CMYK TUESDAY www.thestatesman.com 30 JUNE 2020 FIND US ONLINE Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC* KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR YECHURY OPPOSES CHANGES IN VOTING PROCESS IRAN ISSUES ARREST WARRANT FOR DONALD TRUMP P10 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky with few spells of Rain /thundershower. Temperature will be in the range of 33-26 degrees Celsius. RAINFALL: 2.2mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max.97% TEMPERATURE P5 THUMBNAILS A Congress party supporter holds a placard during a protest march against the Central government for hikes in petrol and diesel price, in Kolkata on Monday. AFP Lockdown extended till 31 July in Maharashtra: Maharashtra government on Monday said the lockdown in the state is being extended till 31 July. The current lockdown was to end on 30 June. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had on Sunday ruled out lifting the lockdown from that date. An order issued by Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta on Monday said wearing face covers or masks, maintaining social distancing, restricted gatherings, and other measures shall continue to prevail. The state government has also advised that work from home should be followed as far P5 as possible. World’s largest plasma project in Maharashtra, Plasma bank in New Delhi: Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday launched convalescent plasma therapy-cum-trial project for treatment of critical Covid-19 patients with a state medical education department official calling it the largest initiative of its kind in the world. Meanwhile in Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced setting up of a ‘plasma bank’ for treatment of patients in the New Delhi, and said P5 it will start operating in the next two days. Single-day spike of 19,459 Rafale jets to arrive in India takes tally to 5,48,318 by July-end NEW DELHI, 29 JUNE single-day spike of 19,459 COVID-19 cases took India’s tally to 5,48,318 on Monday, while the death toll climbed to 16,475 with 380 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data. This is the sixth consecutive day that coronavirus infections have increased by more than 15,000. The country has seen a surge of 3,57,783 infections from 1 June till date. The number of active cases stands at 2,10,120, while 3,21,722 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, according to the updated data. The total number of confirmed cases includes foreigners. The gap between recoveries and active cases is 1,11,602 as of Monday, with the recovery rate now at 58.67 per cent, the ministry said. A total of 12,010 Covid19 patients have been cured since Sunday. The graded, pre-emptive and pro-active steps taken by the government along with the states and Union territories for prevention, containment and management of Covid-19 continue to show encouraging results, it said. India now has 1,047 diagnostic labs dedicated to Covid-19, including 760 in the government sector and 287 private labs. The 11 labs that have been inducted since Sunday are all operated by the government. A 5,48,318 2,10,120 19,459 Indian intelligence agencies had been pushing for restrictions on the mobile applications on grounds that the apps were designed to extract data and park them outside the country where they could be used to compromise the privacy of citizens. Chinese companies have long been suspected of building backdoors in their hardware and software, one reason why many governments across the world have been uneasy at the prospect of deploying Chinese-made 5G networking equipment. Robert O’Brien, the National Security Adviser in the Trump administration, had 12,010 16,475 UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M. MONDAY 29 JUNE 2020 According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 83,98,362 samples have been tested up to 28 June, with 1,70,560 samples tested on Sunday. Of the 380 new deaths reported, 156 are from Maharashtra, 65 from Delhi, 54 from Tamil Nadu, 19 from Gujarat, 16 from Karnataka, 12 from Andhra Pradesh, 11 from Uttar Pradesh, 10 from West Bengal, eight from Rajasthan, seven from Madhya Pradesh, five each from Haryana and Punjab, four from Telangana, three from Odisha and one fatality each was reported from Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Goa, Uttarakhand and Bihar. Of the total 16,475 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra tops the tally with recently detailed how Chinalinked companies acted as an arm of Beijing’s communist party and tried to “control thoughts” to serve the party’s interests. The communist party is “collecting your most intimate data ~ your words, your actions, your purchases, your whereabouts, your health records, your social media posts, your texts, and mapping your network of friends, family, and acquaintances”, he said. This information could be used to influence, to coerce and to even blackmail individuals to say and do things that serve the party’s interests, O’Brien said in a recent lecture on China. 7,429 deaths, followed by Delhi with 2,623, Gujarat with 1,808, Tamil Nadu with 1,079, Uttar Pradesh with 660, West Bengal with 639, Madhya Pradesh with 557, Rajasthan with 399 and Telangana with 247 deaths. The Covid-19 death toll has reached 223 in Haryana, 207 in Karnataka, 169 in Andhra Pradesh, 133 in Punjab, 94 in Jammu and Kashmir, 60 in Bihar, 38 in Uttarakhand, 22 in Kerala and 21 in Odisha. Chhattisgarh has registered 13 deaths, Jharkhand 12, Puducherry and Assam 10 each, Himachal Pradesh nine, Chandigarh six, Goa three and Meghalaya, Tripura, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh have reported one fatality each, according to the health ministry. More than 70 per cent of the deaths took place due to comorbidities, it said. Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases at 1,64,626, followed by Delhi at 83,077, Tamil Nadu at 82,275, Gujarat at 31,320, Uttar Pradesh at 22,147, West Bengal at 17,283 and Rajasthan at 17,271, according to the ministry data. The number of Covid19 cases has gone up to 14,419 in Telangana, 13,829 in Haryana, 13,241 in Andhra Pradesh, 13,190 in Karnataka, and 13,186 in Madhya Pradesh. It has risen to 9,212 in Bihar, 7,206 in Assam, 7,093 in Jammu and Kashmir and 6,614 in Odisha. Punjab has reported 5,216 infections so far, while Kerala has 4,189 cases. A total of 2,823 people have been infected by the 11 killed in Pak Stock Exchange terror attack PRESS TRUST OF INDIA KARACHI, 29 JUNE Four heavily armed militants attacked the busy Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) building here with guns and grenades on Monday morning, killing four security guards and a police officer before being shot dead in an exchange of fire, authorities said. The militants, who arrived in a car, opened indiscriminate fire and lobbed grenades at the main gate of the multistorey building situated in the city’s high-security commercial hub as they tried to storm it. Armed with automatic machine guns, grenades and explosives, they tried to enter into the compound leading to the Pakistan Stock Exchange building through a parking lot but security forces foiled their attack within the compound itself, Deputy superintendent of police (South), Jamil Ahmed said. They lobbed hand grenades and opened fire initially at the compound entrance to force themselves into the compound but one of them was killed immediately and that pushed them back, he said. India, China to hold another round of military-level talks today STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 29 JUNE Top military commanders of India and China will meet for the third time tomorrow at Chushul in Ladakh with the aim of ironing out differences over their ongoing border stand-off, sources said. The meeting is expected to begin around 1030 hrs. "This time the talks will be held in Chushul on the Indian side. The last two meetings were held in Moldo on the Chinese side," said sources, adding the agenda would be to take forward the proposals made by both the countries for disengagement and de-escalation. "All contentious areas associated with the current standoff will be discussed to stabilise the situation," sources added. The last two meetings at the Corps Commander level were held on 6 June and 22 June. The second meeting between 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh and South Xinjiang Military Dis- trict chief Major General Liu Lin lasted nearly 11 hours. The dialogue was held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere and there was a mutual consensus to disengage, the Indian Army had stated. "Modalities for disengagement from all friction areas in eastern Ladakh were discussed," it added. However, China has not halted its military activity in the Galwan Valley, Depsang Plains and the Finger Area near Pangong Tso. The Indian side is expect- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 29 JUNE TikTok, other China-linked apps banned In a significant move fraught with ramifications, the central government on Monday decided to ban 59 mobile applications linked to China on grounds of national security. A formal order, asking phone companies to block the applications, was issued after weeks of deliberations that started much before the Ladakh border standoff with China. But government officials said that the deliberations were fast-tracked after 15 June violent exchange between soldiers at Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh. P12 SNS & PTI Max: 31. 6°C (-1) Min: 25.4°C (-1) SUN RISES SUN SETS 04:55 hrs 18:25 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 13:36 hrs 00:04 Full moon on 05 July NEW DELHI, 29 JUNE P5 RICH PICKINGS IN AMERICA, SAYS GANGULY’S RIVAL According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 83,98,362 samples have been tested up to 28 June Min. 79% SNS & AGENCIES PM WAS COMMITTED TO THE SAFETY OF THE COUNTRY: NAQVI ed to demand the pullback of Chinese troops from several friction points and also the restoration of the status quo ante in strategic areas. Delhi intensifies cooperation with Bhutan amid stand-off with China Reflecting its commitment to Bhutan, a country strategically located between India and China, New Delhi today signed with the Himalayan nation a concession agreement for a hydroelectric project that will further diversify the ''multi-faceted'' relationship between the two countries. The agreement comes at a time when India is involved in a fierce border stand-off with China at Eastern Ladakh. Bhutan, which does not have diplomatic relations with Beijing, shares a contiguous border of 470 KM with China. During the Doklam face-off between India and China in the summer of 2017, Bhutan had solidly backed India, upsetting Beijing. China has over the years been making quiet overtures to Thimphu for establishing diplomatic ties. The agreement for the 600 MW Kholongchhu (Joint Venture) Hydroelectric Project was inked between the Government of Bhutan and Kholongchhu Hydro Energy Limited in Thimphu, in the virtual presence of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, his Bhutanese counterpart Tandi Dorji and other senior officials of the two countries. The two ministers emphasised the importance of hydro power development as an important pillar of mutually beneficial bilateral economic cooperation. They also recalled the trust, co-operation and mutual respect that have long characterised the unique and special friendship, anchored in mutual understanding and reinforced by a shared cultural heritage and strong people to people links between India and Bhutan. The 600 MW run-of-theriver project is located on the lower course of the Kholongchhu River in Trashiyangtse District in Eastern Bhutan. The project envisages an underground powerhouse of four 150 MW turbines with water impounded by a concrete gravity dam of 95 meters height. It will be implemented by Kholongchhu Hydro Energy Limited, a Joint Venture company formed between Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) of Bhutan and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) of India. CMYK virus in Uttarakhand, 2,662 in Chhattisgarh, 2,364 in Jharkhand, 1,346 in Tripura, 1,198 in Goa ,1,185 in Manipur, 963 in Ladakh and 916 in Himachal Pradesh. Puducherry has recorded 619 Covid-19 cases, Chandigarh 429, Nagaland 415, Arunachal Pradesh 182 and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu together have reported 178 Covid-19 cases. Mizoram has 148 cases, Sikkim 88 and Andaman and Nicobar Islands has registered 76 infections so far, while Meghalaya has recorded 47 cases. “Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR,” the ministry said, adding that 7,285 cases are being reassigned to states. Statewise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it added. In the midst of the border stand-off with China, India is expected to get the first batch of Rafale fighter jets from France by the last week of July which will considerably bolster the IAF's airpower. “The Rafale fighter aircraft from the French Dassault Aviation are slated to arrive in India by July end,” sources in New Delhi confirmed. “Four Rafale were to arrive in India by the end of July but the government has been in touch with the French Company to expedite the delivery of more fighters,” sources added. These French fighters will be based at the Ambala Air Force Station once they arrive in India. Sources explained that these aircraft can be easily integrated with the fighter fleets of the IAF and will help in enhancing the combat potential and deterrence value. As per earlier plans, four aircraft were to be delivered by the end of July. However, after receiving a fresh request from India, the French company is expected to send two more Rafale fighters. So, at least six out of a total of 36 fighters will be reaching India by the end of July. The aircraft on their way to India from France will be fuelled by a French Air Force Tanker and the Russian IL-78. They will stopover in the UAE’s Al Dhafra air force base near Abu Dhabi. On landing in India, these aircraft will officially be operational by August and are expected to join the IAF Day Parade on 8 October. IAF pilots and ground staff have been undergoing extensive training in France and have had interactions with the French Navy and Air Force last year during a joint exercise. As is the norm, the weapons on board the fighter jets have already reached India and are at the Ambala Base Storage Facility. They have completed all their safety certifications. This means that when the aircraft arrive, they will be in a deployable condition. The pilots and the crew will carry on with their training in India at Ambala Air Force Station and Hasimara which will be home to the second squadron the Rafale fighters.