India News - July 1-15, 2022; Vol 2 Issue 24

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

Presidential poll: Draupadi Murmu files nomination in Modi’s presence New Delhi, June 24 (IANS): NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu on June 24 filed her nomination for the post of President in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior BJP and alliance leaders.

Murmu filed her papers in the chamber of the Rajya Sabha Secretary General and the Returning Officer in the Parliament House complex.

PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Pralhad Joshi, Uttar

Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawat, besides the Chief Ministers of other BJP-ruled states, many ministers of the Modi cabinet, MPs and BJP veterans were present during Murmu's Continued on Page 3

Australia says India at the heart of its approach to Indo-Pacific and beyond Hours after assuming office on May 23, Albanese had flown to Japan to attend the Quad Leaders' Summit where he also held detailed talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific region and further strengthening of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

New Delhi, June 23: Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles has said that his ongoing visit to India reflects the conviction and the commitment by the new Anthony Albanese government to place India "at the

heart of Australia's approach" to the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

Marles is the first high-ranking official from Australia to land in New Delhi after Albanese was sworn in as the 31st Prime Minister of the country in May.

Currently on a four-day visit to India, the Australian Defence Minister said on June 22 that one of the priorities of the new government back home is India and Canberra must "deepen its understanding of, and engagement with, one of

We should never forget that dreadful period of emergency: PM

New Delhi, June 26 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 26 said that when the country is celebrating 75 years of its independence it should never forget that dreadful period of emergency.

Addressing the 90th episode of his monthly radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the Prime Minister said, “Today, when the country is celebrating 75 years of its independence, Amrit Mahotsav,

we should never forget that dreadful period of emergency.

The generations to come should also not forget. The Amrit Mahotsav not only encompasses the victory saga of freedom from hundreds of years of slavery, but also the journey of 75 years after independence. We move forward, learning from every important stage of history.”

The Prime Minister asked the youth in the age group of 24-25 years if they knew that when their parents were young, their right to life was snatched away from them? “You must be thinking how could this have happened? This is just impossible! But my young friends, this has happened once in our country. This took place years ago in 1975. It was the month of June when an emergency was Continued on Page 3

Adani family commits Rs 60K crore for charity

Ahmedabad, June 23 (IANS): The Adani family has announced its commitment to donate Rs 60,000 crore for a range of social

works. This announcement has come to mark the centenary birth anniversary of Shantilal Adani, father of Gautam Adani and Gautam Adani's 60th birthday.

The fund will be managed by the Adani foundation.

To utilize the potential of India's demographic advantage, there is an ever growing need to focus Continued on Page 3

Continued on Page 3

Maha Governor swears-in CM Eknath Shinde, Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis Mumbai, June 30 (IANS): Capping off a series of startling political events of the past 10 days, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath of office to Eknath Sambhaji Shinde as the 20th Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis as the Deputy CM, here on Thursday evening.

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Continued on Page 3

The oath-taking ceremony came a day after former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray resigned his post in the wake of a major rebellion in the Shiv Sena legislators that led to the collapse of the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

After a string of fast-paced developments, the BJP decided to

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support a minority government headed by Shinde from outside.

Later, following directives of the party top brass like President J.P. Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Fadnavis - former two-time CM - finally agreed to join the new regime as

the No 2 and Deputy CM. The two-member cabinet will be expanded soon with more MLAs inducted as ministers from the Shinde group of Shiv Sena and the BJP, according to party sources.

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

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Presidential poll: Draupadi Murmu files nomination in Modi’s presence Continued from Page 1

nomination at the Parliament House.

Apart from JD(U) National President Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Apna Dal's Anupriya Patel, leaders of NDA constituents were also present during her nomination. Leaders of Biju

Janata Dal and YSR Congress, who had announced their support to Murmu for the post of President, were also present.

The BJP has also tried to give a political message by bringing the NDA MPs from the tribal community to sign Murmu's nomination papers as proposers.

The last date for nomination for the post of President was June 29. The poll will be held on July 18 and the counting of votes will take place on July 21. Yashwant Sinha is the candidate of the opposition parties.

Australia says India at the heart of its approach to Indo-Pacific and beyond Continued from Page 1

the world's oldest continuous civilisations, the soon to be most populous nation in the world, and a deeply consequential power".

Malres made the observation during his speech at the National Defence College in New Delhi after holding a bilateral meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh earlier in the day.

While he maintained that it would be wrong to assume that China is at the centre of every decision being made to deepen AustralianIndian security cooperation, Marles acknowledged that Beijing's military build-up is now "the largest and most ambitious" seen by any country since the end of the Second World War. Stating that insecurity is what drives an arms race, the Australian minister said that it is critical that China's neighbours do not see this build-up as a risk for them. "India's own experience illustrates this maxim more than most. The assault on Indian forces along the Line of Actual Control in 2020 was a warning we should all heed. Australia stood up for India's sovereignty then and continues to do so now. It is vital that China commits to resolving this dispute through a process of dialogue consistent with international law. The global rules based order matters everywhere, including in the highest place on earth," he said during his speech.

He emphasised that the world -- and the region in particular -faces the "most serious strategic confluence of events" since the end of the Second World War with

intensifying strategic and geoeconomic contest, the return of war in Europe, growing climate risks, and enduring pandemic impacts, all of which are driving inflation, supply chain shocks, and de-globalisation.

Quoting Australian Professor Rory Medcalf, the Australian minister said that the region is too vast and complex for any country to succeed in protecting its interests alone. There will be a premium on partnerships". Navigating both opportunity and risk in this environment, Marles said, won't be straightforward, and even harder if doing it alone.

Encountering the "toughest strategic environment in over 70 years", Marles said that Australia will work most closely with countries which share the principles and institutions of representative government -democracy and the rule of law.

"AUKUS (the decision by Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to develop an Australian nuclear powered submarine) is just one partnership. And when I look out at the world, India stands out.

"This relationship is an old one, forged more than 100 years ago as allies in the crucible of war. But today, the characteristics necessary for deep defence cooperation speak even more loudly: we are of, and share a commitment to an open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific region; we are strategically aligned; we share a common commitment to the

principles and institutions of democratic government; and most importantly we both understand that the history of human progress and civilisation can be characterised by the extent to which a nation loves cricket," added the Australian Defence Minister. The geography of Australia and India, Marles mentioned, makes them stewards of the Indian Ocean region - an ocean which accounts for about half the world's container traffic and is a crucial conduit for global trade. While asserting that India's location makes it the natural leader of this region "which Australia strongly supports", the minister reflected that Australia's cooperation in the Indian Ocean is underdone and it can "afford to do more", not only bilaterally, but also trilaterally with others such as Indonesia. India and Australia, he said, will need both wisdom and strength if they are to successfully navigate the complex strategic circumstances faced in the Indo-Pacific.

The Australian minister also commended India for providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief support to Kiribati and Tonga earlier this year.

He told the gathering that as Kiribati, an island country in the central Pacific Ocean, battled the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia and India worked in lockstep, with Australia arranging a flight to deliver India's donation of pulse oximeters, personal protective equipment and emergency medication.

COVER STORIES

We should never forget that dreadful period of emergency: PM Continued from Page 1

imposed. In that, all the rights were taken away from the citizens of the country,” he said.

The Prime Minister noted that one amongst those rights was the ‘Right to Life and Personal Liberty’ provided to all Indians under Article 21 of the Constitution.

“At that time an attempt was made to crush the democracy of India. The country’s courts, every constitutional institution, the press, were put under control.

The condition of censorship was such that nothing could be printed without approval,” the Prime Minister said.

Talking about the ban imposed on famous singer Kishore Kumar after he refused to toe the government line, the Prime Minister said, “His entry on the

radio was stopped. But even after many attempts, thousands of arrests, and atrocities on lakhs of people, the faith of the people of India in democracy did not shake at all.”

“For us, the people of India, the sanskars of democracy which we have been carrying on for centuries, the democratic spirit which is in our veins, finally won.

The people of India got rid of the emergency and re-established democracy in a democratic way.

It is difficult to find such an example of defeating a dictatorial mindset, a dictatorial tendency in a democratic way, in the whole world. During the Emergency, I had the good fortune to have been a witness; to be a partner in the struggle of the countrymen - as a soldier of democracy,” he said.

Adani family commits Rs 60K crore for charity Continued from Page 1

on the areas of healthcare, education, and skill development.

The shortfalls in each of these areas are roadblocks for an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat.'

Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group said, "In addition to being the 100th birth anniversary of my inspiring father, this year also happens to be the year of my 60th birthday and therefore the family decided to contribute Rs 60,000 crore towards charitable activities related to healthcare, education, and skill development, especially in the rural regions of

our nation".

Over the years, the Adani Foundation has responded to society's changing needs in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - be it sustainable livelihoods, health and nutrition, and education for all or addressing environmental concerns - with an enhanced focus on the empowerment of women, working with multiple stakeholders at the grassroots.

Today, it covers 3.7 million people in 2,409 villages across 16 states in India.

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

ADVERTORIAL

14,000 employees participate in Blood Donation Camp by Adani Foundation

> Gift to Gautam Adani on his 60th Birthday > 5,600 litres of life-saving blood collected at 138 blood banks Ahmedabad, 25 June: On Adani Group Chairman Mr Gautam Adani’s 60th birthday, a record 14,000 Adani employees donated blood at various locations across the country. Every year, on the Chairman’s birthday, the Adani Foundation organises a voluntary blood donation drive in line with

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the Adani Group’s philosophy of serving the nation and its people in multiple ways.

The Adani Foundation’s blood donation drive collected 14,000 blood units, which is almost 5,000 units more than the volume collected last year. Blood donation centres were arranged at 152 locations in 115 cities covering 20 states across India. More than 138 blood banks were engaged in collecting the donated blood.

This massive nationwide blood donation drive comes just a day after the Adani Family committed Rs 60,000 crore to supporting a range of social causes. This corpus to be administered by the Adani Foundation, will be utilised for charitable activities related to, especially in the rural regions of the nation.

“It is heart-warming to see so many Adani employees come forward to donate blood on the

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Chairman’s birthday.” said Dr Priti Adani, Chairperson, Adani Foundation. “The social work the foundation is doing, the commitment of 60,000 Crs to the healthcare, education, and skill development sector by the Adani family, and the number of employees participating in the blood donation camps are all testimony to the belief and expectations of the younger generation in social causes as well as their support for the nation-building philosophy of the Adani Group. I feel proud and am thankful for the affection our people show towards us” For patients facing medical emergencies, blood has no substitute. The collected blood is safely stored and preserved by designated agencies and made available to patients for emergency medical transfusions in a wide range of circumstances, including serious injuries, surgical procedures, blood

disorders, cancer treatments, and many others.

Established in 1996, the Adani Foundation today has widespread operations in 18 states in India that include 2,410 villages and towns across the country with a team of professionals who work with an approach that embodies innovation, people participation and collaboration.

Touching the lives of over 3.67 million people and passionately working towards creating social capital with focus on four core areas – Education, Community Health, Sustainable Livelihood Development and Infrastructure Development, the Adani Foundation acts towards inclusive growth and sustainable development of the rural and urban communities, in turn contributing towards nationbuilding. For more information, visit www.adanifoundation.org.

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

‘Devoid of merit’, SC junks Zakia Jafri’s plea against clean chit to Modi in 2002 Gujarat riots

New Delhi, June 24 (IANS): The Supreme Court on June 24 dismissed the appeal filed by Zakia Jafri, wife of Congress leader Ehsan Jafri who was killed during the violence at Ahmedabad's Gulberg Society in 2002, challenging the SIT's clean chit to the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others during the riots in the state. A bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and C.T. Ravikumar upheld the decision of the magistrate in accepting the final report submitted by the SIT and rejecting the protest petition. The bench said the appeal filed by Zakia Jafri is "devoid of merits and deserved to be dismissed".

Detailed judgment in the matter was uploaded later in the day.

In December last year, the top court had reserved the verdict on Jafri's plea. During the hearing, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the SIT, submitted that the top court should endorse the decision taken by the Gujarat High Court on Jafri's plea. He added that it will become an endless exercise, being pushed by some motives of social activist Teesta Setalvad -- the second petitioner in the petition.

Concluding the arguments, Rohatgi submitted before the bench that nobody had "raised a finger" against it on the probe in the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Jafri challenged the 2017 Gujarat High Court order rejecting her plea against the SIT decision.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the petitioners, cited work done by Setalvad's organisations and added that to paint somebody anti-Gujarat is unfair. Sibal said this is yet another occasion when the majesty of the law is being tested and he is not keen on targeting

anybody and emphasized that it was SIT's task to find out who the offenders were, if any offence has been committed. He said the matter can be closed, if nobody did it and all this happened without anybody doing it, in the backdrop of the material before the court. "But if you feel that offences have been committed then who is responsible is a matter of investigation," Sibal said. The SIT gave a clean chit to Modi and in 2017, the Gujarat High Court upheld the clean chit. Zakia Jafri moved the top court challenging the Gujarat High Court order. Rohatgi had contended that allegations have become wilder over the years, and emphasized that SIT diligently investigated each and every allegation, made recommendations for prosecution of many who had earlier been left out. He had submitted that allegations about a larger conspiracy were found to be based on the statements of three tainted police officers -- R.B. Sreekumar, Rahul Sharma and Sanjiv Bhat.

SC hears pleas by Shinde, rebels against disqualification notices vacant since Nana Patole resigned from office in February 2021.

Thus, there is no authority who can adjudicate upon the disqualification petition under which the impugned notice has been issued to the Petitioner," it added. The rebel leaders urged the apex court to prohibit the Deputy Speaker from taking any action under the anti-defection law (10th Schedule of the Constitution) and issue direction against taking any action until the resolution for removal of Deputy Speaker is decided.

New Delhi, June 27 (IANS): The Supreme Court on June 27 heard petitions by rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and the MLAs challenging the disqualification notices issued by Maharashtra Deputy Speaker to them and also the appointment of Ajay Choudhari as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader.

A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and J.B. Pardiwala will hear the petitions filed by Shina and rebel MLAs led by Bharat Gogawali against the Deputy Speaker. Shinde claims to enjoy support of two-third members of the party.

Maharashtra has been facing a political crisis after Shinde and rebel MLAs left the state, protesting against the alliance with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party. The rebel MLAs have been camping in a hotel in Assam's Guwahati for the past few days. The Deputy Speaker had issued notices to the 16 rebel

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MLAs on the disqualification plea by Thackeray's team. Shinde claims the actions of the Deputy Speaker show he is hand in glove with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

Shinde's plea said the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker is completely violative of Article 14 and 19(1) (g) of the Constitution, and also the illegal and unconstitutional action of the Deputy Speaker in recognising Choudhuri as the leader of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party (SSLP) despite the said request being admittedly made by a minority faction.

The plea said the petitioner is aggrieved by the notice/summon dated June 25 which is grossly illegal, unconstitutional and in utter disregard of the judgment of this Court in the matter of Nabam Rebia & Bamang Felix Vs Dy. Speaker, Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in (2016).

"That the seat of Speaker is

"Issue a writ of prohibition/ mandamus or any other appropriate writ, direction or order, directing Respondent No. 1 (Deputy Speaker) to not take any action in the disqualification petition under Rule 6 of MLA Defection Rules seeking disqualification of the Petitioners under Para-2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India pending before Hon'ble Speaker of Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly and not take any action on the same until the resolution for removal of Deputy Speaker is decided," said the plea.

Shinde claimed the MLAs' request to work as per party founder Balasaheb Thackeray was not heeded by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. "The requests made by the petitioner and other MLAs fell on deaf ears and were rejected by the Chief Minister. The petitioner as well as the other MLAs making such requests in turn started receiving threats from certain unscrupulous elements," he alleged in the plea.

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NEWS FROM INDIA

Bypoll wins in Azamgarh & Rampur are historic, says PM Modi Referring to bypoll results in a series of tweets, Prime Minister said, "I thank the people of Tripura for reposing faith in @ BJP4Tripura's development agenda and blessing our candidates, including CM @ DrManikSaha2 Ji with wins in the by-polls. Our Government will continue fulfilling people's aspirations. I laud our Karyakartas for their hardwork."

New Delhi, June 26 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 26 said that the bypoll wins in Azamgarh and Rampur are historic and indicates wide-scale acceptance and support for the double engine governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.

The results of three Lok Sabha and seven Assembly constituencies spread in different states where bypolls were held on June 23 were declared on June 26. Lok Sabha bypolls were held in two seats of Uttar Pradesh -- Rampur and Azamgarh -and one seat of Punjab. Bypolls were held for one assembly seat each in Delhi, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, and four seats of Tripura.

Referring to BJP victory in two Lok Sabha seats of Uttar Pradesh, Modi called it historic. "The by-poll wins in Azamgarh and Rampur are historic. It indicates wide-scale acceptance and support for the double engine Governments at the Centre and in UP. Grateful to the people for their support. I appreciate the efforts of our Party Karyakartas," he said.

Expressing gratitude to voters in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Delhi and Punjab, the Prime Minister said that the BJP will keep working among the people and keep raising issues of public welfare."

Gratitude to all those who voted for @BJP4India in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Delhi and Punjab. We will keep working among the people and keep raising issues of public welfare," Prime Minister Modi added.

SIT formed to probe conspiracy allegations against Teesta, two others for them. Before producing them before the court, Crime Branch Deputy Commissioner Chaitainya Mandlik told the media, "Police will investigate the conspiracy angle, it will check their bank transactions and other documents. Police will also investigate who was behind them and instigate them for legal processes."

Ahmedabad, June 26 (IANS): Gujarat Director General of Police Ashish Bhatia has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Deputy Inspector General Dipan Bhadaran to probe allegations of forgery and conspiracy against former DGP R.B. Sreekumar, former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt and activist Teesta Setalvad.

After a criminal complaint was filed with the crime branch on June 25 evening, former DGP Sreekumar was arrested from Gandhinagar while Teesta was picked up from Mumbai and arrested on June 26 morning in Ahmedabad. Both were produced before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court on June 26, where the crime branch demanded 14 days of remand

When Teesta was picked up from her residence, no documents or any other things were seized or recovered. If she has any complaint with the police, she will have an opportunity to complain before the magistrate court, when she is produced, said the officer.

"Police will investigate financial transactions, whether there is any foreign funding to the NGO run by Teesta Setalvad and it will even investigate whether any politicians were behind instigating Teesta and the two police officers. If any foreign funding issues are revealed during investigation, if required even the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will be informed about such transactions," the officer added.

When Teesta was being taken to the Metro court in Ahmedabad, she said, "I am not a criminal."

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Tripura, Jharkhand save Congress blushes in bypolls

Khalistan ideologue Simranjit Mann wins AAP’s stronghold in Punjab Sidhu Moosewala, who met him days ahead of his killing on May 29.

Sangrur bypoll despite AAP losing the battle with SAD(A) winning the seat.

In Sangrur, the bypoll was necessitated following the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann from Lok Sabha after he was elected as an MLA. Mann had won the Sangrur seat in the last two parliamentary elections in 2014 and 2019.

New Delhi, June 26 (IANS): Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman has saved Congress from embarrassment as he was the lone candidate to win by-polls in Tripura while the other three seats have been won by the BJP in the state. The Congress was decimated in Delhi and Punjab while the party did not contest

the UP Lok Sabha bypolls.

Bypolls were held in four assembly seats in Tripura: Agartala, Jubarajnagar, Surma and Town Bordowali. Chief Minister Manik Saha contested from Town Bordowali and won.

In Jharkhand, Congress has registered a win in the bypoll increasing the party's tally in the state. Shilpi Neha Tirkey has won but the party lost in Andhra Pradesh with YSRCP sweeping the polls.

Other three assembly constituencies are Rajinder Nagar in Delhi where AAP defeated BJP, Mandar in Jharkhand which was won by the Congress, and Atmakuru in Andhra Pradesh won by the YSRCP.

The Congress could not win the

BJP bags 3 seats in Tripura bypolls, CM Manik Saha wins from Town Bordowali secured 17,181 votes, won the Town Bordowali seat defeating Congress candidate Asish Kumar Saha by a margin of 6,104 votes. As per the EC, the BJP candidate Malina Debnath won the Jubarajnagar seat defeating her nearest CPI-M rival Sailendra Chandra Nath by a margin of 4,572 votes.

Agartala, June 26 (IANS): The ruling BJP won three seats including that of Chief Minister Manik Saha who has been elected to the state assembly for the first time from Town Bordowali while the opposition Congress won one seat in Tripura, where the bypolls were held on June 23 in the four politically-crucial Assembly constituencies.

According to the Election Commission, Saha, 69, who

BJP nominee Swapna Das (Paul) bagged the Surma (SC) seat thrashing her independent rival Baburam Satnami by a margin of 4583 votes.

In a significant political development, BJP turned Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman retained his Agartala constituency defeating his BJP rival Ashok Sinha by a margin of 3,163 votes. With the victory of Roy Barman, Congress reentered into the 60-member state

assembly after several years.

Over 78.58 per cent of the 1,89,032-strong electorate cast their votes on June 23 in the by-elections to four Assembly constituencies in Tripura. In all 22 candidates including seven women fought the by-elections.

The by-election is being termed by the political pundits as a "semifinal" before the 60-member Assembly's general elections, which is just eight months away.

The focus of the by-elections was mainly on the Town Bordowali Assembly constituency where Manik Saha contested against five other candidates. Saha, BJP's state president and a Rajya Sabha member who assumed office on May 15, a day after Biplab Kumar Deb's resignation from the post of chief minister, contested the election for the first time.

A AP w i n s D e l h i ’s R a j i n d e r Na ga r s e a t by ove r 1 1 , 0 0 0 vo t e s resigned after being elected to the Rajya Sabha.

After multiple rounds of counting, AAP's Durgesh Pathak secured 40,319 votes, BJP leader Rajesh Bhatia was in second place with 28,581 votes. The Congress candidate Prem Lata ranked third with 2,014 votes.

New Delhi, June 26 (IANS): The Aam Aadmi Party swept the Rajinder Nagar bypolls in Delhi with a margin of around 11,555 votes, the AAP said on June 26.

The bypoll was held after incumbent MLA Raghav Chadha

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However, the election commission has not declared the result yet. As per the EC website, the party has secured 55.78 per cent votes in the bypoll. The BJP got 39.91 per cent vote share, while the Congress captured 2.79 per cent of the votes. NOTA also got 0.76 per cent votes, amounting to a total of 545 votes.

Just 45.3 percent voters -- 27.1 percent less than the 2019 elections -- cast their franchise to decide the fate of 16 candidates on June 23.

Chandigarh, June 26 (IANS): In a setback to AAP, which came to power in Punjab three months ago, the two-time MP and former IPS officer, Simranjit Singh Mann, who has been demanding an independent homeland -called Khalistan -- on June 26 won the bypoll in the Sangrur parliamentary constituency.

This seat, once a stronghold of AAP, will now be represented by Mann after over two decades.

As per poll results, Shiromani Akali Dal-Amritsar (SAD-A) candidate Mann defeated his closest rival Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Gurmail Singh in a neckand-neck battle by over 6,000 votes, with the former leading in the majority of the rounds, including Muslim-dominated Malerkotla Assembly seat.

Mann, 77, who unsuccessfully contested the Assembly polls in February, won the parliamentary elections from Sangrur in 1999.

Mann, who has been demanding the opening of borders with Pakistan for traders, is toeing the ideology of Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed during Operation Blue Star that was carried out by the Indian Army in June 1984 to flush out militants hiding in the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar.

After winning the election, Mann remembered the contribution of Bhindranwale towards the Sikh cause. He gave the credit of his win to those who sacrificed their lives for the cause of the Sikhs.

Mann remembered the contribution of actor-turnedactivist Deep Sidhu, accused of being the key conspirator of the Red Fort violence on the Republic Day last year, and slain singer

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The bypoll for Sangrur was necessitated following the resignation of Bhagwant Mann, who won the Assembly election in February from the Dhuri constituency, and became the Chief Minister.

The other key contenders were death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana's foster sister Kamaldeep Kaur, 44, who was in the fray on the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ticket, BJP's Kewal Dhillon, 72, and Dalvir Singh Goldy, 40, of the Congress. Both Dhillon and Goldy are former legislators.

Simranjit Mann has declared Rs 8.37 crore assets, including Rs 35.38 moveable and Rs 8.02 immovable. His wife's assets stand at Rs 4.88 crore.

The bypoll is the first major electoral battle after the AAP's resounding victory in the state Assembly polls.

Bhagwant Mann had won his first election as Sangrur MP in 2014 with a record margin of over 2.10 lakh votes defeating SAD candidate Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.

In 2019 Bhagwant Mann was the lone AAP MP in Parliament and he had defeated the then Congress candidate Kewal Singh Dhillon by more than 1.1 lakh votes.

Responding to Mann's victory, SAD President Sukhbir Badal tweeted, "We bow before the mandate of the people in true democratic spirit."

In the 2022 Assembly elections, AAP recorded a thumping win by claiming 92 of the Assembly's 117 seats. The ruling Congress won 18, down from 77 in 2017.

All nine Vidhan Sabha constituencies coming under the Sangrur parliamentary seat were won by the AAP MLAs with a record mandate.

National Herald Case: ED likely to ask Sonia same set of questions as posed to Rahul Sonia Gandhi has been asked to join the probe in mid July by the ED. Her questioning, which was scheduled on June 23, was postponed on health grounds.

Delhi chief minister and AAP's national convener Arvind Kejriwal thanked the people of Rajender Nagar for his party's victory in the bypoll and said people defeated dirty politics and appreciated our good work.

"Heartfelt thanks to the people of Rajinder Nagar. I am grateful for this immense affection and love of the people of Delhi. This inspires us to work harder. People defeated their dirty politics and appreciated our good work.

Thank you Rajender Nagar, thank you Delhi", said the Delhi CM in a tweet.

NEWS FROM INDIA

"We have to ask about her role in the deal between Young India and Associated Journal Ltd (AJL)," the sources said.

New Delhi, June 25 (IANS): Interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the National Herald case, will be asked the same set of questions which were asked to Rahul Gandhi during his five-day questioning, ED sources said.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had said that late Motilal Vora was looking after these affairs. Vora held 12 per cent stake in Young India whereas Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi held 76 per cent stake.

As per ED, Gandhis were major beneficiaries in the whole deal.

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

INDIA NEWS

NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA

Australia joins India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign Qantas begins to shrink Covid focusing on joint production of weapons debt with restart of travel

New Delhi, June 23: Spotlighting their shared vision of free, open, inclusive and prosperous IndoPacific region, India and Australia on June 23 added another dimension to their growing ties joint production of weapons.

Discussing extensively the defence and security pillars of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during their meeting in New Delhi on June 22, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and visiting Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles focused on certain key areas. Firstly, as India moves ahead strongly to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Make in India, Make for the World' or Atmanirbhar Bharat, both sides agreed to find means to grow connections and opportunities between the Indian and Australian military industrial complex. Singh and Marles decided to give fillip to the IndiaAustralia Joint Working Group ( JWG) on Defence Research and Materiel Cooperation, which will meet in Australia later this year.

The JWG is a crucial mechanism for boosting ties between defence industries. India's Defence Procurement Policy encourages joint development, design and production with foreign original equipment managers. The

Modi government's 'Strategic Partnership' model also seeks to identify a few Indian private companies as strategic partners who would initially link with shortlisted foreign original equipment managers to manufacture major military platforms. Marles, who visited Goa before arriving in the Indian capital on Tuesday, also toured INS Hansa and the Goa Shipyard Limited to witness first-hand the display of India's growing prowess in indigenous drone development and autonomous vehicle technology. The two ministers also discussed further opportunities for industrial cooperation between India and Australia to increase the resilience of supply chains and deliver capabilities to their respective defence forces.

"There are also mutual economic opportunities, especially as we both look to diversify and build resilience in our supply chains, as seen with Prime Minister Modi's 'Make in India' indigenisation programme for the military.

And the Australian Defence Export Office is eager to send representatives from Australia's defence industry to India's premier defence exhibition DefExpo," Marles said later in the day during his address at the National Defence College.

As reported by IndiaNarrative. com earlier, India and Australia are already taking their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to a new level with extensive collaboration to identify opportunities for strategic investment in Australian critical minerals projects.

Secondly, with both India and Australia seeing the Pacific as a part of the world which is deeply critical for the peace and prosperity of the entire region, the two ministers reviewed strategic challenges and the regional security situation.

Just before arriving in India, the

Australian Defence Minister had mentioned after talks with his Japanese counterpart Kishi Nobuo in Tokyo that China is seeking to "shape the world around it in a way that it has not done before".

Canberra and Tokyo have also been raising serious concerns about the Solomon Islands-China security agreement, the lack of transparency and its implications for continuing regional security and stability.

Similarly, India has batted for global rules-based order, asserting the importance of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in areas like the South China Sea. India's approach to the Indo-Pacific is pegged to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) doctrine.

Singh and Marles, on June 22, welcomed the growing diversity and frequency of defence exercises and exchanges between the two countries and undertook to build upon operational engagements through the India-Australia Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement.

According to the Indian Defence Ministry, the two ministers reviewed the existing defence cooperation activities which have been increasing despite challenges of Covid-19 pandemic and also looked forward to India's participation in Australia's Indo Pacific Endeavour exercise in October 2022.

Thirdly, both ministers discussed the commencement of the landmark General Rawat Young Officer Exchange Programme in the latter half of 2022, which was announced during the virtual summit meeting between the Prime Ministers of the two countries on March 21, earlier this year. The programme will greatly enhance professional military contacts between both sides and facilitate the exchange of ideas and operational experiences.

Regional migration in Australia at 5-year high the number of people moving away from state capitals such as Sydney and Melbourne during the first three months of this year, reports Xinhua news agency.

Canberra, June 23 (IANS): Regional migration in Australia is at a five-year high with younger people setting the trend, according to data released on June 23 from one of the nation's leading banks and a prominent think tank.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and the Regional Australia Institute (RAI)'s Regional Movers Index (RMI) recorded a 16.6 percent jump in

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RAI chief executive Liz Ritchie said the influx of "Millennials" (aged 24 to 40) and "Gen-Xers" (aged 40 to 56) were welcome additions to the countryside as they "often bring with them business skills to grow the local community, as well as families that integrate into the local school system and community sporting activities".

Ritchie said regional living was proving especially appealing to growing families seeking "bigger living spaces at a cheaper cost".

CBA Executive General Manager of Regional and Agribusiness Paul Fowler said regional areas

were providing strong job opportunities for people aged in those demographics.

"Regional Australia is thriving, fuelled by strong investment across a broad range of industries including agriculture, manufacturing, retail and hospitality," Fowler said.

"There are labour shortages in many parts of regional Australia and businesses are attracting skilled and unskilled workers to serve growing demand for products and services," he said.

Fowler said rural communities, such as Moorabool in the state of Victoria and the Western Downs in the state of Queensland, were among the most popular destinations with growth rates of more than 55 per cent.

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Canberra, June 24 (IANS): A new market update from Australia's flag carrier Qantas on June 24 revealed that the restart of travel has allowed the airline to begin to climb out from a mountain of debt accrued during the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the latest financial year report, Qantas' debt peaked during the pandemic at more than A$6.4 billion ($4.42 billion) but was expected to fall to around A$4 billion by June 30, reports Xinhua news agency.

The airline attributed the improvement to strong international and travel demand over the first half of 2022 since Australia lifted the majority of Covid-related travel restrictions.

The airline turned its first profit since the onset of the pandemic in the second half of the 2022 financial year, and expects to continue to post a profit in the coming 2023 financial year beginning July 1.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the turnaround in business began in December last year when workers returned to work ahead of the border reopening.

"It's been a tough few years for

everyone in aviation but we promised to share the benefits of the recovery once it arrived.

Today's announcement is part of that," Joyce said.

To pass the recovery boost on to its workers and acknowledge "the sacrifices" made by workers furloughed during the pandemic, the airline also announced oneoff payments of A$5,000 to 19,000 of its employees.

Alongside its market update, the airline also opened several new flight paths, noting that investing in future growth would be key to continuing to drive down pandemic debt and boosting worker wages.

From November, Qantas is set to run direct flights from Perth to both Johannesburg and Jakarta.

"Western Australia has become an increasingly important part of our international network and we're really excited to be launching two more routes from Perth," said Joyce.

"Our direct flights from Perth to London and Rome are selling really strongly, which gives us the confidence to add new routes from our western hub."

Age, education key factors in Aus general election result: Survey Canberra, June 20 (IANS): Younger and educated voters were instrumental in the Labor Party's victory in Australia's May 21 general election, a new survey revealed on June 20. Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese claimed victory in the general election, ending the conservative coalition's nine-year reign, reports Xinhua news agency. In the survey, researchers from Australian National University (ANU) found voters' age and their level of education were the key factors in Labor's victory and a collapse in support for the Coalition. "More than one in three voters aged under 55, 34.9 per cent, who voted for the Coalition in 2019 ended up voting for someone else. Around one in five, 21.1 per cent, aged 55 or older did the same," Nicholas Biddle, co-author of the report, said in a statement. "The coalition also lost more votes among people with higher levels of education. Around one in three people, 31.0 per cent, who had completed year 12 and voted for the coalition in 2019

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voted for another party in 2022.

"Education, and particularly high school education, really matters when it comes to understanding this election result," he added.

Of the 3,500 voters who participated in the survey, 35.2 percent of females voted for Labor and 30 per cent for the coalition. Among men the two major parties were more even, with 35.7 per cent voting Labor as their first preference and 34.2 percent for the coalition. Biddle said the survey also found voters were more optimistic about the direction of the country under the Albanese government, with 73.3 percent of respondents either satisfied or very satisfied in May, up from 62.4 per cent in April.

"In fact, this is one of the highest levels of satisfaction we have seen since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and the black summer bushfires of 2019/2020," he said.

"In contrast, levels of satisfaction in April 2022 were some of the lowest, if not the lowest, we've seen over the same period."

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

INDIA NEWS

NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA

New Australian government reaches out to Quad partners India and Japan amid China’s growing dominance in Indo-Pacific the Quad Leaders' Summit, the Prime Ministers of India, Japan, Australia and the US President had expressed their support for a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.

New Delhi, June 21: Deeply worried by China's rapidly increasing imprint, Australia said on June 20 that it stands ready to work closer with India in support of an open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific.

The affirmation from Anthony Albanese-led new government Down Under came as Richard Marles, Australia's new Deputy Prime Minister and also the Minister for Defence, kicked off his four-day visit to India.

Charting a fresh trajectory of transformational growth between the two strategic partners, Marles is the first high-ranking official from Australia to land in New Delhi after Albanese was sworn in as the 31st Prime Minister of the

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country on May 23.

Interestingly, he arrives in the Indian capital after holding talks with Japanese Minister for Defence Kishi Nobuo in Tokyo - another partner in the fournation Quad grouping - over the weekend. Canberra has recently raised serious concerns about the Solomon IslandsChina security agreement, the lack of transparency and its implications for continuing regional security and stability.

Japan too has conveyed its concerns with regards to the situation concerning the Solomon Islands, saying that it could have a "major impact" on the security environment in the Pacific region.

Only a few weeks ago, during

"Our Quad partnership is needed now more than ever to meet the challenges and threats of a less certain world, to shape that world for the better, and build a stronger, more cooperative Indo-Pacific region that respects sovereignty," Albanese had said in Tokyo, barely a day after taking over as the Australian Prime Minister. Keeping the fast-changing geopolitical reality in mind, the new Australian government has quickly swung into action, strengthening the strategic partnership with like-minded partners. Marles on June 20 called India as one of Australia's "closest security partners", making it clear that the new government back home is focused on "revitalising" Australia's historically deep engagement with allies across the Indo-Pacific. "Australia and India are Comprehensive Strategic Partners. I am committed to strengthening Australia's defence and security cooperation with

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India," said the Australian Defence Minister. Looking forward to his first bilateral meeting with the Indian Defence Minister to enhance the defence pillar of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Marles said that Rajnath Singh has been instrumental in advancing IndiaAustralia defence ties.

"The rules-based international order that has brought peace and prosperity to the Indo-Pacific for decades is experiencing pressure, as we face shifts in the geostrategic order... Australia stands ready to work closer with India in support of an open, inclusive and resilient IndoPacific," he asserted.

During the visit, Marles will also meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and engage national security and defence policymakers and personnel.

Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2022, the annual Australian Defence Force (ADF) activity aiming at strengthening Australia's engagement and partnerships with regional security forces, also returns to India later this year.

India and Australia are already conducting joint activities in

the Indian Ocean Region to build operational maritime domain awareness, practice anti-submarine warfare manoeuvres and bolster military interoperability.

Earlier in June, a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon aircraft was deployed to India under a combined India-Australia maritime surveillance initiative.

This builds upon the successful deployment of an Indian P-8I aircraft to Darwin in April this year, when India and Australia undertook coordinated maritime patrols in Northern Australia for the first time.

"India is one of our closest security partners and this activity demonstrates the strength of our bilateral defence relationship, the tangible value of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and our shared commitment to an open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific," said Air Vice Marshal Michael Kitcher, Australia's Deputy Chief of Joint Operations.

The activities pave the way for deeper and more sophisticated operational cooperation between India and Australia.

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

Queensland Parliament united on new progressive coal royalties Brisbane, June 26: Progressive coal royalties will commence on 1 July 2022 following passage of enabling legislation through the parliament without opposition.

Treasurer Cameron Dick said no member of parliament voted against progressive coal royalties, nor did any party express opposition to the substance of new progressive coal royalty tiers.

“I am pleased there were no votes cast against progressive coal royalty tiers from members representing the Liberal National Party (LNP), Katters Australian Party (KAP), One Nation, or the Greens political party.

“This can be contrasted to the 2019 budget revenue bill, when the LNP voted against higher gas royalties.

“This demonstrated support for

progressive coal royalties from across the political spectrum is good news for coal producers, promising policy stability as these arrangements will not be politicised either now or in an election environment.

“With royalty arrangements now settled with support across the political spectrum, Queensland’s partnership with industry will be renewed through the new Queensland Resources Industry Development Plan.

Mr Dick said new progressive coal royalties ensure a fair return to the people of Queensland when profits are extraordinary, but will protect coal producers and coal jobs should prices decline.

“Unlike the LNP Government’s actions in 2012, we have not jacked up coal royalties on

low prices in the middle of a downturn, and we’re pleased all parties have seen the good sense of Labor’s approach,” he said.

“Financial markets also agree, with continued strong investment interest in Queensland resources, including coal.

The Palaszczuk Government has announced it is implementing a new Immediate Response funding package that will help families who are struggling to secure housing. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Immediate Response would be backed by a $16 million fund. “My government is providing a $16 million immediate response package to help put a roof over the heads of families doing it tough living in insecure and unsafe situations and help people maintain tenancies,” The Premier said.

“This package includes increased funding for the Rental Security Subsidy of $7 million.

“This $7 million will be used to assist around 700 families to sustain tenancies by increasing the available subsidy from $5,000 over six months to up to $10,000 for 12 months. “It also includes an extra $6 million for specialist homelessness services to broker additional temporary emergency accommodation. “There is also $3 million for extra support workers in funded specialist homelessness services to assist families to stay in their current home or secure a new tenancy.”

Minister for Communities and Housing Leeanne Enoch said this support is needed now more than ever. “We are seeing increasing demand for support from Queensland families right now due to the impacts of COVID-19, the rising cost of living and unprecedented challenges on housing affordability and the private rental market,”

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“This package is very welcome to reduce the burden on families who are currently experiencing the impact of the housing market and reduced options to rent and have a home. “As a specialist homelessness service we welcome the government responding to calls for more investment to assist us to respond.” “Homelessness is a traumatic experience for anyone but for families with children not being able to have a home is particularly so especially if coupled with experiences of domestic violence.

Minister Enoch said the Immediate Response would be implemented alongside the Palaszczuk Government’s current efforts to boost longer-term housing supply across the state.

“We are continuing to deliver on our $2.9 billion investment under the Queensland Housing and Homelessness Action Plan 2021– 2025 – the largest concentrated investment in social housing in Queensland’s history,” she said.

“This will increase the social and affordable housing supply by almost 10,000 over the life of the Queensland Housing Strategy 2017-2027, including 7,400 new dwellings, of which 6,365 new social homes will be commenced by 30 June 2025

School holiday road trippers reminded to drive safely

rise, with high range speeding now costing you up to a hefty $1,653 and eight demerit points.

“We’ve already seen nearly 30,000 people caught not wearing a seatbelt or not wearing one properly, which is why this offence will also see a significant increase to $1078 and an uplift in demerit points.

“Share prices for our coal producers continue to perform strongly, demonstrating our royalty changes are good for Queensland and good for business.

The Revenue Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 passed the Legislative Assembly on Friday 24 June 2022 without opposition.

The Revenue Bill is distinct from the Appropriation Bills, which are voted after completion of the estimates process.

Premier announces immediate response to support Queensland families Ms Enoch said. “Many people and families who did not need housing assistance before COVID-19, are reaching out to the Queensland Government for emergency accommodation, housing and support. “This is about prioritising the needs of families who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including First Nations people, people experiencing domestic and family violence, young people and older people.” CEO of Micah Projects Karyn Walsh said it is a timely injection of funds, that will be of great benefit to many families.

NEWS FROM QUEENSLAND

under the Queensland Housing and Homelessness Action Plan 2021–2025. “Queenslanders know it can take time to plan and build new homes. “For this reason, we are actively investigating all types of alternative housing supply options, including factory-built homes, to support our traditional construction program and to make homes available sooner.

“We are engaging with the market to explore all opportunities and will be making an initial call for up to 50 factory-built homes this year to trial this approach.”

Minister Enoch said the Palaszczuk Government recently opened Expressions of Interest for the Help to Home initiative, that aims to deliver 1,000 housing solutions through head-leasing arrangements. “It targets newly built or existing vacant properties including stand-alone houses, single and multi-unit complexes and properties new to the private rental market, like short-term or holiday accommodation, student accommodation or properties that were previously used for commercial purposes,” she said.

“Under Help to Home the property owner will receive a guaranteed rental income for two years, paid three months in advance, and then every quarter.

“Help to Home will help people on our housing register to secure safe and affordable housing over two years and will target areas of high demand.” In 2020-21, there were more than 205,000 forms of housing assistance provided to Queensland households or individuals, including emergency housing, social housing, private market assistance and homelessness services. “Anyone needing housing assistance can contact their local Housing Service Centre to discuss housing and support options to meet their needs.”

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Brisbane June 24: Queenslanders excited to be planning a road trip during the upcoming school holidays have been urged to make safety their top priority.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said highways around the state would be busier as holiday-makers set voyage during the break.

“Queensland’s road toll is the worst we’ve seen in a decade, and sadly the behaviours which contribute to the number of lives lost and serious injuries on our roads are all avoidable,” Mr Bailey said. “Speeding, running red lights and failing to wear seatbelts are all major contributors to our road toll. “When there are more people on the roads, all racing to be with family or friends, we often see a spike in this dangerous behaviour.

“To encourage safer driving and deter these risky behaviours, those who choose to do the wrong thing will face significantly higher penalties for some high-risk offences from July 1.

“I make no apologies for being tough on reckless behaviour that endangers every single user of the road.” Mr Bailey said the penalty increase would hit drivers where it hurt – their wallet.

“Running a red light will now incur a $575 fine and drivers will continue to receive three demerit points for this offence,” he said.

“Penalties for speeding will also

“Images released recently showed just how little drivers care about their own lives but not even securing themselves or passengers in properly. “I am so disappointed to see children unsecured in the front seat, and even a baby on the lap of a passenger – I dread to think what would happen should an accident occur. “The message is simple - if you don’t want to be penalised, do the right thing on our roads,” he said. A public education campaign, Anywhere Anytime, started last month (May) to warn and inform the public about the impending penalty increases.

Mr Bailey also reminded holidaymakers to be courteous when behind the wheel and to follow at a safe distance. “The aim is for everyone to get to their holiday destination and arrive back home safely,” he said.

Some simple tips to stay safe over the holiday break: > Slow down, stay safe and drive to the conditions. > Take a break every two hours. > Make sure you always buckle up and check your passengers too. > Don’t drink and drive. Save the drinks for when you get there. > Keep your eyes on the road, not your phone > Plan ahead and locate rest areas or driver reviver sites along your route.

“Make no mistake, cameras and police are everywhere - you will be caught, anywhere anytime,” Mr Bailey said.

Penalty increases from 1 July 2022. Speeding Km over speed limit Pervious Fine New Fine Demerit points 1-10km/h

$183

$287

1 demerit point

11-20km/h

$275

$431

3 demerit points

21-30km/h

$459

$646

4 demerit points

31-40km/h

$643

$1,078

6 demerit points

40km/h and over

$1,286

$1,653

8 demerit points, and an automatic 6-month licence suspension.

**Double demerit points apply for a second or subsequent offence committed within one year of the previous offence (for speeding offences 21km/hr and above).

Seatbelts

Pervious Fine New Fine Pervious Demerit points New Demerit points $413

$1,078

3 demerit points

4 demerit points

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

NEWS FROM QUEENSLAND

Budget backs good jobs, better services and the great Queensland lifestyle Brisbane, June 21: A record $23.6 billion investment in health is the centrepiece of a 2022-23 Queensland Budget focused on delivering good jobs and better services for Queenslanders while protecting the Sunshine State’s enviable lifestyle. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the budget, like the government, continues to put the health of Queenslanders first. “Our strong pandemic health and economic response is now delivering major returns for Queenslanders,” the Premier said. “With this year’s budget we’re making record investments in health, education, jobs, renewables, and community services like police and fire and emergency. “This includes $23.6 billion for healthcare this financial year, with an increase of $1.16 billion in health’s operating budget which will help us meet growing demands on the system.

“That will see us create thousands of new jobs for frontline staff, with a commitment to hire an additional 9450 health workers over this four-year term of government. “This budget will also invest in new schools, improved roads and more employment opportunities as we enter our golden decade on track towards the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” she said. “The results are obvious: by prioritising the health of Queenslanders, our state is now firmly positioned on a path towards long-term prosperity and success.”

The Palaszczuk Government’s record health investment in 202223 will fund: > Approximately 2200 additional overnight beds to expand health system capacity

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> New hospitals in Bundaberg, Toowoomba and Coomera > A new Queensland Cancer Centre > Expansions to hospitals in Cairns, Townsville, Robina, Mackay, Redcliffe, Ipswich and Hervey Bay > Expansions at Princess Alexandra, QEII and The Prince Charles hospitals > A further expansion of Logan Hospital Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick said Queensland’s pandemic response continues to drive the nation’s economic recovery.

“Whether fighting COVID-19 or floods, Queenslanders have shown incredible resilience,” Mr Dick said. “That spirit and strength is why we’ve had the largest employment increase in the entire country, with 206,000 more Queenslanders in jobs than there were before the pandemic.

“Last month alone there were 46,600 jobs created in Queensland, which is more than 1500 jobs created every day, and three-quarters of all jobs created in Australia during May. “With this budget we’re protecting those jobs and working to create new ones, while investing in the services Queenslanders need and the way of life we all love. “Our record health budget will provide access to the best possible healthcare, no matter where you live,” he said. “Over seven years we’ll invest $943.5 million in the Building Rural and Remote Healthcare program to replace ageing health infrastructure and staff accommodation in rural and remote Queensland. “We’re making sure the Royal Flying

Doctor Service is adequately resourced, with budget funding of $334 million for a new 10 yearcontract, while $60.2 million will go towards a new Queensland Regional Aeromedical Hub. “Meanwhile, our Better Care Together plan for mental health, alcohol and other drugs services will inject $1.64 billion into the system across the next five years, ensuring better outcomes for Queenslanders and their families.”

Mr Dick said Queensland’s fouryear, $59.1 billion infrastructure commitment gives industry greater certainty about the delivery of major projects in the state. “Our capital program in 2022-23 will be $15.51 billion and will directly support 48,000 jobs,” he said. “Over 63 per cent of that outlay will be spent outside the greater Brisbane region, a total investment of around $9.8 billion that will support 31,100 jobs. “$19.6 billion will be invested in education and training statewide in 2022-23, demonstrating our commitment to providing career pathways for all Queenslanders while addressing labour shortages in our economy. “And we’ve lifted our investment in the Building Future Schools program to $3 billion, including $390 million to build five more new schools where they’re needed most, in Caboolture West, Caloundra South, Ripley, Flagstone and Bahrs Scrub.

“The budget also features $742 million for additional and renewed infrastructure in our existing state schools, as well as $20 million to upgrade school playgrounds and tuckshops,” he said. “A further $3.6 million will go towards the planning and design of 18 new school halls and

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performing arts centres.”

Mr Dick said the government was continuing to take significant action to help Queenslanders facing housing challenges.

“The 2022-23 State Budget will allocate $200 million to build the essential infrastructure needed to unlock housing supply, funding the delivery of water and sewer infrastructure to create more residential lots in new communities,” he said.

“This investment supports the ongoing delivery of our $1.9 billion Queensland Housing and Homelessness Action Plan 20212025 announced last year, which will result in the construction of 7400 new dwellings across our state. “There’s more than $1.7 billion in 2022-23 to continue recovery, reconstruction and resilience programs, in partnership with the Australian Government, following this year’s unrelenting disaster season.

“We remain focused on tackling cost-of-living pressures too, with $6.8 billion available for a range of health, energy, water, transport and housing concessions, a 10 per cent funding increase that includes $385 million for this year’s $175 cost of living rebate.”

Other key investments in the 2022-23 Queensland Budget include: > $262.5 million to support the growth, better management and sustainability of the state’s protected areas > $363 million to respond to the recommendations of the Queensland Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce in Hear her voice – Report One > $29.7 billion for road and transport infrastructure

> $324 million to accelerate climate action and resource recovery initiatives > More than $300 million for the Toowoomba to Warwick pipeline and other water infrastructure > $608 million for Queensland agriculture, biosecurity, fisheries and forestry > $150 million for the 10-year Queensland Trade Strategy > The $100 million, four-year Go for Gold Fund for new and upgraded sports infrastructure for schools across the state > $50 million to continue manufacturing grants programs across the state.

Mr Dick said Queensland’s economic growth is expected to strengthen to three per cent in 2021-22, followed by ongoing solid growth across the forward estimates. “The surplus for 202122 is expected to be $1.91 billion, an improvement of $5.4 billion compared to the $3.48 billion deficit forecast this time last year,” he said.

“Net debt at 30 June 2022 is forecast to be $13.36 billion lower than we expected for this current financial year. “General Government Sector Revenue in 2021-22 has been revised upwards by $9.07 billion compared with last year’s budget estimates, primarily reflecting the stronger than expected conditions in the housing and labour markets, and increased royalties due to the surge in coal and oil prices. “What these figures and others show is Queensland is on the right track, and that gives us the confidence to make these substantial investments in our future.”

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

NEWS FROM VICTORIA

Jacinta Allan to be Deputy Premier, Free flu shots extended 5 MPs to join new ministry for Victorian families positions also filled by women.

Melbourne, June 25: Jacinta Allan will become Deputy Premier and five outstanding members of parliament will step up to join the Ministry following the Parliamentary Labor Party meeting earlier today.

The new appointments to Cabinet are: Member for Pascoe Vale Lizzie Blandthorn will become the Minister for Planning and also take on responsibility for government business in the Legislative Assembly as Leader of the House.

Member for Bundoora and former Speaker Colin Brooks will be Minister for Child Protection and Family Services and Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers.

Member for Oakleigh Steve Dimopoulos becomes Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events and Minister for Creative Industries.

Member for Carrum Sonya Kilkenny will be Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support and Minister for Fishing and Boating.

Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing becomes Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Equality.

These appointments bring the number of women in the Victorian Cabinet to 14 – more than any other Australian jurisdiction – with three of the four parliamentary leadership

As the most experienced Minister in the Cabinet, Jacinta Allan will add overseeing Commonwealth Games Delivery to her responsibilities. Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council Jaclyn Symes remains Attorney General and Minister for Emergency Services.

Deputy Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council Gayle Tierney will add Agriculture to her existing responsibilities for Training and Skills and Higher Education. Treasurer Tim Pallas adds Trade to his duties as Minister for Economic Development and Minister for Industrial Relations.

Anthony Carbines will become Minister for Police, Minister for Crime Prevention and Minister for Racing Ben Carroll becomes the Minister for Industry Support and Recovery and Minister for Business Precincts and remains Minister for Public Transport and Minister for Roads and Road Safety.

Lily D’Ambrosio remains the Minister for Energy, Minister for Environment and Climate Action and Minister for Solar Homes Melissa Horne adds Minister for Local Government and Minister for Suburban Development to her responsibilities for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation and Ports and Freight.

Natalie Hutchins takes on the Education portfolio and becomes Minister for Women.Shaun Leane remains Minister for Veterans and will work with local communities as Minister for Commonwealth Games Legacy – ensuring the Games leave a lasting positive impact across the state, with a focus on social enterprise and local jobs and procurement.

Danny Pearson becomes the Minister for Housing

Nazi Hate symbols now banned in Victoria New Delhi, June 26 (IANS): Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman has saved Congress from embarrassment as he was the lone candidate to win by-polls in Tripura while the other three seats have been won by the BJP in the state. The Congress was decimated in Delhi and Punjab while the party did not contest the UP Lok Sabha bypolls.

In Jharkhand, Congress has registered a win in the bypoll increasing the party's tally in the state. Shilpi Neha Tirkey has won but the party lost in Andhra Pradesh with YSRCP sweeping the polls.

The Congress could not win the Sangrur bypoll despite AAP losing the battle with SAD(A) winning the seat.

In Sangrur, the bypoll was

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necessitated following the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann from Lok Sabha after he was elected as an MLA. Mann had won the Sangrur seat in the last two parliamentary elections in 2014 and 2019.

Bypolls were held in four assembly seats in Tripura: Agartala, Jubarajnagar, Surma and Town Bordowali. Chief Minister Manik Saha contested from Town Bordowali and won.

Other three assembly constituencies are Rajinder Nagar in Delhi where AAP defeated BJP, Mandar in Jharkhand which was won by the Congress, and Atmakuru in Andhra Pradesh won by the YSRCP.

alongside his responsibilities as Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Government Services and Minister for Regulatory Reform.

In addition to her existing responsibilities for Employment, Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy, Resources and Small Business, Jaala Pulford will take carriage of the government’s landmark Sick Pay Guarantee program.Ros Spence adds Prevention of Family Violence to her portfolios of Multicultural Affairs, Community Sport and Youth.

Ingrid Stitt will oversee an expanded reform agenda in early learning as the Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep and remains Minister for Workplace Safety. As our health system continues to recover from the pandemic, Mary-Anne Thomas will become Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services Gabrielle Williams will take responsibility for the huge reform agenda in Mental Health and continue in the renamed portfolio as the Minister for Treaty and First Peoples.

Ministers will be sworn into new portfolios on Monday. Steve McGhie will serve as the Cabinet Secretary.New Parliamentary SecretariesNick Staikos will become Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier and Paul Edbrooke becomes Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer. Enver Erdogan becomes Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney General, Sheena Watt becomes Parliamentary Secretary for Housing, Nina Taylor becomes Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Christine Couzens will be Parliamentary Secretary for First Peoples and Darren Cheeseman becomes Parliamentary Secretary for the Commonwealth Games.

Melbourne, June 28: The Andrews Labor Government is extending its free influenza vaccination program over the school holidays, giving Victorian families more time to protect themselves against the flu this winter.

Following overwhelmingly positive feedback from participating GPs and pharmacies and to further boost vaccination as much as possible, the program will continue to 10 July.

Throughout June all Victorians aged six months and over have been eligible for a free flu shot from more than 2,000 GP clinics and community pharmacies across the state.

The extension of the program will provide families with additional time to access this free service, when it best suits them.Victoria’s collective immunity against viruses like the flu is relatively low following two years of physical distancing and reduced international travel.

As we get out and about more and enjoy everything the state has to offer, Victorians need to protect themselves against the increased risk of passing on colds, coughs and other respiratory illness.

That’s why there is no better time for Victorians to roll up their sleeves to protect themselves and their loved ones from infection and avoidable hospitalisation.

It is both safe and effective, providing a high level of protection and greatly reducing symptoms in those who do get sick. If you have not yet received your free flu shot, now is the time to contact your local GP or community pharmacy to book in and protect yourself this winter.

The flu vaccination is already free for children under five years, people over 65 years, pregnant women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people with increased risk medical conditions.

Aviation decision makers set to land in Melbourne Melbourne, June 20: More than 1000 aviation delegates will descend on Melbourne for the 151st International Air Transport Association (IATA) Slot Conference later this year – delivering a multi-million dollar boost to the economy.

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula today confirmed the 151st IATA Slot Conference will welcome more than 230 airlines to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 15-18 November 2022.

The conference – backed by the Andrews Labor Government – is set to attract more than 1,000 delegates, filling more than 2,300 hotel room nights and injecting an estimated $4.7 million into the economy.

The Melbourne Convention Bureau worked in partnership with Melbourne Airport to secure the conference, in which the world’s airlines come together to finalise global flight schedules and airport slot allocations – the authorisation to take-off or land at a particular airport on a particular day during a specified time period.

Slots are a tool used around the world to manage air traffic at extremely busy airports and are critical to an aviation market that is returning to full capacity. The bi-annual conference is one of IATA’s largest events, bringing airlines and airports together to negotiate slots that will give them the best possible schedule to offer their passengers.

Hot springs to heat up tourism at Phillip Island Melbourne, June 17: The Andrews Labor Government is backing Phillip Island to attract even more tourists. Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula today announced the Labor Government is supporting the Newhaven attraction through the Regional Tourism Investment Fund and the Enabling Tourism Fund.

An additional three thermal pools boasting sweeping views over Bass Strait will be constructed next to the Cape Kitchen waterfront restaurant, which will be transformed into a dining lounge seating up to 100 guests.

The expansion is expected to create 35 jobs during construction and 68 full-time and indirect jobs when it’s completed in 2023.

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A $500,000 investment from the Enabling Tourism Fund will further support the project, with funding going towards the crucial planning stage of the development of the Cape Woolamai Lodge and hot springs.

The feasibility of constructing a new state-of-the-art 120 room Lodge and the development of the Saltwater Hot Springs Spa and Wellness Centre, will be assessed.2.7 million visitors who stayed 3.1 million nights and contributed $579 million into the local economy.

The hot springs expansion will provide a significant boost to the region, attracting an estimated 73,000 new visitors to the Island in the first year. They are expected to contribute more

than $4.7 million to the Island’s economy.

The Regional Tourism Investment Fund and Enabling Tourism Fund are a key part of the Visitor Recovery and Reform Plan, helping the tourism sector to grow well into the future.

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula said: “We know tourism is a major employer in the community and that’s why we’re working so hard to grow the industry locally.”

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INDIA NEWS

Indian-origin man shot dead execution-style in New York shot him as he sat in the jeep, but a neighbour said the assailant had fired from a car and that her home security camera had captured the incident.

Hollywood celebs slam abortion ruling able to make on their terms when the time is right for them. This freedom and dignity is something we should all fight to preserve.

AmNY news site said that as of June 26 morning there has been no arrest and police were unsure of the motive.

New York, June 27 (IANS): An Indian-origin man was shot dead execution-style as he was sitting in a jeep near his home in New York, according to media reports.

neighbourhood, which is next to Richmond Hill where two Sikh men had been assaulted in April in what police classified as hate crimes.

After the shooting on June 25 afternoon, Satnam Singh, 31, was taken to a local hospital where doctors declared him dead, the New York Daily News reported quoting police.

Both areas have large numbers of people of Indian origin.

The incident happened in the South Ozone Park

It said that according to police, the shooter came on foot and

The News said that there was a discrepancy between the police and eyewitness accounts of Satnam Singh's shooting.

The News, quoting police sources, said that Satnam Singh had borrowed the jeep from a friend and detectives were looking into whether he was the shooter's intended target or had been mistakenly killed by someone who actually wanted to attack the owner of the vehicle.

In April, two Sikhs had their turbans knocked off and robbed in separate incidents in Richmond Hill.

Police arrested two men in connection with those attacks and charged them with hate crimes.

US Supreme Court overturns fundamental right to abortion

Washington, June 24 (IANS): The US Supreme Court on June 24 overturned the fundamental right to abortion granted by an earlier order in the Roe v. Wade case nearly 50 years ago. The 5-4 order of the overwhelmingly conservative nine-justice bench is expected to change American social life as it exists now.

The court has left abortion rights to be determined individually by the 50 states. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have state laws protecting abortion and will remain unaffected by the Supreme Court order.

About 17 states do not have any explicit laws either upholding abortion rights or prohibiting abortion, according to one study and nearly half of all 50 states are expected to make abortion difficult or impossible.

Women from states with a ban or restrictions will be free, however, to travel to other states for the procedure. "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start.

Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey (a 1992 case in which the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling was upheld) have enflamed debate and deepened division," Justice Samuel A. Alito wrote for the majority opinion. "It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives."

The order as delivered was very similar to a leaked copy of Justice Alito's opinion in May and was widely anticipated by the overwhelmingly conservative

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non-justice bench with the addition of three conservative justices -- Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Justices Alito and Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts are the other three conservatives. The three liberal justices are Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

"This fall, Roe is on the ballot," President Joe Biden said in remarks from the White House, declaring the restoration of abortion rights as an election issue for Democrats, starting with the mid-term elections in November. Codifying the abortion rights through a legislation by congress, he added, is the only option now and that is only possible with more Democrats in both chambers. For the moment, he vowed that women travelling from states that don't allow abortion to states that do will get the full protection of his administration.

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, slammed the court order. "Today, the Republican-controlled Supreme Court has achieved the GOP's dark and extreme goal of ripping away women's right to make their own reproductive health decisions.

Because of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell (top Republican senator), the Republican Party and their supermajority on the Supreme Court, American women today have less freedom than their mothers," she said, adding: "This cruel ruling is outrageous and heart-wrenching. But make no mistake: the rights of women and all Americans are on the ballot this November."

The court issued the order in connection with a Mississippi law that prohibits abortion after 15 weeks of conception. The law had not been implemented because it was ruled violative of the Supreme Court's order in the Roe v. Wade in 1973, that made

abortion a constitutional right.

Chief Justice joined his other conservative colleagues to uphold the Mississippi law -- Dobbs v.

Jackson Women's Health -- 6-3; but he joined the liberal to oppose his conservative colleagues' decision to overturn the Roe v.

Wade order in a 5-4 order.

Abortion has been a politically emotive issues, specially with Republican who have had it as a key election plank for decades.

The American public, however, stands largely supportive of abortion rights -- 61 per cent favour abortion in all or most cases while 37 per cent want it be made illegal in all or most cases, according to Pew Research Center.

About three-quarters of White evangelical Protestants (74 per cent) think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, the center found, while 84 per cent of religiously unaffiliated Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, as do 66 per cent of Black Protestants, 60 per cent of White Protestants who are not evangelical, and 56 per cent of Catholics. Abortion rights supporters are girding up for a long battle to restore these constitutional rights. But with the judicial route now blocked for a time with the brutal conservative majority on the Supreme Court bench, they are looking at legislating a law to codify it.

Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer has scheduled a vote on a prospective law but he does not have the support of 60 members -- essentially, 10 Republicans -and is unlikely to get anywhere.

Democrats, who overwhelmingly favor abortion rights, cannot enact a protective law unless they expanded control of both chambers, which they don’t have now. But restoration of these rights could become a key election plank and a rallying point for liberals, starting with the midterm polls due in November.

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WORLD NEWS

Los Angeles, June 25 (IANS): The decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its historic Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision in its 50th year, has been greeted with widespread criticism from American celebrities.

Voicing the majority view in the entertainment industry, pop star Taylor Swift tweeted: "I'm absolutely terrified that this is where we are -- that after so many decades of people fighting for women's rights to their own bodies, today's decision has stripped us of that."

In a detailed response, cookery show host and author Padma Lakshmi said: "People will still get abortions. These procedures won't stop just because Roe v.

Wade is overturned. This will only prevent safe, legal abortions from taking place."

She added: "The right to decide when to start a family or not is a choice every individual should be

"I wish more people understood that the decision to have an abortion is deeply personal and complex. It's a decision that should be treated with compassion and empathy, not vilified or criminalised."

Thundered multiple awardwinning actress Ariana DeBose: "Yeah, ain't NOBODY telling me what I can & can't do with my body. Ain't nobody telling me who I get to love or marry for that matter. America ... you're in for the fight of your life."

Oscar-winning actress Patricia Arquette was equally unequivocal.

She said: "This Supreme Court is an absolute disaster. From giving people the right to carry guns to taking away women's rights of autonomy over their own bodies.

We weren't being reactive, we saw it coming."

But the last word certainly belonged to the best-selling author Stephen King. He tweeted: "It's the best Supreme Court the 19th century has yet produced."

Taliban converting schools into madrasas curriculum. The Taliban has also unveiled plans to build a vast network of madrasahs across the country's 34 provinces.

Khost (Afghanistan), June 26 (IANS): Dozens of state schools, public universities, and vocational training centers have been turned by the Taliban into Islamic seminaries across Afghanistan.

Equipped with a science laboratory, library, and computer lab, the Abdul Hai Habibi High School was considered one of the most modern and prestigious government schools in southeastern Afghanistan.

But since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, the secular school in the city of Khost has been converted into a madrasah, or religious seminary, forcing many of its 6,000 students and 130 teachers to leave, RFE/RL reported. Critics say the aim of the Islamist militant group is to root out all forms of the modern secular education that thrived in Afghanistan after the US-led invasion in 2001 toppled the Taliban's first regime.

Transforming Afghanistan's education system has been one of the Taliban's main goals since it regained power. The militants have banned girls from attending high school, imposed gender segregation and a new dress code at public universities, and vowed to overhaul the national

Madrasahs have a special place in the Taliban's worldview. The word "taliban" means students of madrasahs. Many members of the Taliban, which first emerged in the 1990s, studied at radical Islamic seminaries in neighbouring Pakistan.

A teacher in eastern Afghanistan said the Taliban was converting training centers for teachers into madrasahs. He said the centres, which follow the existing curriculum devised by the former government, provided training to new teachers. Each province has at least one training centre for teachers, RFE/RL reported.

"In certain provinces, the [Taliban's] Education Ministry has already handed over training centres to be converted into jihadist madrasahs," he said.

He said the Taliban has already converted training centres in the northern province of Baghlan and the eastern province of Kunar into madrasahs.

Mohammad Mohiq, an Islamic scholar, accused the Taliban of employing "social engineering."

He said the Taliban has a systematic plan to "brainwash" the next generation in madrasahs by undermining secular schools.

"This way, they can keep recruiting [madrasah] students to be their soldiers and build a medieval theocratic system," he said, RFE/RL reported.

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

G7 summit kicks off in Germany agreement."

The source said that there will be a statement about the issue of the Russia-Ukraine conflict by the G7 leaders. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will deliver a speech via video during the summit.

Elmau, June 27 (IANS): Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) kicked off their three-day annual summit in Schloss Elmau in south Germany's Bavarian Alps.

The summit will focus on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, climate and others.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, especially further sanctions against Russia, will dominate the discussions at the summit of the world's major industrialised countries, as US President Joe Biden said on June 26 morning that the G7 would impose a ban on imports of Russian gold, Xinhua news agency reported.

In the first working session on June 26, the leaders discussed global economic issues. All G7 countries are concerned about

the crises that are currently being dealt with: falling growth rates in some countries, rising inflation, shortages of raw materials and disruption to supply chains, according to the host German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

After the following working session in the afternoon, the G7 leaders launched a billiondollar global infrastructure and investment initiative, dubbed the "Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment."

A German federal government source said on June 25 night that price caps of Russian oil will be discussed, a measure that envisages forcing Russia to sell oil to large buyers such as India at a significantly lower price in the future. The G7 countries are intensively discussing the issue and are "on the way to finding an

Islamabad, June 26 (IANS): Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and his wife recently visited ailing former President Pervez Musharraf in Dubai, according to sources close to the former military rulers family.

"Gen Qamar and his wife were accompanied by top physicians of the Pakistan Army," one of the sources who was present at the meeting, told The Express

According to the sources, the visitors spent some time with Musharraf and his family at their apartment while the army doctors examined the 78-year-old former military ruler, who was diagnosed with the life-threatening health condition, called amyloidosis, in 2018. Amyloidosis is a group of rare, serious conditions that is caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein, called amyloid, in organs and tissues throughout the body.

If left untreated, these protein deposits can lead to organ failure.

The family of Musharraf, who has been living in self-exile in Dubai since 2016, has yet not made their mind to fly him back to Pakistan.

Recently, the family ruled out the possibility citing lack of proper treatment in Pakistan, The

Biden signs first gun reforms law in decades

Leaders will also address the food crisis caused by the RussiaUkraine conflict. They will try to seek ways to unblock Ukraine's grain exports across the Black Sea and make financial pledges to help countries hardest hit by the crisis.

According to the policy priorities made by the host country Germany, G7 leaders will also address issues including climate change, by establishing a "climate club" put forward by Scholz.

Besides leaders of Germany, the US, Japan, Canada, Britain, Italy, France and the EU, leaders from India, Indonesia, South Africa, Senegal and Argentina have been invited to take part in the summit.

The West bloc is expected to take advantage of the G7 summit to try to persuade major developing countries to join their sanctions against Russia, experts said.

Gen Qamar Bajwa, wife visit ailing Musharraf in Dubai Tribune. "Gen Musharraf and his family greeted the COAS and his wife with great delight," the source added.

WORLD NEWS

Express Tribune reported.

"An uninterrupted supply and administration of experimental drug Daratumumab needed alongside associated treatment of amyloidosis that are currently not available in Pakistan," the family wrote on Musharraf's Twitter handle on June 21.

"It's not easy to take a call on Musharraf's return from Dubai where he is undergoing treatment." The family also revealed that they had been assured that the Pakistani government and the military establishment would facilitate the septuagenarian general's smooth return.

"Communications have been received from official and unofficial channels that (Musharraf's) return home will be facilitated. We sincerely appreciate these overtures since Pakistan is home," they said.

Washington, June 25 (IANS): US President Joe Biden on June 25 signed into law a legislation that makes modest changes in the gun laws of the country but marks a significant step on reforms in decades. "Nothing is going to fill that void in their hearts," Biden said of survivors and relatives of gun violence victims. "But they lead the way so other families will not have the experience with pain and trauma that they have to live through." "Their message to us was to do something. How many times have you heard that? Just do something? For God's sake, just do something.

Well, today, we did," he added.

The bill, called "The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act", follows national outrage and frustration felt after killings of 10 African Americans in Buffalo, New York and 19 children at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas just 10 days apart in recent weeks.

Passed by the US Senate on June 23 and the House of Representatives on June 24, it expands background checks for prospective buyers between 18 and 21. Both the Buffalo and Uvalde shooters were 18, includes abusive dating partners in the list of those who could be prevented from buying guns, and, finally, it seeks to incentivise states to introduce red-flag laws that would allow law enforcement or relatives to prevent guns from falling in the hands of people who

could harm either themselves or others. The bill also seeks to pump in $15 billion into school safety and mental health care.

The bill was negotiated by 10 Republican and 10 Democratic Senators and passed both chambers of Congress with bipartisan voting, as many Republicans but not all joined their Democratic colleagues to break a decades-long logjam that prevented reforms; the last successful effort was in 1994 when assault weapons were banned.

"This vote shows that Senators can and will come together to find common ground on lifesaving issues," Sandy Hook Promise, an advocacy formed by the parents of the children killed in the Sandy Hook elementary school massacre of 2013, said in a statement after the Senate vote on June 23. "It is not a choice between protecting our children and communities and preserving the Second Amendment. We can do both."

"With this bipartisan package, we take the first steps to fight back on behalf of the American people, who desperately want new measures to keep communities safe in the high numbers in the polling," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on the floor of the House on June 24. "To those who lacked the courage to join in this work, I say your political survival is insignificant compared to the survival of our children."

Indo-Lankan lesbian lovers threaten suicide if not allowed to go to India

Colombo, June 27 (IANS): As Sri Lanka's LGBTQ+ community held a 'pride march' in Colombo recently to win rights for one of the country's most marginalised sections, in the eastern city of

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Akkaraipattue, a pair of Indian and Sri Lankan women, who had developed a lesbian relationship, threatened to commit suicide after being arrested for having an "abnormal relationship". The couple had met on social media two years ago and the 24-yearold from Tamil Nadu had invited the Sri Lanka woman to India but due to the overwork in the Immigration Department with the current economic crisis, she was not able to get her

passport prepared. On June 27, the Indian woman, arriving in Sri Lanka on a tourist visa, had gone to Akkaraipattu, 220 km from Colombo, and had stayed overnight at her friend's house.

The father of a 33-year-old local woman, who is married with one child, had objected to the relationship and complained to the local police station in Akkaraipattu. The police had arrested the two women and upon questioning, the Sri Lankan

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woman had said that she wanted to go to India with her friend and had threatened that both would commit suicide if they were not allowed to leave the country.

The police had produced them before Akkaraipattu Magistrate who, in turn, had ordered that the two women be examined by a psychiatrist and a report of psychiatric evaluation be prepared on them. According to Sri Lanka's laws - which dates from the time of colonial

British Ceylon, homosexuality is illegal and homosexual acts are punishable by a jail term of up to ten years. Rights groups have regularly complained that misusing the archaic law, police, government workers and others severely harass, intimidate, extort money and even carried out physical and sexual assault on members of the LGBTQ community. They had been demanding the immediate change of laws.

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WORLD THIS WEEK Contributed by the National Institute for Advanced Studies, Bengaluru

Europe: Approving Ukraine’s candidature for the EU Minister Sergey Lavrov said: "The EU is not a political bloc like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The development of its relations with any willing countries does not create threats or risks for us."

Compiled by Akriti Sharma, Harini Madhusudan and Rashmi Ramesh are PhD Scholars in the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Avishka Ashok, Ashwin Dhanabalan, Abigail Miriam Fernandes, Apoorva Sudhakar, Padmashree Anandhan and Rishma Banerjee are Research Associates at NIAS.

BRICS SUMMIT: China hosts the 14 Summit; calls for inclusivity and collective action

our priorities at BRICS. By getting to know each other better, our entrepreneurs can close deals that will result in mutual gains, also benefiting the workers in our countries."

What happened?

On 23 June, China, being the Chair, hosted and initiated the 14th BRICS Summit in Xiamen city. President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote address at the virtual summit and called for openness in the world order while advocating multilateralism and opposing hegemonic politics.

Xi's remarks stressed on opposing sanctions, promoting the emergence of non-Western powers, boosting innovation and cooperation, and repeatedly emphasized the importance of collective action and openness in the international order.

Xi urged the BRICS member countries to expand the group and said: "This year we have, on separate occasions, had in-depth discussions on the question of membership expansion. It is important to advance this process to allow like-minded partners to become part of the BRICS family at an early date."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said: "The BRICS format has been consistently increasing its prestige and international influence. This is an objective process, since the five BRICS countries, as we all know, have immense political, economic, scientific, technical and human

Also in News

potential." Indian Prime Minister Modi implored the members to improve connectivity and said: "There are multiple areas wherein through cooperation between BRICS nations, the citizens have benefitted. By increasing connectivity between BRICS Youth Summits, BRICS Sports, civil society organizations and think-tanks, we've strengthened our people-to-people connect."

South African President highlighted the benefits reaped by the country as a part of the group and said: "The BRICS membership of South Africa allows the country to employ additional and powerful tools in its fight to address its domestic triple challenge of unemployment, poverty, and inequality through science, technology, and innovation, energy, health, and education cooperation, as well as through BRICS financing for infrastructure development, capacity building, research, educational and skilling, trade, investment, and tourism opportunities." Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called for joint efforts by the BRICS countries in reforming the United Nations system. During the BRICS Business Forum, Bolsonaro said: "The connection among our business communities is one of

At the Summit, the member countries adopted the BRICS 2022 declaration which placed emphasis on "Strengthening and reforming global governance, working in solidarity to combat COVID-19, safeguarding peace and security, promoting Economic recovery, expediting implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and deepening people-to-people exchanges and institutional development."

What does it mean?

The 14th BRICS summit reiterated the need to collectively address global challenges and engage with more countries in the developing world. A few countries within the group consider BRICS as a tool to engage further with other Latin American and African countries as they foresee potential and believe in uniting the emerging economies against the West. The evolution of the objectives of the group from economic to political unitedness shows the changing nature of the international order.

It also clarifies China and Russia's intentions in creating an antiWest grouping and increasing their influence in the SouthSouth cooperation.

On Ukraine, although the joint declaration at the BRICS summit called for dialogue between the warring countries, the group did not elaborate on a clear solution to end the war. The action depicts the failure of the group to address and resolve conflicts because of the China-Russia superiority.

China: Heavy rains and floods cause economic activity to shut again On 23 June, the water levels in the Pearl River delta hit a record high in the century due to floods and heavy rains. Thousands of people from the Guangdong province in South China were evacuated after the country weather body issued orange and red alerts across the

region. On 22 June, the Ministry of water resources placed its highest flood alert on the Pearl River basin and said that the Provincial capital city of Guangzhou would also be deeply impacted by the rains. China's economic powerhouses, Guangzhou and

Shenzhen have shut production in factories once again, due to the weather conditions.

The provincial emergency management estimated a direct economic loss of 1.7 billion yuan recently.

India: Technical team reopens embassy after the Taliban takeover On 24 June, India sent a "technical team" to Kabul to reopen the embassy for the first time after the Taliban takeover. It also sent humanitarian assistance after the earthquake which killed 1,000 people. The team and aid were sent in an Indian Air Force Ilyushin-76 aircraft. The Indian

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embassy is the 15th mission to be opened in Kabul under the Taliban regime. Other countries, including Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, European Union, are already functioning. According to a statement by the MEA: "In order to closely monitor and coordinate

the efforts of various stakeholders for the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance and in continuation of our engagement with the Afghan people, an Indian technical team has reached Kabul today and has been deployed in our Embassy there,"

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WORLD THIS WEEK

What does it mean?

What happened?

On 23 June, the European Parliament adopted a resolution to grant "EU candidate status" to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova without further delay.

It also stated on providing the same to Georgia on fulfilling the priorities listed by the European Commission.

According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: "Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia share the strong and legitimate aspiration of joining the European Union. Today, we are sending them a clear signal of support in their aspirations, even as they face challenging circumstances. And we do so standing firm on our European values and standards, setting out the path they need to follow in order to join the EU." Upon the announcement, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the European leaders and said: "This is the greatest step towards strengthening Europe that could be taken right now, in our time, and precisely in the context of Russia's war, which is testing our ability to preserve freedom and unity." Moldovan President Maia Sandu tweeted: "strong signal of support for Moldova and our citizens."

On 24 June, Russia's Foreign

First, for Ukraine and Moldova, gaining the candidate status means a correction path to streamline the corruption issues, shape society, judicial reforms, pursue European objectives, and, most importantly marking its sovereign boundary. Although candidates' status will open the door for Ukraine to relook into its economic and political process, the steps to accession will be the real trouble. Till now the minimal time taken by the EU to grant the membership has been three to five years, therefore Ukraine and Moldova will continue to face Russia on the ground but with renewed support from the EU. Second, the EU will face a serious set of challenges on two fronts. One, with an economy recovering from the pandemic, increased military expenditure for Ukraine, ongoing energy crisis, and inflation, the EU need to be tactical in transforming Ukraine and the Balkans in their accession process. Two, the existing member states oppose the membership of certain countries such as Hungary and Poland because of the decline in rule of law, as they fear the implications of migrant labour on the EU's finance and identity, and limitations in instilling democracy during the accession process.

Sri Lanka: Prime Minister addresses the parliament on the economic crisis and a visit by an Indian delegation On 22 June, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka addressed the parliament and called on all the parties to jointly work towards recovering the country from economic catastrophe. He also said that the country's economic crisis was much more than the shortage of fuel, electricity, fertilizers, and food. He said: "Our economy has faced a complete collapse. That is the most serious issue before us today. These issues can only be

resolved through the reviving of the Sri Lankan economy. In order to do this, we must first resolve the foreign reserves crisis faced by us." On 23 June, an Indian delegation, including the Foreign Secretary of India, visited Sri Lanka and held discussions with the Prime Minister and President of Sri Lanka regarding the Indian assistance to Sri Lanka in reviving the economy. Sri Lanka is looking forward to USD 500 million as fuel aid from India.

The US: China’s Ministry of Commerce responds to ban on products from Xinjiang On 21 June, the US Customs and Border Protection implemented the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and imposed a ban on products imported from China's Xinjiang region.

China's Ministry of Commerce spokesperson accused the US of economic coercion for imposing the ban. The statement by the ministry spokesperson said: "The move will seriously damage the interests of Chinese and US consumers and enterprises,

and will do no good for the stabilization of global industrial and supply chains, global inflation easing, or the promotion of global economic recovery." The Ministry of Commerce further accused the US of practicing unilateralism, protectionism and bullying China in the name of human rights. The spokesperson also highlighted that the US behaviour violated the rules of the World Trade Organization and undermined the market principles.

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EDUCATION

STUDENT MENTORING AND RESEARCH TRAINING (SMART) PROGRAM June-August 2022 Bennett University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Australia-based Institute for Australia India Engagement (IAIE) to create opportunities for students to undertake internships in Australia. As a part of the MoU students are inducted into the Student Mentoring and Research Training (SMART) program which provides research and leadership training and mentoring and an opportunity to design, edit and publish commentaries on Australia-India relationship, for the INDIA NEWS and IAIE’s SMART Newsletter.

Program Coordinator: Ms. Anushka Saxena, IAIE Adjunct Fellow, and post graduate student, O.P. Jindal Global University Commentators: Ms. Isha Raje, Ms Yashi Sharma, Ms. Sreejoni Baruah, Mr. Ishan Vats, Mr. Yuvraj Singh, Ms. Maitreyi Upadhyay and Ms. Pooja Lakshmi (Students, B.B.A. LL. B. Hons., Bennett University, India)

India-Australia education partnership exchange between India and Australia, so a Joint Working Group on Education and Training between the two countries have recognized several priority sectors for cooperation, such as research collaborations in education policy, research student exchange programs, building capacity in vocational education, and distance learning in higher education.

By Isha Raje¸ Student, B.B.A. LL. B. (Hons.), Bennett University, India The number of Indian students studying in Australia has significantly increased, and the country has surpassed the United Kingdom as the secondlargest destination for Indian students.

There is a lot of academic

Recently, there has been a meeting between the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) M Jagadesh Kumar and Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner Sarah Storey and her colleagues regarding the collaboration between the two countries. Kumar further stated that the UGC would issue enabling norms to allow topranked international HEIs to build campuses in India.

Mathew Johnston (Minister Counsellor) and Brett Galt-Smith (Counsellor) of Education and Research of

the Australian government attended the conference. During the discussion, both parties discussed perspectives on how to foster successful collaboration between the two nations, citing education as one of the critical areas for cooperation between the presidents of India and Australia.

“In Gujarat International Finance Technology City (GIFT), the Australian side has shown a keen interest.” In the GIFT City, Jagadesh Kumar guaranteed the Australian side of the UGC’s help and advice in assisting Australian universities in building campuses and delivering courses in various fields like Mathematics, Science, Technology, Engineering, Financial Management, and FinTech.

In recent years, the two nations’ collaboration and coordination have grown at an exponential rate. Deepening India-Australia ties are built on common values, interests, geography, and goals.

Various aspects of India-Australia economic and trade relations comprehensive Free Trade Agreement is concluded.

The “India-Australia” Agreement encompasses cooperation across an entire gamut of bilateral economic and commercial relations between the two friendly countries, and covers areas like: • Trade in Services; • Trade in Goods, Rules of Origin;

By Yashi Sharma, Student, B.B.A. LL. B. (Hons.), Bennett University, India Earlier this year, India and Australia announced that they are set to conclude an Interim Trade Agreement in February 2022 and a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) some months thereafter. The India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement was finally signed in April 2022.

A interim or early harvest trade agreement is used to liberalize tariffs on the trade of certain goods between two countries or trading blocs, before a

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• Dispute Settlement, Movement of Natural Persons; • Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT); • Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures; • Telecom, Customs Procedures.

The fourth meeting of the foreign ministers of the QUAD grouping was held in Melbourne, Australia, a few months ago as well. Both countries have

noted that the coalition has given a boost to the trade relations between all member countries of the QUAD. Australia noted that it already had a Free Trade Agreement with both the US and Japan, and that all four countries could start building a framework for economic cooperation within the countries of the QUAD after they announced a deal with India.

So far, India and Australia enjoy outstanding bilateral relations.

These relations have undergone transformational evolution in recent years, developing along a constructive track, into a friendly association. This is a special partnership characterized by shared values of parliamentary democracies, commonwealth traditions, pluralistic, longstanding people-to-people ties, expanding economic engagement,

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Indo-Pacific economic framework: An initiative to counter China

By Ishaan Vats, Student, B.B.A. LL. B. (Hons.), Bennett University, India In the last decade, India and Australia have strengthened their defense ties owing to China’s growing presence in the IndoPacific region and the recent India-China confrontation at the Line of Actual Control in 2020.

Both the countries have actively participated in several bilateral discussions and are active participants of the QUAD. The countries are also participants in the AUSINDEX, a bilateral naval exercise, and Malabar Exercise, a multilateral naval exercise between India, the U.S., Australia, and Japan.

Recently, both countries have

taken a step further in developing their bilateral relations as well as their relations with other countries by becoming part of the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, launched in May 2022. The framework focuses on four main pillars of cooperation for enhanced economic growth of the region - connectivity, resilience, clean economy, and just economy. In a significant victory for multilateralism, the framework has been accepted by seven of the ten ASEAN members, New Zealand, and South Korea apart from the QUAD members.

Acceptance from these countries would be a blow to China’s growing presence in the region especially in the South China Sea and near the Strait of Malacca.

The framework is important as the same encourages the regional economies to decouple from the Chinese market, in order to regulate the rapid expansion of the dragon’s presence in the region, especially after the recent defense pact allegedly signed between China and the Solomon Islands. The framework also aims to ensure an open and free trade in the region by restricting dominance by any particular country in regional economics.

The expansive India-Australia dynamics and sports

By Yuvraj Singh, Student, B.B.A. LL. B. (Hons.), Bennett University, India The bilateral relationship between India and Australia has evolved recently, progressing favourably towards becoming cordial cooperation. The ideals of pluralistic, Westminster-style

democracies, Commonwealth traditions, growing economic connection, and rising highlevel interaction are shared by the two countries and serve as the foundation for their many similarities. Strong, thriving, secular, multicultural democracies, a free press, an independent legal system, and the English language are just a few of the many things they have in common. These things lay the groundwork for deeper cooperation and fruitful engagement. India is now seen as a possible partner by Australia in fostering regional security and stability.

Officials from the Department of Sports, the Sports Authority of India, state institutions, and sports federations make up the

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INDIA NEWS Indian delegation. The Australian government provides funding for the program. Officials will receive training in the finest practices in sports administration, management, and sports science from administrators and specialists from the University of Canberra, a top university for sports education. Sessions on improving India’s sports systems will be led by the Australian Institute of Sport, which has coached many of Australia’s gold medalists. In the development of high-performance sports and sports participation, the AIS is a global leader. The Commonwealth Games Association will be met by participants to discuss preparations for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24 Participants will also view Australia’s cutting-edge sporting venues.

The two countries’ bilateral relationship was upgraded to a “Strategic Partnership” as a result, and a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation was issued in 2009. A variety of institutional mechanisms have been established over time to foster bilateral cooperation, including the exchange of high-level visits, the Framework Dialogue of Foreign Ministers, the Joint Trade and Commerce Ministerial Commission, staff talks, energy security dialogues, the AustraliaIndia Education Council, and Track-2 dialogues like the Australia-India Leadership Dialogue.

Aspects of a joint working group for defence technology research the meeting was a step forward “in advancing defence ties.”

Further, the meeting of the IndiaAustralia Joint Working Group ( JWG) on Defence Research and Materiel Cooperation will take place in Australia, as stated in the bilateral statement.

By Maitreyi Upadhyay, Student, B.B.A. LL. B. (Hons.), Bennett University, India In an effort to strengthen the relationship and address the shared concerns about the rise of Chinese dominance in the Indo-Pacific, India, and Australia have focused on strengthening bilateral defence research and materiel cooperation.

Rajnath Singh, India’s defence minister, praised the strengthening ties between the two nations and referred to Australia as “India’s close and trusted partner.” Singh and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi where Marles echoed Singh’s statement and added that

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EDUCATION

India – Australia relations in the context of China’s rise

By Maitreyi Upadhyay, Student, B.B.A. LL. B. (Hons.), Bennett University, India Since 1780, the relationship between India and Australia has grown primarily through business ventures. Given the shared principles derived from Commonwealth traditions, the relationship has been cordial.

India and Australia share many similarities in safeguarding national interests and balancing relations with the US and China

in light of China’s ascent and the intensification of the USChina conflict, which helps to advance relations between the two nations. Through official statements and practical implementation measures, the two-way relationship has undoubtedly advanced. The promotion of the partnership to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” has opened the door for deeper and broader cooperation in a range of disciplines, from high-level to grassroots politics. Regarding the efficiency of bilateral activities, there are still issues. First, India and Australia rarely speak out against China’s unilateral moves in the Indo-Pacific, despite embracing the principle of respect for the rule of law at sea.

Despite the fact that China has been steadily on the rise, India and Australia would need some

time to respond and advance due to their dependence on and divergent views of their intricate relationships with China. These shortcomings are partly due to differences in the two countries’ views of the China factor and each country’s strategic vision. Australia only considers China’s expansion as an issue of influence. Hence, Australia’s countermeasures and policies revolve around issues that can affect the country directly or indirectly. Meanwhile, India has territorial conflicts with China and considers China a vital factor in its long-term strategy. On the other hand, Australia considers the US an important ally and wishes to maintain this link, while India has committed not to align with any countries and would implement multi-alignment in mandatory situations. This may lead to different trends in longterm goals and the process of India–Australia cooperation.

The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA), which also makes it easier to expand overall defence cooperation, enables the forces of the two nations to use each other’s bases for supply replenishment and repair. In November 2020 as well as the previous year, the Australian Navy participated in the Malabar naval exercise that was hosted by India.

India and Australia signed an agreement for reciprocal access to military bases for logistics assistance in June 2020, elevating their relations to a complete strategic alliance.

The comprehensive strategic partnership that India and Australia signed, included a joint vision on maritime security, a defence science and technology research initiative, and a significant defence logistics agreement, with cooperation in defence and security being one of its key pillars.

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EDITORIAL

From the editor's desk ‘Instrument of Last Resort’ marches Australia shares India’s secretary for China concerns parliamentary foreign affairs and then he had

on ‘Agnipath’: How can it lead to better determined by gauging the operational effectiveness? type of candidates opting for

observed, “India holds great importance for Australia and the wider region”. His assessment of India’s stature and challenges apparently remains unchanged.

Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles visited India on a four-day tour, the highestlevel visit so far, since Anthony Albanese government took charge in Canberra. The main objective of the visit was to boost defence and strategic cooperation with India and “compare notes with friends”.

Minister Marles’visit bears high significance both, in bilateral and strategic contexts, and his sharp remarks during the visit have proven the skeptics wrong who anticipated a softening of the Australia’s policy towards Chinaand perhaps a less intensive engagement with India consequently, under the new Labor regime. However, Minister Marles emphasized, “There hasn’t been a point in both countries’ histories where there has been such a strong strategic alignment… [and Canberra is keen to] deepen its understanding of, and engagement with, one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations, the soon to be most populous nation in the world, and a deeply consequential power”.He also said that Australia has placed India at the heart of its policy in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

But perhaps, his strongest remark transpired during his speech at the National Defence College, where he called China as Australia’s biggest trading partner as well as a security anxiety, and reminded that neighbours needed reassurance to prevent any quid pro quo military build-up. In India’s context he reiterated, “India’s own experience illustrates this maxim more than most. The assault on Indian forces along the Line of Actual Control in 2020 was a warning we should all heed. Australia stood up for India’s sovereignty then and continues to do so now. It is vital that China commits to resolving this dispute through a process of dialogue consistent with international law. The global rules-based order matters everywhere, including in the highest place on earth”.

Many are not aware that this is not the first visit by Minister Marles to India. In 2012, he had visited India as the Australian

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Minister Marles is not alone in making such an assessment.

In June 2022, the US Army’s Pacific Commanding General Charles Fynn visited New Delhi and had remarked that China’s behavior was “destabilizing and corrosive in the IndoPacific and not helpful at all”. He also said China’s infrastructure development in Eastern Ladakh is “eye opening” and one must ask what is the intention behind these developments and the military build-up. He highlighted that China’s behaviour has changed considerably between 2014 and 2022, and the CCP and PRC have taken an increment and insidious path which is destabilizing and corrosive for the region.

Australia has also experienced serious difficulties in dealing with China’s aggressive domestic and foreign policies, which came to aboil in 2021in the form of punitive tariff imposition, when prime minister Scott Morrison demanded an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus from a lab in Wuhan. Former foreign Minister Marise Payne too had also been deeply critical of China’s crackdown against prodemocracy protestors in Hong Kong, against Uyghurs Muslims in Xinjiang and bellicosity and bluster towards Taiwan.

Also, Defence Minister Peter Dutton had accused China of cyber-attacks and interference in Australia’s political and internal affairs. Australia’s concerns are no different to those of India, US and Japan which haveunderpinned the mobilization of the quadrilateral understanding and cooperation between the four and also become a catalyst for the Australia, UK and US (AUKUS) grouping.

Minister Marles visit is expected to boost bilateral cooperation in clean energy technologies, ultra low-cost solar and clean hydrogen manufacturing and deployment, affordable and reliable energy access for all, cyber, drone and space cooperation, maritime exchanges, mutual defence logistics arrangements, intelligence sharing and a shared strategic resolve to ensure an open, resilient, secure and rules-based Indo-Pacific.

Undoubtedly, AustraliaIndia Compressive Strategic Partnership is at a historic high.

Strategic Scenario India faces an unique strategic scenario in which it has unsettled borders with two nuclear neighbours, both of which are illegally occupying some of its territory, as well as an ongoing border standoff with one and a proxy war with the other. Chinese incremental infrastructure development along borders, as well as upcoming villages along the LAC, are leading to LoCization of the LAC, necessitating a large standing army and increased deployment in high altitude areas.

Professional militaries prepare for next war and can’t fight it like last war; hence, force modernisation, inculcating cutting edge niche technology and capacity building in all domains and instruments of warfare is an inescapable requirement for which Indian Military has to transform. ‘Agnipath’ is one such transformational scheme related to recruiting pattern, but big enough to revisit the implications on strong fabric of Indian Military. The Agnipath Scheme has merits to be tried, tested and improved. It shouldn’t be applauded/condemned prematurely nor the concerns can be side-lined, but it deserves a fair chance for implementation and improvement, to arrive at a tested improved model.

Prognosis of Agnipath Agnipath, like all major transformational decisions, has some degree of uncertainty.

Change management is equally important, and too many changes simultaneously reduce acceptability and chances of mitigating the disadvantages of the change. Agnipath seeks to implement four changes concurrently: recruitment pattern, rightsizing of the Indian military, transition to an All India All Class (AIAC) system from a regimental class-based system and reduction in training period.

It is preferable to modify the model to prioritise changes and to take fewer steps at a time with adequate scope for mid-course correction.

Operational Issues The details of the Agnipath Scheme are in the open domain since June 14, and there have been varied views and responses for over two weeks. In comparison to the old recruitment system,

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the scheme has the advantage of lowering the average age profile of soldiers by about six years (which is relevant due to unprecedented strength in super high altitude terrain necessitating a younger profile) and providing an opportunity for deep selection among Agniveers after four years (a period within which an Agniveer would have been observed in two postings). These advantages come at a high cost in terms of a reduction in the critical attribute of adequate experience, which will become more apparent after a few years of adoption, if the announced model of 25% retention is not mitigated. Going

by VCOAS statement of having 50 per cent Agniveers by 2032, if statistically modelled will amount to approximately one trained soldier for three inadequately trained Agniveers, which is operationally unsustainable and must not be compromised.

While many may argue that Emergency Commission officers with three months of training and Short Service Commission officers with nine month training and uncertainty of job, when employed in war gave good results, but the population of such officers amidst experienced lot was too less; hence inexperience could be carried through. In my opinion, the retention percentage should be reversed to 75 per cent Agniveers to be retained and 25 per cent be diverted to other avenues of national contribution after skilling and empowering with military ethos.

Human Resource (HR) Issues The HR concerns seems to have taken away the attention from major transformation issues in last two weeks, with some motivated elements instigating violent protests and political hijacking of the issue. Agnipath being a voluntary scheme unlike conscription in other countries, offers a viable option to a young man with decent financial package to opt for it or otherwise.

From candidates point of view, the scheme is most attractive for youngest candidates, who can join at 17-18 years, even if not absorbed in military, can leave at a age when they are eligible for any other competition/job, for which they can have an edge over their counterparts who did not join military, in job market, in terms of qualifications, experience, and finances. As the entry age grows the attractiveness of the package reduces; hence Military can hope to get better recruits by ‘catch them young principle’. The fact that for every vacancy of Agniveer in IAF, more than 20 candidates registered in first few days indicates the availability of adequate volunteers.

The HR viability of the scheme is still untested and will be

it in the coming months and actual placements after four years. Agnipath recruitment has to compete with other options for youth offering permanency of job, therefore many concessions have been announced by the Government, public and private sectors, the apprehensions against which will get tested, when the first batch is demobilised. From a military standpoint, the scheme must be appealing enough that it selects Best out of Best rather than Best out of Leftovers.

Many more teething problems in HR and legal issues will arise as a result of system change, many of which will have to be experienced and mitigated as they arise. The changes to AIAC require further consideration and should not be grouped with Agnipath, as the strategic and security environment in India is too volatile to depart from time-tested regimental ethos, and should not be compared to other militaries, as no one has the diversity of the kind that the Indian Military has.

Rightsizing/Downsizing: A Misnomer!

It is understandable that in developing economy there is competing demand for financial resources and a need for get more ‘Bang for the Buck’ through modernisation and capacity building in all instruments and dimensions of contact and noncontact warfare. Rightsizing is necessary for optimisation of resources. Rightsizing, does not necessarily means downsizing in Indian scenario wherein the security situation at LC, LAC with proxy and Hybrid war demands enough boots on ground. The Agnipath Scheme is based on the simultaneous downsizing of forces by over one lakh people due to non-recruitment in the last two years and less recruitment in the future. Why is India considering reducing military numbers when the threat is increasing and modernization is insufficient to compensate for the loss of numbers in terms of comprehensive combat power?

For a viable National Security architecture, a ‘Whole of Nation Approach’ is required; thus, the mindset of seeking funds for modernization through military downsizing must be extended to other government bodies such as the PMF, defence civilians, and so on. Identifying existing and future military deficiencies as rightsizing may result in serious voids.

(Major General S.B. Asthana is a strategic and security analyst, a veteran Infantry General. He is the Chief Instructor, United Service Institution of India. The views expressed are personal)

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INDIA NEWS

SPECIAL FEATURES

As PM Modi participates in G7 Summit, here’s why India’s regular interaction with global leadership is so important of strong and close partnership and high-level political contacts between India and Germany. His visit is expected to give a major push to strengthen political and economic ties with the seven of the world's advanced economies.

New Delhi, June 25: Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Germany on June 25 night to attend the Group of Seven (G7) Summit beginning in Schloss Elmau, near Munich in Bavaria.

PM Modi has been invited to the June 26-27 event by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who holds the G7 Presidency currently.

The summit gathers leaders from the European Union and Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

In an effort to strengthen international collaboration on important issues - or as Chancellor Scholz said "to recognize the democracies of the global south as partners" -

other nations such as Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa have also been invited.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will also hold bilateral meetings and discussions with the leaders of the G7 as also the guest countries on the sidelines of the Summit. He is also scheduled to have an interaction with the Indian diaspora at a community event during his stay in Germany.

Prime Minister Modi's last visit to Germany was for the 6th Intergovernmental consultations held in Berlin on May 2, the first one he co-chaired with the new German Chancellor.

The invitation to the G7 Summit is in keeping with the tradition

"India's regular participation at the G7 Summits clearly points to increasing acceptance and recognition that India needs to be a part of any and every sustained effort to find solution to solve the challenges, global challenges in particular which are being faced by the world," said Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra before the PM's departure.

Kwatra mentioned that the G7 Summit has chosen five key priorities for the current year - Energy transition, Economic recovery and transformation, Pandemic prevention and control, Sustainable investments and infrastructure and Promotion of shared values of democracy.

On June 27, PM Modi is scheduled to participate in two sessions along with other partner countries of the G7 Summit - one relating to climate, energy and health and the second on food security and gender equality.

The Foreign Secretary said that it is "quite possible" that on the sideline conversations with other

leaders of the G7 and the outreach countries, that the situation in the region will come up for discussions.

Prince of Abu Dhabi - took place in January 2017 when he was also the chief guest at Republic Day celebrations.

He highlighted that the key significance of the Prime Minister's continuous engagement with the leadership of the global world - whether it's at QUAD, G7, BRICS, or the G20 - is the mitigation of challenges being faced by the world right now which are global in nature.

The Foreign Secretary said that it is "common knowledge" that both the leaders, that is the present President of the UAE and the Prime Minister of India, have very regularly and continuously nurtured the comprehensive strategic partnership between India and the UAE over the past few years.

"India's presence, India's participation, India's role, India's responsibility, India's involvement is absolutely essential to find those solutions to the global problems," said Kwatra.

After attending the G7 Summit, PM Modi will be travelling to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on June 28 to pay his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former UAE President and Abu Dhabi ruler.

The PM will also take the opportunity to congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new President of UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi.

The Indian PM last visited UAE in August 2019 while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's last visit to India - as then Crown

During the virtual summit in February this year, both countries also signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which has since entered into force and the first consignments under that CEPA agreement have started flowing from India to UAE and vice versa.

"We are all aware that India and UAE share very close and friendly relations, whose foundations lay in our historical people to people contacts. Our vision for bilateral relations includes partnership in diverse areas, including trade, investment, energy, particularly renewable energy, food security, health, defence, skill development, education and culture," he stated.

Indian auto ancillaries moving towards EVs, green manufacturing About the market, Kapur said the domestic demand for vehicles is strong and would continue to be so as the macro-economic factors are also strong.

The $10 billion replacement/ retail market is also good for the component industry as many people postponed new vehicle purchases during the past two years owing to Covid pandemic, he added.

"The chip shortage will grow the second hand car segment which in turn would increase the after market sales of auto components," Kapur said.

Chennai, June 23 (IANS): Sensing a global opportunity in the electric vehicles (EV) segment, Indian automotive ancillaries are shifting gears in sync with the trend, said a top industry sector official.

Many of the players in the $46 billion (FY21) industry are also supplying to non-auto sectors like defence, railways and aerospace, Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) President Sunjay J. Kapur said.

"About 60 percent of our Executive Committee members (about 50) are ready to supply components for EVs and the remaining 40 per cent will be ready next year. EV

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is an opportunity for Indian auto component makers.

Electrification is happening by government regulation and consumer demand," Kapur told IANS.

been approved under the Productivity Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.

He said the vehicle makers have an EV platform for most of the new models.

Each one of them has to invest about Rs 250 crore over a period of five years to benefit under the PLI scheme and the quantum of investment is a whopping Rs 18,750 crore.

Also auto ancillaries are also moving towards sustainable/ green manufacturing, Kapur added.

According to Kapur, the majority of the new investments will be for catering to the emerging EV segment with future technologies.

Given this, auto ancillaries are also investing towards future and EV technologies in the areas of telematics, display units and others like sustainable manufacturing technologies.

"Electrification of the automobile industry will not wipe out the component sector that primarily catered to the internal combustion engine vehicle segment," ACMA Director General Vinnie Mehta told IANS.

Kapur said 75 companies have

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Like the common parts for various vehicle models, vehicle makers are also looking at commonality/standardisation of semiconductor chips that can be used for different applications.

According to Kapur, the nature of the after market will also undergo a change like the Original Equipment Manufacturing sector as the products will be more advanced.

Queried about the industry looking at diversifying its customer base by looking at sectors like aerospace, he said: "We are looking at the industry as a mobility industry. It is a matter of understanding what it takes to supply the aerospace sector."

Rocket maker Agnikul Cosmos co-founder Srinath Ravichandran

had told IANS that they "source off-the-shelf products of auto component vendors. Electronic boards, parts, sensors and others that are used in automobiles can also be used in the rockets with tweaking".

Auto component makers used to look at other sectors like defence, railways for sales when the vehicle sales hit a downslide and revert back when automobile sales pick up.

On green manufacturing, Brakes India Private Ltd will make green iron castings out of its foundry at Naidupeta in Andhra Pradesh for Sweden's Volvo Group.

According to Volvo, the green castings, which will be produced

by Brakes India, utilise scrap, alloys, and raw materials which are 100 percent radioactive elements free.

The production involves recycling of 100 per cent metallic scrap generated by other industries to manufacture a usable product.

The plant will operate on 100 per cent green power from solar and wind energy.

Meanwhile Kapur and Mehta said the Indian auto ancillaries sector is expected to log 10 per cent growth in FY23, similar to what is expected for FY22.

The FY22 industry numbers are being collated, Mehta said.

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

MAKE IN INDIA

MAKE IN INDIA

As world economies restart their engines in a bid to regain lost ground due to the Covid-19 pandemic, India too shows signs of economic buoyancy and promise. India’s Make in India initiative holds a key to the global economic revival, something that should interest Australian government ministries, corporate sector, entrepreneurs, institutions seeking R&D collaborations and Australia Inc in general, among others.

India assumes greater importance as several major world economies including American, Japanese, German, British and South Korean look to move out and diversify their businesses from China. India has jumped to 63rd rank in the World Bank’s Ease of Development 2020 report, and has also been ranked as the 9th largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment destinations in 2019 by the World Investment Report 2020 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Export-Import procedure

F

oreign trade in India is promoted and facilitated by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI). The DGFT issues the authorisation to exporters and monitors their corresponding obligations through a network of 38 regional offices. The DGFT also implements the Foreign Trade Policy of India.

Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) is the prime policy that lays down simple and transparent procedures which are easy to comply with and administer for efficient management of foreign trade in India. The Policy aims at enhancing the country’s trade for economic growth and employment generation.

The Customs Tariff Act and the Central Excise Tariff Act are the other two important Acts that lay down how the Customs and Excise duties shall be levied on trade, respectively.

India achieved all-time high annual merchandise export of $417.81 bn in FY 2021-22, an increase of 43.18% over $291.81 bn in FY2020-21 and an increase of 33.33% over $313.36 bn in FY201920.

India’s overall exports (i.e.

Services and Merchandise) touched $ 676.2 bn in financial year 2021-2022 as both Services and Merchandise hit record high exports in financial year 20212022. India’s overall exports were $ 526.6 bn and $ 497.9 bn in 201920 and 2020-21 respectively.

India has achieved a monthly value of merchandise export in April 2022 amounting to $ 38.19 bn, an increase of 24.22% over $ 30.75 bn in April 2021.

Merchandise Exports scale a new high in April; cross $ 40 bn, registering 30% growth over April, 2021.

Information on all Customs procedures and regulatory compliances can be accessed at www.cip.icegate.gov.in/CIP for nearly 12,000 Customs Tariff Items.

Moreover, Government has also released 'Trade Facilitation Measures to ease of the exportimport facilitations in India during the outbreak of COVID-19.

Modi meets Foxconn chief, hails manufacturing plans for India announcement of the productionlinked incentive (PLI) scheme for semiconductors and display manufacturing. Vedanta is planning to invest around $15 billion in a phase-wise manner over the next 5-10 years to build displays and semiconductor chips in India. The JV will look at setting up a semiconductor manufacturing plant in the next two years, said the companies.

New Delhi, June 23 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 23 met Taiwanbased manufacturing giant Foxconn's Chairman Young Liu and hailed the company's electronics manufacturing plans in the country. "Glad to meet Mr. Young Liu, Chairman, Foxconn. I welcome their plans for expanding electronics manufacturing capacity in India, including in semiconductors," Modi said in a tweet. The Taiwanbased company is also planning to set up an EV manufacturing plant in India. Foxconn's EV manufacturing arm, Foxtron, is planning to set up manufacturing plants at various locations in southeast Asia, including India.

"Our push for EV manufacturing is in line with our commitment of Net Zero Emission," the prime minister said in the tweet.

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Liu also met Akarsh Hebbar, Vedanta Group's Global Managing Director of Display and Semiconductor Business, to discuss next steps for their proposed partnership to manufacture semiconductor chips in the country. Vedanta and Foxconn signed an MoU in February to form a joint venture company in India. Vedanta will hold 60 per cent of the equity in the JV while Foxconn will own 40 per cent. "The Vedanta-Foxconn partnership will, in the coming years, arrest the electronic component import bill of around $100 billion. Vedanta and Foxconn are in discussion with some state governments, to finalise the location of semiconductor units soon," the companies said in a statement. This is the first joint venture in the electronics manufacturing space after the

India, which aims to become a global semiconductor hub in coming years, is set to pump $30 billion into its technology sector to achieve independence on chips so that it isn't "held hostage" to global suppliers.

The Indian government recently announced an outlay of Rs 76,000 crore (around $10 billion), under its production linked incentive (PLI) scheme, separately for the development of a semiconductor and display manufacturing electronics ecosystem. In the last few years, India has been actively promoting cooperation with Taiwan in trade, investment, tourism, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges. Both the countries have also constituted teams for the expansion of fruitful collaboration in education and skill development.

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I n d i a p av i n g t h e way fo r a c o n s c i o u s p i vo t t o re n ewa ble s

I

n accordance with the COP26 targets, nations from all over the world have been demonstrating their dedication to making the transition to a green economy and pursuing climate initiatives. The road to net zero emissions by 2050 is long but full of rewards. Evidently, emerging markets stand to suffer from climate change’s greatest effects and stand to gain the most from our collective climate ambition. However, only 20 percent of the world’s investment in clean energy is being made by developing and emerging economies, and only 17 per cent of the total funds dedicated to COVID-19 economic recovery take environmental factors into account. In spite of the fact that many more governments have pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2021, most nations have returned to looking for new fossil fuel sources and increasing their consumption of coal, oil, and natural gas as a result of the global energy crisis. The capacity of renewable energy is a long way from meeting the benchmarks required to achieve the global climate goals in this decade.

Around 3,146 GW of installed renewable energy capacity was added globally by countries in 2021, an increase of 11 per cent from the year before. Although installed capacity increased, the proportion of renewable energy in the world’s energy demand remained unchanged in 2021.

The levels of renewable energy currently available are by no means sufficient to keep the world on course to attain net-zero emissions by 2050.

Furthermore, India was placed third in the world for renewable energy installations in 2021, behind China and Russia, according to a report just released

by REN21, the only worldwide network of actors involved in renewable energy from science, governments, NGOs, and industry.

India, under this context, has aggressively prioritised climateconscious growth and has created significant programmes to cut emissions as it makes its way to economic prosperity. A strategy for clean energy and climate mitigation, which are priorities for development over the next 25 years, is provided in the country’s Union Budget for FY 2022–2023.

The Prime Minister unveiled five new climate change targets, one of which was the historic netzero pledge by 2070. To achieve net-zero means to remove from the atmosphere an equal amount of carbon dioxide as is created. All four of India’s additional pledges are due by 2030. (i) Increasing non-fossil energy capacity to 500 Gigawatts (GWs), (ii) Fulfilling 50 percent of energy requirements from renewable sources, (iii) Reducing carbon intensity of economy by 45 per cent, and (iv) Reducing total projected carbon emissions by One billion tonnes.

The country has further made advances in terms of renewable energy policy and investment.

The FY 2021- 2022 has witnessed a 70 per cent rise in new renewable energy investments, bringing the total to $ 11.3 billion. India also extended its national solar production programme worth INR 18,100 crore ($ 24.3 billion), which offers incentives to both domestic and foreign businesses for establishing battery manufacturing facilities.

The rooftop PV industry in India reached a record high in 2021 as the country raised the maximum on solar PV installations allowed under its net metering programme. On the policy front, several initiatives have been implemented by the state and the central government to ensure a smooth transition to a greener economy with net zero emissions.

By 2030, the nation intends to use 500 GW of renewable energy from sources like solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, and hydro-power.

India was the third-largest market globally and the second-largest market in Asia for new solar PV capacity (13 GW of additions in 2021). India increased its hydropower capacity by 843 MW in 2021, bringing the total to 45.3 GW. India was in third place overall for installed wind power (40.1 GW), trailing only China, the US, and Germany. India surpassed Germany (59.2 GW) for the first time to take fourth place in terms of annual solar installations (60.4 GW). In 2021, India completed 4 GW of renewable energy installations. India’s national solar production programme, which offers incentives to domestic and foreign businesses for establishing battery manufacturing factories, was extended. The rooftop PV industry in India reached a record high in 2021 as the country raised the maximum number of solar PV installations allowed under its net metering programme.

The smooth transition to cleaner options in power generation, battery saving, and transportation systems, among other areas, is currently being supported by initiatives in India valued around to $ 197 billion.

Source: Invest India, Government of Indias

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

INDIA NEWS

Bitcoin heading to zero, China warns investors than a string of digital codes, and its returns mainly come from buying low and selling high," the newspaper said.

Beijing, June 25: As cryptocurrencies reel under the global downturn, Chinese staterun newspaper Economic Daily has warned investors that the price of leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin is "heading to zero".

The warning came as the cryptocurrency market continued to face meltdown with Bitcoin hovering around $21,000 per digital coin on Saturday -- a substantial drop from its record high of $68,000 in November last year. "Bitcoin is nothing more

"In the future, once investors' confidence collapses or when sovereign countries declare bitcoin illegal, it will return to its original value, which is utterly worthless," it added, reports South China Morning Post.

The Chinese government banned Bitcoin mining in July last year.

It has plans to launch its central bank digital currency (CBDC) called the digital Chinese yuan (e-CNY). The country banned all cryptocurrency transactions last September and barred foreign crypto exchanges from operating within the country in 2018.

The Economic Daily earlier

justified China's ban on cryptocurrency trading by taking examples of the collapse of stablecoins terraUSD and luna whose value reached zero.

The price of Bitcoin tumbled to a new low of $17,958 this month, before recovering to over $20,000 this week. According to analysts, Bitcoin may hit a grim $14,000 this year. The likely bottom range at $14,000 would represent a drop of around 80 per cent for Bitcoin from the $68,000 all-time high.

According to Coindesk, Bitcoin has historically experienced periods of asymptotic price runups followed by steep crashes, "typically played out over several months to two years".

Cryptocurrency watchers refer to these periods as "cycles".

Largest technology startup incubator all set for opening in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, June 26 (IANS): The second phase of T-Hub is all set for inauguration in Hyderabad on June 28. Spread over 370,000 square feet and designed to house more than 1,500 startups, this will be the world's largest technology startup incubator. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will inaugurate the facility, which has come up at Raidurg in Hitec City, the information technology cluster. Backed by the Telangana government, the facility for innovation and entrepreneurship is expected to give further boost to the startup and innovation culture in this technology hub.

Information Technology Minister K. T. Rama Rao on Sunday took to Twitter to announce

that the Chief Minister will be inaugurating the new facility. He said this would give a huge fillip to Hyderabad innovation ecosystem.

The minister had stated earlier that the state government has invested more than Rs 276 crore on the facility. The building was originally scheduled to be ready in the second half of 2019 but the work was delayed due to various factors and Covid-19 led to delay of another two years. T-Hub, the startup catalyst, was established in November 2015. It is a public private partnership between the state government and three premier academic institutes - the International Institute of Information TechnologyHyderabad (IIIT-H), the Indian School of Business (ISB), and the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law. The first phase of T-Hub was launched in 2015 at IIT-H. Housed in a 70,000 square feet space called Catalyst within IIIT-H

According to officials, T-Hub has not remained just as an incubator, but through various initiatives became a key enabler of the innovation ecosystem of Hyderabad. T-Hub offers various programmes for start-ups and forged associations with a number of companies and like minded organizations globally.

It is estimated that T-Hub has so impacted 1,100 startups and cohort start-ups raised Rs 1,860 crore. It also offered more than 100 exclusive programmes.

India must accelerate digitisation via chip design, innovation: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Bengaluru, June 24: In order to enable India to become a trillion-dollar digital economy by 2025, it is imperative for the country to accelerate the pace of digitalisation with focus on innovation and engineering across semiconductor product design, including hardware and software, Union Minister of State for IT and Skill Development

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Rajeev Chandrasekhar said here on Friday. After inaugurating Intel India's state-of-the-art design and engineering centre here, he said that Intel's critical contributions and relentless quest to advance innovation in design and engineering in the country over the past two and half decades highlights the design opportunity India offers to the world.

Body scanner to soon come up at Delhi Airport’s T2 terminal staff will examine its productivity on different parameters and take note of the shortcomings.”

New Delhi, June 25 (IANS) A fullbody scanner will soon come up at the T-2 terminal of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital.

According to Airport sources, the body scanner is being installed for a trial period during which the

"This stte-of-the-art centre offers an amazing environment for our employees to innovate while they enjoy the energetic and collaborative vibes in the workplace. This also helps in furthering our contributions and capabilities across leadership products that enable customers' innovation and growth," Intel India head and Intel Foundry Services Vice President Nivruti Rai said. One floor at the centre is dedicated to high tech R&D labs for silicon design and validation purposes. India has the company's largest design and engineering centre outside the US, with stateof-the-art design facilities in Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Intel has invested over $8 billion in India to date and continues to expand its R&D and innovation footprint in the country.

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The safety of passengers is of paramount importance. During the trial period we will also check whether the radiation emitted by the scanner is not harmful to the people,” the source said. The Delhi Airport is guarded by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The CISF is providing security at 64 airports at present, including Joint Ventures and Public-Private Partnership operated airports.

Nation’s central bank rebuts recession, inflation fears and historically low rates of unemployment, under 4 per cent, indicated a strong buttress to a recessionary economy.

campus, it transformed as the largest and the best technology incubator in the country.

The facility rents out office and meeting space, and offers services such as connections with mentors and investors, to startup companies. It hosts entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, investors, mentors and advisors. Several people from top academic institutes have taken the mentor's role.

BUSINESS & TRADE

Sydney, June 21 (IANS): Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Philip Lowe on Tuesday pushed back against fears that the country is heading towards a recession due to rising inflation and cost of living pressures.

Speaking to the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia (AMCHAM) in Sydney, Lowe acknowledged that his country, like many other nations, was experiencing the highest rates of inflation in many years, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The fact that inflation is higher everywhere tells us that there are powerful global factors at work."

He said that while interest rate increases were putting pressure on Australian households, strong demand in the labour market

"Our fundamentals are strong and the position of the household sector is strong and firms are willing to hire people at record rates. It doesn't feel like the precursor to a recession, and interest rates are still low."

He said the bank was prepared to do "whatever it takes" to bring down inflation, but said that it is unlikely that interest rates would pass 4 per cent by the end of the year. In an effort to quell inflation, the bank already lifted interest rates by 25 basis points in May and 50 basis points this month.

Lowe said that the board would discuss lifting rates by either 0.25 or 0.5 percentage points in their next monetary board meeting in July. The RBA expects inflation to peak at 7 per cent in the December 2022 quarter, and to return to the 2 to 3 per cent target range in the next couple of years.

Samsung fined $14 mn for misleading water-resistance ads the adverts the Galaxy phones being dipped in swimming pools or getting splashes on the beach, it added.

Sydney, June 24: South Korean tech giant Samsung has been fined $14 million by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for misleading claims about its Galaxy smartphones.

According to GizmoChina, the fine relates to a 2019 investigation of Samsung after it released several ads for various Galaxy smartphones. The main thrust of the ads was that the phones were water-resistant when in water for up to 30 minutes, the report said.

The ads were aired on national TV in Australia and the consumer watchdog took Samsung to task for some of these ads. Samsung inherently gave a false notion of the water-resistance capability of the models. These smartphones were only water-resistant in fresh water, not seawater or chlorinated water. The charging port was prone to corrosion under such circumstances, as per the report. Samsung has now agreed to pay the fine of $14 million to ACCC for the misleading claims. It has also made software and hardware changes to its phones to provide a more realistic claim of water resistance.

The tech giant also depicted in

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INDIA NEWS

July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

ONGC extends logistical help to families of barge crew members 26274421.

On May 16-17, Cyclone Tauktae crossed Mumbai offshore where ONGC's major production installations and drilling rigs are located, and three construction barges of Afcons working on a project of ONGC in Western Offshore fields in the Arabian Sea and one floater drilling rig of ONGC were severely impacted.

Out of these, Barge P-305 sank.

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) is extending logistical help to families of affected crew members of Barge P-305.

In a statement, the company said it is providing all necessary logistical help and support for the dependent family members to travel to Mumbai and back. It

is also making arrangements for families to take back the mortal remains of the deceased persons to their hometowns.

To facilitate the dependent family members, ONGC has also set up a help desk. ONGC Helpline Numbers for families of crew of Barge Papaa-305 are -- 02226274419, 022-26274420, 022-

The Indian Navy, along with the Coast Guard and the ONGC, are continuing with extensive search and rescue operations for the crew members who are still missing.

ONGC management has also decided to extend an immediate relief of Rs 1 lakh to the survivors and Rs 2 lakh for the BNVs and missing persons' families.

Adani Green Energy to acquire SB Energy’s renewable power portfolio for fully completed EV of $3.5 billion New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) on Wednesday signed the share purchase agreements for the acquisition of 100 per cent interest in SB Energy India from SBG (80 per cent) and Bharti Group (20 per cent).

SB Energy India has a total renewable power portfolio of 4,954 MW spread across four states in India. The transaction marks the largest acquisition in the renewable energy sector in India. The transaction values SB Energy India at an enterprise valuation of approximately $3.5 billion. The target portfolio consists of large-scale utility assets with 84 per cent solar capacity (4,180 MW), 9 per cent wind-solar hybrid capacity (450 MW) and 7 per cent wind capacity (324 MW). The portfolio comprises 1,400 MW operational solar power capacity and a further 3,554 MW is under construction. All projects have 25-year PPAs with sovereign rated counterparties such as Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI), NTPC Limited and NHPC Limited. With this acquisition, AGEL will achieve total renewable capacity of 24.3 GW (1) and operating renewable capacity of 4.9 GW. This acquisition demonstrates AGEL's intent to be the leader in sustainable energy

transition globally and makes it one of the largest renewable energy platforms in the world.

The closing of the transaction is subject to customary approvals and conditions. Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group, said: "This acquisition is another step towards the vision we stated in January 2020, wherein we laid out our plans to become the world's largest solar player by 2025 and thereafter the world's largest renewable company by 2030. India, without any doubt, has been one of the few nations that has accelerated its global commitment towards climate change and we intend to do our part to execute on the promises made. "The renewable energy platform that we are building will lay the foundation for attracting several other global industries that are increasingly looking to reduce their carbon footprint (as well as lay the foundation for opening up adjacent platforms that include hydrogen and storage). "We are well on our way to achieve our stated solar portfolio targets four years before the deadline we set for ourselves. The quality of assets that SoftBank and Bharti Group have built is excellent and I compliment their efforts to support India's renewable energy

transition. We are proud to take their legacy forward."

T

Adani’s solar farm at Rugby Run in central Queensland is part of

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this portfolio, with a total capacity of 65 MW going into the regional Queensland grid, equivalent to powering about 27,500 homes each year. CEO and Country Head for Adani Australia, Mr Lucas Dow, said today’s announcement from Adani Green Energy Limited demonstrated that as a global company they were walking the talk when it comes to delivering a sustainable energy mix.

“We have always said that both coal and renewables are needed to provide a reliable and

India’s oil imports MoM remains flat in April New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) Hit by demand slowdown in wake of Covid-19 induced mobility restrictions in various parts of the country, India's import of crude has plateaued in April, 2021.

India imported 18.26 million tonne (mt) of crude oil paying about $8.5 billion in April 2021, almost the same level as 18.24 mt tonne crude oil import in March, 2021, according to Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) data. In the first month of the financial year there is normally an increase in imports depending on prevailing oil prices as oil companies stock to meet the needs for the entire year. but this year, owing to almost 10 per cent fall in demand, imports had been restricted. Also, the current crude is priced around $68-70 a barrel and oil companies are expecting this price to fall in coming months owing to Covid induced

demand suppression and entry of Iran back into international trade of oil that could increase supplies and soften oil prices again.

The April crude import, though at almost the same level as the previous month, is actually 10.3 per cent higher than April of 2020 that for the first time witnessed nationwide lockdown owing to Covid -19. However, in April, 2021 India's oil import bill at almost the current level of oil imports stood at a mere $3 billion as prices had crashed during that period due to glut like situation.

Oil products', including petrol and diesel imports rose about 24.1 per cent YoY to 3.50 mt in April, 2021.

But even product import was down 14.6 per cent from March, while exports slumped 35.8 per cent to 3.9 mt in April, 2021 as against imports of 6 mt in the same period of previous year.

Solar PLI scheme to benefit incremental demand till FY30: Ind-Ra

Masayoshi Son, Representative Director, Corporate Officer, Chairman & CEO of SoftBank Group Corp, said: "We established SB Energy India in 2015 with the goal of creating a market-leading clean energy company to help fuel India's growth with clean and renewable sources of energy.

"We are immensely proud of all that we have accomplished. As SBG continues our transition to a global investment holding company focused on accelerating the deployment of artificial intelligence, we believe now is the right time to bring in the Adani Group to help drive the next phase of SB Energy India's growth." Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, said: "I am delighted that SB Energy has found a good home to carry on its pioneering journey of building a foremost renewable energy company in India. Adani Group has an outstanding track record of building a green energy powerhouse which will get further acceleration with the combination of SB Energy into its fold. I am glad that Bharti could play a constructive role in partnership with SoftBank."

Adani Group secures position as the largest solar company in the world he Adani Group has secured its position as the world’s largest solar company, following today’s announcement that Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) has acquired SB Energy Holdings Ltd, which will see AGEL achieve a total renewable energy capacity of 24.3GW. The 24.3 GW would be enough energy to power more than 8.5 million homes, or nearly all the households in Australia (*9.2 million) each year.

ENERGY & RESOURCES

affordable energy mix in order to meet current and future global energy demand,” Mr Dow said.

“The solution to the world’s energy needs is not one form of energy – it’s a combination of many energy sources. “Having both renewables and fossil fuels in our businesses means that we can sustainably deliver energy to people in developing nations who are trying to improve living standards to the same level that we have enjoyed in western countries for decades.

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Mumbai, May 11: Centre's solar modules manufacturing production linked incentive scheme will benefit incremental panels demand till FY30 said India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra).

According to the ratings agency's estimates, the allocation of Rs 45 billion towards modules manufacturing by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) can benefit the sales of 20GW from the capacity developed under the PLI scheme.

"It also means sanction of the PLI facility which will benefit 4-6GW of sales annually over five years from commissioning of the beneficiary manufacturing facilities," the agency said in a report. "The scheme can facilitate additional 8-12GW annual solar cell or module manufacturing capacity in India. Sales up to 50 per cent of the manufacturing capacity set up by the winning bidder will benefit from PLI. This estimate assumes the base PLI rate of Rs 2.25 per watt power and entirely greenfield expansion."

Besides, the report said the capacity to benefit under the scheme may further reduce from the stated 20GW level in case of the plants achieve better module efficiency and temperature coefficient than the minimum requirement defined in the notification. "India has set a target to install 280GW of solar power plants by FY30 out of which about 240GW is under pipeline or yet to be implemented, which means just 8-13 per cent of this planned

requirement is going to benefit directly from this PLI scheme till FY30, apart from improving the domestic manufacturing capacity." Furthermore, the report cited that on the execution side, winning bidders may lose on the committed timelines in case they slip on the commissioning timelines of 1.5-3 years from the date of PLI sanction.

As per the agency, bidding players may choose to restrict the level of backward integration, given the stringent timelines.

Moreover, the PLI benefit will be available till five years from the scheduled date of commissioning only, meaning that winning bidders will be at risk of losing benefit of the scheme, if they overcommit on the level of integration.

"Backward integration may take some time, given the already established procurement contracts and supply chains internationally. Also, in case a selected manufacturer fails to meet the promised integration or capacity or minimum module performance after his selection, he will not get any PLI till he overcomes these deficiencies, and/or performance guarantees can also be liquidated by India Renewable Energy Development Agency in the meantime."

"If the manufacturer achieves the promised levels subsequently, he will be eligible for PLI from the next month after which the performance measures are met."

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INDIA NEWS

July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

UP first state to vaccinate 16 crore people Pradesh government is providing the vaccination cover to all children between 12 to 17 years of age in a time-bound manner.

So far, over 2,60,80,643 vaccine doses have been administered to children in the age group of 15-17 and over 1,37,51,108 vaccine doses have been administered to the children in the age group of 12-14 in the state.

HEALTH

Need to monitor arsenic contamination in food trade: Experts

According to the latest figures on CoWin, Uttar Pradesh has administered 17.54 crore first doses of the vaccine so far.

Lucknow, June 26: Uttar Pradesh has achieved a major milestone by becoming the first state in India to fully vaccinate over 16 crore individuals.

In nearly 20 days after crossing the landmark of fully vaccinating 15 crore people, the state has crossed another significant milestone with more than 16 crore people -- 16,02,66,806 -- receiving both the doses of Covid-19 vaccine so far.

According to the government spokesman, the state has so far given over 33.92 crore doses to

people. In addition, the state has also achieved the landmark of administering the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to 100 per cent of the eligible adult population.

While nearly 99 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated in the state.

Uttar Pradesh started administering booster shots (precaution dose) from January 10. Nearly 35.22 lakh 'precaution doses' have been administered in the state so far.

Strengthening its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the Uttar

Just a few days after crossing the 32 crore dose milestone, Uttar Pradesh has also inched closer to crossing 34 crore Covid-19 vaccine shots.

This will be another major landmark as the state continues to conduct one of the most successful vaccination campaigns in the country. Aggressive vaccination is an integral part of the comprehensive strategy of the Yogi-led Uttar Pradesh government to contain the pandemic, along with adherence to Covid- appropriate behaviour.

India’s fresh Covid-19 cases dip to 11,739 New Delhi, June 26 (IANS) India on Sunday reported 11,739 new Covid-19 cases, a considerable decline against the 15,940 infections registered the previous day, the Union Health Ministry said. In the same period, the country reported 25 more Covid fatalities, taking the nationwide death toll to 5,24,999.

The active caseload has surged to 92,576, accounting for 0.21 per cent of the country's total positive cases. The recovery of 10,917 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,27,72,498.

Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.58 per cent.

While the daily positivity rate also declined to 2.59 per cent, the weekly positivity rate stood at 3.25 per cent.

Also in the same period, a total of 4,53,940 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall tally to over 86.07 crore.

As of Sunday morning, India's Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 197.08 crore, achieved via 2,55,80,569 sessions.

Over 3.63 crore adolescents have been administered with a first dose of Covid-19 jab since the beginning of vaccination drive for this age bracket.

Study identifies gene causing diabetes post-Covid infection

Tokyo, June 29 (IANS) Japanese researchers have identified a pivotal gene that mediates the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on blood sugar metabolism.

Covid-19 is best known for causing respiratory disease, but can also damage other organ systems; notably, disruption of blood sugar regulation can lead to new-onset diabetes. However, it is unclear how infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus results in these effects.

In a study published in June in Metabolism, researchers from Osaka University reveal that Covid interferes with insulin signalling leading to diabetes.

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"The insulin/IGF signalling pathway is a key pathway in the regulation of energy metabolism and cell survival," said Jihoon Shin, first author on the study.

"Therefore, we suspected that SARS-CoV-2 affects this signalling pathway to cause problems with blood sugar regulation."

To test this, the researchers analysed datasets of gene expression from patients, as well as in vivo and in vitro models, infected with SARS-CoV-2. They specifically looked for genes that were noticeably over- or under-expressed compared with uninfected patients, animals, or cells.

"Infection with SARS-CoV-2 affected the expression of insulin/IGF signalling pathway components in the lung, liver, adipose tissue, and pancreatic cells. Moreover, these changes were attributed in part to

activation of interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1)," Shimomura said.

Further investigation showed that IRF1 expression is elevated in older patients, men, obese individuals, and patients with diabetes. The synergistic effect of older age, male sex, obesity and diabetes with SARS-CoV-2 means that the expression of IRF1 occurs at an increased rate, which may explain why these patients are more vulnerable to Covid.

Finally, treating SARS-CoV2-infected cells or an animal model with hormonal factors such as dihydrotestosterone and dexamethason.

By identifying patients at greater risk of experiencing these effects and intervening to decrease IRF1 activation, some of the severe consequences of Covid-19 could be avoided in susceptible populations.

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New Delhi, June 25 (IANS): In the season of mangoes and lychees from Bihar flooding the domestic markets and some of it, especially the Shahi Lychee, lined up for exports, arsenic contamination through food trade remains a lesser discussed issue.

This season, a private carrier has carried 100 tonnes of lychee from Darbhanga in Bihar to various parts of the country, which is about four times the quantity carried as compared to the last year. While drinking water is known to create significant health risk in arsenic hazard areas, the role of exposure to arsenic through food intake is less well understood, including the impact of food trade. But this is not a problem restricted to India and, in fact, a study has highlighted the need to better understand the relative risk of arsenic exposure through food intake, considering the influence of growing trade and increased groundwater reliance for crop production across the globe. Long term ingestion of arsenic is reported to lead to several adverse human health effects, including cancer, skin lesions, developmental effects, cardiovascular disease, neurotoxicity, and diabetes. There is clear evidence that irrigation with groundwater contaminated with geogenic arsenic causes arsenic to accumulate in soil and subsequently in crops through the water-soil-plant uptake pathway, a study, 'Human arsenic exposure risk via crop consumption and global trade from groundwater-irrigated areas' said. The researchers used the best available datasets on crop production, irrigation, groundwater arsenic hazard, and international crop trade flows, to estimate that globally 17.2 per cent of irrigated harvested area (or 45.2 million hectares) of 42 main crops are grown in arsenic hazard areas, contributing 19.7 per cent of total irrigated crop production, or 418 million metric tons (MMT) per year of these crops by mass.

Two-thirds of this area is dedicated to the major staple crops of rice, wheat, and maize (RWM) and produces 158 MMT per year of RWM, which is 8.0 per cent of the total RWM production and 18 per cent of irrigated production. "More than 25 per cent of RWM consumed in the

South Asian countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, where both arsenic hazard and degree of groundwater irrigation are high, originate from arsenic hazard areas, the research, published in IOPScience Journal, had pointed out. "Trade plays a critical role in redistributing risk, with the greatest exposure risk borne by countries with a high dependence on food imports, particularly in the middle-east and small island nations for which all arsenic risk in crops is imported," it said.

The intensifying climate variability and population growth may increase reliance on groundwater irrigation, including in arsenic hazard areas and that the results show that RWM harvested area could increase by 54.1 million hectares (179 per cent increase over current risk area), predominantly in South and Southeast Asia. "India's eastern states have a lot of arsenic problems, especially West Bengal, Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh etc. while the northwestern plains - that see major exports comprising Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh witness comparatively lesser problem of arsenic," said Soumya Dutta, an activist with Beyond Copenhagen, a think tank, who has also kept track of WTO deals especially with water and agriculture.

In eastern India, there are certain fruits such as mangoes and Lychee / litchi that are exported, Dutta said and added, "These need to be tested for arsenic contamination, lest the end-user, even if in the domestic market, is kept in the dark." However, Piyush Mohapatra, senior programme coordinator with Toxic Links, a research organization, tried to dissuade the fears. We have robust regulations as promulgated by the Food Safety and Standards Association of India (FSSAI).

It includes restrictions about arsenic levels in wide ranging food items. So, anyone importing or exporting any food items will need to follow this regulation."

But, whether or not it is implemented, that needs to be investigated, Mohapatra said. "If not being done, there should be periodic monitoring and it should be widely publicised for public consumption.

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SPORTS

I n d i a News ’ E d i t o r- i n - C h i e f a p p o i n t e d T 2 0 Fight shown by the Irish batters C r i c ke t Wo rld C u p C h a m p i o n was commendable, says VVS Dr Ashutosh Misra has been appointed along with 39 strong, inspirational leaders from across Australia who are passionate about promoting inclusion and diversity by embracing Australia's rich, multicultural community through the power of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Among other community leaders he joins cricketing legends namely, Jason Gillespie, Usman Khawaja, Morne Morkel, Daren Ganga, Mel Jones OAM, Lisa Sthalekar, Kath Koschel and Fawad Ahmad to make the forthcoming T20 World Cup a great success. Dr Misra is the National Sports Chair at the Australia India Business

Council and also and Executive Committee member of AIBC Queensland Chapter. Dr Misra has engaged with Hockey India; Board of Control for Cricket in India; Pro Kabaddi League; Kho Kho Federation of India; Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), New Delhi; International Centre for Sport Security, Qatar; Integrity in Sport Unit, INTERPOL; Australian Institute of Sport; Australian Crime Commission, Queensland Police, Victoria Police, Australian Federal Police, New South Wales Police and National Integrity in Sport Unit to promote deeper understanding on preserving sports integrity. In April 2021,

Dr Misra organised the Goodwill Cricket Trophy in Brisbane to promote multiculturalism and community engagement between the South Asian community and Queensland Government and Queensland Police Service.

The event is again scheduled for 17 September at the Allan Border field in Albion, Brisbane.

In January 2021, Dr Misra interviewed Mr Sunil Gavaskar to discuss key takeaways from the series and the future of Indian cricket. In June 2020, Dr Misra organised the distinguished Triveni dialogue on “Impact of Covid-19 on Sport Sector:

Brisbane Heat sign charismatic Australia batter Khawaja on a four-year contract

Brisbane, June 29 (IANS) Big Bash League (BBL) side Brisbane Heat have completed one of the biggest signings of the season, bringing on board charismatic batter Usman Khawaja on a four-year contract on Wednesday.

Khawaja had earlier announced his exit from the Sydney Thunder, where he was a foundation player, in February, as he reportedly wanted to be closer to his family in Brisbane. Khawaja is Sydney Thunder's all-time leading runs-scorer with 1,818 runs and a career strike-rate of 129.85.

Khawaja has played 59 BBL games out of an overall T20 career playing record of 107 games, including nine T20 Internationals for Australia, and playing stints

in Pakistan, England, and the Indian Premier League. He is the 11th player announced for the Heat ahead of the BBL-12 season.

Khawaja, currently preparing in Galle for the opening day of Test match action against Sri Lanka -- his 50th for Australia -- said his decision to sign a long-term contract with Brisbane Heat had only come after much soulsearching. "I always thought I would finish off as a Thunder player, but it is funny how things change," he told brisbaneheat. com.au. "I've said it for a long time, that Brisbane is home, Queensland is home, and to be here, captain of Queensland, and now joining the Heat-- it is really exciting. "I know I will be playing in front of my family, and a home crowd, when I am at the Gabba or Metricon Stadium with the Heat. I love the Thunder and the Thunder Nation, but at the same time, this is a change that comes at the right time. "It wasn't an easy decision, it was a very tough one, but the timing just feels right. I like to say I used to be an honorary Queensland and now I am one.

"I have been loosely tied with the

Heat through my Queensland roles for several years, and so I am looking forward to the challenge of trying something new by joining them now.

"I do love playing in the BBL and now I am with the Heat for the coming years, I am very excited," he said. Queensland Cricket and Brisbane Heat CEO Terry Svenson said Brisbane fans would feel very assured with Khawaja's signing.

"I'm sure our fans have nothing but respect for what Usman has achieved in the game with the Thunder and will be thrilled to see him in teal for this next phase of his career," he said. "He's a skillful and proven performer in T20 cricket, a highlyregarded leader on the field, and an innovative and inclusive individual away from cricket.

Having Usman as a leader with both Queensland Cricket and the Heat delivers benefits across the game, both on and off the field."

The Heat have so far secured secured 11 players, with a further seven signings to be completed including three overseas players from the upcoming international player draft.

All-India snooker: Tamil Nadu’s Dilip Kumar overcomes Vishwajeet Mohan to emerge champion here on Sunday.

Dilip Kumar won the final 57-49, 8-69, 96(64)-18, 53-51,70-69 at the NSCI billiards hall here.

Mumbai, June 26 (IANS) Tamil Nadu cueist Dilip Kumar was steady with his pots as he got the better of Uttar Pradesh's Vishwajeet Mohan 4-1 in the phase-I final of the National Sports Club of India (NSCI) organised Rs 6.4 lakh All India Snooker Open 'Baulkline' 2022

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The Chennai-based Kumar grabbed his chances and produced one substantial clearance break of 64 to win the third frame. Mohan, who is based in Mumbai and practices at the Bombay Gymkhana, was a bit jaded and the balls also did not roll too well in his favour. He also missed some regulation pots which cost him dear.

Kumar, having snatched a 2-1 lead, stayed calm and came from behind to narrowly win the fourth and fifth frames to wrap up the match and emerge champion.

Earlier in the semifinals, Kumar produced a superb break of 76 in

the fourth frame and went on to defeat Digvijay Kadian of Haryana 3-1 (63-33, 62-14, 3-57, and 7645). On the side table, Mohan prevailed over Maharashtra's Hasan Badami by 3-1 (47-41, 66-55, 36-51, and 62-54) frame scores.

Kumar was presented with the winners' trophy and a cash award of Rs 15,000, while Mohan received the runners-up trophy and a cash prize of Rs 8,000.

Results: Semifinals: Dilip Kumar (TN) beat Digvijay Kadian (HAR) 63-33, 62-14, 3-57, 76(76)-45; Vishwajeet Mohan (UP) beat Hasan Badami (MAH) 47-41, 66-55, 36-51, 62-54.

Final: Dilip Kumar (TN) beat Vishwajeet Mohan (UP) 57-49, 8-69, 96(64)-18, 53-51,70-69.

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young talents coming up here.

Thank you Ireland for hosting us," Laxman tweeted.

Dublin, June 29 (IANS): Former India batter VVS Laxman praised the "commendable" fight shown

by Ireland players in the second and final T20I against India on Tuesday.

India defeated Ireland in the second T20I after the match went in the last over following a scintillating batting peformance from the hosts.

Laxman said it was great to see such young talent coming up in the Ireland squad and thanked the cricket board for hosting the series. "Had a wonderful time and a great experience here. The way our boys played was fantastic. The fight shown by the Irish batters & their approach tonight was commendable! Great to see such

India batter Deepak Hooda slammed 105 off just 57 balls and garnered praises for his ferocious batting from several former cricketers. While former India cricketer Saba Karim praised Hooda for his power hitting, former spinner Pragyan Ojha credit the batter's domestic stint for the rise. "Well done Deepak Hooda!! Purposeful and sound exhibition of power hitting," Syed Saba Karim said on the Koo app.

"Well done #deepakhooda your grind in domestic level is paying off! May you continue the good work #IREvIND," Ojha also wrote on the Koo app.

Coming to the match, Sanju Samson, who opened the batting for India and Hooda on Tuesday registered the highest T20I partnership for the visitors with 176 runs off 85 balls in Dublin.

On their way to this unique record, Hooda and Samson's stunning partnership became the ninth highest in all men's T20Is.

Wimbledon: Australian bad-boy Kyrgios relishes the role of the villain

London, June 26 (IANS) Australia's Nick Kyrgios starts Wimbledon 2022 in good form, hoping to upset many players and change many things at the year's third Grand Slam. The temperamental and mercurial player is capable of producing great tennis but also losing his composure and making a show on the court. While hoping to do well in the tournament, Kyrgios also wants to change many traditions at Wimbledon. If Kyrgios had his way with Wimbledon, he would adopt an all-black clothing policy instead of the traditional rule stipulating that competitors dress in white when playing.

But the Australian, who was dressed in black from head to toe when discussing his Wimbledon prospects on Sunday, has arrived at the All England Club in anything but a dark mood after a promising grass-court season.

The 27-year-old, who will play British wild card Paul Jubb in the first round on Tuesday, is in good

form on the court and feeling settled and content away from tennis as well. Acknowledging Jubb is certain to receive plenty of support when they meet, Kyrgios is readying himself to adopt the role of being a villain against the local hopeful. "Being in that position (as a wild card), I loved it.

I had no pressure. So I know it is going to be a dangerous match," he said. "I know I have just got to ride the waves emotionally out there because the crowd is obviously going to be behind the local. "I'm used to wearing that kind of black hat, (playing) the villain-type role. I'm going to embrace it. I'm just going to go out there and play the game," Kyrgios was quoted as saying by the official website. Playing the game is something the 2014 Wimbledon quarterfinalist has done particularly well this year, especially since his return to the circuit after skipping the claycourt season. Having rebounded from a ranking of world No.137 in February to 45, he is competing with renewed focus and his appealing form has compatriots including Thanasi Kokkinakis rating him a contender for the crown. He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in Halle on the way to the semi-finals, where he was beaten 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4) by Hubert Hurkacz, who reached the last four at Wimbledon a year ago.

Prone to flares of temper which have derailed him in the past, he feels he has found a solution that is allowing him to perform more consistently in tournaments.

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SPORTS

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PM Modi hails Mithali Raj, calls her an inspiration to many career spanned nearly 23 years across four different decades during which time she became the central cog in the growth of the women's game in India and beyond.

In the June 26 episode of 'Mann Ki Baat', Modi described Mithali as "one of the most talented cricketers in India".

New Delhi, June 26 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 26 called Mithali Raj an inspiration to many and conveyed his best wishes to the legendary former Indian skipper who announced her retirement earlier in June.

Having made her debut as a 16-year-old in 1999, Mithali's

"Her retirement from cricket has emotionally moved many sports lovers. Mithali has not only been an extraordinary player but has also been an inspiration to many players. I wish Mithali all the very best for her future," the prime minister said.

The legendary cricketer Mithali finished her international career with a staggering 10,868 runs

As a skipper, Mithali has 89 wins out of 155 -- the most by any player in women's ODIs. Her 155 matches as captain are also the highest in women's ODIs.

Madhya Pradesh clinch first Ranji Trophy title; defeat Mumbai by six wickets in final

Bengaluru, June 26 (IANS) It was a historic Sunday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for Madhya Pradesh as they defeated Mumbai by six wickets in the final to clinch their maiden Ranji Trophy title.

The historic win was fashioned by centuries from Yash Dubey, Shubham Sharma and Rajat Patidar in the first innings and after Mumbai were all out for 269 in their second innings on day five, Sharma and Patidar helped them chase down 108 in 29.5 overs to make Sunday an unforgettable day for Madhya Pradesh.

The victory is also another feather in the cap of Chandrakant Pandit's glittering coaching CV in domestic cricket, after previously guiding Mumbai (thrice) and Vidarbha (twice) to Ranji Trophy titles. Co-incidentally, Pandit had missed winning the Ranji Trophy as the Madhya Pradesh captain in 1998/99 at this very venue and 23 years later, the stars aligned for him to win the trophy as its head coach.

The pursuit of 108 got off to a rocky start for Madhya Pradesh as Dhawal Kulkarni got one to sneak through Yash Dubey's defence and downed the middle stump.

Shubham Sharma and Himanshu Mantri ran some quick singles and kept the scoreboard ticking despite no boundaries coming.

The introduction of off-spinner Tanush Kotian opened the floodgates for Madhya Pradesh, with Mantri drilling him down the ground, followed by a fine paddle sweep for two boundaries. When Kotian returned for his third over,

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Mantri crunched a drive past when Gaurav Yadav made a mess non-striker for another boundary. of Armaan Jaffer's stumps.

Against Shams Mulani, Mantri With Madhya Pradesh's game plan had swept and survived as the quite clear - spinners to bowl on top-edge landed wide of square leg stump line and fast bowlers to leg. But in the left-arm spinner's bowl in the wide outside the offnext over, Mantri again tried to stump region, they managed to sweep, but the ball brushed past keep Mumbai quiet for six overs. his foot to hit the stumps. Mulani But Sarfaraz had other ideas, returned to take out Parth Sahani sweeping Parth Sahani twice for cheaply. four and six.

Sharma and Rajat Patidar, who was greeted with 'RCB, RCB' chants from the crowd, rotated the strike well against Mulani and Kotian apart from a near run-out of the latter. It was the introduction of pacer Mohit Awasthi brought boundaries for Madhya Pradesh, with Patidar driving on the up between extra cover and mid-off, followed by a cracking punch down the ground.

Sharma took the third boundary of the over by bisecting midwicket and mid-on with perfection through his pull. In a bid to finish the chase quickly, Sharma reached out to slogsweep, only for the ball to be caught by a forward diving point.

Patidar dabbed Sarfaraz Khan through backward point before taking a single through the same region to give Madhya Pradesh their first Ranji Trophy title.

Earlier, left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya Singh scalped four wickets while conceding 98 runs as Mumbai were bowled out for 269 in 57.3 overs at lunch. Mumbai came out with an intention to get quick runs but barring Sarfaraz and Suved Parkar, they did not get as much runs they had expected on the last day of the final.

They were also hurt by the fact that they lost wickets at crucial intervals, including two run-outs.

Resuming from overnight score of 113/2, Parkar swept the first ball of the day for a boundary off Kumar Kartikeya Singh. But Madhya Pradesh, who resorted to bowling wide lines, got a breakthrough

Archery World Cup: Abhishek, Jyothi bag compound mixed team gold for India in Paris and 8. Jyothi then responded with the 9s to help India pocket the gold medal. Notably, this was Abhishek's third Archery World Cup gold medal this season. He had won the men's compound team events in Turkey and South Korea early in the year.

-- the most in women's cricket.

She scored 7805 ODI runs in 232 matches, at an average of just over 50 while has 2364 runs in 89 T20Is, as well as 699 runs in 12 Tests, including a century and four half-centuries.

The 39-year-old Mithali, who captained India to the final of the ICC Women's World Cup 2017, also holds the record for the most matches (28 matches) captained in Women's World Cups, breaking Australian legend Belinda Clark's record during the ICC Women's World Cup 2022 in March.

Parkar welcomed Anurag Agarwal by walking down the pitch and driving through extra cover before a misfield at point for four gave him his half-century. But Parkar was out in the very next over, missing the flatter ball from Kartikeya and lost his off-stump.

Three balls later, Kartikeya had another wicket when Yashasvi Jaiswal, who didn't open due to ankle injury, heaved an expansive slog to short third man.

Sarfaraz and Mulani were providing stability for Mumbai before a huge mix-up caused the run-out of the latter for a nonexistent single. In a bid to go big, Sarfaraz slog-swept an outside the off-stump ball from Sahani but the top-edge went straight to deep mid-wicket.

Sarfaraz's dismissal at 45 meant he finishes the season with 982 runs from nine innings at an average of 122.75. Kartikeya and Sahani wiped off rest of the tail to give Madhya Pradesh a target of 108 for their first-ever Ranji Trophy triumph, which they achieved with more than a session left. Brief Scores: Mumbai 374 all out in 127.4 overs and 269 all out in 57.3 overs (Suved Parkar 51, Sarfaraz Khan 45; Kumar Kartikeya Singh 4/98, Parth Sahani 2/43) lost to Madhya Pradesh 536 all out in 177.2 overs and 108/4 in 29.5 overs (Himanshu Mantri 37, Rajat Patidar 30 not out; Shams Mulani 3/41, Dhawal Kulkarni 1/7) by six wickets.

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SPORTS

En route to the mixed compound finals, Abhishek and Jyothi defeated Estonia in the semifinals after getting the better of El Salvador in the quarter-finals.

New Delhi, June 25 (IANS) Asian Games gold medallist Abhishek Verma along with world No 3 women's compound archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam clinched the compound mixed team gold for India at Stage 3 of the Archery World Cup 2022 in Paris, France, on Saturday.

Abhishek and Jyothi defeated the local pair of Sophie Dodemont and Jean Philippe Boulch 152-149 in the compound mixed team final to win India's first gold medal at the tournament.

The Indian pair of Abhishek and Jyothi got off to a perfect start against Sophie and Jean and took a 40-37 lead in the first set.

However, the French pair cut the Indian lead and trailed 76-75 at the halfway stage.

The trend continued as Abhishek and Jyothi kept the slender onepoint lead intact at the end of the third set. In the final set, the experienced Abhishek struck a perfect 10 with his first arrow while the French pair hit the 9s

Later in the day, Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Sophie Dodemont also met in the compound women's individual semi-final which the Indian won 147-145.

However, Jyothi, who was making her first international appearance this year, lost to world No. 6 Ella Gibson of Great Britain in the final. Both archers were tied at 148 each after the last set. But, Jyothi lost the shoot-off and settled for silver.

Following the win in the mixed compound team event, India are placed second on the Archery World Cup 2022 medals table with four gold, two silver and three bronze medals. South Korea, with six gold medals, are on top while Great Britain are third with four gold medals, two silver and one bronze. The women's recurve archery team of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and Simranjeet Kaur will play in the gold medal match against Chinese Taipei on Sunday.

Don’t think being an Olympic champion will put pressure on me at Worlds: Neeraj Chopra New Delhi, July 1 (IANS): Ace India javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra feels the pressure of being the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallist is unlikely to affect his performance at the World Championships in Oregon, USA from July 15.

Continuing his superb form, Chopra broke the national record again with a throw of 89.94m to finish second in the Stockholm Diamond League 2022 in Sweden on Thursday. The Indian javelin ace fell just six centimetres short of the elusive 90m mark but he bettered his personal best of 89.30m, set earlier this month at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland.

World champion Anderson Peters of Grenada broke the 16-year-old meet record with a huge 90.31m throw in his third attempt, which was enough to get him the top spot.

Chopra said he will play with a “free mind” and “perform to potential” in Oregon, where he could bring India only its second medal ever from the World Championships. Only former India long jumper Anju Bobby George has won a medal at the Worlds, clinching bronze in Paris 2003.

“Well, I don’t know (whether there will be pressure of being an Olympic medallist or not). I think I’ll come to know about it on the day of the competition in Oregon.

Every competition, every day is different. When I start competing, I will know whether I am feeling the pressure of being the Olympic champion,” Chopra told JSW Sports.

“Having said that, I think nothing of that sort should happen because I play with a free mind and perform to my potential.

There is no pressure whatsoever.

I train well and give my 100 per cent in competition,” the 24-yearold Chopra added.

Chopra also said that when Anderson Peters of Grenada breached the 90-metre mark with his giant third attempt on Thursday, he also tried to give it his best shot, but to hurl the javelin that far, everything has to be perfect. ““Feeling very happy and proud that people are watching athletics online in India. Many Indians had come to Stockholm to watch me.

The Indian ambassador too came to meet me, so it felt really nice that athletics is getting so much popularity in the country. People are getting to know about the sport,” added Chopra.

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CULTURE

When Sita is the protagonist of ‘Ramayana’ When I look at the foliage of

T

Jainardhan Sathyan

en years ago, he was engaged to produce an Asian version of "Ramayana" with the goal to make it "relevant" to all the countries in the region which have a version of Ramayana like Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and others.

Jainardhan Sathyan travelled to most of the countries and tried to study each version, its differences and cultural relevance.

"We extensively researched and created art that would cut across. This initiative was funded by a large multinational brand and a Malaysian network. For some reason, that project got

paused, only for the better and I moved to Los Angeles. Now, after getting a formal education and training in filmmaking, the Hollywood way, my aperture has opened to see the project through a wider lens, relevant to the world over," says Sathyan, who has produced multiple seasons of television shows, aired on Viacom, Disney, Star, Sony, National Geographic, Sun Network and worked as Visual Effects Producer in more than 20 feature films internationally, talks about "Princess Sita", an animated feature film, a retelling of the Ramayana through Sita's eyes, which he is working on.

Written by Paul Hamilton Magid ("The Guardian Monk"), the project involves animation, live-action, virtual reality, visual effects, virtual production, motion and capture.

Sathyan feels that while Sita has been revered in the historic epic and traditions of India and Southeast Asia for thousands of years, the story of "Ramayana" has almost always been told from the vantage point of Lord Rama.

He adds, "It feels worthwhile and meaningful to tell the great legend from the matriarchal feminine

vantage point that will provide a new and fresh perspective on a legendary epic, a story every family should know."

The producer feels that looking at her story track, birth, marriage, exile, abduction, reunion and then separation again, everything seems to happen around her and that is what is fascinating about the character.

"Despite being a princess, she is the only character in Ramayana who is extremely relatable."

Talk to him about the fact that over the past decade and a half there has been a hurricane of literature and television content made on mythology, and he asserts, "These are timeless classics. Every content creator who is attracted by great stories, cannot ignore the fact that some of the most fascinating tales are the gems hidden in our scriptures, time-tested, society and culture agnostic. I feel it is the audience whose tastes change as they favour one genre over the other. Right now, there is a growing appetite for stories from our past and it is a moment to cherish and celebrate," he concludes.

Connecting artworks and cultures around world

M

icrosoft and the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru, launched a new artificial intelligence-powered platform to connect artworks and cultures around the world. The platform, 'Interwoven' is rooted in MAP’s vast collection of South Asian textiles and was developed as part of Microsoft’s AI for Cultural Heritage initiative, which leverages technology to empower people and organizations dedicated to the preservation and enrichment of art and culture.

Previous projects under the initiative have involved improving accessibility through the Open Access collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the digital restoration of ‘Ancient Olympia’, in collaboration with the Government of Greece. The Museum of Art and Photography in Bengaluru is the first project

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under this initiative in India.

Speaking at the launch, Kamini Sawhney, Director, MAP, said “Covid 19 and the lockdown really forced us to reflect on how people interacted with the online space.

Right from week 1, we began looking at how we could engage with our online communities.

After the pandemic, a primary aspect of our mission is to use the digital realm to connect with people across the country, and the world. We’re rethinking the idea of museums. They cannot be mere repositories of objects.

MAP will not just be a collection of objects, but a space for ideas and conversations that are initiated through our collections.

Interwoven fits securely within this vision” “Interwoven is a project that is deeply impactful to society, culture, and heritage. The project interweaves technology with art,

Lahore, I am also looking at that of India: Wardha Shabbir

using AI to find shared histories in artistic traditions from different corners of the globe, particularly pertaining to something as rich and complex as textiles. Our approach to AI centers around meaningful innovation and this project beautifully allows art to be more accessible and inclusive for people around the world.

We stay committed to using technology to help celebrate and preserve culture as part of our AI for Cultural Heritage initiative", adds Rohini Srivathsa, National Technology Officer at Microsoft India. The platform works by providing users with two options.

The first (Curated Journeys) allows the user to view predefined journeys, created primarily by MAP’s educational and research arm - the MAP Academy. These combine relationships between global artifacts suggested by the AI, which are then researched and expanded further by individual curators. It is an explorative model for how AI might be used in museology and art historical research. These cover a range of themes and subjects, from ideas of antiimperialism to representations of women, to explorations of leisure. One of the journeys, for instance, even traces the forms and functions of handbags across different cultures and time periods, shedding light on their associations with ideas of community, convenience, and

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"

Wardha Shabbir

It is sad that we are so near yet so far... The strong cultural bond that exists between us, the similarity of language, and even skin tones same. Whenever I look at the foliage of Lahore, the part of my paintings, I am also looking at the foliage of India," says Pakistani artist Wardha Shabbir whose works are part of the exhibition 'The World Awaits You Like a Garden' being shown at Latitude 28 (on till June 30) in the Capital.

This 34-year-old, who has been regularly exhibiting her work in India stresses she has always felt a strong connection between the people of both the countries despite the political differences.

Remembering that art entered her life at an early age when she would see her mother doodle and sketch out motifs on to a piece of paper, fascinating her how she could do that without even looking, the artist recalls, "She was also a gardener, something that interested me too. Eventually, I started making drawings of plants. I was in grade seven, and I used to draw this botanical pattern -- that is still in my paintings, the pattern of leaves that is mostly in the background of my paintings."

Talk to the artist about what fascinates her about miniature art and she says that the word 'miniature' limits the boundaries of what it could be, and would prefer to call what she is looking at visual arts. For her, dwelling on this practice is actually the spiritual relationship that one

haute couture.

The second option (Custom Journeys) invites general users to explore the platform to stumble upon meaningful and sometimes even surprising visual connections. It provides a new way to engage with culture and learn more about the history of textiles and fashion and their relationship to global exchange.

forms with his/her art. "The relationship that you form with a dot -- you put a dot together with another one that forms pixels of an image and then it comes to be more high resolution. So, I feel a connection to that dot, and when you put that dot on a piece of paper, your mind, body, and soul have to be one and then you put the next one -- leading to a spiritual journey of selfawareness that you are making with miniature paintings. The miniature that I do is mostly mirroring the experiences that I have in my society. Through the language of trees, I am forming those experiences into passages and pathways or survival of women."

Living in Lahore ever since she was a child, Shabbir has seen the city evolve just like her experiences. "I have seen the culture, temperature, and air change. I have many influences from the city in my work. Like the yellow background in my works, the lights are that shade here.

The video work that is part of the exhibition, 'The World Awaits you in the Garden' was inspired by the notion of survival. In that work, I talk about the survival of the women. It was made in response to the unfortunate incident that took place in Lahore where a woman was traveling with her two kids in the middle of the night -- because she was a woman and was alone, she was dragged out and raped in front of her children."

Though the Pandemic was a bleak period, somehow the works she created during that time are colorful. "I started to make these drawings titled 'Khamoshi ke Kinaare' and 'Samundar Ke Khuski' which are sarcastic.

Something that is new in my style of art created during that period," concludes Shabbir, who is currently working on a solo show that will be shown in London in September.

Bhavna Kakkar of Latitude 28 adds, "The exploration of dark and insidious imagery underlies all of Shabbir's work. Experiences within her own environment have enabled her to acknowledge laws of dystopia, cruelty, violence, and power that prevail at the most microscopic of levels and in our own social strata."

As part of the project, the MAP Academy has also developed a free, introductory online course on South Asian textiles, for a global audience, to further contextualize the enduring impact and relevance of textiles – addressing everything from fashion, to the environment, and global exchange.

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INTERVIEW

Spreading the wholesomeness of Ayurveda, meet IABCA young professional of the year Rishi Kher

Q1. You are a Chartered Accountant by profession yet it is apparent that you have a passion for Ayurveda and in fact, you have founded Holy Sanity at the heart of which is, Ayurveda. So what made you venture into this area? How are you managing both professions simultaneously?

Ans. I’m managing because of the incredible support of my team across all these businesses as well as my friends and family who show up and support me at every turn. Every new interaction and conversation stimulates and motivates me towards my goal of making Holy Sanity a global brand and having Ayurvedic principles instilled in every household.

It’s been my experience as a Chartered Accountant across many businesses and exposure to extremely driven CEO’s and founders that led me to believe that Ayurvedic beauty and personal care products have a place in every home. I am proud of my Indian heritage, culture and its teachings. I am also driven to help people. When I met my Co-Founder Dr Rani Samant, and talked about the principles of Ayurveda and the benefits it could have for every human, I was inspired and motivated to connect its teachings to the masses.

Q2. Could you enlighten our readers about the genesis of Holy Sanity? What challenges did you face?

Ans. Holy Sanity began in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Health was getting a lot of attention and hand sanitisers all of a sudden became

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a staple commodity. I happened to meet Dr Rani Samant during this time, who had the Ayurvedic and chemistry background to formulate a moisturising hand sanitiser that was pleasant on the hands and easy on the nose. The name Holy Sanity, is a play on words with a common Australian phrase when things don’t go as planned, which was synonymous with the COVID-19 period. Sanity also ties itself into sanitiser, our first product.

by science, in our beauty and personal care products. We believe conventional beauty and lifestyle products should be based on Ayurvedic principles. That is our vision when we make our products.

We spent months formulating, sampling and getting our products just right. Many cold wintery nights were spent in our factory and lab, but to be where we are now with 16 different SKU’s and an additional CoFounder George Janev joining the team, the whole journey has been worth it!

Ans. We were at the Mind Body Spirit festival last month, and we had an incredible turnout of people come to our stall, ask questions about Ayurveda and try our products. We also had people come back two days later after purchasing the product and telling us how amazing their skin felt and responded to our serums! As our products are all formulated and made by Dr Rani Samant, a co-founder of Holy Sanity and an Ayurvedic Doctor herself, people trust the science behind our products.

Q3. Do you think Ayurvedic products can be a perfect substitute for conventional beauty and lifestyle products?

Ans. I see Ayurveda being the base of conventional science not as a substitute. The World Health Organization defines health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. Ayurveda takes it to the next level by defining health ‘when a person is in equilibrium of the Doshas (3 key physiological factors) - Agni (metabolic health), Dhatu (tissue health) and Malas (excretory function), as well as a happy state of Atma (soul), Indriya (sense organs) and Manas (mind).’

At Holy Sanity we are trying to integrate traditional Ayurvedic principles, which is backed up

Q4. How has the Australian market responded to your products? Do you think that people only experiment with Ayurvedic products or have they embraced these products as a part of their life?

We make all of our products in Australia, only use premium ingredients in our products and follow best practise industry guidelines which gives confidence to the market on the quality of our products. Consumers are looking for organic alternatives to their beauty regime, and as a result, we are seeing Holy Sanity being embraced positively in western and Indian households. Our vision is to instil Ayurveda into every household and have it embraced as being an integral part of their lifestyle.

Q5. According to you, is enough

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being done to promote Ayurvedic products? What more can be done?

Ans. The contribution of traditional medicine such as Ayurveda, to national health systems is not yet fully realised.

Around 80% of the world’s population is estimated to use traditional medicine, such as herbal medicines, acupuncture, yoga, indigenous therapies and others. Traditional medicine is also part of the growing trilliondollar global health, wellness, beauty, and pharmaceutical industries. Furthermore, over 40% of pharmaceutical formulations are based on natural products and landmark drugs, including aspirin and artemisinin which originated from traditional medicine.

Ayurvedic products are getting a lot more attention and interest because the human stories of successful treatment are now being shown and shared across social media. At Holy Sanity we are taking the time to educate people about Ayurveda, may it be either at local market stalls we attend or via our website, videos

or blogs. Ayurveda is not for people who want to experiment and move on to the next fad. It is for the people who value their health and wellbeing. We believe anyone who is serious about their physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing will find their way towards Ayurveda and embrace our Holy Sanity personal care products as an integral part of their life. The results of our products are currently marketing for themselves!

Q6. Last but not the least, how does it feel to bag the IABCA Young Professional of the Year 2022 award?

Ans. Extremely humbled. I always wanted to thank my parents for the sacrifices they made coming to Australia from India to start a new life for me and my brother. I dedicate all that has come since to them, and it was very special for me to have them attend the awards ceremony in Sydney that night. I hope to motivate and inspire many more people to break their glass ceilings and reach for their dreams. Mine has only begun!

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COMMUNITY NEWS

High Commission of India marks International Day of Yoga High Commission Of India, Canberra recently organised a beautiful celebration of the International Yoga Day 2022 at The Gabba , and started-off the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - celebration of the 75th Indian Independence Day, in the presence of the High Commissioner of India in Australia, Manpreet Vohra, and Honorary Consul of India in Queensland, Archana Singh.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

ICAQ and BMM participate in Multicultural Australia’s Luminous Lantern Parade

By Amrita Deshpande

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very year, Brisbane City Council and Multicultural Australia organise a Lantern Parade to welcome new immigrants and refugees and celebrate the Queensland Day. This year also, Brisbane sparkled in beautiful lights to welcome the new immigrants and refugees settled in Brisbane.

Organisations in Brisbane, which work with immigrants, associations that are established in Brisbane by these immigrants, and councils that work with the immigrants and businesses that support the multicultural community, all participate and walk in the yearly parade. Some organisations create their own lanterns while others dress in their traditional attire, dance,

play music, or simply participate with placards in their hands, welcoming the new immigrants and refugees as well as celebrate the multicultural community in Brisbane.

The parade, which was a completely inclusive event and much loved by Brisbanites, was led by government officials Hon Ms. Leanne Linnard MP, and Governor General Her Excellency Ms. Jeannette Young, who extended their support to the multicultural community in Queensland, helping them celebrate the Queensland Day.

assigned the Elephant Lantern, specially created for the ICAQ. The lanterns were designed and created by the community in Lismore, NSW. Members of the ICAQ were at first reluctant to carry the Elephant Lantern as it seemed too heavy, however once the parade started everyone forgot how heavy it was.

Also, two volunteers, Amal and Aarpit Singh, helped carry the Elephant Lantern, besides the parade organisers also appointing

one person for the same.

Together the ICAQ team and Brisbane Maharashtra Mandal team, comprising of ICAQ President, Mr. Parminder Singh, Secretary of ICAQ and President of Brisbane Maharashtra Mandal Mr. Ganesh Deshpande, along with spouse Sonal Deshpande, Public Relations Officer of ICAQ, President of Watercolour Society of Queensland Inc, Secretary of Brisbane Maharashtra Mandal Mrs. Amrita Deshpande, and

Indrani Ganguly, prominent Indian community member and author, walked the entire parade with the Elephant Lantern, which looked beautiful and amazed the onlookers.

Following the parade, the participants, officials, and community leaders and members all enjoyed the world music concert showcasing the culture, the dances and music of migrant population living in Brisbane.

The Indian Council of Australia, Queensland Inc (ICAQ), a newly formed non-profit organisation, participated for the first time in the yearly parade. They were

ICAQ, BMM jointly host yoga event in Brisbane

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he International Yoga Day in Brisbane, a collaboration between Art Of Living Foundation, Indian Council Of Australia, Qld, and Brisbane Maharashtra Mandal, was organised in Brisbane on June 26.

The day was filled with good spiritual vibes, giving everyone the sense of harmony and peace.

President of Indian Council of Australia, Mr. Parminder Singh, in his address to the participants of yoga day, expressed his gratitude to the supporting organisations as well as the participants for giving the newly formed organisation

the opportunity to collaborate and celebrate the yoga day.

He said, “ICAQ thanks Hon. Counsul Mrs Archana Singh, AOL coordinator Mrs. Seema Lathkar, and Mrs. Parul Patel, for having faith in ICAQ, a newly formed peak body for Indians, organisations and Individuals associated with India, to collaborate on this event.”

He also thanked His Excellency Mr. ManpreetVohra, for endorsing the event and sending 30 T-shirts to ICAQ which were given to volunteers helping on this

event. He further said, “ICAQ believes in equality, respect, and collaboration while executing any event with our members. We are here to support noble causes which will assist community's wellbeing.”

Brisbane Maharashtra Mandal also supported ICAQ on this event by recruiting volunteers and promoting the event to its members and other connected community organisations.

The International Yoga Day (IYD) 2022 theme was “Yoga for Humanity and Peace”, and India

has successfully spread yoga to various countries around the world. This soft power has put India in the daily conversations of local people in many countries that practice yoga and celebrate it on June 21, the solstice day.

This year, Indians living in Australia along with Australians celebrated this day in a big way.

Not just one, but many events were organised in Brisbane, Queensland to celebrate the 2022 International Yoga Day. The Indian community thanks the councillors, government officials, High Commissioner of India in Canberra, and the local community organisations for their efforts in supporting as well as organising these yoga events.

Yoga is the complete cleansing, healing, training and maintaining process for the mind, the soul and the body. The UN has recognised this tradition of yoga and given it the necessary status, recognising its benefits towards developing a stable mind, healthy body, and becoming the spiritually librated soul.

Amrita Deshpande, PRO, ICAQ

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Sydney Sanskrit School celebrates IDY Celebrating International day of Yoga (IDY) recently at Liverpool, Sydney Sanskrit School students had the privilege of listening to Narasimha Mahodaya. Invoking the blessings of Lord Ganesha, a session of Suryanamaskara was commenced. The audience learnt the various postures and their significance in getting it correctly.

Narasimha Mahodaya threw light upon how the eight limbs of yoga help the yogis become one with the Brahman.

COMMUNITY NEWS

PUMA organises music concert Perth United Malayalee Association (PUMA) organised Star singer & Musical Night at Indian Community Centre on 11th June, 2022. The event showcased some amazing talents.

Famous Yoga Guru conducts final curtain raiser for IDY ‘Yoga for Physical and Mental Wellbeing’, the final curtain raiser for International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2022 was conducted by renowned Yoga Guru of Sydney Dr. Amit Sharma of Dhamma Yoga.

MAWA hosts Arts Festival Malayalee Association of Western Australia (MAWA) recently organised an Arts Festival at the Armadale District Hall under the auspices of MAWA President Salachan and a dedicated team of MAWA members.

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ISWA organises popup vax clinic Indian Society of Western Australia (ISWA) recently organised a pop-up vaccination clinic for the community at the Indian Community Center.

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Australian Sikh Support serves food to community members

IAIE and AIBC organize International Day of Yoga 2022

In a recently held multicultural event in Melbourne non-profit organisation Australian Sikh Support served community members with fresh cooked vegetarian food.

This noble initial was in collaboration with The Salvation Army Australia.

COMMUNITY NEWS

By Dr Ashutosh Misra, National Sports Chair AIBC The International Day of Yoga 2022 was organized by the Institute for Australia India Engagement in association with the Indian High Commission, Australia India Business Council and Australia India News at Spring Hill, Brisbane on 19 June, 2022.

Like the previous years, noted health and wellness institution the Art of Living led by Yoga teacher Sri Avinash conducted the session which was enjoyed by the yoga enthusiasts. The proceedings started with the enchanting Yajurveda mantra recital by the prodigal Araanya and Aarna, followed by a brief welcome by IAIE CEO and AIBC’s National Sports Chair Dr Ashutosh Misra; IAIE Sports and Wellness Program Director Dr Amol Wagholikar and Australia India News Chairman and AIBC Executive Committee member, Queensland Dr Ram Mohan.

HSWA organises Indradhanush event Hindi Samaj of Western Australia (HSWA) recently organised the annual Indradhanush event successfully under India@75 showcasing Hindi language and culture.

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Our sincere thanks to the Government of India and Ms Seema Latkher at the Art of Living for their support. Despite the last minute flu and covid sickness impacting many of the invitees, a good bunch of yoga enthusiasts turned up to commemorate this wonderful and eagerly-awaited occasion. Also, a special thanks to Krishnendu Bhattacharya for the wonderful photos.

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TRAVEL

Must-book travel deals you don’t want to miss you have been delaying that trip abroad for quite a while now.

CRED travel will offer bestprice deals across international properties of Maldives, Singapore, Europe, Malaysia, and Bali.

Members will also get an assured ₹5000 voucher on bookings above Rs. 1 lakh.

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he travel season has arrived, immerse yourself in Indian culture, plan a trip abroad, or sip cocktails on beautiful beaches.

Throughout June, CRED travel, the in-app travel experiences section, will host a variety of deals across domestic and international properties. Book luxurious holidays with VIP inclusions in international and Indian

destinations, enjoy premium stays, curated experiences ranging from complimentary meals to adventure sports, and best of all, travel at your leisure all at member-exclusive prices.

Members can book now to take advantage of the deals but travel at their leisure because the travel period is extended. Using CRED coins, you can access the deals in the app's travel section.

Let’s look and help you decide: The serene hills of Coorg: Fresh air, cozy weather, and the alluring landscapes make Coorg the perfect getaway from the heat and humidity of the summers. The green hills, gushing waterfalls, coffee plantations, and the perfect weather have also coined Coorg’s reputation as the ‘Scotland of India’. CRED travel offers a variety of deals at luxurious resorts of Taj

Now an Aman in Beverly Hills

evolved in recent years to bring its renowned Aman lifestyle to urban destinations in addition to its remote resorts, including Aman New York, which will open on August 2, 2022, Aman Residences, Tokyo (2023), Aman Nai Lert Bangkok (2023), and Aman Miami Beach (2024). Aman Branded Residences have presold at market-leading premiums across the portfolio of upcoming destinations.

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ithin eight acres of botanical gardens, Aman Beverly Hills will be part of the groundbreaking 17.5-acre One Beverly Hills development, which will be located at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards, less than a mile from Rodeo Drive.

The project will include an Aman hotel, a collection of exclusive Aman Branded Residences, and an Aman Club, which is scheduled to open in 2026 to guests, residents, and members.

Being one of the world's preeminent lifestyle and hospitality brand, the opening was announced in collaboration with privately held investment firms Cain International and Alagem Capital. The global

pioneer in the creation of peaceful sanctuaries far removed from daily life, Aman is renowned as a provider of seclusion, wellbeing, exceptional design, and unrivalled service, with 34 resorts and hotels in over 20 countries, 15 of which are within or near Unesco World Heritage Sites.

One Beverly Hills will redevelop a large area of land to create a unified proposition focused on health and wellbeing, surrounded by botanical gardens showcasing native plant species. Aman Beverly Hills, like Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, will be the focal point of this magnificent urban green space, set within the tranquil Nai Lert Park in the heart of Bangkok.

The brand’s positioning has

Vlad Doronin, Chairman and CEO of Aman said: “Aman Group’s strategy is to bring the brand’s coveted resort experiences to urban destinations. This strategic direction has seen us successfully launch the multiple awardwinning Aman Tokyo in 2014, and Aman Residences, Tokyo will follow next year, as well as future urban destinations which feature both hotel and residences; Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, Aman Miami Beach, plus the imminent opening of Aman New York.”

The Aman Beverly Hills hotel will be the brand’s fifth in the United States. Aman currently operates Amangani in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Amangiri in Canyon Point, Utah, with Aman New York set to open on August 2, 2022, and Aman Miami Beach scheduled to open in 2024.

Madikeri, Ayatana, and more. The privileges of booking your deal with CRED include meals, guided tours, adventure sports, infinity pools and many more member exclusive benefits.

Take the long-pending trip abroad with CRED’s ‘Internationally Yours’ sale: With vaccinations and safety protocols, international borders are open for traveling again. And we know,

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In addition, keep an eye out for daily slash deals across India.

Can you get past those endless airport lines? quick, smooth, and safe passage through the airport, this could be your pick for a seamless transit.

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t's summer vacation time, and while that means international shores, mountain treks in the North of India or beach escapes in the south, it also means endless lines at the Airport. If you're keeping up with the news, you won't be surprised if you have to wait an hour or so just to get you foot into the airport, or if you finish reading that book while you wait to check in, or if you end up missing that flight thanks to security check!

But there is a way around it, Airport Meet and Greet Services, which are specially curated to deliver exclusive experiences at airports. The services have been thoughtfully designed to assure memories that talk about convenience, comfort, and luxury. Meet and Greet (M & G) services at Indian airports add a premium feel for the traveler.

The services promise excellent time management while making your airport journey smooth and relaxing at any hour of the day.

For a luxurious airport concierge experience, try and avail this service in which an associate is assigned to meet and assist the traveller when they arrive at the airport. Whether one is a first-time traveler, a business traveler, or travelling with a child, these services are designed for people from all walks of life. One might even be flying out your unaccompanied minors; these services will take care of that as well. For anyone looking for a

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Beaches and backwaters FTW ( June 23-25): In the first three months of 2022, Maldives and Goa were the most-picked destinations for travelers and we can tell why. Who does not want to don that beach hat and switch to comfy clothes to sip fresh cocktails by the tranquil beaches?

CRED travel will host curated deals at luxurious properties across Goa, Maldives and Kerala that will make that vacation more memorable than ever.

Skip the long queues and the varied formalities, and even get access to airport lounge, buggy service, porter service, wheel chair assistance and many more customized offerings. Your baggage gets sorted on priority, which means that one does not have to wait for their luggage since the porter does that while you can relax at the lounge.

Apart from luxury and comfort, here are a few instances where choosing these services can make one’s life a little more convenient: > Transiting the airport for the first time? A personal assistant will guide through the airport formalities and will assist the traveler from the airport entry gate to the aircraft door (and vice versa). > Have an important appointment soon after the flight and don’t want your energy sapped?

Accelerate the airport journey to get it done in minutes instead of hours. > Want to be more productive at the airport? We understand that on a business trip, it’s all about work. The time spent at the airport waiting for the flight, is priceless. Time at the airport while travelling for business can not only be productive but is crucial to sort our priority tasks at ease. Airport lounge access provides that perfect atmosphere to focus and enhance the output. > Want to make your layovers exciting? A personal assistant will help with various options to occupy the time. A buggy service ensures the traveler to get on to the connecting flight on time.

(Vikas Sharma, CEO, Encalm Hospitality Pvt Ltd)

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A new destination in South Goa’s Varca beach

important market for us. We are already planning to add more resorts in Goa, in the near future.”

TRAVEL

New Zealand’s 7 blue wonders

He further added, “Our Country Inn Hotels & Resorts brand has always been successful, for the consistent warm hospitality and for creating inspirational family experiences. We will continue to expand this brand exponentially, making it a leading mid-market resort brand in the country.”

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ast growing hotel company Espire Hospitality Group has signed an agreement with Ranjana Overseas Private Limited to launch Country Inn Tarika Goa, Varca Beach just 200 meters from Varca Beach. This complex of 48 keys will be launched in September. Espire Hospitality Group currently has three resorts under its Country Inn Hotels & Resorts brand and the signing will strengthen the company's significant midscale portfolio.

The resort is located in the most scenic part of this popular leisure destination, South Goa, within walking distance of Varca Beach

and in close proximity to other beaches such as Colva Beach and Marjoda Beach. The Country Inn Tarika Goa, Varca Beach offers well-designed cottages for a relaxing stay, a poolside bar, an all-day multi-cuisine restaurant, a fitness center and a ballroom.

Commenting on this important signing, Akhil Arora, Chief Operating Officer, Espire Hospitality Group said “We are thrilledto take the first step towards our expansion plan of having 20 resorts in our portfolio by 2023. Goa has latterly started attracting travellers throughout the year and is an extremely

Girish Batra, Director, Ranjana Overseas Private Limited, added, “We have decided to work with the Espire Hospitality Group as we recognize them as a trusted partner for creating a success story. Our resort’s location is one of the key highlights that will attract the leisure travellers to spend a relaxing vacation in the serene settings. The brand Country Inn Hotels & Resorts is known to offer its quality of service and we want exactly the same for our resort’s operations.

We are confident about our rewarding association with the brand”.

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veryone is aware of the world's seven natural wonders. They are spectacular, remarkable, and unforgettable. But did you know that New Zealand has its own blue wonders that will captivate your senses?

Glowworm caves

New Zealand is a visual seeker's treasure chest waiting to be opened, with its breathtakingly beautiful sights. These dazzling blue attractions, ranging from azure lakes to turquoise pools, must be seen to be believed.

An ancient subterranean world in the heart of New Zealand’s central North Island, the Waitomo Cave system is a series of fascinating and dramatic natural wonders.

Take a boat ride to observe the glowing wonders up close or get your adrenaline pumping with Black Water Rafting.

Poor Knights Islands

A Fund for the world’s craziest listing ideas in earnings in less than three years, and leveraged that income to bootstrap my way through additional listings that allow me to express my creativity and connect with hundreds of people in the process.”

Applications will be reviewed by a judging panel of boundarypushing design authorities, an architectural expert, and an Airbnb OMG! Category Superhost:

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irbnb is on the hunt for the world’s craziest spaces — and will help foot the bill to build them. Whether it’s the next boot, UFO house or a 6-ton potato, the first-of-itssize $10,000,000 OMG! Fund is seeking ideas from existing and aspiring designers, architects, DIYers and makers from around the globe.

The fund's $10 million will help finance 100 of the craziest ideas, giving 100 people an opportunity to turn them into actual Airbnb OMG! Category listings, which are Airbnb’s collection of the most unique homes.

One hundred people with the craziest ideas will receive $100,000* each to make their creations possible and, ultimately, bookable. Ideas will be judged by an expert panel for their originality, feasibility, the experience the space will provide guests, and sustainability.

The fund is shaped in part by the growing trend of flexible living that has emerged in the past two years. As part of this shift, Airbnb guests are craving more unexpected spaces that become

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the destinations themselves, and Airbnb Categories, which launched last month, provide a new way to search for these spaces. More than 30,000 unique listings across the world were added to the platform in 2021 and the OMG! Category - which since introduced has been viewed 2.5M times - showcases the craziest amongst them, making it easy for guests to discover these listings in places they wouldn't have otherwise looked.

Hosting on the platform provides powerful economic benefits to Hosts and their communities.

In 2021, unique Hosts income in India increased by around 45 percent as compared to 2019.

Additionally, nights booked at unique properties increased globally by over 49 percent from 2019 to 2021.

“When the Idaho Potato Commission retired a sixton prop potato, I took it off their hands and spent $32,000 transforming it into an Airbnb,” Airbnb Superhost and OMG! Fund judging panelist Kristie Wolfe said. “I went from making $13/hr to seeing $208,000**

> Iris Apfel, incomparable and irreverent centenarian style icon > Koichi Takada, founder of Sydney-based international studio Koichi Takada Architects, known for emotive design inspired by the natural world > Kristie Wolfe, Airbnb Superhost and prolific creator of OMG! Listings including the Potato Hotel, Crystal Peak Lookout, Big Island Treehouse and Cocoon Cottage > Bruce Vaughn, Disney alum and Airbnb’s VP of Experiential Creative Product The $10,000,000 OMG! Fund opens today for a period of 30 days, through July 22 at 11:59 pm ET. The 100 fund recipients will be selected by the panel over the next several months, with the intent of having their newlyconstructed spaces complete next year. To apply, visit airbnb.com/ omgfund Starting today, anyone with an out-of-this-world idea can submit an application at airbnb. com/omgfund. *For more information, including a list of eligible countries, see the Official Rules.

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Blue Pools

Beneath the waves at the Poor Knights Islands, you'll find subtropical fish that can't be seen anywhere else in New Zealand. Diving and snorkelling are the best ways to enjoy this underwater world, located 30 kilometres from Whangarei in Northland & Bay of Islands region.

Take a short and easy walk through mature beech trees and over a swing bridge to discover the awe-inspiring Blue Pools. The deep, clear glacial pools of the Makarora River can be found in Mount Aspiring National Park.

Lake Pukaki

Te Waikoropupu Springs

Be amazed by some of the clearest water ever measured at Te Waikoropupū Springs, in Takaka, the largest freshwater springs in the Southern Hemisphere. Also known as Pupu Springs, local Māori see it as a taonga (treasure) and wāhi tapu, a place held in high cultural and spiritual regard.

The Blue Spring Stroll and admire the pure water of The Blue Spring in the Waikato-Hamilton region, so clean it supplies around 70 per cent of New Zealand’s bottled water. The Te Waihou Walkway winds through wetlands, across rolling pastures and past small waterfalls to the turquoise water of the spring, one of the purest water sources in the world.

Lake Pukaki, a shimmering blue jewel set against a backdrop of Aoraki/Mt Cook, gets its distinctive deep blue tones from finely-ground minerals carried in the glacier-fed waters. Discover nearby walks, take a scenic flight, or go at night for a spectacular stargazing experience.

Huka Falls

One of New Zealand's most popular natural attractions, Huka Falls is just 10 minutes from Lake Taupo. Watch as the mighty Waikato River, which measures about 100 metres wide, is squeezed through a narrow gorge and down a 20 metre drop. You can feel the thundering Falls up close on a jet boat ride or marvel from a safe distance on one of the many viewing platforms.

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INDIA NEWS

Indian Weavers Alliance takes Assam’s ancient tradition forward

FASHION

Everyday Luxury

encompassing an end-to-end integrated approach to renew and reinforce the age-old tradition.

Polash's team has established a farmer producer firm called "IWA Silk Farmer Producer Company Limited," which has registered persons who spin by hand and produced a strategic road map for the sector's upliftment.

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he art of hand spinning yarn with a spindle, a straight stick about eight to twelve inches long on which the yarn is wound after twisting, is known as hand spun yarn. The ancient tradition Eri is not just an intrinsic part of Assam’s Tradition but also a critical part of the livelihood of many engaged in this art. Hand spinning, however, is a vanishing tradition, a fading

cultural practice, especially among the younger generation, as a result of the onslaught of modern textiles. It has now become a rare practice, affecting the price of Eri, which has been steadily rising.

To bring back a historic tradition to keep spinning alive the Indian Weavers Alliance launches Polash.

A game-changing initiative for the Hand Spun Yarn segment,

Saumar Sharma, acting CEO, IWASFPCL said, “IWA Silk Farmer Producer Company Limited – the farmer producer company has been privileged to have been able to start the process of creating a common facility center at Borihat, Polashbari, Kamrup. Assam. The facility is about 8000 sq. ft. Which is planned to stock over 300 to 500 kgs. of Grade one cocoons.

The best part is that the myriad spinning artisans have been made dividend holders who are going to be directly connected to the profits".

Sonam Bajwa headlines a fashion event in her home city Chandigarh

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hen it comes to fashion, each region in India is very special. Chandigarh played host to its first ever Blenders Pride Fashion Nights with actress Sonam Bajwa walking the runway as show stopper.

Previously names like Priyanka Chopra and Malaika Arora have been associated with the event.

Bajwa states, "I feel very honored to be a part of this and doing it in my favorite city so I am going to cherish this and I thank everyone for this opportunity," said Bajwa.

Blenders Pride Fashion Nights, is a one-of-a-kind travelling experiential property, celebrating each city's authentic spirit through fashion and style. A spirit that resonates with Pride and inspires today's creators to become icons of tomorrow. The 'Made of Punjabi Swag' edition featured an eclectic evening that blended fashion, culture, and music, celebrating the true Punjabi spirit of Chandigarh.

"I think Chandigarh is a perfect perfect example of a city or a place which is a perfect blend of modern and traditional.

Sometimes when go to a mall here, I see women and men impeccably dressed in traditional

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clothes and are so confident in them. And on the other hand many choose Western styles like jeans and shirts and girls dressed in elegant dresses, they manage to merge two worlds in one," said the actress about fashion in her home town.

Bajwa was showstopper for designer Siddhartha Bansal who uses vibrant colours that mirror the region. Walking for Bansal, Bajwa states what she loved most about his designs was, "how he puts traditional with contemporary, and mixes it up, playing with vibrant colors together and traditional

embroidery. Talking about his curation, designer Siddhartha Bansal said, “It is an honour to be associated with Blenders Pride Fashion Nights, a one-ofa-kind platform that celebrates and nurtures local talent across the country. I hope to take the audience on a journey through the vivacious and diverse craft and culture of India – in its once-coined ‘Golden Bird’ avatar through my collection. It gives me great joy in sharing my ‘Made of Pride’ story in the city that defines my work.”

For Bajwa talent has no boundaries and what she admires about the event is how they are putting the attention on Chandigarh which is often neglected by the fashion industry.

"I congratulate Blender’s Pride Fashion nights for doing something like this for the first time in Chandigarh, it’s also my first time and the memory will be special to me." The evening celebrated people who take pride in their choices, are comfortable in their own skin, and, most importantly, embrace their authentic selves – truly living a 'Made of Pride' life. On her association with Blenders Pride Fashion Nights, actor Sonam Bajwa said, “Chandigarh has always been one of my favourite cities in the country – it’s a beautiful mélange of history and modern influences. Today, its vibrant culture and eclectic heritage are being showcased through Siddhartha Bansal’s designs and I am thrilled to be walking the ramp for this celebration of the city at Blenders Pride Fashion Nights.”

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T

ina Tahiliani Parikh's multidesigner store, Ensemble, is India's first multi-brand luxury fashion store.

Ensemble will host its first edition of the 'Everyday Luxury Edit' which includes statement pieces handpicked by in-house experts from over 20 local brands that can be mixed and matched or worn as separates. The curation will centre on wearability and affordability, with all items priced under $15,000, bringing the concept of Everyday Luxury to life!

The Pop-up will be held on the 24th and 25th of June at its Kala Ghoda and Santacruz outlets,

and will feature Luxe looks from clothing brands such as Whim, Tilla, APZ, Ode to Odd, MoonRay, Pot Plant, Chola, as well as accessory labels such as Deepa Gurnani, Kesya, Studio Metallurgy, Nomada, Valliyan, Kokommo, and more!

Choose from a wide range of Coord sets, Skirts and embellished Shirts, Kaaftans, kurta sets, and tunics that are ideal for Summer, Travel, and Occasions, with an underlying thread of luxe looks and finish that runs through each label

Ranveer Singh marks the launch of the adidas x Gucci collection sustainability goals and collective action, the collection features multiple pieces crafted with future-conscious material fabrications including polyester, cotton and viscose.

A

didas Originals Brand Ambassador and India’s own Gucci Boy, Ranveer Singh marks the launch of the adidas x Gucci collection by taking on to his social media handles and unveiling some of his favourite looks from the muchanticipated collection that created phenomenal hype in the fashion world globally earlier this year at Exquisite Gucci, the house’s fashion show that took place in February in Milan.

Designed by Creative Director Alessandro Michele, adidas x Gucci merges the emblems of the House with those of the iconic sportswear brand.

Reflecting a shared commitment to innovation, progress,

With the heritage of both brands encoded in a trio of lines, a fixation on stripes plays out across ready-to-wear pieces that echo the silhouettes of athletic staples and leisurewear.

Track pants feature the white Three Stripes of adidas on one leg, while the other is defined by the red and green Web of Gucci. Energetic prints portray how motifs like the adidas Trefoil and GG monogram find synergy to amplify two legacies.

Conventionally formal pieces like leather heels, suede loafers, and silk scarves enter hybridized territory as well, as they are marked with casual codes.

Similarly, retro aesthetics become intrinsically contemporary as they proclaim there are no rules when it comes to dressing up.

The collection is available in India exclusively at Gucci stores in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

INDIA NEWS

5 Ways of using honey in your skincare routine breakouts. When applied to the skin daily for 10 minutes, tomato juice and honey can visibly reduce the size of your pores. For those who complain of open pores, this should be your go-to fix.

I

f you are looking to switch to a natural beauty regime, then there is one ingredient sitting in your kitchen that should make it into your beauty pack: honey.

One of the most potent natural and effective ingredients it acts as a is acetone, which is great for all skin types and has centurieslong credibility as a respected ingredient beyond kitchen use.

Honey is a natural antibacterial, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory ingredient.

In its natural form, honey is produced by enzyme activity, plant matter, and live bacteria coming together to create a powerful ingredient with hundreds of practical uses. Raw, unpasteurized honey has the most potential for topical application on skin. Keep reading to find out how honey can be applied to your face to help your skin.

Let us look at some of the skin care benefits along with easy packs that can be made with honey.

Open pores attract a lot of dust, dirt, and pollution; all this can lead to acne and dull, dry skin. Honey works as a natural astringent that helps shrink pores and reduces the occurrence of

For those struggling with tired and dull skin, a dash of honey is all you need. Squash half a kiwi, add a teaspoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of oatmeal to it. Apply this pack for 20 minutes and rinse it off with lukewarm water.

Another pack which you can try is by mashing about a cup of papaya and making it into a pulp.

Now add about 1-2 tablespoons of honey to it. Make a smooth paste and apply a thick layer on your face. Leave it for about 15-20 minutes and then rinse it with cold water. This pack will give you an instant glow.

Honey helps your body’s healing process, which may help fade acne scars. You can use honey as a spot treatment on scars, applying it every day or every other day as a paste at the site of your scarring. Or you can also make a pack using almonds, honey, and lemon juice. Mix 1 tablespoon of honey with 2 tablespoons of almond powder and a half teaspoon of lemon juice. Apply it to your face and gently rinse it off when dry.

Since honey has exfoliating properties, using it on your face can eliminate dead skin cells that make your skin look dull. This can reveal brighter skin. After washing your face with soap and water, apply manuka honey or another variety of unpasteurized, raw honey to your face. If you’d like, dilute the honey with purified water to make it less sticky and easier to remove. Leave the honey on your skin for several

Honey acts as a great moisturising agent. Regular use of honey can make your skin soft and keep it hydrated. A great pack for people with dry skin is to combine 1 tablespoon of honey with 2 tablespoons of raw milk. Dip a cotton ball in this and apply it to your face. Let the pack dry naturally and then rinse it off. If you repeat this three or four times a week, you will see remarkable results.

Mature skin needs a lot of attention, and if handled at the right time, then you can delay wrinkles. Turn to your honey jar as we will be preparing a pack for ageing skin. 1 teaspoon raw honey, 2 tablespoons oatmeal, 2 tablespoons yogurt, and 12 teaspoon fennel seed powder Combine all the ingredients thoroughly and apply the pack for about 20 minutes. Wash it off with tepid water. Then the honey, oatmeal, and yoghurt nourish, hydrate, and tone your skin. Fennel seeds have potential anti-aging effects. This face pack can help reduce your fine lines, wrinkles, and even age spots.

(Dr. Blossom Kochhar, Chairperson Blossom Kochhar Group of Companies)

Taking a closer look at Korean glass skin routine > Step one is to double cleanse your face: Whether you go out a lot or not, whether you wear make up or not, we accumulate specks of dirt on our faces after a long day and with the daily chores that we do, and according to Korean beauty standards, the first thing to do is to double cleanse your face with an oil-based product that helps remove all the makeup from your face.

K

orean beauty standards were previously unknown to the rest of the world, but after the "Hallyu wave," also known as the "Korean wave," infiltrated almost every major market in the world, the growing demand for Korean beauty products is ever increasing.

Here's a step-by-step procedure for achieving the Korean glass skin.

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> Followed by a gentle cleansing foam that removes dirt and sweat from your skin. > Exfoliation is the second step, and it helps the skin maintain its smoothness. However, most skin experts advise against overdoing it. > To give your dry flaky skin hydration, the third step of glass skin is to tone your skin with the right product and amount of low PH levels. > The fourth step Essence focuses on skin issues such as wrinkles,

Grooming tips for college students

minutes before rinsing off.

We all know the importance of exfoliation; it removes the dead skin and lets the skin breathe easily. An easy DIY exfoliator that you can make at home is mixing lemon juice, sugar, and honey together and scrubbing all the dead skin away. Then rinse your face with lukewarm water. This will deep cleanse your pores and give you a fresh look.

redness, and uneven skin tone.

The consistency of Essence is watery and lighter than serum. > To avoid clogging pores and absorbing other skincare products, apply serum all over your face in the fifth step. > The sheet mask soaked in serums is the most enjoyable and personal favourite step of the Korean glass skincare routine. It instantly hydrates your skin. > Because the skin under our eyes is thin and the skin's ability to renew itself diminishes as we age, the area under our eyes is more susceptible to wrinkles than any other part of our body. As a result, you'll need undereye cream to get rid of bags under your eyes. > We can't say it enough: SPF! SPF! SPF! Even on cloudy days or when you are inside your home with all the amenities at your fingertips, it is recommended that you apply SPF to prevent ageing.

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BEAUTY

> Use a face towel to dab your skin dry after washing it with warm water (not cold) so that you don't get chapped lips or dry patches.

W

hether a high-achieving student or an average Joe, college students tend to have a hectic lifestyle with classes, internships, deadlines and more. But taking out time to take care of themselves is crucial.

Today, self-care is important for mental health, physical health, emotional health and social health.

Personal grooming is an important part of your daily routine and says a lot about your personality. College-goers can make people notice and respect them by taking the time to stay at the top of their grooming game.

From everyday classes and college events to orals and industry visits, grooming is essential for college students. Here are some tips on maintaining a good grooming routine and getting – not just to look good, but to feel good about yourself.

Ensure adequate sleep every night Having a regular sleep schedule is an important part of improving sleep quality. Going to bed every night at a fixed time and getting up at the same time every morning improves the circadian rhythm. In case you face trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, you can try these things: > Keep a journal of what activities lead to better or worse sleep. You may notice that certain foods, drinks, or stress factors affect your sleep cycle. > Avoid electronic devices before bedtime as they emit blue light that can interfere with melatonin production (the hormone that helps regulate our circadian rhythm). Try reading a book instead! > Develop healthy habits like taking short walks after dinner (but don't overdo it as you don't want this walk to wake you from slumber).

Skincare basics for that glow As a college student, you'll be busy studying and working hard to earn your degree. But while you do that, don’t forget to take care of your skin. Here are some tips for maintaining healthy skin while in college: > Wash your face at least twice a day using a quality face wash. > Use sunscreen every morning and apply moisturizer before you go to sleep. > Try an at-home facial once a week to clean out your pores. Try using a scrub and face mask.

> Always use makeup products that match or complement your skin tone. > Use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 when you're outside for long periods. This will protect your skin from harmful UV rays and avoid tanning.

Hair is an important part of your appearance The hair on your head is an essential part of who you are. It’s an essential part of your identity as a person, and it can also be a major factor in how confident you feel about yourself. There are many reasons why you should keep your hair looking nice and clean. Wash your hair regularly with shampoo and conditioner (or use dry shampoo if necessary, but sparingly as it leaves residue on the scalp). This will keep the mane shiny, soft, and fragrant. Use a small quantity of hair product (styling wax or cream) to ensure your hairstyle stays intact for at least a few hours. You might as well score a date or two if you’re consistent with trimming your beard or going completely clean shaven, whichever you prefer.

Keep your nails clean and neatly trimmed as well Keeping your nails clean and neatly trimmed is an easy way to maintain good hygiene and feel great. Unclean or overgrown nails create a really bad impression.

Trim nails regularly, so they don't get too long. Use a nail file to smooth the edges of your nails after trimming them with a clipper, or use an emery board for quick touch-ups.Trimming your nails can also be therapeutic – a good way of dealing with anxiety if there's something stressful going on in life.

Proper skin and hair care can help you feel more confident, and it can also give you a headstart for impressing potential employers or spark a college love story. There are a lot of resources available for learning about how to take good care of your hair and skin, including YouTube videos and free online articles.

Additionally, there are many great books available on healthy hygiene practices. By following these tips, you'll be able to keep your skin in check and your life on track.

(Suraj Chaudhari, Co-founder and CEO at Zlade)

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

INDIA NEWS

Rana Daggubati’s fans tell him to take it easy with his experimental approach supporters are worried that he's squandered the entire 'Baahubali' excitement.

Hyderabad, June 20 (IANS) Rana Daggubati, who rose to fame across India for his most portrayal in S.S. Rajamouli's 'Baahubali', appears to have fallen short of the mark.

After the massive success of the 'Baahubali' duology, Rana hasn't had much success, and his

The 'Aranya' star has been working on a variety of projects, and his fans have embraced his unconventional approach to acting. However, since then, his admirers have begun to get concerned because he has not achieved any sizeable hits.

Fans tell Rana to focus on building a strong market for himself and concentrate on commercial films in order to retake control of popular opinion.

'Virata Parvam', Rana's most recent film, has had a dismal start

with weekend box-office figures not encouraging.

what makes him most loveable character is his love for Nirmal (Vaibhav Tatwawadi)."

Sharing about how he prepped for the role he says: "I'm huge Raju Shrivastav fan. I have performed those Gajodhar Bhaiya sketches of him in school. So, I already had an idea about Bihar. For this show, I spent 45 days with my director who himself is from Buxar."

Mumbai, June 20 ( IANS) Actor Akash Makhija, best known for 'Half Girlfriend' and 'State of Siege 26/11', gets candid about essaying the role of Aatish Pathak in the web series 'Nirmal Pathak Ki Ghar Wapsi'.

He also briefs about his struggles in his acting journey.

Giving insight about his role he states: "Aatish Pathak is boy from Buxar who is a huge Salman Khan fan. He has his political background too as he is contesting for MLA elections.

He has good and bad side but

"Before shooting, I had spent more than 10 days in the village.

Manoj Tiwari songs are on top of my music list. Listening to Bihari songs helped me a lot and I used to speak Bihari even when I was not shooting."

Talking about playing different kind of roles in his OTT shows, he adds: "It's really difficult to do that at times. Some part of the character always stays with you.

But that's what acting is all about.

It's your craft and experiences which can surpass that and mould you in any character you want."

"Rather than grooming and lifting weights, I try to learn more and more languages and dictions. I guess that's what helps me to play

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Thank you Akshay Kumar sir for your time. For being such a joy!! It was a pleasure to see you become Veer.

"Forever grateful to my Sudha Kongara ma'am for everything.

Missed meeting you Radhika Madan! Can't wait to see your magic on screen!"

Rana's participation in Pawan Kalyan's 'Bheemla Nayak' had a bigger impact because the film had two strong actors going headto-head. Apart from his trials with subjects, this is the type of subject Rana's admirers want him to choose.

any character with conviction.

Also, I would want to do dark comedy. I have always been fan of that genre and there are very few actors who can do that. Vijay Raaz is one of them and I want to play those shades."

He opens up about the challenges he faced in his acting journey.

"It started back in 2000 when 'Hera Pheri' movie released. I saw that film more than 50 times I guess and I started mimicking Baburao character played by Paresh Rawal. Later in college, I did theatre for 3 years and kept auditioning," he says.

"As an outsider to this industry, even getting a chance to audition for a particular role is a huge thing for us. There are thousands of actors out there trying their luck everyday. I begged casting directors to at least test me for the roles I am fitting in. I travelled from Kalyan to Andheri everyday for 10 years to just audition. Most of the days, I came back home without even giving a single audition," he concludes.

Howzat: Taapsee’s ‘Shabaash Mithu’ is all about winning the game in a man’s world

Mumbai, June 20 (IANS) The makers of 'Shabaash Mithu' starring Taapsee Pannu have unveiled the trailer of the upcoming film, which gives a peek into how a girl changed the game and aced to win it.

Meeting Akshay Kumar was overwhelming for actress Aparna Balamurali

"If all goes according to plan, Rana's career will be on track in no time. He's a seasoned performer. However, a few decisions were made incorrectly," wrote one of his supporters on social media.

Paresh Rawal’s character in ‘Hera Pheri’ inspired Akash Makhija to become an actor

Former national cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly took to Twitter, where he shared a link of the trailer of the film based on the life of legendary cricketer Mithali Raj.

The film follows her journey of becoming a legendary cricketer and an inspiration to billions of girls and women across the world. The film is a tribute to the recently retire

The over two minute trailer begins with the childhood story of Mitali. It later moves towards how she started playing, her practices, becoming the captain and the difficulties of being a woman in game like cricket.

The message of 'Nazariya badlo, khel badalgaya' is encapsulated in the trailer to the hilt with compelling dialogues and glimpses of the talented Taapsee playing Mithali with utmost conviction.

Taapsee is heard saying: "Aesa khel ke dikhayengay ke koi humaari pehchaan kabhi koi bhool na paye."

The film, directed by Srijit Mukherji and produced by Viacom18 Studios hits theatres on July 15.

Mithali Raj, who is known for her record breaking 23 year long career in international cricket, made over 10,000 runs in ODI.

Chennai, June 20 (IANS) Actress Aparna Balamurali, who played the female lead opposite actor Suriya in director Sudha Kongara's Tamil blockbuster 'Soorarai Pottru', is overwhelmed at having met Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, who is now playing the lead in the Hindi version of the film.

Taking to Twitter, Aparna said, "The feeling was overwhelming.

Radhika Madan reprises Aparna's role in the Hindi remake. Only last week Suriya had disclosed that he had called on the crew of the Hindi remake of 'Soorarai Pottru', which was partly inspired by events from the life of Air Deccan founder Captain G.R. Gopinath, and that he was playing a cameo in the Hindi version.

The Hindi version is being produced by Suriya's production house 2D Entertainment, along with Abudantia Entertainment and Cape Good Films on a lavish scale.

2D Entertainment will be making its debut in Hindi film production with this film.

Neetu Kapoor, Anil Kapoor shakea-leg on ‘Ek Main Aur Ek Tu’ stage.

Later, the song from the film 'Khel Khel Main', which was released in 1975 started playing. The two veteran stars started dancing on it, while Varun, Kiara and Maniesh cheered for them along with the fans.

New Delhi, June 20 (IANS) Bollywood stars Neetu Kapoor and Anil Kapoor during a fan event were seen grooving on the song 'Ek Main Aur Ek Tu' while promoting their upcoming film 'JugJugg Jeeyo'.

The cast of the upcoming film Neetu, Anil, Varun Dhawan, Maniesh Paul and Kiara Advani during a fan event in the national capital were seen grooving on the

Neetu shared the clip on her Instagram Instagram story and wrote: "Anil Kapoor you killed it."

The original song is picturised on Neetu and her late husband Rishi Kapoor. 'Khel Khel Mein' is a suspense thriller film directed by Ravi Tandon. It was an adaptation of the English novel 'Good Guys Don't Kill' written by Louis Thomas.

'JugJugg Jeeyo' is scheduled to release theatrically on June 24.

Anushka on shooting for ‘Chakda Xpress’: Back to where I belong jhulangoswami @prositroy @kans26 @netflix_in @ officialcsfilms," Anushka wrote as the caption.

Mumbai, June 19 (IANS) Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, who has returned from a family vacation, is back on sets and has started shooting for her film 'Chakda Xpress'.

Anushka took to Instagram, where she shared a video of her vanity van and a picture of a clapboard.

"Back to where I belong. #ChakdaXpress #ShootBegins #ChakdaXpressDay1 @

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ENTERTAINMENT

'Chakda Xpress' traces Jhulan's inspirational journey as she moves up the ladder despite the hindrances posed by misogynistic politics to fulfil her dream of playing cricket for India.

She succeeded in her goal and went on to captain the Indian women's national cricket team and is a role model for aspiring cricketers in the country.

Jhulan holds the world record for the highest number of wickets taken by a woman in an international career.

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INDIA NEWS

July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

ENTERTAINMENT

Varun Dhawan: When it comes to box office, Mrunal Thakur: Important to do different roles to become a no one can predict a film’s fate the fate of a film.

Talking to IANS, Varun said: "Look, honestly speaking, no matter how much we guess, analyse and predict the fate of a film, at the end of the day, there is no formula and no one knows what works at the box office. And we have seen that in recent times.

Post the pandemic, things have changed but the only unchanged factor is people still love going to the theatre and watch a film that is entertaining.

Mumbai, June 22 (IANS) In a career span of 10 years in the Hindi film industry, he is one of the few actors who delivered as many as 11 hit films.

But as the audience is evolving in the post-pandemic era, and Indian cinema is passing through a sea change, Bollywood superstar Varun Dhawan, who is ready to face the box office results of his film 'Jugjugg Jeeyo', says no formula can be fixed to predict

according to Varun, Karan has faith in 'Jugjugg Jeeyo' and the makers believe that the film deserves a theatrical release.

"Even I have a share in the film as a producer because we had to restructure the finance post the pandemic. This is as much as my film and the audience are looking forward to that... it's a family entertainer coming from the house of Karan Johar. I know that our fans will love the film," Varun signed off.

While Karan Johar's earlier film 'Shershaah' received immense love from the audience and critics after its direct OTT release,

Directed by Raj Mehta, 'Jugjugg Jeeyo' also starring Anil Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Pajukta Kohli and Manish Paul releases on June 24.

Sanjay Dutt on playing villain: ‘You get to bend the rules, break the rules’

Mumbai, June 23 (IANS) Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, who will be seen playing a negative role in the upcoming film 'Shamshera', looks very evil, menacing, deadly and cold hearted. He says it's exciting to play the antagonist because "you get to bend the rules, break the rules". Sanjay plays Ranbir Kapoor's nemesis in the upcoming action entertainer.

Talking about his character, he says, "It is always exciting to play the antagonist because you get to bend the rules, break the rules.

I realised that when you play the antagonist, there are actually impositions or moral boundaries.

You can be disruptive.

He says his character Shudh Singh is a role that has never been seen on screen. "He is just pure evil. He is menacing, he is untrustworthy and he will go to any length to wreak havoc. I loved the fact that Karan Malhotra created a villain like this and he thought of me to play this role.

He gave me a free hand to bring Shudh Singh to life and I hope people like my effort."

Sanjay was thrilled to know about the casting coup in 'Shamshera' that pitted him against Ranbir because four years back (Ranbir's last film), the young actor had played him in the biopic 'Sanju'.

He says, "It is also quite interesting that I'm pitted against Ranbir, who played me in Sanju.

So, the on-screen enmity between him and me becomes all the more interesting for people. Ranbir is a brilliant actor but this film sees him in a new gaze. His boyish charm is inimitable, but in this film, he is a man who finds his

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Mumbai, June 23 (IANS) Actress Mrunal Thakur feels that to become a "massy" actor, it is important to do different roles.

Mrunal made her debut with 'Love Sonia'. She was later seen in films such as 'Jersey' opposite Shahid Kapoor. Her upcoming line-up includes a family comedy film called 'Aankh Micholi' directed by Umesh Shukla, followed by a war period drama, 'Pippa'.

The story of Shamshera is set in the fictitious city of Kaza, where a warrior tribe is imprisoned, enslaved and tortured by a ruthless authoritarian general Shudh Singh. The entertainer is set in the 1800s in the heartland of India. Directed by Karan Malhotra, the movie has been produced by Aditya Chopra and is set to release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on July 22.

at least an hour on myself."

Actress, who is married to actor Rietish Deshmukh and is a mother of two young boys, added: "I feel I want to be upfront with putting forward all the obstacles that I see on the journey and not just glamourising fitness or restricting it to a particular size or shape.

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She added: "I feel that it's important to do different roles to become a massy actor and it is only possible if one does not set limitations in terms of work. With my work, I am always trying to strike a balance when it comes to entertaining the audiences and satisfying my own creative urges as an actor."

he added.

The 45-year-old star debuted in 2004 with a minor role in 'Run' and 'Omkara'. His breakthrough came in the year 2012 with his antagonistic role in the 'Gangs of Wasseypur' franchise.

Sanjay is collaborating with director Karan Malhotra again after 'Agneepath'. Sanjay had given us a villain for the ages as Kancha in that film and he is hoping that audiences will shower him with similar love as Shudh Singh in 'Shamshera'.

He says, "Karan always creates a larger-than-life villain. Be it my character Kancha in Agneepath and now as Shuddh Singh, he knows how to present an antagonist. Personally, I hope he keeps creating more exciting villains for me. He's someone who hasn't left the commercial zone of Indian cinema and I have full faith that with 'Shamshera' he has whipped up a winner."

Mrunal says, "I want to work in all the genres possible and do not want to limit myself to one particular style. And this has been very clear in my head since day one, it does not matter to me if this is just the beginning of my career, I just want to stick to doing films and projects that excite and challenge me as an actor.

Pankaj Tripathi would’ve been a farmer if not an actor

footing and looks glorious on screen."

Genelia Deshmukh all set to start six-week fitness journey Mumbai, June 22 (IANS) Actress Genelia Deshmukh is going on a six-week-long fitness journey and said that these coming weeks are about taking hold of her routine and spending at least an hour on herself. Talking about her plan of action, she says, "Getting healthier is all about knowing yourself and working on your problem areas.

These six weeks are about taking hold of my routine and spending

The actor will also be making her Telugu debut opposite the south heartthrob, Dulquer Salmaan in 'Sita Ramam' this year.

"You know, Karan is a big name in this industry and he has indepth knowledge about the whole box office game. He watched and loved the film and decided to release it in theatres. We had offers from OTT platforms for its direct OTT release with good financial deals. But he is taking the risk of releasing it theatrically.

"Whether it is a 'KGF', 'RRR', or 'Sooryavanshi', people watched them. But that does not mean that all larger-than-life event film works... as I said, there is no formula. Our film is a pure family drama that has emotion, comedy, and everything that we have grown up watching in a Karan Johar film!"

"You can take a character from paper and play it the way you want to. I have a lot of fun when I play an antagonist and I'm fortunate that people have loved my performances as the nemesis of a hero so far."

‘massy’ actor

New Delhi, June 23 (IANS) It took Pankaj Tripathi almost two decades to reach where he is today in the world of cinema.

However, the acclaimed actor said that if he wasn't in the world of showbiz, he would have been a farmer or would have made a career in politics.

Called as one of Hindi cinema's finest actors, Pankaj is currently gearing up for the release of his upcoming film 'Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga', a dark humourlaced satire inspired by true events. What would have he done if he was not into the field of acting?

In a conversation with IANS, he said: "Farmer... My father was that and that was my ancestral work. I would've done farming."

"Or maybe since I was a student politician I would probably have been in politics. I dona¿t know,"

He has lauded for his work in films such as 'Fukrey', 'Masaan', 'Nil Battey Sannata', Bareilly Ki Barfi', 'Newton', 'Stree', 'Ludo' and 'Mimi. Pankaj also made a name in the web world with his work in series such as 'Mirzapur', 'Criminal Justice', 'Yours Truly' and 'Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors'. However, it was not an easy ride.

"My acting journey is a long story.

I had in interest in this line and after having that interest I left farming and student politics... I was unsuccessful in five-six jobs and that's how I came towards cinema. Here also it took 1520 years." "I don't know if I am successful or not but where I am today, to reach here it took me a 15-20 years."

'Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga', a Reliance Entertainment film gives a peek into the adverse effects of urbanisation, man-animal conflicts and poverty leading to a bizarre practice in a village on the edge of a protected forest.

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July 1-15, 2022 - Vol 2, Issue 24

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