[ NATIONAL ]

India, China ‘effectively managed’ border frictions: Chinese FM Wang Yi

Wang was speaking on China’s Diplomacy in 2021: Embracing a Global Vision and Serving the Nation and its People at a symposium on the international situation and China’s foreign relations. China and India have maintained communication through diplomatic and military channels to control friction at the border, Chinese state councilor and foreign minister Wang Yi said on Mon amid a dragging conflict along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh that has seen bilateral ties plunge to its worst in decades. Beijing, however, has continued to blame India for the current military tension and not explained why the last round of military talks in Oct, or for that matter, a round of diplomatic negotiations the following month, failed to make any headway.

India takes up the issue of early release of TN fishermen, boats with Sri Lankan govt

India has taken up the issue of early release of Indian fishermen and boats with the Sri Lankan government, the Ministry of External Affairs informed on Tue. Responding to media queries regarding the detention of Indian fishermen, MEA said that India is concerned about the detention of Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu by Sri Lankan authorities between Dec 18-20. As per the information, 68 fishermen and 10 boats have been taken into custody.

DRDO conducts maiden launch of indigenously developed new generation surface-to-surface missile ‘Pralay’

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Wed successfully conducted the maiden flight test of indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile ‘Pralay’, from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.

India imposes a penalty for offsets delay in Rafale fighter deal

Citing the source, TOI reported that India has imposed a penalty for delay in fulfilling offsets commitments in the euro 7.8 billion deal for 36 French Rafale fighters, as part of the overall new policy to tighten the screws on defaulting armament majors. The fine has been “imposed and collected” from missile-maker MBDA, which is the weapons package supplier for the Rafale jets manufactured by Dassault Aviation.

Rajya Sabha passes electoral reforms, Bill, amid opposition walkout

The Rajya Sabha on Tue passed the ‘Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021’ to link electoral roll data with the Aadhaar ecosystem amid opposition walkout. The Bill was cleared by Lok Sabha on Mon after a brief debate. The opposition wanted the Bill to be referred to a standing committee. However, the government rejected this demand.

JPC report on data protection bill has loopholes & more bad news for social media companies

The amended bill gives the central govt more power to make key decisions, enough for social media companies to be wary.

I-T dept cracks down on Chinese mobile firms across the country

India Today (sources)- The Income Tax department has cracked down on several Chinese mobile firms across the country for alleged violations. The Income Tax department is conducting searches at several premises linked to Chinese mobile companies across the country. The IT officials initiated the searches on the Chinese mobile firms on Wed morning after they came across several alleged violations by them. The searches are underway at several manufacturing units, corporate offices, and godowns of the Chinese firms. In Aug this year, Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer ZTE was searched by the IT department in Gurugram. Their India chief was also questioned by officials of the IT department. Several tax violations were found by the department. Recently, several Chinese firms involved in the business of mobile phones, loan applications, and transport business have been raided by central investigative agencies.

Covid-19 wave likely in February 2022: Scientists

A mild new Covid wave may hit India in Feb 2022, estimate two scientists behind the much talked about Sutra model of tracking the pandemic trajectory in the country. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned against the rising Omicron cases around the world, saying that the world could be entering the worst part of the pandemic as the variant will result in the “worst surge” the world has seen so far. Such a strong assertion doesn’t come from the air. India’s Omicron tally is now at 213, Delhi has recorded 57 cases

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

China finally faces accountability for rights abuses of Uyghurs

After years of facing non-accountability for repression and human rights abuses in Xinjiang, China is now facing the heat for its actions as the West sanctions Chinese companies sourcing goods from Xinjiang to the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics. According to a Canada-based think tank, China had tried to control the narrative on Xinjiang by terming the Western reportage as “conspiracies” and through the official propaganda machinery for a long time.

Harvard professor found guilty of hiding ties to China

Charles Lieber, 62, the former chair of Harvard’s department of chemistry and chemical biology, had pleaded not guilty to two counts of filing false tax returns, two counts of making false statements, and two counts of failing to file reports for a foreign bank account in China. It is just one among millions, recall the who all experts twisted the statements of then US President, Trump, which revert when the president changed.

Germany-China commit to deepening economic ties

In a first phone call on Tue, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to strengthen economic ties, but neither side mentioned human rights or the situation in Hong Kong in their readouts. According to a readout, the new German leader urged Xi that German-Chinese relations should be fostered “in the spirit of mutual respect and mutual trust,” echoing his predecessor Angela Merkel’s attitude. Scholz also said he hoped the stalled EU-China investment accord “would take effect as soon as feasible,” which sparked controversy. The remark appears to contravene Scholz’s Social Democratic Party’s coalition pact with two other parties to create his current cabinet. The accord said that the investment pact with China, which was hurried through at Merkel’s request, could not be ratified at this time.

Chinese aircraft carrier’s Pacific drills ‘show boosted combat capability’

SCMP-Photos from the Japanese defense ministry show fighter jets and helicopters on the Liaoning as it sails with five other naval ships. A greater range of aircraft onboard shows a complete formation combat system has been formed, the commentator says. China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, has conducted drills east of Okinawa involving a fighter jet and helicopter operations after entering the Pacific Ocean, indicating increased combat capability, an observer said. 6 Chinese naval ships – the Liaoning, a Type 055 destroyer, a Type 052D destroyer, two Type 054A frigates, and a Type 901 supply ship – sailed in waters about 300km (186 miles) east of Kitadaitojima in Okinawa on Sun, Japan’s defense ministry said. The J-15 fighter jets and Z-9 and Z-18 helicopters were on board the Liaoning, and one photo showed a J-15 taking off from the carrier.

Pakistan, ADB sign agreements worth $1.5bn for various projects

The federal government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wed signed 6 agreements amounting to $1.543 billion to finance projects related to the energy sector, urban infrastructure, social protection, roads, and water resources, the Ministry of Economic Affairs in a statement. The agreements were signed by Economic Affairs Division Secretary Mian Asad Hayaud Din and ADB’s Country Director Yong Ye in Islamabad.

ECP issues notice to KP transport minister, brother, and son over Bannu polling station violence

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wed issued notices to Provincial Minister for Transport Shah Mohammad Khan, his brother, and his son over polling station violence in Bannu. Local bodies’ elections were held in 17 districts of the province on Sun in the first phase of KP’s local government polls. The elections were marred by various incidents of violence.

DRDO conducts maiden launch of indigenously developed new generation surface-to-surface missile ‘Pralay’

ANI – The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Wed successfully conducted the maiden flight test of indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile ‘Pralay’, from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.

The Union Ministry of Defence, in a press release, said, “The new missile followed the desired quasi ballistic trajectory and reached the designated target with high degree accuracy, validating the control, guidance, and mission algorithms.”

“All the sensors deployed near the impact point across the eastern coast, including the downrange ships, tracked the missile trajectory and captured all the events,” they added.

• The ministry also informed that the Missile is powered by a solid-propellant rocket motor and many new technologies.
• Secretary Deptt of Defence R&D said that this is a new generation surface-to-surface missile equipped with modern technologies.
• As per sources, the advanced missile has been developed in a way to able to defeat interceptor missiles and can change its path after covering certain range mid-air.

Rafale deal: Defence ministry fines European missile maker over delay in fulfilling offset obligations

TOI (sources)-The defense ministry has imposed a fine of fewer than 1 million euros on European missile maker MBDA for the delay in fulfilling its offset obligations for the Sept 2019- Sept 2020 period under the Rafale aircraft deal, said on Wed.

• French aerospace major Dassault Aviation is the manufacturer of the Rafale jets while MBDA supplies the missile systems for the aircraft.
• India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in Sept 2016 to procure 36 Rafale jets for ₹59,000 crores, and the offset obligations were part of the contract.
• As a part of the deal, 50% of the total contract value has to be reinvested in India as offsets each year between Sept 2019 and Sept 2022.
• The first batch of Rafale fighter aircraft came to India in July last year.

(sources)- MBDA has deposited its penalty but has also lodged its protest with the defense ministry. However, MBDA did not respond to PTI’s request for a statement.

The CAG had in Sept last year said that Dassault Aviation and MBDA are yet to fulfill their offset obligations of offering high technology to India under the Rafale aircraft deal, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report released on Wed.

In its report tabled in Parliament, the national auditor had said that Dassault Aviation and MBDA proposed in Sept 2015 to discharge 30% of their offset obligations by offering high technology to the Defence Research and Development Organisation, but the two firms were yet to do it.

Winter session: Both houses of Parliament adjourned sine die ahead of schedule

The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been adjourned sine die ahead of schedule on Wed. Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with top members of his cabinet in the Parliament to discuss various issues and the govt’s strategy. Since the beginning of the winter session on Nov 29, both the Houses of Parliament witnessed continuous disruptions by the Opposition’s ruckus over several issues including the suspension of 12 MPs, the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, and others. The winter session is scheduled to culminate on Dec 23.

4 bills sent to Parliament panels, winter session set to end today

The Govt referred 4 out of 6 contentious bills to parliamentary panels, stalled one but passed another quickly in the politically-charged winter session that saw major protests, limited debates, and a prolonged stand-off between the government and the Opposition.

10 bills passed after 48 hours of discussion in both Houses

The Winter Session of Parliament saw 12 new bills being introduced till Thursday, 21 December, and 10 bills passed, including two that had been tabled in previous sessions. On Thu, both Houses of Parliament have adjourned sine die.

• According to the data available on the PRS website, Lok Sabha spent a total of 26.5 hrs only, out of a total functioning time of 83.2 hrs.
• The maximum time in the Lower House (37 hours) was spent on non-legislative work.
• Rajya Sabha, meanwhile, spent 21.7 hrs debating legislation, out of the 45.4 hrs that it functioned in the Winter Session.
• The Bills passed in Parliament also reflected the small amount of time spent on the actual discussion on the different laws.

Among the Bills passed during the Winter Session,

1. High Courts and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill.
2. The Dam Safety Bill, 2019
3. Election Laws (Amendment) Bill.
4. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill 2021 (awaiting President’s nod)
5. The Delhi Special Police Establishment Amendment Bill 2021 (President assent given on Dec 21. Bill is now Act)
6. The Central Vigilance Commission Amendment Bill 20212021 (President assent given on Dec 21. Bill is now Act)
7. The High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill
8. Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021 (Presidential Assent given. Bill is now an Act.)
9. Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill 2020
10. The Surrogacy Regulation Bill, 2019

Before Parliamentary Standing Committee

1. Prohibition Of Child Marriage Amendment Bill
2. Mediation Bill 2021 (Before select committee)
3. The Chartered Accountants, Cost and works accountants and Company secretaries (Amendment) Bill
4. The Biological Diversity Amendment Bill 2021

Introduced in Lok Sabha

1. Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill, 2021
2. National Anti Doping Bill

JPC report on data protection bill has loopholes & more bad news for social media companies

ThePrint-An initial reading of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 submitted last week suggests that the industry will have to contend with a more fragmented and overbearing regulatory framework than was proposed in the previous Data Protection Bill (PDP Bill). The report is a significant step as India aims to enact a dedicated data protection law, which has been nearly four years in the making.

• For the govt, data security is a high priority area and the report recommends that it bring back mirror copies of sensitive and critical data from abroad.
• It also retains the PDP Bill’s focus on data localization and stresses the need for the govt to frame an extensive policy on the same.
• The regulation of social media intermediaries and the need to hold them more accountable is another prominent theme in the report.

It suggests treating such platforms as publishers of content and also recommends the establishment of a statutory media regulatory authority along the lines of the Press Council of India (PCI), which is not Govt’s body.

• The media had widely reported this recommendation and thrown many companies in a tizzy.
• This did not translate into amendments in the Bill because the JPC rightly said that the current legislation is about the regulation of personal data, not social media.

JPC recommendations for social media companies

There are, however, enough reasons for companies to be circumspect. Currently, social media companies that primarily enable online interaction between users are regulated as “social media intermediaries” by the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, which have been framed under the Information Technology Act 2000.

The protectionist lens of the amended Bill

• The amended bill also contains a protectionist lens in some places, which is evident from provisions related to cross-border transfers.
• The Bill requires the Data Protection Authority (DPA) to consult with the central govt before approving any such transfer, which was not the case under PDP Bill 2019.
• The DPA will now be bound by the direction of the central government in the exercise of its functions in all cases, and not just on questions of policy.
• Such provisions could lead to considerable executive influence over business decisions and increased friction in data flows due to uncertainty.
• In some places, the JPC has tried to allay concerns of excessive executive power.
• The implementation of the Bill can affect commercial operations as it creates tension between privacy and competition.
• The data portability clause allows consumers to port inferred data from one online service provider to another.
• These inferences are of immense value to businesses and may involve companies’ analyses about behaviors, interests, or attributes of people.
• The Bill throws up intellectual property (IP) rights concerns, too, as it prohibits companies from objecting to such transfers by claiming the protection of trade secrets.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

China finally faces accountability for rights abuses of Uyghurs

TOI-According to a Canada-based think tank, China had tried to control the narrative on Xinjiang by terming the Western reportage as “conspiracies” and through the official propaganda machinery for a long time.

On Dec 10, a London-based independent tribunal, “Uyghur Tribunal” ruled that China had committed genocide against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang province, reported International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS).

• The non-governmental body was founded in 2020 by Geoffrey Nice, a British barrister, and international human rights lawyer, at the request of Uyghur activists.
• China restricted foreigners’ and journalists’ access to the troubled Xinjiang province, the epicenter of these abuses.
• But now, new evidence from a Chinese source has buttressed the Western reportage of China, IFFRAS reported.
• On Dec 16, the US imposed new sanctions on China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences and its 11 research institutes for actions in Xinjiang province.
• US officials -China has set up high-tech surveillance in the region, including biometric facial recognition, and has collected DNA samples from all residents in Xinjiang.
• The sanctions come in the wake of another move from the US designed to send a strong signal to China.

On Dec 14, in a rare bipartisan compromise, the US Senate unanimously passed a bill, “Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act,” which would ban all imports from Xinjiang unless the US govt determines with “clear and convincing evidence” that they were not made with forced labor, as per the Think Tank.

The US actions come in the backdrop of a growing campaign to boycott Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 along with 5 other countries, which announced a diplomatic boycott of the games to protest against China’s human rights abuses.

More countries are likely to join the campaign.

However, India along with Russia didn’t support the boycott.