SANNAY KOTHAR APPOINTED SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA

Former Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Sanjay Kothari has been appointed as Secretary to the newly elected President Ram Nath Kovind. Gujarat’s Resident Commissioner in New Delhi Bharat Lal, a forest service officer, has been appointed as Joint Secretary to the President.
Senior journalist and distinguished fellow at Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Asok Malik will be Press Secretary to the President.
Their appointment orders were issued by the government late Friday night.
Currently, Mr. Kothari, a 1978 batch IAS of Haryana cadre, is Chairman, Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) where he was appointed after he superannuated as DoPT Secretary.
He is considered very close to Dr P.K. Mishra, additional Principal Secretary in PMO where he looks after the ACC, most crucial task of appointments in the government.
Moreover, the government carried out a large scale reshuffle at additional secretary level in the administration. The officials are from 1987 and 1988 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) who were recently empanelled as additional secretary or equivalent.
A 1985 batch IAS J Rama Krishna Rao has moved from the Ministry of Defence to National Minority Commission as Secretary while Usha Sharma from the same batch has been made Director General, Archaeological Survey of India.

Faceoff With China A Sign Of The Future

In Kashmir, shells and bullets regularly fly back and forth across India's de facto border with Pakistan. Yet, although India's 4,000-kilometer border with China is similarly disputed, not a single shot has been fired in anger there for decades. That may soon change: There are genuine fears in New Delhi that the long period of calm may not last. And whether it does or not, the latest standoff in the Himalayas is sure to change India.
QuickTake India's Aspirations
A weeks-long confrontation on the shared border between China, India and tiny Bhutan -- the sort that barely makes the headlines outside the countries involved -- has lasted longer than usual, and neither side looks ready to back off. Troops have had shoving matches and now stare one another down from encampments just miles apart. Although previous confrontations have been quietly resolved, this time some Indian strategists believe China will soon be tempted to launch a limited punitive strike as a reminder of its military superiority.
Clashes between India and China don't usually matter to the rest of the world. Even when the two countries fought a short and bitter border war in 1962, the world's attention was fixated on the brewing nuclear crisis in Cuba. While Indians have never quite forgotten our humiliating loss in that war, China has rarely chosen to remind us of it. This time, however, the usual chest-beating from India's hyper-patriotic news media has been matched by similar noises from over the border. The state-controlled People's Daily even posted a bellicose editorial from 1962 on its Weibo account.
In Beijing, a few weeks ago, I got the clear impression from some Chinese policymakers and diplomats that they thought India was getting, well, a bit above itself. Unhappy about China's big Belt and Road Initiative, India not only stayed away from President Xi Jinping's recent forum showcasing the project, but released a stinging denunciation of the principles underlying the grand infrastructure scheme. That same language found its way into the joint statement issued by U.S. President Donald Trump and Narendra Modi when the Indian prime minister visited Washington last month. And India has recently taken a harder line on Tibet and the border than it has in the past.
For leaders in Beijing, this behavior seems inexplicable. I was repeatedly asked whether India had forgotten that its economy is five times smaller than China's. Perhaps, one got the impression, India needed to be shown its place.
The problem is that India does not quite know its place. This makes sense when one considers its vision of its past and its expectations of its future. Independent India inherited the Raj's armies -- the peacekeepers of Asia and Africa -- and with them, the Raj's self-image as dominant east of Aden. It has always viewed itself as at least China's equal in spite of the 1962 loss -- and even as its northern neighbor raced ahead economically. That was a minor setback, Indians feel; eventually we'll catch up, once we sort our messy politics out. And meantime, why not behave as if we already have?
For the first time, perhaps, a sense of disquiet about this assumption has crept in. Questions are being asked about whether India is, in fact, ready to play a bigger strategic role in the region. Defense spending has not kept pace with India's economy; the government spends less, proportionally, on the military than it has at any point since 1962. Eurasia Group's Ian Bremmer noted on Twitter recently that India is one of the very few countries spending more on infrastructure than defense. This is by design; Indian policymakers are convinced that a new highway strengthens the country more than another battalion would. They may be right, too.
But it's unlikely India will sit quietly in a corner. This is a young country, and impatient. When a billion people have been led to expect that they are a great power, they will demand their government behave accordingly. And so, whether or not

US Senator John McCain has been diagnosed with a brain tumour

The Arizona politician had a blood clot removed from above his left eye last Friday and tissue analysis since the procedure revealed a brain tumour, known as glioblastoma, was associated with the clot.
His doctors in Phoenix said the 80-year-old is reviewing treatment options that may include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.
They added he is recovering from his surgery "amazingly well" at home and that his underlying health is "excellent".
In a statement, Mr McCain's office said the senator "appreciates the outpouring of support he has received over the last few days".
"He is in good spirits as he continues to recover at home with his family in Arizona.
"He is grateful to the doctors and staff at Mayo Clinic for their outstanding care and he is confident that any future treatment will be effective."

This is not the senator's first experience of cancer - he had several malignant melanomas removed from his skin in the 1990s and 2000s, including an invasive melanoma in 2000.
Glioblastomas are particularly aggressive and the American Cancer Society puts the five-year survival rate for patients over 55 at about 4%.
But Mr McCain's daughter Meghan described him as "the toughest person I know".
"It won't surprise you to learn that in all this, the one of us who is most confident and calm is my father.
"Cancer may afflict him in many ways but it will not make him surrender. Nothing ever has."
Mr McCain has been a Republican senator for six terms and was also a presidential nominee in 2008, losing to Barack Obama.
During the campaign in October that year, Mr McCain was approached by a voter who expressed fear that Mr Obama was "an Arab".
Instead of taking the opportunity to speak badly of his rival, he corrected the lady and replied: "He's a decent family man and citizen who I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about."
On hearing of Mr McCain's medical condition, Mr Obama tweeted: "John McCain is an American hero and one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Cancer doesn't know what it's up against - give it hell, John.

As a Navy pilot, Mr McCain was shot down over Vietnam during the war there and was held as prisoner for five years.
US President Donald Trump said that the senator "has always been a fighter".
He added: "Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to Senator McCain, Cindy and their entire family. Get well soon."

UNTOUCHABLES TO HIGHEST POST OF THE COUNTRY- THE TALENT ALWAYS PREVAILS

LONDON — India chose an “untouchable” as its next president Thursday after the first contest in which both candidates were from the lowest tier of the country's caste system.
Ram Nath Kovind, nominated by the ruling BJP party, had been clear favorite for the largely ceremonial post, which is decided by 4,800 lawmakers across the country.
Under India’s constitution, the prime minister and his ministers wield executive power but the president sometimes plays a role such as deciding which party should form a government if a general election is inconclusive.
Kovind, 72, is not the first president to be “Dalit,” a term that means “oppressed” in Sanskrit and refers to members of the lowest caste. Kocheril Raman Narayanan took office in 1997 more than half a century after Gandhi pledged to end the country’s ancient system of discrimination.
It is, however, the first time since India gained independence from Britain in 1947 that both the final candidates were Dalit — former diplomat Meira Kumar was also low-caste — and it is also the first time that the upper-caste dominated BJP has nominated a Dalit for the job.
One-fifth of all parliamentary candidates must be Dalit under decades-long affirmative-action laws introduced to improve representation and outlaw discrimination. Dalits are also guaranteed a proportion of college places and government jobs.
But while social mobility has improved, particularly in India’s fast-growing cities, rural areas still often witness members of lower castes forced to live in separate areas or prevented from using communal facilities such as water fountains.
Caste campaigner Behan Mayawati called Thursday’s result “a huge victory.”
James Chiriyankandath, a senior research fellow at the University of London’s Institute of Commonwealth Studies, said the real significance was not about caste but rather the expanding influence of the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and its brand of Hindu nationalism.

“Caste still plays an important role in electoral mobilization but the religious divide between Hindus and non-Hindus, particularly Muslims, has become one of the main fissures in Indian politics,” he told NBC News.
“It is the most explosive division in India today. Tensions could be built up with the pursuit of policies such as bans on the slaughter of cows.”
He said BJP lawmakers in northern areas of India has “ratcheted up the tension on these religious lines.”

One-sixth of India’s population — about 200 million out of a total 1.35 billion — is Muslim, Chiriyankandath said. Much smaller minorities include Christians, Sikhs and Buddhists.
India will next month elect a vice-president. Another victory for the BJP would give it unprecedented influence in parliament — and potentially a role in deciding the outcome of the 2019 general election if the result is inconclusive.
“These elections are important in terms of consolidation of BJP’s grip on power,” Chiriyankandath said.
Since the rise of the BJP, India has seen a rise in Hindu nationalism, including the emergence of “cow vigilante” attacks on people accused of eating beef or slaughtering cows, which are sacred to Hindus.
 MARCH 2017: Air India makes history flying around the world with all-female crew 0:19
Modi last month called on India’s states to quell the attacks, following the follow the stabbing to death in June of a 16-year-old boy accused of possessing beef on a train.
India's Supreme Court on July 11 overturned a government decree on the trade of cattle for slaughter, an order that threatened the country's multi-billion dollar meat and leather industry dominated by Muslims, Reuters reported.
Kovind previously said he was committed to India's status as a secular democratic republ

CIA 's arms Program Ended.

The programme began in 2013 as Mr Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, decided to put pressure on President Bashar al-Assad to stand down.
The decision to halt it was made almost a month ago, by which time the flow of arms had already slowed significantly.
The officials said the move was part of an effort to improve ties with Russia.
Russia's military support has helped Mr Assad hold on to power during the six-year civil war that has left more than 300,000 people dead and displaced 11 million others.


The Washington Post newspaper was the first to report the end of the CIA weapons programme on Wednesday night.
Mr Trump made his decision after a meeting in the Oval Office with National Security Adviser H R McMaster and CIA Director Mike Pompeo and before he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Germany on 7 July, according to the Post.
Two days after the summit, a truce brokered by the US and Russia took effect in three southern Syrian provinces. But the end of the weapons programme was reportedly not a condition of the negotiations.
US officials told Reuters news agency there had long been doubts about the programme's effectiveness. Despite a lengthy vetting process, some rebels had defected to so-called Islamic State (IS) and other jihadist groups, they said.
The CIA-backed groups have also been targeted repeatedly by Russian air strikes, which began in September 2015.
One official said Mr Trump's decision was not a major concession to Russia given Mr Assad's grip on power, adding: "It's a signal to Putin that the administration wants to improve ties."
But another called the decision "momentous", telling the Post: "Putin won in Syria."
A separate US military programme to train, arm and provide air support to an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters battling so-called Islamic State will continue.
The White House and the CIA declined to comment on the reports.
Mr Trump had suggested before he took office in January that he might end support for the rebels and prioritise the fight against IS in eastern and northern Syria.
In late March, the White House said it had abandoned the goal of forcing Mr Assad to stand aside, explaining that "there is a political reality that we have to accept".
But the next month, after the US accused the Syrian government of a deadly chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town, Mr Trump ordered a cruise missile strike on a Syrian air base and his secretary of state said Mr Assad's actions suggested "there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian people".
Mr Trump's decision to agree to the Russian demand to end the weapons programme comes as he faces intense scrutiny by Congress and a special counsel investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

Diplomacy The Only Way To Melt Down India Pak Tention

Delhi: External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday that it was seeking 'peaceful resolution' of all boundary matters with China, including military standoff at Doklam in the Sikkim sector.
Addressing the press, spokesperson Gopal Baglay referred to India`s June 30 statement to reiterate that "basically India`s approach has been to find peaceful resolution of all matters concerning the border with China."
He also said that India`s National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval will be visiting Beijing on July 27 and 28 to attend a BRICS meeting but parried questions whether there will be any bilateral meetings with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the meeting of the five-nation grouping.
The meeting of NSAs of BRICS nations will be hosted by Yang.
However, Baglay refused to share the details on what kind of diplomatic channels the two countries were using to ease the border tension at Doklam.
"I would not like to go into the details of how and between whom and when such conversations have taken place, if they have taken place," he said.
The spokesperson said the government of India has been laying stress on the Astana consensus between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at last month that the two countries must not allow differences to become disputes.
"Every responsible power, every responsible person and player in the world, of course, prefers peaceful resolution of matters that are in hand," he said, as per IANS .


Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today that China intends to unilaterally change the status of the tri-junction with Bhutan, which poses a challenge to India's security.
Responding to supplementaries during Question Hour, she informed the Rajya Sabha that there was a written agreement between India, China and Bhutan in 2012 that the three nations will together decide on the boundaries at the tri-junction point.
The Minister said the boundaries between India and China are yet to be finalised and the two nations will do that bilaterally through discussions, while the same between China and Bhutan too will be done through bilateral talks.
She also accused China of building roads using bulldozers and excavators, which has been protested by Bhutan in writing to China.
The Minister also said that India was not 'unreasonable' on the issue and all nations were with it.
"India's position is not wrong on the tri-junction and all nations are with it. The law is with our country," she said.
Swaraj said all countries are supporting us and they understand that the stand taken by India on the issue is not wrong.
She said the matter can be resolved through talks and "We are willing to talk, but both sides have to first take back their armies."

India on June 30 had hit back at China for making veiled threats with Defence Minister Arun Jaitely asserting that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962.
After China's oblique reference to the war the two countries had fought 55 years ago, Jaitley had said that the current standoff between Indian and Chinese troops was triggered by Beijing.
The MEA had said then that it was essential that all parties concerned display utmost restraint and abide by their respective bilateral understandings not to change the status quo unilaterally.
"India is deeply concerned at the recent Chinese actions and has conveyed to the Chinese government that such construction would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India," the MEA had asserted in a press release at that time.
"In coordination with the Royal Government of Bhutan, Indian personnel, who were present at general area Doka La, approached the Chinese construction party and urged them to desist from changing the status quo. These efforts continue," the ministry had added.
"It is our understanding that a Royal Bhutan Army patrol attempted to dissuade them (the PLA construction party) from this unilateral activity," the MEA had maintained.