
work with monkeys that nation based on her gen- the suit. The company has
carried the Herpes B virus der among other issues. also come under fire for
in conditions in which the Neuralink didn’t imme- the mistreatment of mon-
animals scratched her diately respond to a keys and other animals in
bare skin, according to a request for comment on the past, including
complaint filed Friday in the suit. botched surgeries when it
state court in California. The company has also
The employee, Lindsay come under fire for the
conducted research on
Short, said that once she mistreatment of monkeys monkeys.
transferred to the compa- and other animals in the
ny’s Fremont, California, past, including botched Short said she was work-
site in August 2022, she surgeries when it conduct- ing with monkeys that car-
encountered “a work envi- ed research on monkeys ried the Herpes B virus
ronment fraught with housed at the University when she was scratched
of California at Davis. It through a glove. She
sible deadlines.” She said has since moved monkey accused the company of
she was later fired after research to its own facili- failing to provide proper
telling her supervisors ties. protective gear to work
Shanghai, June 1 5 :
New Chinese coast guard
rules took effect on
Saturday, under which it
can detain foreigners for
trespassing in the disput-
ed South China Sea,
where neighbours and
the G7 have accused
Beijing of intimidation
and coercion. Beijing
claims almost the entire-
ty of the South China Sea,
brushing aside competing
claims from several
Southeast Asian nations
including the Philippines
and an international rul-
ing that its stance has no
legal basis.
From Saturday, China’s
coast guard can detain
foreigners “suspected of
violating management of
border entry and exit”,
according to the new reg-
ulations published online.
Detention is allowed up
to 60 days in “complicated
cases”, they say.
“Foreign ships that have
illegally entered China's
territorial waters and the
adjacent waters may be
detained.” Manila has
accused the Chinese coast
guard of “barbaric and
inhumane behaviour”
against Philippine ves-
sels, and President
Ferdinand Marcos last
month called the new
rules a “very worrisome”
escalation. China Coast
Guard vessels have used
water cannon against
Philippine boats multiple
times in the contested
waters. There have also
been collisions that
injured Filipino troops.
Philippine military
chief General Romeo
Brawner told reporters
on Friday that authorities
in Manila were “dis-
cussing a number of
steps to be undertaken in
order for us to protect our
fishermen”.
Philippine fishermen
were told “not to be
afraid, but just to go
ahead with their normal
activities to fish there in
our Exclusive Economic
Zone”, Brawner said.
The Group of Seven bloc
on Friday criticised what
it called “dangerous”
incursions by China in
the waterway.
Kuwait targets
illegal buildings
Dubai/Kuwait City, June
15: Authorities in Kuwait
have launched a crack-
down on illegal property
extensions in the wake of
a devastating fire at a
seven-storey building that
claimed the lives of 50
people, including 46
Indians, according to a
media report on Saturday.
Most deaths were due to
smoke inhalation while
residents in the building
were sleeping when the
fire broke out early on
Wednesday in Kuwait’s
southern city of Mangaf
in Ahmadi Governorate.
The building was home to
196 migrant workers,
mostly Indians.
The incident triggered
calls for action against
real estate landlords and
company owners who vio-
late the law to house large
numbers of foreign labo-
urers in extremely unsafe
conditions to cut costs.
The Kuwait Munic-ipali-
ty has launched a rigor-
ous crackdown on illegal
property extensions, the
Arab Times newspaper
with the monkeys. In
another incident, after she
was forced to perform a
procedure she wasn’t
familiar with, a monkey
scratched her face. When
she insisted on medical
treatment, her boss threat-
ened “severe repercus-
sions” if it happened
again, according to the
complaint.
In the lawsuit, Short also
said Neuralink didn’t hon-
our a promise for flexible
work hours to accommo-
date her family, then
demoted her in May 2023,
two months after a promo-
tion.
The following month,
she told Neuralink’s
pg 6
PHILIPPINES TAPS
UN TO RECOGNISE
ITS AREA IN SCS
Manila, June 15: The
Philippines has asked a
United Nations body to
formally recognise the
extent of its undersea
continental seabed in the
South China Sea, where it
would have the exclusive
right to exploit resources,
the Department of Fore-
ign Affairs said Saturday,
in a move that rejects
China’s vast territorial
claims to the region.
The Philippine govern-
ment submitted informa-
tion to the UN Comm-
ission on the Limits of
the Continental Shelf on
the extent of its undersea
shelf in the South China
Sea, off western Palawan
province, after more than
a decade and a half of sci-
entific research, the
department said.
China did not immedi-
ately comment but it will
likely contest the move.
The undersea region
where the Philippines
seeks to formally estab-
lish its sovereign rights
under the UN Convention
on the Law of the Sea, or
UNCLOS, covers the
Spratlys, a chain of
islands, islets, reefs and
atolls that has been
fiercely contested over
the years by China, the
Philippines, Vietnam,
Malaysia, Brunei and
Taiwan. Indonesia has
also confronted Chinese
coast guard and fishing
fleets in the gas-rich
Natuna sea in the fringes
of the SCS. — AP
“We oppose China's mil-
itarisation, and coercive
and intimidation activi-
ties in the South China
Sea,” read a G7 statement
at the end of a summit on
Friday.
The South China Sea is
a vital waterway, where
Vietnam, Malaysia and
Brunei also have overlap-
ping claims in some
parts. — AFP
reported. This tragic inci-
dent has shed light on the
long-standing issue of
unauthorised modifica-
tions to buildings,
prompting authorities to
take decisive action to
prevent such disasters in
the future. For years, the
illegal conversion of
property spaces has been
a pervasive issue in
Kuwait. Basement park-
ing areas have been trans-
formed into warehouses,
while ground-floor open
spaces have been convert-
ed into housing units and
shops, all in the pursuit of
additional income.
These modifications,
often carried out without
proper approval, compro-
mise the safety and
integrity of buildings, the
paper said.
An India Embassy team
on Friday visited all 5
hospitals where 25
injured Indians are
receiving medical treat-
ment. They enquired
about their medical con-
dition.
— PTI
human resources depart-
ment she was pregnant.
Short was fired the follow-
ing day with the company
saying the dismissal was
for performance issues,
according to the lawsuit.
The startup is in the
early stages of clinical tri-
als for its device, which is
aimed at restoring func-
tion for paralysed
patients. An Arizona man,
Noland Arbaugh, recently
underwent surgery and
became the first human
patient to have the device
implanted. A quadriple-
gic, Arbaugh can now suc-
cessfully play video games
by using only his
thoughts. — Bloomberg
 BOOKS
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 16 JUNE 2024 | NEW DELHI
pg 7

INDIAN TOP 10
NON-FICTION
1 GUJARAT UNDER MODI
Socialism not the answer, but... The voice of the
Christophe Jaffrelot, Westland, `899

Parsa Venkateshwar
ing because the easy loans provided He refers to the “revolution of pain
by banks and the bailout packages management” which the Western
that follow to save those companies. states have mastered through bail-
Nepali American
2 A.S.
COVERT
Dulat, Harper Collins `699
Rao Jr
They were first detected in Japan, out packages instead of letting the
and then it was found that they exist people and the companies feel the
couple who have moved to
America hoping for a
in Europe and America as well. pain of the boom-bust natural cycle. brighter future but find them-
3 Fareed
AGE OF REVOLUTION
Zakaria, Penguin, `1,299
Sharma finds the role of govern- He says that young people today do Ankit selves suspended between
ments intervening not believe in the gov- worlds; ‘Leech’, the title story,
review to save private sec- ernment’s false prom- Rath in a similar vein explores the
tor companies to ise of endless economic events in the life of a Madhesi
4 TJoseph
HE ROAD TO FREEDOM
E. Stiglitz, Penguin, `799 protect national eco- growth, and that they
review migrant in Nepal. We are wit-

T
he advantage with Ruchir berg. They refuse to see the iceberg. nomies counterpro- are aware of the natu- ness to the disparity between
Sharma is that he is your And what is the iceberg? The ductive, and along ral limits. the various kinds of immi-
5 Kallol
NEHRU’S FIRST RECRUITS
Bhattacherjee, HarperCollins, `699
friendly next-door market expanded role of the state in the with greater state Sharma paints a grants from across the globe

guy, and so he would not
be seen as a socialist
6 Salman
KNIFE
Rushdie, Penguin, `699
party-pooper with a title of the book
like What Went Wrong with
Capitalism. He makes a good begin-
ning by narrating the sob story of
7 David
NEW COLD WARS
E. Sanger. Scrive, `899 the Indian middle class — how he
grew up in the maximum security
prison of socialism of the pre-1991
8 BAnuj
AHRISONS: CHRONICLE OF A BOOKSHOP
Bahri. India Research Press, `350
India, and how he escaped the wel-
fare state gulag and escaped to the
free market Singapore and then to
the capitalist paradise, the United
9 Karthik
ACCELERATING INDIA’S DEVELOPMENT
Muralidharan, Penguin Viking, States. And this book is a guided
tour of the back-alleys of capital-
`1,299
ism, especially in the financial sec-
tor, a far cry from the poor, from the
R
market economies, the bailout pack- spending on welfare vivid picture of the anjan Adiga, both as a arriving in America in ‘Spicy
ages which Central banks work out programmes, harm- story of market crises, writer and as a Kitchen’, with the Nepali
ful. The critics of especially the 2008-09 Nepali-American, has scholar harbouring a con-
to save the private companies
caught in a market squall. Sharma
sums it up all in non-threatening
capitalism would po-
int to the evil of wel-
financial markets melt-
down — which the
always been fairly stant fear of being deported;
vocal about the contemporary the dread of having one’s visa
prose. He writes towards the end: “It fare measures, and blinkered Indian mar- issues Nepalis face, especially revoked is also explored in
makes intuitive and moral sense
that when a nation’s government
the critics of capital-
ism will point an
ket economists refuse
to acknowledge — and
those that emerge from the ‘The Diversity Committee’
social hierarchy they are sub- but from a professor’s point of
accounts for more than half of all accusing finger at the saga of bailout ject to. His pieces, “Are You an view.
WHAT WENT WRONG packages in America
spending in the economy or takes
more than half of an individual’s
income in taxes, that nation is get-
the bailout packag-
es. Sharma shows
the expanded role of
WITH CAPITALISM from the 1970s onwards
— and how the so-
Indian? ‘No, I am a Nepali’” ‘Student Visa’ lays bare the
and “I’m not Muslim, but why toils and troubles the average
should it matter if I were?” middle-class Nepali student
ting less free.” the state, the depen- By RUCHIR SHARMA called neoliberal bring into undergoes sim-
And this is the state of affairs not
so much in the developing and em-
dence of the people
and private compan-
Penguin Allen Lane Reagan revolution of
rolling back the state
view the preju-
dice that he,
ply to obtain
one. All these
erging market economies but in ies on the state, to be pp. 367; `999 only managed to like many oth- stories explore
advanced economies like the United the canker. increase budget deficit! ers, has faced the blemishes of

10 LOVE IN THE TIME OF HATE

Rakshanda Jalil, Simon & Schuster, `699
inequality debate, et al.
In India, as there were once fanat-
ical socialist evangelists, there are
States, the European Union and Ja-
pan. The startling, and perhaps not
so startling, news is the existence of
He provides a The lesson: Something
panoramic view of how the markets terribly wrong with capitalism. The
have been working in the West and answer of course is not socialism!
both at home
and
America.
in
I
a seemingly gol-
den land replete
with opportuni-
now cringing market fundamental- “zombie” companies, the compan- how the benevolent role of the believe when ties. Stories like
FICTION ists who cannot see the Titanic of ies that do not produce anything states in the market system has The writer is a Delhi-based similar experi- ‘Kali’ and ‘High
capitalism moving towards the ice- useful and do not earn profits exist- weakened the sinews of the people. commentator and analyst ences are gath- Heels’ are exp-
1 Amor
TABLE FOR TWO
Towels, Penguin, `799
ered and fic-
tionalised,
ressions
everyday strug-
of

they make way gles originating

from the innate
2 MAmitava
Y BELOVED LIFE
Kumar, Aleph, `79
Of Feluda, ‘dry days’: A whimsical look, but serious too
for an antholo-
gy like Leech
and Other LEECH AND OTHER
tendency for dis-
crimination and
Stories to violence that
STORIES
3 Rana
A FIRESTORM IN PARADISE
Safvi, Penguin, `699
Laziness. A riff on Bertrand with cultural cross-references
Russell’s essay, In Praise of (Rimbaud to Bruegel, Homer to
ing out films and television series
32 years after Ray’s death, is
come to life.
This collec- By RANJAN ADIGA is built on.
human society

Idleness, Hazra’s Holmes, and so on), it is because, Hazra says with a touch of tion of stories Penguin While most of
Shuma these stories
4 BAsako
UTTER
Yuzuki, HarperCollins, `599
Raha
ode to indolence
traipses from an
epic meditation
the pop culture stardust
of Bengal, Hazra’s
motherland, that in-
Felumaniac romanticism, they
evoke “the Bengali as he was, not
is, but hopefully will be.”
“dives into the
… lives of con-
temporary Ne-
pp. 256; `399 end on a rather
hopeful note,
on the gargantu- forms many of the Other subjects get the Hazra palis struggling to belong in their grim realities never
5 RNeelima
ADHA: THE PRINCESS OF BARSANA
Dalmia Adhar, Westland, `599 review an
habits
sleeping
of
pieces. In Felumenon, a
Bhadralok Fran-
treatment: A speculative rumina-
tion on the adult lives of Mark
new worlds.” The dreams of really leave them.
progress and upward mobili- Adiga’s stories often are set
Kumbhakar na chise, which dwells on Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and ty push them forward while in the immediate past, which

6Coco
BLUE SISTER — the brother of Feluda, aka Pradosh C. Sukumar Ray’s Pagla Dashu — the strings of societal conven- may as well have been the

S
Mellors, HarperCollins, `499 ometimes quirky, sometimes Ravana in Mitter, the fictional those free-spirited madcap boys tion and “fate” tie them down. present when they were
philosophical, almost always the Ramayana — sleuth created by whose romps remain frozen in the The author skilfully voices penned, and therefore are
witty, In Praise of Laziness to a hat-tip to the Satyajit Ray and pages of their boyhood; the joys of some of the most intimate very much in the moment.
7 Emily
FUNNY STORY
Henry, Penguin, `799
and Other Essays by the journalist
and author Indrajit Hazra is an off-
character
Floyd, the slack-
of beloved of generations
of Bengali children and
an electric blanket in Delhi’s win-
ter; the rewards of staying indoors;
insecurities of these people. The descriptions of lewdness
The representation of Nep- and actions of a sexual nature
beat lollapalooza that offers many er-incarnate in adults, Hazra argues India’s alcohol-mukt “dry day”… alis and of the othering that abundantly scattered

8 CJohn
AMINO GHOSTS
Grisham, Hachette, `699
wonders. The writer’s penchant for
word play, his fascination with
words and their etymology, his
wide-ranging scholarship which
9TAanchal
HE BOOK OF EVERLASTING THINGS
Malhotra, HarperCollins, `799
sparks through his ideas and
propositions that are both serious
and frivolous, pack quite a punch.
the Hollywood
film True
that the character epito-
IN PRAISE OF LAZINESS mises the Ben-
Romance (1993), By INDRAJIT HAZRA gali bhadralok (gentle-
There are times when his sen-
tences groan under the weight of
the cultural, historical and polemi-
some of them must come to throughout are, perhaps,
terms with is quite effectively meant to amplify a feeling of
managed in this anthology. A “cultural impurity”. This is
to an etymologi- man) as he once used to cal references that he brings to certain homogeneity that per- an important book for the
cal deep-dive
into that exquis-
Simon & Schuster
pp. 168; `399
be: a person of intelli-
gence, integrity, knowl-
bear on them. But, clearly, Hazra
embraces the complexity. As he
meates the pages is what times because it unveils a
makes it so. Many of these long-hidden demographic
itely expressive, edge, and, also, one who says, he wants his language to be stories focus on the same or at group in its entirety.

10Carsten
THE DOOR-TO-DOOR BOOKSTORE
Henn, HarperCollins, `399
It’s a bit like watching a juggler do
his thing with a multitude of
strobe-lit balls.
almost onomatopoeic, Bengali disdained material wealth and
slang word, ‘lyad’, or the state of equated it with greed. That the
laziness. Feluda industry continues to be
clotted, “ropey”. So who are we to
disagree?
least similar issues but from
varying perspectives.
‘Denver’ follows a young
Ankit Rath is a DPhil
candidate (Oxon)
Bahrisons, New Delhi Take the title essay, In Praise of Though the slim volume is thick the phenomenon that it is, churn- The writer is a senior journalist

SPECIAL UK’s Green Party struggles to be heard in a

Research finds poll where climate change is on back burner
how space trip Brighton: There’s lots of talk
of change in Britain’s election
campaign, but little talk
and one of the few with a good
chance of winning. The party
held just one seat in Parlia-
festo, released on Wednesday,
includes policies on housing,
health care, education,
old construction worker
Harry Colville said he thinks
climate change is important,

affects body about climate change.

Dallas: Space tourists experience some
of the same body changes as astronauts
who spend months in orbit, according
to new studies published on Tuesday.
Those shifts mostly retur-ned to nor-
mal once the am-ateurs returned to
Earth, researchers reported.
Research on four space tourists is
included in a series of studies on the
health effects of space travel, down to
the molecular level. The findings paint
a clearer picture of how people — who
don’t undergo years of astronaut train-
ing — adapt to weightlessness and
space radiation, the researchers said.
“This will allow us to be better pre-
pared when we’re sending humans into
space for whatever reason,” said Allen
Liu, a mechanical engineering profes-
sor at the University of Michigan who
was not involved with the research.
Nasa and others have long studied the
toll of space travel on astronauts,
including yearlong residents of the ISS,
but there’s been less attention on space
tourists. The first tourist visit to the
space station was in 2001, and opportu-
nities for private space travel have
expanded in recent years.
A three-day chartered flight in 2021
gave researchers the chance to examine
how quickly the body reacts and adapts
to spaceflight, said Susan Bailey, a radi-
ation expert at Colorado State Univer-
sity who took part in the research.
While in space, the four passengers on
the SpaceX flight, dubbed Inspiration4,
collected samples of blood, saliva, skin
and more. Researchers analysed the
samples and found wide-ranging shifts
in cells and changes to the immune sys-
tem. Most of these shifts stabilized in
the months after the four returned
home, and the researchers found that
the short-term spaceflight didn’t pose
significant health risks.
“This is the first time we’ve had a cell-
by-cell examination of a crew when
they go to space,” said researcher and
co-author Chris Mason with Weill
Cornell Medicine.
The papers, which were published on
Tuesday in Nature journals and are
now part of a database, include the
impact of spaceflight on the skin, kid-
neys and immune system. The results
could help researchers find ways to
counteract the negative effects of space
travel, said Afshin Beheshti, a
researcher with the Blue Marble Space
Institute of Science who took part in
the work. — AP
The UK’s July 4 vote to
choose a new government
comes after one of the wettest
and warmest winters on
record, part of trends that sci-
entists attribute to global
warming. But discussion of
climate and the environment
has taken a back seat to
Britain’s sluggish economy,
high cost of living and creak-
ing health care system — and
whether, as polls suggest, the
governing Conservatives’ time
is up after 14 years in power.
That frustrates the Green
Party, which is battling a polit-
ical system that makes it hard
for small parties to win seats
in Parliament, and a political
climate that discourages
expensive, long-term environ-
mental promises.
“I think they are very wrong,
the other parties, to ignore cli-
mate change and the big
investment that’s needed,”
said Sian Berry, one of 574
Green candidates running in
England and Wales for the 650-
seat House of Commons —
Narcissism: Why it’s less obvious in women
London: The term narcissism
may conjure up images of
chest-pumping, arrogant, male
self-promoters. The personality
trait – with its hallmark fea-
tures of overt grandiosity,
assertiveness and superiority –
is, in fact, more commonly
observed in men.
That is because these central
features align closely with tra-
ditional masculine traits. In
fact, up to 75 per cent of people
diagnosed with narcissistic
personality disorder are men.
But in reality, narcissism is a
modern epidemic that afflicts
men and women alike. Our new
research, published in Sex
Roles, shows how narcissism
manifests itself differently in
women — but reveals that nar-
cissistic women can be as dan-
gerous and violent as their
male counterparts.
Our research reveals that
women with high traits of nar-
cissism tend to be more vulner-
able and insecure than their
ment before the election.
“I think people these days do
recognise that to solve climate
change is not something you
do on the side, it has to be part
of all your policies,” Ms Berry
said over the sound of
screeching seagulls in the sea-
side city of Brighton on
England’s south coast.
The governing
Conservatives boast that
Britain is a leader in embrac-
ing renewable energy and cut-
ting the carbon emissions that
fuel climate change. UK green-
house gas emissions have fall-
en by half from 1990 levels,
mainly because coal has large-
ly been eliminated from elec-
tricity generation.
But environmentalists say
the UK has recently gone into
reverse.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak,
who is battling to close a
polling gap with the
Opposition Labour Party, has
criticised “unaffordable eco-
zealotry”, approved new
North Sea oil drilling and
pledged to build more gas-
male peers. That means it can
sometimes be missed by clini-
cal professionals, for example,
misdiagnosed as borderline
personality disorder.
Narcissism is a complex per-
sonality trait. While full-blown
narcissistic personality disor-
der isn’t too common, affecting
about 1-2 per cent of the popu-
lation, we all have narcissism
to varying degrees.
Narcissistic personality traits
can be expressed in two forms:
grandiose and vulnerable.
People who exhibit more
grandiose features are self-
assured and socially dominant.
People who exhibit more vul-
nerable features are introvert-
ed and have lower self-esteem.
Both forms share an antagonis-
tic core, demonstrated by high
levels of entitlement and a will-
ingness to exploit others.
In the context of intimate
relationships, narcissism has
similarly been associated with
men’s perpetration of violence.
Green Party co-leaders Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer with
supporters at the launch of their poll manifesto in Hove. — AP
fired power plants, while
insisting the UK can still meet
its goal of achieving net zero
carbon emissions by 2050.
Labour leader Keir
Starmer has scrapped the
party’s pledge to invest $36 bil-
lion a year in green projects if
elected, replacing it with a
smaller commitment. He
blames the parlous state in
which the Conservatives have
left the public finances.
The lack of action alarms
climate scientists, more than
◗ NARCISSISM IS a complex
personality trait. While full-
blown narcissistic personality
disorder isn’t too common,
affecting about 1-2 per cent
of the population, we all have
narcissism to varying degrees
Threats to their self-esteem can
evoke feelings of shame, humil-
iation and wounded pride, lead-
ing to aggressive behaviour.
Although women are less like-
ly to display stereotypical mani-
festations of narcissism, it does
not mean that narcissism is not
as common in women. For
instance, consider the numer-
ous reality TV stars who are
notorious for their self-centred-
ness and vanity — traits often
associated with narcissism.
Yet narcissism in women
extends beyond self-absorption.
Vulnerable narcissism involves
traits such as emotional vul-
nerability, low self-esteem and
inhibition. These traits overlap
400 of whom wrote to the polit-
ical parties to warn that any
leader “who does not make
stronger climate action a pri-
ority for the next five years
and beyond will place the
prosperity and well-being of
the British people at severe
risk.”
The Green Party embraces
that message, but faces a strug-
gle to be heard, and to con-
vince voters that it’s not just
about the environment. The
party’s 44-page election mani-
with traditional notions of fem-
ininity. Such gender differences
in narcissism may stem from
gender-specific stereotypes of
masculinity and femininity
ingrained from childhood.
Consequently, the tendency
for men to display more
grandiose features and women
to display more vulnerable
traits may partly originate
from parenting styles aimed at
making boys more assertive
and girls more nurturing.
However, there is a danger of
interpreting women’s narcis-
sism as less harmful due to
their initial presentation as
more soft-spoken, nurturing,
passive and vulnerable than
men. Beneath this persona,
they may be devoid of empathy
and harbour high levels of enti-
tlement and a willingness to
exploit others.
This suggests that men and
women may be aggressive or
violent in different ways.
— The Conversation
employment and defense as
well as green issues.
Its pledges are expensive,
including 24 billion pounds a
year to insulate homes and 40
billion pounds a year invested
in the green economy. The
party is upfront about the tax
increases needed to pay for
them, including a carbon tax,
a wealth tax on the very rich
and an income tax hike for
millions of higher earners.
The Greens’ challenge is that
while research suggests cli-
mate ranks among voters’ top
five priorities, it often comes
well behind everyday issues
like housing costs or health-
care waiting lists.
War in Ukraine and surging
migration also have elbowed
the green agenda aside in
Britain and beyond. Green
parties lost ground in coun-
tries, including France and
Germany, in elections for the
European Parliament this
month, amid a surge for the
far right.
In the town of Dartford,
southeast of London, 27-year-
Simply gazing at nature
to boost mental health!
Bangor (UK): It is becoming
increasingly clear that
spending time in nature
can benefit our mental
health and well-being. But a
new study by my colleagues
and me shows that you
don’t have to actually be in
nature to reap the rewards.
Simply directing your gaze
towards natural elements,
even in the middle of a city,
can enhance well-being.
Our paper, published in
the journal People and
Nature, used eye-tracking
technology to explore how
focusing on natural versus
man-made elements affects
mental health.
Urban living, with its fast
pace and high levels of
stress, has been linked to
numerous mental health
issues, including anxiety
and depression.
Our research team, which
but “I’m more worried about
my life right now. More about
the near future for myself.”
Emma Jade Larsson, who is
about to graduate in medical
neuroscience from the
University of Sussex in
Brighton, said she under-
stands why the cost of living
is a top concern.
“Food banks are becoming
more and more of a need in
this country,” she said. “A lot
of people are going through
really difficult times right
now. So I do understand the
focus on it, but I think there is
also definitely a need to focus
on more than one issue at this
moment, and look after people
now but also people to come.”
Unlike many European
countries, the UK does not use
a system of proportional rep-
resentation. Its first-past-the-
post electoral system, in
which the candidate who gets
the most votes in a constituen-
cy wins, favours the two big
parties. The Greens got just
2.7 per cent of votes cast in the
2019 election. — AP
was led by me and consist-
ing of my colleagues Brian
Rizowy and Assaf Shwartz,
recruited 117 adults for the
study.
Participants were ran-
domly assigned to one of
three groups: one that
focused on natural ele-
ments such as trees (green
group), one that focused on
man-made elements such
as buildings (grey group)
and a third group that
focused on a mix of both
(mixed group).
Each participant wore
specialised eye-tracking
glasses during a 45-minute
guided walk around town
and the campus. The route
included 10 designated
stopping points designed to
emphasise either natural
or man-made elements,
depending on the group.
— The Conversation
 SUNDAY | 16 JUNE 2024 | THE ASIAN AGE | NEW DELHI

CRICKH T PAGE

8
SHORT SINGLES POINTS TABLE
GROUP A
Boult says this T20 TEAMS P W L N/R Pts NRR
INDIA 4 3 0 1 7 +1.137
WC will be his last USA 4 2 1 1 5 +0.127
V eteran pacer Trent Boult has
confirmed the ongoing T20
World Cup will be his final appear-
CANADA 4 1 2 1 3 -0.493
ance for New Zealand in the mar- PAKISTAN 3 1 2 0 2 +0.191
quee-tournament.
Since his debut in 2011, Boult has IRELAND 3 0 2 1 1 -1.712
been a key member of the
BlackCaps’ golden generation, par- GROUP B
ticipating in multiple finals across
all three formats for New Zealand. TEAMS P W L N/R Pts NRR
Additionally, the left-arm pacer AUSTRALIA 3 3 0 0 6 +3.580
has featured in four editions of the
T20 World Cup since 2014. SCOTLAND 3 2 0 1 5 +2.164
“Speaking on behalf of myself,
this will be my last T20 World Cup. ENGLAND 3 1 1 1 3 +3.081
That’s all I have to say,” Boult said
at the press conference after New NAMIBIA 3 1 2 0 2 -2.098
Zealand’s nine-wicket win over
Uganda. OMAN 4 0 4 0 0 -3.062
Whether Boult will continue to
play for New Zealand in any capac- GROUP C
ity remains uncertain as he had
opted out of a central contract in TEAMS P W L N/R Pts NRR
2022, choosing to play T20 fran- AFGHANISTAN 3 3 0 0 6 +4.230
chise cricket around the world
instead. WEST INDIES 3 3 0 0 6 +2.596
NEW ZEALAND 3 1 2 0 2 -0.241
Groupings in Pak UGANDA 4 1 3 0 2 -4.510
team: Sources The square at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill, Florida (USA) remains covered with India and Canada sched-
uled to play their T20 World Cup Group ‘A’ match on Saturday. — ASIAN AGE PNG 3 0 3 0 0 -0.886

P akistan’s shock early exit from

the T20 World Cup is being

blamed on “groupings” within the
team and non-performance of sen-
ior players during critical
moments and it could lead to
“major changes” not just in the
team but also in the PCB.
According to Pakistan Cricket
Board (PCB) sources, the biggest
challenge before Babar Azam on
his comeback as captain was to
unite the team but he could not do
so because of the groupings.
Shaheen Shah Afridi upset at los-
ing the captaincy and Babar not
supporting him when required
while Muhammad Rizwan was
unhappy at not being considered
for the captaincy. “There are three
groups in the team, one led by
Babar Azam, the second one by
Shaheen Shaheen Afridi and the
third one by Muhammad Rizwan.
Add to this mix the return of sen-
iors like Muhammad Aamir and
Imad Wasim and the recipe was
ready for a World Cup disaster,” a
source close to the team said.
“There were even instances
where some players were not talk-
ing to each other and a few of them
even tried to appease all the group
leaders in the team,” added the
source.
RAIN PAIN!
India-Canada game called off due to wet outfield NZ hammer Uganda
MOSES KONDETY
LAUDERHILL (FLORIDA,
USA), JUNE 15
Rain continued to play
spoilsport at the Central
Broward Regional Park
Stadium Turf Ground
here, resulting in India’s
last Group ‘A’ match
against Canada to be aban-
doned on Saturday.
It didn’t matter to Rohit
Sharma and his team
though. They had already
sealed qualification for the
next stage of the tourna-
ment courtesy three suc-
cessive victories, against
Ireland, Pakistan and
USA. Canada had no
stakes in the game either.
They had no chance of
making it to the Super
Eight, with just two points
from three matches. Even
an improbable win over
India would have got them
to only 4 points, one short
of second-placed USA’s 5.
Eventually, the no-result
fetched India and Canada
a point each, taking their
tallies to 7 and 3 respec-
tively.
That put humid Florida
in the shade. All three
games scheduled here —
Sri Lanka vs Nepal; USA
vs Ireland and India vs
Canada — have been aban-
doned.
Inclement weather here
threatens to ruin the last
one as well, Ireland vs
Pakistan on Sunday, sig-
naling a complete washout
of the Florida leg, which
concludes the American
edition of the tournament.
On Saturday, the weather
remained gloomy with
dark clouds hanging over
the stadium. The square
remained covered with the
ground staff trying to dry
GROUP D
TEAMS P W L N/R Pts NRR
SOUTH AFRICA 3 3 0 0 6 +0.603
BANGLADESH 3 2 1 0 4 +0.478
NETHERLANDS 3 1 2 0 2 -0.408
NEPAL 3 0 2 1 1 -0.293
SRI LANKA 3 0 2 1 1 -0.777
out patches in the outfield
with blowers. Umpires
to register 1st victory
Richard Kettleborough Tarouba (Trinidad), June Uganda folded up for a
and Sharfuddoula carried 15: New Zealand put up a mere 40 in 18.4 overs,
out frequent inspections of clinical performance to missing the lowest total
the ground before calling notch a comprehensive in the T20 World Cup by
it off at 11.35 am local but a consolatory nine- just a run.
time. The match needed to wicket win over minnows — PTI
start at 12.30 pm to get a Uganda in the T20 World Brief scores: Uganda 40 in
full game while a 2.16 pm Cup here. 18.4 overs (Kenneth Waiswa
start would have ensured a Left-arm pacer Trent 11; Tim Southee 3/4) lost to
New Zealand 41/1 in 5.2
5-overs-a-side affair, the Boult (2/7) and fellow vet- overs (Devon Conway 22
minimum overs required eran quick Tim Southee not out; Riazat Ali Shah
to constitute a match. (3/4) wrecked havoc as 1/10).

PCB to review
player contracts
P akistan cricketers face the risk
of having their central con-
tracts reviewed and their salaries
potentially reduced by the PCB fol-
lowing their early exit from the
T20 World Cup.
Defeats to minnows USA and
arch-rivals India cost Pakistan
dearly as they were knocked out of
the tournament on Friday, failing
to even reach the Super Eight
stage.
A reliable source in the board
said that some officials and former
players had advised PCB chairman
Mohsin Naqvi to reassess the cen-
tral contracts given to the players
during his predecessor Zaka
Ashraf ’s tenure.
“There could be a reassessment
of the central contracts and the
players could find their salaries,
fees being cut if the chairman
decides to react strongly to the
team’s recent woeful performanc-
es,” the source said.
The Babar Azam-led side had put
up sub par performances in the
Asia Cup and World Cup (50 overs)
last year as well.
Rampant Oz wary of Scotland S. AFRICA EDGE NEPAL BY 1 RUN
Gros Islet (St Lucia), Jun
15: A rampant Australia
will be wary of Scotland
threat when the two teams
clash in a crucial Group
‘B’ encounter in the T20
World Cup here with the
outcome set to influence
Super Eight qualification.
With Australia having
already booked one spot
for the Super Eight from
Group ‘B’, Scotland and
England are in race for the
second position.
Scotland will go through
if they beat Australia or
even if their contest is
washed out, but in case of
a defeat to the Mitchell
Marsh-led side and
England winning against
Namibia hours earlier, the
Scotswould miss the bus.
For England, a win over
Namibia is a must and if
the Australians do them a
favour by beating
Scotland, chances will
only brighten up.
A washout in England-
Pakistan will look to restore some pride when they take
on a under-firing Ireland in their final Group ‘A’ match
at Lauderhill, Florida, on Sunday.
Namibia game in the same
group will see Scotland go
through.
Australia have been in
top-form with hardly any
serious concern. Nathan
Ellis is expected to contin-
ue featuring in their play-
ing XI since the
Australians tend to rest
one of their big three fast
bowlers — Pat Cummins,
Josh Hazlewood and
Mitchell Starc — in such
contests.
Hazlewood had earlier
mentioned about
Australia manipulating
their approach against
Scotland to keep England
threat at bay, but Jos
Buttler’s team have done
themselves a massive
favour by improving their
Net Run Rate immensely
with a dominant victory
over Oman.
PAK EYE CONSOLATORY
WIN OVER IRELAND
Babar Azam’s Pakistan
will look to restore some
pride when they take on a
under-firing Ireland in
their final Group ‘A’ match
at Lauderhill in Florida
on Sunday.
With arch-rivals India
and USA sealing the two
spots for the Super Eight
stage from Group ‘A’,
Pakistan have been con-
fined to some introspec-
tion and relook at their
T20 game. But before all
that, Babar’s side will
have to first thwart the
Irish challenge. — PTI
Kingstown (St Vincent),
June 15: Nepal came with-
in a whisker of achieving
its best-ever win in crick-
et, losing by one run to
powerhouse South Africa
here.
Nepal needed two runs
from the last ball of the
match to win, one run to
match South Africa’s
modest total of 115/7 and
force a Super Over. But
teenager Ghulsan Jha was
run out at the non-strik-
er’s end attempting a sin-
gle from the final ball and
South Africa held on to
win a thrilling match.
The Nepal players were
disconsolate. They
seemed to be headed for
Nepal’s first win in 12
attempts against a ICC
full member nation when
they needed 22 runs from
the last 24 balls.
They needed 18 runs
from 18 balls but lost three
wickets for one run with-
in six balls including two
wickets to spinner
SCOREBOARD
South Africa: Reeza Hendricks c & b Airee 43, Quinton de Kock
c & b Airee 10, Aiden Markram b Bhurtel 15, Heinrich Klaasen c
Karan KC b Bhurtel 3, David Miller c Lamichhane b Airee 7,
Tristan Stubbs not out 27, Marco Jansen c Sah b Bhurtel 1,
Kagiso Rabada st Aasif Sheikh b Bhurtel 0. Extras (lb-6, w-3) 9.
Total (for 7 wickets in 20 overs) 115.
Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-68, 3-74, 4-82, 5-97, 6-115, 7-115.
Bowling: Sompal Kami 2-1-6-0, Dipendra Singh Airee 4-0-21-3,
Karan KC 1-0-9-0, Kushal Malla 2-0-17-0, Sandeep Lamichhane
4-0-18-0, Kushal Bhurtel 4-0-19-4, Abinash Bohara 3-0-19-0.
Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel b Shamsi 13, Aasif Sheikh b Shamsi 42,
Rohit Paudel b Shamsi 0, Anil Sah c Jansen b Markram 27,
Dipendra Singh Airee c de Kock b Shamsi 6, Kushal Malla b
Nortje 1, Gulsan Jha run out (†de Kock/Klaasen) 6, Sompal Kami
not out 8. Extras (b-4, lb-3, w-4) 11. Total (for 7 wickets in 20
over) 114.
Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-35, 3-85, 4-99, 5-100, 6-100, 7-114.
Bowling: Marco Jansen 4-0-16-0, Kagiso Rabada 2-0-17-0,
Ottneil Baartman 4-0-20-0, Anrich Nortje 4-0-27-1, Tabraiz
Shamsi 4-0-19-4, Aiden Markram 2-0-8-1.
Tabraiz Shamsi and the four runs from three balls.
equation changed. Gulshan ran two with
Gulshan was unable to Sompal Kami and Nepal
score from the first two needed 2 from two balls.
balls of the last over, The fifth ball was a dot
bowled by Ottneil ball — no runs were
Baartman. He then scored — and Gulshan
slashed a four through the was run out next ball to
off side and Nepal needed end the match. — PTI

MEN’S ARCHERY TEAM

LOSES IN QUARTERS
OF OLYMPIC QUALIFIER
Antalya (Turkey), June 15: Indian
men’s archery team followed its
women compatriots in failing to
secure an Olympic quota from the
Final Qualifier and will now have
to rely on rankings to qualify for
the quadrennial showpiece slated
next month. A day after Indian
women suffered a shock defeat to
Ukraine in the pre-quarters, the
world No. 2 men’s team exited in
the last-eight stage, going down to
Mexico in the shoot-off in a dra-
matic fashion.
The top-seed India lost 4-5 (57-56,
57-53, 55-56, 55-58) (26-26*).
The men’s team event offered
Olympic quotas to the top-three on
the podium.
The loss came as a rude reality
check for the Indian Olympic
medal hopefuls as they were lead-
ing 4-0 after winning first two sets
comprehensively.
Both the men’s and women’s
teams can still qualify based on
their rankings ahead of the Paris
Olympics cut-off date. — PTI
Switzerland sink
Hungary in Euro
Cologne (Germany), June
15: Switzerland made a
flying start at Euro 2024
as Kwadwo Duah and
Michel Aebischer scored
their first international
goals in a 3-1 win against
Hungary on Saturday.
Murat Yakin’s side
raced into a two-goal lead
by half-time in Cologne to
kick off their Group A
campaign in impressive
fashion.
Duah opened the scor-
ing in only his second
international appearance
after making his debut
earlier this month. The
London-born 27-year-old,
who plays for Bulgarian
club Ludogorets Razgrad,
holds dual citizenship
with Ghana and
Switzerland, who will be
relieved he opted to repre-
sent them on the evidence
of this dynamic display.
After providing the
assist for Duah’s opener,
Bologna midfielder
Aebischer netted his
maiden Switzerland goal
with an eye-catching
long-range strike just
before the interval.
GERMANY HAMMER
10-MAN SCOTLAND
Germany thrashed 10-
man Scotland 5-1 as the
Euro 2024 hosts kicked off
the tournament in style
in Munich on Friday, the
start of a journey they
hope culminates in a
record fourth continental
title. Florian Wirtz struck
the opening goal 10 min-
utes in and Jamal
Musiala soon doubled
Germany’s lead with an
emphatic finish. — AFP
India, S. Africa look
to build momentum
Bengaluru, June 15: India tum.
and South Africa will be The Harmanpreet Kaur-
eager to achieve different led side, which had lost
goals with the broader the ODI and T20I series
picture of the Women’s against Australia at home
T20 World Cup hanging in this January, came roar-
the backdrop when they ing back, blanking
begin a three-week long Bangladesh 5-0 in a recent
all-format series with the away T20I series and the
first ODI here on Sunday. hosts would like to build
In the year of T20 WC, on it further.
the 50-over matches On the other hand,
might look a bit incongru- South Africa are coming
ous but they are signifi- off a middling series
cant for the two teams against Sri Lanka at
looking to hit a busy road home where they lost the
to the ICC showpiece, to T20Is 1-2 before sharing
be hosted by Bangladesh the ODIs 1-1. So, they
in October, on a winning would want a turnaround
note, and gain momen- in this series. — PTI
Published by K. Sudhakar for and on behalf of Deccan Chronicle
Holdings Limited at Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen
Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi 110 002. and Printed by him at BFL
Infotech Limited, C – 9, Sector – III, Noida – 201301.
Switzerland’s Michel Aebischer (right) celebrates with team mates after scoring Editor – Kaushik Mitter, RNI Registration number 57290/94 Price in
against Hungary during their Group ‘A’ match at the Euro 2024 tournament in Nepal - Nep.Rs. 20.00 per copy.
Cologne, Germany, on Saturday. Switzerland won 3-1. — AP