Newsletter 26 July

July 26, 2021
 Team

Important Picks of the Day

NATIONAL​

New cameras, sensors deployed by Indian forces to monitor Chinese activities along LAC

New Delhi [India], July 26 (ANI): Along with the help of satellites and drones, Indian security forces are also creating a network of surveillance cameras and sensors to keep a close watch on the Chinese Army along the Line of Actual Control.

Nobody pressurized me, resigned on my own: BS Yediyurappa

Stating that nobody pressurized him to resign, senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa on Mon said he had stepped down so that somebody else could take over as chief minister after the successful completion of two years of the BJP-led state govt in the current term.

Briefed the UK on India’s Covid situation to review travel ‘red list’, Harsh Shringla says

Shringla, who arrived in the UK for a 2-day visit Fri, also shared plans for a reciprocal vaccine certification system to be unveiled by the Indian govt soon for international travel.

India has provided much-needed balance to UNSC vis-a-vis P-5: Ambassador Tirumurti

United Nations: A country of the size of India with its independent foreign policy has been a welcome entrant into the UN Security Council, providing much-needed balance vis-a-vis the powerful UN body’s five permanent members and their inter-se fissures, New Delhi’s envoy to the UN said ahead of its Presidency UNSC. India will assume the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council on 1 Aug, its first Presidency during its 2021-22 tenure as a non-permanent member of the 15-nation UN body.

Monsoon Session: Lok Sabha adjourned till tomorrow amid uproar by Opposition

Amid the ongoing uproar by the Opposition, Lok Sabha has been adjourned till Tue for the 3rd time over the ‘Pegasus Project’ report and farmers’ protest. Lok Sabha resumed on Mon on the fifth day of the Monsoon session. The members of both the House paid tribute to the brave hearts of the Kargil war on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas. They also congratulated weightlifter Mirabai Chanu for winning a silver medal at Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 4 pm.

Bengal govt forms panel to probe into Pegasus scandal

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Mon said her government has formed a two-member inquiry commission to look into allegations of snooping on politicians, officials, and journalists using Israeli spyware Pegasus. Two-member commission to be headed by former Calcutta HC CJ.

NEIGHBORHOOD

Beijing building new ‘Great Wall’ in the South China Sea as it opens massive military base on disputed island fortress (↓)

The Maldives won’t allow non-state actors to use its territory: Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid

In an exclusive interview to ThePrint, Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid says he would reiterate his country’s demand for reform of UNSC once he takes over as UNGA president.

The US to continue supporting Afghan troops through airstrikes: Gen McKenzie ANI

Amid Taliban’s ongoing offensive in Afghanistan, US Central Command Chief, General Kenneth McKenzie on Sun said Washington will continue to support Afghan security forces through airstrikes in combating the terrorist group.

UN warns of 'unprecedented' Afghan civilian deaths due to Taliban offensives

The Taliban has gone on the offensive since May and had made a significant gain. United Nations on Mon warned that Taliban offensives may cause ‘unprecedented’ civilian deaths in Afghanistan if the offensive is not halted. Violence in Afgha has surged since May when the insurgents went on the offensive to coincide with the withdrawal of foreign troops

UN report says al Qaeda present in 15 provinces of Afghanistan

As per the latest United Nations report, al Qaeda is present in at least 15 Afghan provinces. These provinces are primarily in the southern, eastern, and southeastern regions of the country. It has been submitted to the UNSC this week. The 28th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team shares the latest information on al Qaeda, ISIL (Daesh), and their affiliates.

India made Afghanistan ‘terrorist sanctuary’ in last 20 years to fuel terrorism in Pakistan: Moeed

Pak NSA Dr. Moeed Yusuf on Sat said Afghanistan was forced to become a “sanctuary for terrorists” by India in the past 20 years to fuel terrorism in Pakistan, emphasizing that “it must now stop”.

Taliban offensive forces Afghan Army chief to postpone India visit: Gen Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai, who is the Afghan Army chief, has postponed his scheduled visit to India this week due to the intensifying Taliban offensive in the country.

New cameras, sensors deployed by Indian forces to monitor Chinese activities along LAC (ANI)

  • Along with the help of satellites and drones, Indian security forces are also creating a network of surveillance cameras and sensors to keep a close watch on the Chinese Army along the Line of Actual Control.
  • “A number of these new cameras and sensors have been deployed along the Line of Actual Control from Eastern Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh to keep a track of adversary’s activities”, government sources told ANI here.
  • “The high resolution unattended or remote-controlled cameras help in keeping a close watch on activities in far-flung areas and locations and also give time to ground troops to reach there,” they said.
  • The sources said the surveillance network comprising these cameras and sensors is helping the ground commanders respond swiftly to situations there.
  • The Indian Army had highlighted the need for creating this surveillance network in a briefing to a parliamentary committee to keep a close watch on the Chinese actions there.
  • Meanwhile, India and China are expected to hold the 12th round of talks any time now to discuss the resolution of issues at the Gogra Heights and Hot Springs friction points.
  • The Indian security forces and establishment have been asking China to solve the issue first before taking upon other points like de-escalation.
  • The issue of the Charding Nullah area is also expected to be taken up for discussions in future meetings as the Chinese have put up tents there and not vacating the positions despite Indian requests.
  • Army sources maintain that a status quo remains in place in the Nullah area the issue which started a couple of years ago. However, sources said the Chinese have increased the number of tents in the Nullah area by around 10 but they have reduced it again.
  • The Chinese have been talking to India after their aggressive maneuvers last year, but not much has been achieved other than partial withdrawal along the banks of the Pangong Tso Lake.

Nobody pressurized me, resigned on my own: BS Yediyurappa

  • BS Yediyurappa to resign today: “I have decided that after lunch I will go to Raj Bhavan and resign – not out of sadness but with happiness and with thanks to all leaders,” the Karnataka CM said today.
  • Hours after Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s resignation on Monday, Shikaripura, the assembly constituency in Shivamogga district which he has represented seven times, was shut as a mark of protest by his supporters.
  • Expressing sympathy with Yediyurappa, traders voluntarily shut down their business establishments as the BJP supporters staged a demonstration in the town.
  • Roads were deserted as Yediyurappa’s supporters hit the streets raising slogans and put up his cut-outs to show their solidarity with him.
  • The workers also denounced the BJP leaders for compelling the Lingayat strongman to resign without allowing him to complete his term.

Afghanistan, Pak sponsored terror, COVID-19 on agenda during Blinken's visit to India (ANI)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be visiting India on July 27-28, 2021. This will be his first visit to India after assuming the office. New Delhi attaches considerable importance to the visit of Secretary Blinken and looks forward to taking forward the conversation with the US on numerous issues, be it Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific, Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, bilateral, regional, addressing Covid, or global developments according to a source familiar with the agenda of the meeting.

  • It continues the high-level visits from the Biden Administration after the visits by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in March, and Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry in April.
  • Secretary Blinken’s visit reciprocates the visit by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to the US in May 2021.
  • The two leaders have also had detailed conversations this year in the UK (at the G7 meeting) and Italy (at the G20 meeting).
  • In the defense domain, both sides are expected to explore ways and means to deepen their collaboration. This will cover policy exchanges, exercises, and defense transfers and technologies. These would be covered in greater detail during the fourth 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue due in the US later this year.
  • Discussions on deepening Quad engagement are also expected to be a key focus area of talks, with the possibility of a Foreign Ministerial Quad meeting later this year. India and the US will also take forward the Quad vaccine initiative to enable the supply of vaccines produced in India from early 2022 to countries in the Indo-Pacific region, said a source.
  • Afghanistan witnessing massive violence will be the central issue, implications of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, and the need for sustained pressure on Pakistan on terror financing and terror havens will be part of the agenda.
  • Two sides will also exchange assessments about the Indo-Pacific region, with a focus on Covid assistance, economic slowdown, and security scenario. Latest developments about West Asia and Central Asia are also likely to be covered, sources said.
  • Discussions will also cover working together in the UN, especially with India holding the Presidency of the UN Security Council in August 2021.

‘Proud of achievements in democracy, human rights’ — India will tell Blinken on ‘US concerns’-ThePrint

During his visit to India, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to raise with Jaishankar and PM Modi the Biden administration’s ‘concerns on human rights and democracy’.

Briefed the UK on India’s Covid situation to review travel ‘red list’, Harsh Shringla says

  • The UK Foreign Office officials have been briefed on the current COVID-19 pandemic situation in India, where many big cities are practically COVID-free, and encouraged to consider a review of the travel ban on visitors from India, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Sat.
  • Shringla, who arrived in the UK for a two-day visit on Fri to take stock of the Roadmap 2030 towards closer UK-India ties agreed between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Boris Johnson, also shared plans for a reciprocal vaccine certification system to be unveiled by the Indian govt soon to facilitate international travel.
  • During his visit, he held meetings with senior UK govt representatives, including Permanent Under-Secretary in the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, Sir Philip Barton, and FCDO minister for South Asia Lord Tariq Ahmad.
  • Mumbai, Delhi, big cities are practically free of COVID. But we can’t rest on that situation because we are constantly vigilant, telling our citizens to take precautions so that we don’t have a third wave, said Shringla.
  • I briefed them [UK officials] on the COVID situation in India. I pointed out that France had cleared visitors from India without quarantine if they are double vaccinated and have a negative test. The US has upgraded India in the travel scheme, encouraged the UK to do the same and they took note of it, he said, in response to a question on international travel.
  • Under the current rules, India remains on the travel red list which effectively bans visitors from India, with returning citizens required to undergo a compulsory 10-day hotel quarantine on entry to Britain.
  • Regarding instances of the India-made Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, Covishield, not being recognized by the European Union (EU), the Foreign Secretary reiterated that AstraZeneca had applied to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on behalf of the Serum Institute of India (SII) in a letter dated May 14.
  • It’s an Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured under a transfer of technology in India so there can’t be any difference in product between that produced at the Serum Institute of India (SII) or anywhere else, said Shringla.

The EU has said they will leave it to individual member states to decide and 14 EU countries have already recognized Covishield, two of them have also recognized Covaxin suo moto. We are now asking all countries that you recognize our vaccine certification on a mutual reciprocal basis, recognizing the integrity of that process, he said.

  • Wherever there is need, it is incumbent upon us as a member of the international community to support those needs, he said.
  • What is important to note is that this is a global phenomenon. It is cyclical; it is going to happen in different parts of the world, he added.
  • On India’s vaccination drive, the Foreign Secretary said 410 million doses of vaccines have been administered and production is being ramped up in the country to increase the rate of acceleration.

Shringla reviews India-UK Roadmap 2030 with British counterpart during London visit

Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla holds meetings with his counterpart Lord Tariq Ahmad and other officials in London, discusses ties in key areas of trade, defense, climate change, among others.

Beijing building new ‘Great Wall’ in the South China Sea as it opens massive military base on the disputed island fortress

CHINA is secretly building a new 'Great Wall'' in the South China Sea it is claimed.

  • Beijing has opened a massive military base on a disputed island fortress in the strategic region as the conflict escalates.
  • Satellite photos are seen by the Washington Times, show deployments of PLA KJ-500 airborne warning and control aircraft to Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands in May and in June, while other satellite photos showed the stationing of a Y-9 transport aircraft and Z-8 helicopter to Subi Reef.
  • Former naval intelligence officer Michael Dahm, who currently works with Johns Hopkins University says new satellite photos show the deployment appears permanent.
  • He told the publication: ”The most significant change in military posture in 2021 is the appearance of Chinese special mission aircraft and helicopters at Subi and Mischief Reefs, indicating the PLA may have commenced routine air operations from those airfields.”
  • It comes as last year it was claimed China was using the coronavirus crisis to assert controlof the vital South China Sea.
  • Beijing claims it owns most of the disputed patch of ocean, despite several other countries having seemingly legitimate claims under international law, such as Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei.
  • An independent ruling from an UN-backed tribunal disputes this, saying the waters are international.
  • The convention states that nations’ claims to the waters around them must be measured from land.
  • To thwart this, Beijing has been building man-made islands on top of coral reefs in the middle of the South China Sea for years, before using them as military bases – despite promising not to.
  • Back in 2015, China insisted that it was building safe havens and rescue facilities for commercial fishing and shipping on the Paracel and Spratly Island reefs.
  • ”Relevant construction activities that China are undertaking in the Nansha (Spratly) Islands do not target or impact any country, and China does not intend to pursue militarization,” Xi said at the time after satellite photos revealed China had turned a string of disputed islands into fortresses.
  • The presence of modern combat aircraft will ”fill critical gaps in PLA navy capabilities in the South China Sea, especially in terms of reconnaissance and airpower,” added Dahm.

CHINA SEEKS CONTROL

  • Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) national executive director Dr Bryce Wakefield told news.com.au: ”This shows that China is attempting to increase its control over the region.
  • ”These aircraft will allow China to use assets in the region more effectively, its so-called maritime militia, for example, to wage their campaign of harassment in scenarios short of war.”
  • ”China has deployed AWACS to Mischief Reef before, but it seems that this is now a more regular, permanent deployment,” he added.
  • It comes after China claimed a US warship had illegally entered its territorial watersnear the Paracel Islands without permission in May.
  • In a statement, the Chinese military’s Southern Theatre Command said the US action violated China’s sovereignty and undermined regional peace and stability.

Fauci says the US headed in the 'wrong direction' on coronavirus

The US is in an “unnecessary predicament” of soaring Covid-19 cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert said Sun. “We’re going in the wrong direction,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, describing himself as “very frustrated.”

China urges the US to correct its misunderstanding and dangerous China policy on COVID19 origins-tracing, Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, South China Sea affairs; stop provoking, stepping on redlines, and forming allies by playing the “values” card. Cooperation is based on mutual trust and reciprocal benefits; the US should establish a mindset of cooperation, it can’t seek cooperation while hurting Chinese interests, said FM spokesperson on Vice Minister Xie Feng and Deputy Secy State’s meeting Mon.

Team
  • Team
Newsletter

Leave a Reply