Fogged-Out Delhi Sees Coldest Day in 119 Years

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WINDOWS ■ Pawar Jr back as Maha deputy CM Fogged-out Delhi sees Uddhav inducts son, coldest day in 119 years 35 others in ministry BHAGWAN PARAB 500 flights delayed; 6 die as car skids into canal in Greater Noida MUMBAI, DEC. 30 SANJAY KAW Thirty-six ministers, NEW DELHI, DEC. 30 including senior Nationalist Congress The national capital, Party (NCP) leader Ajit which has been shivering Pawar and Shiv Sena’s under an intense spell of Aaditya Thackeray, were cold wave for two weeks, sworn in as Maharashtra recorded its coldest day chief minister Uddhav in December since 1901 Thackeray expanded his on Monday, with the Cabinet on Monday. maximum temperature State governor Bhagat plummeting to the lowest Singh Koshyari adminis- Actress Deepika Padukone ever at 9.4°C. The city tered the oath of office at the promotion of her film and its adjoining areas and secrecy to 10 Cabinet Chhapaak in Mumbai on woke up to a thick blan- and four ministers of Monday. — PTI ket of fog that hit road, state (MoS) of the NCP, air and rail traffic. As eight Cabinet and four Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray greets many as 530 flights were MoS of the Shiv Sena, and Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari during Minor fire at PM’s delayed, 40 others can- eight Cabinet and two the swearing-in ceremony for state Cabinet expansion celled and 21 diverted MoS of the Congress at at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai on Monday. — PTI residential complex, due to the dense fog. Vidhan Bhavan. About 50-odd trains were The NCP now leads the ◗ Contrary to Aghadi (MVA) govern- house not affected also running late due to council of ministers with ment took over. the poor visibility. The a total of 12 Cabinet minis- expectations, the In a major move, the New Delhi: A minor fire fog also spelt trouble for The mangled remains of a car after it fell into a canal in Greater Noida on Monday. — PTI ters while the Shiv Sena allocations of Shiv Sena dropped five broke inside the residential road commuters, as six and Congress have 10 ministers who were part complex of the Prime portfolios did not people were killed and has also been witnessing ◗ The severe cold observatory. The visibili- each. Also, Ajit Pawar happen on Monday, of the earlier Devendra Minister, but his residence five others injured when its most unforgiving win- ty recorded by both the was sworn in as deputy Fadnavis-led government and office were not affected their car skidded off the ter in the past 22 years, weather is likely Safdarjung and Palam chief minister, who enjoys with the Maha CM — Ramdas Kadam, by it, the PMO said. The fire road and fell into a canal with minimum tempera- to remain over observatories stood at the rank of a Cabinet min- making it clear that Diwakar Raote, Deepak has been brought under in Greater Noida late on tures falling to around 3 northern India zero metres at 8.30 am. ister. it would be done Kesarkar, Tanaji Sawant control, the PMO added. Sunday night. degrees Celsius for the for two more days Heavy fog started to The chief minister and in a day or two and Ravindra Waikar. “There was a minor fire at 9, Severe cold conditions past few days. On envelop Indira Gandhi NCP supremo Sharad Instead, it has included Lok Kalyan Marg caused by have been prevailing in Saturday, the Safdarjung perature was 3.4 degrees International Airport Pawar were among those expansion has been done new faces such as Anil a short circuit. This was not most parts of northern observatory, whose read- Celsius, four notches around 2 am. A senior present at the swearing-in as per our plans and the Parab and Abdul Sattar in PM’s residential or office India since December 15, ing is considered the offi- below normal. airport official said that ceremony. allocation of portfolios along with Aaditya area but in the SPG recep- and these conditions cial marker for Delhi, On Monday, a thick the low visibility condi- However, contrary to also be done by tomorrow Thackeray. The Sena also tion area of the LKM com- have further intensified recorded the season’s blanket of fog also tions lasted for about 10 expectations, the alloca- (Tuesday) or a day after included allies Shank- plex,” the PMO tweeted. in the last four days, with lowest minimum temper- engulfed Delhi, while the hours, during which tions of portfolios did not (Wednesday),” he added. arrao Gadakh (Krantikari Full report on Page 4 the maximum tempera- ature at 2.4 degrees minimum temperature flight operations were happen on Monday, with The expansion took Shetkari Paksha) as a ture dipping down to 8-12 Celsius. The next day, the settled at 2.6 degrees badly affected. This year, the CM making it clear place more than a month Cabinet minister, and degrees Celsius. Delhi average minimum tem- Celsius at the Safdarjung ■ Turn to Page 4 that it would be done in a after the Thackeray-led Rajendra Patil Yadravkar 5 ex-MLAs released ■ from J&K detention day or two. “The Cabinet Maharashtra Vikas Turn to Page 4 Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday released five second-rung leaders of three Priyanka hits out Govt picks Gen. Rawat as India’s first CDS mainstream political parties after they reportedly signed PAWAN BALI until further orders,” said be to restructure the mili- will now be the perma- bonds assuring the authori- at Yogi raj: ‘No NEW DELHI, DEC. 30 a government statement. tary commands by inte- nent chairman of the ties that they will not Gen. Rawat was to retire grating the land-air-sea Chiefs of Staff Committee, indulge in any activities pro- In a historic but long- as Chief of the Army Staff operations of the three that has all the three ser- hibited in the documents. expected move, Army on December 31. The gov- services to create new the- vice chiefs as members. Full report on Page 3 place for revenge’ Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat ernment has extended the atre commands for effec- The Chief of Defence was on Monday appointed services of Gen. Rawat till tive military response in Staff will head the depart- PAN, Aadhaar can SREEPARNA I urge our as India’s first Chief of he holds the post of CDS. case of hostilities. ment of military affairs CHAKRABARTY Congress party Defence Staff (CDS), who Lt. Gen. Manoj Mukund Gen. Rawat will be the (DMA), to be created with- be linked till March with agency inputs will have the challenging Naravane will take charge principal military adviser in the defence ministry, NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW, workers to task of synergising the as Chief of the Army Staff to the defence minister on and will function as its New Delhi: The last date for DEC. 30 meet the victims’ operations of the Army, on Tuesday. tri-services (involving secretary. The CDS will the mandatory linking of Air Force and Navy to The Centre had on Army, Navy and Air have the salary and perks the PAN with Aadhaar has families and Gen. Bipin Rawat Amid the ongoing provide all possible prepare them for future Saturday notified the Force) issues. of a service chief. been extended till March protests against the new wars. retirement age for the CDS. As the tri-services He will remain a four- The CDS will assign next year, the Central Board citizenship law, the assistance “The government has CDS at 65 years. This chief, Gen. Rawat will be star officer like the chiefs inter-services prioritisa- of Direct Taxes said Congress top brass upped — Rahul decided to appoint Gen. means Gen. Rawat, who the single-point military of the Army, Navy and Air tion to capital acquisition on Monday. The earlier the ante over the issue Bipin Rawat as Chief of turns 62 in March 2020, adviser to the Prime Force, but will be the proposals of the Army, deadline was Tuesday, with former party chief Gandhi, Defence Staff (CDS) with can have a tenure of a lit- Minister and the govern- “first Navy and Air Force based December 31. — PTI Rahul Gandhi asking its Cong leader effect from 31.12.2019 and tle over three years as ment. His main task will among equals”. The CDS ■ Turn to Page 4 leaders to visit those COUNTERPOINT injured in the police the memo said, is “unbe- excesses in agitations fitting of a force that is and AICC general secre- duty-bound to safeguard Navy bans use tary Priyanka Gandhi and protect citizens’ Kerala tops Niti SDG index, Bihar last Vadra castigating UP rights”. chief minister Yogi Addressing a press con- New Delhi, Dec. 30: Kerala Sikkim have shown maxi- shared the third spot, the at the launch of the of Facebook, Adityanath for his com- ference in Lucknow later, retained the top rank mum improvement, but report said. report. ment that those damag- she hit out at Yogi while Bihar was adjudged states like Gujarat have Bihar, Jharkhand and Speaking at the event, smartphones ing property would have Adityanath and said that as the worst performer in not shown any progress Arunachal Pradesh are Niti Aayog vice-chairman to pay for it. there was no place for Niti Aayog’s SDG India vis-a-vis 2018 rankings. the worst performing Rajiv Kumar said south- to deter spying Ms Vadra, also the violence or “revenge” in Index 2019, which evalu- “Kerala retained its states in this year’s Index ern states have done well party’s Uttar Pradesh in- the country. ates progress of states and rank as the top state with for Sustainable Develop- in health. AGE CORRESPONDENT charge, sent a memoran- Yogi Adityanath had union territories on a score of 70. Chandigarh ment Goals (SDGs). “West Bengal (rank 14) NEW DELHI, DEC. 30 dum to UP governor warned earlier that riot- social, economic and envi- too maintained its top “The United Nations’ has also done well in Niti Anandiben Patel, which ers who had damaged ronmental parameters, as spot among the UTs with a SDG target of 2030 can Aayog’s SDG Index 2019, In an attempt to prevent said the UP police was public property will have per a report released on score of 70. never be met without but given the education online espionage, the “patently unlawful, to pay compensation. Monday. Himachal Pradesh took India... We are fully com- level(in the state), West Indian Navy banned its destructive of the rule of To this, the Congress According to ‘SDG India the second spot while mitted to achieving UN’s Bengal should be in top 3 personnel from using law and repressive of leader said saffron Index 2019’, Uttar Andhra Pradesh, Tamil SDG target,” Niti Aayog performing states,” Mr Facebook and prohibit- honest citizens”. This, ■ Turn to Page 4 Pradesh, Odisha and Nadu and Telangana CEO Amitabh Kant said ■ Turn to Page 4 ed the use of smartphones in bases, dock- yards and warships. This directive comes after the Andhra police WEATHER earlier this month Max: 11OC Taliban denies rumours, says claimed it had busted an Min: 3OC espionage racket with links to Pakistan and RH: 75% arrested seven Navy per- Rainfall: 10% ‘no ceasefire plans’ in Afghan sonnel who allegedly Forecast: Mostly sunny passed sensitive infor- Kabul, Dec. 30: The ◗ The insurgents gested the group was on mation like locations of Taliban on Monday have repeatedly the verge of announcing naval ships and sub- denied agreeing to any some type of temporary marines to a Pakistani ASTROGUIDE ceasefire in Afghanistan stated that any truce. handler. All the seven Vikari: Dakshinayana after rumours swirled of a truce will only be The United States and sailors had allegedly Tithi: Pushya Shuddha potential deal that would ironed out after US the Afghan government fallen into a honeytrap. see a reduction in fighting troops withdraw in Kabul have long called “A recent case of inimi- Panchami till 4.03 pm after more than 18 years for a ceasefire with the cal elements targeting Star: Satabhisham till of war. from the country Taliban, including during naval personnel over 1.27 am (Wednesday) The statement from the the year of negotiations social media to elicit sen- insurgents comes as local some media have been between Washington and sitive/ operational infor- Varjyam: 6.48 am to 8.34 am and international forces releasing untrue reports the militants that were mation is a matter of Durmuhurtam: 9.01 am to 9.45 brace for another bloody about a ceasefire... The abruptly called off by Mr serious concern necessi- am; 11.01 pm to 11.53 pm winter amid renewed US- fact is that, the Islamic Trump in September. tating stringent correc- Rahukalam: 3 pm 4.30 pm Taliban talks, after Emirate of Afghanistan However, the insurgents tives,” said an order by President Donald Trump has no ceasefire plans,” have repeatedly stated the naval headquarters SUNSET TODAY 7.13 PM called off the negotiations the Taliban said, after that any potential truce last week. The order had SUNRISE TOMORROW 5.35 AM earlier this year over multiple media reports, will only be ironed out Protesters hold up their smartphone lights during a rally in Hong Kong on Monday. banned the use of Face- MOONRISE TOMORROW 10.54 AM insurgent attacks. including a story in the after US troops withdraw The police has accused activists in the long-running pro-democracy movement of book for all personnel. MOONSET TODAY 10.19 PM “In the past few days, Wall Street Journal, sug- from the country. — AFP inciting minors to commit crimes. ■ Report on Page 11 — AP ■ More on Page 3 c m y k c m y k TABLOID

Shah to address rally in PAGE Jodhpur on Friday to spread awareness on CAA Nation 2 THE ASIAN AGE TUESDAY | 31 DECEMBER 2019 | NEW DELHI Aaditya’s induction divides observers Some say inclusion into Maharashtra Cabinet premature, others feel it’ll give him time to learn ropes Those who live in AGE CORRESPONDENT ◗ The 29-year-old India but abuse it and MUMBAI, DEC. 30 won the October 21 One of the prominent Assembly polls with ‘Dada’ returns hail Pakistan have no names in the Uddhav a thumping majority right to stay here. Thackeray-led Maha- from Mumbai’s rashtra Vikas Aghadi Worli constituency. — Giriraj Singh, (MVA) government was as deputy CM Union minister his son Aaditya’s, who ◗ The state govern- was inducted into the ment’s decision to state ministry as a Cabinet minister in his ban single-use plas- IN BRIEF very first term as an tic is partly credited for fourth time MLA. The move proves to his anti-plastic Priyanka backing the fact that the campaign. AGE CORRESPONDENT adi (MVA) government Thackeray scion is MUMBAI, DEC. 30 though, Ajit Pawar was expected to play an College. tipped as NCP’s obvious goons: UP Dy CM important and active role The Maharashtra gov- “The chief minister mi- choice for the post of Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh in the government. ernment’s decision to ban ght be from any party like deputy CM. deputy chief minister Dinesh Political circles are single-use plastic is part- the Congress, BJP or Shiv According to sources, Sharma countered Congress divided over the Shiv ly credited to his cam- Sena; but the post of dep- the development under- general secretary Priyanka Sena’s decision to induct paign against the wide- uty chief minister will lines the clout that Ajit Gandhi Vadra on her remarks Aaditya into the state spread use of the materi- remain with Ajit Pawar Pawar enjoys within his against chief minister Yogi Cabinet. While some said al. He also proposed the only...” and similar such party. Despite his rebel- Adityanath on Monday and the move was made too revival of Mumbai’s comments took social lion, a majority of party accused her of denigrating early, some were of the nightlife by allowing media by storm as the MLAs were of the opin- Hinduism. Addressing a press opinion that it would give malls and restaurants to NCP stalwart took oath as ion that he should lead conference barely two hours him enough time for him be open all night. deputy chief minister in the NCP in the legisla- after the Congress general to understand people’s His first book of poems, the Uddhav Thackeray- ture. secretary made certain problems and the nitty- ‘My Thoughts in Black led government Monday. A tough administrator remarks against Adityanath, gritty of government pro- and White’ was released This is the fourth time and an immensely popu- before returning to New Delhi ceedings. in 2007 by Bollywood that Ajit Pawar was lar face in his Assembly after winding up a four-day “Aaditya has a sharp superstar Amitabh sworn in as the deputy constituency Baramati, visit to the state capital, Mr mind and his grasping Bachchan. CM. Ajit Pawar is also a mav- Sharma said, “Priyanka power is great. He has a The Yuva Sena leader is Earlier, he was the erick who doesn't shy Gandhi stands with those who clear vision about his now likely to make his deputy CM twice during away from being on a dif- indulged in (anti-CAA) development plans and he party, which was rooted the 15-year reign of the ferent page than his party, violence.” Ms Gandhi hit wants to implement them in the ‘sons of the soil’ Congress-NCP govern- NCP sources said. out at the chief minister on properly. So, it was a cor- agenda and later ment from 1999 to 2014 Fondly referred to as Monday, saying there was rect decision to give him a embraced the Hindutva and barely over a month Dada, Ajit Pawar cut his no place for violence or chance in the state ideology, more inclusive ago, he caused an earth- teeth in politics at the “revenge” in the country. Cabinet,” said a Sena and broad-based. quake in Maharashtra grass root-level under — PTI leader. In the run-up to the politics by revolting uncle and mentor Sharad The 29-year-old won the Assembly election, (Above) NCP leader Ajit against his party and Pawar in the early 80s. He October 21 Assembly Aaditya also conducted Pawar being greeted by joining hands with for- took the plunge into elec- SPG chief Sinha polls with a thumping several roadshows, foot chief minister Uddhav mer chief minister toral politics by contest- majority from Mumbai’s marches and raised Thackeray during the Devendra Fadnavis of the ing a bypoll in 1991 from issues such as the felling the Baramati Assembly gets extension Worli constituency. A swearing-in ceremony BJP to form the govern- pass out of the Bombay of trees in Aarey Colony ment in the state. seat and has since New Delhi: Senior IPS for Maharashtra Cabinet officer Arun Kumar Sinha Scottish School in subur- and said he wants to However, his gamble did retained the family bas- ban Mahim, Aaditya is a make the constituency a expansion at Vidhan not pay off and he had to tion seven times in a row. was on Monday given Bhavan in Mumbai, over one year extension graduate in English ‘model of development.’ resign from the post of His winning the October Literature from St He also reached out to Monday; Mr Pawar, his deputy CM within just 21 Assembly election with as the Director of Special wife Sunetra and cousin protection Group (SPG), Xavier’s College in south non-Marathi voters in the three days. Following the the highest margin of 1.65 Supriya Sule at the mandated to guard the Mumbai and has a law constituency to romp formation of the lakh votes only affirmed prime minister and degree from KC home to a big win. ceremony. — PTI Maharashtra Vikas Agh- his iron grip on his seat. former PMs, an order by the personnel ministry stated. The Appointments ■ Committee of the Accuses Kerala gov of violating protocol Cabinet led by Prime Mamata calls for isolation of BJP Minister Narendra Modi has approved extension in deputation tenure of Mr RAJIB CHOWDHURI people of the country in Population Register (NPR) KOLKATA, DEC. 30 implementation. Indian History Congress Sinha from March 19, the name of the NRC. I 2020 to July 30, 2021, call upon all to be united Comparing the BJP’s it added. The Central West Bengal (WB) chief and get prepared and iso- rule with that of the government has minister Mamata Ban- late the BJP everywhere Congress and others at the erjee Monday called on in the country. Those who Centre, she asked, “Noth- condemns police action recently amended the SPG Act, 1988. political parties and civil want to displace others do ing can be more shameful — PTU society to “isolate” the not have any place in our than this. How many AGE CORRESPONDENT Irfan Habib registering BJP in the country to add Those who want country. The way they times have they been THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, his protest during the more teeth to her move- to displace others started the NPR… we have voted to power? How many DEC. 30 Governor’s address. States bound to ment against the Citize- stopped it here. It will not times did they have a PM? Meanwhile, Mr Habib nship Amendment Act do not have any happen here,” Ms Ban- We voted for them to be Indian History Congress refuted Kerala governor’s enforce CAA: ASG (CAA) and National Re- place in our erjee said after leading a the PM. So many govern- which was in session in allegation that he tried to Shimla: All states, including gister of Citizens (NRC). country. protest in Purulia. ments were run. But now Kannur north Kerala on assault him. At 88 years of Taking her campaign to Predicting that the BJP people are asked to leave Monday passed a resolu- age, how can I assault any- Punjab and West Bengal, — MAMATA are bound to implement the districts, she made it would be ousted from the country. Will the BJP tion condemning the one? he asked. provisions of the Citizenship clear that those who want BANERJEE, other states too after exist only while others police action in Kashmir Mr Khan had accused to “displace” others do not Maharashtra and Jharkh- flee? All have seen how the and Jamia Millia Islamia Mr Habib of attempting to Amendment Act, said addi- West Bengal Irfan Habib tional solicitor general of have any “place” in the and, she pinned hopes on people drove them out of University Delhi. manhandle him on the country. chief these two states to join WB power in Jharkhand and The police action was accused governor Arif stage during the inaugu- India Satya Pal Jain here on minister Monday. Talking to media- “A heinous conspiracy is and Kerala in the league Maharashtra after getting aimed at curbing the dem- Mohammad Khan of vio- ration of Indian History persons, Mr Jain said, “The underway to drive out the against the National a chance,” she said. ocratic rights of the lating protocol during the Congress in Kannur on CAA is a central act and all people. inaugural session. They Saturday. The governor states, including Punjab and The Congress also said the governor should had tweeted a picture to West Bengal, are bound to Meerut SP passed another resolution have given an unbiased support his allegation. implement its provisions.” to protest against the address during the inau- The inaugural session Also a member of the BJP’s attempts being made by guration. However, he vio- on Saturday had wit- national executive and a for- did what the powers that be to dis- lated the protocol by tak- nessed protests from a sec- mer MP, Mr Jain said the tort history. Another one ing sides. tion of delegates when Mr Union government had cops should was against the commer- The people on the dais Khan spoke in support of framed the CAA as per pow- cialisation of historic had only questioned the the Central government ers under Article 11 of the monuments in the alleged biased attitude of and the controversial Constitution. He termed the do: Giriraj country. the governor. There was Citizenship Amendment statements of the Punjab The organisers also no protocol violation in Act. and West Bengal CMs politi- New Delhi, Dec. 30: cally motivated. — PTI Union minister Giriraj Singh on Monday back- ■ ed Meerut SP Akhilesh Questions hatred for BJP Narayan Singh, who is ‘Priyanka RAJASTHAN BJP at the centre of a row for his “go to Pakistan” breached CHIEF FIRES comments to some pro- ‘Opposing mega testers, saying he did what a police officer and security SALVOS AT CM a patriot should do. Jaipur: Launching a personal “The SP did what events hinders attack on Rajasthan police should do, what a protocol’ Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, patriot should do... state BJP president Satish Those who live in India AGE CORRESPONDENT Poonia on Monday said he is but abuse it and hail development’ NEW DELHI, DEC. 30 suffering from “short-term Pakistan have no right memory loss” and “mental to stay here,” the BJP West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and his wife Sudesh Dhankhar interact with MANOJ ANAND leaders, The Central Reserve Pol- depression”. In a press leader said. the budding dancers during the inauguration of Dipti Dev Memorial National Cultural GUWAHATI, DEC. 30 from the ice Force (CRPF), which release here, he said the “I urge those speaking Festival-2019, at ICCR in Kolkata, Monday. — PTI panchayat provides security cover chief minister is left with no against the SP to look at A day after All Assam to Union to Congress leader Priy- work other than chanting the the entire incident or Students Union (Aasu)’s ministry anka Gandhi Vadra, has names of RSS, Prime Minister people of the country intimidating remark that level, clarified that there was Narendra Modi and home will ask questions from they are keeping a close were no security breach dur- minister Amit Shah. Mr them,” he said. Top cop must face action if watch on two mega- being ing her recent visit to L- Poonia said Gehlot is feeling Those who raise events — T20 and Khelo made the ucknow and instead cla- “insecure” about his chief “Pakistan zindabad” slo- India, Assam chief minis- target of imed that she violated ministership because the gans in India cannot be ter Sarbananda Sonowal attacks. security norms by rid- Congress is divided in the garlanded and action on Monday said that he Mr Sonowal said, “Since ing pillion on a scooter. video authentic, says Naqvi we formed the govern- state and suggested him to should be taken against sought the cooperation of The CRPF further stated visit a good doctor. He them, the minister all agitating groups in ment in 2016, we have that she undertook “un- claimed there is no develop- added. AGE CORRESPONDENT but out of commitment. holding the T20 match in been working tirelessly, scheduled movement ment in the Congress rule in His remarks came after NEW DELHI, DEC. 30 Their social, economic, Guwahati between India committed to the develop- without intimation”. the state and the chief minis- another Union minister, religious and constitu- and Sri Lanka on January ment of Assam and for Thus, the force clari- ter is making uncalled for Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union minority affairs tional rights are absolute- 5. the protection of its fied in a statement that statements against the RSS said peace and not minister Mukhtar Abbas ly safe and secure, he said. In an obvious reference indigenous people. But, an advanced security and the BJP to hide his “fail- provocation should be Naqvi Monday reiterated Mr Singh however said to remarks of the student all of a sudden what did liaison could not be car- ure”. “The chief minister has priority and that action his stand on the utter- that he remarked about leaders, Mr Sonowal reit- we do that our panchayat ried out by its security got the disease of short- should be taken against ances of Meerut SP City the people shouting slo- erated that such events members, MLAs and team. The statement was term memory loss. Looking the SP if the video of the Akhilesh Narayan Singh gans in support of help in the development Union ministers have issued By P.K. Singh, at him, I had gifted him a officer makingthose that if a video is true, Pakistan during the of the state so any opposi- been made targets? The CRPF’s Inspector book on RSS but now it remarks was true. appropriate action should Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi protest. “I advised them to tion to them would be protesters have to answer General (Intelligence seems that making incorrect Mr Singh said Mr be taken. A video surfaced go to the place in support highly counter-produc- this before the people of and VIP security). statements against the RSS Naqvi might not be showing a top police offi- level, peace should be the of which they were rais- tive. Assam.” Ms Vadra had written has become a part of his aware of the entire inci- cer in Meerut saying that priority and not provoca- ing slogans,” he said. Earlier, Mr Sonowal Mr Sonowal asserted, “I to the officer on daily routine,” the release dent. the protesters can “go to tion. There should be no Interestingly, Mr Singh while addressing a peace have not committed any December 28 complain- quoted Mr Poonia as saying. Several BJP leaders, Pakistan”, drawing sharp misinformation campaign did not provide any con- rally said that the protest- mistake. None of my min- ing that the police circle He accused the chief minis- including Uttar Pradesh criticism from various on the Citizenship Ame- clusive evidence about ers now need to tell the isters have also made any officer (CO) in Lucknow ter of trying to divert public deputy chief minister quarters. The police offi- ndment Act and no provo- who was shouting the pro- people of the state the mistakes. Then why this had threatened her secu- attention from the failure of Keshav Prasad Maurya, cer in the video made cative activity should take Pakistan slogans and reasons for their “sudden hardened stand against rity personnel while the Congress government by have defended Mr these remarks on Decem- place.” He said that there was no video dislike” for the BJP-led us. The people of Assam warning of restricting making statements against Narayan. ber 20 at Lisari Gate. Muslims are not living in released prior to his government in the state. need to know the her movements on the the RSS. — PTI — PTI Mr Naqvi said, “At any India out of compulsion utterances. He also asked why BJP answer.” same day. Irish PM’s new year

Ireland PM Varadkar, who PAGE has his roots in India, to celebrate New Year in Goa Nation 3 THE ASIAN AGE TUESDAY | 31 DECEMBER 2019 | NEW DELHI BJP questions No question of budging on Navy bans smartphones Kishor’s Bihar Belagavi border issue: BSY seat-sharing Bengaluru: Accusing his go to Maharashtra and Maharashtra counterpart Karnataka. For political ben- statement Uddhav Thackeray of raking efit the chief minister there There is no question and FB on ‘key locations’ up the Belagavi border issue is trying to create confusion. AGE CORRESPONDENT once again for political I condemn it. There is no of giving away even PATNA, DEC. 30 gains, Karnataka chief min- question of giving away even Move aims to stop espionage attempts by foreign elements ister B.S. Yediyurappa on an inch of land,” an inch of land to BJP’s defeat in Monday declared that not Yediyurappa said. Some of Maharashtra AGE CORRESPONDENT asked its personnel not to Jharkhand has sparked even an inch of state’s land his Cabinet colleagues also NEW DELHI, DEC. 30 CONTROL OVER SPYING post pictures in uniform off a debate in the NDA will be given away. attacked the Maharashtra — B.S. Yediyurappa, on social media, avoid as to which party would “It has been decided in the chief minister besides tar- Karnataka chief minister In an attempt to prevent The directive comes accepting friend requests get more seats to contest Mahajan report what has to geting the Congress. — PTI online espionage, Indian as AP police claimed to from unknown people, in the 2020 Assembly elec- Navy has banned its per- avoid suspicious websites tions in Bihar. sonnel from using have busted an espi- and not to take calls from A day after poll strate- IN BRIEF Facebook and prohibited onage racket with links or chat with unidentified gist and JD(U) leader use of smart mobile to Pakistan earlier this people. It has advised its Prashant Kishor said 2 killed in Gujarat phones in bases, dock- month and arrested seven Navy men to change the priva- that the party should con- yards and warships. personnel for allegedly passing cy settings on Facebook test on more seats, the chemical blast fire This directive comes as sensitive information like loca- and other apps to “only BJP reacted strongly and Andhra Pradesh police tions of naval ships friends” so that unknown said that the “issue will Gandhidham: At least 4 per- claimed to have busted an people are not able to be discussed during a son were killed on Monday espionage racket with check their profile and meeting between top while as many others went links to Pakistan when naval personnel over saging apps, networking, pictures. leadership”. missing apparently after a earlier this month and social media to elicit sen- blogging, content-shar- In November, Rajasthan In a statement on methanol storage tank of a arrested seven personnel sitive/operational infor- ing, hosting and e-com- Police had arrested two Monday, BJP spokesper- private firm located near of the Indian Navy for mation is a matter of merce sites, are under Indian Army personnel, son Nikhil Anand said, Kandla Port in Gujarat's Kutch allegedly passing sensi- serious concern necessi- promulgation,” it added. Lance Naik Ravi Verma “BJP believes in main- district caught fire after an tive information like tating stringent correc- In October, Indian and Sepoy Vichitra taining decorum, disci- explosion, a police officer locations of naval ships tives,” said an order Army had also warned Behera, for sending sensi- pline and not to make any said. The Deendayal Port and submarines to a issued by the Navy head- its men against honey- tive information to public statement which Trust (DPT) stated that the Pakistani handler. All the quarters last week. The trap by Pakistan spies Pakistan. has only news value. All roof of the tank blew away seven sailors had alleged- order banned use of who create fake female Both of them were decisions in the NDA after a fire erupted in a stor- ly fallen into a honey- Facebook for all person- profiles on the social honey-trapped by related to 2020 Assembly age tank. The fire broke out trap. nel. media like Facebook, Pakistani spies posing as election is a matter of around 12 noon and has been “Recent case of inimi- “Additional safeguards, Twitter and Instagram. woman on Facebook with discussion between our raging since the last eight cal elements targeting including bans on mes- The Army had also the name “Seerat”. top leaders. hours. The incident occurred “NDA is sure to sweep when an employee of M/S 2020 Bihar polls and IMC terminal, located defeat the Grand around 16 kms away from Alliance.” Gandhidhan in Kutch district, Odisha IAS Poll strategist and and three labourers were con- JD(U) leader Prashant ducting a routine inspection officer held Kishor had raised the of the storage tank, the offi- political pitch by saying cer said. — PTI that chief minister for taking Nitish Kumar is the leader of the NDA in Another tourist dies `1L bribe Bihar and so the party should get more seats to in Sunburn festival AKSHAYA KUMAR contest in the Assembly SAHOO polls scheduled in Panaji: A tourist, who arrived BHUBANESWAR, DEC. 30 November 2020. in Goa to participate in the Sunburn Electronic Odisha Dance Music (EDM) Festival, Vigilance died after feeling uneasy department near the event venue, police sleuths on said on Monday. With this, Monday the total number of tourist arrested IAS B.K. deaths in last three days officer Bijay Upadhyaya after collapsing at the EDM Ketan festival venue has gone up to Upadhyaya for allegedly three. On Sunday night, a accepting a bribe of `1 visitor from Bengaluru, lakh. Sandip Kotta, complained The 2009-batch IAS offi- of "extreme uneasiness" at cer is serving as the direc- A Sikh fire-eater performs as he takes part in a procession ahead of the birth the festival venue at tor of horticulture, Vagatore beach in North Goa Odisha government. anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh in Jammu on Monday. — PTI district, a senior police offi- The bureaucrat’s office, cial said. "An ambulance was residence and other called at the venue and he places were searched by was rushed to a state-run the anti-corruption hospital,” he said. — PTI agency officials following 5 J&K political his arrest. A few days ago, Odisha Price rise: ‘Calcutta chief minister Naveen Patnaik had announced figures freed paan’ to cost more his government would not tolerate corruption in Aurangabad: Betel leaf used any form. to make the popular Naveen’s former after 4 months “Calcutta paan” has got cost- Cabinet colleague Dr lier in Aurangabad in Damodar Rout had earlier YUSUF JAMEEL Maharashtra, leaving a bitter alleged that over one hun- SRINAGAR, DEC. 30 CBI conducts raids taste in the mouth of patrons. dred crore rupees were in gun licence case These leaves come from siphoned off by The Jammu and Medinipur in West Bengal and unscrupulous officers of Kashmir government on Srinagar: The Central rates have now touched the horticulture depart- Monday released five sec- Bureau of `1200 for a bundle of 100 ment in the name of ond-rung leaders of Investigation (CBI) on against `500 till some days planting fruit saplings. three mainstream politi- Monday conducted ago, paan merchant Dr Rout had even sent cal parties after they raids at the residences Mohammed Sharfuddin told details of corruption to reportedly signed bonds and other properties of PTI. A tour of shops here the chief minister and assuring the authorities several former senior showed prices of “Calcutta recommended strong that they will not indulge government officers paan” had gone up from `8 to action against the in any activities prohibit- across Jammu and anything between `12-20 accused officers. ed in the documents. Kashmir and also at the depending on other ingredi- During the year 2018, 182 The five belonging to mini secretariat in the ents. “Paan prices had to be trap cases have been reg- the National Conference Union Territory’s win- increased here because of the istered against 195 per- (NC), People’s ter capital Jammu in betel leaves getting costlier,” sons, including 192 public Democratic Party (PDP) connection with a case Mr Sharfuddin said. — PTI servants and 3 private and Congress are among pertaining to alleged persons. The trap cases hundreds of Kashmiri irregularities in have been registered political leaders and issuance of arms against 12 Class-I officers, activists from both sepa- licenses. VIGIL ON WOMEN 10 Class-II officers, 161 ratist and mainstream Class-III employees, 9 camps detained ahead of (NC), Bashir Mir ENTRY AS SABARI Class-IV employees and 3 the Centre’s abrogating (Congress) and Zahoor private persons for special status given to Mir and Yasir Reshi demand and acceptance J&K under Article 370 (PDP), the official SET FOR OPENING of bribe amounting to and splitting the state up sources here said. They New Delhi: As the `16.90 lakh. Notably, dur- into two Union were among 36 detainees Sabarimala temple reopens ing 2018, there was a per- Territories on August 5. kept initially at the on Tuesday, an outfit spear- ceptible increase in regis- The released leaders Centaur Lakeview Hotel heading the stir against tration of trap cases by include Ishfaq Jabbar and later shifted to MLAs allowing women of all ages the Vigilance department. and Ghulam Nabi Bhat Hostel here. to enter the shrine said that it will continue its vigil in and around the temple to ensure that religious sentiments are not hurt in any manner. The All India Sabarimala Action Nagaland disturbed, Afspa Council (AISAC) said on Monday that it was relieved that “no women of menstru- ating age (10-50 years) visit- is extended for 6 months ed” the hill temple of Lord Ayyappa in the just conclud- New Delhi, Dec. 30: The ◗ The area compris- decision to continue the ed Mandalam season entire state of Nagaland declaration of Nagaland (December 27). The Lord has been declared a “dis- ing the whole state as “disturbed area” has Ayyappa temple in the turbed area” for six of Nagaland is in been taken as killings, Pathinamthitta district of more months, till June- such a disturbed loot and extortion have Kerala reopens on Tuesday end, under the contro- and dangerous con- been going on in various for pilgrims for the “Makara versial AFSPA which parts of the state which vilakku” season. The Council empowers security dition that the use necessitated the action is hopeful that the sanctity, forces to conduct opera- of armed forces in for the convenience of traditions, rituals and tions anywhere and aid of civil power is the security forces oper- customs of the shrine, where arrest anyone without necessary, says ating there. the presiding deity is a celi- any prior notice. There have been bate yogi, will be protected In a notification, the home ministry demands from various at any cost, AISAC general home ministry said that organisations in the secretary S.J.R. Kumar said. the central government the Armed Forces Northeast as well as in “We will continue our vigil in is of the opinion that the (Special Powers) Act, Jammu and Kashmir for and around the temple prem- area comprising the 1958 (No. 28 of 1958), the repealing the controver- ises to ensure that the pil- whole state of Nagaland central government here- sial Armed Forces grims’ sentiments and reli- is in such a disturbed by declares that whole of (Special Powers) Act gious beliefs are not hurt in and dangerous condition the said state to be a “dis- (AFSPA), which, they any manner,” Mr Kumar told that the use of armed turbed area” for a period say, gives “sweeping PTI over phone from Cochin. forces in aid of civil of six months with effect powers” to security He also expressed happiness power is necessary. from December 30, 2019 forces. over the observation made “Now, therefore, in for the purpose of that The AFSPA has been in by Chief Justice of India S.A. exercise of the powers Act,” it said. A home force in Nagaland for Bobde. — PTI conferred by Section 3 of ministry official said the decades. — PTI No gifts please

Puducherry L-G Bedi asks PAGE visitors on New Year Day to avoid mementos & shawls Nation 4 THE ASIAN AGE TUESDAY | 31 DECEMBER 2019 | NEW DELHI India’s forest, tree cover

Effort should be to up by 5,188 sq km: Report work tirelessly till Increase of 544 sq. km of forest cover in 140 hill districts caste discrimination is New Delhi, Dec. 30: The ◗ Report revealed Kashmir, recorded The report also showed eradicated forest-and-tree cover in through satellite imaging, that the mangrove cover in India has risen by 5,188 that the total tree- “covers areas outside LoC the country had increased — Venkaiah Naidu, square kilometres in the and-forest cover in that is under the illegal by 54 sq. km (1.10 per cent), last two years, said the occupation of Pakistan as compared to the previ- Vice president the country inclu- India state of Forest des an increase of and China”. ous assessment.The minis- Report (ISFR) 2019, which However, the north-east ter said after seeing the showed Karnataka grow- 3,976 sq. km (0.56 did not show positive report, he was confident IN BRIEF ing the maximum cover of per cent) of forest results as the current that India was on track to 1,025 sq km. assessment showed a achieve its climate goal of cover and 1,212 sq. A Japanese tourist reacts as he prepares to take a dip in the Ganga during a cold The biennial report by km (1.29 per cent) decrease of forest cover to creating an additional car- 2 Nobel laureates the Forest Survey of India the extent of 765 sq. km bon sink of 2.5-3 billion winter morning in Varanasi on Monday. Dense fog across the Indo-Gangetic belt, (FSI), which is an assess- of tree cover com- (0.45 per cent) in the tonnes under the Paris which hinders sun rays from reaching the ground, and the continuous flow of icy in Science Congress ment of the country’s for- pared to 2017 region. Agreement. Mr Javadekar northerly winds aggravated cold conditions across the plains of north India that in Bengaluru: Two Nobel laure- est resources, was “Except Assam and said there was an increase some places recorded temperatures lower than hill stations, meteorologists said on ates will be among released by Union envi- sq. km of forest cover was Tripura, all states in the of 42.6 million tonnes in Monday. — PTI policy makers, academicians ronment minister created by Kerala in the region show a decrease in the country’s carbon stock and other delegates to take Prakash Javadekar on last two years. Two other the forest cover,” Mr as compared to the last part in the 107th Science Monday, who revealed that states that followed are Javadekar said, while assessment of 2017. Naravane will Congress, to be inaugurated the total tree-and-forest Jammu and Kashmir, reading out the salient “This report gives us Minor fire at PM here on January 3 by Prime cover in the country which grew a 371-sq. Km findings of the report. confidence that we are on Minister Narendra Modi. includes an increase of forest cover, and Himachal According to the report, track to achieve our Paris take charge as “Nobel laureates Stefan Hell 3,976 sq. km (0.56 per cent) Pradesh, where a 334-sq. the total forest cover of Agreement goals,” he said. from Max Planck Institut of forest cover and 1,212 km forest area was creat- India is 7,12,249 sq. km, According to the present Modi’s residence, Chief of Army Germany and Ada E. Yonath, sq. km (1.29 per cent) of ed. “Forest cover in the which is 21.67 per cent of assessment, the total car- an expert in structural biolo- tree cover, compared to hill districts of the coun- the geographical area of bon stock in India’s forests gy from Weizmann Institute the 2017 report. try is 2,84,006 sq. km, the country. The tree cover is estimated at 7,124.6 mil- Staff today of Science, Israel, will take According to the report, which is 40.30 per cent of of the country is estimated lion tonnes. “There is an office not affected New Delhi, part in the event. The presi- the top three states in the total geographical at 95,027 sq. km, which is increase of 42.6 million Dec. 30: Lt. dent of Nanyang Technol- terms of forest cover are area of these districts. 2.89 per cent of the geo- tonnes in the carbon stock Gen. Manoj ogical University, Subra Karnataka, Andhra The current assessment graphical area. of the country as com- Caused due to short circuit, no casualties Mukund Suresh, a material scientist Pradesh and Kerala. shows an increase of 544 “The total forest-and-tree pared to the last assess- AGE CORRESPONDENT cials said Naravane from Indonesia, and While Karnataka grew sq. km (0.19 per cent) in cover of the country is ment of 2017. The annual NEW DELHI, DEC. 30 they did will take renowned cardiologist C.N. the maximum forest-and- 140 hill districts of the 8,07,276 sq. km, which is increase is 21.3 million not charge as the Manjunath, will also be pres- tree cover at 1,025 sq km, country,” the report said. 24.56 per cent of the geo- tonnes, which is equiva- A minor fire broke out at receive Chief of Army Staff ent," Indian Science Andhra Pradesh grew a It specified that the for- graphical area of the lent to 78.1 million tonnes 9 am in Lok Kalyan Marg any call at today succeeding Gen. Congress general 990-sq. km cover and a 823- est data of Jammu and country,” it said. of CO2. — PTI inside the residential their con- Bipin Rawat. president Prof K.S. Rangappa complex of the Prime trol room. Gen Rawat is retiring said. — PTI Minister but his resi- However, today as Army chief dence and office were not the local after a three-year stint. Vice-prez affected by it, the Prime fire station received a He is widely expected to Man dead, 1 hurt Kota infant deaths: Toll rises Minister’s Office (PMO) call from the PMO be appointed as the urges for said. House at 7:30 pm regard- country’s first chief of as bomb goes off The fire has been ing the fire, Atul Garg, defence staff. to 91, BJP sends probe panel brought under control, director Delhi fire servic- Official sources said Hyderabad: A 23-year-old a casteless the PMO added. es. the file relating to man died and his brother Kota (Raj), Dec. 30: he said. On the cause of Sunil Bhatnagar that is “There was a minor fire Eight fire tenders were appointment of the CDS was injured on Monday when Fourteen more infants deaths, Amrit Lal Bairwa, probing the infant deaths at Lok Kalyan Marg rushed to the site but has been cleared by the a country made bomb they society have died at the J K Lon head of department of will submit its report in two caused by a short circuit. they were returned from competent authority on were carrying on a bike, AGE CORRESPONDENT hospital here in the last pediatrics, said that they days following which This was not in PM’s res- the main gate as the fire Monday but the govern- exploded in Utnoor village of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM five days, taking the num- are analysing the reasons action will be taken. idential or office area but was doused by the inter- ment is yet to make an Adilabad district of ber of deaths to 91 this behind the 77 deaths till The BJP, which has tar- in the SPG reception area nal security staff, he official announcement Telangana, the police said. Vice president Venkaiah month at the facility, offi- December 25. Out of the 14 geted the Congress govern- of the LKM complex. The said. about it. Mani Rao died on the spot, Naidu on Monday called cials said on Monday. infants, who died later, four ment in Rajasthan over the fire is very much under “As per the protocol, Lt Gen. Naravane is while his sibling Shani Rao, upon leaders of all reli- “The 14 infants, including succumbed to severe pneu- child deaths, said it has control now,” the PMO fire tenders were rushed currently serving as both from Maharashtra, was gions to come out on the six newborns, died in the monia, one to meningoen- formed a committee com- tweeted. along with senior offi- vice chief of the Army. injured. He has been hospi- streets of the country to period between December cephalitis, four to congeni- prising four MPs to look The special protection cers to the site. However, Before taking charge talised. The police said the achieve the dream of 25 and December 29 in tal pneumonia, three to into the matter. The panel Group (SPG) is mandated fire tenders were as vice chief of the bomb went off when the casteless society. NICU and PICU units of the pneumatic septicemia, and comprising Lok Sabha MPs to guard the Prime returned from the main Army staff in bike skidded and they sus- He was inaugurating hospital,” the newly one to respiratory disorder, Jaskaur Meena, Locket Minister. gate. It seems this call September, Lt. Gen. pected that it was meant to the 87th annual Sivagiri appointed superintendent he said. Chatterjee and Bharati The Prime Minister was given as a precau- Naravane was heading kill wild boars to prevent Pilgrimage at Varkala in of the hospital, Suresh Rajasthan medical educa- Pawar, and Rajya Sabha MP resides at 7 Lok Kalyan tionary measure. As per the Eastern Command of them from damaging agricul- Thiruvananthapuram Dulara, said. tion secretary Vaibhav Kanta Kardam has been Marg. His residential information available the Army which takes tural crops An inquiry was on district. The pilgrimage Earlier, 77 infants had Galariya said a three-mem- asked to submit its report complex also has an there was a small fire in care of India’s nearly to ascertain how the duo got takes place in Varkala died till December 24, ber team comprising Dr within three days to the office of the SPG where UPS (Uninterruptible 4,000-km border with hold of the bombs, the town which is also the including 10 within 48 Amarjeet Mehta, Dr party’s working president the fire broke out. Power Supply),” Mr Garg China. police stated. — PTI place, where social hours on December 23-24, Rambabu Sharma and Dr J.P. Nadda. — PTI Delhi fire service offi- said. In his 37 years of serv- reformer Sree Narayana ice, Lt. Gen. Naravane Guru is believed to have has served in numerous Two thieves die in attained enlightenment. command and staff His tomb attracts thou- appointments in peace, freak accident sands of devotees every field and highly active Hisar (Haryana): Two men, year during the pilgrim- ‘No waitlisting on Del-Mumbai, Delhi-Kol trains’ counter-insurgency alleged to be thieves, age days from Dec. 30 to environments in Jammu died and their third accom- Jan. 1. New Delhi, Dec. 30: senger trains so that no ◗ Rly is working on ways would be to commis- overnight. He also said and Kashmir and the plice got injured when they fell Mr Naidu said India Trains running on the traveller gets wait-listed. sion DFC’s. While the 194 trains have been Northeast. off their “speeding” motorcy- was once again making Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi- “Passengers could three additional Bhadan–Khurja section upgraded to Utkrisht He has also command- cle trying to flee upon hearing progress. The world was Kolkata routes will be free expect to be free of wait- freight corridors (194 km) of Eastern DFC standard in 2019-20, and 78 ed a Rashtriya Rifles a police siren on Monday, looking towards India from waitlisted tickets in ing list within the next which will help free has been completed and new train services have Battalion in Jammu and police said. The incident hap- and people want to the next five years, chair- five years on the two up the current commercial trials have been introduced between Kashmir and an pened on Loha Mandi- invest in the country. man railway board, Vinod busiest routes of Delhi- started from October 2019, April-October 2019. infantry brigade on the Balsamand Road area of Hisar But, there are certain Kumar Yadav said on Mumbai and Delhi- tracks to run the Rewari-Madar section As many as 120 pairs of eastern front. district. Around 4 am, three areas of concern, includ- Monday. Howrah, where dedicated enough passenger (305 km) of Western DFC Integral Coach Factory He was also part of the persons broke the locks of a ing discrimination on Speaking at a press freight corridors (DFC) trains so no trav- has also been completed (ICF) trains have been Indian Peace Keeping few shops. The trio tried to the basis of caste. briefing, Mr Yadav said construction is under eller gets wait-listed and commercial trial converted to faster and Force in Sri Lanka and break open one such outlet “People have different the railways is working works and is expected to runs have started from safer Linke Hofmann had served as India’s when they found that its dresses, languages and on three additional dedi- be completed by 2021,” Mr can be run on demand. December 27, 2019. Busch (LHB) by utilizing defence attache at the owner was sleeping inside, food habits. But despite cated freight corridors at Yadav said. He said the “The work to upgrade Mr Yadav also said that 156 LHB rakes, and 104 Indian Embassy in who woke up and raised an all these differences, we an estimated cost of about vision of railways was (train speed) on the route approval to increase aver- passenger trains have Myanmar for three alarm. When the men heard are one. We are Indians,” `12.6 lakh crore over the that when DFC is com- to 160 kmph has already age speed of passenger been converted into years. the sirens of a police patrol he said. The effort next 10 years which will pleted, the existing routes been sanctioned and will trains by 60 per cent has Mainline Electric Lt. Gen. Naravane is an team, the thieves tried to should be to work tire- help the national trans- will be completely free of be done in the next four been given which will Multiple Unit (MEMU), alumnus of the National escape on their bike but met lessly till caste discrimi- porter free up the current freight as a result of years,” he said. He also make journeys by he said. Defence Academy and with the accident.— PTI nation is eradicated tracks to run enough pas- which passenger trains said the thrust of the rail- Rajdhani train fully — PTI the Indian Military from the country’s soil. Academy. — PTI Delhi sees coldest day in 119 years Gen. Rawat is Priyanka hits out at Yogi raj India’s 1st CDS ■ Continued from Page 1 against the CAA. The “The question of my ■ Continued from Page 1 Index (AQI) continued to be coldest winter month, but spell of rainfall and/or ■ Continued from Page 1 denotes Hinduism, a reli- Telangana Congress has security is not a big one. the new air traffic control in the severe zone at 448 in this time the mercury has snowfall over Jammu and on the anticipated budget gion that does not advo- decided to take up the It is a small question, on tower, thermal imaging cam- the morning. In neighbour- broken decades’ records in Kashmir, Uttarakhand and and will work to reduce cate violence or issue of the withdrawal which there is no need to eras and first-of-its-kind 24x7 ing areas of Ghaziabad, the December itself,” he added. Himachal Pradesh over the wasteful expenditure. The “revenge”. Rahul of SPG cover to the hold any discussion. I social media command cen- AQI was 439, Faridabad (465), Minimum temperatures next four days and scattered CDS will enable the armed Gandhi has asked party- Gandhis during the will not raise the issue of tre are being used to manage Noida (471), Greater Noida have fallen significantly rains over Punjab, Haryana, forces to implement coordi- men to visit people protests against the CAA security as it is a trivial operations during the (448) and Gurgaon (344). An from December 26 onwards, Chandigarh and Delhi, due nated defence doctrines and injured in the anti-CAA in the state. Speaking to matter. It has nothing to reduced visibility conditions. AQI between 0-50 is consid- leading to severe cold wave to a western disturbance procedures and to foster protests and provide this newspaper, Congress do with the public,” she The poor visibility also ered good, 51-100 satisfactory, conditions over Rajasthan, which has impacted the west- jointmanship among the help if needed. All across in-charge for Telangana said. caused major problems for 101-200 moderate, 201-300 Punjab, Delhi, Haryana and ern Himalayan region. three services. India, many young men R.C. Khuntia said “the “The issue is the safety commuters, with many peo- poor, 301-400 very poor, and western Uttar Pradesh and Private weather forecasting Gen Rawat is an alumnus of and women were injured government deliberately of the common man in ple driving slow on the main 401-500 severe. Above 500 is north Madhya Pradesh. agency Skymet meteorolo- St. Edward School, Shimla, and some even killed withdrew the security UP. This is the country of roads. At several places, com- the severe-plus emergency Mr Srivastava, however, gist Mahesh Palawat said and was commissioned into while protesting against given to the Gandhis to Lord Krishna — who muters were seen driving category. said that there could be a there could be hailstorm and the 11th Gorkha Rifles of the the CAA, he said. “I urge that they can be targeted was the symbol of com- with emergency lights on as The severe cold weather is slight increase in tempera- lightning at isolated places Indian Army in December our Congress party by the police”. passion. Lord Ram was visibility on roads plunged likely to remain over north- tures in the next few days, as over the region, including 1978, from IMA Dehradun. workers to meet the vic- On Sunday, Ms Vadra the symbol of compas- below 50 metres. “I had a har- ern India for two more days. cold north-westerly winds Delhi, over the next two days He had assumed charge as tims’ families and pro- alleged she had been sion. Everybody dances rowing experience while Regional Weather are slowly getting replaced during the new year. “Since Chief of the Army Staff on vide all possible assis- manhandled by the UP in the marriage proces- driving from my house in Forecasting Centre (New by easterlies, due to a change there is change in the wind December 31, 2016. tance,” he tweeted. police when she had sion (baraat) of Lord Noida to my workplace in Delhi) head Kuldeep in the wind direction. “But direction, the fog may also As an Army commander, he On Saturday, during his tried to visit a protester. Shiva. There is no place Gurgaon,” said Ankita Srivastava said this the conditions would still reduce in intensity, but the had vast experience in opera- visit to Assam, Mr However, talking to the for ‘hinsaa’ (violence), Sharma, who works with a December has been the sec- remain very cold,” he added. enhanced moisture will cre- tions across a wide spectrum Gandhi met the families media on Monday, she ‘badlaa’ (revenge) and private IT firm. ond coldest December since In its latest forecast, the ate foggy conditions after of conflict and terrain proof two young men killed said her own security ‘ranj’ (anger) in the Even Delhi’s Air Quality 1901. “Usually, January is the IMD is expecting a fresh January 4,” he further said. files. He commanded an during the protests was not a big issue. country’s soul”. infantry battalion along the Line of Actual Control in the eastern sector with China; a Rashtriya Rifles sector; an Uddhav inducts son, 35 others in ministry infantry division in the Kerala tops Niti Aayog’s SDG index Kashmir Valley and a corps ■ Continued from Page 1 industry and innova- “Only three states were ■ Continued from Page 1 Dhananjay Munde were also formed on November 28, and Thackeray, who is the son of in the Northeast. Kumar added. tion. However, nutrition placed in the category of (Independent) and Bacchu sworn in. Balasaheb Thorat and Nitin the CM, young leaders like Prime Minister Narendra The Niti Aayog vice- and gender continue to Front Runners (with a Kadu (Prahar Janshakti While senior Congress Raut of the Congress, NCP’s Aditi Tatkare, who is Modi had announced the cre- chairman also said the be problem areas for score in the range 65-99, Party) as ministers of state. leaders Ashok Chavan and Eknath Shinde and Subhash the daughter of NCP’s ation of the post of Chief of Modi government will India, requiring more including both) in 2018 Senior NCP leaders Nawab Vijay Wadettiwar took the Desai of the Shiv Sena and Raigad Lok Sabha MP Sunil Defence Staff in his not leave any stone focused approach from — Himachal Pradesh, Malik and Anil Deshmukh, oath as Cabinet ministers, Jayant Patil and Chhagan Tatkare, and Congress leader Independence Day speech unturned to make sure the government. Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. who were ministers in the senior leader and former Bhujbal of the NCP took the Amit Deshmukh, the son of from the Red Fort this year. India achieves SDG The report said while “In 2019, five more previous Congress-NCP gov- chief minister Prithviraj oath of office along with Mr former chief minister The creation of the CDS post Agenda 2030. three out of five states in states joined this league ernment, however, found Chavan did not find a place Thackeray on that very day. Vilasrao Deshmukh, also is seen as the biggest mili- According to the the top spots perform — Andhra Pradesh, places in the ministry. And in Uddhav Thackeray’s min- Dynasty continues rules found a place in the Cabinet. tary reform to take place in report, India’s compos- equal to or better than Telangana, Karnataka, former Assembly Speaker istry. There is speculation the roost in the state, as sev- Another Congress leader, India, coming nearly two ite score improved from the country average on Sikkim and Goa, Dilip Walse-Patil and former that he may lead the state eral ministers of the new Vishwajit Kadam, is the son decades after it had been first 57 in 2018 to 60 in 2019 12 goals, the other two taking the total tally to Leader of the Opposition in Congress unit. Cabinet are from political of party leader late recommended by the Kargil with major success in states do the same on 11 eight,” it noted. the Legislative Council The MVA government was families. Apart from Aaditya Patangrao Kadam. Review Committee. water and sanitation, goals. — PTI PAGE News+ 5 THE ASIAN AGE TUESDAY | 31 DECEMBER 2019 | NEW DELHI 50 YEARS AGO IN All eyes on ‘new way’ in Kim Jan Sangh will have no truck with Communists Chankyanagar, (Patna): Jan Sangh President Atal Jong-un’s New Year speech Behari Vajpayee today reiterated his party’s determi- North Korean political calen- nation to have no truck dar, reviewing the past and set- with the Communists. ting out goals for the future, Speaking at the conclud- and printed in full in the ing sitting of the party’s Claire Lee Rodong Sinmun mouthpiece 16th session here, Mr newspaper. Vajpayee called upon party “Kim’s delivery of New Year’s workers to prepare them- speeches has evolved over time, selves for meeting the chal- focus from standing before a pulpit in lenge posed by the critical a party uniform in his early situation facing the coun- years, to sitting in an office in a try. ■ Speculation Western-style suit and tie in He pointed out that the 2019,” said Rachel Minyoung economic policy resolution has mounted Lee, senior analyst at specialist passed by the session had site NK News. given the lie to the critics that Pyong- Pyongyang has been ramping who used to harbour a mis- up the pressure with static tests conception that the Jan at its Sohae rocket facility and a Sangh had no economic pol- yang could series of weapons launches, i c y. some described as ballistic mis- Strongly refuting the alle- abandon its siles by Japan and others — gation that his party was which are banned under UN conservative, the Jan moratorium on resolutions. Sangh leader said all they Lee told AFP North Korea was wanted was to sift the best intercontinen- likely to resume testing longer- out of the past while work- range missiles including ing for a brighter future — tal ballistic ICBMs in 2020, and potentially for the India of their even nuclear blasts, and could dreams. missile tests. also carry out “military provo- The three-day session, cations against South Korea”. attended by over 20,000 dele- US national But an ICBM launch would rep- gates, adopted resolutions North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump — AP resent a rapid escalation and on the political situation, security risks angering China — which economic policy and the Seoul: North Korean leader Pyongyang has been demand- firmly off the table, said Henri threat of a “Christmas gift” to always stresses stability in a internal situation in the adviser Kim Jong-un will give his set- ing the easing of international Feron, Senior Fellow at the the US appears to have fizzled. region it regards as its own country. piece New Year speech on sanctions imposed on it over its Center for International Policy US national security adviser backyard. Mr Vajpayee called upon Robert O’Brien Wednesday, an opportunity to nuclear and ballistic missile in the US. “What North Korea Robert O’Brien said that And Trump would not want to the delegates to return flesh out the nuclear-armed programmes, while refers to as a new path is new in Washington would be “extraor- go back to his previous “fire home to spread among the nation’s threat to seek a “new Washington is insisting it takes the sense that it will differ from dinarily disappointed and we’ll and fury” rhetoric, preferring masses the decision of the said that way” forward after the expira- more tangible steps towards its relatively engaging posture demonstrate that disappoint- to reach a deal with Pyongyang, “historic” Patna session. tion of its year-end deadline for giving them up. The North has in the past two years, but will ment” if Pyongyang carries out said Joseph Yun, a former US He said the resolutions Washington US sanctions relief. Ahead of not so far specified the “new actually be a return to the a long-range missile test. “But special representative for that had been adopted and the address, Kim told a meeting way” it would adopt if the US posture it maintained notably we have a lot of tools in our North Korea under both the the trend of the discussion would be of top ruling party officials that does not offer fresh concessions in the Obama era,” he told AFP. toolkit, and additional pressure Republican and his predecessor showed that the Sangh was “positive and offensive meas- by the end of the end, and Kim “It will focus on developing its can be brought to bear on the Barack Obama. “Without not a party of conservatives ‘extraordinarily ures for fully ensuring the sov- is expected to make it clearer. military leverage and economic North Koreans.” doubt, the highest priority for but of constructive ereignty and security of the Earlier this month China and resistance to sanctions, while President Trump is getting re- approach and change. disappointed’ if country” were needed, the state Russia — the North’s biggest demanding unconditional FIRE AND FURY 2.0? elected,” he said. Mr Vajpayee said that the news agency KCNA reported economic partners — proposed peace and normalisation before Wednesday’s speech will be As such, going back to past political situation in the Pyongyang Monday. loosening UN sanctions against there can be any talk on Kim’s eighth New Year address, confrontation “would sully his country was in utter confu- Nuclear talks between the Pyongyang, and analysts say denuclearisation.” after he revived the tradition reputation as a dealmaker, sion. The Congress had carries out a North and the US have been Kim is likely to seek to exploit Speculation has mounted that started by his grandfather — especially as he has few deals to split into two, the largely stalled since the col- rivalries between Washington, Pyongyang could abandon its North Korea’s founding leader show, having pulled out of the Communists into three and long-range lapse of a February summit Beijing and Moscow. The “new moratorium on intercontinen- Kim Il Sung — but discontin- Iran nuclear agreement and the the Socialists into four. between Kim and US President way” was more likely to be an tal ballistic missile (ICBM) ued during his father’s rule. Paris Climate Accord”. missile test. Donald Trump in Hanoi. old way with denuclearisation tests — although its ominous It is a key moment in the — AFP Radio most accessible medium for rural population running successful social campaigns targeting specific benefi- Hema Mehta ciaries. Understanding the effectiveness of dialogue- exchange among communities, these social campaigns are also meanwhile based on the same. In the year 2016, Kumaon Vani started a programme on n 2018, a report by market women’s health and nutrition. research firm Nielsen Media for Community (M4C), claimed radio to be the with help from the department second-most accessed of science and technology media platform, outpac- (DST), assisted in programme ing social networking and production. They also helped in losingI only to television. The conducting a survey of 1,000 research, surprisingly, was con- women — all above the age of ducted in one metro and one 16. A total of 1,005 women from non-metro city — these are the 320 villages were directly con- spaces in which one would tacted and their details were assume social networking sites documented. The findings of to be the most accessed platform this health survey were shared given the easy availability of with an advisory committee mobile data services. If we talk constituted by a team from at a larger level, a report in the Kumaon Vani and was led by Hindu suggests that radio the chief medical officer of the reaches 99 per cent of the region. The title of the pro- Indian population with most of gramme was also decided by the the rural population relying for committee — “Mahakta information on radio pro- Anchal”. Accepting the chal- grammes. However, in remote lenge of broadcasting one pro- rural areas, radio has estab- gramme every day, the radio lished itself as a medium that successfully broadcasted 365 not just provides relevant infor- episodes with great coordina- mation but has helped sustain tion. the traditions of culturally rich This programme not only cre- and socially diverse places. ated awareness among women The northern Himalayan state regarding their own health but of Uttarakhand is one such encouraged them to talk about place where radio, especially health issues which they earlier community radio programmes, hesitated discussing even with have played a crucial role dur- their own family members. ing critical times. This state is Issues that had social stigma known for its unique environ- attached to them like venereal ment, traditions, heritage, cul- diseases and reproductive and ture and communal harmony menstrual health were dis- and its inhabitants believe that cussed by women freely on this development should also be platform. An expert panel com- based on these characteristics. prising of 10 doctors from gov- One thing that makes this cul- ernment hospitals in Nainital tural diversity even stronger is and Almora districts and from the exchange of intense dia- non-governmental health insti- logue between rural communi- tutions got associated with this ties that helps promote commu- initiative and promised to con- nity-led development. And this tribute to future health pro- holds true for both Kumaon and grammes as well. ASHA work- Garhwal — administratively ers also contributed to the pro- and geographically distinct gramme quite effectively. regions of Uttarakhand. Recognising the success of the In Kumaon, people celebrate a 365 episodes broadcasted festival called “Hudki Bol” dur- through their programme, ing plantation of rice in paddy “Mahakta Anchal”, the health fields. This festival is a form of department of Nainital district entertainment for villagers honoured Kumaon Vani. This who, while working hard in the has once again proven the fact fields, sing folk songs using a that radio, despite the advent of folk instrument called various media platforms, still “Huduka” (a percussion instru- remains the most accessible ment). Similar festivals are a is the ever-increasing inclina- ing it, The Energy Resources casting programmes based on This community radio station, medium for our rural popula- part of Garhwali culture as tion of rural communities Institute (TERI), had started a local culture and tradition, this through its participatory pro- EVOLUTION OF RADIO tion. Radio has and will contin- well. However, in the last few towards materialism. community radio station called radio station is trying to re- grammes, allows villagers to PROGRAMMES ue to play the important role of decades, the popularity of such Communities that earlier com- “Kumaon Vani” in 2010. Today, establish a link among rural participate, ask questions and Over the years, role of radio bringing together different festivals has decreased, leading plemented each other’s exis- nine years later, this station has communities. Not only this, by even share their experiences programmes has evolved in stakeholders to contribute to loss of dialogue between tence are now growing distant created a niche for itself in the providing information on gov- with other listeners. Villagers these rural societies. Today, towards the socio-economic and rural communities. As to one another. lives of Kumaoni people. ernment sponsored schemes also get an opportunity to listen besides being a platform for cul- cultural development of people observed, one reason for this Re-establishing this culture of Broadcasted in the regional and other relevant issues, it has to the government, non-govern- tural exchange and keeping residing in the remote regions could be the increasing competi- dialogue between communities Kumaoni language, this radio also attempted to bridge the gap mental and other stakeholders communities updated about rel- of our country. tion between the communities is of great concern and under- has become a part of the every- between government and associated with important evant governmental and non- and the other, more threatening, standing the need for address- day lives of its people. By broad- remote communities. organisations in the region. governmental information, it is — Charkha Features c m y k c m y k MIND POWER RAY BRADBURY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS PAGE Without libraries, what have we? All empty souls tend 6 We have no past and no future. toward extreme opinions Edit THE ASIAN AGE TUESDAY | 31 DECEMBER 2019 | NEW DELHI

31 DECEMBER 2019

In UP, police gains CM’s Subhani sanction for brutality

here appears to be a one-on-one correspondence between the well- documented brutal and communal conduct of the police in Uttar Pradesh in dealing with the protests against the triad of CAA-NRC- TNPP — now evidently a key aspiration on the RSS’ to-do list (after securing the emasculation of Article 370, Ayodhya, and triple talaq) — and the rants of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, a wolf in monk’s clothing, which appear to border on criminality and insanity. Recently, the SP of Meerut was caught on video yelling in the bylanes of a Muslim locality, asking people “to go to Pakistan”, and informing them in no uncertain terms that he knew how to “fix them”. The district police chief didn’t deny this, explaining to the media later that some in the crowd had raised pro-Pakistan slogans. If that is correct, he should have booked the persons in question under relevant provisions of the law, not respond- ed with communal hollering. An IPS officer — or for that matter any official of the state acting in the name of our Constitution — is not expected to amplify the ideological LETTERS vision of the elected representatives in office at any given time. As an object lesson, the errant officer deserves to answer questions under the CAA: Belated justice for MODI PRAISES YOUTH service rules. Regretfully, his police superiors see noth- The CM shows ing wrong with the SP’s conduct. This is no Prime Minister Narendra some gall as his rants surprise if we consider the UP chief minis- Modi has done well to come after the ter’s disposition. He speaks as though he were a senior Taliban functionary. orphans of Partition? spare a thought for the murder by the In a series of tweets, the CM’s office said youth of the country. In UP police of two last Friday: “Every rioter is shocked. Every Modi-Shah duo of not and Jains can be brack- his last Mann ki Baat radio dozen protesters in demonstrator is stunned. Everyone has being moved by any eted with Hindus, but police firing. The been silenced after seeing Yogi Adityanath lofty ideal in enacting the inclusion of Parsis programme of the year, government’s strict actions. Do whatever Sunanda K. the CAA. Perhaps with and Christians seems Mr Modi showered bou- presumption is now, compensation will be taken from anyone state after another odd, like extending the that protesters one who damages public property. Every Datta-Ray slipping out of their right to people in quets on the younger are Muslims, violent protester will cry now because there grasp, they wanted to Afghanistan. generation for their which is false. is a Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh.” assure the Sangh However, this is not This and another discgraceful tweet had the Reflections Parivar voters that the the time of year to be courage in questioning hashtag “The Great_CM Yogi”. holy grail of Hindutva is niggardly about saving the system when it did Such vituperation is unthinkable in a democracy. In a Western democ- alive and well. That people from the disaster not respond appropriately. racy, a trial might have ensued on far less a misdemeanour by an elected s the year International Religious might explain the they may be facing. The leader. Even in Communist China, where Uighurs have been sent to ideo- peters out Freedom says that using Muslim panic and — long-overdue CAA sug- The Prime Minister’s logical “training camps”, there has not been any official talk of making with both the religion as the path to what is infinitely worse gests that we may be observations come in the protesters “cry”, or the government “extracting revenge”, as CM Ajay bang of clash- citizenship betrays “reli- for it casts aspersions on nearing the conclusion Singh Bisht, who parades as the monk Adityanath. ing beliefs gious pluralism”, and the National Democratic of a dismal argument wake of protests by stu- The CM shows some gall as his rants come after the murder by the UP Aand the whimper of demands sanctions Alliance’s credibility — that started before the dents and political parties police of two dozen protesters in police firing. The presumption is that injured innocents, a fee- against Union home the reportedly brutal first inter-dominion con- against the controversial protesters are Muslims, which is false. But the dead do belong to a partic- ble flicker of hope is still minister Amit Shah. response by a police ference on stranded ular community, and that tells its own story — one of the police given the evident amidst the chaos One of the two resolu- force that has from colo- minorities that took Citizenship Amendment licence to shoot when protesters may be identified “through their dress”, and confusion. The tions tabled by Rashida nial times always been place in Calcutta in Act (CAA) and the pro- as Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted not long ago. Another datum for Citizenship Tlaib and Pramila ready to anticipate its April 1948. One sugges- comparison — in Hong Kong, rocked by violent protests for seven months, (Amendment) Act is Jaypal in the House of master’s wishes. But tion was a population posed National Register no protester has died in firing by the Chinese police, although there were anathema to thousands Representatives criti- however mala fide the exchange, as between of Citizens (NRC). violent confrontations, and young protesters have shouted pro-America of protesting Indians as cised India for unilater- intention, the liberal Greece and Turkey Citizens would also do slogans, which should be anathema to Beijing. well as to some foreign ally changing “the sta- new citizenship regula- under the 1923 Treaty of As for the confiscation of protesters’ property, the government must sat- governments and inter- tus of the Kashmiri peo- tion cannot be faulted Lausanne, which well to consider Mr Modi’s isfy the high court with proof. It must also explain why the UP police went national organisations. ple without a direct con- even though the immedi- uprooted two million appeal to buy locally about destroying property. But whatever the intent, sultation or consent of ate beneficiaries will be people. “That the trans- the CAA must be wel- the Kashmiri people”, only the 25,447 Hindus, fer of minorities is the made items seriously. comed as the harbinger thereby breaking with 5,807 Sikhs, 55 only lasting remedy for N.J. Ravi Chander of a more merciful world the US practice of treat- Christians, two communal peace is Bengaluru Triumph in adversity order that promises ing Kashmir as India’s Buddhists and two beyond doubt”, was Dr belated justice to the internal matter. With Parsis — 31,313 in all — B.R. Ambedkar’s view. ndia’s Grandmaster Koneru Humpy sealed a great year for Indian orphans of Partition key Democrats like who fled to India before Indian citizenship for all IN CHEAP TASTE women in sport by winning the world rapid chess title in Russia, beat- who have been neglected Adam Shiff and James the deadline. Hindus in Pakistan, Iing China’s Lei Tingjie. At 32, mother of a two-year-old daughter, she all these 72 years. McGovern also con- But once the principle which was also mooted, IT IS unfortunate that the UP police fulfilled her ambition of winning a senior world title, even if it wan’t in the With the violence at demning India, the US- is accepted, 17 million would be wonderful allegedly manhandled Congress classical 64-square format, which much like Test cricket is the declared home matched by India strategic alliance Hindus in Bangladesh — news for people like the leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who favourite of players, compared to the T20-like hustle of rapid chess. protests in unlikely based on “democracy, mainly peasants and Hindu East Bengal was on her way to pay a visit to Shatranj may not seem action-packed, but it requires hours of rigorous places like Boston, individual liberty, rule fisherfolk of the refugee who was reluc- retired IPS officer S.R. Darapuri at dedication. It’s the commitment of Indian women to stick to sport that Chicago and The Hague, of law, freedom of Namasudra and Majhi tant to return after the his residence. As the police tried to must be admired given the societal prejudices that never allow families to India enters 2019 with its expression and practice castes — can expect to be Bangladesh war. Asked stop her vehicle from proceeding think of a career in sport for girls till recently. image as the world’s of religion and protec- rescued if the need aris- whether he regarded further, Priyanka hoodwinked the 2019 will be remembered most as the one in which sportswomen out- largest liberal democra- tion to minorities” faces es. That hope is shared himself as Indian or police by riding on a two-wheeler shone their male counterparts. The golden streak that changed everything cy more than a little tar- stormy weather. by 2.5 million Hindus Bangladeshi, he shot and reaching her destination. While was P.V. Sindhu’s victorious run in the badminton world championship, nished. Global opinion, With 27 European languishing in Pakistan, back astutely: “Consider the reprehensive act of the police is where she beat her nemesis Nozomi Okuhara in the final in Switzerland. which had once hailed Union delegates as New where many people me an Indian national condemnable, the UP traffic police The lanky Telangana star has been bearing the brunt of unreal expecta- Prime Minister Delhi’s honoured guests attribute Bangladesh’s resident in Bangladesh!” have now fined the owner of the tions of a nation of spectators ever since she won silver in the Olympics in Narendra Modi as the in Jammu and Kashmir secession to a “Hindu A third suggestion was two-wheeler `6,100 as Priyanka and Rio in 2016, and then two silvers in the world championships. architect of reconstruc- at a time when domestic conspiracy”. that East Pakistan Dheeraj Gujjar had been riding The question is, as with trail-blazing Saina Nehwal, whether Indian tion, now sees him politicians couldn’t set Surprisingly, too, since should cede territory without helmets! This appears to be women had it in them to be world champions by winning the events that steeped in bigotry. foot there, the EU was New Delhi has no resid- west of the Padma as a revenge by the UP police and is def- really matter. The breakthrough for Sindhu was a vital moment for Despite the wounded less outspoken. But ual obligations in a homeland for its initely in cheap taste. women in Indian sport as she found her subliminal moment in conquer- idealism of India’s youth stressing “the impor- country that was not a unwanted Hindus. Tharcius S. Fernando ing the highest of peaks demanding the calmest of nerves. Today, on the and the alarm of tance of steps to restore part of British India, the Whatever their Chennai eve of a change of decades in the new millennium, we toast the women of harassed Muslims, even the rights and freedoms CAA covers over a thou- motives, in framing the India for their indomitable spirit to triumph against all odds. a misunderstood CAA of the population in sand Hindus in CAA, Mr Modi and Mr would not have created Kashmir”, it didn’t for- Afghanistan. Another Shah lived up to the hos- JOYOUS NEW YEAR that impression if it had- get to include its disap- surprise is the listing of pitable legacy they n’t been for what came proval of the CAA. The Parsis and Christians as inherited: having given NEW YEAR is a time for celebra- before and after. The Organisation of Islamic also being eligible for refuge to 29,500 “hill tion. New Year is a time to cele- THE ASIAN AGE abrogation of Article 370 Cooperation inevitably fast-track citizenship. country Tamils” from brate the start of something new. It accuses the CAA of dis- Since British India was Sri Lanka and 100,000 T. VENKATRAM REDDY — and, even more, the is a time to make new promises, Editor in Chief stringent clampdown criminating against divided on religious Tibetans, India cannot some to be broken, and some to be Printer & Publisher: T. VENKATESWARLU that followed — was Indian Muslims. lines, Sikhs, Buddhists contemplate the idylls of kept. It is also a time to look ahead THE ASIAN AGE offices are located at: proof of New Delhi’s Equally predictably, breakfast in Amritsar, and try to change things for the bet- New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, intolerance of political China joined Pakistan to lunch in Lahore and din- ter. New Year is a joyous time of New Delhi-110002. Phone: (011) 23211124. India cannot Mumbai: Sigma House, # 43, Ground Floor, R. A. Kidwai Marg, Near Wadala Rly Station, Wadala (West), Mumbai - and religious pluralism. oppose “any unilateral ner in Kabul that Dr the year because we feel like we get 400 031 Phone (022) 24195301 Fax (022) 24195347 The Ayodhya verdict sanctions that compli- contemplate the Manmohan Singh once to start all over again. On New Kolkata: 4th Floor, Chowdhury Building, 8/1A Little Russel Street, Kolkata 700 071. confirmed that impres- cated the situation”. idylls of breakfast spoke of as long as this Year’s Day, people are happy. Phone: (033) 2289 0676/77 Fax (033) 2289 0686 sion. Official waffling Japan’s Prime Minister human legacy of Jubel D’Cruz Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office in the United Kingdom in Amritsar, lunch over the National Shinzo Abe delayed his Partition haunts us. Mumbai Air surcharge for Kathmandu and J&K `1 in Lahore and Published and Printed on behalf of and for Register of Citizens and visit pleading conditions They were Indians once. ◗ Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited, Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, the National Population in Assam. Malaysia’s dinner in Kabul that Their ghar wapsi in the Every Monday the best letter of 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi 110 002 at BFL Infotech Ltd., C-9, Sector-III, Noida -201301. Register only increased Prime Minister new year is worth cele- ◗ Dr Manmohan Mumbai: Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, Plot No 22, Digha MIDC, TTC Industrial Estate Area, Vishnu Nagar, Digha, the fears about a police Mahathir Mohamad the week wins `500. Email: Navi Mumbai-400708. Singh once spoke brating. lamented the “withering [email protected] Else, send ◗ Kolkata: Satyajug Employees Cooperative Industrial Society Ltd, 13/A, Prafulla Sarkar Street, Kolkata 700 072. state. of as long as this ◗ London: Quickmarsh Ltd, 8th Floor, Block 2, Elizabeth House, 39 York Road, London, SE1 7NQ. The CAA is wrongly of secularism” in India. The writer is a senior to Jawaharlal Nehru National RNI Registration number: 57290/94 blamed. The US Perhaps critics do have human legacy of journalist, columnist Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Postal registration numbers: DL(S)-05/4189/15-17 Commission on a point in accusing the Partition haunts us and author Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi 110002

he recent verdict by a United States, Japan and Australia involved the probing of harassment a crime in French labour law and not always productive. But coming French court on the “moral in the past two decades. Earlier claims at France Télécom SA in defined as “repeated acts having as down to the brass tacks, it is the harassment” of employees this year, 189 cases of attempted 2010 by the prosecutor’s office, the their object or effect a deterioration greedy tactics used by corporations Thas set a major precedent suicides and other stress-related labour inspectorate’s inquiries into of an employee’s working condi- that chip away at workers’ status. in an era of turbulent global eco- health issues of Amazon ware- cases, a stress-monitoring survey of tions”. Those found guilty of moral The difference is that the Zeenat nomic liberalisation. While the house employees came to light. In the employees, a judicial investiga- harassment can face one year of workforce in the West is educated, criminal trial against France Japan, such suicides have a specif- tion into the restructuring pro- prison and fines. In addition to a skilled, informed, laced with the Hisam Télécom exposes tactics of corpo- ic term — “karojisatsu”, or suicide gramme of the company, and filing robust body of laws to protect know-how of institutional rate culture — merciless downsiz- from overwork. Workplaces are of the cases by trade unions on employees, France’s trade unions mechanisms and able to fight back. ing leading to workers’ suicides — getting cruel and unjust day by behalf of the victims’ families. As are strong and well-known for They do fight back even if they do the verdict reveals the strength day, and this phenomenon cut public servants, the employees at using strikes and protests. Though not win. Like French trade unions and role of trade unions in holding across class: highly skilled, educat- France Télécom could not be fired union density in France is low (11 are doing just now: fighting corporations accountable. ed and professional workforces are so the management adopted a strat- per cent in 2016) compared to other President Macron’s plan for a Cynics might ask what a First also facing the consequences of egy to “encourage” them to leave. European countries, their strength single points-based pension system A growing World dispute between managerial unbridled corporate greed. The senior management estab- comes from the statutory powers which would eliminate separate staff and employers has to do with France Télécom, once a state lished a “system of institutional their representatives enjoy as joint schemes that offer early retirement most developing countries, where monopoly, got rid of 22,000 workers harassment” by creating an atmos- managers along with employers in for public-sector workers. problem: Moral the managerial cadre is largely in three years when it was priva- phere of anxiety through transfers work councils in firms with more There is little difference between deprived of the basic right to form tised, restructured and rebranded to faraway cities, setting unachiev- than 50 staff members. the management style of France a union, where trade unionism is as Orange in 2006. Between 2008-09, able goals, tracking employees’ So, the question is: why are Télécom SA of 2009 — bent upon harassment at no more than a weak whimper and 19 employees took their own lives, movements and psychological bul- workers not treated with dignity pushing the workers out by hook labour disputes take years to 12 attempted suicide, and eight lying. The court was told that the and respect despite relatively or by crook — and the “seth men- decide. Well, it gives us hope — an were diagnosed with severe depres- CEO said he would “get them out better labour laws and strong tality” of owners-employers that increasingly rare commodity these sion. The employees’ suicides and one way or another — through the presence of unions in developed pervades in many of our indus- the workplace days — that the verdict might the follow-ups kept France and the door or through the window”. The countries? There are many rea- tries, as well as the façade of corpo- make corporations across the globe global corporate sector on tenter- former CEO and two senior execu- sons. For instance, small French rate social responsibility and cor- rethink “corporate social responsi- hooks for a decade. The trial, which tives were given one-year sen- firms often choose to hire no more porate codes of conduct put up by bility”. Suicides due to workplace began in May 2019, lasted just two tences plus fines; four other execu- than 49 employees in order to avoid multinationals here. stress have increased sharply in months. However, the process lead- tives charged with complicity were work councils. And where work developed countries such as the ing to the trial took 10 years and also punished. Moral harassment is councils exist, consultations are By arrangement with Dawn Word SPY ECOLONOMICS BANANA PROBLEM PAGE Sustainable living with environment- Going too far with a project, or not knowing Oped 7 friendly business practices when to bring a project to a close THE ASIAN AGE TUESDAY | 31 DECEMBER 2019 | NEW DELHI CAA & NRC are a wake-up call for all Indians

Everything does not get done The unity being voiced system, because of which it is future; and start keeping flows through my veins? I just in time here. So, I am wonder- by Indians against impossible to expect immedi- records from 2020 than waste know that it is Indian. Only in ing, by the time some designat- ate, accurate as well as com- money and time in digging up films, siblings with the same ed officials land up at the hous- the CAA and the NRC plete data to be officially the past? blood group turn up to save Nilofar Suhrawardy es of those born before 1971, on cannot be taken lightly. recorded about each and every It may be wiser for the gov- their parent from the jaws of the basis of God knows which It is a wake-up call citizen. ernment to give some impor- death and thus get reunited. data, there is no guarantee that for all. And this is This writer has also learnt of tance to keeping a record of the The unity being voiced by those persons would be cases of the Aadhaar card dis- blood group of each citizen. It Indians against the CAA and around. Okay, digital technolo- not a laughing matter. playing the incorrect gender. should. It must. This will save the NRC cannot be taken light- gy is assumed to have made The new generation No person — male, female, time when, God forbid, any ly. It is a wake-up call for all, everything a lot faster. But it is charting transgender or of any gender person reaches the stage of including ones obsessed by a s the year ing to deliberate on its options was not around in the 1970s a new chapter for — would like to be identified needing blood supply. Blood 50-year syndrome. And this is ends, by after the declaration of the and earlier. How will mid- wrongly, gender-wise. Of group is not decided by race, not a laughing matter. The new snatching results. Besides, its protests wives (dais) responsible for the the coming years! course, these errors have been religion, caste, class and/or generation is charting a new Jharkhand against the CAA and the NRC birth of many prior to the 1970s corrected but not instantly or any other ethnic division. All chapter for the coming years! from the has apparently not been be traced? Also, I have not course the Aadhaar card. The just within a few days. my family members have dif- BJP’s com- ignored by voters. heard of midwives having kept last needs to be linked with reg- Even if the present leaders ferent blood groups. Being The writer is a journalist mand, the Amit Shah needs to perhaps any record of the births they istered mobile numbers, PAN remain confident about the accident-prone, they have with specialisation in Congress is deliberate on his confidence assisted in. With respect to cards, bank accounts and I am NRC and the CAA being pre- needed blood more than once. communication studies and probably having the last laugh. about remaining in power for those born in hospitals prior to not aware if new rules would pared in 50 years, as per IST, Who knows, which and how nuclear diplomacy. She is also Anti-BJPA protests and demon- 50 years because of the 2019 1971, the possibility of their include some other documents, why don’t they look into the many Indian citizens’ blood the author of several books. strations across the country parliamentary victory. One certificates being retrieved including verification by neigh- against the Citizenship needs to view his 50-year from there is as good as non- bours with documents to prove Amendment Act (CAA) and the “obsession” from another existent. Besides, there is the their identity. National Register of Citizens angle. He may be around, but “name” issue. It is really mind-boggling as (NRC) have certainly punc- there is no guarantee that he’d Nowadays, even a minor dif- to how many more identity tured the larger-than-life still be in power. ference in spelling of names in cards each Indian is likely to image projected about Prime There is also a severe tempo- various identity cards one is be commanded to have. When Minister Narendra Modi. It ral lapse in the BJP’s drafting supposed to have can spell a Aadhaar cards were made has deflated electorally also in of the NRC as well as the CAA. major headache. Earlier, usual- compulsory, we ensured that Jharkhand. Hopefully, the The selection of the year 1971 ly, only nicknames were decid- all family members got theirs, Jharkhand results will not for registering citizens in keep- ed at the time of birth. The birth by using the services of private make the Congress over-confi- ing with the NRC, which has so certificates of many, if they agents. Since an elderly mem- dent about its prospects in the far not extended beyond exist, prior to the 1970s don’t ber was bedridden, the agent forthcoming Assembly elec- Assam, is fairly puzzling. The have the same name which was came home for his photograph, tions, particularly in Delhi. At framers of the NRC presumed later chosen formally. Most fingerprints, etc and his card present, the party needs to pay that they will take little time in educated and urban Indians are was made. Earlier, the con- strategic importance to its implementing it beyond at present loaded with too many cerned government unit was anti-BJP campaign even if this Assam. India is not Assam, nor identity cards and documents approached to facilitate the demands an alliance with a is it just Gujarat or Jammu and required for verification: same service. It took more than regional party. Regarding Kashmir (J&K). Driving license, birth-certifi- a year to respond and got in Jharkhand, the Congress acted Some importance should also cate, educational certificates, touch with us after the mem- shrewdly by allying with a be given to this nation’s func- passport, PAN card, bank-state- ber had expired. This is just a regional party prior to the tioning in keeping with its ment, proof of having paid mild indicator of the lapses Assembly elections than choos- Indian Standard Time. income tax, voter-ID and of still prevalent in the Indian ‘It’s just what I wanted! How did you know?’ India’s Satya isn’t Sundar; that’s our ugly truth

Sriram Karri

t was an extraordinary year for India’s greatest technology exports ever — Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai — two individ- Iuals who have achieved the absolutely highest positions in the world of technology. While Mr Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, was declared the “Person of the Year” by the Financial Times, Mr Pichai was named the CEO of Alphabet, the principal company which owns Google, of which Mr Pichai has been the head for quite a few years. What an achievement for all of us Indians to be proud of, right? Wrong, actually. We have nothing to be proud of, and a lot to think about, if not to be ashamed of. Actually, we Indians, those of us living in India, have achieved something different, though no less extraordinary — we have given the dead poet John Keats something to rethink; his chiasmus in Ode on a Grecian Urn, when he declared, “beauty is truth, truth beauty”. Translated, Satya is Sundar, and Sundar is Satya. In our case, it is not. For us Indians to boast about their success as an Indian achievement is not true — their achievements are as un-Indian as it can get in our idea of India today — and the underlying truth is ugly. Immigrants’ success: The foundational value of their success is the idea of America, the great melting pot, where people of any country can come and make their tomorrow better. Now, if America implemented a citizenship law disallowing non-Christians into their land, we can only speculate about Satya Nadella, general manager, and Sundar Pichai, project manager, in two Indian companies. Rejection of inheritance: The rise of these two, even after reaching America’s shores, would not have been possible if Bill Gates and Steve Balmer, or Larry Page and Sergey Brin, had an Indian weakness for familial inheritance of positions. Put any Indian in place of these four and their succession planning would have included son, daughter, son-in-law, nephew, niece, and a long-extended set of cousins taking up the positions. The final rise of Mr Nadella and Mr Pichai was further made possible by the most un- Indian of values — to create something and make way for someone else to hold the reins based only on talent, a far cry in a nation where even political parties are passed down as family treasures — just as their initial success was based on a liberal immigration policy. For a nation that takes pride in those Drop resolutions! Be spontaneous Indians, who have achieved something after they left our country, unable to find the oppor- tomorrow to have its own being. thing new in our lives? To again. But the key is that the resolution tunities they aspired for at home, is fake Let it come in its own way! Let it understand the real meaning of has to be done by the heart, not by the pride. For a nation that takes pride in the bring its own gifts. Resolution Osho’s comment, we have to go mind. The mind is always indecisive, and achievements of Indians overseas without Amrit means you will allow only this deeper into the mechanism of the heart is ever resolved, undivided. having created such platforms itself — and you will not allow that. the mind. It is the rational mind Because the heart is not divided, it can Wimbeldon, the Oscar awards, the Nobel Sadhana Resolution means you would that is behind the new resolu- determine unwaveringly. Another sug- Prizes, or the Booker or Pulitzer prizes — it is like the sun to rise in the west tions that we make. They spring gestion: If you want to be successful, don’t a falsely premised pride. And top the pride and not in the east. If it rises in from our past and unconscious have big goals, start with small actions, cake with a cherry — quickly google the caste the east, you will not open your behaviour. Before deciding to they are easy to fulfil. Instead of saying of newest achiever abroad and feel the chest windows; you will keep your windows make a new resolution, try to understand “exercise more”, decide not to use the ele- fill with pride if it matches. open to the west. Resolution is struggle. the nature of the habit and behavioural vator, or walk for 20 minutes. Don’t order To be truly deserving to feel pride in the nce someone asked Osho, “If one Resolution is ego. Resolution is saying, ‘I science. A habit has strong roots in the yourself to eat healthier, have fresh fruits, achievements of Satya Nadella or Sundar were to make only one New cannot live spontaneously’. And if you body and mind; therefore, habits are auto- and veggies for lunch. If your heart is in Pichai, we need to also become a country Year’s resolution, what would cannot live spontaneously, you don’t live matic, conditioned responses. Brain the decision, your success rate will be whose Sahitya Akademi prize is aspired for by Oyou suggest?” And Osho, in his at all — you only pretend. So let only one researchers say that it takes at least 66 very high. authors or poets across the world, and aspire inimitable style, said, “This and only this resolution be there: I will never make any days to form a new habit or change an old to become a nation where a Bangladeshi can be the New Year’s resolution: I resolutions. Drop all resolutions! Let life one. This is too long a gap between our Amrit Sadhana is editor of Muslim can migrate, become a citizen, join a resolve never to make any resolutions be a natural spontaneity. The only golden resolution and the actual change of the Osho Times International. company and become its CEO. because all resolutions are restrictions rule is that there are no golden rules.” pattern. Nobody has patience and perse- She facilitates meditation Little wonder that we may prove Keats for the future. All resolutions are impris- And naturally, the question will arise if verance to wait till the habit changes by workshops based on wrong, but we also prove Joseph Heller right onments. You decide today for tomorrow. we don’t make new resolutions, how do itself. That’s why we think we have failed, Osho insights around — to be proud of something we must be You have destroyed tomorrow. Allow the we change our old habits, bring some- and wow, that we will never resolve the country and abroad. ashamed of is a trick that never fails. Not in India, not in our India, not in today’s India. Budget Pixel PAGE Leaked renders of the Google Pixel 4a smartphone suggest at a punch-hole Technomics 8 display with no Soli chip THE ASIAN AGE TUESDAY | 31 DECEMBER 2019 | NEW DELHI

BEST PC GAMES NEW INTEL CPUs OF THE DECADE Workers adapt as robots take over TO MULTITASK Not only has the decade gone by saw gaming MUCH BETTER technology improve by Keeping up with the pace of AI is taking a toll on human workers’ health, safety and morale leaps and bounds, the AGE CORRESPONDENT games, thanks to pow- Washington, Dec. 30: 'Where are they going to another warehouse robot- with agency inputs Guess who's getting used come from?','' she said. “It's ics startup, Colorado- HYDERABAD, DEC. 30 erful systems, imple- to working with robots in a little nerve-racking at based Canvas Technology, mented these technolo- their everyday lives? The first.” which builds wheeled In 2020, chip manufac- gies to provide a hyper very same warehouse Amazon and its rivals robots guided by computer turing giant, Intel, will realistic game. Here are workers once predicted to are increasingly requiring vision. Such robots would hope to put its troubles be losing their jobs to warehouse employees to be more fully autonomous behind them. And if the a few of the best PC mechanical replacements . get used to working with than Amazon's current leaks are to believed, the games of the decade But doing your job side- robots. The company now fleet of caged-off vehicles, budget 10th generation by-side with robots isn't has more than 200,000 which have to follow bar of Core desktop proces- easy. According to their robotic vehicles it calls codes and previously sors will play a major MINECRAFT makers, the machines ''drives'' that are moving mapped routes within role as it would see the should take on the most goods through its delivery- warehouses. biggest improvements, To understand the mundane and physically fulfillment centers around The tech giant is also reports Engadget. game’s impact, one only strenuous tasks. In reality, the U.S. That's double the still rolling out new mod- The report, which cites they're also creating new number it had last year els descended from the Informatica Cero and needs to see the mil- forms of stress and strain and up from 15,000 units in Kiva line, including the VideoCardz, said that lions of Minecraft in the form of injuries and 2014. Pegasus, a squarish vehi- the Comet Lake-S CPU videos floating across the unease of working in Its rivals have taken cle with a conveyor belt on lineup is likely to social media. It has close quarters with mobile notice, and many are top that can be found include Hyperthreading. been told to be the digi- half-ton devices that direct adding their own robots in working the early-morn- If the report is true, themselves. a race to speed up produc- ing shift at a warehouse in users will no longer tal version of Lego “They weigh a lot,” tivity and bring down the Phoenix suburb of need to buy a Core i7 or Amazon worker Amanda costs. Goodyear, Arizona. A better to wring truly Taillon said during the Without these fast-mov- crisscrossing fleet of strong multitasking per- SID MEIER’S pre-Christmas rush at a ing pods, robotic arms and robots carries packaged formance out of their CIVILIZATION V company warehouse in other forms of warehouse items across the floor and system. Connecticut. Nearby, a automation, retailers say drops them into chutes After that, it would be It’s strange to think fleet of 6-foot-tall roving they wouldn't be able to up their performance, said tech giant re-branded it as ics spiked to $1.5 billion a based on the zip code of more about subtler but that the elder of the two robot shelves zipped fulfill consumer demand Beth Gutelius, who studies Amazon Robotics and year in 2015 and has their final destination. still welcome improve- around behind a chain- for packages that can land urban economic develop- transformed it into an in- remained high ever since, All of this is transform- ments. The flagship currently played link fence. on doorsteps the day after ment at the University of house laboratory that for said Rian Whitton, a robot- ing warehouse work in a 3.7GHz Core i9-10900K Civilization games came Taillon's job is to enter a you order them online. Illinois at Chicago and has seven years has been ics analyst at ABI way that the head of (base clock of 3.7GHz) out nearly 10 years ago, cage and tame Amazon's But while fears that interviewed warehouse designing and building Research. Amazon Robotics says can and its non-K variant what with it still being wheeled warehouse robots robots will replace human operators around the U.S. Amazon's robot armada. Canadian e-commerce ''extend human capability'' (2.8GHz) would support for long enough to pick up workers haven't come to It's not that workers Amazon's Kiva purchase company Shopify spent by shifting people to what a Velocity Boost feature the 25th most actively a fallen toy or relieve a fruition, there are growing aren't getting trained on ''set the tone for all the $450 million this fall to buy they are best at: problem- that would hike clock played game on Steam. traffic jam. She straps on a concerns that keeping up how to work with robots other retailers to stand up Massachusetts-based solving, common sense speeds as long as the light-up utility belt that with the pace of the latest safely. ''The problem is it and pay attention,'' said startup 6 River Systems, and thinking on their feet. thermals allow. works like a superhero's artificial intelligence tech- becomes very difficult to Jim Liefer, CEO of San which makes an ''The efficiencies we gain Otherwise, the user CRUSADER KINGS 2 force field, commanding nology is taking a toll on do so when the productivi- Francisco startup Kindred autonomous cart nick- from our associates and have to make do with the nearest robots to human workers' health, ty standards are set so AI, which makes an artifi- named Chuck that can fol- robotics working together 'just' the regular Turbo This medieval strate- abruptly halt and the oth- safety and morale. high,'' she said. cially intelligent robotic low workers around a harmoniously _ what I like Boost. These high-end gic sandbox puts you in ers to slow down or adjust Warehouses powered by Much of the boom in arm that grasps and sorts warehouse. Other mobile to call a symphony of parts would tout 10 cores charge of a noble their routes. robotics and AI software warehouse robotics has its items for retailers such as robot startups are partner- humans and machines and 20 total threads. ''When you're out there, are leading to human roots in Amazon's $775 The Gap. ing with delivery giants working together _ allows Beyond that, these dynasty. You preserve and you can hear them burnout by adding more million purchase of A rush of venture capital such as FedEx and DHL or us to pass along a lower would represent modest your bloodline across moving around, but you work and upping the pres- Massachusetts startup and private sector invest- retailers such as Walmart. cost to our customer,'' said but welcome refreshes of generations, through can't see them, it's like, sure on workers to speed Kiva Systems in 2012. The ment in warehouse robot- Amazon this year bought Tye Brad — AP the lineup. historical events like crusades and plagues as well as endless emer- gent challenges that Baidu takes AI arise over the years. ADVANCE IN GAMING TECH Since 2010, a lot has changed in the world of video games. Here are a few key ROCKET LEAGUE language crown technological advances that have had a huge impact. Low gravity rocket- AGE CORRESPONDENT RAY TRACING ADAPTIVE SYNC fuelled cars and football with agency inputs The technology, as the name suggests, involves Nvidia’s G-Sync and AMD’s rival may seem like strange HYDERABAD, DEC. 30 tracing the paths of individual light rays to create a FreeSync were introduced in the middle of bedfellows, and utterly lifelike depiction of how light works in the real world. banal if you’re interest- In 2019, nearly all compa- the last decade, and are monitor technolo- nies made a play for arti- ed in neither racing or Ray tracing, for long, has been used in the world of gies designed to combat screen tearing and ficial intelligence. Yet, stuttering. In other words, they aim to give football. Rocket League Chinese search engine, movies. However, it grabbed the headlines after Nvidia is a gestalt of these two Baidu, seems to have won launched its GeForce RTX graphics cards in 2018 you a smoother gameplay experience, particularly things, creating a new the race for the year, with the likes of fast-paced shooters where any such reports said. MOTION CAPTURE stuttering effects could put off your aim. sport altogether that’s According to a report on been a phenomenon The Independent, Baidu, Motion capture is nothing new. The process of cap- The technologies are no longer confined to just mon- since it came out in in a competition designed The feat makes turing the movements of human actors to make for itors. As 4K TVs have matured, we’ve seen the intro- 2015. to test how well a machine Ernie one of only duction of Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) with HDMI 2.1. can understand human more realistic looking characters in games has been language, achieved the 10 AI systems to around since the 90s. However, in the past decade, Smooth gameplay and fluid frame rates are as big a highest ever score in the surpass the aver- motion capture has become a swift and painless The Elder Scrolls V: deal as realistic and immersive graphics, particularly General Language age human score process, developers will be able to more easily utilize when it comes to playing online games competitively. Skyrim Understanding Evaluation of 87.1 on the GLUE it, and have more time freed up to hone visual (Glue) – widely considered Few will dispute the to be the benchmark for AI benchmark. details and animations GAME STREAMING idea that this majestic language understanding. RPG, set in one of the The firm’s Ernie model LIVE STREAMING Also known as cloud gaming, these most atmospheric open became the first to score Technology Review, In the last kind of services actually kicked off above 90 on the test, top- Baidu Research’s chief a surprisingly long time ago, with worlds in gaming, is at ping a leaderboard domi- architect, Hao Tian, said decade, Twitch and its best on PC. nated by US tech firms “When we first started other services such OnLive launching right at the and universities. this work, we were think- as Youtube and start of the decade. Ultimately The feat also makes it ing specifically about cer- it flopped, because 2010 was one of only 10 AI systems tain characteristics of the mixer allowed mil- Divinity: Original Sin 2 lions of viewers to simply too early given the to surpass the average Chinese language. But we contemporary internet While previous games human score of 87.1 on quickly discovered that it watch professional infrastructure, but in the series were the GLUE benchmark. was applicable beyond streamers play Ernie used a method that.” with the same faster always hampered by games. Streaming similar to Google’s Bert, Baidu is already using broadband publisher and budgetary has become such which transformed natu- the model to improve connections problems, Kickstarter ral-language understand- results for its search a big phe- which have crowdfunding let Larian ing for AI when it was engine and make its AI nomenon created last year. assistant Xiao Du more helped off the leash, setting these Both the models inter- accurate. drive the them free to make two days pret meaning by examin- A paper detailing how rise of live streaming, of the deepest, most ing the words that appear Ernie was trained for the that func- game streaming has rewarding RPGs of all both before and after a language test will be pre- tionality is sented at the Association become a realistic time. word in a sentence in built directly order to fully establish for the Advancement of proposition. context. Artificial Intelligence into consoles. Speaking to MIT conference next year. PORTAL 2 Portal 2 is a first-person puzzle game where you use one of the Economic slowdown fails to buck smartphone demand greatest guns in gaming to progress through a New Delhi, Dec.30: The double digits (by 12-14 per cial economic zone (SEZ) said the smart TV account- handsets. series of increasingly economic slowdown may cent) in 2020. By 2022, over NEW AVENUES near Chennai that was ed for 18 per cent of the “...we still depend on difficult and mind-bend- have clipped sales of cars 700 million people are closed for nearly 10 years. total TV market in India in imports of many essential ing obstacles. and biscuits in 2019, but expected to have a smart- A new area of action for smartphone The facility will be made the first quarter of 2018, parts... which will take few smartphones bucked the phone in India, and over a operational from March which expanded to 43 per more quarters before trend as urban and rural billion devices will be sold makers was the smart TV space. Players 2020, and is expected to cent a year later. everything starts to be users continued to buy, over the next four-five like OnePlus, Motorola and Nokia employ about 10,000 people. Another area of ultra- sourced locally. The hin- DARK SOULS and even upgrade to, years, he said. launched their smart TVs — and priced For consumers, 2019 saw sonic growth was the drances to this are non- expensive handsets — a A back of the envelope them aggressively — to compete with smartphones sporting wearables category. While availability of resources, It’s a game that dared trend likely to pick up pace calculation shows that more cameras with power- previous years saw a num- skilled labour, infrastruc- to be formidable and in the coming year. over 115 million units giants like Sony, LG and Samsung. ful sensors, higher memo- ber of fitness bands and ture etc,” IDC India's Joshi uncompromising, and The growth in smart- smartphones were shipped Wearables also proved to be a provide ry and even a folding form smart watches making said. rewarded those of us phone adoption was fur- in India in the first three factor. Ending months of their way into the Indian For further long-term ther fuelled by the govern- quarters of 2019 with major growth for smartphone makers wait, Samsung brought to market, 2019 was the year growth, it is essential to who persevered through ment's push to position the Xiaomi, Samsung, vivo, India its 'Galaxy Fold' fea- of 'hearables'. This catego- build a strong and robust its initial obscurity with country as a global hub for Oppo and realme making turing a foldable display ry, according to Faisal ecosystem of manufactur- an inimitable sense of manufacturing and coax up the top five tally. Manager (Client Devices) retail store in India. and priced at `1.65 lakh. Kawoosa (founder and ing, lowering dependency suspense and satisfac- Apple and other leading Interestingly, there has Upasana Joshi, this seg- Also, corporate tax rate Motorola has also intro- Chief Analyst at on imports and giving brands to produce and been a significant rise in ment is essentially for the was reduced to 22 per cent duced its foldable 'Moto techARC), will make up attractive export subsidies tion. export more phones from the average selling prices “upgraders” who aspire for and a lower 15 per cent rate Razr' though there is no two-thirds of the wear- to these brands, she added. India. (ASP) of smartphones this flagship-like design and offered to new manufactur- clarity on its India avail- ables sales in 2020 by vol- That said, consumers' Experts say that phone year — rising from `5,000- specifications at nominal ing units. ability. ume. voracious appetite for THE WITCHER 3: WILD shipment is expected to 10,000 to `10,000-15,000 now. prices. This massive outreach Another area of action While smartphone man- smarter, more powerful HUNT see high single-digit to As per International The government on its helped as Apple began for smartphone makers ufacturing and consump- phones riding on newer double-digit growth in Data Corporation (IDC), part brought a new elec- making iPhone XR in was the smart TV space. tion is scaling new technologies like 5G will There’s something India as smartphones aid- while more than 80 per tronics manufacturing pol- India, while Salcomp com- Players like OnePlus, heights, industry experts keep players busy in 2020. comforting about the ing everything from shop- cent of the market is sub- icy to woo global investors mitted investments to the Motorola and Nokia flag certain challenges. realme India, for one, fact that the best RPG ping to banking to social $200, the $300-500 category to target manufacturing of tune of `2,000 crore. launched their smart TVs In a recent meeting with plans to bring in 5G prod- media and, yes, perfect has witnessed multi-fold one billion mobile phones Salcomp — which the — and priced them aggres- Finance Minister Nirmala ucts for Indian consumers and game of the decade selfies! Counterpoint growth with flagship by 2025. It also relaxed for- world's largest manufac- sively — to compete with Sitharaman, the industry as early as the first quar- wasn’t a high-fantasy Research Associate devices of players like eign direct investment turer and a major supplier giants like Sony, LG and sought clarity over recent ter of 2020 and advises outing from a long- Director Tarun Pathak Xiaomi, Oppo and (FDI) for single brand of chargers to Apple for Samsung. reduction in export incen- prospective buyers and established publisher expects India's smart- OnePlus. retail - a move that made iPhone — has inked an Xiaomi India Head of tives and demanded ratio- tech enthusiasts to “stay phone market to grow by 9 According to IDC India Apple announce willing- agreement to take over the Online Sales and nalisation of tax struc- tuned”. per cent this year, and in Associate Research ness to open its maiden facility of Nokia in a spe- Categories Raghu Reddy ture, including GST on — PTI New kid on the block AI may crash-land if no buyer turns up ByteDance TikTok parent ByteDance is the Air India might be forced to Didi Chuxing most valuable shut down by June next year tech startup in the world unless it finds a buyer, as Juul "piecemeal" arrangements can- ■ Valuation not be sustained for long, a sen- SpaceX ior airline official said, adding Stripe that there is also a need for funds to restart operations of Airbnb 12 grounded narrow-body planes. The airline has a debt bur- den of around `60,000 crore and the government is still work- Kuaishou ing on the modalities for the disinvestment. The official said 0 20 40 60 80 Air India might well go Jet Airways way if a prospective buyer TUESDAY | 31 DECEMBER 2019 | NEW DELHI Source: CB Insights does not come on board by June. ■ `22 L cr created and `27 L cr destroyed in last 2 years RBI seeks to tighten lending quick Polarised market creates, rules for urban co-op banks FALAKNAAZ SYED “The hidden exposure shall be taken on BITES MUMBAI, DEC. 30 such borrowers, these agenda of the RBI is facilities may be allowed destroys massive wealth In a bid to prevent PMC to force UCBs to to continue as per their Bank-like scams, the convert to SFBs. Two respective repayment INDICATORS % Reserve Bank of India schedule / till maturity Sensex 41,575.14 1.00 RAVI RANJAN PRASAD January 2018 and (RBI) on Monday pro- years ago also the the central bank said. Nifty 50 12,245.80 0.98 MUMBAI, DEC. 30 MORE LOSERS THAN GAINERS December 2019, the next 25 posed to cap the loan expo- RBI had asked UCBs Further the draft norms companies i.e., 25 to 50, in also proposes to increase S&P 500 3,240.02 0.00 ◗ sure of urban co-opera- to voluntarily convert The top 30 companies had The Nifty has gained terms of market cap tive banks to a single enti- to SFB, but there the overall priority sector Dollar (`) 71.32 -0.06 created wealth worth Rs 22 12% in 2019, with half gained only 4 per cent. ty and a group of borrow- lending target for UCBs lakh crore for investors Performance turned neg- ers to 10 per cent and 25 were no takers. So from the present level of Pound Sterling (`) 93.54 0.29 the index stocks in the now the RBI is forc- between January 2018 and green but just one- ative by 13 per cent for the per cent, respectively, 40 per cent of adjusted net Euro (`) 79.86 0.41 December 2019 while there next 50 companies i.e., 51- besides also raising the ing UCBs to follow bank credit or credit third have gained Gold (10gm)* (`) 39,882▼73 -0.18 has been wealth destruc- 100, and by minus 8 per priority sector lending the same norms” equivalent amount of off- tion to an extent of Rs 27 more than 15% cent for the next 150 compa- targets for them. balance sheet exposure, Brent crude ($/bbl)* $68.16 0.04 lakh crore across 1,100 out ◗ While top 25 firms nies, i.e., 101 to 250. The RBI, in the draft cir- whichever is higher to 75 IN 10-Yr bond yield 6.500 -0.076 of 1,300 companies listed Companies ranked 251 to cular, stipulated “that the “If you read in between per cent by March 31, 2023. gained 22%, the next US 10-Yr T-bill yield 1.877 0.04 on the NSE during the two 500 have given 34 per cent prudential exposure lim- the lines, then you will Currently, primary years, according to a study. 25 firms i.e., 25 to 50, negative return while its for UCBs for a single understand that the hid- (urban) co-operative * As of 9:30 pm IST “It was found that top 30 gained only 4% those in the 501 to 1,329 borrower/party and a den agenda of the RBI is banks (UCBs) are permit- companies by market cap rank have returned minus group of connected bor- to force UCBs to convert to ted to have exposures up had created wealth worth 57 per cent on an average. rowers/parties shall be 10 SFBs. Two years ago also to 15 per cent and 40 per Rs 22 lakh crore in the last heavyweight stocks.” opportunities is exploited “However what is per- per cent and 25 per cent, the RBI had asked UCBs cent of their capital funds RattanIndia two years, suggesting a “Companies that seem to by teams of arbitrageurs ceived to be safe may not respectively, of their Tier to voluntarily convert to to a single borrower and a massive polarisation, of be valuable but lack earn- or algo trades. The contri- really be safe over a long I capital and that at least SFB, but there were no group of borrowers, funds moving towards ings growth will continue bution, in percentage period. In today’s context, 50 per cent of their loan takers. So now the RBI is respectively. Power closes extreme perceived safety,” to be ignored and under- terms, of top 5 companies quality companies are get- portfolio shall comprise forcing UCBs to follow the The RBI said large expo- the study by Prospero Tree priced. The broader market and top 10 companies by ting completely mixed up loans not more than Rs 25 same norms and later con- sure of banks to single `6.5K cr debt Financial Services said. will want to see an earn- market cap to total market as quality investments,” lakh per borrower/party.” vert to SFBs.” borrowers/parties or In 2019, the polarisation ings recovery," Bansal said. cap has gone up over the the study by Prospero Tree Jyotindra Mehta, presi- The revised exposure groups of connected bor- Private power producer in the market has also got a Foreign portfolio years from 9.7 and 14.4 per Financial Services said. dent of the National limits shall apply to all rowers/parties leads to RattanIndia Power said it has boost from easy global liq- investors were net buyers cent to 17.6 and 23.4 per “The one thing that Federation of Urban Co- types of fresh exposures credit concentration risk. closed one-time settlement of uidity that led to robust of equities worth Rs cent, respectively,” said comes between quality operative Banks and taken by UCBs. Once the When large exposures to Rs 6,574 crore debt raised from inflows into equities. 1,00,844 crore till December Deepak Jasani, head-retail companies being called as Credit Societies, told FC, final norms are issued, a few single parties/ a consortium of lenders led by Abhishek Bansal, chair- 30 in calendar year 2019, research, HDFC Securities. quality investments is the “The new limits that are UCBs will have to bring groups become non-per- SBI and PFC. Under the settle- man, ABans Group of going by data from national Even though Sensex and price at which those invest- being proposed for UCBs down their existing expo- forming, it affects the cap- ment deal, existing lenders Companies, said, "The depository NSDL. Nifty have performed pret- ments are made,” the study are similar to the ones sures which are in excess ital/net worth of the con- have assigned the principal Nifty has gained 12 per cent “Indian investors’ invest- ty well over the past 24 warned. There are many that small finance banks of the revised limits to cerned bank significantly debt to new investors and in 2019, with half the index ing mindset is also evolv- months, many investors companies doing credible (SFBs) have to follow. The within the aforesaid and, at times, leads to liq- lenders, including Goldman stocks in the green but just ing, as they are learning are brutally injured in this work in their respective co-operative banks should revised limits by March uidity and solvency risk Sachs and Varde Partners for one-third have gained more some lessons the hard way. period due to a wide fall in sectors, having a decent respect the regulator’s 31, 2023. However, where for the lender. Rs 4,050 crore. than 15 per cent. Most of Markets are getting the stock market. While the probability of adequate prescribed formula when the existing exposure The central bank said this rally has been driven polarised day by day in top 25 companies market success and are now avail- enforced.” comprises only term that the comments on the by foreign inflows through terms of volumes and mar- cap-wise gained 22 per cent able at attractive price, the However, the chairman loans and non-fund based draft circular can be for- SBI external ETFs, which favours ket cap. A lot of intra day on an average between study further said. of another UCB told FC: facilities, while no further warded to it till January 20. benchmark rate MDR waiver: Payments industry Swelling mobile subscriptions cut by 25 bps India's mobile phone customer base rose by 9.66 Exports may million subscribers to 1.18 billion in October, according to data released by the telecoms touch says it’s like nationalisation regulator on Monday. COMPANY CHANGE (mn) TOTAL USERS (mn) $330-340 bn, SANGEETHA G lead to job losses, stymie involved, including the along with reducing the CHENNAI, DEC. 30 innovation and slowdown card companies, banks and transaction cost of digital Bharti Airtel 0.08 325.65 the expansion of digital the POS terminal payments. However, this Vodafone Idea 0.19 372.68 says Fieo The government’s proposal payments, as the move will providers. As per the move may impact the pri- to waive merchant dis- spell the end of customer industry, about 80-90 per vate players in the digital Reliance Jio 9.10 364.33 New Delhi, Dec 30: The count rate (MDR) charges incentive spends by partici- cent of the revenues for payments space as MDR is Bharat Sanchar Nigam 0.29 117.26 country's exports are State Bank of India reduced its for RuPay and UPI transac- pants. Service providers POS terminal providers a source of their revenue Reliance Communications -0.0002 0.02 expected to touch $330- external benchmark-based rate tions will virtually kill the will start withdrawing POS comes through MDR. models along with impact,” 340 billion during the by 25 basis points to 7.80 per digital payments industry terminals to cut their loss- Some in the industry said Ankur Pahwa, partner MTNL -0.006 3.39 ongoing fiscal on cent per annum from 8.05 per by drying up its revenue es if there is no revenue want the cost to be borne and national leader–e-com- BSNL VNO 0.0003 0.09 account of uncertain cent with effect from January 1. stream. The move will also from 500 million active by the government instead merce and consumer inter- global situation and ris- With this, interest rate for exist- lead to slowdown and job RuPay cards. of banks, as they would not net, EY India. “It is impor- ■ ■ ing protectionism, ing home loan customers and Active mobile subscribers in October Total broadband connections were losses, says the industry. With a view to drive digi- have any incentive to pro- tant to keep in mind that were 981.19 million. 644.08 mn. There were 625 mn broad- exporters body Fieo said MSME borrowers who have "The zero MDR on RuPay tal payments, finance min- mote digital payments this is mandated only for on Monday. ■ availed of loans linked to exter- and UPI will kill the indus- ister Nirmala Sitharaman without MDR revenues. companies above Rs 50 Mobile connections per 100 people, or band users through mobile phones and During April-Novem- nal benchmark-based rate try and make the business had a couple of days back “Incentivising digital crore turnover and hence the tele-density of wireless subscribers, dongles, while 19.08 mn were using ber 2019-20, exports would come down by 25 basis model unviable. It's like asked the industry not to payments to push for less will not impact the smaller dipped by about 2 per points, the bank said. were 89.55. Mobile tele-density in urban broadband through wirelines. nationalisation of the pay- charge MDR on payments cash economy is a good merchants, which form a ■ cent to $212 billion. ments industry. If the gov- using RuPay, UPI from move. However, clarity is larger volume base,” he India was 156.83, compared with 57.91 in The number of fixed-phone line Federation of Indian ernment wants to drive January 1. This applies to required on who will foot said. rural regions. subscribers slipped to 21.45 mn in Export Organisations digitisation, then it should all companies with a the MDR cost,” said Rishi “If government wants to ■ As many as 4.08 mn mobile sub- October from 21.49 mn in September. (Fieo) president Sharad bear the cost,” said turnover of Rs 50 crore or Gupta, MD & CEO, Fino push digital payments, scribers opted to change their service ■ Including fixed-phone lines, India Kumar Saraf said the RBI buys `10K cr Vishwas Patel, chairman, more. This was mentioned Payments Bank. then making MDR zero is global situation is Payments Council of India. this in its last budget. “From the point-of-view not the solution, but a providers through mobile number had 1.20 billion phone users as of Oct. 31, becoming extremely securities in PCI, the representative MDR is a charge levied of the government, this lower, controlled MDR portability. or a total tele-density of 91.17%. challenging as rising body of merchant acquir- for making card transac- will aid in accelerating the along with added tax bene- protectionism is leading special OMO ers and aggregators, also tions and is distributed adoption of digital/cash- fits to merchants will go a Source: Trai/Reuters to uncertainty in global said scrapping MDR will among all the parties less payment systems long way," Patel said. trade, which will have In the second special open adverse impact on India. market operation (OMO), the He said despite having RBI bought Rs 10,000 crore a moderate share in worth long-term government global trade, India's securities and sold Rs 8,501 exports have always fol- crore of three short-term Kia Motors plans electric Huawei gets nod to join 5G trials lowed the trend in global bonds. The RBI had announced imports. simultaneous purchase and sale New Delhi, Dec. 30: The said the government has "Therefore, when glob- of government securities last government has allowed received seven applica- al imports are declining, week. Though it offered to sell version of Seltos SUV Chinese telecom company tions for 5G trials and our exports are also like- four securities in the auction, it Huawei Technologies Co. added that all operators ly to take a hit. accepted only three bids only. MICHAEL GONSALVES the electric Seltos would to participate in trials for and vendors (including Currently, exports dur- PUNE, DEC. 30 be introduced next year, 5G networks, as part of its Nokia, Ericsson, Huawei, ing April-November 2019 with production begin- decision to include all ZTE and Samsung) are are down by about 1.99 After racing to the top in ning in the second half of players in the trials. keen to participate. per cent. Therefore, we the sports utility vehicle 2020. It would be made "We have taken a deci- Huawei rivals western feel our goods exports (SUV) sales chart last exclusively available for sion to give 5G spectrum equipment makers, such may touch $330-340 bil- Prince Pipes month, Kia Motors now the Asian markets initial- for trials to all players," as Ericsson, and is banned lion in the current fis- plans to bring to India an ly, starting with South Telecom Minister Ravi in the US. Many countries, cal," Saraf said in a tanks over 7% all-electric Seltos SUV to Korea. Shankar Prasad said on however, have allowed tele- statement. cash in on its popularity According to sources the Monday. com service providers to "If the global situation in Asia’s third biggest Kia Seltos EV is likely to An in-principle decision use Chinese gears. And improves, which is like- on debut economy. have the same drivetrain has been taken in this official. news channel reported. now, India has also indi- ly in the first half of Shares of Prince Pipes And The new model has been as the Hyundai Kona EV. regard, Prasad said at an The telecom department Sources said all vendors, cated its unwillingness to 2020, we may look for 15 Fittings made a weak debut at internally codenamed SP2 The range of the Seltos event here. will meet operators on including Huawei, will be keep any company out of per cent growth in the bourses and closed over 7 EV and is being road-test- EV could be around 400 "5G is future, it is speed. Tuesday to confirm the covered in trials. 5G trials. exports during the next per cent lower from its issue ed internationally. km. We will encourage new timing for 5G trials, a Sources had recently —Agencies financial year," he said. price of Rs 178. The scrip list- The Seltos EV will join When launched in India, innovation in 5G," he However, he said ed at Rs 160, down 10.11 per the Seltos petrol and Kia Seltos EV will com- added. exports have to be cent from the issue price on the diesel line-up globally. pete directly with recently The government’s stand aligned with changing BSE. During the day, it touched South Korea's Kia Motors unveiled British MG ZS implies that all operators, China’s vice-premier to visit US for phase-I deal import patterns of the a high of Rs 177.95 and a low of is the world’s eighth EV for the sheer SUV-like backed by equipment ven- global economy. Rs 152.60. It finally closed at Rs biggest car maker. size of the vehicle. The dors they have decided to K. J. M. VARMA has accepted it," Hong would mark a point of About 50 per cent of 166.60, down by 6.40 per cent. “We have plans to MG ZS EV, powered by partner with, will be able BEIJING, DEC 30 Kong-based South China truce in the ongoing bit- the global imports is The Rs 500-crore IPO was sub- launch a new car every six 44.5kWh lithium-ion bat- to participate in the Morning Post quoted an ter trade war. accounted by electrical scribed 2.21 times. months and the electric tery, can go up to 340 kilo- upcoming 5G trials. China's vice-premier Liu official as saying. On December 13, China and electronics prod- vehicle is part of that plan meters on a single charge. A Huawei spokesman He, who is also the chief The Chinese delegation, and the US have agreed ucts, automobiles, mach- for the Indian market,” At present Kia Motors also confirmed the news. negotiator for trade talks headed by Liu, which on the text of a phase one inery, petroleum prod- Printed & Published by Manohar Bhat, head, mar- India has its hands full The nod to Huawei with the US, will lead a would leave on Saturday economic and trade ucts and plastic prod- T Venkateswarlu on behalf of Deccan keting and sales at Kia with aggressive market- comes at a time when the delegation to Washington is expected to stay "a few agreement to end the 18- ucts. "Unfortunately, the Chronicle Holdings Limited. Printed at Motors India told ing activities lined for its global rollout of 5G tech- this weekend, during days" in the US, the month-long trade war. share of such products BFL Infotech Ltd, C-9 Sector 3, Noida- Financial Chronicle with- second product in India – nology has been compli- which he is expected to report said. According to an official in our exports is less 201301. Published at 219, N D Tiwari Bhawan, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, out divulging more the premium Carnival cated by US sanctions sign a phase one deal to However, neither side statement, both the sides than 33 per cent despite New Delhi-110002. details. This means five multi-purpose vehicle to against the company. The significantly de-escalate has officially confirmed have agreed to complete having petroleum prod- Editor: T.Venkatram Reddy, RNI new cars in three years be launched in the first United States has been lob- the trade war between the the trip. China's Ministry their necessary proce- ucts accounting for Registration number 30074/09, Air sur- after Kia Seltos SUV was half of next year. bying allies not to use two biggest global of Commerce was not dures, including legal roughly half of it. Our charge Re 1. © All rights reserved. introduced in August The company is also Huawei's network equip- economies, a media immediately available for review, translation and global share in such Reproduction in whole or in part with- 2019. readying a sub-four-metre ment in their 5G networks. report said on Monday. comment. proofreading, as soon as products is much less out written permission of The Editor, But industry sources compact SUV, which The trials will be held in "Washington has sent The signing of a phase possible. than 1 per cent," he said. Financial Chronicle ® is prohibited. said if everything goes as would hit the roads in the January, according to a an invitation and Beijing one deal during Liu's trip —PTI — PTI per the plan, Kia Motors second half of 2020. senior telecom ministry Be prepared PAGE North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for his military and diplomats to prepare unspecified offensive measures World 10 to protect the country’s security and sovereignty THE ASIAN AGE TUESDAY | 31 DECEMBER 2019 | NEW DELHI Greta a victim of depression: Dad London, Dec. 30: Greta Biden’s vote to Thunberg may have authorise Iraq War become the new global climate icon, but the 16-year- worst foreign policy old Swedish teenager struggled with depression decision for three to four years and received no support from — Pete Buttigieg her father for skipping Democratic presidential candidate school for activism, a bold decision that has inspired millions to join her in raising awareness on IN BRIEF environmental issues. Greta Thunberg In an interview to the I did all these things, I Thief throws BBC, Greta's father knew they were the Svante Thunberg said he right thing to do... but I did- thought it was "a bad stolen cash in air idea" for his daughter to n't do it to save the climate, DENVER: A man with a white take to the "front line" of I did it to save my child. She beard was being held on the battle against climate stopped talking... she $10,000 bond for allegedly change. stopped going to school. — robbing a Colorado bank Thunberg said he was SVANTE THUNBERG and throwing the stolen cash "not supportive" of his into the air while shouting, daughter skipping school Greta Thunberg’s father “Merry Christmas” to for the climate strike. passersby, police and local As part of the same media reported on Tuesday. broadcast, guest-edited by that it was the "ultimate David Wayne Oliver, 65, was Greta for Radio 4's Today nightmare for a parent" arrested at a nearby programme, renowned when Greta began refus- Starbucks coffee shop after naturalist and broadcasting to eat. he held up the Academy er David Attenborough To help her get better, Bank in Colorado Springs on told her she had "woken Thunberg spent more Monday afternoon, accord- up the world" to climate time with Greta and her ing to a police report. Police change and "achieved younger sister, Beata, at said the suspect had “threat- things that many of us their home in Sweden. ened the use of a weapon” who have been working Greta's mother, opera and left the bank with an on the issue for 20 years singer and former undisclosed amount of cash. have failed to do". Eurovision Song Contest A police spokesperson could Greta was nominated participant Malena not immediately be reached. for this year's Nobel Ernman, cancelled con- A skycrane drops water on a bushfire in scrub behind houses in Bundoora, Melbourne on Monday. New Year’s Eve fireworks in Australia’s capital Peace Prize, after spear- tracts so the whole family and other cities have been cancelled as the wildfire danger worsens in oppressive summer heat. Sydney will set off its iconic fireworks display heading a global move- could be together. French tourist after being granted an exemption. — AP ment demanding world Then they began dis- leaders take action over cussing and researching hurt by shark climate change. It led to climate change, with Victoria (Seychelles): A co-ordinated school Greta becoming increas- French tourist was seriously strikes across the globe. ingly passionate. injured after being attacked Thunberg said his "I did all these things, I by a shark while swimming daughter had struggled knew they were the right in the Seychelles, a popular Australia’s columns of fire with depression for "three thing to do... but I didn't tourist destination, the or four years" before she do it to save the climate, I French ambassador said on began her school strike. did it to save my child," Monday. The attack on the "She stopped talking... Thunberg told presenter 45-year-old woman took she stopped going to Mishal Husain in place on Sunday night off force mass evacuation school," he said, adding Sweden. — PTI the island of Praslin, the second-largest in the picturesque archipelago famed for RFS Volunteer firefighter killed trying to battle bushfires in Albury its pristine beaches. The victim was injured in one arm Sydney/Melbourne, Dec. with as many as 14 “emer- ■ weather systems. media site Facebook Tens of thousands “There’s lightning com- showed tourist Nicholas Cat meets owner and was transported to a 30: A volunteer firefighter gency” warnings in place hospital. "She underwent an was killed battling for Victoria while fires are were evacuated as ing out of these columns,” Costanzo escaping from operation last night and her Australian bushfires on also threatening homes “columns of fire” fuelled Crisp told reporters. “It is the Victorian bushfire on life is not in danger," Monday as “columns” of and infrastructure in by extreme heat and unpredictable, it’s danger- a narrow two-way road 2 yrs after disaster Ambassador Dominique Mas flames generating their South Australia and high winds bore down ous out there.” dotted with fire trucks as told news agency AFP. The own dangerous weather Tasmania. on the popular tourist With some firefronts thick smoke blurred Tampa, Dec. 30: A cat that ■ attack comes during the systems bore down on a Tens of thousands were region of East Gippsland stretching more than 1,000 vision. “Please pray for went missing two years ■ Hurricane Irma hit high tourist season for the tourist region, prompting evacuated as “columns of km (620 miles) and temper- us,” he said. ago in Florida during Florida in 2017, and the Seychelles, an archipelago of the evacuation of tens of fire” fuelled by extreme ■ Bushfires have atures reaching as high as Authorities across Hurricane Irma has been cat disappeared during 115 islands located off the thousands of people. heat and high winds bore destroyed more than 4 43 Celsius (109 Australia’s south, includ- reunited with the pet’s the same time, when coast of East Africa in the The firefighter, and two down on the popular million hectares (10 mil- Fahrenheit), Crisp said ing fire-ravaged South owner. Irma’s path cut through Indian Ocean. others who suffered tourist region of East lion acres) — an area the danger will remain Australia, warned that dry The Hillsborough the middle of the US burns, were working on a Gippsland in Victoria high into the evening. lightning could spark fur- County Sheriff ’s Office the size of Japan — east coast state. fire about 70 km (45 miles) state in Australia’s south- across Australia in Bushfires have destroyed ther flare-ups overnight tweeted late last week Mom forgets to east of Albury in New east. more than 4 million even as the temperature is that the cat showed up at South Wales (NSW) when, Wildfires that have recent weeks. hectares (10 million acres) forecast to cool. one of its offices in the record daughter it is believed, their truck plagued the country’s east- - an area the size of Japan Dry lightning occurs Tampa area and deputies local veterinarian. The ALBUQUERQUE: A future rolled after being hit by ern coast for weeks flared — across Australia in when a storm forms from were hoping to find the sheriff ’s office didn’t mother-in-law tasked with strong winds, authorities again to danger levels in it was now too late for peo- recent weeks. high temperatures, but the owner. identify Eva’s owner but making a phone recording of said on Twitter. East Gippsland, an area ple who had not left the At the Wallagaraugh much-needed rain evapo- “The cat seems very said the cat disappeared her future son-in-law propos- The incident took the encompassing two nation- region to do so. River Retreat in rates before reaching the domesticated, and may be during the 2017 hurricane ing to her daughter appar- death toll from the coun- al parks, lakes and coastal “Leaving now would be Mallacoota, a coastal town ground. from a house or apart- whose path cut through ently missed the moment. try’s raging bushfires to plains that is half the size deadly,” authorities said. in East Gippsland, owner Large parts of Australia ment nearby,” deputies the middle of Florida. She ended up recording a nine and added pressure of Belgium. The state’s Emergency Lynette Sykes told Reuters have suffered through sev- posted. “Tonight, the owner was selfie on her reaction to on authorities to reconsid- By late afternoon, offi- Management her property was evacuat- eral years of drought that The sheriff ’s office pro- reunited with Eva,” the what she was seeing. KOB- er New Year celebration cials warned holiday mak- Commissioner Andrew ed this morning. has created tinder dry con- vided an update on sheriff ’s office tweeted. TV reports Susan Griego plans for the city of ers to stay off the roads Crisp said “columns of “We were not going to ditions, leaving bushland Friday, saying that the “Eva is now living in lux- somehow took a selfie video Sydney. because of thick smoke fire” were punching into take any risks with peo- ready to ignite. owner had been traced ury. MEOW, that is a great of herself watching Benjamin Around 100 fires are and unpredictable, fast- the atmosphere and gener- ple’s lives,” Sykes said. — Reuters via microchip after story!” Steele Bacon propose to her burning across Australia, moving fires, adding that ating their own erratic A video posted on social deputies took the cat to a — AP daughter. She did capture the moment Bacon popped the question to Amber Griego by the penguin 2019 WAS HOTTEST YEAR ON exhibit at the Albuquerque Biopark. The couple said the RECORD FOR RUSSIA: REPORT Tourists flee as heatwave fans blaze selfie video made the proposal more memorable. MOSCOW, Dec 30: This ■ Moscow's average “People have asked about it. year was the hottest ever temperature for 2019 Sydney, Dec. 30: Tourists It was deemed “unsafe” I feel like that’s kind of our registered in Russia, the had hit 7.6-7.7 degrees and firefighters were for them to remain in relationship. Something country's weather chief forced to flee vast fires bushland areas, Gippsland wacky and random,” Amber said on Monday, as cli- Celsius (45.7-45.9 burning in southeastern fire incident controller Griego said. “It’s the perfect mate change pushes degrees Fahrenheit), Australia on Monday, as a Ben Rankin said. start to this.” Her mother global temperatures to beating the previous heatwave rekindled devas- It is the latest emergency admitted she’s probably “not record highs. record by 0.3 degrees. tating bush blazes across in Australia's devastating very good at photography.” “This year in Russia the country. summer fire season, was the hottest for the degrees. Authorities said “quite a which has been tur- entire period of instru- Weather records have number” of the 30,000 bocharged by a prolonged mental observations,” been kept since 1879 in tourists visiting the usual- drought and climate the head of the Moscow and since 1891 ly picturesque southeast change. Gidromedtsentr weather in Russia as a whole. tip of the continent had Ten people have been service, Roman Vilfand, Global warming has heeded calls to evacuate. killed, more than 1,000 told Russian news agen- sent temperatures rising More than a dozen blazes homes destroyed and more THAI RIVALS TO cies. around the world, with are raging in the East than three million He said Moscow's aver- the United Nations say- Gippsland countryside, hectares (7.4 million age temperature for 2019 ing earlier this month some so intensely that acres) — an area bigger RUN AGAINST had hit 7.6-7.7 degrees that 2019 was on course hundreds of firefighters than Belgium — have been Celsius (45.7-45.9 degrees to be one of the three were pulled back beyond a scorched. Conditions DICTATORSHIP Fahrenheit), beating the hottest years on record. firefront estimated to worsened on Friday with Bangkok, Dec. 30: More than previous record by 0.3 — AFP An aerial scene shows fires burning and smoke rising close to properties in Bundoora, stretch 1,000 kilometres high winds and tempera- 10,000 people have registered Victoria state, on Monday. — AP (600 miles). tures soaring. — AFP for a “Run Against Dictatorship” in Bangkok next month while supporters of the ■ Thai government plan to stage OUT OF | BOUNDS Tours of the Canyon usually run out of bookings in a matter of months or even weeks a rival walk on the same day, organisers said on Monday. The twin events, set for January 12, point to the rising political temperature in No more photo-only tours at Antelope Canyon Thailand, though there is no immediate sign of any return PHOENIX, Dec. 30: announced the decision on ■ Canyon. The upper and Canyon is a perfect photo to the violent street protests Photographers will have its website. The photogra- Guided tours are the lower canyons are man- opp for a Facebook or that have roiled the Thai capi- to throw away their shot at pher-only tours have led to only way tourists can aged by the Navajo Parks Instagram post. tal over the past two decades. snapping photos of the long wait times as profes- reach upper or lower and Recreation Some tour operators are Opponents of the govern- globally recognized Upper sional shutterbugs try to Antelope Canyon near Department. considering leading pho- ment say it manipulated an Antelope Canyon in get that picture-perfect Page in northern Arizona No one at the agency was tography tours in other election held in March to Arizona. shot. Visitors with cell- ■ immediately available slot canyons on the Navajo extend the rule of junta leader Tour operators of the phones and cameras on Some tour operators Friday to respond to a call Nation. Adventurous Prayuth Chan-ocha and they slot canyon, known for its the regular tours can still are considering leading seeking comment. Antelope Canyon Tours now fear that authorities will red-orange sandstone take photos. But tripods photography tours in Tours of Antelope will begin photo tours to move to dissolve the vocal walls, on the Navajo will no longer be permit- other slot canyons Canyon usually run out of Rattlesnake, Owl and opposition party Future Nation announced last ted. ■ bookings in a matter of Mountain Sheep canyons Forward. week that photo-only tours Guided tours are the Visitors on the regu- months or even weeks in early next year. These “We want to show the gov- will cease, The Arizona only way tourists can lar tours can still take advance. Social media has spots may not have the col- ernment the discontent that Republic reported. reach upper or lower photos. undoubtedly played a role oring of Antelope Canyon, citizens have with the admin- Antelope Canyon Tours, Antelope Canyon near in the slot canyon’s ability they do have the swirling istration,” university student which is owned by mem- Page in northern Arizona. to draw millions of walls. Tanawat Wongchai said. bers of the Navajo tribe, Photo-tours are not available at Lower Antelope tourists a year. Antelope — AP Progressive step PAGE Angela Merkel discussed efforts to reach a diplomatic solution for the Libyan conflict in two separate phone calls with Turkish World 11 President Erdogan and Russian President Putin THE ASIAN AGE TUESDAY | 31 DECEMBER 2019 | NEW DELHI

A 2020 dance

Americans have you in their thoughts and prayers as you face this fight — Nancy Pelosi on John Lewis cancer

Protesters take to the streets for a march in Hong Kong. — AP IN BRIEF Iraq warns of Protests on NYE tough reply to US Baghdad: A top Iraqi militia leader warned of a strong in Hong Kong response against US forces in Iraq following air strikes in Hong Kong, Dec. 30: Hong rights front were behind Iraq and Syria overnight that Kong will end 2019 with the peaceful million-plus killed at least 25 people. The multiple protests planned marches in June and held air strikes against the for New Year’s Eve and a mass protest earlier in Iranian-backed Kataib New Year’s day aimed at December, which they Hezbollah militia group was disrupting festivities and said around 8,00,000 peo- in response to the killing of a shopping in the Asian ple attended. US civilian contractor in a financial hub, which has “On New Year’s Day, we rocket attack on an Iraqi mil- seen a rise in clashes need to show our solidari- itary base, officials said. Iraqi between police and pro- ty to resist the govern- security and militia sources testers since Christmas. ment. We hope Hong said at least 25 militia fight- Events dubbed “Suck Kong people will come ers were killed and at least the Eve” and “Shop With onto the streets for Hong 55 wounded. “The blood of You” are set for New Kong’s future,” said the martyrs will not be in Year’s Eve on Tuesday in Jimmy Sham. vain and our response will be Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (centre right) dances with TV host Polina Shuba during Vienna Ball ahead of New Year celebration in areas including the party The protests began in very tough on the American Minsk, Belarus. — AP district of Lan Kwai June in response to a forces in Iraq,” senior com- Fong, the picturesque now-withdrawn bill that mander Jamal Jaafar Victoria Harbour, and would have allowed extra- Ibrahimi, said. popular shopping malls, ditions to mainland Chi- according to notices on na, where courts are con- Turkey arrests 70 social media. trolled by the Communist A pro-democracy march Party, and have evolved ISIS suspects on Jan. 1 has been given into a broader pro-democ- Scientist who edited police permission and racy movement. Police Istanbul: Turkish police will start from a large said they would deploy detained 70 people suspect- park in bustling Caus- crowd control patrols and ed of ties to Islamic State in eway Bay and end in the urged marchers to rem- nationwide raids early on central business district. ain peaceful. Monday, ahead of New Year babies’ genes jailed Organisers civil human — Reuters celebrations, state media said two months after the Robert O’Brien killing of the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Police China convicts 3 researchers illegal medical practice have rounded up jihadist mil- US READY FOR itants in late December in Beijing, Dec. 30: A Chinese girls the ability to resist three-year prison term the last two years, since New ACTION AGAINST scientist who set off an the infection. The identity includes any of the time Year’s Day in 2017 when a ethical debate with claims of the girls has not been he has already spent in gunman killed 39 people in that he had made the released, and it isn’t clear Chinese custody. an Istanbul nightclub in an NORTH KOREA world’s first genetically if the experiment succeed- Dr. William Hurlbut, a attack claimed by the mili- Washington, Dec. 30: edited babies was sen- ed. Stanford University bio- tant group. Counter-terror National security advi- tenced on Monday to three The CRISPR tool has ethicist whose advice He police ramped up intelli- sor Robert O’Brien has years in prison because of been tested elsewhere in sought for more than a gence activities and carried said that the United his research. adults to treat diseases, year before his experi- out the operations in the States is ready to take He Jiankui, who was but many in the scientific ment, said he felt sorry for central provinces of Ankara, action as North Korea convicted of practicing community denounced the scientist, his wife and Kayseri and Adana, and delivered a threat. medicine without a He’s work as medically two young daughters. Batman in the southeast, O’Brien’s remarks license, was also fined 3 unnecessary and unethi- “I warned him things state-owned Anadolu news come in response to million yuan ($430,000) by cal, because any genetic could end this way, but it agency reported. Pyongyang threatening a court in the southern changes could be passed was just too late,” Hurlbut a ‘Christmas gift’ unless Chinese city of Shenzhen. He Jiankui down to future genera- wrote in an email to the US did not provide con- Two other researchers tions. The US forbids edit- director of the US Sudan: 27 Intel cession on denuclearisa- involved in the project rts of a third baby. It also ing embryos except for lab National Institutes of tion talks by its self received lesser sentences said they had fabricated research. Health, Dr. Francis imposed year-end dead- and fines. ethical review documents. He, who is known as Collins, and gene-editing agents get death line. The verdict said the He, the lead researcher, “JK,” said in 2018 that he pioneer Jennifer Doudna Cairo: A court in Sudan on “If Kim Jong Un takes three defendants had not shocked the scientific felt a strong responsibility at the University of Monday sentenced 27 mem- that approach, we’ll be obtained qualification as world when he announced to make an example, and California, Berkeley. bers of the country’s security extraordinarily disap- doctors, pursued fame and in November 2018 that he that society would decide He studied in the US forces to death for torturing pointed and we’ll profits, deliberately violat- had altered the embryos of whether to allow the prac- before setting up a lab at and killing a detained pro- express that disappointed Chinese regulations on twin girls who had been tice to go forward. He dis- the Southern university of tester during the uprising ment,” O’Brien said. scientific research and born the same month. appeared from public view science and technology of against Sudan’s longtime North Korea has set a crossed an ethical line in The announcement spa- shortly after he anno- China in Shenzhen, a city autocrat Omar al-Bashir ear- year-end deadline for the both scientific research rked a global debate over unced his research at a in Guangdong province lier this year. The death of United States to change and medicine. the ethics of gene editing. conference in Hong Kong that borders Hong Kong. protester Ahmed al-Khair, a what it says is a policy of The court said the He said he had used a tool 13 months ago, apparently The verdict accused him school teacher, while in hostility amid a stale- researchers were involved called CRISPR to try to detained by authorities, of colluding with Zhang detention in February was a mate in efforts to make in the births of three gene- disable a gene that allows initially in an apartment Renli and Qin Jinzhou, key point — and a symbol — progress to end its nu- edited babies to two the Aids virus to enter a in Shenzhen. who worked at medical in the uprising that eventual- clear programme and women, confirming repo- cell, in a bid to give the It wasn’t clear if the institutes. — AP ly led to the military’s ouster establish lasting peace. of al-Bashir. Monday’s con- Pyongyang warned US victions and sentences, last week over a which can be appealed, were Christmas gift as the the first connected to the deadline looms. killings of protesters in the Kim and Trump have Putin marks 20 years in power revolt. The first rally in met three times since Sudan was held to protest June 2018 but there has Moscow, Dec. 30: As the soaring cost of bread. been no substantive pro- Russian President Vla- gress in dialogue and the dimir Putin marks two Trump thanked for government in Pyon- decades in power, he gyang has demanded boasts about his achieve- PAK TALIBAN that international sanc- ments but remains coy tions be lifted first. about his political future Kremlin terror alert Last week, North — a reticence that fuels COMMANDER Korea said the US would wild speculation about his Moscow, Dec. 30: Russia Trump during a phone ‘pay dearly’ for taking intentions. said it had thwarted ter- call for the tip from US SHOT DEAD issue with Pyongyang’s Putin points to the rorism attacks reportedly special services. hum-an rights record revival of Russia’s global planned in St. Petersburg Diplomatic ties between Kabul: Tehrik-e-Taliban and that Washington’s clout, industrial modern- thanks to a tip from US and Moscow are Pakistan (TTP) commander ‘malicious words’ would ization, booming agricul- Washington, bringing per- fraught over disagreeme- only aggravate tensions tural exports and a resur- sonal thanks again from nts from Ukraine to Syria Qari Saifullah Mehsud has Vladimir Putin been shot dead by gunmen in on the Korean Penin- gent military as key President Vladimir Putin and allegations of Rus- Afghanistan, the group con- sula. The US envoy for results of his tenure that control over the political to his US counterpart sian meddling in the US firmed. Qari Saifullah Mehsud North Korea Stephen began on Dec. 31, 1999. On scene, marginalise the Donald Trump. presidential election, but was was killed outside the Biegun visited South that day, Russia’s first opposition and stifle criti- The Federal Security Trump and Putin have Guloon camp in Khost Korea and China, last President Boris Yeltsin cal media. They hold him Service said thanks to the managed to keep personal province, the group week, making a public abruptly stepped down responsible for tensions information, two Russ- lines open. Two years ago, spokesperson said in an audio and direct call to North and named the former with the West after ians were detained on Dec. the Russian leader also message. The spokesman Korea to return to nego- KGB officer his successor, Russia’s 2014 annexation 27 on suspicion of plotting phoned Trump to thank claimed that the attack was tiation. North Korea has paving the way for his of Ukraine’s Crimea, attacks during New Year him for a tip that Russia carried out by the Haqqani conducted a number of election three months which bolstered his festivities in St. Pete- said helped prevent a network, as they had killed test-launches of short- later. Critics accuse Putin approval ratings but trig- rsburg. bomb attack on a cathe- three terrorists belonging to range missiles in the of rolling back post-Soviet gered US and European The Kremlin said Putin dral in St Petersburg. the TTP’s Hakimullah Mehsud months since. — ANI freedoms to establish tight sanctions. — AP passed on his gratitude to — Reuters group in the area a few days ago. The TTP was founded in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud and is currently divided into four factions — Swat group, Mehsud group, Bajaur Agency Elephants run for beauty contest in Nepal group, and Darra Adamkhel group. Qari Saifullah Mehsud Kathmandu, Dec. 30: for it and only after that phant for the show which the show gets a treat of was among the terrorists Nepalis on Monday took they are allowed to partic- undergoes a long proce- delicious food such as sug- wanted by Pakistani authori- part in the 16th edition of ipate in the competition,” dure and preparedness, he arcane, banana, papaya ties for his involvement in var- Elephant Festival which Jire Chaudhary, a mahout said. “We bring materials and other varieties where- ious attacks in the country. aims to bring humans whose elephant took part required to prepare the as the owner of the ele- In an audio message, Mehsud closer with elephants, in the show, said. elephants, including the phant is awarded a cash had claimed that his group encourage wildlife protec- A three-member jury colours, mix them up and prize. The annual ele- conducted 75 terror attacks tion and conservation, evaluated the jumbos on paint over the bodies of phant festival not only this year, mostly targeting and promote tourism in the basis of cleanliness, an elephant right on- brings humans close to local elders in North and the region. including their body and spot,” he added. the mammal but also rais- South Waziristan districts of Five elephants partici- nails, the style of walking, It takes at least an hour es awareness regarding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. pated in the competition discipline, in words carry- for mahouts to prepare an wildlife conservation. Mehsud’s death is a big jolt that took place in “We train them. We ing out orders given by elephant for the show This year’s event is for TTP as he was attempting Sauraha, a tourism hub in teach them all the things. mahouts. with paintings all over the organised in promotion of to unite all the four factions. southwest Nepal’s It takes us around 6-7 It is the duty of a body. the Visit Nepal Year 2020 — Agencies Chitwan district. months to prepare them mahout to prepare his ele- The elephant who wins campaign. — ANI Farewell Neil Innes, the English writer, PAGE comedian and musician, 12 passes away aged 75 Newsmakers THE ASIAN AGE TUESDAY | 31 DECEMBER 2019 | NEW DELHI Dalrymple book among Asia’s first LGBT-focused streaming Obama favourite reads service GagaOOLala tackles taboos Singapore: A rom-com influencers for promotion Grateful I found one about a lesbian flight instead of advertising The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India attendant and a romance openly. person (husband in a gay spa are among the Lin’s team started by Company finds a spot in former-US President’s 2019 list shows featured on Asia’s building up GagaOOlala’s Matthew Koma) who first LGBT-focused library with Western con- gets sad at X’mas. W a s h i n g t o n : Barack streaming service, which tent, but has since Obama has released his The list comprises Obama began is pushing boundaries in branched out, making an — Hilary Duff, eagerly-awaited annual 19 fiction and non-fic- publishing lists of an often highly conserva- effort to find content from American actress list of favourite books that tion titles on subjects book recommenda- tive region. across Asia. made 2019 “a little ranging from surveil- tions in 2015, while GagaOOLala brings Earlier this year GOL brighter” for him, contin- lance capitalism and he was still in more than 1,000 feature Studios, a sister platform, was launched to help uing what the former US the attention econo- office. He served as films, shorts, web series, IN BRIEF President said has become and documentaries to peo- LGBT filmmakers find tal- a “fun little tradition”. my to feminism and the 44th President ple across Asia, where ent and funding, as well as The list comprises 19 fic- race in Britain, and of the United censorship and tradition- distribute and market Sharon blocked from tion and non-fiction titles has two volumes States from 2009 to al attitudes mean there their work. on subjects ranging from specifically tagged 2017. has been little in the way The platform ramped up dating app Bumble surveillance capitalism for sports fans Other books of gay content in the its production of original Los Angeles: The online plat- and the attention econo- 1st black President which made mainstream media. content this year, making form said there had been sev- my to feminism and race of the US, who is him- the cut are After launching in 2017 bers, made up mainly of The tiny, oil-rich sul- its first Thai film, its first eral reports of a fake profile, in Britain, and has two self an author and an Age of in Taiwan, a beacon for gay people but also includ- tanate of Brunei intro- lesbian feature film in the 62-year-old posted on volumes specifically gay rights since becoming ing a significant number duced death by stoning for Japan and a Germany- Twitter. “Hey @bumble, is tagged for sports fans. avid reader, said lit- Surveillance the first place in Asia to of straight women, its suc- gay sex as part of a harsh Spain co-production. being me exclusionary?” the “This has become a fun erature and art were Capitalism & legalise same-sex mar- cess comes as some new sharia penal code ear- “As we have developed..., star of the 1992 film Basic little tradition for me, and the ‘fabric that helps Furious riage, it has expanded to progress is made on LGBT lier this year — but later we have realised that actu- Instinct asked the online app, I hope it is for you, too. make up a life’ Hours 21 territories including rights in parts of the rolled it back following a ally a lot of Asians also which matches those looking Because while each of us several that still crimi- region. storm of criticism. want to see Asian faces, for romance based on loca- has plenty that keeps us makes us think and feel in Bernardine Evaristo’s nalise homosexuality. As well as Taiwan’s Censorship also persists and watch Asian stories tion, BBC reported. Bumble busy — work and family a new way, works that sim- Girl, Woman, Other and “One of the main impe- move to legalise same-sex in some countries, with and watch films take place say they have now unblocked life, social and volunteer ply help us escape for a Lost Children Archive by tuses for me to create unions in May, India’s Malaysia’s film board this in places or cities that her account so she can get commitments — outlets bit,” he said. Valeria Luiselli among GagaOOlala, (is) to kind of Supreme Court last year year cutting gay sex they’re familiar with,” “back to Bumbling”. “Trust like literature and art can Obama’s eclectic list other interesting titles. dispel a lot of the myths struck down a colonial-era scenes from “Rocketman”, said Lin. us, we *definitely* want you enhance our day-to-day includes: The Age of The list has books “for and misconceptions that a ban on gay sex. the movie-musical based For streamers focusing on Hive,” said Bumble’s edito- experiences,” Obama, 58, Surveillance Capitalism: the sports fan”: Jim lot of people might have But the gay rights situa- on the life of British on niche areas like rial director Clare O’Connor. wrote in an Instagram The Fight for a Human Rooney’s A Different Way about LGBT people,” said tion remains dire in other singer Elton John. GagaOOLala, original Stone rose to fame in 1980s post on Sunday. Future at the New to Win: Dan Rooney’s Jay Lin, a prominent countries where the plat- The platform — which is shows are key to building and 1990s. — Agencies The first black President Frontier of Power by Story From the Super LGBT rights activist in form operates — making planning a global launch their brands. of the US, who is himself Shoshana Zuboff; The Bowl to the Rooney Taiwan who founded the its presence in those mar- next year — has not run Lin said interest in the an author and an avid Anarchy: The Relentless Ruleand Andre Iguodala’s platform. kets all the more impor- into any regulatory hur- platform jumped after the Chhapaak gets reader, said literature and Rise of the East India The Sixth Man. Obama “We’re not all living real- tant, supporters say. dles so far, according to recent release of the art were the “fabric that Company by William began publishing lists of ly tragic lives — we’re Gay sex is still banned in Lin, but he acknowledged Handsome Stewardess, a helps make up a life”. Dalrymple; Furious book recommendations in entrepreneurs, we’re Singapore as it is in the need to tread carefully series about a Taiwanese, ‘U’ certificate “The album that lifts us Hours: Murder, Fraud, 2015, while he was still in fathers,” the 46-year-old, Malaysia, where in the in more conservative tomboyish lesbian who Mumbai: Filmmaker Meghna up after a long day, the and the Last Trial of office. He served as the who is raising twin boys past year women and men places. takes a job as a flight Gulzar’s Chhapaak, starring dog-eared paperback we Harper Lee by Casey Cep; 44th President of the with his partner in Taipei, have been caned under The service often relies attendant to pursue her Deepika Padukone in the grab off the shelf to give this year’s Booker Prize- United States from 2009 to told AFP. Islamic laws for having on closed chat groups, new love interest to lead, on Monday received a to a friend, the movie that winning author 2017. — PTI With about 2,80,000 mem- same-sex relations. social media and LGBT Singapore. — AFP ‘U’ certificate and was cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification with no cuts. The movie, based on Black & white Aussie man the life of acid attack sur- NEWS NUGGETS MEXICO CITY ZOO vivor Laxmi Agarwal, version of missing after New Year’s fireworks OK’d in is slated to be released on MRI MAY PREDICT WELCOMES YEAR’S January 10. Meghna said get- movie Parasite INTELLIGENCE IN 2ND BABY GIRAFFE he ‘jumped’ ting a ‘U’ certificate is an Mexico City: The “immense validation”, espe- Sydney as fire risk worsens coming in 2020 CHILDREN: STUDY Chapultepec Zoo in off cruiseliner cially for a film like Chhapaak Moscow: Magnetic Mexico City is celebrat- Wellington: A 62- Perth: Sydney will set off wildfires that have killed Scott Morrison on Sunday which could have been per- Los Angeles: A black- Resonance Imaging — ing its second baby year-old Australian its iconic New Year’s fire- nine people and razed more said the fireworks should ceived as “graphic”. — PTI and-white version of a common technique giraffe of the year, man is missing off works display after being than 1,000 homes across the go ahead to show the world South Korean director used to obtain images already as tall as a full- the coast of New granted an exemption to a country in the past few Australia’s resiliency. New Bong Joon-ho’s of human internal grown human. Zealand after he was total fire ban Monday as months. South Wales deputy pre- acclaimed black comedy organs and tissues — The female giraffe seen jumping over- other Australian cities can- Of the 97 fires burning mier John Barilaro said the thriller will be present- may help predict intel- was unveiled last week board from a cruise celled their celebrations across New South Wales on spectacle should be called ed at the International ligence levels in chil- after a mandatory quar- liner, search officials due to the worsening wild- Monday, 43 were not yet off. “The risk is too high Film Festival Rotterdam dren, a study suggests. antine period following said Monday. fire risk in the oppressive contained. A total fire ban and we must respect our in January. Scientists from her Oct. 23 birth. She Three helicopters summer heat. was in place in Sydney, exhausted volunteers,” he The movie gala, to be Skolkovo Institute of will be named via a and two nearby con- Pressure had built for Canberra and other places wrote on social media held in South Holland, Science and public vote to generate tainer ships Sydney’s spectacle to be to prevent new fires. before the exemption was will run through Technology in Russia empathy with the little searched unsuccess- scrapped before the New Temperatures on Tuesday granted. January 22 to February used ensemble meth- cow, zoo director Juan fully for several South Wales Rural Fire were set to hit 33 C (91 F) in The western suburb of Julia Garner, Mark 2. According to the festi- ods based on deep Carlos Sánchez Olmos hours for the man Service approved the event Sydney, with hotter weath- Parramatta decided to val’s official website, the learning 3D networks said Sunday. before the search on Monday. er in the western suburbs. forego a fireworks display. Foster get married complete festival pro- to analyse whether the The 96-year-old zoo was called off The popular celebrations Thick smoke that has “Council was not granted Los Angeles: Ozark actor gramme, including all intelligence level can welcomed 170 baby ani- because of deterio- are expected to attract 1 shrouded the city’s iconic an exemption to proceed Julia Garner and musician film descriptions, trail- be predicted from an mals this year includ- rating weather. million people to Sydney landmarks was also expect- with its fireworks display, Mark Foster have tied the ers and the schedule per MRI brain image. ing six Mexican gray The passenger Harbour’s famous fore- ed. “Hot air is coming out of due to the total fire ban in knot. The couple got married day, will be available on They used the US wolves. “A new birth of went overboard the shore and generate 130 mil- the center of Australia, it’s place and a range of associ- on December 27 and took to January 15. Bong previ- National Institutes of a character as unique, Norwegian Jewel at lion Australian dollars ($91 particularly dry and then ated risks,” mayor Bob Instagram on Monday to ously experimented Health database con- as charismatic as a about 7:00pm on million) for the state’s econ- unfortunately conditions Dwyer said on Monday. make things social media with the medium in taining a total of over giraffe becomes Sunday near Napier omy. An estimated 1 billion are expected to worsen in In Australia’s second- official. Garner, 25, and 2013, having presented a 11,000 structural and emblematic — a flag for on the east coast of people worldwide watched New South Wales as we most populous state of Foster, 35, had an intimate black-and-white reimag- functional MRI images conservation, for the the North Island. last year’s display on televi- head into Tuesday,” rural Victoria, out-of-control wedding at New York City ining of his 2009 drama of children aged 9-10. prestige of zoo,” said In a statement sion. fire services commissioner wildfires forced thousands Hall, with family members in Mother at the Mar Del — PTI Olmos. — AP issued to New Australia’s most populous Shane Fitzsimmons said. of residents and holiday- attendance. Both the newly- Plata International Film Zealand news media, state has bore the brunt of Australia Prime Minister makers to evacuate. — AP weds shared the same black- Festival. the Norwegian and-white picture on the At a later Q&A session Cruise Line said photo-and-video sharing site about the format, the EFRON BACK HOME CCTV footage and with a caption: “12/27/19”. director said he was FOR HOLIDAYS witness statements Designer Zac Posen inspired by the potential indicated the man shared a few behind-the- of shooting in the man- AFTER FALLING SICK “deliberately scenes photos. — PTI ner after watching a Los Angeles: Actor Zac jumped” off the ship. screening of FW Efrom is healthy and “Unfortunately, the Murnau’s 1922 silent back home to the US guest has not been horror movie Nosferatu. after being struck down for the concern. found. Our thoughts The Blu-ray version of with an infection while “Very thankful to and prayers are with THOUGHT I WOULD Parasite hits the screens filming television show everyone who has the individual's fam- on January 28, almost a Killing Zac Efron in reached out. I did get ily during this diffi- week ahead of the 2020 Papua New Guinea. sick in Papua New cult time,” shipping DO DRUGS & DIE, Oscars. Featuring Song The Greatest Guinea but I bounced line said. — AFP Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Showman actor, who back quick and finished SAYS BOYEGA Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi was flown to a hospital an amazing 3 weeks in Los Angeles: Actor John Woo-shik and Park So- in Brisbane, Australia, P.N.G. “I’m home for the Boyega says the idea of dam, the genre-defying after he contracted a holidays with my friends becoming famous after his class drama is South “form of typhoid or sim- and family. Thanks for debut in Star Wars franchise Korea’s official entry as ilar bacterial infection”, all the love and concern, scared him. The actor, who the Best International took to Instagram to see you in 2020,” Efrom joined the movie series as Feature Film at the 92nd thank his well-wishers wrote. — PTI Finn in The Force Awakens Academy Awards. — PTI and followed it up with The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker, said he used to feel that the pressure of Court to rule in Michelin restaurant fame would push him into drugs. “It was stressful to think ‘I’m going to be famous and bible cheddergate controversy today then it’s all going to John Boyega Nanterre: A mistaken to recognise it,” Veyrat be over’. I thought I Marc Veyrat would lose myself, verdict or a legitimate told AFP recently. do drugs and die,” Boyega, critique? A French court launched the After failing to be 27, told Sunday Mirror. will rule Tuesday if the unprecedented removed from the guides He shared: “The downside? authoritative Michelin lawsuit after his for good, he wants to see You’ll sometimes get it while restaurant guide must Maison des Bois Michelin forced to reveal walking on the street. I don’t hand over its secret rea- restaurant in the the proof that inspectors see myself as a celebrity. I sonings for stripping a French Alps lost the ate at his restaurant and walk on the street because I chef of his third third star — the top the written notes of their tastings. have always walked on the Michelin star, just a year ranking — in street. Sometimes somebody after the coveted award Veyrat, 69, also wants a will ask for a selfie and it’s was won. January 2019 symbolic $1.12 in dam- not the right time. I have no Marc Veyrat launched ages for a depression that problem being polite. But the unprecedented law- in a fire. March with the guide- followed the verdict. you’re not always going to suit after his Maison des The showman chef, book’s new director If Veyrat wins the case, get the best response. Some Bois restaurant in the known for his ubiquitous Gwendal Poullennec, and forces Michelin to people think: that’s your job. French Alps lost the black Savoyard hat as named just a few months hand over its judging That is understandable. But third star — the top rank- much as his “botanical” before the 2019 listings, notes, it could upend the you know.” The actor, howev- ing — in January 2019. creations from local the chef was told a scal- world of fine dining, er, is coming to terms with his It was a shock demotion herbs and produce, lop's texture was “cot- potentially setting a celebrity status and wants to after Veyrat’s remarkable claimed “incompetent” tony” — Veyrat says it precedent for other dis- produce films at some point comeback, nine years inspectors were out to get was in fact a dish of local gruntled chefs. in future. John, 27, has previ- after he was forced to him — not least by claim- fish. “I really don’t need ously spoken about his strug- stop cooking because of a ing his use of English “I have a lot of respect them,” Veyrat said, say- gles with fame, as he insisted skiing accident, and Cheddar cheese in a souf- for Michelin in France... ing business is up seven he doesn’t see himself as a three years after his fle. But they made a mistake per cent over the past celebrity. — PTI restaurant was destroyed At a stormy meeting in in my case, and they need year.” — AFP

Published by T. Venkateswarlu for and on behalf of Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited at Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi 110 002. and Printed by him at BFL Infotech Limited, C – 9, Sector – III, Noida – 201301. Editor – T. Venkatram Reddy, RNI Registration number 57290/94, Price in Nepal - Nep. Rs. 20.00 per copy. MATINEE People Katrina’s 24 Dharma ELHI PECIAL sankat D NEW DELHI TUESDAYS 31 DECEMBER 2019

SPORT | Cricket SPORT | Hockey Ponting picks 2019, the year of Virat as captain hope and optimism of his Test team 14 for Indian hockey 15

GUIDE TO FORTUNE Tick the answer and check them below. 6 of family killed as car falls What is John Leach 1famous for making?

■ into canal in Greater Noida Paintings ■ Pottery AGE CORRESPONDENT and said, “Our car has fall- ■ Sculptures NOIDA, DEC. 30 Five other occu- The accident en into a river, come fast pants of the car suf- appears to have and help us.” He said by the When did the Cold War Six male members of a fered injuries in the taken place due to time they reached the spot, 2end? joint family from Sambhal accident that took low visibility caused the local police was already in Uttar Pradesh were place around 11.30 by fog, the official there and efforts were ■ 1989 killed when their car skid- pm when they were said. There was one being made to rescue those ■ 1990 ded off the road and fell on their way to Delhi more car, another stuck in the car. ■ 1985 into a canal in Greater “It was only after a JCB Noida on a foggy Sunday for a house-warming Ertiga, accompanying had come and ropes were Which country is the night, police said. ceremony. The this vehicle which used that all car occupants 3Cresta Run located in? Five other occupants of deceased have been had the female mem- were brought out and the car suffered injuries in identified as Ram bers of the family on taken to a hospital, and it ■ Switzerland the accident that took place Khiladi (75), Kishan board. UP CMYogi all happened in about two ■ Greenland around 11.30 pm when they Lal (50), Netrapal Adityanath has hours,” he said. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi ■ Finland were on their way to Delhi (40), Mahesh (35), expressed his condo- for a house-warming cere- Neeresh (17) and lence over the loss of Adityanath has expressed mony, the police said on his condolence over the Monday. Mallu (12). life. loss of life, a statement AAP leader Gugan Singh Ranga (centre) joins BJP in presence of Prakash Javadekar, SHORT TAKE “Eleven people were on issued by the office of the Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari and MP Parvesh Verma in New Delhi on Monday. board the Maruti Ertiga. Neeresh (17) and Mallu “Around 20 people in two chief minister said. — BIPLAB BANERJEE The car fell into the Kherli (12), they said. Further pro- cars, both Maruti Ertiga, UP CM directed the offi- 4 arrested for canal in the Dankaur area. ceedings are underway, had left from Sambhal in cials to ensure that the They were taken to a hospi- police said. The accident UP to Delhi where they injured persons get proper burgling house tal, where doctors declared appears to have taken place were to participate in a and adequate treatment. Kejri not like Castro, Che as six of them dead, while the due to low visibility caused house-warming ceremony He also directed district New Delhi: Four people, remaining five are under- by fog, the official said. on Monday,” Ramdas, the magistrates,SSPs and SPs including a 36-year-old going treatment,” a police There was one more car, father of deceased to make necessary woman, were arrested for spokesperson said. another Ertiga, accompa- Neeresh, said. arrangements for safe people earlier believed: BJP allegedly burgling a house in The deceased have been nying this vehicle which He said he was in the transportation in accident- South Delhi’s Greater Kailash identified as Ram Khiladi had the female members of other car at a distance of prone areas in their respec- AGE CORRESPONDENT What he says, he Assembly polls in Delhi. area, the police said on (75), Kishan Lal (50), the family on board, a fam- one or two km when his tive districts, the statement NEW DELHI, DEC. 30 does not do. He was He said Mr Kejriwal’s Saturday. Jewellery valued Netrapal (40), Mahesh (35), ily member said. teenage son called him up said. empire of lies will be fin- over `2 crore, watches worth Union minister Prakash sleeping for last ished and Bharatiya around `4 lakh, and other Javadekar, on Monday, four years and now Janata Party will be in valuable articles were recov- Will make city took a swipe at AAP chief he has woken up power after the Assembly ered from their possession, Arvind Kejriwal saying from the past six polls in Delhi. “ The the police said. The accused ‘Fake registrations on DDA website that people believed him Bharatiya Janata Party have been identified as Raju pollution-free to be a great revolutionary months. BJP under under the leadership of (40), his wife Pinky (36), for regularisation of illegal colonies’ like Fidel Castro and Che the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Hunny Kumar Gupta (23), all in next 5 yrs, Guevara in 2015 but now PM Modi will come Modi and programmes of residents of Sultan Puri; and AGE CORRESPONDENT Mr Sisodia had, on he was exposed. to power in Delhi his government will come Sageer (50), a resident of NEW DELHI, DEC. 30 Sunday, shared FAQs (fre- Mr Javadekar was — Prakash to power in Delhi,” the Chirag Delhi. On December quently asked questions) says Kejriwal speaking after Aam Union minister said 20, a complaint was received Delhi deputy chief minis- on the unauthorised Aadmi Party leader Javadekar, adding that Delhi will be at Greater Kailash police sta- ter Manish Sisodia, on colonies from DDA’s AGE CORRESPONDENT Guggan Singh, who was Union minister powered by a triple engine tion regarding the theft and Monday, asked Union min- (Delhi Development NEW DELHI, DEC. 30 the party’s Northwest of development after burglary in a house, a senior ister Hardeep Singh Puri Authority) website. Delhi candidate in the Lok Bharatiya Janata Party police officer said. “During how ownership rights will “Fake registration is Delhi chief Sabha polls, returned to in-charge, asserted that forms the government investigation, CCTV camera be given to people living happening on the website minister BJP. his party will form the here as it already rules at footage was analysed. In one in unauthorised colonies to fool the public,” he said, Arvind Mr Singh joined next government in Delhi the Centre and the three of the footages, the police without regularisation. rejecting Union housing Kejriwal Bharatiya Janata Party in on its own. municipal corporations in saw Raju, following which he Referring to Mr Puri’s Manish Sisodia and urban affairs minis- on Monday the presence of Union “What he says, he does the city.Mr Singh had quit was arrested on Wednesday,” tweet, in which he said ter Hardeep Singh Puri's promised minister Mr Javadekar, not do. He was sleeping BJP and had joined Aam DCP (South) Atul Kumar that within eight to ten not play with words,” Mr claim that 35,000 people to make Delhi Bharatiya Janata for four-and-a-half years Aadmi Party in July 2017. Thakur said. On his instance, days people will get reg- Sisodia said. have registered them- the national capital pol- Party president Manoj and now he has woken up The dalit leader was his wife Pinky and two other istry for ownership of “How will they give own- selves on the Delhi lution-free in the next Tiwari, Lok Sabha mem- from the past six months. defeated by Bharatiya accused were nabbed, the their respective areas in ership to the people if Development Authority five years if re-elected in ber Parvesh Verma, and Earlier, he complained Janata Party’s Hans Raj DCP said. unauthorised colonies, they don’t authorise the (DDA) portal and submit- the upcoming assembly former Delhi Bharatiya that Prime Minister Hans with over 5.9 lakh Mr Sisodia said he has a colonies? BJP should stop ted documents. polls, saying that though Janata Partypresident Narendra Modiji did not votes in the Lok Sabha simple question on fooling the people,” he Regularisation of unau- a lot of work has been Vijay Goel ahead of the let him work. So, how is he elections for the reserved 2 doctors missing whether regularisation of told reporters. thorised colonies has done by his government Assembly polls in the working now?” he said. seat. Previously, he was unauthorised colonies is “If Bharatiya Janata emerged as a major poll in the last five years, national capital. He added that Mr elected as the MLA from since X-mas day taking place or not. Party is serious about reg- plank for the upcoming much more needs to be Mr Javadekar, who is Kejriwal’s empire of lies Bawana in 2013 on a “I have a simple ques- ularising unauthorised Assembly elections in achieved in the coming Delhi Bharatiya Janata will be over and BJP will Bharatiya Janata Party New Delhi: A man and a tion for you — are the colonies then they should Delhi. years. Party’s Assembly election be in power after the ticket. woman, both doctors, have unauthorised colonies of make it clear on DDA’s While on the one hand Addressing his third been missing from the Delhi and houses becom- website. The website BJP has promised to regu- town hall meeting at national capital since ing regularised or not? clearly says that the PM- larise the unauthorised Durgapuri chowk in Christmas evening, police Yes or no? I have a direct UDAY scheme won’t regu- colonies, Aam Aadmi West Jyothi Nagar, Govt to pay board exam fees said on Monday. A police question, give a straight larise these colonies,” he Party has called it a “bla- Kejriwal said his gov- Woman, five complaint was lodged by Dr answer — yes or no. Do said. tant lie” of the Centre. ernment took a number Sridhar who reported his of steps to tackle pollu- of NDMC, Delhi Cantt schools wife, Dr Hima Bindu, and a tion and managed to kids suffocate friend, Dr K. Dileep Satya, to reduce it by 25 per cent. AGE CORRESPONDENT Delhi government will be missing. In his complaint, “But if re-elected, I NEW DELHI, DEC. 30 bear the board examina- to death in he said Satya visited him will make Delhi pollution fees of all the stu- from Chennai on December tion-free in the next five The Delhi government dents belonging to the Ghaziabad 25 at around 9 am. The com- years,” Arvind will pay the board exam Delhi government plainant was on duty and last Kejriwal said in a meet- fees of schools under the schools. Ghaziabad, Dec. 30: A spoke to his wife at 11.30 am ing. New Delhi Municipal Now, the Delhi govern- woman and five chil- when she told him that she “We took a number of Council (NDMC) and the ment schools situated in dren died of suffoca- was going to church. Since steps. The first step was Delhi Cantonment, chief the NDMC and Delhi tion after an electri- then, he has had no contact providing 24-hour elec- minister Arvind Kejriwal Cantonment areas are cal short-circuit with either of them, the FIR tricity which reduced announced on Monday. also included under the caused a fire in the stated. According to police, the use of generators He said the decision was purview of this deci- room they were sleep- they have already registered and reduced pollution taken at a cabinet meet- sion,” ing in Loni area of a case under section 365 caused by them... We ing held on the same day. Mr Kejriwal, who was Ghaziabad, police (kidnapping) on December also held tree plantation The government will earlier a council member said on Monday. 25 at Hauz Khas police sta- drives that helped in also hold extra classes to of the civic body, said at a The children were tion. increasing tree cover,” focus on teaching mathe- press conference. aged between 5 and he said. matics, he said. This announcement 12, they said. “But in the next five The government had comes ahead of the Delhi The woman, Police reunites years a lot more needs to earlier said it will pay the polls to be held early next Praveen, 40, and the be done,” the chief min- board exam fees of all year. children were sleep- kid with family ister added. government school stu- Sharing details, deputy ing in the room on the Responding to a ques- dents, following a hike in chief minister Manish first floor of the New Delhi: The Delhi police tion, Mr Kejriwal prom- the fees by the Central Sisodia said the cabinet three-storey building PCR unit reunited a six-year- ised to make bus rides Board of Secondary approved a revised budget in Maulana Azad old missing child with his Members of Indian Youth Congress during a silent protest against Modi government free for students after Education (CBSE). of `61.32 crore in order to Colony when the inci- family in Begumpur area. in New Delhi on Monday. — PTI elections. “It was decided that the provide dent happened DCP (PCR) Sharat Kumar Sunday night. Sinha said, on Sunday night, It came to light that the PCR staff compris- Monday morning ing of HC Dinesh and CT. 46-yr-old, son held for when other family Kuldeep received a call High security in city for New Year’s celebrations members got down about a missing child from from the second and Begum Vihar area. The staff AGE CORRESPONDENT ◗ heavy-footfall areas to gates after 9 PM on third floors to wake started searching for the killing man after fight with agency inputs Security has attend to emergencies, the December 31, he added. the children up for child along with his family. New Delhi, Dec. 30: A 46- in front of his house. NEW DELHI, DEC. 30 been beefed up police said. Delhi Traffic Police has school but did not get The staff also announced the year-old man and his son Soon, he slapped a passer- across the nation- In addition to maximum made elaborate arrange- a response from description of the missing have been arrested in by and got into a fight If you are heading out for al capital espe- mobilization of personnel ments across the national inside, deputy super- chid through the public outer Delhi’s Bawana for with him, said B.K. Singh, celebrations on new year’s from districts, 20 coys of capital with special intendent of police address (PA) system. During allegedly killing a person additional CP (crime). eve, be prepared to face cially in the vicini- additional force including emphasis on areas sur- Raj Kumar Pandey search operation, the missing after an altercation with Rahul was present there traffic diversions as elabo- ty of markets, four coys of Central rounding Connaught told PTI. child was found roaming him, police said on and tried to intervene in rate security arrange- malls, five star Armed Police Forces Place, India Gate and All six died of suffo- near a bus stop in Begumpur Monday. Vijay Kataria the scuffle. Kataria then ments have been made hotels, restau- (CAPF) will be deployed to Delhi Zoo. cation, Mr Pandey area. He was identified by his and his son Chirag (18), called his son outside, with heavy police pres- rants, pubs and bolster the visibility of In an advisory issued, said. family. The child also recog- who are residents of who allegedly shot dead ence to maintain law and police, a senior police offi- the Delhi Traffic Police Police found elec- nised his parents. He was Bawana, were nabbed Rahul with a country- order in areas where high bars cial said. said specific restrictions tronic appliances gut- handed over to his parents in near Hanuman temple on made pistol, Mr Singh footfall is anticipated, Excise inspectors will be will be imposed from 8 pm ted and the room the presence of the local Saturday, they said. said. After the incident, such as Connaught Place, deployed to prevent viola- onwards on December 31 filled with smoke. police. The victim, Rahul (32), both Kataria and Chirag officials said on Monday. tions. All PCR vans, tions of excise laws and in the vicinity of The children have lived in the same area and fled, the officer added. Security has been beefed Raftaar motorcycles and prohibitory regulations, Connaught Place till the been identified as THE ANSWERS TO TODAY’S GUIDE TO FORTUNE was shot dead at around Rahul, who worked as a up across the national cap- Prakhar vans will be along with doctors to conclusion of New Year Fatima (12), Razia

8.15 pm on Friday, the data operator, was rushed ital especially in the vicin- dynamically deployed at check drunk driving, he celebrations. (10), Sahima (8),

Switzerland

■ ■ police said. Investigation to a nearby hospital ity of markets, malls, five vulnerable points, they said. No vehicular traffic will Abdul Azeem (8),

1989

■ revealed that Kataria was where doctors declared star hotels, restaurants, said. The public shall not be be allowed in inner, mid- Abdul Ahad (5) died.

Pottery ■ in an inebriated state and him brought dead, Singh pubs and bars, in order to Fire tenders have been allowed to exit from Rajiv dle or outer circle of — PTI abusing anyone passing said. — PTI ensure orderly celebra- deployed in 10 major Chowk Metro Station Connaught Place. Faf hits out PAGE South African cricket captain Faf du Plessis believes cricket needs more, not fewer, elite nations, as he Cricket 14 criticises the move to play a series involving ‘Big Three’ THE ASIAN AGE TUESDAY | 31 DECEMBER 2019 | NEW DELHI ICC to consider making four-day Tests mandatory Melbourne, Dec. 30: The stakeholders. Cricket 2023 to 2031. “What we are International Cricket Australia chief Kevin committed to doing is BENEFITS Council (ICC) could make Roberts feels four-day working with all the ICC It would allow for four-day Tests mandatory Tests should be definitely members — nobody is say- more Test series to from 2023 as part of the considered. ing it is easy but what we Did Warnie ever World Test Championship, “It is something that we are doing is looking at it played over three or primarily to free up the have got to seriously con- holistically and we are five matches. want a rest and crowded calendar. sider this week. It is some- committed to doing that.” give Stuart MacGill The ICC’s cricket com- thing that can’t be driven However, Australian cap- It will help host mittee will formally con- by emotion, but it needs to tain Tim Paine was not boards and broadcast- a go? sider trimming Tests to be driven by fact. We need enthused by the idea fol- four days from five for the to look at what’s the aver- lowing his team’s 247-run ers get a greater share — Nathan Lyon shoots down a of the higher revenue- suggestion from Shane Warne that 2023-2031 cycle. ICC want- age length of Test matches win over New Zealand in ing to stage more global over the past five-ten years the Boxing Day Test. raising early days of a he take a rest for the Sydney Test events, the BCCI’s in terms of time and “We might not have got a Test without having to demands for an expanded overs,” Roberts told SEN result if we’d done that in budget for a fifth day. bilateral calendar, prolif- Radio. the Ashes, I think every eration of T20 leagues “We need to look at it game went to a fifth day,” SHORT TAKES around the world and cost very carefully and perhaps said Paine. “That’s the Matches played over of hosting a five-day game it is more likely than not point of difference with four days would likely are some of the factors in the mid-term future. Test cricket, it is five days, see the increase of the Short replaces Members of the ICC Cricket Committee. contributing to the need What we absolutely will do it’s harder mentally, it’s minimum overs in a injured Abbott for a four-day game, cycle, it would have freed last one played between one in 2017. is that over the next 12 to harder physically, and it day from 90 to 98, reported ESPNcricinfo. up 335 days of scheduled England and Ireland earli- It is an issue that is like- 18 months, is make sure tests players more than meaning that over four Melbourne: Australia on If four-day Tests were cricket. A four-day Test is er this year. South Africa ly to attract a contrasting the cricket calendar is the four-day first-class fix- days only 58 scheduled Monday called up explosive held during the 2015-2023 not a new concept with the and Zimbabwe too played view from the game’s nailed down for the years tures do.” — PTI overs would be lost. opening all-rounder D'Arcy Short in place of injured pacer Sean Abbott in their ODI squad TOP-5 TEST BATSMEN for the upcoming tour of India. Player Pts The tour begins on January 14 INDIAN with the first One-day ● Virat Kohli (Ind) 928 International in Mumbai. The CRICKET IN ● Steve Smith (Aus) 911 second and third ODIs will be The King rules on field, held in Rajkot and Bengaluru on ● Kane Williamson (NZ) 822 January 14 and January 19, ● Marnus Labuschagne (Aus) 805 respectively. Short has been included in the squad after a ● Cheteshwar Pujara (Ind) 791 side strain during a Big Bash League game ruled out Abbott 2019 for four weeks. With fast The Maharaj off it TOP-5 TEST BOWLERS bowlers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and New Delhi, Dec. 30: Virat Kohli and ● Pat Cummins (Aus) 902 Kane Richardson already in Indian cricket remained an enduring PONTING PICKS ● Neil Wagner (NZ) 859 Australia's ODI squad, selectors love story while Sourav Ganguly held have called in Short, a top- out promise for a path-breaking reign ● Kagiso Rabada (SA) 832 order batter who also bowls off the field in a year during which the VIRAT AS CAPTAIN ● Jason Holder (WI) 830 wrist spin, to replace pacer country finally embraced Pink Ball Abbott. "It is extremely unfor- Tests. There were the heartbreaks, the ● Vernon Philander (SA) 800 tunate for Sean, who is very biggest one being a World Cup semifinal OF HIS TEST TEAM much a part of our white-ball exit, and not to forget the anxious wait squad plans leading into the on what Mahendra Singh Dhoni might Melbourne, Dec. 30: Former Australian captain TOP-5 ODI BATSMEN ICC T20 World Cup and the do next after being on a sabbatical for Ricky Ponting on Monday picked India skipper World Cup,” selection convener half the year. Virat Kohli to lead his all-star Test team of the ● Virat Kohli (Ind) 887 Trevor Hohns was quoted as In a World Cup that was decided by decade, which featured four English players. ● Rohit Sharma (Ind) 873 saying by Cricket Australia. boundary count-back, India were in for Ponting’s Test team of the 2010s doesn’t fea- — PTI quite a bit of pain when New Zealand ture any other Indian apart from Kohli, who is ● Babar Azam (Pak) 834 Australia squad: Aaron Finch knocked them out in the semifinals. The currently ranked No.1 in both ICC Test and ● F du Plessis (SA) 820 (capt), D’Arcy Short, Ashton Kiwis then had to bear a lot of agony of ODI rankings for batsmen. The Englishmen in Agar, Alex Carey (wk), Pat their own when England became cham- his team include all-rounder Ben Stokes, bats- ● Ross Taylor(NZ) 817 Cummins, Peter Handscomb, pions for a better boundary count after man Alastair Cook, and the pace duo of Stuart Josh Hazlewood, Marnus regulation as well as super over scores Broad and James Anderson. Among the Labuschagne, Kane Richardson, ended tied. Australians he has opted for Steve Smith and TOP-5 ODI BOWLERS Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, The very affable Kane Williamson’s David Warner along with spinner Nathan ● Jasprit Bumrah (Ind) 785 Ashton Turner, David Warner, painfully blank expression after that Lyon. Adam Zampa. crushing loss made for the perhaps “Everyone’s picking teams of the decade so I ● Trent Boult (NZ) 740 most poignant picture of the year. In the thought I’d join in the fun,” Ponting wrote ● Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afg) 707 neighbouring Australia, Steve Smith on his twitter handle. DDCA seeks time and David Warner began thei redemp- “This would be my Test team of the ● Kagiso Rabada (SA) 694 tion in earnest after hitting nadir in 2010’s: David Warner, Alastair Cook, ● to elect president 2018 due to the ball-tampering scandal. Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, Virat Pat Cummins (Aus) 693 New Delhi: The strife-torn Delhi Smith had a memorable Ashes cam- Kohli (c), Kumar Sangakkarra (wk), Ben and District Cricket paign which also presented world crick- Stokes, Dale Steyn, Nathan Lyon, Stuart Associations (DDCA) on et with a potential superstar in the Broad, James Anderson.” TOP-5 T20 BATSMEN Monday sought time till the young Marnus Labuschagne. South Kohli has already amassed 70 internation- ● Babar Azam (Pak) 879 state assembly polls in African cricket lost most of its revered al hundreds and is only behind Ponting (71) February to conduct election performers during an year of decline and Sachin Tendulkar (100). The 31-year-old ● Aaron Finch(Aus) 810 for the post of its president. with the only consolation being a win from Delhi, who averages more than 50 in all ● Dawid Malan (Eng) 782 The DDCA also made it clear against England at the fag end. formats, is also third in the list of leading that former India opener Test cricket was back in Pakistan run-scorers of all time with 21,444 runs, ● Colin Munro (NZ) 780 Gautam Gambhir, whose name with the Sri Lankan Test squad tour- behind Ponting (27,483) and Tendulkar ● Glenn Maxwell (Aus) 766 was doing the rounds, will not ing for the first time since the 2009 ter- (34,357). — PTI be eligible to contest for presi- ror attacks but the response was at dent's post as per Lodha rec- best lukewarm. It was also a year ommendations. “Ombudsman when Glenn Maxwell put the spot- TOP-5 T20 BOWLERS Deepak Verma will be request- light on the mental stress that inter- ● Rashid Khan (Afg) 749 ed to give some extension to national cricketers endure. He took conduct election for president’s a break to deal with his mental KOHLI, BUMRAH ● Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afg) 742 post. Election is slated for health issues and found support ● Mitchell Santner (NZ) 698 January end but a request will from all quarters. Kohli was IN WISDEN’S T20 be put that it is held after among those who threw their ● Imad Wasim (Pak) 681 Delhi’s assembly election in weight behind Maxwell and ● Adam Zampa (Aus) 674 February,” DDCA general secre- revealed that one time in his own TEAM OF DECADE tary Vinod Tihara said. life when he battled “end of the — PTI world” thoughts. London, Dec. 30: India skipper Virat Kohli and The period being a rare slump in pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah were the only FOCUS SHOULD BE ON Rahane, Shaw to form during the England tour of two Indians who found a place in Wisden’s T20 2014. Maxwell since then has recovered International team of the decade, which did- WICKET-TAKING and has also clinched a cool million-dol- n’t feature Mahendra Singh Dhoni. play vs Karnataka lar IPL deal with Kings XI Punjab. Back Australia’s limited overs captain OPTIONS: KUMBLE Mumbai: Test specialist Ajinkya to Indian cricket. If winning a Test Aaron Finch was named captain of New Delhi, Dec. 30: Former captain Rahane and young prodigy series in Australia for the first time in the team, which has two more Anil Kumble feels the Indian team’s Prithvi Shaw will turn up for over seven decades was the crowning Australian in Shane Watson and focus should be on exploring wicket- Mumbai in their Ranji Trophy glory for India, the fifteen minutes of Glenn Maxwell, two England crick- taking options even if that means play- game against heavyweights self destruction in the World Cup semi- eters — Jos Buttler and David ing more fast bowlers than all-rounders Karnataka. The two were final against New Zealand stuck out like Willey, two Afghanistan all-rounders in the T20 World Cup. India will play named in the 15-member squad a sore thumb continuing the national — Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan, more T20Is in 2020 in order to prepare announced by the associa- team’s now six-year-old jinx in ICC tour- and New Zealand’s Colin Munro and Sri for the T20 World Cup starting in tionon its website on Monday. naments. Lanka’s Lasith Malinga. October. “I certainly believe that you The game will be played at the Amid all this, Ganguly, known for tak- On Kohli, Wisden said: “While Kohli’s need wicket taking bowlers and some- Bandra Kurla Complex from ing charge in Indian cricket’s difficult record in domestic T20 cricket is patchy, the one like a Kuldeep and Chahal need to January 3. Both Shaw and times, became the unanimous choice to same cannot be said of T20Is. Kohli’s average be a part of that in my view. Yes, there Rahane played the previous become the 39th president of the BCCI of 53 was the best in the decade, and while his are instances where you know the ball games against Baroda and after three controversy-marred years consistency compromises his strike-rate gets wet because of the dew, then is it Railways. Shaw had hit a blaz- under the Supreme Court-appointed slightly, he is still able to score at a good rate, right for two wrist-spinners ing double hundred against Committee of Administrators. And even if not exceptional. to be there,” Kumble told Baroda in the lung-opener but Ganguly immediately showed his pen- “Strong against pace and spin, and rapid CricketNext. faltered in both the essays chant for taking “on your feet” deci- between the wickets, Kohli is an ideal player “It is very important against Railways at Wankhede sions by convincing an unsure Kohli to at No.3, able to fight fires when an early wick- that you need to start Stadium. Rahane also had a play the first ever ‘Pink Ball Test’ et is lost and stabilise the innings, but also looking out for wicket horrendous time with the bat against Bangladesh. accelerate when a platform is set. Following a taking options. If it against Railways. Mumbai had There was no stopping Kohli on the huge first-wicket partnership, Kohli will slide means that you need to won the game against Baroda field and he was the highest scorer down the order in this XI,” it said on its web- bring in just fast bowlers while lost to Railways by 10 across formats with 2,455 runs. The site. who you believe will pick wickets. Rahane, who has Indian pace bowlers — the best to have Kohli, who ranks third in the list of leading up wickets,” Kumble played 63 Tests, will be playing ever bowled in tandem in the country’s run-scorers of all time with 21,444 runs, was added. consecutive Ranji games after a cricketing history — fetched the cur- also included in Wisden’s Test and ODI — PTI long time. Shreyas Iyer and rent team the tag of gutsy travellers teams of the decade. Shivam Dube have been not even though Ganguly thinks that their — PTI named in the squad. — PTI biggest Test is yet to come. — PTI South Africa coach Boucher remains a fighter Centurion, Dec. 30: During ing career ended prema- philosophy when he dis- Rabada took seven wickets innings until Quinny came ly.” a playing career of 147 Test turely with a freak eye cussed wicketkeeper-bats- in the match despite seem- along. (Then) they maybe Boucher’s attitude matches, Mark Boucher had injury ahead of a Test man Quinton de Kock and ing to struggle for rhythm changed their lines and towards Rabada was simi- a reputation as a fighter, series in England in 2012. fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, and consistency. lengths, which was good for larly straightforward. “It’s always prepared to take on “Just watching the guys in both cases stressing a Boucher approved of De us because of the pressure just about getting him into a challenge. walk in, there were a couple preference for taking the Kock’s seemingly cavalier we put on them.” the game. Sometimes as It’s a character trait which with lumps in their throats. fight to the opposition. De batting style. “I’m all for Of the second innings individuals you feel like looks likely to continue in It means a lot for them to Kock’s first innings of 95 counter-punches on the assault, Boucher said: “You you’re under a bit of pres- his new career as South win a game of Test cricket,” turned the match in South type of wicket we had. If can have one Quinny in sure and you start worry- Africa’s head coach. It was a he said. But it was only a Africa’s favour. you just hang around there your side, you probably ing about your action and “great feeling” to be in a beginning. In the second innings he to try and bide your time can’t have eleven. You don’t where you are putting the winning Proteas dressing “There’s still a lot of work hit three sixes off England’s you are probably going to want to hold a guy like him ball,” he said. — AFP room after the first Test to be done for the rest of the fast bowling hope Jofra get a good one that gets you back because he can take against England on Sunday, series.” Boucher gave two Archer in a brief but spec- out. The English bowled the game away from the seven years after his play- indicators of his coaching tacular statement of intent. really well in the first opposition very, very quick- Mark Boucher >>> Perfect start PAGE Ante Cacic made a winning start as coach of Pyramids, who beat fellow Egyptian club Al Masry 2-1 Games 15 to take control of a CAF Confederation Cup group THE ASIAN AGE TUESDAY | 31 DECEMBER 2019 | NEW DELHI Margaret courts Lakers trump Mavs a controversy Melbourne, Dec. 30: ● The 24-time Grand I am dissapointed Australian tennis great Slam singles winner, Davis turns in a stellar show with 23 points Margaret Court has again not to be able to condemned transgender Margaret Court, now begin my season Los Angeles, Dec. 30: athletes, while claiming a church pastor, Anthony Davis had 23 the devil controlled the drew fire in 2017 for as hoped for in points and nine rebounds media and government, in saying she would as the Los Angeles Lakers fiery comments just weeks January. defeated the Dallas before she is honoured at avoid Qantas over — Kei Nishikori, on pulling out Mavericks 108-95 on the Australian Open. the airline’s support of Australian Open Sunday at Staples Center. The 24-time Grand Slam for same-sex Kentavious Caldwell- singles winner, now a marriage, which is Pope came off the bench church pastor, drew fire in to score 19 points while 2017 for saying she would now law in Australia SHORT TAKES LeBron James, who turns avoid Qantas over the air- following a 35 on Monday, finished line’s support for same-sex referendum. Italian club with a double double, 13 marriage, which is now points and 13 assists. law in Australia following Roma for sale James became the ninth a referendum. of it because, particularly player in league history to She later claimed, in com- in women’s sports, they’re Milan: Italian football club reach 9,000 career assists. ments that were widely going to have so many Roma on Monday confirmed Luka Doncic, who derided, that tennis was problems. negotiations with US billionaire entered the contest as the “full of lesbians” and that “You have got young peo- Dan Friedkin to buy the Italian NBA’s third-leading scor- transgender children were ple taking hormones and club. “The Friedkin Group are in er at 29.1 points per game, the result of a Nazi-style having changes, by the negotiations related to a poten- had 19 points on five-of-14 “plot” to brainwash the time they are 17 they are tial transaction involving NEEP shooting and seven minds of young people. thinking, ‘Now I’m a boy Roma Holding Spa and its sub- assists. The 77-year-old doubled and really I was a girl’. sidiaries - including AS Roma,” The Mavericks got a down on her controversial Because you know what, the club said early Monday. It scare in the second quar- views regarding sexuality God made us that way.” follows reports that the 54- ter when Doncic was during a sermon at her Court also highlighted year-old Texas-based business- slammed to the ground by Perth church at the week- the difficulty of talking man will imminently take over Lakers Dwight Howard, end, which came to light on about her religious beliefs, as majority shareholder from who was hit with a foul on Monday. claiming “the devil” had fellow American James Pallotta the play. “Children are making the control over the media and in a deal worth up to 780 mil- Doncic was driving to decision at seven or eight government. lion euros ($872 million). the basket and in the air years of age to change “The devil gets in and the “AS Roma informs that no when Howard reach in their sex ... no, just read media and the political, the definitive agreements concern- with his left arm sending the first two chapters of education, TV — he wants ing a transfer — have been for- Doncic crashing to the Genesis, that's all I say. to control a nation so he malised to date and that any floor. Male and female,” Court can affect people’s minds potential transaction with The This is the second said in a video of the ser- and mouths,” Court said. Friedkin Group remains subject vicious hit by Howard on mon. After her previous com- to a successful completion of a Doncic this season. In “It’s so wrong at that age ments on homosexuality legal due diligence upon the AS November, Howard blood- because a lot of things are and gay marriage, players Roma Group,” the statement ied the 20-year-old planted in this thought like Billie Jean King and continued. According to several Slovenian with an elbow realm at that age, and they Martina Navratilova called media reports, a preliminary to the head. start to question ‘what am for the Margaret Court agreement has been reached Delon Wright added 14 I’,”she added. Arena at Melbourne Park with Friedkin to take over from points off the bench, “And you know with that — home of the Australian a US consortium led by while Kristaps Porzingis LGBT, they’ll wish they Open — to be stripped of Pallotta, who bought two-thirds managed 11 points on 4-of- never put the T on the end her name. — AFP of Roma’s shares in 2012. 10 shooting. Since then Pallotta, 61, has The Lakers outshot the been pushing for the construc- Mavericks 48.7 percent to tion of a new stadium in Rome, 36 percent. but it remains at a planning The Mavericks also stage. — AFP played most of the game without Tim Hardaway who left the contest with Ichi declared 5:26 remaining in the first quarter after suffering a overall winner hamstring injury. Hardaway, who had 25 Sydney: Australian yacht Ichi points in the Mavericks’ Ban won the bluewater classic win at Golden State on Sydney-Hobart handicap hon- Saturday, seemed to hurt ours for being the boat that himself after a dunk. performed best according to Shai Gilgeous- size, race officials announced Alexander nailed the go- Monday. ahead jump shot with 36 The gruelling 628-nautical mile seconds left and equalled (1,163-kilometre) race down his career best with 32 Australia's east coast, which points as the Oklahoma started in Sydney Harbour on City Thunder edged the December 26, awards trophies defending NBA champion for a line honours winner and Toronto Raptors 98-97. an overall handicap winner. Chris Paul scored 20 of The TP52 Ichi Ban, skippered his 25 points in the second Jerami Grant (top left) of Denver Nuggets defends against Buddy Hield of Sacramento Kings in the first half of an half as the red-hot by Matt Allen, crossed the finish NBA basketball game in Denver, on Sunday. The Denver Nuggets won 120-115. — AP in 11th place on Saturday night, Thunder won their sixth about 12 hours behind line hon- game in their last seven. ours winner Comanche. Paul added 11 rebounds ond quarter. After the The Thunder led by Brandon Ingram and and James Harden, who “This is Matt’s third win — twice and eight assists, Nerlens Thunder cut into their eight with 9:35 left in the Lonzo Ball scored 27 sat out with a sore toe. as a skipper, one as a crew Noel tallied 13 points and deficit, VanVleet’s three- third quarter but Toronto points each as the host Harden is averaging a member back in the ‘80s — so Darius Bazley scored 12 pointer pushed the lead bounced back to take a New Orleans Pelicans league best 38.3 points per we are delighted to announce for Oklahoma City. back to eight with 3:44 left two-point lead on Chris defeated the injury-hit game. that really well deserved victo- Kyle Lowry and Fred before halftime. Boucher’s three-pointer. Houston Rockets 127-112. Westbrook sat out ry,” Cruising Yacht Club of VanVleet each scored 20 The Thunder went on an Toronto led 80-76 after Jrue Holiday and because the Rockets were Australia commodore Paul points for the Raptors. 11-0 run, capped by three quarters. E’Twaun Moore added 25 playing two games in as Billingham said. Patrick McCaw added 13 Gilgeous-Alexander’s In the final quarter, the each and Derrick Favors many days after beating Ichi Ban, which first won the points, Serge Ibaka had 12 three-pointer to lead by Raptors failed to hold had 12 points and 16 New Jersey 108-98 on Sydney-Hobart in 2017, finished and 14 rebounds while three points with 1:26 their lead and the rebounds as the Pelicans Saturday. in two days, six hours, 18 min- Terence Davis had 11 remaining. Thunder led by three won for the fifth time in Danuel House scored 22 utes and five seconds. But the points in the loss. The Raptors pressed late points on Paul’s jumper six games. points, Eric Gordon added crew had to wait until others Toronto led by six points and the game was tied 47- with 9:04 left. The Rockets played with- 20 to lead the Rockets. completed their race to find out halfway through the sec- 47 at halftime. In New Orleans, out Russell Westbrook — AFP if they had the best corrected Roger Federer of Switzerland hits a return against time to lift the Tattersall Cup, which they eventually did on Alexander Zverev of Germany during their men’s singles Monday morning. — AFP match at the Hangzhou Tmall Tennis Invitational IT’S ALL COVERED Tournament in Hangzhou, China, on Sunday. Federer won 6-1, 6-7, 6-2. Earlier, Federer had teamed up with Zverev Renewed hope for hockey UP AT BANGLA but lost to America’s Mike and Bob Bryan 6-7, 6-7 in their New Delhi, Dec. 30: If Belgium and two against their off-season exhibition tour. — AFP 2018 was all about missed Spain. The Manpreet-led FOOTBALLER opportunities, Indian side passed with flying BODYBUILDING hockey experienced a colours beating Belgium Dhaka, Dec. 30: renewed sense of opti- 2-0, 2-1 and 5-1 and then Bangladesh’s first DIES DURING mism this year with both vanquished Spain 6-1 and women’s bodybuilding the men’s and women’s 5-1. championship was won Nishikori out of SEVENS GAME teams qualifying for next But the biggest test by a 19-year-old student in year’s Olympic Games in awaited them in the year- a contest where most of Malappuram (Kerala): Tokyo. ending final round of her muscle was covered Footballer Dhanarajan In 2019, the Indian Olympic Qualifiers up to prevent controversy Australian open Radhakrishnan, who represent- teams grabbed most of where the team enjoyed a in the Muslim-majority ed Kolkata heavyweights the opportunities that relatively easy outing, nation. Perth (Australia), Dec. 30: replace him as the top- Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, came their way — the handing Russia an 11-3 While skimpy bikinis Japanese star Kei ranked player in Japan’s died while playing a match in biggest among them was drubbing on aggregate to are the norm at interna- Nishikori pulled out of the ATP Cup team in Perth. Perintalmanna, Kerala after securing their Tokyo tick- seal their Tokyo tickets. tional body-building con- Australian Open and the Yasutaka Uchiyama also reportedly suffering a cardiac ets. The Indian men's hock- tests, Awhona Rahman inaugural ATP Cup withdrew from the event arrest. In terms of high-level ey team’s biggest gain and her 29 rivals kept Monday as he continues to earlier this week, with Playing a Sevens (seven-a-side) results, there weren’t any this year was the emer- their brawn under wraps struggle with an elbow Toshihide Matsui called up match for FC Perintalmanna major tournaments lined gence of some talented in front of the crowd of injury that has kept him instead. against Sastha Medicals FC up for the Indian teams in fresh faces. hundreds. out since the US Open. Nishikori’s absence fol- Thrissur on Sunday evening, the 2019 and they mostly com- With no big tourna- Rahman and the other The former world num- lows Britain’s Andy defender collapsed midway peted in bilateral series ments lined up, India test- competitors struck poses ber four, who has slipped to Murray also pulling out of during the game and was and one-off International ed a number of young- on stage wearing tight 13, said he was disappoint- both tournaments over the immediately rushed to a hospi- Hockey Federation (FIH) sters under Reid and the leggings and body-hug- ed not to be able to begin weekend with a pelvic tal nearby. events. move paid rich dividends, ging outfits during the his season as hoped for in injury. The 39-year-old died at 10.20 But the biggest take- throwing up talent like three-day event that fin- January. The innovative ATP Cup, pm, hospital sources said. away from the year was Vivek Sagar Prasad, ished on Sunday and was “Unfortunately I have to from January 3-12, offers He collapsed in the 27th minute the progression of some Hardik Singh and many held in the capital Dhaka. pull out of the ATP Cup $15 million in prize money of the match, raising his left junior players into the Indian hockey star Manpreet Singh Pawar in action in more. “I am really happy, I and the Aussie Open,” he and a maximum of 750 sin- hand before collapsing. senior fold under new this file photo. In rankings, India start- really worked hard for said in statement. gles and 250 doubles ATP Radhakrishnan who began his chief coach Graham ed the year in the fifth this,” Rahman said. “Today, together with my rankings points in the new career at erstwhile Reid, who took charge of year started with the FIH in the Tokyo Olympics spot and managed to “It never entered my team, we have made this men’s warm-up tourna- Chirag United, played the senior men’s team in Series Finals in June in test event in August maintain that throughout mind that someone might decision as I am still not ment for the opening professional football for 11 April this year. Bhubaneswar, where the involving hosts Japan, the season. criticise me for showing 100 per cent ready or Grand Slam of the year. years. While top sides like Manpreet Singh-led side Malaysia and New “We have nine months my body. My brother, who healthy to compete at the It will see 24 nations split Besides being part of Mohun Australia, world champi- left no stone unturned Zealand. The Indian men (before Olympics). Just runs a fitness centre, has highest level. into six groups, with eight Bagan and East Bengal, he has ons Belgium, and emerged victorious again came out victori- get better and better, always encouraged me,” “This decision was not teams emerging from the also represented Mohammedan Netherlands, Germany by thrashing South ous, defeating the Black that’s our plan. Focus on she added. taken lightly as Australia round-robin stage to com- Sporting from 2012-14. and Argentina were busy Africa 5-1 in the final to Sticks 5-0 in the summit the process, result will “We were told there is one of my favourite pete in the knockout phase. The All India Football with the first edition of qualify for the FIH clash. take care of itself,” Reid would be proper dress places to compete,” he Sydney will host the Federation on Monday con- the FIH Pro League, the Olympic Qualifiers in They then went on an had said after the code and the outfit provid- added. finals, along with group doled the death of Indians largely played grand style. exposure tour to Belgium Olympic Qualifiers in ed was perfect from a Nishikori’s elbow needed games which will also be Dhanarajan, who also played for against lower-ranked In the lead up to the FIH to play five matches — Bhubaneswar in Bangladeshi perspective,” surgery in October and he held in Brisbane and the Bengal in the Santosh sides this season. Olympic Qualifiers, the three against reigning November. Rahman further added. has not played since. Perth. Trophy. — PTI For the men’s team, the Indian men participated world champions — PTI — AFP Yoshihito Nishioka will — AFP Happy return PAGE Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba set to return for their Premier League visit to Arsenal on New Year’s Day Games 16 after sitting out of Saturday's game as a precaution THE ASIAN AGE TUESDAY | 31 DECEMBER 2019 | NEW DELHI

WORLD RAPID AND BLITZ CHESS City blunt Blades Who cares about points in December? We Aguero, De Bruyne score as Pep’s men go past Sheffield just created a Manchester, Dec. 30: nearly a year and bring City over Wolves on Sunday. basis which we will Manchester City shrugged off a back to within 14 points of run- THE RESULTS Liverpool have now won 18 of tight turnaround from defeat at away Premier League leaders their first 19 league games of work with from Wolves to beat Sheffield United Liverpool. Liverpool 1 the season and lost just once in 2-0 on Sunday thanks to second- “Today I understood why (Mane 42) the calendar year in the league, now on, that’s all. half strikes from Sergio Sheffield United are in the Wolves 0 on top of winning the — Jurgen Klopp, Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne. place they’re in the table,” said Champions League, Club World Liverpool manager City boss Pep Guardiola had Guardiola. Manchester City 2 Cup and Uefa Super Cup. lambasted the scheduling that “In the first half we had prob- (Aguero 52, De Bruyne 82) “2019 was brilliant but it’s not saw the English champions lems, we changed some things Sheffield United 0 important because we count kick off less than 48 hours after and the second half was much, seasons, not years, so the SHORT TAKE playing the majority of much better.” when Mousset raced onto a 2019/20 season is not over,” said Friday’s 3-2 defeat at Molineux Despite claiming that the long ball from John Fleck and Klopp. “We are halfway there, with 10 men. crowded Christmas scheduling fired home. we still have 19 games to play Kramnik to hold Fatigue seemed to get the bet- showed the Premier League and probably 18 or 19 of them ter of City in the first half as and broadcasters “don’t care” LIVERPOOL’S ‘BRILLIANT’ will be like this tonight, for dif- camp in Chennai the Blades enjoyed the better of about player welfare, Guardiola 2019 JUST A BUILDING ferent reasons. Who cares Chennai: Fourteen young Indian the chances and had a Lys made just three changes to the BLOCK FOR KLOPP about points in December? We chess players including D Mousset goal ruled out after a side that started against Liverpool manager Jurgen just created a basis which we Gukesh, the world’s second VAR review for offside. Wolves. Klopp insists the European will work with from now on, youngest Grand Master, and R. However, the greater individ- City’s sluggish start should champions must build on a that’s all.” — AFP Praggnanandhaa will be ual quality at Guardiola’s dis- have punished by the visitors “brilliant” 2019 to turn a 13- coached by former world cham- posal decided the game as De with Mousset particularly point lead at the top of the table pion Vladimir Kramnik at a 10- Bruyne teed up Aguero to wasteful. into a first Premier League title day camp here from January 8. smash into the roof of the net The Frenchman spurned a in 30 years. The camp, the second organ- seven minutes after the break. glorious early chance to put Klopp’s men were not at their ised by Microsense, will also De Bruyne then rounded off United ahead when he get on flowing best and needed the see Boris Gelfand, a former another excellent display by the end of a floated Callum help of two VAR reviews to con- world title challenger, impart scoring the second himself Robinson cross but headed tinue their relentless march Norway’s Magnus Carlsen in action on Monday. — FIDE training to the Indian players. with a fine finish eight minutes wide. towards the title with a 1-0 win Kramnik had conducted a camp from time to inflict United’s United thought they had for eight players in August in first defeat away from home for claimed the lead on 29 minutes France. Eight of the partici- pants are Grand Masters while Carlsen, Lagno the rest are International Masters. Two girls would also be part of the residential camp. MOYES RETURNS IN A BID Kramnik was quoted as saying keep Blitz titles in a release that he was happy to be coaching the Indian Moscow, Dec. 30: Norway’s youngsters again. TO RESCUE WEST HAM Magnus Carlsen and local “After the first camp which we London, Dec. 30: gir Kateryna Lagno held in Chens-Sur-Leman, Struggling West Ham emerged the winners of France, I am glad that we are said on Sunday they the World Blitz Chess having the second camp once had appointed David Championships here on again. This time it is even more Moyes as manager for Monday. exciting because it will be held the second time in a bid Carlsen needed to play a in Chennai, and from six stu- to safeguard their place tiebreak with Hikaru dents, we will be having 14. in the Premier League. Nakamura, who had also “I am also very excited that I Moyes, whose career finished on the excellent will be joined by Boris Gelfand has never recovered score of 16.5 points after 21 to train these youngsters. from a deeply unsuc- rounds, to win the crown. Incidentally, the last time I was cessful spell as tasked with doing the The world champion in in India was back in 90s for a Manchester United boss same for a second time. classical, rapid, and blitz match against Boris! Once in 2013-14, succeeds “It’s fabulous to be drew the first, and then again I will be in India working Manuel Pellegrini, who back,” said Moyes in a won the second. alongside him,” said Kramnik. was sacked after a 2-1 club statement. Vladimir Kramnik took — PTI defeat to Leicester on “I’m feeling very the bronze medal with 15 Saturday that left the proud that I’m back points. It was all the more Hammers just one point here at West Ham. But I impressive as the 14th above the relegation think more importantly world champion retired zone. I’ll be looking to see from classical chess in The 56-year-old has what I can do and what I January of this year and Kateryna Lagno been without a club can make improve- only played a handful of since leaving West Ham ments to. I do believe games at faster time con- five rounds to share the top after a six-month spell that the squad of play- trols since. position at one stage. in the 2017-18 season. ers I’ve got here is a bet- Like Carlsen, Lagno man- Humpy drew the next two Moyes guided West ter squad of players aged to keep her World games before winning Ham to safety that sea- than when I took over Blitz title as well. She fin- against Monika Sacko in son after Slaven Bilic before, so I am looking ished on 13 points after 17 the eighth game. was dismissed in early forward to working rounds, half a point more She, however, lost to day November and will be with them.” — AFP than Ukrainian one leader Lagno of Russia Grandmaster Anna in a dramatic battle in the Muzychuk. China’s Tan final round of the opening Zhongyi, who beat day. Vladimir Kramnik Muzychuk in the final Lagno showed great round, took bronze with 12 determination to defend points. her 2018 title as she scored Indian Grandmaster 8 points out of 9 to grab the COUNTRY PROUD Koneru Humpy finished top position. joint 12th with 11 others at Lagno was chased by four 10.5 points. players — Alexandra OF BOTH MARY, Earlier, Humpy Kosteniuk, Humpy stayed in the hunt for Koneru, Daria a second title after Charochkina, and Alina NIKHAT: RIJIJU being placed second Kashlinskaya — all on New Delhi: Sports Minister along with three others seven points. Kiren Rijiju on Monday said not in the blitz competition Humpy had claimed the much should be made of the here. World Women’s Rapid “ugly spat” that marred the trial The 32-year-old Indian, Chess Championship title bout between M.C. Mary Kom who won the Rapid title on after drawing the and Nikhat Zareen and the Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero (left) scores against Sheffield United in their English Saturday, started the two- Armageddon game against country is proud of both the Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Sunday. — AP day blitz competition by Lei Tingjie of China here six-time world champion and winning her games in the on Saturday. — Agencies her promising challenger. Mary Kom defeated Zareen 9-1 in the trials held on Saturday to BOXING | TRIALS ■ India to bid for either 2026 or 2030 edition make the squad for Olympic Qualifiers in China in February. The bout was marred by acri- mony as the two boxers didn’t shake hands after the contest Vikas in squad for Oly qualifiers IOA withdraws boycott and Mary Kom ignored an attempted hug by Zareen. Bengaluru, Dec. 30: “Mary Kom is a legend who has Accomplished comeback- achieved what no other boxer man Vikas Krishan (69kg) has ever achieved in the world claimed a slot in the calls for 2022 CWG amateur boxing. Nikhat Zareen Indian men’s boxing is an amazing boxer who has squad for next year’s New Delhi, Dec. 30: The In the AGM, we have taken back the decision to the potential to follow the foot- Olympic qualifiers after Indian Olympic withdraw from the 2022 Commonwealth Games in steps of Mary Kom. India is winning his final trial Association on Monday Birmingham. Our country’s contingent will go for proud of both of them. Period,” bout along with two oth- withdrew its threat to boy- the 2022 CWG. Rijiju tweeted. ers here on Monday. cott the 2022 “...Passions & emotions are the The former world cham- Commonwealth Games in — RAJEEV MEHTA, souls of Sports! The only point pionships and Asian Birmingham over shoot- IOA secretary general to bear in mind is, in profes- Games medal-winner, ing’s exclusion while sional sports, the players & who competed in the mid- announcing that the coun- Louise Martin welcomed multi-sport event. The money matter more whereas in dleweight 75kg category try will bid to host either India confirming participa- country hosted the 2010 edi- amateur sports it’s the nation. for a long time, is back to the 2026 or the 2030 edition. tion at the Birmingham tion in the national capital, The ugly spate (sic) shouldn’t the 69kg division after During its Annual Games. the build-up to which was have adverse effects on players recovering from a back General Meeting here, the “The CGF and the entire marred by one controversy while representing India,” he injury sustained during IOA, on the advice of Commonwealth Sport after another. added. Zareen had approached his short undefeated stint Commonwealth Games Movement are delighted The host city of the 2026 Rijiju with an open letter when in the professional cir- Federation (CGF), also India has confirmed their Games was supposed to be the Boxing Federation of India cuit. decided to submit a formal intent to participate at the finalised at the 2019 CGF (BFI) flip-flopped on a stated The 26-year-old, already proposal to host a Birmingham 2022 General Assembly in policy and announced direct a two-time Olympian, out- Commonwealth Shooting Commonwealth Games Kigali, Rwanda, but was selection of Mary Kom for the punched national medal- Championships before the during their Annual postponed, and will now be list Duryodhan Singh main Games, an idea moot- General Meeting in New announced next year. Olympic qualifiers. Vikas Krishan (left) lands a punch on Duryodhan Singh Negi (Blue) on his way to a Rijiju had steered clear of the Negi in a unanimous deci- ed by both the national and Delhi,” Louise Martin said In July, Batra had written 9-0 win in the 69 kg final at Inspire Institute of Sports in Bellary on Monday. matter at that time citing the sion in the trial finals. international shooting bod- in a press release. to the Sports Ministry, pro- Olympic charter. Also making the squad Naveen Kumar. Both the added. On Sunday, Asian Satish booked his berth ies to make up for the In New Delhi, with IOA posing boycott of the 2022 On Saturday, Mary Kom said for the Asia/Oceania zone bouts were split verdicts. silver-medallist Ashish with a split verdict tri- sport’s exclusion from 2022 chief Narinder Batra by his CWG for dropping shooting she was upset about being qualifiers, scheduled “It was good to see how Kumar (75kg), veteran umph over Narender. CWG. side, Mehta said, “We are from its roster. dragged into the selection con- from February 3 to 14 in strongly Gaurav Solanki Satish kumar (+91kg) and Sachin claimed the 81kg “In the AGM, we have also bidding for either the After a visit by CGF presi- troversy as the call on selection Wuhan, China, were came back against Sachin Kumar (81kg) spot with a victory over taken back the decision to 2026 or 2030 dent Louise Martin and was not hers to take. Commonwealth Games Hussamuddin in the booked their places in the Brijesh Yadav. withdraw from the 2022 Commonwealth Games. CEO David Grevemberg The Manipuri icon defended her medal-winning duo of tough bout,” said Indian squad. Amit Panghal (52kg) and Commonwealth Games in The House passed a resolu- last month to India, Batra refusal to exchange post-bout Gaurav Solanki (57kg) men’s boxing’s High Ashish defeated reign- Manish Kaushik (63kg) Birmingham. Our coun- tion on this bid.” had indicated that the IOA pleasantries with Zareen, saying and Naman Tanwar Performance Director ing national champion have already claimed try’s contingent will go for The country’s apex body may reconsider the with- that the former junior world (91kg). Santiago Nieva. and South Asian Games their place in the team the 2022 CWG,” IOA secre- for Olympic sports will drawal call and had said at champion will get her respect While Solanki defeated “As for Vikas, he is very gold-medallist Ankit after winning medals at tary general Rajeev Mehta next approach the govern- the time that a decision will only if she “herself shows Mohammed Hussam- focussed and we have Khatana in a unanimous the world championships said after the AGM. ment for the necessary be taken at the AGM. respect to others”. — PTI uddin, Tanwar edged past high hopes from him,” he verdict. in September. — PTI CGF president Dame clearances to host the — PTI