Daily Bulletin: All eyes on day two of G20 Summit as US-China trade showdown looms, rains to continue in Mumbai; day's top stories

All eyes on day two of  G20 Summit as US-China trade showdown looms

After a first day dominated by public shows of bonhomie, all eyes at the G20 Summit on Saturday turn to a pivotal trade showdown between economic rivals China and the United States.

File image of US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. AP

In a bid to thrash out a truce in a long-running trade war that has seen hundreds of billions of dollars in tit-for-tat tariffs, US President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping met at around 11.30 am (02.30 GMT).

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Earlier Trump has said he expected a "productive" meeting, but warned before the summit that he was prepared to slap tariffs on all Chinese imports if no deal could be struck on the sidelines of the G20.

The best-case scenario most analysts expect is a truce and agreement to keep talking, although markets are not ruling out a complete collapse or a surprise breakthrough given the US president's mercurial nature.

China's state-run Xinhua news agency said the Xi-Trump head-to-head was a "unique opportunity for the two sides to find new common ground in easing trade tensions and bring the troubled ties back onto the right track". However, the commentary also warned the US "needs to place itself on an equal footing with China" and "accommodate China's legitimate concerns".

On Day 2 of G20 Summit, Modi to engage with Turkish president, Singapore PM

The second day will also be marked by G20 leaders brainstorming over issues on overcoming inequalities as well as crucial issues around climate change that can have a major impact on economies of developing countries. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will again be engaged in some back to back bilaterals and pull asides - significantly with the Turkish president and Singapore prime minister. Modi holds separate talks with presidents of Indonesia, Brazil on sidelines of G-20 Summit; focus on bilateral ties, trade

Narendra Modi to be back with 'Mann ki Baat' from Sunday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will return with his monthly radio broadcast "Mann ki Baat" from 30 June.

On 24 February, days before the Lok Sabha elections were announced, the prime minister had put his monthly broadcast sessions on hold during March and April. Confident of his return, Modi had said he will be back with the programme on the last Sunday of May.

The BJP-led NDA returned to power with a massive mandate and Modi was sworn in as the prime minister on 30 May.

In his first term, Modi had addressed the nation on 53 occasions through his monthly broadcast after coming to power in 2014. While discontinuing the programme, Modi had said he was doing so keeping in mind healthy democratic traditions.

Article 370 not permanent, says Amit Shah in Lok Sabha 

In his first address as Union home minister in the 17th Lok Sabha on Friday, Amit Shah said that Article 370, which provides for special status to Jammu and Kashmir, is "temporary in nature" and "not permanent" and blamed late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for creating the Kashmir problem.

Although he didn't go any further on the subject on floor of the Parliament, considering what the BJP said in its vision document ahead of the recently-concluded Lok Sabha election, his comments on this contentious Article will surely spark a debate.

"This is temporary, not permanent. Either you have forgotten this or have chosen to gloss over the fact that Article 370 is a temporary provision of the Constitution. Do remember this and also that Sheikh Abdullah (the late founder of National Conference and the tallest leader of the state) had concurred with the arrangement," Shah told Hasnain Masoodi, the Lok Sabha member from Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir who represents National Conference.

The home minister also slammed the Congress for opposing extension of President's rule in the state.

Three people dead, five injured as heavy rains lash Mumbai

Three persons were killed and five injured in rain-related incidents on Friday in Mumbai, which was lashed by the first spell of heavy rains this monsoon that marked its most delayed arrival in the city in 45 years, officials said.

Mumbaikars woke up to heavy rains, ending a long dry spell, but a few hours of incessant showers left the financial capital struggling with the familiar monsoon woes of waterlogging, delayed trains, traffic jams and choked drains.

Three persons died of electric shocks, while two others were injured in two separate incidents in the western suburbs, a spokesperson of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

According to the civic official, the deceased were identified as Kashima Yudiyar (60), a resident of Andheri (East), Rajendra Yadav (60) and Sanjay Yadav (24), all from Goregaon (East).

Two others suffered injuries in the Goregaon incident and were admitted to a local hospital, he said. Three persons were injured when a portion of a wall collapsed in Dadar (East), he said, adding that they were admitted to the civic-run KEM Hospital.

Waterlogging was reported from areas like Dadar, Wadala, Worli, Kurla, Chembur, Bandra, Andheri, Kandivili, Vikhroli, Kanjurmarg and Bhandup, among others.
Responding to the reports of waterlogging, the BMC said pumping out water will take time because of high tide in the Arabian Sea.

Second phase of UPI mechanism for retail investors from 1 July

The second phase of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) mechanism as an alternative for retail investors to buy shares in a public issue will be effective from 1 July.

In a circular on 28 June, Sebi said with the implementation of the second phase, the existing process of submitting bid-cum-application form with intermediary and the movement of application forms from intermediaries to self-certified syndicate banks for blocking funds will be discontinued.

Instead, "for such applications only the UPI mechanism would be the permissible mode," it added.

Resurgent Pakistan to take on downed Afghanistan

Pakistan will face bottom-ranked Afghanistan in a crucial encounter for the Men in Green, who need every point they can possibly get to ensure their participation in the knockout stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup. Afghanistan, on the other hand, will be looking to salvage some pride with a win, having lost all seven of their matches so far.

Third-placed New Zealand take on neighbours Australia

New Zealand enjoyed a wonderful start to their campaign at the World Cup, but recently had their first taste of defeat when a seemingly down-and-out Pakistan side beat them in Edgbaston. While they're still one of the favourites to qualify for the semis, a win against top-ranked Australia would wrap up any questions over qualification before their final game on 3 July.

NASA restores Apollo Mission Control Centre to commemorate 50 anniversary of moon landing

To celebrate the 50 anniversary of the Moon landing which is due on 20 July, NASA has painstakingly restored and re-opened the original Apollo Mission Control Centre in Houston, Texas. The restoration involved years of research of archival footage and photography, and seven months of restoration work.