[ NATIONAL ]

IAF pilot dies as MiG-21 plane crashes in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer

A MiG-21 plane of the Indian Air Force crashed in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer on Fri night during a training sortie, killing Wing Commander Harshit Sinha. The plane crashed in the Desert National Park area under the Sam police station, Jaisalmer SP Ajay Singh told PTI. The IAF said on Twitter, This evening, around 8:30 pm, a MiG-21 aircraft of IAF met with a flying accident in the western sector during a training sortie. Further details are awaited. Meanwhile, Sam police station SHO Dalpat Singh said the plane crashed in dunes near Sudasari.

Centre sets up panel on Nagaland AFSPA relief

The Union home ministry has constituted a 5-member committee headed by the registrar general of India, Vivek Joshi to examine the possibility of withdrawing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from Nagaland in the wake of the botched Dec 3 Army operation in Mon district that resulted in 14 civilian deaths. The committee will submit its report within 45 days.

Want to manufacture BrahMos so that no country dares to cast an evil eye on us: Rajnath

India wants to manufacture BrahMos missiles not to attack any country but so that no other country dares to cast an evil eye on it, defense minister Rajnath Singh said on Sun, while stressing the need for maintaining nuclear deterrents.

5 terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir in 48 hours

On Sun, a terrorist belonging to the Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir outfit, involved in the killing of a police officer, was killed in an encounter

Damien Symon (@detresfa_)tweeted that India has issued a notification for the launch of experimental flight vehicles over the Bay of Bengal, given Launch Window is from Dec 27-31, 2021. Danger Zone, as shown in the image is the perimeter- 477 km, while the area is 3077 sq nautical miles, originating from missile testing site, Chandipur, Balasore.

PM’s visit: India, UAE trade deal is finalized

TOI -India and the UAE have completed negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement, with an announcement to be made during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the West Asian country in the first week of 2022, in a move that is expected to boost trade with countries in the Gulf as well as Africa.

Covid vaccine for kids aged 15-18 yrs, precautionary dose for 60+

Children in the age group of 15-18 years will be able to register on CoWIN for vaccination starting Jan 1, the government said on Mon. CoWIN platform chief Dr. RS Sharma mentioned that senior citizens with both doses are eligible for the precautionary jab. With 578 Omicron cases detected across 19 states so far, the home ministry on Mon asked the states and Union territories not to let their guard down and consider imposing need-based restrictions to control crowds during the festive season.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

China reports the highest number of coronavirus cases in four months

Of the 140 new infections, 87 were locally transmitted, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, compared to 55 a day earlier. Most were in Xi’an, in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, where 13 million residents have been under lockdown since Thu.

China has become more aggressive on borders since Xi Jinping’s rise, says an Australian expert

China has become much more aggressive in the borders towards the east and west and in its relations with other states since the rise of Xi Jinping as President in 2012, an Australian foreign policy expert has said and noted that the world is heading for a prolonged period of bipolar competition in the Indo-Pacific region.

Taliban creates new 170-member police unit to protect educational institutes

Deputy Minister of Higher Education Lutfullah Khairkhaw said that the creation of a special unit to protect educational institutions was a must needed. A statement released by the Ministry of Higher Education of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan read that the personnel of the unit are part of the ministry’s Special Forces that were trained in 313 central corps for 30 days, reported Khaama Press. As per the Taliban, the new unit was created after people filed numerous complaints about the behavior of Taliban affiliates now protecting these institutes, reported Khaama Press.

No long-distance road trips for Afghan women without a male escort: Taliban

Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities said Sunday that women seeking to travel long distances should not be offered road transport unless they are accompanied by a close male relative. The guidance also called on vehicle owners to refuse rides to women not wearing headscarves, which has drawn condemnation from rights activists.

Myanmar court postpones verdicts in the second case against Suu Kyi

A court in military-ruled Myanmar postponed its verdicts Mon on 2 charges against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi in which she is accused of importing and possessing walkie-talkies without following official procedures, a legal official familiar with the case said. The court gave no reason for delaying the verdicts until Jan. 10, according to the legal official. The case in the court in the capital, Naypyitaw, is among many brought against the 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate since the army seized power on Feb. 1, ousting her elected government and arresting top members of her National League for Democracy party.

Pakistan’s Punjab faces over 1,000 road mishaps in 24 hours

ANI – Pakistan’s Punjab province has witnessed over 1,000 road accidents in the last 24 hours in which at least 11 people have lost their lives and 1016 were injured, local media reported on Mon. The News International reported that out of the injured people, 576 people were seriously injured who were shifted to different hospitals. Whereas, 440 minor injured victims were treated at the incident site. According to the publication, the analysis showed that 425 drivers, 46 underage drivers, 136 pedestrians, and 466 passengers were among the victims of these road accidents.

Want to manufacture BrahMos so that no country has the audacity to cast an evil eye on us: Rajnath

India wants to manufacture BrahMos missiles, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, not to attack any country but so that no other country dares to cast an evil eye on it, defense minister Rajnath Singh said on Sun, while stressing the need for maintaining nuclear deterrents.

India wants to manufacture BrahMos missiles not to attack any country but so that no other country dares to cast an evil eye on it, defense minister Rajnath Singh said on Sun, while stressing the need for maintaining nuclear deterrents.

• The minister laid the foundation stone of the Defence Technologies and Test Centre and the BrahMos Manufacturing Centre at Lucknow, along with Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister.
• “There is a neighboring country.… I don’t know why its intentions vis-a-vis India are always bad. It committed acts of terrorism in Uri and Pulwama,” the minister referring to Pakistan.
• India carried out cross-border strikes in Sept 2016 and Feb 2019 in response to terror attacks in Uri and Pulwama.
• The defense minister praised CM for expediting land acquisition of 200 acres, for the projects they inaugurated.

PM’s visit: India, UAE trade deal is finalized

TOI -India and the UAE have completed negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement, with an announcement to be made during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the West Asian country in the first week of 2022, in a move that is expected to boost trade with countries in the Gulf as well as Africa.

Apart from lowering tariffs, the trade pact — only the second since the one with Mauritius — is expected to include key provisions for easier movement of Indian professionals and workers to Emirates.

(sources)- While the UAE is already the largest base for the Indian diaspora, companies are expected to get more leeway in hiring workers from the country, with some of the eligibility test requirements also expected to be eased.

In addition, there will be a message to signal easier investment norms, with UAE entities expected to pump in money into creating critical infrastructure in India.

On the import duty front, some of the areas of interest for India, such as food products, are expected to get concessions so that they can compete with products from other parts of the world more favorably.

In return, some of the products from the petro-chem value chain will be allowed lower-duty access into India.

(sources) – the effort has been made to ensure that third country imports are not routed through minor value addition in the UAE, including those from other Gulf countries and China.

The UAE is part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which was negotiating a free trade agreement with India several years ago until the talks were abandoned. India, as well as GCC, had paused talks with several trading partners.

The bilateral trade agreement with the UAE also marks a significant change in India’s stance as the Modi govt had virtually stopped talks with all countries until it shed its inhibitions after its exit from RCEP due to the overarching presence of China.

• Since then, it has entered into negotiations with the EU, the UK, Australia, and Israel with some of the FTAs expected to be worked out in the coming months.
• With bilateral trade of $43 billion, UAE was India’s 3^rd-largest trading partner during the last financial year, lagging China and the US.
• During Apr-Oct this year, it was the second-largest export destination for Indian goods.

As many as 5 terrorists were neutralized in 48 hours during anti-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

On Sun, a terrorist belonging to the Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK) outfit, who was involved in the killing of a police officer, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag, police said.

Chief of Kashmir Police has identified the slain terrorist as Faheem Bhat, resident of Kadipora Anantnag.

“He has recently joined terror outfit ISJK and was involved in the killing of Martyr ASI Mohd Ashraf, who was posted at PS Bijbehara,” he said in a tweet.

• The search operation turned into an encounter after the hiding terrorists fired on the forces, who retaliated, he said.
• ASI Ashraf was shot dead by terrorists outside Bijbehara hospital on Wed evening.
• The encounter at K Kalan, Srigufwara area of the south Kashmir district began late on Sat night.
• On Sat, 4 militants, including an IED expert, were killed in twin encounters with security forces.
• While 2 Lashkar-e-Taiba militants in Shopian and 2 from proscribed terror outfit Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind (AuGH) were gunned down in Pulwama district in south Kashmir.
• Acting on a tip-off about the presence of militants in Shopian, security forces launched a cordon and search operation during the night, a police official said.
• According to reports, both the killed terrorists were linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT and were involved in several terror crime cases.
• They were also involved in motivating and recruiting the youth to join terror folds, a police official said.
• In another encounter that broke out at Hardumir in the Tral area of Pulwama, 2 militants were killed, the official said.
• Both were affiliated with proscribed terror outfit AuGH.

Terrorists lob grenade at CRPF bunker in J&K’s Anantnag

Terrorists attacked a CRPF bunker in the Arwani area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag with a grenade on Mon. No injuries were reported in the incident.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

China has become more aggressive on borders since Xi Jinping’s rise, says an Australian expert

ANI – China has become much more aggressive in the borders towards the east and west and in its relations with other states since the rise of Xi Jinping as President in 2012, an Australian foreign policy expert has said and noted that the world is heading for a prolonged period of bipolar competition in the Indo-Pacific region.

Delivering the 2^nd Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memorial Lecture, on ‘Australia, India and the Indo-Pacific: The need for strategic imagination,’ organized by The Ministry of External Affairs, Dr. Michael Fullilove, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute of Australia, said that China’s economic rise has been phenomenal but India’s economic rise is also important for the Asian success story.

Slamming the impact of US policies during Donald Trump’s tenure on geopolitics, Fullilove said if Washington’s international stance over the past decade has been changeable, that of Beijing “has been consistent and increasingly concerning”.

• He said that the main reason for the downslide in Canberra’s relationship with Beijing is that “China has changed.”
• “Its foreign policy has hardened. The constraints on people within China have tightened. Its willingness to accept criticism has disappeared,” he added.
• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla also spoke on the occasion.
• The former Prime Minister an important role in shaping India’s Foreign Policy and the memorial lecture is a flagship event of MEA to recall his contributions.