| | 5 THINGS FIRST | Army chief Gen MM Narvane in Ladakh to take stock of the situation; Rajnath Singh attends 75th anniversary of Russian victory over Nazi Germany; IMF to release the World Economic Outlook report; Chinese defence ministry’s press briefing; Trump’s employment visa suspension order comes into effect | |
| | 1. What’s up with the transgressions and standoffs? |  | - The politics: The ruling BJP and the opposition Congress got into a war of words over whose government saw most transgressions by the Chinese. While the former pointed to “over 600 incursions made by China between 2010 to 2013”, the latter pointed to “about 2,264 Chinese intrusions since 2015”.
- The transgressions: While the two parties have used the terms “incursion” and “intrusion”, they are referring to transgressions as the Centre told Parliament in 2014 that there has not been a “single intrusion by People’s Liberation Army since 2010”. The Centre has also told Parliament that since there is no commonly delineated Line of Actual Control in the border areas between the two countries and “as both sides undertake patrolling up to their respective perception of the LAC, transgressions do occur".
- The numbers: According to data shared with Parliament in November last year, there have been 3,143 Chinese transgressions between 2010 and 2018 of which there were 1,278 between 2010 to 2013 (320 a year) and 2,415 between 2014 to 2018 (483 a year). The Indian Express reported last month that there were 663 transgressions across the LAC by the Chinese last year.
- The intrusions: The standoffs between the two armies seem to be taking longer to resolve too. While the intrusion by Chinese soldiers in Daulat Beg Oldi and Chumar areas of Ladakh in 2013 and Demchok (again in Ladakh) next year took about 20 days to resolve, the one in Doklam in 2017 went on for 73 days. The current one has been unresolved for 50 days now (Chinese troops continue to block access to about 8 km of area in Ladakh that India claims as its territory).
India and China have agreed on a gradual and verifiable disengagement, which will eventually lead to the two sides thinning out their massive military build-up along the 3,488km Line of Actual Control, the Times of India reports. Despite the “mutual consensus to disengage” from all areas, including the contentious Finger area along the Pangong Tso, the process could be long drawn out due to the mutual distrust after the Galwan clashes, reports the Economic Times. At the Russia-India-China (RIC) virtual meet, as his Chinese counterpart listened, external affairs minister S Jaishankar emphasised the importance of “recognising the legitimate interests of partners”. “This special meeting reiterates our belief in the time-tested principles of international relations. But the challenge today is not just one of concepts and norms, but equally of their practice,” he said. | |
| | 2. Over 100,000 cases in 7 days |  | - In the past seven days, India's Covid-19 caseload increased by over 100,000, to be over 455,000, and fatalities rose by 2,541 to 14,455. On Tuesday, 15,600 new cases and 466 fatalities were recorded, both the highest since the outbreak.
- Delhi reported 3,947 new cases on the day, more than the 3,214 reported in Maharashtra. But according to the Covid19India.org database, the number tests conducted on Monday in Maharashtra, at 13,058, is less than Delhi’s (14,682) — a much smaller state. The fatality counts of the two states don't make a like-for-like comparison due to the addition of previous day’s deaths in Maharashtra's data. Delhi reported 68 fatalities on Tuesday; Maharashtra 248, of which only 75 occurred in the last 48 hours.
- In Delhi, data shared by the state health department showed that 69% of all cases were reported in the last 23 days, from June 1 to June 23. “The disease is spreading very fast. The government agencies are doing everything possible to limit it. But if people do not act more responsibly in following the social distancing norms and wearing masks while going out, things cannot improve anytime soon,” said a senior health official who requested anonymity.
- In Tamil Nadu, 2,516 new cases were detected, even as the number of people tested dropped by at least 6,000 compared to Sunday. 39 deaths were recorded on the day.
- In Gujarat, 26 deaths were reported on the day, even as the number of detected cases were relatively low at 549. Of the states reporting double-digit daily fatalities, Gujarat conducts the fewest tests — 4,983 on Tuesday and 4,469 on Monday. For context, West Bengal, which reported 11 deaths on Tuesday, tested 9,363 on Monday, as per Covid19India.org database.
Meanwhile, the ministry of Ayush has asked Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved to stop advertising and publicising its claims about a purported cure until it is fully examined. There is no record of the ICMR verifying the research or its findings being peer-reviewed in any major scientific journal. | |
| | 3. Zargar granted bail on ‘humanitarian’ ground |  | - The third day of the hearing on Safoora Zargar’s fourth bail plea in the Delhi High Court ended with her being granted bail on Tuesday. The 23-week pregnant M.Phil.student from Jamia Millia Islamia and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act activist will have to furnish a personal bond of Rs 10,000 and has to follow two conditions.
- First, she should not indulge in activities for which she is being investigated and which are an infraction of law. And she should not hamper the investigation or influence witnesses. It also said that in case the 27-year-old needed to travel, she had to seek permission from the trial court and will remain in touch with the investigating officer of the case over mobile phone once in 15 days.
- This after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Delhi Police, told the court that the state agrees on ‘humanitarian grounds’ to release Zargar on regular bail. They also argued that this would have no bearing on the merits of the bail plea, and it shall not set a precedent for other cases.
- The U-turn: Mehta, on Monday, had argued that 39 deliveries have taken place in Tihar Jail over the last 10 years and that adequate medical care was being given to Safoora. He further asserted that her pregnancy cannot be grounds to grant bail.
- “The law does not make any distinction in this regard. It is stated that the law unambiguously contemplates provisions to deal with pregnant criminals which itself indicates that the law permits use of sanction against this class of offenders,” read Delhi Police’s status report from Monday.
- Zargar was arrested on April 10 under anti-terror law UAPA in a case related to communal violence in northeast Delhi during the CAA protests. And the Delhi Police said there was strong, cogent, reliable and sufficient material available proving her direct involvement.
| |
| | X-PLAINED | | 4. Why Bihar Regiment isn't only about soldiers from Bihar |  | - The reference: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said last week: "Country is proud of the sacrifice made by our braves in Ladakh. Today, when I am speaking to people of Bihar, I will say the valour was of Bihar Regiment, every Bihari is proud of it." News agency ANI later put out a story on how "the Biharis" removed a Chinese observation post.
- The question: Some military veterans pointed out that Indian army regiments aren’t strictly about regions or states. In fact, of the 20 soldiers killed in the face-off with the Chinese, 13 were from the Bihar Regiment but only five were from Bihar. Altogether, the 20 were from 11 states, belonging to different units. The commanding officer of the regiment, Colonel Santosh Babu, who was killed, hailed from Hyderabad. Here’s a look at how the army names its regiments.
- The names: Since the Indian Army traces its lineage to the pre-independence times when the British raised regiments of Indian soldiers, several of the regiments are named after the community or the region from where the soldiers were recruited. So, for instance, the Sikh Regiment recruited from the Jat Sikh community while the Punjab Regiment recruited from among Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Dogras. Bihar Regiment, which was raised in 1941 — during World War 2 — also followed the tradition, with Bihari soldiers from the 19th Hyderabad Regiment banded together as 1 Bihar.
- The change: The British policy of caste, region or religion-based regiments was done away with after independence and no community-based regiment has been raised in the Indian Army since 1947. However, in certain regiments, such as the Sikh Regiment, the practice of recruiting only from the Jat Sikh community continues till date for the lower ranks — the officers may be from different communities or regions. In fact, the current army chief, General M M Naravane, is from the Sikh Light Infantry despite being a Maharashtrian Brahmin. The army, in a case against it in the Supreme Court, while denying that recruitment was based on community considerations, has justified “grouping of people coming from a region in a regiment for administrative convenience and operational requirements.” There are currently 25 community-based regiments in the Indian Army — while there are also certain “mixed class” regiments, like the Brigade of Guards raised in 1949, which drew its ranks from the Punjab Regiment, Grenadiers, Rajputana Rifles and the Rajput Regiment.
| |
| | NEWS IN CLUES | | 5. Who's the only player to hold all 4 Grand Slams on 3 different surfaces? | - Clue 1: According to Forbes, he’s the second highest-paid tennis player in the world, with estimated earnings of $44.6 million.
- Clue 2: He's also the first Open Era player to win Grand Slam titles in three different decades.
- Clue 3: The legendary Boris Becker coached him from 2014-2016, contributing to his 6 Slam titles and 14 Masters 1000 titles.
Scroll below for answer | |
| | 6. Can postal ballots bring back missing voters too? |  | - The latest: Voters in Bihar who test positive for Covid-19 will be allowed to cast their franchise using postal ballot in the state assembly polls due later this year. The Union law ministry has tweaked the conduct of election rules on the Election Commission’s request.
- The others: The option of voting through postal ballots was expanded last year to include senior citizens above 80 years of age and people with disabilities and then again this year to allow those employed in essential transport services and journalists covering elections. Members of armed forces, voters on election duty and government employees deployed outside India were already allowed to vote through postal ballot. The EC had last year proposed to extend postal ballot cover to non-government voters on duty during polls — like those in the aviation, shipping or railway sectors or medical and fire services.
- It matters: In the 2019 general elections, over 290 million Indians who were eligible to vote — over 18 years of age and with their names in the electoral rolls — did not vote. No other democracy even has as many voters. To get the missing voters to vote, some have suggested allowing voters who know they won’t be present in their constituency on the day of the poll to apply in advance and let them mail their vote. However, with the numbers involved, it could be a mammoth task for the EC to send out the postal ballot papers to all those who want them and then to collect and count them. Apart from delaying the results, coercion remains a possibility too.
- Meanwhile in the US, President Donald Trump is going hammer and tongs against postal ballots. The reason: Pollsters and political commentators believe the urban-educated, who are more likely to be Democrats, will use mail-in ballots in greater numbers in the election to avoid going to polling stations because of Covid-19 fears. Trump supporters are more dismissive of the coronavirus and are more likely to vote in person.
| |
| | 7. No Hajj pilgrimage for the world this year |  | - Indians will not travel to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage this year, union minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi confirmed on Tuesday. Naqvi said the application money of the pilgrims will be fully refunded. The announcement follows Saudi Arabia’s decision late Monday to limit the annual Islamic pilgrimage to a small number of people already in the kingdom in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
- The Hajj is Islam’s most important pilgrimage. All Muslims who are able to, financially and physically, are required to make the journey at least once in their lifetime. The pilgrimage occurs annually in the last month of the Islamic calendar (late July).
- Last year, over 2.5 million people travelled from all over the world for Hajj. Around 200,000 Indians made the journey — 140,000 through the lottery system run by the Hajj Committee of India and the rest through private tour operators. Saudi’s Hajj Minister Muhammad Benten said he expects at best “thousands” of Saudi residents to make the pilgrimage next month.
- Saudi Arabia decided to limit the pilgrimage as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage around the world. Earlier this month, Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, withdrew from the pilgrimage. Saudi Arabia had in February suspended the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca. Umrah occurs throughout the year.
| |
| | 8. What Trump’s visa freeze means for India |  | - The Trump administration on Monday extended the 60-day freeze on immigration and non-immigrant worker visas till the end of the current calendar year. Popular work visas including the much-coveted H-1B and H-2B, and certain categories of H-4, J, and L visas shall also remain suspended until December 31. The ban comes into effect from today. The measures are expected to free up 525,000 jobs for American workers. Read protecting those who had been impacted due to a contraction in the economy in the wake of the pandemic. Visa category details here.
- For the Indian diaspora, it’s a mixed bag. Indian nationals receive nearly 70% of the 85,000 H1-B visas issued each year. But foreign nationals outside the US, who were to begin work on an H-1B visa or even L-1 visas (intra-company transfer) — but do not as yet hold a valid visa, as well as dependents who were to accompany them (be it spouses or dependent children) — will have to wait longer, till the ban expires.
- There will, however, be exceptions for those working on the pandemic. The Optional Practical Training that most foreign students are eligible for after they graduate in the US also remains unaffected. In fact, they could change their status to H-1B. More here.
- It could get tougher. The US plans to rework the H-1B visa programme (225,000 applications each year), replacing the current lottery system with a merit based system that will favour those who are offered the highest wages. In addition, it plans to issue rules that make it harder for companies to use the H-1B visa programme to train foreign workers to perform the same job in another country. Both moves would likely require regulatory changes.
- Meanwhile, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) has barred Air India from operating chartered flights between India and the US from July 22 without its prior approval, in an apparent retaliation for the Indian government not allowing American carriers to operate between the two countries.“We are taking this action because the Government of India (GoI) has impaired the operating rights of US carriers and has engaged in discriminatory and restrictive practices with respect to US carrier services to and from India,” stated a US DOT order issued on Monday.
| |
| | | 9. Espionage: India asks Pak to reduce staff strength in Delhi |  | - India on Tuesday asked Pakistan to reduce the staff strength at its High Commission in New Delhi by 50% within 7 days, saying its staffers have been engaged in “acts of espionage and maintained dealings with terrorist organisations”. “The activities of the two officials caught red-handed and expelled on May 31 was one example in that regard,” India’s ministry of external affairs (MEA) said in a statement. The ministry said India will reciprocally reduce the strength of its High Commission in Islamabad.
- New Delhi’s move comes a day after two Indian staffers at its High Commission in Islamabad returned home via the Attari-Wagah border, a week after they were detained and questioned for hours by Pakistani authorities, ostensibly for being involved in an accident. According to an FIR registered at the Secretariat Police Station, Islamabad, the two non-diplomatic staff “ran over a pedestrian and subsequently attempted to flee”, Pak publication The Dawn had reported.
- India contends the case is a tit-for-tat for India's decision to deport two Pakistani officials working at the Pak High Commission in New Delhi on espionage charges. Since their expulsion, India says, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been harassing staffers at its Islamabad mission, including by tailing them.
| |
| | BEFORE YOU GO | | 10. A global update: China’s GPS rival is now complete |  | - China, on Tuesday, launched the final satellite of its Beidou constellation that seeks to compete with the Global Positioning System, or GPS, by the United States. The launch of the satellite onboard a Long March-3 rocket was broadcast live from the satellite launch base of Xichang, deep in the mountains of southwestern China. The now complete system, called BDS-3, comprises 30 satellites and began providing navigation services in 2018 to countries taking part in China’s Belt and Road initiative.
- In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Tuesday launched drone and missile attacks at the Saudi capital of Riyadh. A Reuters report cited a witness hearing two loud blasts and smoke billowing in the air over Riyadh. The Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis have been at war in Yemen since 2015, killing over 100,000 people. Earlier this week, a rebel group backed by the United Arab Emirates, a coalition partner of the Saudis, took control of the island of Socotra from the Saudi-backed government, underlining the divisions and proxy battles within the bloody war.
- In South Korea, activists launched thousands of leaflets by balloon across the border with North Korea overnight, as the propaganda war continues across the Koreas despite belligerence by North Korean leaders, particularly the sister of Kim Jong-un, Kim Yo-jong. North Korea, meanwhile, has reinstalled loudspeakers blaring propaganda across the border
| |
| | Answer to NEWS IN CLUES | Novak Djokovic. The World No. 1 in men’s singles tennis announced Tuesday that he and his wife Jelena have Covid-19. This after playing in a series of exhibition matches — the Adria tour — he organised in Serbia and Croatia with zero social distancing amid the pandemic. The 33-year-old Serbian is the fourth player to test positive for the illness after participating in the matches held in Belgrade and Zadar. The others were Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki. | |
| Follow news that matters to you in real-time.
Join 3 crore news enthusiasts. | |
|
| Written by: Rakesh Rai, Judhajit Basu, Sumil Sudhakaran, Tejeesh N.S. Behl
Research: Rajesh Sharma
| |
|
|
