The Marxist-led Left Democratic Front government of Pinarayi Vijayan in Kerala was bold enough to reverse the populist policy pursued by the Congress-led United Democratic Front government of Oommen Chandy which catered to the upper strata of society by decreeing that only five star hotels could have bars.

The poor were forced to queue up before the liquor shops, which were few and far apart, for hours on end to fetch their hooch. Often a person had to take a day’s casual leave to buy a bottle.

The policy not only encouraged bootlegging but promoted corruption among the enforcement authorities. The most troubling aspect was that youth resorted to drugs.

The flourishing tourism industry which attracted 12.5 million domestic and about a million foreign tourists in 2016 witnessed a steep fall after the stringent policy came into effect. With the LDF government’s liberalised policy coming into force from 1 July, Vijayan hopes to reverse the trend. With more than Rs.1 trillion in remittances from its emigrants annually, conspicuous consumption has become the hallmark of Kerala society and people resent the moralistic attitude of the government.

To claim that “prohibition of consumption of intoxicating drinks” is the most important Directive Principle of State Policy did not cut much ice with Vijayan as it is only a small part of Article 47 of the Constitution. Raising the level of nutrition and the standard of living of people and improvement of public health are given priority over prohibition in the same Article.

Fifteen Articles of the Constitution deal with Directive Principles. Why are our leaders concerned with only one-third of Article 47 while observing the rest in the breach unless they think it is one way of wooing votes, especially of the fair sex? History shows prohibition has never succeeded anywhere in the world, including the Biblical Garden of Eden. There is a growing tendency among our political class to assume a paternalistic attitude to governance and prescribe what the people should eat and drink.

A truly democratic government should empower the citizen to make their own decisions. The Volstead Act, 1920, sought to enforce prohibition in the USA which led to the rise of the mafia and manufacture, sale and consumption of illicit liquor. It had to be repealed.

Several States in India, including Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, introduced total prohibition and repealed it quickly because it created more problems than promoting temperance.

The claim that once prohibition was enforced wage earners would give their earnings to their families was found to be false. They spend more money and time on chasing illicit liquor prepared clandestinely in unhygienic conditions.

During the prohibition era in the USA wine merchants would sell bricks of grape concentrate with a warning message, “After dissolving the brick in a gallon of water, do not put the liquid away in a jug for 20 days, because it would then turn into wine.”

Such is the ingenuity of man to beat prohibition.

US President Donald Trump hailed the Supreme Court decision to allow the entry into force of some portions of his travel ban denying entry to refugees and citizens of six Muslim-majority nations, saying that it will allow him to "protect" the country.

"Today's unanimous Supreme Court decision is a clear victory for our national security," Efe news quoted Trump as saying on Monday. "It allows the travel suspension for the six terror-prone countries and the refugee suspension to become largely effective."

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear the Trump administration's appeals of lower court rulings blocking the travel ban. It allowed parts of the travel ban to stand and agreed to hear the case in the fall.

The travel ban had been blocked by two lower courts, which ruled that Trump abused his authority and discriminated against Muslims as a religious minority by issuing the ban by executive order.

However, until it can issue a definitive ruling, the court authorized the Trump administration to deny US entry to people affected by the ban who do not have relatives in the US or who have no previously established plans to work at companies or study at educational institutions in the US.

"My number one responsibility as Commander in Chief is to keep the American people safe. Today's ruling allows me to use an important tool for protecting our Nation's homeland," Trump said in his statement.

Thus, the decision will allow the 120-day ban on refugees to be implemented, given that those people are fleeing their countries of origin and have no prior relationship with US individuals or institutions.

The other basic portion of Trump's initiative, which will remain partially blocked, will be the prohibition on US entry to citizens of Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and Libya, although entry will be allowed for people from those countries who have relatives or job contracts in the US.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a communique that it will provide more details regarding implementation of the ban after consulting with the State and Justice Departments.

After Trump's original January 27 executive order, several states, including Hawaii, sued in federal court and got it blocked, prompting the administration to craft a new order in March that included changes aimed at allowing the measure to pass muster in the courts.

The March 6 executive order, revised from the earlier version that was blocked by courts, called for a 90-day ban on travellers from six countries — Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. 

Congress on Monday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj make a "comprehensive statement" on China's move to stop Indian pilgrims from travelling to Kailash Mansarovar.

Asking the government to ensure that the route was opened after taking it up with Chinese counterparts, the Congress also questioned the government maintaining a "conspiratorial silence" on the issue.

"The BJP government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi patted their back immensely when the alternate route of this Mansarovar Yatra was started through the Chinese territory.

"Unfortunately in the very first year, China has unilaterally and without reason blocked the Mansarovar Yatra," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

"Many 'Shiv bhakts' (Lord Shiva devotees), who had already undertaken a large part of their journey, have been sent back without any reason," he said.

"All the facilities constructed on the way have also been unilaterally demolished by China. We want to ask the government why has it adopted a conspiratorial silence on the issue now. 

"The PM and the External Affairs Minister should make a comprehensive statement on the issue, take it up with its chinese counterparts and ensure that this route is opened again for the pilgrims," said Surjewala.

China on Monday refused to divulge why it had stopped a group of Indian pilgrims from travelling to Kailash Mansarovar, saying the foreign ministries of both countries were in touch over the issue.

"According to my information, the foreign ministries of the two countries are maintaining communication on the issue," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang had said.

Last week, the first batch of 47 Indian pilgrims was stopped by Chinese authorities at the international border.
 

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday made a veiled attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying people with one principle make one decision and those having multiple principles make different decisions.

"He (Nitish Kumar) made the first announcement of defeat of a Dalit leader from his state. It is his doing, not us," Azad told reporters on being asked about Kumar's remark on opposition's presidential candidate Meira Kumar.

"People who believe in one principle make one decision, but those who believe in many principles make different decisions," he added.

Bihar Chief Minister and JD-U President Nitish Kumar on Friday admonished the opposition alliance for fielding "Bihar ki beti" (Bihar's daughter) Meira Kumar to lose, as a smooth sail is likely for ruling NDA's candidate Ram Nath Kovind in the July 17 election.

Nitish's remarks came a day after 17 opposition parties led by Congress named former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as their presidential candidate and Rashtiya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav hailed her as "Bihar ki beti" as she has her roots there.

In a reference to Sunday's anti-Gorkhaland protests in north Bengal's Siliguri, some Left Front leaders on Monday said raising racist slogans against a certain community is disrespectful to the martyrs who fought for unity in the hills.

"More than 200 CPI-M activists from the Gorkha and Nepali communities were martyred fighting against the division in the north Bengal hills during the 80s. 

"Raising racist slogans against the community is equivalent to showing disrespect to those martyrs," Jibesh Sarkar, Left Front Convener of Darjeeling district, said in a press release.

He said that such slogans were also against the cultural heritage of Bengal and would only help in fuelling the separatist powers active in the region.

Sarkar accused state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of "once acknowledging" the demands of a separate state of Gorkhaland in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) agreement.

He also urged the people of both hills and plains to shun the path of violence and be tolerant.

"The Chief Minister herself acknowledged the divisive forces in the hills once by including the clause of 'keeping on record the demand for Gorkhaland' in the GTA agreement," the left leader alleged.

"To maintain peace and harmony between the hills and the plains, people should shun the path of violence and be tolerant," he added.

The plains of Darjeeling on Sunday saw the first violent anti-Gorkhaland protests since an agitation erupted in the hills over the demand for a separate Gorkhaland.

Several protesters blocked the Hill Cart Road in Darjeeling district's Siliguri and vandalised several vehicles carrying hill-bound commuters. Anti-Gorkha slogans were also raised at the demonstration.

Floods caused by heavy rains have killed 28 people in China in four days and left another 16 missing, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Monday.

From late Thursday till Monday night, the rains forced 504,000 people to relocate in many provinces including Anhui, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan and Zhejiang, Xinhua news agency reported. 

Nearly 6,500 houses collapsed and 60,000 were damaged. About 468,800 hectares of farmland was flooded and 45,200 hectares of crops were destroyed.

Direct economic losses were estimated at 9.46 billion yuan ($1.38 billion).

A governess was shunted out of the Delhi Golf Club for wearing a Jainsem, a dress worn by the indigenous Khasi women in Meghalaya, the woman said.

On Sunday, Tailin Lyngdoh had gone to the Club along with her employer Nivedita Barthakur after they were invited for lunch by a member of the Club.

However, 15-20 minutes into the lunch, two Club officials asked Lyngdoh to leave the table and the Club saying the dress (Jainsem) she was wearing was a "maid's uniform" and also allegedly hurled racial abuse at her.

"We were invited for lunch at the Delhi Golf Club. We were all seated and the lunch was almost to be served. Suddenly the Club official came to me and asked me to leave the place," Lyngdoh said.

"I enquired the reason. They told me that the dress (Jainsem) I was wearing was a maid's uniform. They even said that I look like a dustbin," said a visibly upset Lyngdoh, who hails from Meghalaya's Langtor village in Mairaing Civil Sub-Division.

"I have travelled almost all over the world and several parts of India and eaten food in the best hotels and clubs. But no one has hurled abuses on me or commented on my dress."

The Club President, Siddharth Shriram, told IANS that he had no knowledge of the incident and had received no complaint. The Secretary, Rajiv Hora, did not take repeated calls from IANS. 

"The attire comprises of two pieces of fabrics which are either tied or pinned at the shoulders and is worn either below the knee or ankle length. The Jainsem is generally worn with a blouse and a petticoat underneath," said Meghalaya's leading designer Daniel Syiem, who has showcased ethnic apparel in global fashion hubs like New York, London and Rome.

Barthakur, who is an entrepreneur and advisor to the Assam government, told IANS that they had a lunch invitation from her friend.

She said the two Club officials who told Lyngdoh to leave were Ajit Pal and Sumita Thakur.

"We explained to them about the dress… I am appalled that a citizen of India is judged on her dress and treated as a pariah," she said.

"I am astounded over the Delhi Golf Club episode. It was a bitter experience for me and Nivedita and everyone out there. You cannot judge a person by what she wears and call someone a dustbin," Lyngdoh added.

Barthakur said they will take legal action against the Club officials.

"I have started consulting my lawyer. I will also take it up with Kiren Rijiju (Minister of State for Home) and Conrad Sangma (Lok Sabha member from Meghalaya)," she said.

A former Delhi Golf Club President who did not want to be identified by name said: "We do have a strict dress code. Just what happened in this case, I can't say."

Grenfell Tower fire victims were "murdered by political decisions", Labour Party's Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has said.

Speaking at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday, McDonnell blamed the Grenfell blaze on the government decision to "view housing as only for financial speculation". 

He said that financial cuts to firefighters and stations "contributed to deaths inevitably" in the West London inferno, the Telegraph reported.

Seventy-nine persons were killed in the 24-storey tower block fire, which began in the early hours of June 14. 

McDonnell said: "Is democracy working? It didn't work if you were a family living on the 20th floor of Grenfell Tower. Those families, those individuals… were murdered by political decisions that were taken over recent decades."

"The decision not to build homes and to view housing as only for financial speculation rather than for meeting a basic human need made by politicians over decades murdered those families."

The Shadow Chancellor's remarks came as evacuations of tower blocks in Camden, North London, began after 34 blocks nationwide were revealed to have failed fire safety tests. 

Later, McDonnell was accused of playing "politics with the lives of those who suffered".

Housing Minister Alok Sharma said it was "disappointing" that people wanted to make it "a party political issue", BBC reported.

Sharma said the cladding in question had been installed over a wide time period and under councils controlled by different political parties.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, too, accused Labour of politicising the disaster. Johnson wrote on his Facebook page that Labour were engaged with "outrageous politicking" and "political game-playing" over the fire.

McDonnell's position was contradicted by Shadow Housing Minister John Healey. "I wouldn't use the word murder," Healey said, adding, "It's not yet possible to point to a direct cause and effect. We don't know the full details from Grenfell Tower." 

Prime Minister Theresa May ordered a public inquiry into the incident on June 15 and she will chair a meeting of the Grenfell Tower Recovery Task Force later in the day.

Over the weekend, Camden Council evacuated 650 people from four tower blocks in Swiss Cottage area, after London Fire Brigade raised concerns about cladding, gas pipe insulation, and fire doors.

Buildings in Doncaster, Norwich, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland, Manchester, Plymouth and Portsmouth were also declared unsafe. 

Former Calcutta High Court Justice C S Karnan has written to West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi seeking bail or parole, his counsel Mathew J Nedumpara said on Monday.

The 62-year-old judge was sentenced to six months in jail on May 9 for contempt by the Supreme Court. After remaining untraceable for a while, Karnan was arrested in Chennai and brought to Kolkata on Wednesday where he was lodged in the Presidency Jail. On Thursday, the former judge was admitted to a hospital.

"We have moved a petition to the West Bengal Governor seeking bail or parole," Nedumpara said over phone.

Karnan appealed to the Governor "to exercise the jurisdiction invested in Your Excellency and enlarge the prisoner, Justice C.S. Karnan on bail/parole in the interest of justice and equity," the petition said.

Quoting the petition, Karnan's counsel said: "The applicant is ready and willing to abide by any terms and conditions that may be imposed for granting bail or parole to him."

Making the representation through his lawyers, Karnan said: "The imprisonment which the applicant undergoes as of now is without knowing the reasons for which he is imprisoned, and in violation of fundamental, constitutional, statutory and equitable rights invested in him."

"Hence, it is requested that the applicant may please be enlarged on bail/parole till the said lacunae are remedied and constitutional supremacy restored," the petition added.

Karnan's lawyer said the a copy of the representation along with a covering letter has been sent to the West Bengal Chief Minister and state Home and Law Minister.
 

Hours before the Modi-Trump meet, the US on Monday declared the Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin a global terrorist.

The State Department said it had designated Mohammad Yusuf Shah, widely known as Syed Salahuddin, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).

A State Department statement said that in September 2016, Salahuddin had vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers and vowed to turn the Kashmir Valley "into a graveyard for Indian forces".

"Under Salahuddin's tenure as senior Hizbul Mujahideen leader, (the group) has claimed responsibility for several attacks including the April 2014 explosives attack in Jammu and Kashmir which injured 17 people," the statement said.

It said Monday's action notified the American public and the international community that Syed Salahuddin had committed or posed a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism.

"Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate organisations and individuals, and result in denial of access to the US financial system. Moreover, designations can assist or complement the law enforcement actions of other nations," it said.

"As a consequence of this designation, US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with Salahuddin and all of Salahuddin's property and interests in property subject to US jurisdiction are blocked," it added.

The US designation came just ahead of the meeting between visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.

Syed Salahuddin, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir but has lived in Pakistan for years, is known to maintain close ties with the Pakistani military-intelligence set-up.

Indian shooting trio of Anish, Anhad Jawanda and Shivam Shukla claimed third position to win a bronze medal in the 25m rapid fire pistol team event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Championship Rifle/Pistol in Suhl, Germany, on Monday.

The trio scored a combined total of 1711 points to lift India's medal tally to four (two gold, one silver and one bronze) on the third day of the championship.

It was Anish, who earlier won India's first gold from the tournament after finishing on top in the 25m standard pistol event.

India's second gold came from the efforts of Yashaswini Singh Deswal, who won the 10m air pistol women's event on Day 2.

In the 10m air rifle men's event, Arjun Babuta, 17, made it to the final though failed to carry the momentum and ended on fifth position. In the qualification round, Arjun had shot a score of 624.4 (seventh position) to enter the eight-man final.

Urging the Central government to start a dialogue about a separate Gorkhaland state to be carved out of northern West Bengal hills, a section of GJM leadership on Monday vowed to intensify their agitation though actions like "self-sacrifice" and fasting till death.

"The Central government should immediately start dialog about the separate state of Gorkhaland," Prakash Gurung, President of the Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha (GJYM), the youth wing of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, told reporters here.

"We will intensify our agitation for Gorkhaland by taking the path of self-sacrifice and fasting till death from now on," he said.

Accusing the Central and state governments of staying mum on the death of three GJM activists in a clash with security forces in Singmari area here, Gurung said there would be symbolic protest against the role of state government in handling the situation.

"Three of our brothers were martyred in the Gorkhalannd movement but the state government and Central government is silent about it. The one point agenda of our agitation is Gorkhaland.

"We will do a symbolic protest by burning the GTA documents at various places in the hills and the Dooars region tomorrow (On Tuesday). We will also burn the documents at the Pintel village in Darjeeling where the GTA agreement took place," he added.

Meanwhile, the security personnel and senior officers of West Bengal police route marched in Darjeeling to oversee the law and order situation.

A police convoy led by IPS officer Siddhinath Gupta, marched from Chowk Bazar to the district magistrate's office in Darjeeling. The team also went to Singmari police outpost where the massive clash between the security forces and Morcha activist had taken place on July 17.

Morcha's announcement of intensifying the agitation came on the 12th day of GJM sponsored indefinite shutdown in the north Bengal hills. The shutdown was partially relaxed for 12 hours on Monday on occasion of Eid and the public vehicles were allowed ply on the streets of Darjeeling.

He has the will but not the way. He wants to be the President of India but don’t want to quit his government job!

When National Democratic Alliance’s Presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind is set for a comfortable victory against the opposition’s Meira Kumar, Chandigarh resident Vijay Kumar wants the cancellation of the election process and his appointment as the next President.

An assistant engineer with the Chandigarh Housing Board, 47-year-old Kumar has been vying to contest the Presidential elections since 2012.

But since he is a government employee and requires a no objection certificate (NOC) for contesting the election, the same has been denied to him citing service rules.

But in his bid to get the NOC or the permission to contest the election, Kumar has relentlessly taken his fight to the Supreme Court (SC), the President and Election Commission (EC) without success.

Vijay Kumar had written letters to the current President and EC to terminate the Presidential elections till his case was decided. But to his disappointment, the EC went ahead with the announcement of Presidential elections saying it's a time bound exercise.

Giving reason for his desire to be the President, Kumar said it resulted from the harassment and humiliation he faced while getting patent for a ‘flushing device’ invented by him.

“I applied for the patent of this water saving device in 2006 but got the patent certificate in 2016 after lots of struggle. I am an inventor but was made to face humiliation at the hands of even the lower-level officials in the Union government,” he said.

“Therefore, I decided to be the President so that no other is made to face the such a humiliation. The system works top to bottom. So one can do good only if he is at the top,” Kumar added.

Asked why is he not resigning from his job to contest the election, Kumar said he would not resign as there is no guarantee that he will win the election and his family is dependent on his salary.

As he is aware that he no way he can win election without any political party’s support, Kumar has urged the President to ‘create’ one more post for the President of India.

“I have a patent in my name. I have intellectual quality to be the President,” he said while quoting his correspondence with the SC, EC and the President since 2012 over the same demand.

Asked if his family and office colleagues support him, Kumar said it's an individual fight. “My office colleagues don't say anything but they do appreciate my fight. My family is also with me,” he said.

The Glenmark 34th Sub Junior National and 44th Junior National Aquatic  would be organised by Maharashtra State Amateur Aquatic Association in Pune and will see over 1,400 athletes taking part in swimming, diving and water polo disciplines.

The sub junior nationals are to be held between June 28 and 30 to be followed by the junior nationals between July 3 and 6, the Swimming Federation of India announced on Monday.

All the events are to be conducted at the Shiv Chhattrapati Sports Complex in Mahalunge-Balewadi, according to the SFI media release.

The hallmark of a great side is not the ability to win a one-off title, but to repeat the trick year after year. That elusive level of consistency at the highest level separates the men from the boys. 

It’s safe to say the current Real Madrid squad, the only team in history to defend their UEFA Champions League crown, will be regarded as one of the best to have graced the football pitch.

So, there shouldn't be any problem right? 

Well, if you have several hundred million dollars worth of talent warming the bench, it is impossible to keep everyone happy and manager Zinedine Zidane may well be resigned to the fact that some stars will leave the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.

The Statesman has highlighted the players who are most likely to leave the capital club in the summer below.

Cristiano Ronaldo

As Ronaldo lifted his third Champions League title with Los Blancos in the beginning of June, he openly declared a desire to play at the Bernabeu till he is 40.

Yet, after a revelation by the Spanish tax authorities that the Portuguese superstar is set to face a hefty fine and a prison sentence (one which he will not serve, however), the 32-year-old’s relation with his club has seemingly soured. 

Ronaldo allegedly told his Portugal teammates at the ongoing Confederations Cup that he wants to leave the Real this summer and while the authenticity of the comments cannot be verified, Real have scrambled to assure fans that no offer has been received. 

At 32, he continues to transcend the game of modern football, successfully transforming from a flying winger to a free-scoring forward, and there will be no shortage of suitors, including former club Manchester United, should he push for a move. 

Or, are the alleged tantrums just to force Real to give him a new contract?
Los Blancos fans certainly think so and perhaps that is any Ronaldo to United rumour should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Transfer Possibility: Moderate
Interested Clubs: Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus

James Rodriguez

This is one player who is seemingly hell-bent on leaving with Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester United the front-runners for his signature. 

While Real have won a plethora of trophies since James’s transfer in 2014, it’s safe to state that the silverware hasn't been flowing because of the Colombian’s exploits.

Former manager Carlo Ancelotti and current incumbent Zinedine Zidane have criticised the 25-year-old’s party-heavy lifestyle as he has remained on the fringes of the first-team throughout his tenure at the Bernabeu. 

Still, his immense talent is undiminished and despite making little over 100 appearances in three seasons, the versatile Colombian is in-demand across Europe and a new start would give his flagging career the jolt it severely needs.  
Transfer Possibility: Extreme
Interested Clubs: Manchester United, Chelsea, AC Milan

Alvaro Morata

Another Real Madrid player not getting enough playing time, despite not doing much wrong, is Alvaro Morata. 

When Los Blancos exercised their buy-back option on the Spaniard in 2016, hopes were high that Morata would finally get top-billing in place of Karim Benzema.

Surprisingly, Zidane preferred his compatriot over Morata the whole season and considering they won the La Liga and Champions League both, the manager’s tactics cannot be questioned much. 

However, for the young Spaniard, the writing is on the wall. Stay at Real and be content with a bit part status or move to a ‘smaller’ club like Manchester United or Chelsea and become the No.1 striker, guaranteed of a starting spot every week.  

Despite starting just 14 games in the league, Morata banged in 15 goals and four assists adding in three goals in the Champions League to keep suitors interested and a mega-bucks transfer in July beckons. 

Competition in the Spanish squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup is fierce and Morata knows he needs regular football to fit into Julen Lopetgui’s squad. 

Transfer Possibility: Extreme
Interested Clubs: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal

Gareth Bale

When Real Madrid broke the transfer record to acquire the services of Tottenham Hotspur’s flying winger in 2013, they paid for a talent they expected to rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the coming years. 

And despite playing a crucial role in their La Decima triumph in his debut season, the speedy Welshman has not quite lived up to expectations while Ronaldo has continued to defy them. 
At his best, capable of ripping up the best of defences, the 27-year-old Welshman’s tryst with injuries have hindered his progress far too often for the liking of the Los Blancos faithful.

Manchester United have not dropped their interest in Bale despite missing out in 2013 and continue to be linked with him. And while a move to the Premier League would certainly suit the Welsh winger, Real would understandably be reluctant to let their most expensive signing leave so soon. 

Transfer Possibility: Moderate
Interested Clubs: Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain

Isco

Considered the next Andres Iniesta by many Spanish football fans during his time at Malaga, Isco made the move to the Bernabeu in 2013 but things haven't panned out as the 25-year-old would have hoped. 

With Gareth Bale the preferred option in attack, Isco struggled for game time under Ancelotti and Zidane both and things do not look to be changing any time soon. For if Madrid do let Bale go in the summer, they are likely to snap up Monaco forward Kylian Mbappe in his stead. 

Possessing wondrously quick-feet, with an uncanny reading of the game, it’s easy to see why Isco is regarded as one of finest players of the current Spanish generation. 

Isco knows he needs to move to a club where he will get regular playing time, especially with the 2018 FIFA World Cup on the horizon.

Transfer Possibility: High
Interested Clubs: Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus.

In a move expected to further delay the implementation of the Lodha panel reforms, the BCCI on Monday decided to form a committee for analysing how "best and quickly" the principal order of the Supreme Court can be executed.

The two hour and 45-minute long Special General Meeting, attended by controversial former BCCI president N Srinivasan, did not take any decisive call as requested by the Committee of Administrators during a meeting with state units on Sunday.

"Today, we had the SGM with an eight-point agenda, the most important of which was implementation of the principal Supreme Court order dated July 18 (2016). The house deliberated in great detail and with a view to completing the implementation process constituted a committee, which will examine how best and quickly it can be implemented," BCCI's acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary told media persons after the meeting.

"It will be constituted tomorrow and should have its first recommendations in a fortnight's time. It's left to the office bearers and 5-6 members of the general body," said the acting Board secretary.

Chaudhary said that the committee will start working in the next two days.

The principal issues are 'one state one vote', age cap of 70 years, cooling off period after every three years and reinstatement of a five-member selection panel instead of current three, although Choudhary did not elaborate.

"Committee will go into each and every action point necessitated by the principal judgement and only those exceptional and limited areas of difficulty will be brought to notice of COA which will thereafter decide course of action," said Choudhary.

"The Court's order has to be implemented. If meeting went on for two and a half hours, item no 1 (on agenda) consumed in excess of an hour. There was no voting and it (panel) was unanimously constituted," he declared.

"I should think so – that it (report) will go to general body. Committee will start its work in two days and the rest will follow," he said.

Choudhary said it was up to the affiliated units of the BCCI to decide who will represent them at the SGM when asked how Srinivasan, because of who the Board got into trouble in the past with the Supreme Court, could attend the meeting.

"Notice for a meeting says all member units of BCCI are requested to attend the meeting. As to which individual is chosen it's their (units') discretion as long as it does not violate any court order," he remarked.

On some of the other issues like bilateral engagement with Pakistan, Chaudhary reiterated the BCCI's stance that it can only play the arch-rivals if permitted by the government.

"On the 29th of last month we had a meeting (with PCB officials) which had become necessary as a result of a letter written by us, the BCCI, in April, 2014. They had invoked a provision of that letter and a dialogue was necessitated.

Thereafer we had to meet them again in presence of ICC. On both occasions our position was simple that tours of these natures can take place only after we have government permission," said the acting BCCI secretary.

On other ICC related matters, including the diminished revenue of USD 405 million to be received from the world body, he said "factual reporting was made to the general body and the general body was satisfied. That's it."

He also defended his statement made in London during the ICC Champions Trophy that there were no differences between India skipper Virat Kohli and then head coach Anil Kumble which subsequently proved false as the latter quit at the conclusion of India's campaign after he was all set to accompany the team to the West Indies.

"Suffice to say that I was answering the question in real time and in real time on the date on which the question was asked and answered, I actually did not see any smoke."

About revoking the suspension order of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, the acting secretary said: Rajasthan was litigant v BCCI. However the association has conducted its election following Supreme Court's order and also communicated with us saying all impediments will be removed including litigation with BCCI.

"The house felt to inform them to first answer the show cause notice. It will be done expeditiously."

The new RCA president is Congressman CP Joshi.

The former IPS officer also informed that the newly- constructed stadium in Guwahati will soon be hosting international matches.

"The Assam CA's Stadium is fit to hold matches barring a few areas. Inspection was done by BCCI secretary and GM (Game Development)," he said.

The Haryana Chief Minister (CM), Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday said the police had arrested one accused involved in the Junaid killing case, and search was on to nab others.

The state government has already provided financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the victim’s family, he said.

Speaking to reporters, the CM condemned the incident and urged the people to maintain peace in the state.

Junaid, 16,  was stabbed to death while his brothers, Hashim and Sakir–were injured by a mob which also allegedly hurled slurs against them onboard the Delhi-Mathura passenger train between Ballabgarh and Mathura stations on Thursday night.

The arrested accused, before being remanded to police custody by a court in Faridabad district earlier, had told reporters that he was in an inebriated state at the time of the incident and attacked the teenager on being allegedly instigated by fellow passengers.

Junaid was a resident of Khandawali village in Haryana’s Ballabhgarh. According to media reports, the murderous attack followed rumours about beef eating by the victims.The attackers repeatedly called victims "anti-nationals" and "beef eaters", threw their  skull caps on the floor.