[NATIONAL]

Sino-India Standoff: As India-China talks fail & tensions rise, Delhi concerned about another ‘Galwan-like flare-up’ (ThePrint) (↓)

The coming winter could be difficult for Indian troops, and sources fear that by March-April next year, there could even be a fresh bout of violence, including the possible use of firearms.

Centre’s 7 new defense companies will be a huge base for military power: PM Modi

Addressing the launch event of these companies on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami, PM Modi said, “India is taking new resolutions to build a new future. The decision to revamp 41 ordnance factories and the launch of these seven companies is a part of this resolution journey. This decision had been pending for the last 15-20 years.”

JCO, soldier killed in an encounter with terrorists in J-K’s Poonch

The JCO and the soldier were killed in the mountainous and forested area in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. 

India re-elected to UN Human Rights Council for the sixth time with 184 votes out of 193

The 76^th UN General Assembly held elections on Thursday for 18 new members of the UN Human Rights Council who will serve for 3 years, starting in January 2022

Indian Ambassador Abhay Kumar met Patrick Rajoelina, Foreign Minister of Madagascar today. They reviewed the progress made in bilateral relations between India and Madagascar

India slips to 101^st rank in Global Hunger Index 2021; behind Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal

Global Hunger Index: People have been severely hit by COVID-19 and by pandemic-related restrictions in India, the country with the highest child wasting rate worldwide, the report.

Move to increase BSF jurisdiction is to ‘curb crime’, Opposition cries ‘attack on federalism’

The home ministry has amended a 2014 notification extending BSF jurisdiction from 15 km to 50 km along with Punjab, West Bengal, and Assam border.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

Blasts hit Mosque in Kandahar, 16 Killed

Eyewitnesses said 3 back-to-back explosions hit the mosque causing high 32 casualties.

The US working to make charter flights from Kabul routine

A few hundred people have been evacuated on charter flights, organized by groups of veterans, and some facilitated by the United States.

Russia to host Pakistan, US, China for Afghanistan talks on Oct 19: report

Moscow will host the US, China, and Pakistan next week for talks on Afghanistan, the Kremlin’s envoy to the country told Russian news agencies on Fri. News agencies cited Zamir Kabulov as saying the meeting would take place on Tuesday and that the countries “will try to work out a common position on the changing situation in Afghanistan”. Kabulov said representatives of the Taliban have confirmed they will take part in the talks in Moscow next week, in which members are yet to be announced. According to Reuters, the Moscow talks also involve India and Iran alongside China and Pakistan.

US envoy’s separate meetings show PML-N discord

Many in the party were surprised after Ambassador Aggeler separately met Shehbaz and Maryam despite both being present in Lahore. Separate meetings by US Charge d’affaires Angela Aggeler with PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and vice president Maryam Nawaz here on Thu again sparked speculation about divisions within the party. It surprised many in the party after Ambassador Aggeler separately met Shehbaz and Maryam although both were present in Lahore.

Newly discovered bat viruses give hints to Covid’s origins

Three of the Laos coronaviruses were unusual: They carried a molecular hook on their surface that was very similar to the hook on the virus that causes COVID-19, called SARS-CoV-2. Like SARS-CoV-2, their hook allowed them to latch onto human cells.

As India-China talks fail & tensions rise, Delhi is concerned about another ‘Galwan-like flare-up’

With the last round of India-China corps, commander-level talks doing little to ease tensions, sections of India’s strategic community are concerned that the confrontation could likely get worse at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, and that Beijing may not continue with the regular lines of communication.

Condition as of now:

• Though New Delhi didn’t expect any development on disengagement plans, China recently deployed more troops at the LAC, and Beijing’s stance becoming gradually harder.
• While Beijing officially said “India had made unreasonable demands”, but its mouthpiece (GT) indulged in information warfare and warcry in various forms.
• ThePrint (sources)- the coming winter may be difficult for Indian troops, by Mar-Apr next year, there could even be a fresh bout of violence, including the possible use of firearms.
• ….. the Chinese had even hinted at “changing their approach” on lines of communiqué. 
• …..this time the talk failed as the Chinese have replaced Gen. Wang Haijiang with Xu Qiling, (4^th Commander, promoted in July) and that as a result a “comfort level” had not been achieved.
• Chinese have built up almost 03 infantry divisions and 6-8 combined arms brigades with around 450 tanks & artillery guns each, close to LAC in Ladakh.
• Mocking on failed dialogue, GT tweeted on October 11^th, “India had proposed returning to the pre-April 2020 positions in the western section along the LAC, Chinese experts asked, “Why doesn’t India ask to throw the border situation back to after the 1962 China-India war?“
• On the next day, GT via OpEd, “….A quad is essentially a group serving the US’ selfish geostrategic interests, while India is a pawn. India will gain no actual gain from Quad except lip service.”

Ever since the LAC stand-off began in April-May 2020, both sides have mainly followed a 3-tier approach — regular talks at the diplomatic and military levels, along with a dialogue track between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. 

To top all of this, talks were also held between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi. It was Doval and Yang who agreed to a disengagement plan in 2020. 

The sticky issues: While disengagement has taken place in the Pangong Tso area and at the Gogra Post, a stand-off continues over Patrolling Point 15 (PP15) in Hot Springs, the Depsang Plains, and in the Demchok area. 

• India and China have 6-7 hotlines but there has been little progress in the talks. A larger plan to resolve the issue with the establishment of a hotline at the DGMO level remains unfulfilled.
• According to a source, both sides will be on edge this winter but India is well-prepared to face any kind of challenge.

“Hot Springs and Demchok continue to pose challenges. The Chinese have now made it an irksome sovereignty issue. Earlier they were saying this is just a territorial issue. This should be noted,” said Lt Gen. Rakesh Sharma (R), a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS). 

India talks tough with China: The last round (13^th round) of military-level talks on Oct 11, saw both sides exchange some strong words (ThePrint).

• While India said – the Chinese side was “not agreeable and also could not provide any forward-looking proposals”. In short, China was not in the mood to talk.
• On Wed, India also slammed China for its comments on the visit of Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu to Arunachal Pradesh. 

Ministry of External Affairs– “….Objecting to the visit of Indian leaders to a state of India does not stand to reason and understanding of Indian people.”

“…. the current situation along the LAC has been caused by unilateral attempts of the Chinese side to alter the status quo in violation of the bilateral agreements. Therefore, we expect the Chinese side to work towards early resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC.” 

While MEA was reacting to Chinese Foreign Ministry comments that the Chinese govt has never recognized the “so-called Arunachal Pradesh established unilaterally and illegally by the Indian side and is firmly opposed to the Indian leader’s visit to the area concerned”. 

India ‘takes note’ as China, Bhutan ink border talks MoU (text yet to the public):

Bhutan and China signed an MoU on Thursday, 3 days later to failure of 13^th round talk, for what they called a “3-step roadmap” for expediting the Bhutan-China boundary negotiations and which according to Thimphu will provide fresh impetus to talks and can bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion acceptable to both sides.

Like India, Bhutan remains locked in a boundary dispute with China and while the two have held 24 rounds of border talks since 1984, the last time they held these boundary negotiations was in 2016, or before the Doklam dispute involving India in 2017.

• India closely follows all boundary engagements between Bhutan and China as Chinese claims over disputed territories have serious security implications for New Delhi.

• The MEA was extremely cautious in reacting to the development as it said the government had noted the signing of the agreement.
• For many, it’s inconceivable that Bhutan would not have discussed an MoU on the boundary issue without explaining at least the broad contours to Indian authorities.
• Bhutan has so far not accepted the Chinese 1996 “package deal’’ that offered to exchange territory in central Bhutan for Doklam, located dangerously close to India’s Siliguri Corridor. China reiterated this land swap offer last year.

The 2017 Doklam standoff further complicated the border issue as India saw PLA’s construction of a road in the Doklam area as a violation of the 2012 bilateral agreement that tri-junction boundary points between India, China, and third countries will be finalized in consultation with the concerned countries.

Bhutan – the 10^th expert group meeting with China in April this year, the sides had agreed on the roadmap that will build on the 1988 Guiding Principles for the settlement of the boundary and expedite negotiations.

• In the media then, it was reported that Bhutan and China had discussed a three-step roadmap.
• A month later, there were reports that Bhutan had reservations about the roadmap, one of which related to China’s claim over the Sakteng wildlife sanctuary in eastern Bhutan (close to the Arunachal border), and that Bhutan had suggested certain amendments.
• It’s not clear yet to what extent China has taken into account those amendments.
• GT- “…the meeting shows Bhutan’s willingness to manage border affairs independently, rebutting India’s claims of the “China threat,” and reducing the risk on its eastern China-India border.
• It (GT) said in the editorial on Fri- India shouldn’t say anything publicly about China-Bhutan border negotiations. It’s time to end its old-fashioned control over Bhutan. India should also curb its desire of exerting abnormal influence on countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka

Move to increase BSF jurisdiction is to ‘curb crime’, Opposition cries ‘attack on federalism’

Expansion of the Border Security Force jurisdiction from 15 km to 50 km inside the international border along with Punjab, West Bengal, and Assam by the home ministry has been done to curb trans-border crime and is not an intrusion into the autonomy of states, BSF officers said.

• In a notification Mon, the MHA said it was amending a 2014 notification related to the jurisdiction of the BSF to exercise its powers in states that touch the international border.
• Earlier, the limit was fixed to 80 km in the case of Gujarat and 15 km in Punjab, West Bengal, and Assam. While the limit has now been increased to 50 km along with Punjab, West Bengal, and Assam, it has been reduced from 80 km to 50 km in Gujarat.
• However, the move has been criticized by opposition-ruled states Punjab and West Bengal, with Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi calling it a “direct attack on federalism”.

What changes for BSF: BSF’s jurisdiction now comprises “whole of the area in the States of Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya and Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh and so much of the area within a belt of 50 km in the States of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, and Assam, running along the borders of India”.

Meanwhile, the earlier notification, issued on 3 July 2014 and amended by the MHA Mon, defined BSF jurisdiction as the “whole of the area comprised in the States of Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya and so much of the area comprised within a belt of 80 km in the State of Gujarat, 50 Km in the State of Rajasthan and 15 Km in the States of Punjab, West Bengal, and Assam, running along the borders of India”.

Centre’s 7 new defense companies will be a huge base for military power: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the 7 new defense companies, which have been launched by the Centre, will be a massive base for India’s military power while addressing the launch event of these companies on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami.

PM Modi said, “… The decision to revamp 41 ordnance factories and the launch of these 7 companies is a part of this resolution journey. This decision had been pending for the last 15-20 years.”

The seven companies—Munitions India Limited (MIL); Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVANI), Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWE India), Troop Comforts Limited (TCL), Yantra India Limited (YIL); India Optel Limited (IOL) and Gliders India Limited (GIL).

• They will have 66 firm contracts worth ₹65,000 crores from the 3 services and paramilitary forces.
• Pointing that India’s ordnance factories were the most powerful globally at one period of time, PM Modi said that these factories had the experience of more than 100 to 150 years.
• As reported earlier, according to a release from the PM Office on Thu, the Centre decided to convert the Ordnance Factory Board from a govt department into 7, 100% govt-owned corporate companies to improve self-reliance in the defense.
• The release added that the above move will bring about enhanced functional autonomy, efficiency and will unleash new growth potential and innovation.

JCO, soldier killed in an encounter with terrorists in J-K’s Poonch

Two Indian Army personnel, including a junior commissioned officer (JCO), were killed in a gunbattle with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, reports said on Friday.

PTI (defense spokesperson)- the JCO and the soldier were critically injured during a counter-terrorist operation in the Nar Khas forest area in Mendhar sub-division on Thu evening. Both of them succumbed to their injuries later, the spokesperson said.

• The soldier’s body has been retrieved and efforts are on to retrieve that of the JCO even as the encounter continued in the mountainous and forested area, according to the spokesperson.
• 5 army personnel, including a JCO, were killed during an encounter between security forces and terrorists at Dera Ki Gali in the Surankote area of Poonch on Oct 12.

The J&K police said on Tue that terrorists involved in a recent attack on security forces in Poonch, in which 5 army personnel, including a JCO, were killed, were present in the area for the last 2-3 months.

• Police told reporters that the terrorists have been confined to a particular area.
• Several counter-terrorism operations and encounters have taken place in the Rajouri and Poonch districts of J&K this year amid a spike in violence in the Union territory.

India re-elected to UN Human Rights Council for the sixth time with an overwhelming majority

India was re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2022-24 term on Thu with 184 votes in the 193-member assembly, in the General Assembly, with New Delhi’s envoy here describing the election as a “robust endorsement” of the country’s strong roots in democracy, pluralism and fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution.

The 76^th UN General Assembly held elections on Thu for 18 new members of the UN Human Rights Council who will serve for three years, starting in Jan 2022. And shall not be eligible for immediate re-election after 2 consecutive terms.

India’s current term was set to end on Dec 31, 2021. For election to the term 2022-24, there were 5 vacant seats in the Asia-Pacific States category – India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Qatar, and UAE.

The 193-member General Assembly elected by secret ballot Argentina, Benin, Cameroon, Eritrea, Finland, Gambia, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Montenegro, Paraguay, Qatar, Somalia, UAE, and the USA for the 2022-2024 term on the UNGA.

The membership is based on equitable geographical distribution, and seats are distributed among regional groups Group of African States (13), Group of Asia-Pacific States (13), Group of Eastern European States (6), Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (8) and Group of Western European and other States (7).

Upgrades for Chinese military airbases facing Taiwan hint at war plans -SCMP

• Satellite images show work began last year to expand and reinforce three PLA air force bases in Fujian province
• The improvements will give air combat support but also strengthen defenses against a potential strike from Taiwanese forces
• The PLA is hoping to foster a better military-to-military relationship with its US counterpart, according to a Chinese military source.

Satellite images have revealed China is upgrading and reinforcing its airbases closest to Taiwan along its southeastern coast, indicating Beijing may be stepping up its plans to take the island by force.

The upgraded infrastructure at three air bases in Fujian province will give long-term logistical air combat support to the PLA air force, which mounted a record 149 sorties into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone over four consecutive days from October 1.

The images, captured by Planet Labs and first published by American tech and military site The Drive, showed work on aircraft shelters and reinforced munitions storage started early last year and continued uninterrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Taiwan won’t start a war with the mainland but ‘will meet the enemy full on’, defense minister says
• Taiwanese Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng acknowledges recent PLA sorties into the island’s air defense zone constrained by limited mid-air refueling capacity
• China’s Washington embassy complains to the US government over the meeting between Taiwan’s de facto ambassador and senior US diplomats

Taiwan will not start a war with Beijing but will defend itself “full-on”, Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Thu, amid a spike in tensions across the Taiwan Strait that has raised concern internationally.

Taiwan, a major semiconductor producer, has repeatedly said it would defend itself if attacked, but that it would not “advance rashly” and wanted to maintain the status quo with the mainland.

Military tensions with Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory, are at their worst in more than 40 years, Chiu said last week, adding that Beijing would be capable of mounting a “full scale” invasion by 2025.

He was speaking after the People’s Liberation Army mounted 4 consecutive days of mass air force sorties into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone beginning on Oct 1, part of a pattern of what Taipei views as stepped-up military harassment by Beijing.

Russian hyper-sonic nukes capable of wiping out US cities ‘on alert’: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has bragged that his country’s new hypersonic nuclear missiles capable of annihilating US cities are “on alert,” raising concerns of a World War 3 outbreak. The Russian leader revealed his country has developed a weapon that flies more than five times faster than those being developed in the US. While addressing an energy forum, Putin said nowhere is directly under threat.

‘Rock solid’: White House says the US committed to supporting Taiwan

• The United States has said that it is committed to supporting Taiwan, as per a statement issued by the White House.
• Calling the US’ commitment ‘rock-solid,’ White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said ”we will continue to support Taiwan’s self-defense.”
• The statement comes amid a spike in tensions between Taiwan and China. 

Earlier, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby had said ”The PRC (People’s Republic of China) has stepped up efforts to intimidate and pressure Taiwan and other allies and partners, including increasing their military activities conducted in the vicinity of Taiwan, the East China Sea in the South China Sea, which we believe are destabilizing and only increase the risk of miscalculation.”

Two questioned over deadly Taiwan blaze which killed 46 people

• A man and a woman are being interviewed by Taiwanese prosecutors in Kaohsiung after a fire destroyed a dilapidated building
• The former department store was home to some of the southern city’s most underprivileged residents

Prosecutors are questioning a woman and her boyfriend over the cause of a fire that killed 46 people in southern Taiwan. The couple did not answer questions from the press on Fri morning when they were brought to the prosecutor’s office in Kaohsiung city on suspicion of endangering the public and negligence resulting in death.

The deadly blaze broke out in the early hours of Thu, destroying several floors of the dilapidated 40-year-old Cheng Chung Cheng building that housed some of the more underprivileged residents of Kaohsiung. The fire also injured 41 people.

• The former department store fell into disuse after an economic downturn in the area and had been poorly maintained for years.
• The prosecutors said on Thursday that two people suspected of causing the fire were being questioned by police, as well as four eyewitnesses.

TVBS (Local TV)- the police investigation found the man had brought his girlfriend to the building on a motorcycle late on Wed night, about 3 hours before the blaze. He then left the building alone after they argued, it said.

Eastern Television (Another TV)- the woman had told police she had burned some sandalwood powder in her residential unit, behind an antique shop on the ground floor of the building, but denied committing arson, while the man said he knew nothing about the fire.

Footage from nearby CCTV and evidence collected at the site indicated “some suspicion” over how the fire began, according to Kaohsiung police chief Huang Ming-chao. He was speaking at a funeral home, where relatives of the deceased were identifying their loved ones.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that one of the residents who died in the fire was originally from mainland China and had gone to Taiwan to marry.

Blasts Hit Mosque in Kandahar, 16 Killed

A bombing attack occurred at Imam Bargah mosque in the southern province of Kandahar on Fri, local officials told TOLOnews.

• The targeted mosque is in Kandahar city’s police district one (PD1) which is visited by members of the Shia community.
• Eyewitnesses said 3 back-to-back explosions hit the mosque, one of the biggest in Kandahar city, causing high casualties.
• TOLOnews -16 people were killed and nearly 40 others wounded, while no group has yet claimed responsibility.

This attack follows a similar attack that hit a Shia mosque in Kunduz last Fri, which also occurred during Fri prayers and killed nearly 50 worshipers, injuring 150 people, responsibility claimed by Daesh.