kannur l Monday l november 16, 2020 l `7.00 l PAGES 28 l city EDITION hamilton equals f1 legend schumacher’s world mark Briton enters league of all-time greats across sports with seventh World Championship win in Turkish Grand Prix childhood dream comes true Lewis Hamilton, who had earlier this year overtaken Michael Schumacher’s world record of most individual races won, had claimed his first world title in 2008. “We dreamed of this when I was young. I remember watching Michael win those World Championships... Seven is unimaginable,” said the Mercedes driver. The 35-year-old has won 10 of 14 races this season ■ 4 incredible journey of milestone man ■ Hamilton also holds the world records for most wins (94), most pole positions (97) and most podium finishes (163) Hamilton came home over half-a-minute clear of Racing Point’s Sergio Perez and sealed the World Championship with three races still to be held in a season cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic This is hamilton’s fourth consecutive world title win CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI RCEP is a deal! Decoding political killings Share in global GDP of the 30% 210 cr fifteen signatories of RCEP people covered by the deal Common rules,  lower tariffs The RCEP is a trade pact first proposed in 2012 and includes China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and 10 ASEAN economies - Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia The agreement is expected to lower or eliminate a range of tariffs within 20 years of it taking effect It will also lead to the creation of common rules of origin. This will help companies save cost and time by allowing them to export a product anywhere within the bloc without meeting separate requirements for each country Indian pull out Chinese Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan (R) holds up the RCEP agreement as Premier Li Keqiang (L) applauds | afp The RCEP signatory states will commence negotiations with India at any time after the signing of RCEP agreement once India submits a request in writing Ministers’ Declaration on India’s participation in RCEP Door still open for New Delhi Win for China India can join the RCEP anytime in future after submitting a formal request India pulled out of the RCEP talks last year over concerns that tariffs reductions will lead to dumping of Chinese goods in the domestic market. It would also worsen India’s trade deficit According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, India has trade deficits with 11 of the 15 RCEP signatories While RCEP would open up India’s market to Chinese goods, India got no assurances that its companies would get meaningful access to Chinese markets India can also participate in RCEP meetings as an observer Being China’s brainchild, RCEP is seen as its tool to draft the rules of trade in the region What next India can also take part in economic cooperation activities undertaken by the signatory states, on terms and conditions to be jointly decided by RCEP All signatories need to ratify the deal within two years for it to come into force The Bharatiya Janata Party’s sustained push to make inroads ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections next year and the Trinamool Congress’s fierce efforts to thwart the attempts are turning south Bengal into killing fields. Last Wednesday Prime Min, ister Narendra Modi had alluded to it, saying those who had failed to challenge the BJP democratically have resorted to murdering its workers to achieve their goals. “Maut ka khel (killing game) cannot get you votes,” he said without naming the TMC. Police data studied by this newspaper showed that of the 47 political killings involving BJP and TMC workers since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, 38 happened in south Bengal. Twelve of the political killings took place in the last six months. A majority of those who were killed, 28, were BJP supporters, while 18 were TMC workers and one was a Socialist Unity Centre of India activist. The reason why south Bengal has turned into a bloody political battlefield is because this is where the BJP sees it can m a ke i n ro a d s i n t o T M C territory . In the political landscape of West Bengal, there are 85 minority-dominated seats. Here the TMC has built an almost impregnable base through its Muslim-friendly policies. The BJP in any case doesn’t enjoy the community’s trust. Then there are 55 seats, mostly in north Bengal, which have a substantial number of Hindu refugees from Bangladesh. In these seats the BJP has wide support. This was underlined in the parliamentary elections last year, when it won seven of the eight Lok Sabha seats. CAG DRAFT REPORT ON KIIFB UDF-backed BJP scaring state with nat’l agencies: FM E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Kochi/T’Puram A day after he condemned the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) draft report that questioned the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board’s (KIIFB) borrowings, Finance Minister Thomas Isaac on Sunday accused the BJP of using central agencies to threaten the state government and the UDF of extending support to the move. Isaac said the BJP was trying to play the same trick that it had recently played with the help of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and other agencies in some other cases. He said that by supporting the BJP in this effort and trying to kill the right to borrow, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala was harming the state. “The BJP is trying to play the same tricks which it has played in the state with the help of ED in this case. That plan won’t work in Kerala. They can try it somewhere in northern India, not here. This is Kerala,” Isaac said. Addressing a press conference along with UDF convenor M M Hassan in the state capital an hour later, Chennithala reiterated that Isaac does not have the right to continue in office as he has leaked the details of the CAG draft report on KIIFB even before it was tabled in the assembly or ● More on P4 discussed by the cabinet.  e x press rea d Alan Shuhaib’s father gets RMPI ticket Kozhikode: CPM rebel outfit Revolutionary Marxist Party of India has decided to field Muhammed Shuhaib, father of Alan Shuhaib who was arrested under UAPA for alleged Maoist links, in the local body elections. P4 SWAMI SARANAM Melsanthi Sudheer Namboothiri opens the sanctum sanctorum of Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple in the presence of Thantri Kandararu Rajivaru for the 41day Mandala pooja season on Sunday | SHAJI VETTIPURAM WITH THIS ISSUE THE ESSENTIAL CAMPUS DIGEST YOUR LIFE COACH 28 PAGES, INCLUDING 16 OF edex (TABLOID) S o umitra C hatterjee ( J a n 1 9 , 1 9 3 5 - N o v 1 5 , 2 0 2 0 ) Feluda was an institution of Bengali cinema S h ila j it Mitra How does an actor play the wind? For over half a century now, cineastes have dissected the evocative opening sequence of Satyajit Ray’s Charulata (1964). We know the rhythms, the shots, the studied minutiae of provincial Bengal as revealed over one languorous afternoon with Charulata (Madhabi Mukherjee). But what about the twist, the turn, the sudden shifting around of fate? This is Soumitra Chatterjee, the wild and irrepressible Amal of Ray’s film, arriving in a squall to stir things up. In Charulata’s life, he arrives as the Fans attend the funeral rally for iconic Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee (inset), who passed away in Kolkata on Sunday | afp unruly summer wind, ruffling floor mats and sending bits of paper in a swirl. “Hare murare...,” he announces dramatically before dropping to touch her feet. When he gets up, the order of his queries is telling: “Are you reading the literary magazines?” he asks. And then: “Where’s my brother?” The scene of Amal’s arrival is momentous: he will soon be unclasping a flurry of muted desires in his bored and housebound sister-in-law. At the same time, there’s a droll insouciance to Soumitra’s performance that undercuts any metaphorical heavy-handedness. Such was the relaxed mastery of the Soumitra-Ray combine. Writing in his book, Have You Seen…?, about 1,000 must-see films, David Thomson noted, “She (Charulata) does not quite fall in love with the brotherin-law, but she falls for his version of love...” Soumitra, who was battling Covid complications, passed away in a Kolkata Hospital on Sunday He was . 85. An institution of Bengali cinema and culture, Soumitra had acted in over 200 feature films; his penultimate appearance was in Anik Dutta’s Borunbabur Bondhu, co-starring, poignantly Madhabi Mukherjee. , Continued on: P7  Bitter fight on south Bengal turf Vote share in North Bengal 2019 2016 P ronab Mondal @ Kolkata TMC 43% Assembly BJP 15% TMC 35% BJP 51% TMC 44% BJP 35% TMC 211, BJP 3 Seats dominated by communities Minorities : 85 SC & Hindu refugees : 55 Tribals : 25 That apart, there are 25 seats where tribals have a large presence. They mainly are in the Jungle Mahal region, where the BJP has managed to create North Bengal Jalpaiguri Darjeeling North Dinajpur Lok Sabha elections Malda TMC 45% BJP 7% Seats won in 2016 Assembly elections Alipurduar elections Vote share in South Bengal 2019 2016 The world’s biggest free trade deal is finally here. Fifteen countries on Sunday signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), with China expected to be the Big Daddy. A look Cooch Behar South Bengal South Dinajpur Murshidabad Nadia East Burdwan West Burdwan Hooghly Purulia North 24 Parganas Bankura Jhargram Howrah West Midnapore Kolkata East Midnapore South 24 Parganas a base. So, with the electoral leanings in 165 (85+55+25) seats of the total 294 clear, a fierce fight has broken out between the BJP and the TMC for the re- maining 129 seats. As all of them are located in south Bengal, the region has turned into a hotbed of violence.  Continued on: P7 Nitish to begin seventh term as Bihar CM today R a j es h K u m ar T h akur @ Patna A day after being unanimously elected leader of the Bihar NDA, JD(U) president Nitish Kumar will on Monday be sworn-in as the state’s chief minister for his seventh term. The swearing-in ceremony will begin at 4.30 pm. Earlier on Sunday, Nitish staked his claim to form the new government after handing the letter of support of 126 lawmakers to Governor Phagu Chauhan. The NDA meeting was held in the presence of BJP’s central observer and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Addressing the media later, Ni- tish said: “I did not want to be the CM, but only after the request and instructions of the leaders of the BJP, I accepted the post,” he said. Team Nitish could have 15 representatives from the BJP, 12 JD(U) and two each from the Hindustani Awam Morcha and the Vikassheel Insaan Party .