Newsletter 12 August

Sino-Indian Standoff: New Delhi banned 15 more apps. Among the new apps included in the list are photo editor AirBrush, short video and prediction tool Meipai and camera app BoXxCAM, which are owned by China’s Meitu, which makes smartphones as well as many popular selfie apps. [1]

China urged India to provide non-discriminatory business environment to Chinese firms

I-T Dept raids Chinese national in Delhi-NCR, busts hawala racket of Rs 300 crore

Income Tax Department busts a nexus of Chinese Companies using Hawala Network in India. 21 locations in Delhi, Ghaziabad & Gurugram raided.
Chinese individual caught by Income Tax Dept. This person Charlie Pang (Real Name: Luo Sang) had a fake Indian passport, issued from Manipur.
A total 2 Aadhar Cards and 2 PAN Cards, besides US$ and Thai currencies recovered from his possession.
Chinese National was using 8 to 10 bank accounts in fabricated names in India. Charlie Pang was representing several Chinese Companies in India for Hawala Operations. Hawala of more than Rs 300cr known till now and it go into thousands of crores.
Official Statement of Indian Income Tax Department on searches which were conducted on premises of Chinese entities.
‘At the behest of Chinese individuals more than 40 bank accounts were created in various dummy entities entering into credits of more than Rs 1000 crores’. [2]

3 die after violence erupts in Bengaluru (Karnataka) over Facebook post

Visuals from Bengaluru’s DJ Halli Police Station area where violence broke out over an alleged inciting social media post.
Two people died & around 60 police personnel sustained injuries in the violence in Bengaluru, according to Police Commissioner Kamal Pant.
Accused Naveen arrested for sharing derogatory posts on social media: Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant.
Pant has said that the police has also detained 165 people for rioting.
People familiar to the development said that the youth arrested for posting the content has denied his role saying that his social media account was hacked. [3]

JnK: ACB charge-sheeted under various sections, against 3 Persons for allegedly sanctioning Rs 250 cr loan based on fabricated Documents

On Tue, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) produced a charge sheet against Mohammad Shafi Dar, then chairman of Bank Limited (JKSTCB), Hilal Ahmad Mir, chairman and Abdul Hamid Hajam, secretary of the (non-existent) River Jhelum Cooperative House Building Society, Srinagar, for sanctioning loan to a non-existent cooperative housing society 2 yrs ago.
The ACB claimed a conspiracy between Dar, Mir, Hajam, Mohd Mujib Ur Rehman Ghasi, the then registrar of cooperative societies, J&K, Syed Ashiq Hussain, deputy registrar cooperative societies and others in creating the fake society in 2018-19 in order to obtain a loan from the bank. [4]

4G services on trial basis in one district each of J-K division: Centre to SC

A special committee looking into the issue of restoring internet in JnK has decided to provide 4G services on trial basis in limited areas of the Union Territory after Aug 15^th, the Centre informed the Supreme Court on Tue.

Terrorist gunned down, soldier killed in encounter in J-K’s Pulwama

Srinagar: An unidentified militant and a soldier were killed, while another jawan was injured in a gunfight in JnK’s Pulwama district on Wed, officials said here.
A 3 locals associates arrested Wed, they were involved in terror-funding activities and working with different terrorist outfits in Northern districts of Kashmir. Rs 5 lakhs recovered from their possession: JnK Police claimed.
Intel inputs said that more than a dozen of infiltrates are present at LoC ahead of Independence day, 6 from LeT, and others from Taliban etc.

PM Narendra Modi reviewed indigenous defense capabilities before release of negative import list

PM took extensive review meetings of the defense ministry departments dealing with indigenous defense production and development before the release of the negative import list by the government under which 101 items and equipment have been banned for procurement from abroad. [5]

Kamala Harris, Biden's running mate, spent career breaking barriers

Sen. Kamala Harris on Tue became the first Black and South Asian American woman chosen for national office by a major political party, when former Vice President Joe Biden named the moderate former prosecutor to be his running mate this fall. [6]

Neighborhood

Xi Jinping urges Chinese to save on foodXi Jinping urges Chinese to save on food

Jinping said it is necessary to improve legislation, control, take adequate measures, and create a long-term mechanism to prevent excess food waste.

It is necessary to strengthen propaganda and education, effectively develop the habit of moderation and economy in food, create an atmosphere of shame in society for squandering food and pride in saving, Xinhua quotes the Chinese leader.

Reports said that China’s economy had been affected by severe flooding.

Nepal:

Scheduled oversight mechanism meeting between Indian envoy in Nepal & Nepal’s Foreign Secretary on Aug 17^th is part of a regular interaction. Oversight mechanism was set up in 2016 to review ongoing bilateral economic & development projects. Meets on a periodic basis.

Nation Amid COVID-19

COVID 19- Updated India reached the maximum no of infected cases in the world

COVID-19: 60,963 fresh cases take India’s tally to 23,29,638

New Delhi: India’s COVID-19 tally went past 23 lakh on Wed, with a single day increase of 60,963 cases, while the recoveries surged to 16,39,599, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
A fire broke out in the COVID-19 ward of a 2-storey hospital in Bodeli town of Gujarat’s Chhotaudepur district on Wed morning, an official data.
National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID19 met for the 1^sttime today & deliberated on a strategy to ensure COVID-19 vaccines’ availability & its delivery mechanism. The meeting was chaired by Dr V K Paul, Member Niti Aayog:
The panel will identify the COVID-19 vaccine that are effective in fight against the virus.
Russia Development Investment Fund (RDIF) in a statement said that India has expressed interest in getting Russian COVID-19 vaccine.
Russia’s unproven Covid-19 vaccine will be available to other countries by November, funder says. But safety concerns remain-CNN
Experts have voiced unease over releasing a vaccine before it was fully tested.

One June 29^th: India banned 59 Chines apps, citing the threats on sovereignty and security of the country.
1. On July 24^th: 47 more Chinese apps were proscribed. Most of these were ‘lite’ or ‘pro’ version of apps banned in June.
2. India will examine 275 Chinese apps for any violation of national security and user privacy. Though the Indian are not very much concerned with their privacy and blindly click OK without even reading, as far as software’s and apps are concerned.
3. Email service NetEase, gaming app Heroes War and SlidePlus by QuVideo Inc are the other new apps blocked in the latest list issued about 10 days ago.
4. Xiaomi’s Mi Browser Pro has also been blocked after its Mi Community app was banned earlier.
5. Similarly, Baidu Search and Search Lite have been included in the fresh list. Earlier, the Nasdaq-listed Chinese technology giant’s Translate and Maps had been proscribed.
Chinese FM’s Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said during his regular briefing responded on Income Tax raids on the Chinese firms in India, and said we are committed to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and nationals.-Pak Radio
1. Chinese mission in New Delhi reacts to arrest of Chinese national over money laundering allegations, says “China expects its overseas citizens to abide by local laws“, and calls on Indian government to “enforce the law impartially.”
2. Further, incriminating documents in respect of hawala transactions and laundering of money with the active involvement of bank employees and chartered accountants have been found as a result of search action. Pieces of evidence of foreign hawala transactions involving Hong Kong and US dollars have also been found.”
3. Charlie Pang was representing many Chinese companies in India for hawala operations.
4. Sources said the accused was also arrested by Delhi Police in 2018 for hawala racket but was eventually let off by the court. This is when he re-started his hawala racket.
Karnataka HM said that all the old cases also against SDPI, (Social Democratic Party of India) will be probed and will also considered the ban on it.
1. Section 144 has been imposed across Bengaluru while Curfew imposed in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits, following the violence. BJP Karnataka president and member of Parliament Nalin Kumar Katee while speaking to reporters said that the government is thinking to hand over the case to the CB-CID for investigation.
2. Members of the minority community pelted stones at the residence of Congress MLA Akhanda Shrinivasa Murthy, DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations. The youth, who is said to be associated with the Congress lawmaker, has been arrested.
3. Among the 3 dead persons, two have been identified as Wajid Khan (20) and Yaseen Pasha (20). The third person remains unidentified. The bodies are currently kept at the Bowring Hospital morgue as the authorities will conduct Covid-19 tests and post-mortem before handing them over to the family members.
4. A group of Muslim youth gathered and formed a human chain around a temple in DJ Halli police station limits of Bengaluru city late last night, to protect it from arsonists after violence erupted in the area.
5. Riot was planned. Petrol bombs & stones were used in destruction of property. Over 300 vehicles were burnt. We have suspects but can only confirm after investigation. We will do asset recovery from rioters like in Uttar Pradesh: CT Ravi, Karnataka Min.
6. However, Congress said its tactic to divert the attention over Covid failures, while media said violent protest in Bengaluru over an alleged derogatory post by Cong MLA’s kin.
ACB spokesperson said in furtherance of the conspiracy that was hatched, a fake registration certificate of the society was created by the accused.
1. Mir then approached secretary to government cooperative department Abdul Majid Bhat through the medium of an application on Jan 10, 2018 wherein directions were sought from the J&K Cooperative Department to J&K State Cooperative Bank Ltd Srinagar for grant of financial assistance (loan advance) to the tune of Rs 300 crore for the construction of the satellite township, the spokesperson said.
2. “The conspiracy of routing the application through the office of registrar of cooperative societies was done to camouflage the illegal acts of the accused and give it a stamp of government approval as otherwise there was no such precedence of routing loan application through the office of registrar for sanction of a loan in favor of a cooperative society and neither it was prescribed as mandatory requirement in the cooperative societies act,” he said.
3. The application of Mir was approved and forwarded to the chairman of J&K Cooperative Bank, Srinagar by Ghasi for the sanction of the loan.
4. “The chairman of the state cooperative bank in conspiracy with the borrower Hilal Ahmad and others has sanctioned the loan amount of Rs 250 crore in favor of the said fictitious society and out of that Rs 223 crore was released,” the spokesperson said.
5. The amount was raised by the bank as a loan on the FDRs of JKSTCB Srinagar with the J&K Bank.
6. The entire loan amount was transferred into the account Mir from where it was transferred through RTGS/ NEFT into the accounts of 18 people who are merely presumed to be shareholders/legal heirs of the land measuring nearly 13 hectares in Shivpora.
7. The spokesperson said during Investigation, of Rs 223 crore loan amount which was transferred into the accounts of 18 land owners, Rs 202 crore has been frozen and the land which was illegally leased out has been attached.
The other participants includes, Department of Defense Production and Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), defense secy Ajay Kumar and Chief of Defense staff in the last fortnight to know about the work being done by them and what all capabilities have they developed over these years,”
1. A few days ago, the def Min issued a list of 101 items compiled by the Department of Military Affairs including big-ticket items like submarines, artillery guns and assault rifles which would not be imported from abroad in a phased manner in the next two to three years.
2. During separate review meetings held in the PMO, details were presented to the PM about the different projects and major work done by them for increasing indigenization in the military hardware being used by the armed forces for their different operational requirements, the sources said.
3. The complaints and suggestions of private sector industry were also mentioned during the meetings, the sources added.
4. The items mentioned in the negative imports list include water jet fast attack craft to survey vessels, pollution control vessels, light transport aircraft, GSAT-6 terminals, radars, unmanned aerial vehicles, to certain rifles, artillery guns, bulletproof jackets, missile destroyers, etc.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/11/politics/kamala-harris-background/index.html?utm_source=twCNN&utm_medium=social&utm_term=video&utm_content=2020-08-12T11%3A30%3A07