WEEKEND Vol. 13 No. 266 | Pages 24 | `̀ 5.00NEW DELHI, Saturday, August 8, 2020www.mailtoday.in / www.mailonline.in

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15 killed, 50 missingas landslide ravagesKerala’s Idukki SEE

PAGE 6

SC: MARINES CASE TO CLOSE ONLY

WHEN ITALY PAYS COMPENSATION

ED questionsRhea, brotherin Sushantdeath case

COVID-19 has been a crisis ofunimaginable magnitude inthe last six months, testingthe efficiency and perform-ance of global leaders.

The situation was worse in India. Thecountry witnessed unprecedented criseson multiple fronts — a pandemic, a lock-down, millions of migrants spilling out ofcities, an economic downturn and a military stand-off at the China border.

The focus, therefore,was sharply on theleadership of PrimeMinister NarendraModi who wasexpected to guide thenation through thesetroubled times.

So how did the peo-ple of India rate hisperformance? The lat-est iteration of thebiannual India Today-Karvy Insights Moodof the Nation (MOTN)survey provides adefinitive answer tothis question.

Turn to Page 2

By Kaushik Deka in New Delhi

INDIA TODAY MOOD OF THE NATION POLL

�66% already think

he is the best choice

for country’s next PM

�78% rate his Covid

crisis handling from

‘good’ to ‘outstanding’

� But only 43% say

economy better than

it was under the UPA

16 DIE IN KOZHIKODE CRASH

� A Dubai-Calicut Air Indiaflight (IX 1344) with 191onboard skidded duringlanding at KozhikodeAirport at 7.41 pm on Friday.

� The aircraft fell into avalley and broke in twopieces. 16 died and manyothers were hurt in the freakaccident that took placewhen it was raining heavily.

� An airline spokespersonsaid the aircraft apparentlyovershot the runway. Reliefand rescue operations weregoing on in full swing.

‘MODIBESTBETAMIDCORONA

&CHINACRISES’

SEE PAGE 7

The cover of the India

Today Magazine that

hits the stands today

AI plane skids off runway, falls into valley, splits into two

SEE PAGE 2

SEE PAGES 4-5

2 NEWS Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, August 8, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020

INDIA TODAY MOOD OF THE NATION POLL

ECONOMY A BIG CHALLENGE

Continued from page 1

The poll shows that the Prime Minis-ter’s popularity has soared to an unprece-dented level, despite the serious woes thecountry faces.

A phenomenal 78 per cent of thosepolled have rated his performance asgood to outstanding as compared to 71per cent in the MOTN survey of August2019 — the first MOTN poll after he hadbeen re-elected a second time with ahandsome majority in the May 2019 gen-eral election.

Sixty-six per cent already consider himthe best choice as our next prime minis-ter. In fact, 44 per cent of our respondentsrate him the best prime minister thecountry has ever had.

This is the highest ever rating any primeminister has received in our MOTN sur-vey and an increase of 27 percentagepoints from the January 2019 edition ofour poll.

He seems to be even immune from thefailings of his own government and this ismost evident in his government’s han-dling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Seventy per cent of our respondents sawit as the biggest problem facing the countryand 25 per cent feel the handling of Covid-19 has been the government’s biggest fail-ure. Yet 78 per cent rate Modi’s handling ofthe pandemic as good or outstanding.

OPPN DISARRAYThis undisputed popularity certainlymeans electoral advantage for NDA. IfLok Sabha elections were held today, theMOTN projects that the NDA will get 316seats, up from 303 seats in January 2020.The BJP’s seat tally has gone up to 283from 271 in January 2020. The disarray inthe Opposition continues.

The UPA’s tally dips to 93 seats from 108seats in the last MOTN poll. For a defec-tion ridden Congress, the country’s mainOpposition party, there is more badnews—47 per cent of the respondentsthink the party is heading towards itsdemise.

THE DOWNSIDEDespite this smooth run, there are warning signs for the NDA government,expectedly on the economic front. Only 43 per cent of the respondents—thelowest ever since 2016—say that the economic situation under NDA is better than that of UPA. Sixty-three per cent respondents say that Covid-19 adversely impacted theirincome. While the country has posed faith in Modi’s abilities for now, to bring the country out of the health crisis and economic gloom will perhapsbe the biggest challenge in his political career.

Sixteen people were killedand several others injuredwhen a Dubai-Calicut AirIndia Express flight with191 passengers and crew onboard overshot the runwayhere and fell into a valley,breaking into two portions,on Friday evening,policesources said. The mishapoccurred at 1941 hrs. No firewas reported at the time oflanding, an AIE statementsaid.

Police said 16 people werekilled in the accident.

The Civil Aviation Ministrysaid the flight IX 1344 oper-ated by B737 aircraft fromDubai overshot runway atKozhikode at 7.41 PM onFriday. No fire reported atthe time of landing, it noted.

There were 174 passengers,10 Infants , 2 Pilots and 5cabin crew on board the air-craft, the ministry added.

As per the initial reportsrescue operations are onand passengers are beingtaken to hospital for medicalcare. We will soon share the

update in this regard, theministry stated. Help cen-tres are being set up in Shar-jah and Dubai, the state-ment said. A DGCAstaetmentsaid after landingat Runway 10, the plane con-tinued running till the end ofthe runway and fell into thevalley and broke into twoportions. Kerala Chief Min-ister Pinarayi Vijayanexpressed shock over the

accident. CMO sourcessaid Chief Minister spoke toPrime Minister, NarendraModi and the latter assuredhim all help and assistancefrom the Centre. Vijayaninformed him that rescueoperations were in fullswing, the sources said.Vijayan has also asked allgovernment agencies toengage in rescue operations

using all government facili-ties. The Chief Ministerhasdeputed state minister A CMoideen to coordinate therescue operations. An IG ofpolice has been deputed tooversee the rescue opera-tions. Fire and Rescueteams of two districts--Kozhikode and Malappuramhave been engaged.

According to informationfrom Kozhikode medical col-lege, seriously injured peo-ple have been admittedthere. The condition of amother and child injured inthe accident was very seri-ous, Health minister K KShailaja said.

he Indian Consulate inDubai has activated fourhelpline numbers to provideinformation to the familymembers of the passengers.Our helplines +971565463903, +971543090572,+971543090572,+971543090575, Dr. AmanPuri, Consul General ofIndia, said.

—PTI

Pilot among 16 killed inthe freak AI plane mishap

Probe ordered into Kozhikode runway tragedy

Rescue operation underway at Karippur in Kozhikode.

3NEWSMail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, August 8, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020

By Milan Sharma in New Delhi

SIX months after the coronaviruspandemic began, uncertainty onwhen schools will re-open loomslarge. This is a question all pare-nts, children and even the schoo-ls themselves are grappling with.

And in August, as India touches the20 lakh benchmark from 15 lakhcases in a record 9 days, the centralgovernment is in discussions to chalkout a plan to reopen sc-hools from September.

The government is of theview that schools forhigher classes could beginin a phased mannerbetween September andNovember.

Guidelines include open-ing schools first for classes10-12 and then for classes

6 to 9, which have beendiscussed with GOM forCovid-19 headed byHealth Minister Dr Harsh-vardhan.

In the first phase, stu-dents of classes 10 and 12will be asked to attendschools. If a school hasfour sections in any class,only two sections willattend school on alterna-tive days.

The timings of the schoolwill be halved - from 5 to 6hours to 2 to 3 hours.While schools will continueto run in shifts, one hourwill be given in between forpremises to be sanitised.

Schools have been pro-posed to run on 33% staffand student strength.

Discussions within groupof Secretary indicates thatgovernment feels it's notbest to all students ofpreprimary and primaryclasses. In such casesonline studies must con-tinue.

The decision could benotified as part of the finalunlock guidelines to beissued later this month.However, the final decision

could be left with states onhow to bring back childrento schools.

PARENTS SKEPTICAL While many parents in

India are skeptical aboutthe idea or sending chil-dren to schools even ascoronavirus cases continueto surge in the country,states have argued thateducation in governmentschools is suffering.

Parent Amit Guptawhose son studies in DelhiPublic School in thenational capital said, "I amnot going to send my sonto school even if theyignore parents' concerns.One year break is betterthan to risk his health."

Risking the health of chil-dren has been one of theprime fears of most par-ents across metro cities.

By Kumar Kunalin New Delhi

THE final-year students arefacing a big dilemma overtwo separate guidelinesissued by the Delhi gov-ernment and UniversityGrants Commission (UGC).

While Delhi EducationMinister Manish Sisodiahad in July instructed allthe eight state-run uni-versities to not conductany examination, includ-ing that of final-year stu-dents. But as per the UGCguidelines, the valid-ity of any degreebeing issuedwithout condu-cting assess-ments is ques-tionable.

Out of eight universities,six universities have con-ducted the examinationsfor the final-year students.As Delhi University is all setto take open book exami-nations of its final semes-ter students, two otheruniversities - Guru GovindSingh Indra Prasth Univer-sity (GGSIPU) and DelhiPharmaceutical Sciencesand Research University(DPSRU) – are still unde-cided on the issue.

The future of more than35,000 students of thesetwo universities hangs in

balance and we canonly hope that

the Delhi gover-nment and UGCreach a con-sensus overthe issue.

Students of twovarsities in a fix

States are confused,parents against idea

Govt plans toreopen schoolsfrom Sept ’20

62,538 FRESH CASESACROSS INDIA TAKE TOTAL

TO 20,27,074

857 MORE DIE, TOLL

NOW 41,585

1,192 NEW CASES IN DELHI,

TOTAL NOW 1,42,723

23 MORE DIE, TOLL

RISES TO 4,082

C VID-19

PANDEMIC

Schoolshave beenproposed torun on 33%staff andstudentstrength.

Twoseparate

guidelines issuedby the Delhi govt

and the UGC

4 NEWS Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020

By Munish Chandra Pandey in New Delhi

HOURS after the EnforcementDirectorate (ED) rejected therequest of Rhea Chakrabortyto postpone her questioning,the prime accused in SushantSingh Rajput’s death case

appeared before the agency for ques-tioning. Sources have told IndiaToday that apart from Chakraborty,her brother Showik, her charteredaccountant Ritesh Shah and herassociate Shruti Modi were alsoquestioned by the financial probeagency at their Mumbai office.

India Today has learnt that all four havebeen questioned by ED individually, by sepa-rate teams of ED officials.

According to sources, Chakraborty has beenasked about her source of income in the lastthree years, movable and immovable proper-ties, bank transactions and firms where sheholds official positions.

Speaking exclusively to India Today,

Rajput’s lawyer Vikas Singh said,“Sushant Singh Rajput’s familyhas learnt that in last one year,Rs 15 crore were transferred toaccounts which are not evenassociated to Sushant. It is pos-sible that Rhea and her familymembers may have defraudedthat money. Also, bank state-ments indicate regular hugecash transactions at a time whenSushant was being controlled byRhea, and that needs to beinvestigated.”

Two properties linked toChakraborty and her familymembers are under the scan-ner of the ED after the agencylearnt that her total net worthis Rs 14 lakh. Sources have toldIndia Today that as per theITR (Income Tax Return)records, Chakraborty’s networth rose in the last few yearsfrom Rs 10 lakh to 12 lakh andthen Rs 14 lakh.

India Today has accesseddetails of the properties whichare now being investigated bythe ED. One property is in Mum-

Rhea Chakraborty,

brother Showik, her

CA and Rajput’s former

manager grilled by ED

QUESTION HOUR bai’s Khar (by ShivalikBuilders) which was bought forRs 85 lakh. Rs 25 lakh was paidas down payment whereas ahousing loan of Rs 60 lakh wastaken. This 550 sq ft flat wasbooked in Chakraborty’s namein 2018.

The second property is in thename of her father, IndrajitChakraborty, which wasbought in 2012 for Rs60 lakh. The posses-sion of the propertywas given by Par-adise Groupbuilder in 2016.The 1,130 sq ft flatis situated in Ulwe,Raigarh district.

The ED is alsogrilling Chakrabortyin connection with thethree firms controlled byher, Showik and Sushant. Theagency suspects that these firmsmight have been used to routemoney.

Chakraborty’s brother Showik,who was allowed to leave the ED

office after two-and-half hours ofquestioning, was asked aboutlakhs of rupees transactedunder his name from Rajput’saccount. The agency also askedhim about the firms where he isa director along withChakraborty.

Chakraborty’s charteredaccountant Ritesh Shah

appeared before theagency after skipping

two summons andhad been asked toprovide details ofthe actress’ bankaccount and busi-ness transactions inthe last two years. Shruti Modi, former

business manager ofSushant Singh Rajput

and named accused inthe case, responded to

Enforcement Directorate’s sum-mon and appeared before theagency. She has been askedabout the projects and moneywhich Rajput received in thelast two years.

Rhea’sbrother

Showik wasasked about lakhsof rupees trans-acted under his

name fromRajput’saccount

THE SUSHANTDEATH CASE

‘Rhea gave drug overdose toSushant to grab his property’ By Sanjay Sharma in New Delhi

ON Friday, Bihar Police filedan affidavit on behalf of theBihar government in theSupreme Court saying thatSushant Singh Rajput’s father,KK Singh, has accused RheaChakraborty and her familymembers of giving an over-dose of medicine to Rajput to“grab” his property.

In the affidavit, filed by theSenior Superintendent ofBihar Police, Chakrabortyhas been accused of comingin contact with Sushant“with the sole motive ofgrabbing his money and

later painting a false pictureof his mental illness”.

Bihar Police mentionedthat KK Singh in his com-

plaint said that Chakrabortytook Rajput to her house and“started giving him an over-dose of medicine”.

Bihar Police added thatdespite total non-coopera-tion from Mumbai Police,they managed to found sev-eral leads in the investiga-tion. They told the SC thatsince the investigationpoints are scattered at dif-ferent places in India, theysuggested a CBI probe intothe case.

Rajput’s death case hasbeen transferred to the CBI.On August 5, the Centre toldthe SC about the transfer ofthe case to the CBI.

By Rohit Kumar Singh in Patna

BIHAR DGP GupteshwarPandey is creating a lot ofbuzz these days. Ever sincethe Bihar Police initiatedprobe into the death case ofBollywood actor SushantSingh Rajput, the IPS officerhas been busy with inter-views to television newschannels in relation to theinvestigation.

Recently, while speaking toIndia Today, Pandey claimed“zameen khodkar RheaChakraborty ko dhundhnikalenge [will definitely findRhea Chakraborty]” if evi-

dence is found against her byPatna police.

In these constant appear-ances on TV, Pandey is seenraising voice as he asks forjustice for Rajput. Alongwith making it to the head-lines, the IPS officer has alsobecome a talking point onsocial media.

However, not many areaware that Pandey took pre-mature retirement to contestthe Lok Sabha polls in 2009.

Pandey, a 1987 batch IPSofficer of Bihar cadre, report-edly wished to contest fromthe Buxar Lok Sabha seat ona BJP ticket in 2009 as hehoped for a BJP ticket.

With the intention of con-

testing Lok Sabha polls, heopted for voluntary retire-ment scheme in March, 2009.

His dream to plunge intoelectoral politics, however,could not be fulfilled.

Pandey was hopeful that thethen sitting Buxar MP, Lal-muni Choubey, will be denieda BJP ticket, which would inturn brighten his prospects.

Things did not go as per hisplan. Choubey adopted arebellious attitude, followingwhich he was given a ticketby the BJP. Nine monthsafter his VRS, Pandeyrequested the Bihar govern-ment to allow him to with-draw his resignation.

The Nitish Kumar-led gov-ernment approved Pandey’splea and the high-profile copreported back to work. Hewent on to become the DGPof Bihar Police before the2019 Lok Sabha elections.

When Bihar DGPtook retirement to contest 2009 polls

Wanted to fight fromBuxar on a BJP ticket

Rhea Chakraborty

File photo of Bihar DGPGupteshwar Pandey

Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020 5NEWS

Bollywood actor RheaChakraborty (C) arrives atthe Enforcement Directorateoffice within the scope of theinvestigation of the suicidecase of Bollywood actorSushant Singh Rajput, inMumbai on Friday.

File photo of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput with girlfriendRhea Chakraborty.

By Munish ChandraPandey and AneeshaMathur in New Delhi

THE CBI has moved theSupreme Court asking tomake them party in theSushant Singh Rajput deathcase. Although the BiharPolice has filed an FIR in thecase, they still need SC’s nodto investigate the case inMaharashtra. The CBI wantsclarity over jurisdiction. Thehearing in SC on thematter will be onAugust 18.

The Departmentof Personnel andTraining

(DoPT), which had issued thenotification for the CBI probe,says it is a necessary party inthe case.

The CBI can begin its investi-gation only after the SC’s nexthearing.

On August 5, the Centre toldthe Supreme Court about thetransfer of the case to the CBI.Solicitor General TusharMehta, who is representing theUnion of India in the case, saidthat the Bihar government’srecommendation has been

accepted by the Centreand investigation in the

death case has beentransferred to theCentral Bureau ofInvestigation.

CBI SEEKS TO BE MADEA PARTY IN SUSHANTDEATH CASE, MOVES SC

CBIcan begin

probe only afterthe SC nod

BHOJPURI ACTORFOUND HANGING By Jyoti Kanyal in Mumbai

BHOJPURI actress Anu-pama Pathak was foundhanging at her Mumbaihome. According toreports, the actress diedby suicide on August 2 atthe city’s Dahisar area.Before taking theextreme step, she wentlive on Facebook for 10minutes. In the video,she expressed her painand asked people not totrust anyone.

Pathak said in Hindi, “Ifyou tell someone thatyou are going throughsome problems and feelsuicidal, that person, nomatter how good afriend he or she is, willimmediately ask you tokeep them away fromyour problems so thatthey don’t get into trou-ble after you die. Also,people will make fun ofyou and disrespect youin front of others. Sonever share your prob-lems with anyone andnever consider anyoneyour friend.”

“Be the person whomeverybody can trust, butnever trust anyone. I

have learnt this in mylife. People are very self-ish and don’t care forothers,” she added.

A suicide note was alsorecovered from theactress’ home. In thenote, she mentionedfinancial issues as one ofthe reasons of taking thedrastic step. She alsomentioned a man, Man-ish Jha, in her suicidenote. She alleged thatthe man took her two-wheeler in May andrefused to return it.

In her last Facebookpost, “Bye bye and Goodnight.”

File photo of Bhojpuriactress Anupama Pathak

6 NEWS Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, August 8, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020

Rescue workers look for survivors at the site of a landslide during heavy rainin Idukki, Kerala, on Friday.

AT LEAST 15 people were killed and dozensfeared trapped in a major landslide at Raja-mala near Munnar in Idukki district of Ker-ala on Friday.

Following heavy rains and flooding, thetragic incident took place Rajamala area inMunnar after a major landslide hit a labourcamp in which at least 80 tea estate workersare feared trapped. While five people havedied so far in the major landslide in Idukkidistrict, 10 people have been rescued so far.

“More people are trapped, we do not knowthe exact numbers,” the local administra-tion said. The death toll later climbed toseven. Idukki SP told a news agency, “So far,10 people have been rescued. The landslideoccurred at a place where tea plantationworkers reside. We don't know the exactnumbers yet, but at least three families arestranded.”

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said theNational Disaster Response Force has beendeployed to rescue the landslide victims inRajamala. Other standby teams in Idukkiand Thrissur have been asked to move tothe landslide site. The CM has also report-edly requested the assistance of Indian AirForce in rescue efforts in Munnar.

—PS Gopikrishnan Unnithan

Landslide ravages Idukki

7NEWSMail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, August 8, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020

WHY CHENNAI FEARSABEIRUT REDUX

By Anand Patel in New Delhi

CONGRESS has alleged that the BJPpassed on data of Indian voters to the Chi-nese People’s Liberation Army (PLA)linked tech companies. Party spokespersonPawan Khera said at a press briefing thatthe Government of India banned GammaGaana Limited, saying the company wasdirectly connected with the PLA, the samecompany was used by the saffron party inthe 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Similarly, two more Chinese tech compa-nies — UC Web Mobile and ShareIT —which were banned by the government lastmonth for links with Chinese establishmentwere also also hired by the BJP in the elec-tions last year. Congress has alleged thatdespite transgression, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi gave a clean chit to China.“When explosive information of the rulingBJP having partnered with those Chinesefirms now banned, comes in public domain,the country is forced to start seeking

answers of PM Modi’s silence,” said Khera.Congress has alleged that there a direct

link between PM Modi not making a directreference to China over the border stand-off in Ladakh, and BJP using services ofthree Chinese tech firms during Lok Sabhapolls in 2019. Khera added, “UC Web Mobilegot banned in July this year; in 2019, accord-ing to the expenditure report submitted by

the BJP to the Election Commission(Annex 1), they hired this very company torun their campaign. It is the same Alibabaowned company — UC Web Browser —which was also red flagged by the Modi gov-ernment in 2017 for sending crucial data ofIndians to China,” he added.

“What was the compulsion of involving thesame company for elections which you hadred flagged two years ago?” Khera ques-tioned. He said that another firm calledGamma Gaana Limited funded by Tencentwas banned by the government last monthfor alleged links with the PLA and a thirdcompany — ShareIT Technology — has anapp called ShareIT which was banned bythe government last month for being athreat to the “sovereignty and integrity ofIndia” was also hired by the BJP in our elec-tions last year. He asked the Modi govern-ment why did the BJP take the help ofChina in the polls. He also questioned theBJP on giving away data of Indian citizensto China while compromising the data secu-rity and privacy of crores of Indians.

‘BJP gave data of Indians to PLA-linked tech cos’SC: Let Italy paycompensation

By Akshaya Nath in Chennai

THE Ponneri High Road inManali, on the outskirts ofChennai, has been the centreof media attention ever sincethe news about Sattva Con-tainer Freight Station (CFS)

holding 740 tonnes of ammoniumnitrate came to light.

The situation which has been referred toas a ticking time bomb for the city came tolight after Lebanon’s capital and port cityof Beirut witnessed massive explosions onAugust 5 owing to 2,750 tonnes of ammo-nium nitrate stored in a warehouse at theport. The Beirut incident has left at least150 people dead, 4,000 injured and over 3lakh people homeless. The presence of thechemical at the freight station has raisedseveral questions about the safety meas-ures in place. The concerns were broughtto the forefront by AIADMK ally and Pat-tali Makkal Katchi chief Dr S Ramadoss.

He tweeted about the incident and saidthat ammonium nitrate was the cause forthe biggest explosion in Beirut and as ameasure to prevent such an untoward inci-dent the chemical should be safely dis-posed of and should be used for purposessuch as making fertilisers etc. How did this740 tonnes of explosive chemical reachChennai? The 740 tonnes of explosivechemical which was illegally imported by acompany named Sri Amman Chemicalswas seized by the customs officials in 2015.For the last five years the explosive chemi-cal has been kept in around 36 containers,each with 20 tonnes of ammonium nitrate.

Post the seizure of the 740 tonnes ofexplosive chemical, the matter was sub-judice and only in November 2019, was averdict passed. The content isnow in the advanced stages ofbeing auctioned off. Eventhough initially, the ChennaiCustoms has said that the 740MTS of ammonium nitrate thathad been seized was safely keptand that it was located approxi-

mately 20 kilometres from thecity and there is no residentiallocality within 2 kilometres fromthe CFS, a visit to the spot givesyou a different picture. TheTamil Nadu Pollution ControlBoard too, after an inspection in

its report, said, “The nearesthabitation is 700 metres fromthe CFS, and there are over7,000 people living in the local-ity.” The Google imaging of thelocation shows that the 18 acreCFS is surrounded by residen-

tial buildings, and other indus-trial structures including Chen-nai Petroleum Corporation lim-ited, which is within fourkilometres away from the CFS.Similarly, the Madras FertilizersLimited is again within the four-

kilometre radius. If we consider an explosion-like

situation here, the destructionin the first one kilometre will seeresidents of Dwaraka Nagar,Burma Nagar getting massivelyimpacted. Debris fall from theexplosion can affect a further 2-kilometre radius which willinclude a large part of Manali’sindustrial region, and residentialproperties. The blast affectwhich can radiate to nearly a 4-kilometre radius again will seeCPCL, Madras Fertilizer Limitedgetting affected, which in turncan create a further explosion.

A man who has been a residentin the region for over 10 years

said, “This surrounding hasbeen always a risky one. It is atask to safeguard our childrenfrom the hundreds of trucks thatcome here on an everyday basis,the road is not proper, and manyaccidents take place. But thisexplosive chemical being storedhere has added to our worries.We request the government todispose of them.” The TNPCB inits report stated, “The customsofficial has also reported thatthe bidding for the utilisation ofammonium nitrate by benefici-aries has been called for and theprocess will be completed withinthree days.”

Presence of 740 tonnes of ammonium nitrate

at Sattva freight station raises safety concerns

Chemical was seized in the year 2015

The destruction in the firstone kilometre will seeresidents of Dwaraka Nagarand Burma Nagar gettingmassively impacted.

By Aneesha Mathurin New Delhi

THE Supreme Court refused topass orders on the Centre’srequest to withdraw caseagainst two Italian marines inIndia on Friday, saying the peti-tion cannot be allowed withouthearing the families of two vic-tim fishermen.

The top court said it will onlyallow the Centre’s plea to closecases against 2 Italian Marinesafter it hears fishermen’s fami-lies. “Adequate compensationshould be paid to families ofthose fishermen killed by ItalianMarines,” the Supreme Courtsaid on Friday.

File photoof CongressleaderPawanKhera.

8 Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, August 8, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020 COMMENT

HUMOURDAILY

No man thinks there’s muchado about nothing when it isabout him.

— Anthony Trollope

Just because I rockdoesn’t mean I’m made ofstone.

—Jim Carrey

Life isn’t a fairy tale justbecause you lose yourshoe at midnight.

SO FUNNY

BORIS Johnson had promised todeliver radical reforms to England’splanning system. This week we foundout what that means in practice.

In a new white paper, the governmenthas set out plans to “cut red tape,overhaul the planning process andbuild better, greener homes faster”. Inone swoop, the entire system that hasgoverned land use in England for morethan 70 years has been set ablaze.

The reforms are premised on theassumption that the planning system isto blame for a shortage of housing, butthe white paper presents no evidenceto support this claim. According tosources, the government hasn’tassessed what impact its proposals willhave on housebuilding.

The government’s white paper emits astrong stench of corporate lobbying,and represents a slap in the face toevidence-based policymaking. At bestthe reforms represent an ideologicalcrusade to undermine local authoritiesand hand over more power to privatedevelopers. At worst, they are part of acoordinated attempt to undermineEnglish democracy. They must beresisted every step of the way.

Govt planningneeds moretransparency

DAY IN NUMBERS

AROUND THE WORLD

THE GUARDIANON DUBIOUS REFORMS

7 kgof narcotics that

was seized from sixindividuals in

Ghaziabad by theauthorities

706 villages across 17districts in UttarPradesh that are

affected by floods,say officials

No assessment made on theimpact on housebuilding

” ”

To my knowledge, no onefrom Bengal was included inthe discussion and the draftresolution of the nationaleducation policy.

— PARTHA CHATTERJEE, West BengalMinister for Education, on the

New Education Policy

DAY IN WORDS

In this ‘cancel culture’ we live in, I am gratefulGod never cancelled me,And I’m sure hecould’ve many-a-times! Let us try toremember not tojudge others.

I don’t think it will be my lastmatch. I’m dealing with top-level managers. They’vemade their evaluations.

— MAURIZIO SARRI, Juventus manager, on his future in the club

— KELLY ROWLAND,singer, on theprevalence of

‘cancel culture’

““

GROWING up, I had aposter in my roomwhich bore the MarkTwain quote: ‘I havenever let my schoolinginterfere with my edu-

cation.’ The line articulateswhat all of us have experienced,that one’s real education hap-pens outside school, in the realworld. And yet, to school we must go, even as

internationally there is a rising trend ofparents going in for home schooling.

Crucial changesThe National Education Policy 2020aims to overhaul India’s education sys-tem, right from pre-school to the uni-versity level. The most fundamentalchange is doing away with the present10+2+3 structure to a 5+3+3+4 one.This translates into a four year under-graduate degree, with the option totransfer credits to a different institutionand an emphasis on the interdiscipli-nary approach.

The breaking down of ‘streams’ (Arts,Science, Commerce) is potentially themost significant proposal in the NEP.Very often these streams acquire a gen-der bias. For instance, I wanted to takeArts in standard XI but couldn’t do sobecause in small towns the thinking isthat Arts is for girls. My school was anall-boys one. The girls’ schools in Alla-habad did not offer Commerce. A stu-dent who has taken science might beinterested in taking a paper in Psychol-ogy or Political Science or evenadvanced Literature.

In college in Delhi, I knew studentswho had chosen Physics in their firstyear, but as the year went on theybecame more interested in Philosophy.This is not unusual. In Oxford, Physicsand Philosophy are a standard combo.But in DU, under the previous system,the student would have to drop a yearand reapply the next year. The teachers

allowed the student to sit in on Philos-ophy lectures. But it was a year downthe drain for no good reason. All thismight soon be a thing of the past.

The three-language formula has raisedsome concerns. The proposal to do awaywith English till standards V or VIII willbe debated. Most surveys show that ingovernment schools the majority of par-ents would prefer it if their wards weretaught in the English medium, even inschools that offered a dual medium ofinstruction. On the other hand, theadvantage of this policy is that it allowsone to learn one’s mother tongue in aformal setting. A tribal child can nowlearn her own language (in addition toHindi and English), a language thatmight disappear otherwise.

Misleading debateIn education, the more things change,the more they remain in school. Myuncles attended government schools inMumbai in the 1950s and 1960s. Theywere introduced to English in standardVIII. The first introduction to the alpha-bet came via a simple rhyme: ‘Happy,happy shall we be/When we have learntour ABC.’ The NEP harks back to thattime. In the Protestant school Iattended, we did Sanskrit for four years,alongside Hindi and English. We werealways learning three languages.

Similarly, the new focus on ‘vocationalskills’ like carpentry is not new. We hada period called ‘manual’ for three yearsin middle school. I did carpentry, whichinvolved cutting out a T from a plank ofwood. I was terrible at it.

Some commentators have tried toturn the NEP into a Left versus Rightdebate. This is misleading. That oneshould be taught in one’s mothertongue is not a thought exclusive to the

Right. Take the example of SardarPatel Vidyalaya, just behind Khan Mar-ket, where the Khan Market gang sendsits children. They’ve long had policy ofteaching all subjects in Hindi till stan-dard V.

Really holistic?There is a proposal to make evaluationsimpler. The policy proposes: ‘Any stu-dent who has been going to and makinga basic effort in a school class will beable to pass and do well in the corre-sponding subject Board Exam withoutmuch additional effort.’ So passing anexam will not be such an uphill task.And yet, it was the present governmentwhich had scrapped Kapil Sibal’s policyof no exams till standard VIII.

In higher education, the MPhil degreewill be scrapped. One goes straightfrom a Masters to a PhD programme.There have been murmurs of protestabout this. Several students would liketo pursue their chosen discipline, saySociology, up until the MPhil level.They might not have the wherewithalor time or inclination to pursue a full-fledged PhD. The MPhil is valuablebecause it allows the student to spe-cialise with an emphasis on researchand field work.

The NEP envisions getting more stu-dents into the fold of higher education.In India, it was never a big deal to get auniversity degree. Many students ofAllahabad University — where my fathertaught — who had enrolled in the Eng-lish literature course, could barely speaka word of the language, forget about get-ting the finer points of TS Eliot’s ‘Waste-land’. Even now, seats in engineeringand medical colleges go abegging. Theproposal to attract foreign universitiesto Indian shores has failed in the past.

Finally, the word ‘holistic’ appears afew hundred times in the NEP draft. Thebureaucrats who wrote it will definitelybenefit from a writing workshop.

(The writer taught at the DoonSchool. He is the editor of Recess: The

Penguin Book of Schooldays.) The views expressed are personal

A view of the Panna Meena Kund (a stepwell) during the monsoon season, in Jaipur, on Friday.

CLOUDS OF PROMISEPTI

by PalashKrishnaMehrotra

All that’s new ineducation policy

9SPOTLIGHTMail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, August 8, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020

MELTING POTCHUMKI BHARADWAJ

AMERICAN whiskey, foreven fairly evolvedpalates, until veryrecently meant JackDaniels, the Tennesseetreasure. Popularly con-

sumed as a cocktail—Jack andcoke—was the ultimate slice of theWild West, with a dash of urbanslang giving it a trendy garnish.

But liquid statements and informedchoices have moved beyond old-worldclichés.With American whiskey enjoying aheady renaissance globally as well as inIndia, as the new choice for cocktails and asstraight drinks, aficionados have a lot toclink glasses about. “Even though, JackDaniels is the largest selling in the Ameri-can whiskey category, Bourbon is the mostpopular, mainly because most of the Ameri-can Whisky is actually bourbon so there is amuch larger variety of products to choosefrom,” informs Sukhinder Singh of London’sWhisky Exchange.

Bourbon is the most recognised variant ofAmerican whiskey, outselling Rye and othertypes of American whiskey by a consider-able margin, says Matt Magliocco, Execu-tive Vice President, Michter’s Distillery--

declared the best American whiskey in theworld for 2019. “A great Bourbon often hasnotes of vanilla, stone fruit, caramel andoak, making for a rich and luscious tasteprofile that people love. Rye tends to leanslightly more spice-forward, with hints ofmint and butterscotch.” Rye leads the wayin bars, as mixologists tend to use Rye forclassic cocktails, but Bourbon reignssupreme when it comes to consumers andoverall retail sales, he adds.

With the availability of luxury brands inIndia now, especially the explosion of craftbourbons, the average age of the bourbonconnoisseur is younger and averagesbetween 30 and 35. “Bourbon’s notes arespicy, woody, fruity and floral along withsweet aromatic tones of vanilla,caramel, corn, honey or butter-scotch that resonate perfectlywith Indian taste buds. In fact,new-age Bourbons are selling ata much higher price than evensome Scotch whiskies,” saysSandeep Arora, consulting edi-tor, Whisky Magazine, UK andthe director of Spiritual LuxuryLiving, India’s premiere spiritsmarketing advisory firm.

Although, what you drink is amatter of individual taste,what’s fast tracking Americanwhiskey’s popularity is that it’s“easy to drink, premium posi-tioning, mixability, positioningas one category and not as sep-arate brands, a large and grow-ing domestic market and aboveall a lot of new brands. Astutemarketing using hip bartendersand education is also making adifference,” adds Arora.

In this year’s iteration of JimMurray’s Whisky Bible, Scotchfell to 6th position with a Japan-ese single malt in first and Amer-ican blends in second and thirdplace. It may be premature oreven incorrect to place one man’sassessment as an industrybenchmark, but the rising sales,

increasing popularity and grow-ing demand does drive home thepoint that the bourbon bonhomieis here to stay.

With top brands such asMichter’s, Maker’s Mark, BuffaloTrace and Woodford Reserve nowavailable in India, the cup literallyrunneth over.

The writer is senior editor,India Today Spice and Robb

Report India

A VIRTUAL house arrest has ren-dered the most prolific of mindsin an idler’s playground wheresolitaire is a Covid state of mind.But if you want to play games,sport it in style with luxury ver-sions rendered by some of thebiggest names in luxury. FromHermes to Tiffany’s, and Gucci toLouis Vuitton making a play forthe indoor games market, youcan idle indulgently. Fancy around of poker? Shuffle in stylewith Tiffany’s Paper clip playingcards that come in a set of twodecks with a metallic silver edge.(`6,500; Tiffany & Co., TheChanakya, New Delhi). Contactsport may be risky, but when it

involves hand-painted players onLV-monogrammed Epi leather, itcalls for an exception. Louis Vuit-ton’s foosball table, Le Babyfoot,is perfect. Opt for the Dalian Chi-nese Chess Set from Hermes orbackgammon, crafted in naturalmaple wood with pawns inlaidwith taurillon leather. With slowfashion on fast trend, Gucci haspartnered with the world'sfavourite mobile tennis game fora slice of the $120 billion gamingindustry. Tennis Clash (The gameis available on the App Store andGoogle Play) is the closest youcan come to Grand Slam action,wearing haute couture, enablingfans of the game to buy outfitsthat mirror those on screen fromthe Gucci website. Here fashionand fantasy consort on court; letthe games begin!

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Bourbon is the most recognised variant of American whiskey, outselling Rye andother types of American whiskey by a considerable margin.

The drink reigns supremeamong consumers

IMAGINATION opens up a newworld filtered through ourmind’s eye. While it works asa getaway from reality, but ifyou’re designing your house,you want to keep it as real aspossible. But with restrictedtravel and close contact a riskthese days, Trezi is the per-fect bridge between imagina-tion and reality. A fullyimmersive virtual reality (VR)product, it transforms designcommunication, enabling allstakeholders to experience

the project’s design at fullscale. Developed bySmartVizX, Trezi allows usersto bring their 3D design mod-els into a fully immersive VRenvironment; integratingreal product data and manu-facturer catalogues in thevirtual workspace. Does oneget a real sense of dimension;can one visualise the coloursas vividly? “We use Trezi forDesign and Build Projectssince it’s easy to use, and theclient can quickly understandthe space by navigating the

world of virtual reality.Immersive technology is anew concept, and with Trezion board, we can easily com-municate with clients andhelp them experience thedesign intent, Harshit Goel,

Concept Designer, Cherry Hill.All you need do is strap on theheadsets and navigate thejoystick. We are told, you caneven look underneath thesofa; imagination never had aleg up on reality, until now.

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10 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020 LIFE & STYLE

life &

ORGANIC, FRAGRANT ANDNATURAL DEODORANTS

HOME-GROWN BRAND Forest Essentials hasrecently launched aluminium-free naturaldeodorants enriched with naturally derivedenzymes and plant extracts. The newantiperspirant, aluminium-free deodorantscents the skin without disturbing the naturalprocess of perspiration and prevents bodyodour. These are available in two variants;Lavender & Neem — with leafy notes oftherapeutic Lavender and bitter fresh Neemwith an air-like, fine mist, and the SweetOrange & Cardamom Natural Deodorant — fora soft, lingering fragrance. These are blendedwith Aloe Vera, brightening Anantmool andKasturi Manjal and purifying Neem. Theysoothe the skin, retain moisture and keep youfresh through the humidity of monsoon.

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APPEALING to theswadeshi sentiment ofIndians, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi urgedpeople to be “vocal forhandmade” on the occa-

sion of National HandloomDay on Friday. Year afteryear since 2015, this day hasbeen earmarked as onewhen both the fashion fra-ternity and policymakerssteer the narrative towardshandwoven fabrics andembracing indigenous cra-fts. A comment on the trueessence of this day comesfrom Laila Tyabji, the fou-nder and chairperson ofDastkar, an NGO thatworks for the revival of tra-ditional crafts in India,“Handloom Day is not justabout wearing pretty sarisand posting selfies on socialmedia. It is about promot-ing the professional skills ofthe people who makethem, and ensuring thatthey receive recognition.”Tyabji adds, “Designingand weaving a Sambal-puri, Patola or Pocham-palli Ikat sari or Jamawarshawl requires the samelevel of mathematical andtechnical skill as softwareprogramming.”

The Fourth All India Hand-loom Census mentions a totalof 31.45 lakh households inIndia, which are engaged inhandloom activities (bothweaving and allied). Thismakes it the second-largestemployment provider, afteragriculture, for rural India. Asthe world faces economic cri-sis and job uncertainty, arti-sans, like many others, havehad to struggle and face thedevastating backlash of thepandemic. But that is notall. Their skills and crafthave faced major competi-tion from the modernpower looms or mills thatusually help createcheaper yet environmen-tally-unfriendly products.

CAPTURINGATTENTION The price point of hand-looms, largely due to theeffort required in creating

Designers weigh in onwhether the youth areembracing India’s

modest handloom By Simi Kuriakose

them, might be a deterrentto youngsters when theycompare it to fast fashionbrands. While there areaffordable variants of hand-looms, fashion-forwardyoungsters might not viewit as a contemporary alter-native. Designer AnavilaMisra says, “I think thereis an engagement withyounger clientele. Theyunderstand the value andheritage. But, contempo-rising handlooms andpresenting them in a way,which is appealing toyoungsters is important.” Veteran designer Ritu

Kumar adds that the newgeneration is sensitisedto their surroundings,

and for them handlooms have todo with “intelligentsia”. She adds,“It is an anti-consumption, moresustainable route to take. Andanybody who is now thinking ofthe environment would be sensi-tised to it. I’ve been seeing howpopular Dilli Haat or Dastkar is,and how much they are beingpatronised by the younger kids.”

Designer Gaurang Shah, whorecently launched his e-com-merce store only to “find greattraction amongst new-age con-sumers” adds, “The marketing ofsaris and the growing realisationof the significance of marketing,perception, and brand building isnear to perfection now. Also, lead-ing fashion icons like Vidya Balanand Sonam Kapoor, and theprominence for Indian handlooms

WEAVING A TIMELESS

STORY

in leading fashion stages havewidened the appeal of handloomsamong the modernists.”

Rina Singh of Eká, whose clien-tele is in the age group of 25, says,“The interest in thinking thathandloom is a unique commodityand a product from India; I don’tthink we have reached there yet.Having said that, there are a lot ofyoung designers that are aspira-tional for these kids. I think thatthe designers can create and buildan interest for the young audi-ence.” Designers Shyamal andBhumika Shodhan agree that“the younger generation under-stands the beauty of handwovenfabric and has a refined taste forit.”

Sanjay Garg whose brand RawMango has a majority of patronsbetween the ages of 30-45 opinesthat “this growing activism” forhandlooms “among the youthneeds go beyond tokenism.” Gargadds, “For handloom to appeal toall, it needs to adapt to changinglifestyles that speak to design,functionality and affordability.”

SECTOR PROMOTIONThere are many moving parts thatneed to be in sync for handloomto become mainstream. Gargpoints out, “The media, govern-ment, NGO’s, entrepreneurs, andweavers all have a role to play.

ExtremeLeft:Amodelsporting anoutfit byRawMango.Left:AnavilaMisraworkingwithartisans.

11Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, September 7, 2019 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020 LIFE & STYLE

STYLE

FASHION’S HELPINGHAND IN TOUGH TIMESIN AN effort to raise funds so as tosupport artisans, weavers andembroiders communities acrossIndia, Baradari, a charity initiative,will bring together more than 100designers. The sale takes place onwww.ensembleindia.com and will goon till August 15. The Baradariproject aims at narrowing the gapbetween designers and artisans.Reputed designers such asSabyasachi, Tarun Tahiliani, RituKumar, Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla,Manish Malhotra, and others havedonated their signature clothes.Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan is alsopart of the project.

BOOK HONOURING INDIA’SARTISANS A NEW book seeks to honour the handloomweavers and highlight the contribution of thisindigenous industry in the socio-economicdevelopment of the country. Kaninika Mishra’sThe Indic Quotient, published by BloomsburyIndia, highlights five significant efforts ofindividuals and organisations working in thefield with weavers to not just assure bettervalue for their product within the country andabroad but also to be part of the movement topreserve and promote Indian traditional art.This book follows the author’s journey into theheartland of weaving community right fromMaheshwar in Madhya Pradesh to Mithila inBihar that continues to preserve the art formfor generations.

—PTI

There are many pillars that needto work more cohesivelytogether.”

Shyamal adds, “As designers,our effort has to drive the sectorinto providing more employment.The designs and promo-tion has to appeal to theglobal aesthetic as wellas the masses of ourcountry.”

Misra thinks that thevarious policies set-upby the Textiles Min-istry to mark NationalHandloom Day, maydrive changethough slowly. Sheadds, “These stepswill not see changein a day. But on along-term basis, itwill bring a positiveimpact on theindustry. It is slowbecause it is a hugeindus-try.But I

think these are right steps in theright direction.” Given the currentscenario, mere hashtags such as#IWearHandloom and #Hand-loomLove can only do so much.What will essentially aid the hand-loom community, on a larger scale,

is an increased demand forhandwoven products by consumers.

‘‘

‘‘

There has been more awarenessabout handloom but it is still tooearly to see change andimportantly, we need morenumbers associated withprogress.

—SANJAY GARG, FASHION DESIGNER

Considering that 95 per centof the world’s handloomweavers are based in India,we need to do a lot in terms ofpromoting our beautifulhandwovens.

—SHYAMAL (LEFT) AND BHUMIKASHODHAN, FASHION DESIGNERS

The first thing that has to beunderstood is that we can’t look at

handlooms with sympathy.Anybody who is getting involvedwith making and creatinghandlooms has to see it as a

business practice.—RINA SINGH, FASHION DESIGNER

I feel with this [Covid] happening, thetime of the middleman has to go.

The new generation or the start-upor even somebody who is savvy tobe able to do it, can connect thedots between the weaver and the

consumer.—RITU KUMAR, FASHION DESIGNER

The handloom industry hasevolved and has found ways todeal with challenges — besidesadvocacy by the PM to embracehandlooms, fashion icons likeVidya Balan and Sonam Kapoorare passionate about handloom.

—GAURANG SHAH, FASHION DESIGNER

You don’t need to take the crutch ofhandloom to sell a product.Theproduct has to stand by its ownmerit,has to be beautifully crafted,be contemporary and,the person[consumer] needs to be attracted tothe product.

—ANAVILA MISRA, FASHION DESIGNER

Designer Rina Singh(second in right row)with weavers ofTelengana.

Left: Taapsee Pannuwearing a Gaurang

outfit.Right: A model in a

Ritu Kumar creation.

A Bodiceoutfit.

Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, July 25, 2020

Healthcare workers at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital hold a rally outside their hospital for safer working conditionsduring the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Fountain Valley, California, on Friday.

12 Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, July 18, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020

The UAE has waived thou-sands of dirhams in fines of

Indian expatriates whose visashad expired before March 1,helping them return homewithout additional expensesamidst the Covid-19 outbreak.W RLDLY

ISE

Risk of community infection is veryhigh, require more determination,solidarity and responsibility from the political system in order to takestronger measures...

‘

‘

— NGUYEN XUAN PHUC , VIETNAM PM

DAILY coronavirus deaths inthe US surged to a three-month high of over 2,000 onThursday and the numberof cases passed 19 millionglobally, pushing many

nations to further ratchet uprestrictions in the battle againstthe pandemic.

The world's hardest-hit country, theUnited States, has seen a major coron-avirus resurgence since the end of June,adding 2,060 deaths in 24 hours aloneThursday, a tracker by Johns HopkinsUniversity showed. But other corners ofthe globe were also marking grim mile-stones, with Mexico's official toll soaringabove 50,000 dead and the continent ofAfrica hitting one million confirmed cases.

More than half of Africa's infec-tions are in South Africa, whichhas the fifth highest number ofinfections in the world, after theUS, Brazil, India and Russia.

Nevertheless the African conti-nent remains one of the leastaffected, according to the officialfigures, with only Oceania regis-tering fewer COVID-19 cases.

SURGE IN LATIN AMERICAAt least 19,000,553 cases and

712,315 deaths have been regis-tered worldwide, figures com-piled by AFP from officialsources at 2300 GMT showed,driven by surges in Latin Amer-ica and India. The UnitedStates has recorded the mostdeaths with almost 160,000, fol-lowed by Brazil with nearly100,000. Globally, 40 percent ofall cases have been notched inthe two countries.

Europe remains the hardest-hit region worldwide with morethan 200,000 fatalities since thevirus first emerged in Chinalate last year. As gov-ernments across theglobe struggle to sal-vage economies rav-aged by months oflockdown, many

HONG KONG will offer freevoluntary coronavirus testingfor residents, leader CarrieLam said on Friday, as theglobal financial hub races tocontain a resurgence of thevirus over the past month.

“The plan, which will enablecitywide testing for the firsttime, is likely to be imple-mented in two weeks at theearliest,” Chief Executive Lamsaid. The announcementcomes less than a week afterChina sent a team of healthofficials to Hong Kong tocarry out widespread testingfor COVID-19.

It is the first time mainlandhealth officials have assistedHong Kong in its battle tocontrol the coronavirus. “Thesituation in Hong Kong is still

critical, with the number ofcases remaining high,” Lamtold reporters as she sat infront of a largescreen digitalbackdrop which read ‘Fightthe virus with the central gov-ernment’s full support’.

Lam said she had asked Bei-jing in late July to helpincrease Hong Kong’s virustesting capabilities and facili-ties. She also sought to dispelfears among some people thatChina may use it as an oppor-tunity to collect DNA samplesfor surveillance purposes.

Since January around 3,900people have been infected inHong Kong, 46 of whom havedied. Hong Kong reported 89new coronavirus cases on Fri-day, of which 81 were locallytransmitted. —Reuters

HK set tooffer freetests forresidents

The study found that the second most common symptomwas breathlessness.

‘Chronic fatigue syndrome a possible long-term effect’

have been forced to look at newmeasures to curb outbreaks ofCOVID-19 since they lifted ini-tial containment orders. Suchis the case in Europe wherenations imposed new travelrestrictions with fears growingover a second wave. In Australia,the second-largest city Mel-bourne entered the country'stoughest lockdown yet on Thurs-day, closing non-essential busi-nesses and requiring hundreds ofthousands to stay home.

MANDATORY TESTS FORTRAVELERS IN GERMANY

Germany is the latest to intro-duce mandatory tests for travel-ers returning from designatedrisk zones, starting on Saturday,as fears grow over rising casenumbers blamed on summerholidays and local outbreaks.Germany's list of risk zones cur-rently includes most non-EUcountries, as well as certainprovinces in Belgium and Spain.

Neighboring Austria on Thurs-day announced it would issue atravel warning for mainlandSpain, becoming the latestcountry to do so amid a rise innew coronavirus cases in the fel-low EU member.

Finland also introduced newcontrols on arrivals from someEU countries, including Bel-

gium, the Netherlands andAndorra, putting a stop

to tourists arrivingfrom there andimposing a 14-dayquarantine on otherreturnees. —AFP

VIRUS WREAKSHAVOC IN U.S.AS 2,060 DIEIN SINGLE DAY

C VID-19

PANDEMIC

UShas recorded

1,60,000 deaths,followed by Brazil

with nearly 1,00,000.

SCIENTISTS, including one ofIndian origin, have identifieda pattern of longer-termsymptoms likely to be experi-enced by people hospitalisedwith the COVID-19 infection,which include fatigue, breath-lessness, psychological dis-tress and a general decline inquality of life.

The study, published in theJournal of Medical Virology,found that some patients, par-ticularly those who had beenin intensive care, had symp-toms associated with cases ofpost-traumatic stress disor-der (PTSD).

“COVID-19 is a new illness andwe have very little informa-tion on longer term problemsin individuals after dischargefrom hospital,” Manoj Sivan,Associate Clinical Professor atthe University of Leeds in theUK. The research team fol-lowed 100 people recoveringfrom COVID-19, four-to-eightweeks after being discharged

from hospital in Leeds. The most prevalent symp-

tom was fatigue, researcherssaid, adding over 60 per centof people who had beentreated on a ward reportedfatigue, and one-third of themdescribed it as moderate orsevere. They noted that forpatients who had been inintensive care, 72 per centreported fatigue. The second

most common symptom was breathlessness.

The third most prevalentsymptoms, the researcherssaid were neuropsychologi-cal. They found that almostone quarter of the peoplewho had been on a ward andjust under a half of the peoplewho had been in intensivecare had some of the symp-toms of PTSD. —PTI

Europe remains

the hardest-hit

region globally

with 200K deaths

THE chemicals that went up inflames in Beirut’s deadliest peace-time explosion arrived in theLebanese capital seven years ago on a leaky Russian-leased cargo shipthat, according to its captain, shouldnever have stopped there. “They werebeing greedy,” said Boris Prokoshev,who was captain of the Rhosus in2013 when he says the owner told himto make an unscheduled stop inLebanon to pick up extra cargo.

Prokoshev said the ship was carrying 2,750tonnes of a highly combustible chemical fromGeorgia to Mozambique when the order cameto divert to Beirut on its way through theMediterranean.

The crew were asked to load some heavyroad equipment and take it to Jordan’s Port ofAqaba before resuming their journey ontoAfrica, where the ammonium nitrate was to bedelivered to an explosives manufacturer. Butthe ship was never to leave Beirut, having triedand failed to safely load the additional cargobefore becoming embroiled in a lengthy legaldispute over port fees.

“It was impossible,” Prokoshev, 70, toldReuters of the operation to try and load theextra cargo. “It could have ruined the wholeship and I said no,” he said by ‘phone from hishome in the Russian resort town of Sochi onthe Black Sea coast. The captain and lawyers

acting for some creditors accusedthe ship’s owner of abandoningthe vessel and succeeded in hav-ing it arrested. Months later, forsafety reasons, the ammoniumnitrate was unloaded and put in adock warehouse.

MILLIONS HOMELESSOn Tuesday, that stockpile

caught fire and exploded not farfrom a built-up residential area ofthe city. The huge blast killed 145people, injured 5,000, flattenedbuildings and made more than a quarter of a million peoplehomeless. The ship might havesucceeded in leaving Beirut, hadit managed to load the additionalcargo. The crew had stacked theequipment, including excavatorsand road-rollers, on top of thedoors to the cargo hold whichheld the ammonium nitratebelow, according to the ship’s

Ukrainian boatswain, BorisMusinchak. But the hold doorsbuckled.

“The ship was old and thecover of the hold bent,” Musin-chak said by ‘phone. “Wedecided not to take risks.” Thecaptain and three crew spent 11months on the ship while thelegal dispute dragged on, with-out wages and with only limitedsupplies of food. Once they left,the ammonium nitrate wasunloaded. “The cargo was highlyexplosive. That’s why it waskept on board when we werethere ... That ammonium nitratehad a very high concentration,”Prokoshev said.

BOUND FOR MOZAMBIQUEProkoshev identified the ship’s

owner as Russian businessmanIgor Grechushkin. Attempts to

contact him were unsuccessful.Cypriot police questioned

Grechushkin at his home inCyprus on Thursday, a securitysource said. A Cyprus policespokesman said an individual,whom he did not name, hadbeen questioned at the requestof Interpol Beirut in relation tothe cargo.

The ammonium nitrate wassold by Georgian fertilisermaker Rustavi Azot LLC, andwas to be delivered to a Mozam-bique explosives maker, Fabricade Explosivos.

A senior representative forFabrica de Explosivos did notimmediately respond when senta request for comment onLinkedIn. Levan Burdiladze, theRustavi Azot plant director, toldReuters that his company hadonly operated the chemical fac-

tory for the last three years andso he could not confirm whetherthe ammonium nitrate was pro-duced there.

He called the decision to storethe material in Beirut port a“gross violation of safe storagemeasures, consideringthat ammoniumnitrate loses its use-ful properties in sixmonths.”

Initial Lebaneseinvestigations intowhat happenedhave pointed toinaction and negli-gence in the han-dling of the poten-tially dangerouschemical. Lebanon’s cab-inet on Wednesday agreed toplace all Beirut port officialswho have overseen storage and

security since 2014 under housearrest, ministerial sources said.

The head of Beirut port andthe head of customs said thatseveral letters were sent to thejudiciary asking for the materialbe removed, but no action was

taken. Reuters could notimmediately reach

Lebanon’s justiceminister for com-ment.

According toProkoshev, the shiphad been leakingbut was seaworthywhen it sailed into

Beirut in September2013. However, he

said Lebanese authorities paid little attention to

the ammonium nitrate, whichhad been stacked in the hull inlarge sacks. —Reuters

AMIDST vociferous protestsfrom Pakistan's religious parties,the Parliament has approved athird Bill related to the toughconditions set by the globalmoney laundering and terroristfinancing watchdog FATF.

The legislation is part of theefforts by Pakistan to move fromthe Paris-based Financial Action

Task Force grey list to white list. The FATF put Pakistan on the

grey list in June 2018 and askedIslamabad to implement a planof action by the end of 2019 butthe deadline was extended laterdue to COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mutual Legal Assistance(Criminal Matter) Bill, 2020 —which calls for exchange of infor-mation and criminals with coun-tries — was passed late on Thurs-day. The Bill was passed after thegovernment agreed to includeover two dozen Opposition-pro-posed amendments with a major-ity vote amidst noisy protest by

the religious and nationalist par-ties, the Dawn News reported.

The talks started on Wednesdayevening, continued almostthroughout the night and lastedtill a delayed start of the joint sit-ting on Thursday evening.

The Bills include measures offreezing and seizure of assets,travel ban, and arms embargo onthe entities and individuals, who

are designated on the sanctionslist of the UN and impose heavyfine and long term jails for thosefacilitating militancy. The threeBills passed fulfil requirements ofthe FATF, which put Pakistan onits grey list after Islamabadagreed to implement a plan ofaction to improve its legal regimeto curb money laundering andterror financing. —PTI

An unscheduled

stop to pick up

extra cargo led

to the disaster

THE United States on Fridayslapped sanctions on HongKong's leader Carrie Lam and 10other senior figures, in a major new step againstChina's clampdown in the semi-autonomous city. In the mostsignificant US action since Chinaimposed a tough security law,Lam and the other leaders ofthe Asian financial hub will haveany assets in the US blocked.

The move also criminalizesany US financial transactionswith them. The US stands withthe people of Hong Kong andwe will use our tools andauthorities to target thoseundermining their autonomy,Treasury Secretary StevenMnuchin said in a statement.

Secretary of State Mike Pom-peo said the US was actingbecause Beijing had violated itspromise of autonomy that it made to Hong Kong beforeBritain handed back the terri-tory in 1997. “Today's actionssend a clear message that theHong Kong authorities’ actionsare unacceptable and in con-travention of the PRC's commit-ments under ‘one country, twosystems' and the Sino-BritishJoint Declaration,” a UN-regis-tered treaty, Pompeo said. TheTreasury Department said thatLam, as chief executive of theHong Kong Special Administra-

tive Region, is directly respon-sible for implementing Beijing'spolicies of suppression of free-dom and democraticprocesses.

Other sanctioned officialsinclude Chris Tang, commis-sioner of the Hong Kong PoliceForce, and Luo Huining, direc-tor of the Liaison Office, Bei-jing's office in the city. —AFP

Amid protests, Pak Senateapproves FATF-related Bill

File photo of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

U.S. IMPOSESSANCTIONS ONHK LEADERCARRIE LAM

13Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Monday, August 3, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020 W RLDLY WISE

BEIRUT’SACCIDENTAL CARGO

FATF put Pakistan on thegrey list in June 2018

OnTuesday, the

stockpile caughtfire and exploded.

The huge blast killedover 145 people,

injured morethan 5,000

A picture shows a blown up ship, which was thrown on the land at Beirutport. (Inset) A Lebanese soldier walks through the rubble at Beirut port.

File photo of Hong KongChief Executive Carrie Lam.

AFP

14 Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, August 8, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020

TENDERS / NOTICES

Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Wednesday, August 2, 2017 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020 15COFFEE BREAK

TWO PAGES OF ASTROLOGY, PUZZLES AND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

ARIES Apr 14-May 14

There could be a row overthe roles you both play. Itmight be time for a

switchover. You might need to discussthis is at length and be very clearabout who will do what.

CANCER July 16-Aug 15

It is going to be a good day.you might like to take your

beloved for an outing. You could alsoend up buying a nice gift andpresenting it with love.

LEO Aus 16-Sep 15

You would like to get close tosomeone new but couldspend a little time on

wondering if it is really worth all theeffort. However, a courtship is indicated.

SCORPIO Nov 16-Dec 15

Devoted to your beloved, youwill do a lot for him/her. Your

love is not in vain; your lover is going torespond in a very favourable mannermuch to your delight.

AQUARIUSFeb 12-March 13

It could be in your interest toignore minor matters and

look at the larger picture. You do tendto get into arguments which coulddefinitely spoil your relationship.

SAGITTARIUSDec 16-Jan 13

Your unconditional love isgoing to make this romance

run very smoothly. You will getcooperation from your love mate sothe future looks bright and sunny.

GEMINI June 16-July 15

If you are single, there willbe no shortage of admirers

so you can pick and choose the people you want to date. As of now, you do not want a long termcommitment.

TAURUS May 15-June 15

You will get carried away bythe presence of a lively

person who is going to keep youoccupied and amused all the time.Very soon, new feelings are going todevelop, those of love.

VIRGO Sep 16-Oct 15

You can make a mistake in

assuming something

wrongly but your love mate

is going to make sure you correct it. The

evening can be spent with friends.

LIBRA Oct 16-Nov 15

It may not be very easy tomaneuver your waythrough some obstacles

that suddenly appear. What pains youmost though is the lukewarm responsefrom your lover.

PISCES Mar 14-Apr 13

Day to day you will learn howto inch towards progress. Theunwanted situation you

find yourself in will ease as you make aneffort to better the odd spaces in your relationship.

CAPRICORNJan 14-Feb 11Marriage is going to figurein your plans. You are going

to get the opportunity to meet newpeople and you could develop a softcorner for someone in the process.

By Dr Ajai Bhambi

Co

ffee

Bre

ak

Difficulty Rating

Cross out numbers to create blanks. No digit canappear in a row or column more than once. No twoadjacent squares can be blacked out. All the squaresleft unblacked must be connected — vertically or horizontally — to form a single shape.

SCRABBLE GRAMS

DAILY JUMBLE MINI SUDOKU SUDOKU X

CODEWORDSUDOKU

Difficulty Rating

Difficulty Rating

Difficulty Rating

Difficulty Rating

KAKURO SUDOKU CLASSIC HITORI

*Datesbased

on VedicSun Signs

Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Wednesday, August 16, 2017 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 202016 COFFEE BREAK

by Manisha Koushik

FOCUSFOCUSASTROASTRO

ARIES Mar 21-Apr 20

Investments made in the pasthave started yielding benefits.Your new ideas will be

appreciated at workplace. Children should be taught to take responsibility

TAURUS Apr 21-May 20

There will not be any moneyrelated problem, you areproactively trying to improve

finances. Your interest at workplace isencouraging and you can accomplish your objectives.

GEMINI May 21-June 21

Financial fluctuations maypersist. However, this volatility

will not affect you. People associated with the stock market are not to be lured by greed.

CANCER June 22-July 22

Do not invest in any schemewhich looks like grow rich inno time. Promotion for

government employees is promised.Do not offend a family member.

LEO July 23-Aug 23

The Financial situation will continueto be favorable; investments are

beginning to yield profits. You will initiateworking on the long pending projectwithout interference.

VIRGO Aug 24-Sep 23

You will be able to sell yourgoods at a lower price. You willachieve success on the strength

of your talents. The atmosphere of thehouse will remain positive.

LIBRA Sep 24-Oct 23

You have invested a lot ofmoney without thinking. Do notworry, you will make profit

through speculation. Foresight willprove boon in professional matters.

SCORPIO Oct 24-Nov 22

Money flow from unexpectedsources is possible. Continuemoney flow will strengthen the

financial situation. The seniors arecounting on your ability.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23-Dec 21

Do not blindly trust the advice ofanyone related to investment. Youmay have to face embarrassing

situation at workplace. You will have to bepolite in domestic issues.

CAPRICORN Dec 22-Jan 21

Strong state of funds will lead toexpansion of business. Successwill be achieved in ending

difficult work within the prescribed limit.

AQUARIUS Jan 22-Feb 19

Income may suffer, although it isonly temporary. Things willchange soon and the money

situation will improve. You will besuccessful in suppressing workplace rivalry.

PISCES Feb 20-Mar 20

Financial worries will disappear,unpredictable wealth gain is

foreseen. Your presentation will fail toimpress customers. Working with a spousein domestic chores will bring joy.

KEN-KENEach row & column must contain numbers 1 to 4 (easy) or1 to 6 (difficult). The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes must combine to produce the numbers in the top-left corner.

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS2 A goat, you little pest? It’s

an insect! (9)8 You’re finally in it and able

to obtain a degree (4)9 I get a close friend to fill

the bucket (4)10 Little Sally uses rice to

make some delicious cakes (7)

13 In this era, bookies havesome in reserve (6)

15 Thought Dee had gone tothe Mediterranean! (6)

17 Con’s mixed a lotion forme? That’s a comfort! (11)

20 Weapons kept at No 13 (6) 23 Is getting pert necessary

for a man of the church? (6)

25 Ed is in peril, I answered(7)

26 Here’s a report aboutsome hair style (4)

27 In trouble, Alvin? Butyou’re so faithful! (4)

28 It’s true! Ben and Ed needthe security (9)

DOWN1 Bear witness that I attended

the game (6)

3 A brown pigment found incucumbers (5)

4 I get lost while he labours (5)

5 A bird may become fanatical (5)

6 Pales as I see it pass into disuse (5)

7 Sickness suffered by mymother and another woman (6)

11 One curse and the cardinalpoints taking the blame (7)

12 About that hoard! Put itback! (7)

14 No tea? I’ll make amends forthat (5)

16 Some see nothing in such ananimal (5)

18 It’s just a curve or bias if youlike (6)

19 Won’t go in the theatre? (6)

21 How you rage and talk heatedly! (5)

22 Ed’s with his father doingsome digging (5)

23 I plot to trap that flighty one (5)

24 Lied about having the rightto be a lazy person (5)

SUDOKUFill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, column and each of the 3X3squares contains all the digits from 1 to 9. Solutions are below.

Difficulty Rating Difficulty Rating Difficulty Rating

TODAY’S SOLUTIONS

HITORI CRYPTIC CROSSWORDKAKURO

SUDOKU SUDOKU CLASSICMINI SUDOKU

QUICK QUIZ: 1. Basel; 2. 2003; 3. Badmintonand basketball; 4. Miroslava “Mirka” Federer; 5. US Open; 6. Jimmy Connors; 7. BBCOverseas Sports Personality of the Year

CODEWORD

Scrabble and scrabble tiles are registered trademarks. Allrights in the game are owned in the USA by Hasbro Inc., inCanada by Hasbro Canada Inc., and elsewhere by J.W. Spear &Sons Limited., a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc

SCRABBLE GRAMSSUDOKU X

KEN-KEN

1. Which city in northwestern

Switzerland was Federer

born in?

2. Federer was subject to

compulsory military service in

the Swiss Armed Forces. In

which year was he ruled

“unsuitable” and was

subsequently not required to

fulfill his military obligation?

3. Apart from tennis, what are

two other sports he played as a

child that helped him with hand-

eye coordination?

4. Name Federer’s wife, a

former Women’s Tennis Associ-

ation player whom he met

while they were competing at

the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

5. While Federer has won a

record eight Wimbledon titles,

six Australian Open titles, and

one French Open title, name the

tournament for which he won

five consecutive, record titles?

6. After an American world No. 1

tennis player, Federer is the

only player to have won 100 or

more career singles titles, as

well as to amass 1,200 wins in

the Open Era. Name the

American player.

7. Federer is the only player to

have won a certain award four

times. Which award is this?

QUICK QUIZ

Roger Federer wasborn on August 8,1981.

17Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, August 17, 2019 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020

Townabout

Moving forwardthrough art

The art exhibition,‘Unmask Your Mind’, can be viewed till Sunday evening

by Antara RaghavanTHE famed playback singer HarshdeepKaur had grown up in a musicalatmosphere. “My father and eldersister were very musically inclined, so Iwas surrounded by music. That’s why Ibegan to sing on the stage in schooland started to take classical musicseriously when I was very young.”

Kaur has more than fulfilled theseexpectations and is now one of themost sought after playback singers,who has worked with some of thegreat names of the day such ascomposer AR Rahman and filmmaker

Sanjay Leela Bhansali. She also recordssongs for film music in severallanguages such as Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil,and Telugu.

Even in the times of Covid, she is indemand for the various digitalconcerts. Indeed, last night, she hadperformed in the HCL SoundscapeConcert last night. This, as Kaur said,was the first time she performed withHCL. It was a concert to remember,with Kaur playing requested numberssuch as Heer from Jab Tak HaiJaan, Katiya Karun fromRockstar and Dilbaro fromRaazi.

Speaking about the

concert, Kaur says, “These initiativesregularly bring music to the viewsthrough the medium of the digitalconcerts. The artist also gets tointeract with the audience this way.”Like many other musicians and singers,Kaur has been performing in thedigital concerts since the lockdown.She adds, “Despite the lockdown, anddespite live shows being cancelled, Ienjoy the fact that digital concerts canreach the audience, and that thanks to

technology, they can hear usplaying live.”

It was a concert that theviewers had also hugelyenjoyed.

by Antara Raghavan

IN these times, art has been away of moving forward, and ofunlocking our minds from fear.In the days of digital concertsand exhibitions, it is perhapstime to step towards experi-

encing art in the physical spaceagain. With this aim, there is an artexhibition, ‘Unmask Your Mind’,that is taking place at South PointMall in Gurugram now,

The exhibition has been organised byUneditioned Art, sponsored by Aroma Cey-lon (a spa and art gallery) andsupported by South Point Mall.A unique ensemble of artworksis on display, including paint-ings, hand-pulled original prints,ceramics and sculptures fromyoung and emerging artists. Thepreview includes work frommore than 50 artists, includingAsim Pal, Tsering Negi, AvniBansal, Priyoum Talukdar,Rajesh Trilokiya, and JayatiKaushik, among others.

Keerthisinghe Wijerathne andPiyush Aggarwal, co-owners ofAroma Ceylon, had a extremelyhands-on approach in the exhi-bition. Wijerathne emphasisesthat all precautions will be takenfor visitors and artists. Four ofAggarwal’s own paintings are ondisplay. Aggarwal, like all theother artists in the exhibition,displays works that show hisviewpoint of the world. Althoughhe primarily paints landscapesand seascapes, as well as wallpaintings, he also works in dry-point print. One of the worksthat is on display, is a drypoint

A CONCERT AND SINGER WORTH REMEMBERING

Acclaimed playback singerHarshdeep Kaur

‘Digital concerts help us

reach the audience’

An etching, titled Home Cobwebs by Avni Bansal (inset), who works in the medium ofprintmaking.

Artist Jayati Kaushik works on themessuch as human relationships

FC with DL moving at 02:00, a drypoint print byPiyush Aggarwal (inset)

Rajesh Trilokiya’s artobserves how things grow

of what I was seeing that time.Rajesh Trilokiya is another

artist who sees the world inunique shades. “I work on howthings grow, such as hair and thehuman body, and how thingsdevelop as they change form.”This viewpoint, he adds, is espe-

cially important in the context ofthese unprecedented times.

Avni Bansal, on the other hand,sees events changing due topeople’s choices. She works inthe print-making medium. Asshe explains, “The works in thisexhibition were inspired by theinteriors I was surrounded by, in

my home, including my diningarea. Its part of a ‘Cobweb’series. It signifies the tanglednature of a web, and I connectedit to the human web we makearound ourselves by ourthoughts and materialism.” Sheadds, “I tried to make linesaround these images to show-case them as cobwebs, as I wasplaying with space and colour”.

For her part, Jayati Kaushikexamines little things.’ “Theseare things that not noticed bymost people, but which are actu-ally very important.” Kaushikchooses to focus on human rela-tionships. Five of her works havebeen exhibited; two lithographs,and two dry-points in print mak-ing techniques. At the moment,she is focusing on dry-pointtechnique. Kaushik has alsoalways focused on relationshipsparticularly between middleaged couples. “People usuallysee couples as young. They canalso be middle aged, like one’sparents. People forget that one’sparents are not just parents, butthey are also couples.” Kaush-ik’s distinction is displayed inthe exhibition, as well as a por-trait on the nuances on amother’s relationship with heradult son.

Art lovers should definitely notmiss this show.

print that has been done on Chi-nese fish net, titled, FC with DLmoving at 02:00.

As Aggarwal explains, “It wasa work done in Kochi. FC standsfor Fort Kochi and DL stands forDelhi, and I had done the sketchat 2 am. It was an interpretation

An array of eclecticartworks are displayed

Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, August 8, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020 18

We shall be coming outwith a Charter of Rights fortaxpayers... Prime MinisterNarendra Modi addressestaxpayers as nation-builders and an honesttaxpayer helps build thiscountry.

‘QUOTE OF THE DAY

$535 bn is India’s forex kitty as on July 31,up $12 billion in a week.

NUMBER OF THE DAY

Gold price surged for the16th straight session on

Friday and touched an all-timehigh of `57,008 per 10 grams inthe national capital, according toHDFC Securities. Silver too touched a record-high of`77,840 per kilogram.

mybiz — NIRMALA SITHARAMAN, FINANCE MINISTER

‘

Virus vaccine to be rolled out in early 2021

AIR INDIA is allowing travelagents to sell seats only onselect flights under the VandeBharat Mission and otherinventories have beenblocked, the Travel AgentsAssociation of India (TAAI) hasalleged.

However, Air India told PTI ithas received several com-plaints from passengers aboutovercharging by agents ortheir sub-agents, especially onsectors with a high demand.Consequently, it has been com-pelled to restrict access to dis-tribution on such sectors. To

address the issue, Air India hasalso been disseminating com-plete information on country-wise criteria and documentsrequired for travel to makethe exorbitant service chargesunjustifiable.

In a statement late on Thurs-day night, the TAAI alleged thatat a juncture when economiesare trying to revive and comeback on their feet, Air Indiacontinues to play monopolis-tic. After our repeatedrequest, agents were permit-ted to book on the GDS (globaldistribution system), but nowinventories have been blockedand selective sectors are onlybeing permitted. This is totallyunfair and biased, it added.

Row overAir Indiaticket sales

By Mail Today Bureau in New Delhi

THE SIX schemes of FranklinTempleton Mutual Fund's thatwere shut have received Rs4,280 crore from maturities,pre-payments and couponpayments since the announce-ment of their closure in April.

The amount has beenreceived without the ability toefficiently monetise assets,Franklin Templeton Asset Man-agement (India) presidentSanjay Sapre said in a letter toinvestors on Wednesday.

The schemes will endeavourto accelerate monetisationafter the successful completionof the e-voting exercise and theunit holder meets, he added.

Franklin Templeton shut sixdebt mutual fund schemes onApril 23, citing redemptionpressure and lack of liquidity inthe bond market. Theseschemes -- together having anestimated Rs 25,000 croreAUM-- were Franklin India LowDuration Fund, Franklin IndiaDynamic Accrual Fund, FranklinIndia Credit Risk Fund, FranklinIndia Short Term Income Plan,Franklin India Ultra Short BondFund and Franklin IndiaIncome Opportunities Fund.

`4,280 cr flowsinto Franklin’sshut schemes

Airline has got complaintsagainst travel agents

Six schemes were shutdown due to a crisis

By Mail Today Bureau in New Delhi

HOMEGROWN conglomerate Mahindra &Mahindra on Friday reported a 94% declinein consolidated profit at Rs 54.64 crore forthe April-June quarter due to the adversefallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Thecompany had posted a net profit of Rs 894crore in the same period of the last financialyear.

M&M said in a regulatory filing that rev-enue from operations during the first quar-ter this year fell by 37% to Rs 16,321 crorefrom Rs 26,041 crore in the April-June quar-ter of 2019.

The automotive segment posteda revenue of Rs 6,508.6 crore inthe first quarter, down from Rs13,547.8 crore in the sameperiod a year ago, the com-pany said.

Farm equipment segment'srevenue was Rs 4,907 crore asagainst Rs 6,078 crore in thesame quarter of the last fiscalyear. Revenue from financialservices stood at Rs 3,032crore as compared to Rs 2,822crore in first quarter last year.The hospitality segmentrecorded a revenue of Rs 294crore as against Rs 612 crore in

the same period a year ago, thecompany added. The group's

operations and financial resultsfor the quarter have beenadversely impacted due to theCOVID-19 pandemic and theconsequent lockdown, due towhich operations were sus-pended for part of the quarterand gradually resumed withrequisite precautions, M&M

said.It said its standalone profitafter tax for the first quarterwas at Rs 112 crore as againstRs 2,313.8 crore in the year-agoperiod.

Gates backs Poonawallawith $150 mn war chestBy Mail Today Bureau in New Delhi

POONAWALLA fam-ily-led Serum Insti-tute of India said onFriday it wouldreceive $150 million(Rs 1,125.6 crore) in

funding from the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundationand the GAVI vaccinesinternational alliance tomake 100 million COVID-19vaccine doses for India andother emerging economiesas early as the first half of2021.

Serum Institute said in a state-ment that it has entered into anew partnership with interna-tional vaccine alliance GAVI andBill & Melinda Gates Founda-tion to accelerate manufactur-ing and delivery of the vaccines.

The collaboration will provideupfront capital to SII to helpthem increase manufacturingcapacity now so that, once a vac-cine, or vaccines, gains regula-tory approval and WHO prequal-ification, doses can be produced

at a scale for distribution toIndia and LMICs as part of theGavi COVAX AMC mechanismas early as the first half of 2021,the company statementexplained.

The candidate vaccines,including those fromAstraZeneca and Novavax, willbe priced at an affordable $3 (Rs225) per dose and will be madeavailable in 92 countries inGAVI’s COVAX Advance MarketCommitment (AMC), SerumInstitute said.

The Gates Foundation will pro-vide the funds to GAVI, whichwill be used to support SerumInstitute. “The funding will sup-port at-risk manufacturing bySerum Institute for candidatevaccines from AstraZeneca andNovavax, which will be available

Vaccine to be availableat `225 a dose

M&M chairmanAnand Mahindra

Through thisassociation,

Serum Instituteseeks to ramp

up constantefforts to savethe lives of mil-lions of people

from this dread-ful disease.

— ADAR POONAWALLA,CEO, SERUM INSTITUTE

‘‘

‘‘

Microsoftfounder Bill Gates

for procurement if they are suc-cessful in attaining full licensureand WHO prequalification,” thestatement said.

GAVI, backed by the GatesFoundation, is a public–privateglobal health partnership withthe goal of increasing access toimmunization in poor countries.It co-leads COVAX - a schemedesigned to guarantee fast andequitable access globally to

COVID-19 vaccines - along withthe World Health Organizationand the Coalition for EpidemicPreparedness Innovations(CEPI).

“ In an attempt to make ourfight against COVID-19 strongerand all-embracing; SerunmInstitute has partnered withGavi and the Bill & MelindaGates Foundation to advancethe manufacturing and delivery

of up to 100 million doses offuture COVID vaccines for Indiaand low- and middle-incomecountries in 2021,” Serum Insti-tute of India CEO Adar Poon-awalla said.

“Through this association,Serum Institute seeks to rampup constant efforts to save thelives of millions of people fromthis dreadful disease,” he added.

Serum Institute has a long his-tory of partnerships with Gaviand pharmaceutical companiesto manufacture vaccines thatprotect against meningitis,severe diarrhoea, pneumoniaand measles, the statementsaid.

“We are very happy to seeSerum Institute enter thisglobal partnership to respond tothe global health crisis posed byCOVID-19,” Renu Swarup, sec-retary in the Department ofBiotechnology, Government ofIndia, said. India has a proventrack record of manufacturingsafe and cost-effective vaccinesnot only for India, but for theworld, she added.

SerumInstitute CEOAdarPoonawallawith hisfather Cyrus

M&M profit plunges 94% to ̀ 55 crore in q1

Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020 19MY BIZMY BIZ

By Mail Today Bureau in New Delhi

DELHI chiefministerArvind Kejri-wal on Fridayannouncedan electric

vehicle policy, offering upto Rs 1.5 lakh incentive one-car purchase, waiver ofregistration fee and roadtax for commercial elec-tric vehicles as well as set-ting up of 200 chargingstations among othersteps.

The ‘Delhi Electric VehiclePolicy’, which has been notifiedand will be in place for at leastthree years, is expected toreduce pollution in the nationalcapital environmental condi-tion and create jobs. Delhi hasthe dubious distinction of beingone of the most polluted citiesin the world.

“The Delhi government willgive incentives of up to Rs30,000 for two-wheelers, autos,e-rickshaws and freight vehi-cles. For cars, it will provide anincentive of up to Rs 1.5 lakh,”said the CM in an online mediabriefing.

SCRAPPING INCENTIVE Kejriwal said the policy intro-duces a first-of-its-kind ‘scrap-ping incentive’ in the countryto exchange petrol or dieselvehicles.

“We are also going to give ascrapping incentive for thosewanting to exchange theirpetrol or diesel-run vehicles. Inthe country, this is the first timethat scrapping incentive isbeing given.”

By Mail Today Bureau in New Delhi

SOUTH KOREAN automaker KiaMotors Corporation on Fridayglobally unveiled its sub fourmeter compact SUV Sonet whichit plans to launch in India nextmonth.

The model will be manufacturedat the company's Anantapur-based (Andhra Pradesh) facilityand would also be exported toother markets.

Sonet, which is Kia's third prod-uct in India after Seltos and Carni-val, will compete with the likes of

Hyundai Venue, Maruti VitaraBrezza, Tata Nexon and MahindraXUV300 in the domestic market.The segment is also going to seemore products like Toyota Kir-loskar Motor's Urban Cruiser andNissan's Magnite.

The Kia Sonet will come withmultiple powertrain options tosuit virtually all requirements inthis segment. It will also comewith a 1.2 litre and 1 litre turbopetrol variants besides 1.5 litrediesel trims mated to a choice offive manual and automatic trans-missions. The compact SUV willalso come with first-in-class dieselsix-speed automatic transmission.

Kia Motorsto launchSonet SUV inSeptember

FACEBOOK Inc will allow employ-ees to work from home until July2021 due to the coronavirus out-break and will give them $1,000for home office needs, a spokes-woman for the social media giantsaid on Thursday.

The company joins other bigtechnology firms that have takensimilar steps recently.

Late in July, Alphabet Inc’sGoogle said it would allowemployees who do not need to bein the office to work from homeuntil the end of June 2021, whileTwitter Inc had proposed remotework indefinitely for some of itsemployees.

“Based on guidance from healthand government experts, as wellas decisions drawn from ourinternal discussions about thesematters, we are allowing employ-ees to continue voluntarily work-ing from home until July 2021”, aFacebook spokeswoman said in anemailed statement.

“In addition, we are givingemployees an additional $1,000for home office needs,” it added.

— Reuters

Facebookallows WFH till July 2021

He also listed out policy fea-tures of low-interest loans forelectric commercial vehicles,200 new charging stations in ayear and the setting up of aState Electric VehicleBoard.The 200 stations willcome up in such a way thatelectric vehicle users can finda charging station within aradius of three kilometers, headded.

“After launching this policy,we expect five lakh new electricvehicles in the next fiveyears...the Delhi governmentwill set up dedicated 'EV Cell' toimplement the policy,” the CMsaid.

POLLUTION CONTROL Kejriwal said Delhi’s pollutionlevel has come down 25 percent over the past five years.“We are not satisfied with it (25per cent). We do not need sucha development where the pollu-tion level is high.”

He also expressed hope thatthe policy’s successful imple-mentation would lead to Delhicoming out at the top in futurediscussions about electric vehi-cles.

At present, when there is adiscussion about electric vehi-cles in the world, the name ofChina is taken, he said.

He also clarified that the newpolicy will exist alongside theCentre’s existing ‘Fame IndiaPhase-2’ policy on electric vehi-cles. “The Delhi government'selectric vehicle policy will be anaddition to the Centre's schemeand people can also avail bene-fits under both the schemes.”He said youngsters will betrained in the new area as theelectric vehicle sector will needthem at a large scale after theimplementation of this policy.

He said the policy also aims toconstitute 25 per cent electricvehicles by 2024, which is currently just 0.29 per cent inthe city.

Delhi govt togive `1.5 lakhsop on e-cars

GOING GREEN� ‘Delhi Electric Vehi-cle Policy’ will be anaddition to the Cen-tre’s Fame scheme.People can avail benefits under bothschemes

�Govt to give incen-tive of up to Rs 1.5 lakhon buying an electriccar; Rs 30,000 for elec-tric two wheeler, e-rickshaw or freightvehicles

� Low-interest loans tobuy commercial e-vehicles

New electric vehicle policy for 3 years

By David Shepardson, Alexandra Alper in Washington

U.S. PRESIDENT Donald Trump hasunveiled sweeping bans on U.S. transac-tions with the Chinese owners of messag-ing app WeChat and video-sharing app Tik-Tok, escalating a high-stakes confrontationwith Beijing over the future of the globaltech industry.

The executive orders announced Thurs-day and effective in 45 days come after theTrump administration this week flaggedincreased effort to purge “untrusted” Chi-nese apps from U.S. digital networks, call-ing Tencent Holdings Ltd’s WeChat andBytedance’s popular TikTok “significantthreats.”

China said on Friday the companies com-ply with U.S. laws and regulations andwarned that the United States would have

to “bear the consequences” of its action. “The U.S. is using national security as an

excuse and using state power to oppressnon-American businesses. That’s just ahegemonic practice,” foreign ministryspokesman Wang Wenbin told a mediabriefing.

TikTok has come under fire fromU.S. lawmakers over nationalsecurity concerns surroundingdata collection as distrustbetween Washington and Bei-jing grows.

“We are shocked by therecent Executive Order, whichwas issued without any dueprocess,” TikTok said in a state-ment on Friday, adding that itwould “pursue all remedies avail-able to us in order to ensure thatthe rule of law is not discarded”.

The ban on U.S. transactions with Ten-cent, one of the world’s biggest internetcompanies, portends further fracturing ofthe global internet and severing of long-standing ties between the tech industriesin the United States and China.

“This is the rupture in the digitalworld between the U.S. and

China,” said James Lewis, atechnology expert with Wash-ington-based think-tankCenter for Strategic andInternational Studies.

“Absolutely, China willretaliate.”

“We are reviewing the exec-utive order to get a full

understanding,” a Tencentspokesperson said. ByteDance declined to com-

ment.

Trump bans Chinese apps WeChat & TikTok

US PresidentDonald Trump

We are also goingto give a scrappingincentive for those

wanting toexchange their

petrol or diesel-runvehicles. In the

country, this is thefirst time that a

scrapping incentiveis being given.

— ARVIND KEJRIWAL,DELHI CHIEF MINISTER

‘‘

‘‘

SENSEX38,025.45

FRIDAY’S CLOSE

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NIFTY

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1 ASIAN PAINTS 4.44 1,727.55

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3 INDUSINDBNK 2.90 492.50

4 BAJAJFINSERV 2.80 6,251.15

5 MARUTISZKI 1.84 6,472.95

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20 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020 INTERACTIVE

LETTERS�Trump’s chargesagainst Biden toughto understandTHE BIBLE is either a publica-tion of which over five billioncopies have been printed (Guin-ness Book of Records) so it can'tphysically be removed or it is aset of stories and beliefs thathave lasted over 2,000 years so itis unlikely that one person, evena president, could remove thatfrom society. There are also anumber of other sets of writtenbeliefs in the Quran, the Torahor the Book of Mormon with lit-erally hundreds of millions ofcopies printed and one of thesefour sets of beliefs could befound in almost every homealthough President Trump has-n't mentioned them, possiblybecause he is not familiar withthem. The only real way to hurta Bible is physically, a BibleBurning and no President orCandidate would do that, wehope. Any attempt to stop theobservation of a religion, andsadly there have been manyattempts, are doomed to failureas history has shown. Soonsomeone will be inaugurated, byswearing on a Bible most likelyand taking the oath of office.Hopefully, they will know whichway to hold the Bible. There ismuch to pray for now especiallya cure for the COVID-19 Virus solet us concentrate on that ratherthan weird claims about oppo-nents.

—DENNIS FITZGERALD, Melbourne, Australia

�Good to knowthat rape accusedhas been nabbedIN A SHOCKING incident, a 12-year-old girl was allegedly sexuallyassaulted on Tuesday, by a man,who also hit her face and head witha sharp object, at her home in westDelhi. The accused had enteredthe house for robbery but on seeingthe minor alone, he sexuallyassaulted her. She had injuries allover her body. The girl is said to beundergoing treatment at AIIMS. It

1) ASI OH HUNNE AA(OFFICIAL VIDEO)AMRIT MAAN |IKWINDER SINGH | TRUMAKER

Starring : Aveera singhMasson; Music : IkwinderSingh ( Ikky ); Mix &Master : Dense

2) FILTERCOPY | WHENYOUR SIBLING IS ANOVERACHIEVER | FT.REVATHI PILLAI ANDABHINAV VERMA

Producer - SripriyaYegneswaran; Writer -Jackie J. Thakkar; Director- Karthik Menon; CastAbhinav Verma, RevathiPillai3) BOLLYWOOD KAPANCHANAMA | ANGRYPRASH | FT. DHRUVRATHEEThis funny video is aboutfun and stupid facts aboutbollywood film industry.

4) INDIANS KI CYCLE ||JAIPURUEdited By : Team JaiPuru;Videography By : SarthakTaneja; Thumbnail By :Vishal Rana (PHOENIXPRODUCTIONS)

YOUTUBE QUESTION

Mail Today poll

BLOGS

ALICIA KEYS' NEW PROJECTKATY Alicia Keys' newbrand is ''not anothercelebrity beauty line''. The39-year-old singer/song-writer has partnered withE.l.f. Beauty for a newproject, which will include''skin-loving, dermatolo-gist-developed, cruelty-free products'' but itpromises to be differentfrom similar celebrity col-laborations. E.l.f's head ofcorporate communica-tions, Melinda Fried, toldCNN: ''This is not another'celebrity beauty line'.Because Alicia is morethan an icon, she's aninspiration. Fried addedthat the new line will''encompass multiplebeauty categories'' andadded that ''Keys has beenvery involved in the cre-ative process.''

contactmusic.com

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal launched ‘Delhi ElectricVehicle Policy’ under which govt will waive registra-tion fee and road tax, and provide incentive of up to `1.5 lakh for new cars. Do you think it’s a good move?

YESTERDAY’S RESPONSE

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

50%YES NO

50%

WRITE TO THE

EDITORYou can now email your opinionto letters@mailtoday.in

CHRISTOPHER DENIES BRIDGE RUMOURSDAISY EDGAR-JONES Christo-pher McQuarrie has deniedreports that there was aplan to destroy a historicalbridge in 'Mission: Impossi-ble 7'. It had been reportedthat movie bosses wantedto blow up a monument inPoland but Christopher -who is directing the latestinstalment of the TomCruise-led franchise - hasrubbished the rumours. Ina statement to Empiremagazine, McQuarrie said:“There was never a plan toblow up a 111-year-old mon-ument.” The 51-year-oldfilmmaker then explainedhow an individual who hadbeen denied a role on theproduction attempted toundermine the film by sug-gesting that the crewwanted to destroy the irre-placeable bridge.

contactmusic.comtaken against the accused so thatsuch heinous incident can't takeplace again.

—B O CHANGA, West Bengal

�Sad demise ofthe television actorSameer SharmaTHE YEAR 2020 has proved to bean ill-fated year for Bollywood amidthe coronavirus epidemic. Apartfrom veteran stars like Irrfan Khan,Rishi Kapoor, Sushant SinghRajput, Saroj Khan, Jagdeep, Ran-jan Sehgaland, Aashutosh Bhakreand many big personalities fromthe film and TV industry left us thisyear. Meanwhile, another bad newswe received from the film-TV indus-try. Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Keactor *Sameer Sharma* hasallegedly committed suicide at hishome in Mumbai. The actor, whohas featured in many shows Jyoti,Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Left RightLeft, Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon– Ek Baar Phir etc was found hang-ing in his apartment in Malad West.Earlier, the actor went through amajor health ailment but recov-ered and even got back to acting.

—NOOR AHMAD, Hyderabad

was absolutely good to know thattwo days after the 12-year-old girlwas raped and stabbed, the policeon Thursday arrested a 33-year-oldman in connection with the case.As the suspect reportedly con-fessed to the crime during interro-gation. The rape has been theevery day's practice in India. It isreported probably everyday.Therefore, strict action must be

Workers hang dyed yarn for drying under the sun on the NationalHandloom Day at a textile mill, in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, on Friday.NEW COLOURS

PTI

PHOTO FOR REPRESENTATION

The Capital’s hospitality sector isstaring at an uncertain future

with hotels continuing to remainclosed for over four months in thewake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Isit time for the hotels to open up?

21Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Sunday, May 24, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020

Sports

MailDhoni returns to nets inRanchi ahead of IPL in UAE

THE International Cricket Coun-cil on Friday confirmed that theICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020that was postponed due to Covid-19 will be held in Australia in 2022.India will host the ICC Men’s T20World Cup 2021 as planned.

Cricket’s governing body hasalso decided to postpone the ICCWomen’s Cricket World Cup 2021in New Zealand till February –March 2022 because of the impactthe Covid-19 pandemic has hadon cricket globally.

The decisions were taken by theIBC (the commercial subsidiaryof the ICC) following an extensivecontingency planning exercise

which has taken into account thehealth, cricket and commercialimpact of COVID-19 around theworld.

ICC Acting Chairman ImranKhwaja said: “Over the last fewmonths as we have consideredhow we return to staging globalevents, our number one priorityhas been to protect the healthand safety of everyone involved inICC events.

“The decisions theBoard have takentoday are in the bestinterests of thesport, our partnersand importantly our

fans. I’d like to thank our partnersat the BCCI, Cricket Australiaand Cricket New Zealand as wellas the Australian and NewZealand governments for theircontinued support and commit-ment to a safe return to ICCevents.”

ICC Chief Executive ManuSawhney said: “We now haveabsolute clarity on the future of

ICC events enabling all ofour Members to focus on

the rescheduling of lostinternational anddomestic cricket. Wewill now proceed asplanned with the

Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 inIndia and host the 2022 edition inAustralia.

“We have taken the decision tomove the ICC Women’s CricketWorld Cup to give players fromevery competing nation, the bestopportunity to be ready for theworld’s biggest stage and there isstill a global qualifier to completeto decide the final three teams.There has been no women’s inter-national cricket played since theconclusion of the ICC Women’sT20 World Cup earlier this yearand due to the varying impact ofCOVID-19 globally that is likely toremain the situation.”

—Mail Today

ENGLAND reeling as Pak-istan opens 127-run lead onDay 3. England was bowledout for 219, a 107-run firstinnings deficit, after losingsix wickets to Pakistan’s

leg-spinners on the third day of thefirst test at Old Trafford on Friday.

At tea Pakistan stretched its lead byanother 20 runs to take control despiteShan Masood’s duck.

Ollie Pope’s 62 was as good as it got for theEngland batsmen, with the majority ofthose runs scored on day two, with YasirShah claiming 4-66 and Shadab Khan takingthe last two wickets.

England resumed the day on 92-4 withPope and Jos Buttler hoping to continue therescue mission they had started the previ-ous evening.

Pope had 46 to his name when he walkedout but almost fell short of his half-century,deflecting Shaheen Afridi over the top of thestumps in an early scare. He got there soonafter, off 81 balls, but the first hour was littlemore than a trial for the home side.

Just nine runs came off the bat in thattime, outscored by the 10 extras Pakistancontributed, with the three-pronged paceattack of Shaheen, Mohammad Abbas andNaseem Shah working up a head of steam.

Buttler edged the third ball ofNaseem’s spell just short of sec-ond slip but after that it was astring of plays and misses.Somehow the duo reached thedrinks break without any crucialnicks and when both hit theirfirst boundaries of the day therewas a small hope they hadweathered the storm.

Tentatively, the fifth-wicketstand crept up to 65, every runhard-earned, before Naseemproduced a memorable deliveryto claim his deservedreward.

Pope was hardly toblame, reeling backand fending to gullyafter the teenagergot one to kickviciously off the sur-face.

Barring an early blowto the helmet for newman Chris Woakes, theremainder of the sessionwas better for England as theyeased the score out to 159-5.Buttler had scrapped his waythrough to 38 but fell to his sec-ond ball after lunch, leaving agap between bat and pad that

allowed Yasir enough room topart the stumps.

The experienced spinner wasbuoyed by the success and

made short work of Dom Bess,producing the turn and

bounce that left AsadShafiq with a divingcatch at slip.

He claimed histhird wicket of thespell and fourthoverall when Woakeslost his patience and

his shape, bowled for19 swinging hard to leg.England were in turmoil

at 170-8t but had StuartBroad to thank for two tail-endstands that added 49 to thetotal.

He finished unbeaten on 29,with three boundaries in a rowoff Shaheen. —Agencies

Onlya late cameo

from Broad (29not out) saw

England past 200,with leg-spinnerYasir claiming 4

wickets

Australia to host 2022 T20 WC.

2021Women’s WC

in New Zealandalso postponed

INDIA TO HOST 2021 T20 WC, SAYS ICC

NUMBERS GAME OF DAY 3

5THE number of half-cen-turies scored by OlliePope (62) in 11 Tests/17

innings. It was his first againstPakistan.

2/13IS the bestbowling fig-ure of

Shadab Khan v England, bet-tering his previous best of2/63 at Lord's in 2018.

4SHAN Masood failed toopen his account. It washis fourth duck in his 21st

Test/40th innings. The first vEngland in 5 Tests/10 innings.

28.50IS thebattingaverage

of Shan Masood v England.In 5 Tests/10 innings v Eng-land, he has so far collected285 runs with one centuryand one fifty.

18IN the first innings,Shan Masood scored156 runs while in the

2nd innings he failed to openhis account. In Test cricket, itwas the 18th instance when aPakistani batsman scoredcentury and duck in the samematch.—Compiled by Manoj Kumar

Bundle outEngland for 219to open 127-runlead on Day 3

Batsman Dismissal R B

Burns lbw b Afridi 4 4

Sibley lbw b Abbas 8 8

Root c Rizwan b Yasir 14 58

Stokes b Abbas 0 7

Pope c Khan b Naseem 62 117

Buttler b Yasir 38 108

Woakes b Yasir 19 48

Bess c Shafiq b Yasir 1 12

Archer c Rizwan b Khan 16 33

Broad not out 29 25

Anderson lbw b Khan 7 11

Batsman Dismissal R B

Masood c Buttler b Broad 0 11

Abid c Woakes b Bess 20 46

Azhar batting 18 49

Azam c Stokes b Woakes 5 20

Shafiq batting 7 8

Bowler O M R W

Afridi 18 4 51 1

Abbas 15 6 33 2

Naseem 16 4 44 1

Yasir 18 2 66 4

Khan 3.3 0 13 2

Bowler O M R W

Anderson 5 2 14 0

Broad 6 3 13 1

Archer 5 0 13 0

Bess 4 1 4 1

Woakes 2 0 8 1

Extras: (b 8, lb 4, nb 8, w 1) 21Total: (70.3 overs, All out) 219Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-12, 3-12, 4-62, 5-127,6-159, 7-161, 8-170, 9-197, 10-219

Extras: (b 4, lb 1, nb 2) 7Total: (22 overs, Three wickets) 57Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-33, 3-48

ENG 1ST INNINGS

PAK 1ST INNINGS 326/10

PAK 2ND INNINGS

PAK BOWLING

ENG BOWLING

SCOREBOARD

Day 3, Till Tea

Yasir Shah (farright) celebrateswith team-matesafter taking awicket on Thursday.

PAK MAINTAINFIRM GRIP

Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, August 8, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020

By G Rajaramanin New Delhi

AT 20, MaanaPatel has seen itall. Yes, by thetime she turned20 in March thisyear, India’s

best backstroke swim-mer has already beenthrough injury and rehab– and the hurt of missingthe 2018 Asian Games inJakarta. And now, with-out being as old as Vird-hawal Khade and SajanPrakash, she has beengiven the chance toempathise with themboth after being droppedfrom the TOP Scheme‘watchlist’.

Then again, this is not aboutMaana Patel. It is about adata-driven system that doesnot take into account thequagmire that Indian swim-ming finds itself in. KhushiDinesh remains on the watch-list for 2024 and is now joinedby Aryan Varnekar, CJ Sanjay,Ridhima V Kumar, and Shiv-angi Sharma as those who willbe watched with greater inter-est by the data-miners thanothers.

From the fact that it has 2024Olympic Games and has taken

the times in the last three yearin World Championships (andOlympic Games) into account,it is clear that the TargetOlympic Podium Scheme hasfocused on the Olympic Gamesand may have overlooked the2022 Asian Games inHangzhou, China.

By taking only OlympicGames and World Champi-onships performances intoaccount, SAI’s data-crunchersset the bar inordinately highfor the swimmers. And ignoredthe fact that Indian swimmers

have won but three AsianGames medals after they wonsix in the opening edition athome in 1951.

Back in March 2019, TOPScheme officials announced a‘watchlist’ comprising sevenswimmers – Virdhawal Khade,Sajan Prakash, Neel Roy,Likith SP, Lohit M, MaanaPatel and Khushi Dinesh. TheUS-based Neel Roy is the onlyone who has moved from‘watchlist’ to the developmentgroup along with a bunch ofseven others who have

SAI’s data

crunchers set

the bar too high

THE Indian men’s hockey teamcaptain Manpreet Singh andthree other players have testedpositive for Covid-19 ahead of anational camp in Bengaluru, saidthe Sports Authority of India.

Besides Manpreet, defenderSurender Kumar, JaskaranSingh and drag-flicker VarunKumar have also tested positivefor the Coronavirus.

Manpreet said in a statementthat he is self quarantined on theSAI campus.

“I am doing fine and hope torecover very soon. I am veryhappy that they made the test-ing of athletes mandatory. Thatproactive step helped in identi-fying the problem right in time,”he added.

The players tested positiveafter returning to the nationalhockey camp at the SAI SouthCentre in Bengaluru following amonth-long break.

The players and support staff,

who are expected to arrive fromvarious parts of the country andabroad, were meant undergo atwo-week quarantine inside thecampus before resuming training.

—Mail Today

4 hockey stars testCOVID-19 positive

Men’s team captainManpreet Singh is amongthose who tested positive.

Maana Patel was dropped off the TOPSwatchlist by SAI afer taking only OlympicGames and World Championshipsperformances into account.

KhushiDinesh

22

Former champions Murray,Clijsters get US Open wild cards

Sports

Mail

Mail Today, New Delhi, Saturday, August 8, 2020

TOPS ONLYFOCUSES ON ’24

impressed the data-miners.The six swimmers — Srihari

Nataraj, Kushagra Rawat,Advait Page, Aryan Makhija,Aryan Nehra and KenishaGupta — who have been part ofthe TOP development grouphave been joined by eight moreathletes in that list.

The new entrants are MihirAmbre, Shoan Ganguly, TanishMathew, Aanya Wala, ApekshaFernandes, Bhavya Sachdevaand Suvana Bhaskar.

It will be interesting to see howthe swimmers in the TOPSdevelopment group fare in thenext couple of years when itwould be time to shortlist thesquad for the Asian Games. Andit would be just as interesting tosee if the other swimmers,

assessed but kept out of TOPScheme by a data-driven mech-anism, take this challenge andkeep themselves in the fray.Clearly, some of them will fallback on NGOs like OlympicGold Quest and Corporate-runacademies like Glenmark to sus-tain their interest in the sportand bounce back to representIndia in the Asian Games.

Then again, if the SwimmingFederation of India contentsitself with the increase in thenumber of its athletes on theTOPS development list from sixto 14, it is because of years ofinertia in its corridors. Nothingreflects that more than the factthat as many as 70 shooters, 36boxers and 34 archers are in theTOPS development list.

Benchmarks swimmersstarved of Asian Gamessuccess against worldstandards

OLYMPICS

By S.Kannan in New Delhi

THE world of motorsport is intop gear with all the major rac-ing events from Formula One tolower tier events now on in fullswing in Europe.

At home, as elite athletes limpback towards training for thepostponed Tokyo Olympics,there are others who are hopefulof hitting the turf. Indian motor-sport, too, is hoping things willfall in place post COVID-19 pan-demic.

The apex body for motor-sports, FMSCI, is hoping theywill get permission to host theirevents in Chennai and Coimbat-ore in a few months time.

“The motorsport community inIndia has grown manifold inthe recent past and enthu-siasts are eagerly waitingfor resumption. Thepandemic did put atemporary halt to theproceedings, but weare now ready to

shift gears,” said Sanjay Sharma,head motorsports, JK Tyres.

“We have seen a revival in theinternational circuits, which has

set benchmarks for theglobal community to

learn from. In India,the FMSCI hasalready laid out adetailed set of SOPs(standard operating

FMSCI is hoping they will get permission to host their eventsin Chennai and Coimbatore in a few months time.

AFTER a European cam-paign spanning 13 monthsand more than 20,000miles, Wolves are threewins away from one of thegreatest days in their history.

Though they struggled forlong periods againstOlympiacos, RaulJimenez’s eighth-minutepenalty was enough tosecure a 2-1 aggregate win– nearly five months afterthe first leg in Athensended 1-1 shortly before theCoronavirus pandemiccaused football to be sus-pended – and set up astraight knockout quarter-final against EuropaLeague specialistsSevilla in Duis-burg, Germanyon Tuesday.

At full-time,

boss Nuno Espirito Santogathered his players,coaches and other back-

room staff in the centrecircle to deliver a

victory message.Long after theother playershad left, captainConor Coady

wandered around theMolineux pitch speakingon his phone.

This was Wolves’ 58thgame of a season thatstarted on July 25 last year,when they beat Crusadershere in the second qualify-ing round.

—Daily Mail

Wolverhampton seal EuropaLeague quarter-final spot

Wolverhampton’sRaul Jimenez (left)

dribbles the ballon Thursday night.

Sevilladump AS Roma

out of the secondtier European competition

procedures) which takes intoaccount social distancing andsafety protocols outlined by theauthorities,” added Sharma.

“For JK Motorsport, the sea-son is anyway scheduled in thelatter half of the year. Though wehave lost a few months, we aregeared to pick up pace as soonas we get the green signal fromthe central government. In theinitial phase, we will adopt a

restricted approach, where com-petitions will be organisedwithin the state, where infra-structure and competitors arealready present, such as Delhi,Tamil Nadu and the North-Eastregion,” explained Sharma.whose racing and karting pro-grammes are over 25 years old.

He feels to make up for losttime, they will do double head-ers, where two rounds will beorganised over one weekend.“For national championships, alot depends on the ease of traveland hospitality restrictions. Weare closely monitoring the situa-tion and will move forward asper the directives of the con-cerned authorities,” he added.

While there is still some fearover playing sport in India, peo-ple are ready to resume, keepingin mind all the safety measureswhich need to be put in place.

“The new normal will certainlybring in new norms for the sportin India. Stringent protocols willhave to be set to ensure safetyand wellbeing of the entireecosystem, be it the organisers,drivers, engineers, mechanics,crew members or the supportstaff. What is critical is drivingchange, operationally andbehaviourally, so that we dochalk out a roadmap towardsresurgence in a graded manner,”is Sharma’s assessment.

Spectator entry will surely notbe possible in the initial phase ofracing. The main focus will besport resumes and those whocompete do not feel stifled forlack of opportunity.

Theseason isanywayscheduledin the latterhalf of the year.Though we have losta few months, we aregeared to pick up paceas soon as we get thegreen signal.

‘

’— SANJAY SHARMA, HEAD MOTORSPORTS, JK TYRES

Racing season ready for reboot

Double headers are on

the cards to makeup for the lost time

Published & Printed by Amit Gupta on behalf of G.H. Prints Pvt. Ltd, A-256, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase -1, New Delhi - 110 020. Published at F – 26, Connaught Place, New Delhi – 110 001. Editor: Dwaipayan Bose

RNI No.: DELENG / 2007 / 21922

T.V. Today Network Limited. Printed at The Indian Express (P) Limited Press, A-8, Sector-7, Noida - 201301 andFirst Floor,

23

Sindhu, Praneeth and Sikki Reddy resumetraining after Coronavirus-forced break