August 03, 2016

SPORTS
West Indies vs. India: Statistical
highlights of day 3 of Kingston Test
New Delhi
August 02, 2016
Ajinkya Rahane carved
out his seventh Test hundred
before India’s declaration
at 500 for nine
against the West Indies
on Monday.
Rahane (108* off 237
balls) was at the crease as
the visitors declared their
first innings at 500/9
with early tea taken after
a second rain interruption.
India lead by 304
runs after West Indies
were bowled out for 196
runs in their first innings.
Here are the statistical
highlights of the third
day’s play:
» India has, for
the first time, taken a first
innings lead of 300-plus
(304) while batting second
in a Test match vs.
West Indies in the Caribbean.
It is the third
instance of a lead of over
200 vs. West Indies overall
while batting second.
» India has, for the
second time, registered a
lead of 300 or more in
successive Tests. In the
North Sound Test last
week, they had gained a
Continued from Page-1
V.K.
sistance is 10,000, but
the numbers may swell
as the government’s plans
crystallise. The layoffs
have increased sharply
over the past two years,
after plummeting oil prices
put the Saudi Arabian
economy in trouble, causing
a major downturn in
funding for infrastructure
projects where Indians
are employed.
Many workers who
have been laid-off were
employed with companies
that have themselves
folded up, and therefore
the requisite “no-objection”
certificates needed
for emergency exit visas
are proving hard to procure,
Ms. Swaraj said.
Another major concern
is securing back wages
for the workers, many
of whom have not been
paid for more than eight
months.
Once the formalities
are completed, MEA officials
say they will prepare
the arrangements for the
evacuation of those out of
three million Indians who
live and work in KSA
needing to return to India.
This in itself is a mammoth
and unprecedented
exercise as although India
has conducted several
evacuations for citizens
in the past three decades,
this is the first peace-time
operation for Indians
fleeing an economic situation.
The government is also
considering its options
for evacuations. In 2014,
the government had used
commercial flights to
evacuate hundreds of Indians
from Iraq after the
ISIS made gains there.
In 2015, the government
had used air force, naval
and merchant ships as
well as Air India flights
to transport about 5,000
Indians out of war-torn
Yemen. Last month, the
government sent 2 IAF
C-17 Globemaster planes
to fly about 150 Indians
out of South Sudan. “Logistics
and modalities of
a possible repatriation of
those who want to return
will be worked out only
after Gen. Singh returns,”
a source said.
Our special correspondent
from Kerala adds:
The Department of
Non-resident Keralites
Affairs (NoRKA) has
taken the initial steps
lead of 323.
» India (500/9d)
has recorded a total of
500 for the first time in
a Test match at Kingston.
In all, they have
registered five totals of
500-plus totals vs. West
Indies in the Caribbean.
» Overall, India
has registered totals of
500 or more in successive
innings in Tests
three times away from
to facilitate the return
of Keralites stranded in
various camps in Saudi
Arabia following loss of
employment, besides ensuring
recovery of their
wage arrears.
Earlier in the day, amid
mounting concerns, Chief
Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
directed the Secretary,
Non- Residents Keralites
Affairs Department and
the Resident Commissioner
in Delhi to get into
the loop of coordination
activity being under taken
by the External Affairs
Ministry to bring back Indian
nationals, including
Keralites, many of whom
are starving.
Sonia
This is Ms. Gandhi’s
first visit to Varanasi after
Mr. Modi became the
Prime Minister.
Ms. Gandhi is scheduled
to visit the Kashi
Vishwanath Temple in the
evening to offer prayers.
She is accompanied by
Sheila Dikshit, party’s
chief ministerial candidate
in the State, AICC
general secretary Ghulam
Nabi Azad and UPCC
chief Raj Babbar besides
senior party leaders Pramod
Tiwari and Sanjay
Singh.
The Congress has
launched a campaign
dard-e-banaras to highlight
lack of development
in Varanasi, which Mr.
Modi is representing for
over two years in the Lok
Sabha.
The Congress is out of
power for 27 years in Uttar
Pradesh and is projecting
that the State has gone
from bad to worse in last
27 years through a campaign
called 27 saal UP
behal.
Varanasi is a key place
in eastern Uttar Pradesh
having some 160 of the
403 constituencies in the
State.
The Congress had only
won two seats — Amethi
and Rae Bareli — in the
2014 Lok Sabha polls.
The U.P. Assembly
elections outcome will
also set the stage for the
2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Poll strategist Prashant
Kishor has been roped in
by the Congress for the
Assembly polls.
Mr. Kishor was Mr.
Modi’s strategist in the
2014 Lok Sabha polls and
helped Nitish Kumar in
the 2015 Bihar Assembly
polls.
GST
out of a Goods and Services
Tax regime, subsuming
all indirect taxes,
including central excise
duty and State VAT/sales
tax, is listed for consideration
and passing in the
Upper House on Wednesday.
Legislation was approved
by the Lok Sabha
in May 2015 and introduced
in the Rajya Sabha
in August 2015 where it
has been pending due to
opposition from the Congress
over certain provisions.
The Cabinet, Mr.
Agrawal said, had approved
amendments to
the bill and the same
should be given to the
members for them to go
through before the debate
on Wednesday.
Deputy Chairman P.J.
Kurien said the bill was
circulated to members in
August 2015 before its
introduction in the Upper
House. That as per rules
and procedures is okay,
he said.
“However, if you need
one more copy, [Rajya
Sabha] Secretariat will
circulate it,” he said adding
if there were amendments
proposed by the
government to that bill
they have to be circulated
to members one day before
the debate.
Mr. Jaitley said the
amendments have been
circulated as well.
Sitaram Yechury
(CPI(M)) said the amendments
have been received
in electronic form and
a printed copy may be
given to the members.
Sukhendu Sekhar Roy
(Trinamool Congress)
said printed copies of the
amendments to the bill
were received at his residence
on Tuesday morning.
‘’I have been informed
by the Secretariat that the
amendments have been
circulated,” Mr. Kurien
said adding the bill could
be re-circulated for the
benefit of new members
and those who have not
read it.
A constitution amendment
requires support of
two-third of members
present and voting. The
amendment will then
have to be approved by
50 per cent of all the State
Assemblies.
The government is likely
to move four amendments
to the GST bill.
These include one on
scrapping of the proposed
tax of up to 1 per cent on
home.
» Ajinkya Rahane
(108 not out) has recorded
the second highest
score by India’s number
five batsman vs. West Indies
at Kingston behind
the 117 by Polly Umrigar
in March 1953. Umrigar
had scored 130, while
batting at number five, at
Port of Spain in January
1953 and Rahul Dravid
— 144 not out at Georgetown
in April 2002.
» Rahane is one of
the five Indian batsmen at
number five to post three
hundreds outside the
subcontinent — the first
four being Polly Umrigar,
Mohammad Azharuddin,
Sachin Tendulkar
and Sourav Ganguly.
» Wriddhiman
Saha (47) has posted his
highest score vs. West
Indies in Tests, eclipsing
inter-State transactions to
compensate manufacturing
States and another one
promising to compensate
the States for any revenue
loss in first five years of
GST implementation.
The other amendment
pertains to a new formulation
on a dispute-resolution
mechanism and an
endorsement of the resolution
by the empowered
committee of State Finance
Ministers on a revenue-neutral
rate to bring
down the incidence of
tax on the common man
while protecting revenues
of States.
The Congress originally
mooted the GST in
2006 and a constitution
amendment bill was introduced
in the Lok Sabha in
March 2011 but it lapsed
with the dissolution of the
15th Lok Sabha.
Rijiju
to SAARC.
The visit by Mr. Singh
will be the first time a
high level visit from India
is going to Islamabad
since Prime Minister
Narendra Modi landed
in Lahore in December
2015 starting a dialogue
process, which was disrupted
by the January 2
Pathankot airbase attack
that froze India-Pakistan
bilateral ties and stalled
the Comprehensive Bilateral
Dialogue.
No bilateral talks
The Ministry of External
Affairs has maintained
that no bilateral dialogue
would be held during Mr.
Singh’s visit to Islamabad.
However, Home Ministry
officials told The
Hindu that they have been
working on an agenda paper
for possible bilateral
talks with Pakistan that
includes a visit of the National
Investigation Agency
team to Pakistan to
investigate the attack on
Pathankot airbase.
However, the threat
from Saeed has drawn
strong response from Pakistani
experts, with some
saying that it does not deserve
the importance that
it has been given.
“Under the government
of Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif, Hafiz Saeed has
been a dead force. He does
not command any influence
in the government,
which has maintained
that it wants to have a dialogue
with India. So he
will not cast a shadow on
the meeting. Pakistan will
use the meeting to strike
the 40 at North Sound in
the first Test of the series.
His only two fifties have
been recorded by him
away from home — 60 at
Galle and 56 at Colombo
(PSS) — both vs. Sri
Lanka in August 2015.
» Rostan Chase
(5/121) has produced
his first five-wicket haul
in Tests. Chase is the
first West Indian spinner
since David Holford’s 5
for 23 at Bridgetown in
March 1976 to produce a
five-wicket haul vs. India
in home Tests.
» For India, the
first seven partnerships
have produced 70.28 —
their best average partnership
in a Test series
(1-7) away from home
(minimum 10 partnerships
of 50-plus).
» For the third
time in Tests in the Caribbean,
spinners from both
teams claimed five wickets
or more in an innings
— India vs West Indies
at Kingston in 1952-53,
Bangladesh vs West Indies
at Kingstown 2014
and India vs West Indies
at Kingston in 2016.
a balance between reviving
the right vibes for
the Composite Bilateral
Dialogue and the recent
crackdown in Kashmir,”
said Dr Najam Rafique of
the Institute of Strategic
Studies, Islamabad.
Abu
explosives to allegedly
target political leaders accused
for the 2002 Gujarat
riots.
Based on a tip-off, the
plan was foiled by a team
of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist
Squad (ATS). On
May 8, 2006, the squad
chased a Tata Sumo and a
Tata Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad
Highway
near Aurangabad
and arrested three terror
suspects — Mohammed
Aamir Shakil Ahmed,
Mohammed Juber Sayyed
Anwar and Abdul Azeem
Abdul Jameel Shaikh
alias Raja — who were in
the Tata Sumo.
The Tata Indica car,
which was allegedly driven
by Zabiuddin Ansari
alias Abu Jundal currently
in Arthur Road jail for his
role in the 26/11 Mumbai
terrorist attack, had under
mysterious circumstances
managed to escape the
ATS team that was chasing
them.
The ATS team had later
recovered the Tata Indica,
and in total had seized 30
kg RDX packed in cental
processing unit (CPU)
of computer, 10 AK-47
assault rifles and 3,200
bullets.
Jundal allegedly drove
to Malegaon and handed
over the vehicle to an
acquaintance. In May
2006 itself, he escaped to
Bangladesh from where
he fled to Pakistan on a
fake passport obtained
with the help of LeT operatives,
according to the
crime branch. Jundal was
arrested in 2012, after his
deportation to India.
According to the prosecution,
the consignment
came in an unknown army-green
coloured tempo
at Pimpli-Dhulia village
where some of Pakistani
nationals along with Abu
Jundal and other accused
shifted the consignment
into the Tata Sumo and
Tata Indica before transporting
it.
The prosecution examined
total 100 witnesses
and more than 2000 documents
to show that the
arms were found from the
possession of the accused.
The prosecution has also
relied on the confession
Wednesday, August 03, 2016
7
Semenya’s shot at
33-year record
New Delhi
August 02, 2016
When it comes to the
women’s two-lapper at
the Olympics, the question
is not who will win
but how fast the champion
will run. Everybody is
sure that Caster Semenya
will reign in Rio. But will
she break Jarmila Kratochvilova’s
33-year-old
world record of 1:53.28s?
That’s the big question.
After the South African
came up with some
stunning times in 2009 on
her way to the 800m gold
in 1:55.45s at the Berlin
World Championships,
questions were raised and
she was subjected to gender
verification tests.
There was a phase
when Semenya was asked
to take medication to
bring down her testosterone
levels. And just two
years ago, Semenya was
running in a mediocre
2:02 range.
Dutee episode
A year ago, after Indian
sprinter Dutee Chand won
her case against the IAAF
and the AFI at the Court
of Arbitration for Sport
where her lawyers argued
statement of ten accused
wherein they have revealed
the details of conspiracy
and involvement
of other accused.
China
maritime order, marine
safety and interests,
and to exercise integrated
management over the
country’s jurisdictional
seas, it quoted an SPC
statement as saying.
The regulation, taking
effect on Tuesday, stated
that Chinese citizens or
foreigners would be pursued
with criminal liability
if they were engaged
in illegal hunting or fishing,
or killing endangered
wildlife in China’s jurisdictional
seas.
The SPC statement
said “judicial power is an
important component of
national sovereignty. People’s
courts will actively
exercise jurisdiction over
China’s territorial waters,
support administrative
departments to legally
perform maritime management
duties, equally
protect the legal rights
of Chinese and foreign
parties involved and safeguard
Chinese territorial
sovereignty and maritime
interests”.
The judicial explanation,
based on Chinese
law, the UN Convention
on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS) and judicial
practices, further clarifies
China’s maritime jurisdiction.
According to the regulation
by the SPC, jurisdictional
seas not only
include inland waters and
territorial seas, but also
cover regions including
contiguous zones, exclusive
economic zones and
continental shelves.
The SPC move is seen
as an attempt to provide
legal cover to China’s
maritime claims over almost
all of the South China
Sea in the backdrop of
the July 12 judgement of
the tribunal appointed by
the Hague-based Permanent
Court of Arbitration
(PCA) quashing China’s
nine-dash-line claim over
the SCS.
It also upheld the Philippines’
rights over the
area claimed by Manila.
China has rejected the verdict
delivered in response
to the petition which the
PCA said is binding.
While Beijing said the
tribunal’s verdict was null
and void as it is illegally
constituted, Tuesday’s
regulation by the top court
that her exclusion on the
basis of sex-verification
tests relying primarily
on levels of testosterone
were discriminatory, the
CAS suspended all regulations
around hyperandrogenism
until 2017.
That freed Semenya
from the shackles that had
slowed her down and she
is now running like never
before. Now 25, the
South African clocked a
world-leading personal
best 1:55.33s recently and
also won the 4x400m,
800m and 1500m at the
African Championship
in Durban. She has now
qualified for Rio in three
events, but is likely to do
the 400 and 800 at the
Olympics.
The Russians, who had
was expected to provide a
legal cover for Chinese
military and coast guard
to effectively implement
China’s claims over nearly
90 per cent of the SCS
and back the rights of its
fishermen to continue
fishing in the region.
Besides Philippines,
Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei
and Taiwan contests
China’s claims over the
area with counter claims.
The court regulation
followed assertions by
the Chinese military to
protect the country’s maritime
rights and interests
in the backdrop of increasing
tensions over the
SCS after the PCA tribunal
struck down Beijing’s
clams.
Russian
military transport helicopter
had been shot
down after delivering
humanitarian aid to the
city of Aleppo as it made
its way back to Russia’s
main air base in the western
province of Latakia.
“As far as we know
from the information that
has reached the defence
ministry, those on board
died, they died heroically,”
Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov said in a
conference call with reporters.
The helicopter came
down near the town of
Saraqeb, in Idlib province,
roughly mid-way
between Aleppo and the
Russian air force base
at Khmeimim, near the
Mediterranean coast.
U.S. Backed rebels
No group has claimed
responsibility for shooting
down the helicopter.
Islamic State fighters are
not active in the area, but
there are other Islamist
rebel groups there, as well
as moderates backed by
the United States and its
allies.
That raises the prospect
— which could cause a
major diplomatic incident
— of the helicopter having
been brought down
by a U.S.-supplied weapon.
The United States
has equipped some rebel
groups with TOW anti-tank
missiles, which
can also be used against
helicopters.
Russia’s military has
since September last year
been supporting President
Bashar al-Assad in
Syria’s five-year-old civil
war.
In Aleppo, around 40
km (25 miles) north-east
of the crash site, rebel
originally won six of the
23 golds in 2012 (one,
from Yuliya Zaripova
was later taken away after
anomalies were found
in her biological passport
with regard to doping),
will not be there in Rio
and that should make life
easier for the other athletes
in many events.
Road to Brazil: Athletics
Olympic records
Tough task for Fraser-Pryce
Meanwhile, Shelly-
Ann Fraser-Pryce, the
queen of Jamaican sprinting,
will be gunning
for her third successive
Olympic 100m gold. No
woman has done that before.
Fraser-Pryce has already
won the world title
in the 100m thrice.
groups are under siege
from government forces
backed by Russian air
support. Rebel groups are
staging an offensive to try
to break the siege.
Moscow said last week
it was opening humanitarian
corridors for civilans
to leave the rebel-held
areas, and for fighters to
give up their arms.
However, rebel activists
and aid groups have
expressed scepticism,
saying Russian aircraft
are bombing the city and
causing civilian casualties.
U.S. officials have
suggested the plan may be
an attempt to depopulate
the city so that the Syrian
army can seize it.
Russian denies targeting
civilians.
Despite persistent
Western accusations that
Moscow is abetting Assad
in a brutal crackdown on
his own people, Russian
President Vladimir Putin
has presented the Syrian
operation as a success in
the fight against Islamist
terrorism.
China
The Defence Ministry
on Tuesday said the
East China Sea exercises
were aimed at improving
the “intensity, precision,
stability and speed” of
its forces amid an environment
of strong electromagnetic
forces that
result from modern electronic
warfare.
“An information technology-based
war at sea
is sudden, cruel and short,
which requires fast transition
to combat status,
quick preparation and
high assault efficiency,”
the Ministry said.
The drills include ships,
submarines, aircraft and
coastguard forces, illustrating
China’s growing
emphasis on integrated
training under realistic
conditions.
China’s navy has been
closing the gap with its
U.S. rival in both ship
numbers and technology,
including the deployment
of advanced anti-ship
missiles, nuclear submarines
and the country’s
first aircraft carrier.
While global attention
has been drawn to the
South China Sea, where
five governments exercise
territorial claims
overlapping with China’s,
Beijing also operates extensively
in the East China
Sea where it claims a
string of uninhabited islands
controlled by Japan.