Amid Doklam standoff, India-China trade war looms: Chinese media

The article said that China 'could easily retaliate' with restrictions on Indian products

A trade war seems to be looming between India and China after New Delhi imposed anti-dumping duties on 93 Chinese products amidst a military standoff in Doklam area, two state media reports here said on.

An article in The Global Times, part of the ruling Communist Party's publication group, urged Chinese firms to "reconsider the risks" of investing in India and warned New Delhi to be "prepared for the possible consequences for its ill-considered action."

The article said that China "could easily retaliate" with restrictions on Indian products, but added that it "doesn't make much economic sense" for the country.

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• India@70: Are we really ahead of China & Pakistan? Find out
• In a war over Doklam, why China will likely be the eventual loser

It cited figures from the Indian embassy in China to show that Indian exports fell by 12.3 per cent year-on-year to $11.75 billion while India's imports from China rose by 2 per cent to $59 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $47 billion.

According to the Indian Commerce Ministry, the trade deficit with China last year mounted to over $52 billion when the bilateral trade stood at $70 billion.

"A trade war between China and India seems to be looming after the latter moved last Wednesday to impose anti-dumping duties on 93 products from China," the report said.

"If India really starts a trade war with China, of course China's economic interests will be hurt, but there will also be consequences for India," it said.

The report on trade comes as India and China have been locked in a tense military standoff in Doklam in the Sikkim sector. Read more

Old bridge on Mumbai-Goa highway collapses; 2 buses, other vehicles missing

Old bridge on Mumbai-Goa highway collapses; 2 buses, other vehicles missing

At least two buses and several other vehicles went missing near Mahad city after a bridge on the Savitri River collapsed early on Wednesday due to torrential rains in the Konkan region.

The bridge, more than seven decades old and a critical link to the Mumbai-Goa national highway, crashed around 1 a.m. due to the flood waters rushing into the river.

Two state transport buses with 11 passengers each were missing and there was no contact with either their drivers or the passengers, Raigad Collector Sheetal Ugale said.

Since the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses — which started from Mumbai — did not arrive at their scheduled Mahad depot, Ugale appealed people to get in touch with the concerned authorities about their missing relatives.(more)

Rahul Gandhi shouldn't have resorted to denunciation of RSS: SC

Rahul Gandhi shouldn't have resorted to denunciation of RSS: SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that Rahul Gandhi, who blamed RSS for assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, should not have resorted to "collective denunciation" of an organisation and will have to face trial in the defamation case against him if he does not express regret.

"We have held it may be historically correct but the fact or the statement has to meet the test of public good. You can't make collective denunciation," a bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and R F Nariman said.

The bench said that "freedom is not crippled or curbed. What is curbed is freedom of speech. What the writers, politicians, critics or antagonists say, you must have great magnitude to swallow."

The bench questioned the speech made by Rahul and wondered "why he made a speech quoting wrong historical fact".

The apex court said that they have applied their mind and Rahul Gandhi will have to face the trial in the case.

"What we have to see is the petitioner's allegations come under Section 499 (defamation) of IPC or not. Judgement is already there. You have to face trial, if you don't express regret," the bench said.

It also said "the purpose of law is not to convert people into litigants. Purpose of law is that people obey law. Peace and harmony should prevail rather than chaos."(more)

PM Modi's Africa tour: Key agendas on the table

PM Modi's Africa tour: Key agendas on the table

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in South Africa on Friday as part of his five-day, four-nation Africa tour aimed at enhancing ties with those countries, particularly in the economic sphere.

The prime minister has already concluded the first leg of his tour in Mozambique. After South Africa, he will go to Tanzania and Kenya.

During his South Africa visit, Modi will meet President Jacob Zuma and also Cyril Ramaphosa, the deputy President.

"My Africa tour, aimed at enhancing ties between India & Africa will begin from Mozambique in a brief but key visit,"Modi tweeted ahead of his departure.

"My programmes in South Africa will span across Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban & Pietermaritzburg," he added.

Here are the priorities of the PM's tour:

Nine killed, 1 fireman injured in fire at Mumbai medical store

Nine killed, 1 fireman injured in fire at Mumbai medical store

Nine persons, including five children, were killed and a fireman was injured when a firebroke out at a medical store in a chawl in suburban Andheri this morning, police said.

Among the five deceased children was a 3-month-old infant, they said.

The fire occurred early this morning at 'Wafa' medical store located on the ground floor of a chawl in Juhi Galli on Wireless Road in Andheri, Mumbai police spokesman Ashok Dudhe said.

Eight persons were initially killed in the blaze. Later, a seriously injured woman also succumbed to her burns at a hospital, police said.

The families of the victims were staying on the first and second floors of the premises, he said.

According to police and fire brigade officials, the electric wiring and other power installations in the 120 sq ft medical store caught fire. The blaze then spread to other floors of the ground plus two-floor chawl in which nearly 17-18 people were staying.

Prima facie, the police and fire officials suspect that because of a very small internal staircase in the chawl, the victims were trapped inside the premises and got engulfed in the fire. Read more.

Virat Kohli promotes a healthy lifestyle; launches Stepathlon Kids

Virat Kohli promotes a healthy lifestyle; launches Stepathlon Kids

After launching his apparel line under the Wrogn brand name and investing in FC Goa in the (football) Indian Super League, Indian cricket Test captain Virat Kohli has now partnered with Stepathlon Lifestyle, a wellness-promoting entity, to launch Stepathlon Kids, a company dedicated to children's fitness programmes.

This venture will also mark Stepathlon’s entry into the business to consumer space. The company will also receive operational support from Cornerstone Sports and Entertainment, a sports celebrity management company.

The new firm, through an annual ‘30 Day Race’ around a virtual world, will urge children to take 15,000 steps a day, in a bid to have a healthy lifestyle and to create long-term positive behaviour. According to a study commissioned by the World Health Organization in 2014, as many as 22 per cent of children in India are obese and facing health issues. Stepathlon Kids will be focused on building children’s holistic health – encouraging of physical activity and educating them on nutrition, exercise, stress and more. Kohli will play a role in creating widespread awareness. Read more.

NIA officer murder case: Prime accused Muneer nabbed by UP STF

NIA officer murder case: Prime accused Muneer nabbed by UP STF

In a major breakthrough in the murder case of Deputy Superintendent of Police of NationalInvestigation Agency (NIA), Tanzeel Ahmed, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Tuesday arrested Muneer, the prime accused in the case.

Muneer has been arrested from Noida and has been taken to an undisclosed location for questioning.

The Uttar Pradesh Police had announced a reward of Rs. 2 lakh on Muneer, who was absconding in the murder case of Tanzeel Ahmed.

The police had earlier said Muneer, who is the main accused of murder case, formed a gang along with his two associates and attacked Tanzeel Ahmed, when he was driving back home with his family from a wedding near his village Sahaspur in Bijnor.

According to reports, different investigative agencies along with the NIA are questioning Muneer. Read more

Subramanian Swamy fires fresh salvo, targets CEA Arvind Subramanian

Subramanian Swamy fires fresh salvo, targets CEA Arvind Subramanian

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday said that he wants Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Arvind Subramanian to be sacked, alleging the CEA had badmouthed India in the international arena and had also encouraged the Congressto adopt a rigid position on the GST Bill.

Earlier in the day, Swamy had launched a Twitter attack on Subramanian after some reports over the past few days suggested the CEA could be a probable successor to Rajan. He also directly called for the sacking of the CEA.
Swamy raised charges similar to those he had used against outgoing RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, saying that the CEA was a 'green card holder' and was probably not an Indian citizen. Incidently, both Rajan and Arvind Subramanian have worked at the IMF.

"He used to work in America and he is also a green card holder type. I don't even know if he is a citizen or not but I'm sure he has a green card. There was this American Congress Committee for pharmaceutical purposes and they held a hearing to figure out India's opinion on the matter. There he said in a statement that India was not working according to America in this matter and for that, they should be taught a lesson in WTO. How can we can such a person an advisor here?," Swamy said.

He added that when Arvind was appointed by the Indian government, he gave a note to the Finance Ministry asserting that the clauses demanded by the Congress in the GST Bill were absolutely justified. Read More.

PM Modi to meet Chinese president; will attempt to win support for NSG membership

PM Modi to meet Chinese president; will attempt to win support for NSG membership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday in the Uzbekistan capital Tashkent in an attempt to win Beijing's support for India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Modi will be meeting President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit meeting that is currently on in Tashkent. The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organisation which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Highly placed sources said that the meeting between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping would be an exclusive one-on-one discussion, where the top agenda would be to seek China's support for India's membership in the NSG.

China, till now, has been playing the role of a dampener on the issue of clearing the way for India's admission to the NSG, by repeatedly stating that it is not on the agenda of the grouping which began its plenary session in Seoul, South Korea, yesterday.

On the other hand, the United States has called on the participating governments of the NSG to support India's application for membership.

State Department spokesperson John Kirby said in a press briefing that Washington has not changed its stand regarding India's application for membership to the elite group. Read more.

Mumbai University likely to announce TYBA results on Monday

Mumbai University likely to announce TYBA results on Monday

The University of Mumbai (MU) will declare results of the Third Year Bachelor of Arts (TYBA) examination on June 20, 2016. It will be available on the official website of the varsity, http://mu.ac.in, most likely in the afternoon.

Candidates, who have appeared for the exam, can download the result from the website.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to:

1. Open the results page on MU official website http://mu.ac.in/portal/results/

2. Select the stream – Arts

3. Enter your Seat Number, name, date of birth and other credentials as required

4. Click submit

5. Download the marksheet / score card and take a printout

The marksheet issued will include subject-wise details and the candidates can check their overall percentage. However, the online marksheet is a reference copy and hence temporary.

The valid and original marksheet by the MU board would be available at the students' respective colleges. The University is yet to announce date of issuance of the marksheet.

It is likely that owing to the heavy traffic the page might load a bit slowly. The students are therefore urged to be patient and keep refreshing the page.

For more information about the TYBA results 2016, students can contact theMumbai University board by calling on Fort Campus or Kalina Campus:contact No.

Read More.