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Australian envoy slams China for second straight day

New Delhi (NVI): For the second straight day, Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell took on China over its attempts to “unilaterally alter the status quo”, be it in South China Sea or on the Ladakh border with India.

Farrell’s outburst came in the form of a tweet after Chinese Ambassador India Sun Weidong tweeted criticism of his comments made yesterday against China’s actions in Ladakh and in South China Sea.

“Noted remarks by Australian HC to India on #SouthChinaSea disregarding facts. #China’s territorial sovereignty & maritime rights & interests are in conformity w/int’l  law incl UNCLOS. It’s clear who safeguard peace & stability & who destabilize & provoke escalation in the region,” Sun tweeted.

Soon after, the Australian envoy responded with the tweet: “Thank you @China_Amb_India. I would hope then you follow the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award which is final and binding under international law, and also generally refrain from actions that unilaterally alter the status quo.”

The Chinese Ambassador was referring to the remarks made by O’Farrell yesterday in which he slammed China, saying any unilateral attempt by Beijing to change the status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India would “increase tension and the risk of instability”.

The Australian had said China should observe the bilaterally-agreed principles and norms that have helped “prevent escalation or miscalculation” in the border areas with India over many decades.

In a statement, O’Farrell had said, “Australia urges restraint along LAC and supports continued moves towards de-escalation.”

O’Farrell said he has told India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that, “Australia opposes any attempts by China to unilaterally alter status-quo at the Line of Actual Control, which only serve to increase tension and the risk of instability.”

The Australian High Commissioner had also referred to the Indo-Pacific region where China has stepped up its aggression lately, saying his country favours open, free and rules-based region.

“Territorial disputes and competing claims should be resolved peacefully by claimant countries and in ways consistent with international law,” he added.

Australia is one of the several countries in the Indo-Pacific region which are upset and angry with China over the latter’s assertiveness in the South China Sea, over which Beijing lays absolute claim in violation of international maritime laws and rules.

The statement by O’Farrell yesterday came as the military faceoff continues on the LAC, with China refusing to move back its troops and disengage completely.

India has maintained that China should sincerely undertake complete disengagement and de-escalation as agreed during several rounds of talks, including at the level of National Security Adviser.

No night curfew in Noida, Ghaziabad from tomorrow

COVID-19

New Delhi (NVI): There will be no night curfew in the cities of Noida and Ghaziabad from August 1. However, the weekend lockdown will continue to be in place for both the cities till further orders.

The Uttar Pradesh government yesterday released the order for Unlock 3, in line with the Centre’s issued a day earlier, which stated lifting of night curfew in the state.

On the other hand, gyms and yoga centres will be allowed to operate in non-containment zones from August 5.

In its order, the state government also said that schools, colleges, and coaching centres would remain closed till August 31, and education would continue to be imparted online. Cinema halls, swimming pools, amusement parks, theaters, bars, and assembly halls will remain shut. Metro railway will also not operate.

They will function as per the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The lockdown will continue in containment zones till August 31. The district administrations will be demarcating the containment zones and it will be shared with the health ministry.

-CHK

Young people not invincible to COVID-19 effects, warns WHO chief

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that spike in coronavirus transmission in some countries is partly due to younger people “letting down their guard.”

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a media briefing said, “Although older people are among those at highest risk of COVID-19 but “younger people not invincible” when it comes to the disease.”

He stressed that the world’s youth should be leaders and drivers of change during the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has infected more than 17 million people globally, has disproportionately impacted the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions while younger people are at risk too.

He said there was evidence that “spikes of cases in some countries are being driven in part by younger people letting down their guard during the northern hemisphere summer.”

Tedros also advised that people everywhere must learn to live with the virus, and to take steps necessary to protect themselves and others, including those who are most at risk, such as the elderly and people in long-term care.

However, many countries have reported that more than 40 percent of COVID-19-related deaths have been linked to long-term care facilities, and up to 80 per cent in some high-income countries.

In addition to this, World Health Organization has released a policy brief on preventing and managing COVID-19 in those facilities.

WHO lists actions such as integrating long-term care in national response plans to counter the pandemic, ensuring strong infection prevention and control, and providing support for family and voluntary caregivers.

It also suggests ways to transform long-term care services so that older people can receive quality care that respects their rights, freedoms and dignity, Tedros added.

Tedros further insisted that “young people must take the same precautions to protect themselves and protect others as everyone else”.

“Young people can be infected; young people can die; and young people can transmit the virus to others.” he added.

-RJV

US asks Pak to reform its blasphemy laws after citizen shot dead in courtroom

New Delhi (NVI): The US has expressed shock over the killing of an American citizen inside a courtroom in Pakistan and has asked Islamabad to “immediately reform its often abused blasphemy laws and its court system, which allow such abuses to occur.”

Tahir Naseem (47), who had been facing trial for blasphemy since 2018, was shot dead by a man who managed to enter the Peshawar court despite high security on Wednesday.
The man, who shot Naseem six times in the middle of the proceedings, was later arrested. The US has also demanded strict action against the killer.

“We are shocked, saddened, and outraged that American citizen Tahir Naseem was killed yesterday inside a Pakistani courtroom. Mr. Naseem had been lured to Pakistan from his home in Illinois by individuals who then used Pakistan’s blasphemy laws to entrap him,” said Cale Brown, Deputy Spokesperson, US State Department said in a release yesterday.

The spokesperson said that the US government has been providing consular assistance to Naseem and his family since his detention in 2018.

The US government has called the attention of senior Pakistani officials to Naseem’s case to prevent the type of shameful tragedy that “eventually occurred”.

“We grieve with the family of Mr. Naseem. We urge Pakistan to immediately reform its often abused blasphemy laws and its court system, which allow such abuses to occur, and to ensure that the suspect is prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Brown added.

The US State Department has urged Pakistan to pursue reforms to prevent such a “shameful tragedy” from happening again.

“We extend our condolences to the family of Tahir Naseem, the American citizen who was killed today inside a courtroom in Pakistan. We urge Pakistan to take immediate action and pursue reforms that will prevent such a shameful tragedy from happening again,” read a tweet by the department.

Naseem belonged to the minority Ahmadia community in Pakistan. A Madrasa student in Pakistan- Awais Malik accused Naseem of blasphemy as the latter had claimed to be a prophet, according to Malik. They later met in Pakistan and discussed their views on religion, following which Malik filed the blasphemy case and Naseem was arrested.

Persons belonging to other minority communities in Pakistan like Sikh, Hindus and Christians have also been a victim of the barbaric blasphemy law in the country. If a person is charged under the law, he/she is sentenced to death in most cases.

-ARK

President Kovind gifts sports cycle as ‘Eidi’ to budding cyclist

New Delhi (NVI): In a gesture of motivating youth for nation-building, President Ram Nath Kovind gifted a sports cycle to a struggling school boy and a dishwasher, Riyaz, to help him achieve his dream of becoming a world-class cyclist.

President hoped that Riyaz becomes an international cycling champion and realises his dream through hard work, according to a statement released by Rashtrapati Bhawan.

President took to twitter and said in a series of tweets that, “The bicycle delivered to Riyaz today, a day before Eid-al-Adha, comes as Eidi in true spirit of the festival that is marked by gifts given by elders to youngers.”

Riyaz’s story is quite educative for youth who come from underprivileged backgrounds and dream big in their life. A student of Class 9 at Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya at Anand Vihar in Delhi, Riyaz originally belongs to Madhubani district of Bihar.

His parents, two sisters and a brother, live in Madhubani, while Riyaz stays in a rented accommodation in Maharajpur, Ghaziabad. To supplement his father’s paltry income as a cook, the boy, in his free time, works in an eatery in Ghaziabad as a dishwasher.

Riyaz’s passion is cycling, and he practises hard after studies and work. In 2017, he won a bronze medal in the Delhi State Cycling Championship.

He went on to participate in a school games event in Guwahati, according to the District Magistrate, Ghaziabad, and achieved the fourth rank at the national level.

Enthused by his achievements so far, the boy has raised the bar and has been taking professional training from a coach, Pramod Sharma.

Riyaz regularly trains at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi. He, however, had to depend on a borrowed sports cycle for his practice, and all that the budding champion wanted was a cycle of his own. His wish has finally been granted on the occasion of the Eid.

The President came to know of Riyaz’s story of struggle through reports in the media.

Complimenting Riyaz for his achievements defying all odds, President Kovind wished him very best in the life and said that his story should serve as worthy of emulation for the country’s youth who must come forward for nation-building by dint of their dedication, hard work, courage and honesty.

-CHK

Rafale hype aside, hamstrings in defence procurement need to be addressed
ANALYSIS

(File photo)

New Delhi (NVI): The arrival of 5 Rafale fighter aircraft in India from France has been accompanied by a huge euphoria. The first batch of the omni-role combat planes reached India five years after the deal for procurement of 36 such aircraft was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to France in April 2015.

The unexpected announcement of the inter-governmental deal had come against the backdrop of scrapping of negotiations for procurement of the same fighter plane after it was shortlisted and finalised in 2012 through a tendering process.

According to the deal announced on April 10, 2015, all the 36 fighter planes are to be delivered in flyaway conditions. While the first batch of 5 aircraft has arrived, the remaining 31 jets are slated to be delivered to IAF in next two years.

Significantly, the induction of these fighter planes in IAF, which is part of an effort to correct military imbalance in the region, comes at a time when India is locked in a military faceoff with China, with prospects of an armed conflict looming large.

According to experts, the Rafale fighter plane, manufactured by French company Dassault Aviation, has several advantages over China’s J-20 jets and US-made F-16 fighters being used by Pakistan Air Force. The J-20s and the F-16s are the best among the planes that China and Pakistan have.

A Rafale, whose literal meaning is ‘gust of wind, is a twin-engine aircraft which can be equipped with a wide range of weapons, including nuclear missiles. Its capabilities include in-depth air-to-air and air-to-ground strike, aerial reconnaissance and interdiction. Guided by latest avionic systems, the Rafale can hit a moving target more than 120 kms beyond the field vision of the pilot, which makes the fighter plane all the more deadly.

However, amidst all the euphoria surrounding the arrival of the five Rafale jets, there are several aspects of concern which need to be addressed. The major one is that it took five long years after announcement of the deal for the 5 planes to arrive. Delivery of the entire package is to take two more years – meaning 7 years in all – which is not a good sign if the thrust is on emergency procurements.

Another aspect that needs to be highlighted is that even after the delivery of all the 36 planes, which constitute two squadrons, the IAF will still be way short of its sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons.

The entire issue boils down to the worrying factor about lack of futuristic vision that has ridden the country’s policy-making and huge delays in the procurement process in the defence sector. After all, these aspects are limiting India’s military capabilities to a large extent, which can have dangerous consequences since our two adversarial neighbours China and Pakistan don’t have good intentions.

Take the example of the latest induction. It took place 19 years after the last acquisition of a fighter plane – Sukhoi-30 MKI. The indigenously-built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas were also delivered to the IAF in the interim period but their induction had begun before that of SU-30 MKI.

It was way back in 2001 that a decision was taken to procure new fighter planes to meet the requirements of the IAF, particularly against the backdrop of its depleting strength due to frequent crashes of Russian MiG fighters of 21 and 27 variants.

But then it took six years to float a global tender, which was done in 2007, for procurement of 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA).

According to the Request for Proposal (RFP), the winner of the contract was to supply 18 of the 126 aircraft to the IAF in 36 months in flyway conditions and the remaining were to be manufactured at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facility in Bangalore.

The bidders were American F-16 and F-18, Russian MiG-35, Swedish Saab Gripen and French Rafale. Eurofighter, manufactured by French company Airbus and British BAE, was also in the race along with the initial bidders.

However, by April 2011, the F-16, F-18, MiG-35 and Saab were knocked out of the competition after extensive field evaluations by the Indian Air Force at several locations across the world. Thus, Eurofighter and Rafale remained in the race for the final phase of selection.

On January 31, 2012, Rafale was declared as the winner of the proposed biggest defence deal. The contract was to be signed in the next fiscal.

But the deal got stuck during contract negotiations because of issues like pricing and the question of warranty related to 108 fighters which were to be manufactured by government-run HAL.

According to people familiar with the developments, HAL asked for huge amounts of money and resources for manufacturing the 108 aircraft. On the other hand, Dassault insisted that it would not issue certification for the planes built by HAL.

The problems in these negotiations could not be resolved even till February 2014 and when the Lok Sabha elections were announced, the talks were frozen.

The lack of decision-making was more shocking as the IAF, in April 2012, had told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence that it had only 34 fighter squadrons against the sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons and the number is likely to reduce further to 31 during the 12th plan period.

The IAF told the committee that it was “very much apparent” that the induction process has not been commensurate with the de-induction exercise as the different variants of MiG-21s and MiG-27s were being phased out.

After the Narendra Modi government was elected in May 2014, the IAF took up the matter related to shortage of fighter planes with the Defence Ministry and things started moving.

A decision was taken to procure Rafale fighters through an inter-governmental agreement, rather than pursuing the tendering process. Accordingly, when Modi undertook his first visit to France and held talks with the then President Francois Hollande, the announcement was made about procuring 36 Rafale jets.

Procurement of Rafale fighter planes is not only the defence deal which has witnessed such problems. There have been several other defence deals which were cancelled over the last several years following allegations of kickbacks or due to some other reasons.

These included scrapping of a deal for procurement of 197 Eurocopters in 2007 from European aviation consortium European Aerospace and Defence Systems (EADS), for allegedly “deviating from approved parameters”.

Earlier, an international tender for purchase of 400 upgraded 155 mm .52 calibre guns for the Army was also cancelled.

There was also an understanding with Russia for jointly manufacturing Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) but the proposal was junked in 2017.

In 2016, the government also junked a proposal to buy Black Shark torpedoes intended to be mounted on six Scorpene submarines from WASS, a subsidiary of Italy’s Leonardo-Finmeccanica.

The decision was taken against the backdrop of corruption charges against AgustaWestland, another subsidiary of Leonardo-Finmeccanica.

These are just a few examples of how defence acquisitions, including critical ones, have been hampered due to the lack of bold decision-making and futuristic planning and other reasons. These aspects need to be addressed urgently, if we have to be ready for a two-front war.

PM to address grand finale of ‘Smart India Hackathon’ tomorrow

Fasal Bima Yojana
Prime Minister Narendra Modi

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the grand finale of Smart India Hackathon 2020 tomorrow and will interact with students through video conferencing.

This hackathon is the largest-ever online hackathon in the world, being organized by the Ministry of Human Resources Development and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Persistent Systems and i4c.

The Smart India Hackathon is a initiative to provide students with a platform to solve some of the pressing problems we face in our daily lives, and thus inculcate a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem-solving.

It has proved to be extremely successful in promoting out-of-the-box thinking in young minds.

However, the Grand Finale of the software edition this year is being organized online by connecting all the participants throughout the nation together over a specially-built advanced platform.

This year, more than 10,000 students will be competing to solve 243 problem statements from 37 central government departments, 17 state governments and 20 industries.

The first round of Smart India Hackathon 2020 held in January through a college-level hackathon, saw participation of more than 4.5 lakh students.

In 2017, the first edition of Smart India Hackathon saw participation of 42,000 students which increased to 1 lakh in 2018 and to 2 lakh in 2019.

-RJV

Seven more die of Covid in J&K, toll mounts to 375

Representational image

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): A police official was among seven people who died of Covid-19 in Jammu and Kashmir today, taking the death toll due to the virus in the UT to 375, health officials said.

They said that the seven patients who died of novel coronavirus in the UT today include a 70-year-old male from Dragmulla, Kupwara, a 54-year-old woman from Pampore, Pulwama, a 52-year-old Police Sub-Inspector from Khanda Budgam, a 62-year-old man from Qamarwari, Srinagar, a 75-year-old man from Panzinara Srinagar, a 57-year-old woman from Rainawari, Srinagar and a 56-year-old man from Shakti Nagar, Jammu.

An official from SMHS said that the 70-year-old man from Dragmulla, Kupwara who was admitted with bilateral pneumonia, was tested positive after death.

Another official from JVC Bemina said that the 54-year-old woman from Pampore Pulwama, who was admitted on 28 July, died last night at around 12:15 am.

At CD hospital, the 52-year-old Police Sub-Inspector from Khanda Budgam, posted in Police Station Awantipora, who was admitted on 30 July, died early this morning at 3:55 am.

He was having complaints of breathlessness, fever and respiratory distress and was referred from DH Pulwama on Thursday, an official said.

Another official from GMC Jammu said that the 56-year-old man from Shakti Nagar, Jammu who was admitted with respiratory distress a week ago, died yesterday and was tested positive for COVID-19 after death.

With seven more deaths, the death toll in J&K has climbed to 375 that include 348 from Jammu division and 27 from Kashmir region.

Nine killed in Pakistan shelling in Kandahar near Pak-Afghan border

Representational Image

New Delhi (NVI): At least nine people were killed while 50 others were injured in heavy artillery shelling by Pakistan forces in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province in Afghanistan yesterday, according to the country’s Defence Ministry, reports TOLO news.

While some of the wounded are children, some others hospitalised are in critical condition.

General Yasin Zia, Afghan Army’s Chief of Staff has directed all troops in the country to retaliate any similar action by Pakistan along the Durand Line, reports the Afghan news website.

According to TOLO news, Afghan Army Corps including Atal 205, Selab 201 and Thunder 203  and all troops stationed along the border with Pakistan have been asked to equip themselves and give a befitting response to Pakistani forces.

Artillery attacks by Pakistani forces on the eastern and southern parts of Afghanistan have occurred for many years. However, the Pakistani government has denied these attacks.

-ARK

A third of children worldwide are poisoned with lead, says UNICEF report

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): A third of global children population are affected by lead poisoning, a potent neurotoxin that can cause irreparable damage to the brain, said a report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and non-profit Pure Earth.

According to the report, up to 800 million children globally has lead levels in their blood equal to or greater than 5 micrograms per deciliter, (µg / dL), the level at which requires action.

The report, the first of its kind, warns that “lead poisoning is affecting children on a massive and previously unknown scale,” nearly half the affected children were from South Asia, it added.

Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director said, “With few early symptoms, lead silently wreaks havoc on children’s health and development, with possibly fatal consequences.”

“Knowing how widespread lead pollution is – and understanding the destruction it causes to individual lives and communities – must inspire urgent action to protect children once and for all,” she added.

The report titled, “The Toxic Truth: Children’s exposure to lead pollution undermines a generation of potential, ” has been verified with a study approved for publication in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Notably, lead is a potent neurotoxin harmful to both adults and children, but especially those under the age of five as the brain is not yet fully developed, causing lifelong neurological, cognitive and physical impairment, the report said.

Several studies have linked childhood lead exposure to mental health and behavioural problems, and to an increase of crime and violence, adding that for older children, it is linked to an increased risk of kidney damage and cardiovascular diseases later in life, it said.

Furthermore, middle- and low-income countries were the most affected by the problem of lead exposure. The countries lost almost USD 1 trillion of economic potential because of this.

A leading contributor to lead exposure is informal and sub-standard recycling of lead-acid batteries, the report pointed out.

There was a three-fold increase in the number of vehicles in middle- and low-income countries since 2000. Up to half the lead-acid batteries used in these vehicles was recycled in the informal economy in these countries, it added.

Workers in these dangerous and often illegal recycling operations break open battery cases, spill acid and lead dust in the soil. The lead is then smelt in open-air furnaces, producing toxic fumes, putting the larger community around the areas where these operations occur, in harm’s way.

The report also stated, water as another source of lead poisoning. Lead-based industries, including mining, paints and pigments were a major historical source, despite declining considerably in the past decades.

Meanwhile, the parents of children who work in lead-based factories also brought home contaminated dust, increasing exposure their children to the toxic element.

“The good news is that lead can be recycled safely without exposing workers, their children, and surrounding neighborhoods,
said Richard Fuller, President of Pure Earth adding that “lead-contaminated sites can be remediated and restored.”

Further, people can be educated about the dangers of lead and empowered to protect themselves and their children. “The return on the investment is enormous: improved health, increased productivity, higher IQs, less violence, and brighter futures for millions of children across the planet,” he said.

Lead paint was yet another source of exposure, said the report, citing the lack of regulations in countries as a source of concern.

Cameroon, China, Ethiopia, India, Israel, Kenya, the Philippines, Tanzania and Thailand have laws against lead paint for industrial uses as of 2015, as per the report.

However, the report features five country case studies where lead pollution and other toxic heavy metal waste have affected children which are Kathgora, Bangladesh; Tbilisi, Georgia; Agbogbloshie, Ghana; Pesarean, Indonesia; and Morelos State, Mexico.

-RJV

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