[NATIONAL]

Lieutenant General Manoj Pande is the new COAS

Lt Gen Manoj Pande (PVSM, AVSM, VSM) will succeed Gen MM Naravane as the 29^th Chief of the Indian Army (CAOS). Gen Narvane is in charge of the top office since Dec 31, 2019. Lt Gen Pande is the first engineer to become the COAS and will assume the charge on May 1. To date, officers from only Infantry, Armoured Corps, and Artillery have made it to four-star rank in the Indian army. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned in Dec 1982 in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers). He is currently serving as the VCOAS. No decision has been taken as to who will be the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The post has been lying vacant ever since the 1^st CDS dead in a chopper crash in Dec last year. ThePrint (Sources)- a retired 3-star Army officer, known for the planning of operations, with knowledge of both the Western and Northern theatre, is the “dark horse” in contention for the top post.

After the bridge over Pangong Tso, mobile towers at Hot Springs: Chushul Councillor

China continues to ramp up infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control. After bridge construction over Pangong Tso, ‘China has installed mobile towers ‘very close’ to Indian territory. Chushul councilor tweeted claiming China has installed mobile towers on its side of hot springs. Chushul is situated around the south of Pangong lake and is a few km away from the LAC. “China has increased the pace of their infrastructure recently they have launched a bridge on Pangong and now recently they have built 3 towers in a hot spring which can be used for drones. To observe our territory or for communication,” the councilor said.

J&K: Terrorist fire at Railway Protection Force personnel near a tea stall

Terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pulwama district – Railway Police Personnel killed, another injured. As per police, terrorists fired upon the RPF personnel near a tea stall in the Kakapora area of Pulwama. Head constable Surinder Singh, ASI Devraj sustained bullet injuries and were shifted to the hospital. One of the RPF personnel succumbed to injuries; the area of attack was cordoned off and search operations are underway. 9^th attack this month – over the past 3 weeks, terrorists have stepped up attacks on forces and civilians.

The biggest risk of cryptocurrency could be money laundering, its use for financing terror: Nirmala Sitharaman

“I think regulation using technology is the only answer. Regulation using technology will have to be so adept, that it has to be not behind the curve, but be sure that it is on the top of it. And that’s not possible. If any one country thinks that it can handle it. It has to be across the board,” Nirmala Sitharaman said. During the first day of the visit, Minister participated in a high-level panel discussion on “Money at a Crossroad” hosted by Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, IMF. “If I use 2019 data, the digital adoption rate in India is about 85%. But globally that same year it was only somewhere near 64%. …and adoption was proven,” Minister asserted. Apart from her official engagements with the World Bank, IMF, G20, and Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Sitharaman on Mon also attended an event at the Washington-based think tank, Atlantic Council. The visit will also include several bilateral interactions, including with Indonesia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and South Africa as well as a high-level meeting with World Bank President David Malpass, a Ministry statement said.

European Commission President to visit India on April 24-25

ANI – European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen will pay an official visit to India on April 24-25, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tue. The MEA said in a statement that this will be her first visit to India as the President of the European Commission. During her visit, Leyen will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She will also meet President Ram Nath Kovind and other dignitaries. The President of the European Commission has been invited as the Chief Guest for this year’s edition of Raisina Dialogue and will address the inaugural session on April 25. The India-EU Leaders’ Meeting in May 2021 set new milestones with the decision to resume trade talks and the launch of the India-EU Connectivity Partnership. The forthcoming visit of the Leyen will be an opportunity to review progress and further intensify the multifaceted partnership with the EU.

Dalai Lama to visit Ladakh between July-August

ANI – In his first visit since the emergence of the pandemic, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will visit Ladakh between July and Aug. Spokesperson of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Tenzin Lekshay told ANI that after spending most of the time at his residence since the global COVID-19 outbreak, the Dalai Lama agreed to visit and bless devotees in Ladakh. This comes after the request of Thiksay Rinpoche of Thiksay Monastery and the current President of Ladakh Buddhist Association, Thupten Tsewang, on behalf of the Ladakhi people. The two received a special audience from the Dalai Lama at his residence on Mon during which the request was made. The upcoming visit would be the first of the Dalai Lama since the emergence of a pandemic. Dalai Lama visited Ladakh in 2018. Notably, he had fled to India from Tibet in 1959 through Arunachal Pradesh. The Tibetan government-in-exile is headquartered at McLeodganj in Himachal Pradesh.

PM Modi lays the foundation stone of multiple development projects at Banas Dairy Sankul

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tue laid the foundation stone for multiple projects at Banas Dairy Sankul in Diyodar in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district. Speaking at the occasion, PM Modi said that the development initiatives at Banas Dairy will empower farmers and boost the rural economy. PM Modi will also lay the foundation for the World Health Organisation, Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar, Gujarat today. Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth will also participate in the event. Nearly 80% of people across the world, in 170 of 194 WHO member countries, use traditional medicines such as herbal medicines, yoga, ayurvedic medicine, acupuncture and acupressure, and many other indigenous therapies. WHO DG Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will attend the inauguration of the WHO GCTM in Gujarat, later today. This is the first of its kind center that’ll help the whole world to invest in traditional medicine, he says at an event in Delhi.

From Red Fort, PM Modi to address the nation on Guru Tegh Bahadur’s Parkash Purab

PM Modi will release a commemorative coin and postage stamp on the occasion, the culture ministry said on Mon. The Sikh Guru’s execution orders were passed at the Red Fort which will relive his life, struggles, and valor through a 15-minute light and sound show to mark the start of the 2-day program on April 20-21.

India’s sugar exports rise by 64.90% to $4.6 billion in 2021-22

ANI – India’s sugar exports surged by 64.9% to $4.6 billion in the financial year 2021-22 from $2.79 billion recorded in the previous year, the government data showed on Mon. As per data released by the DG of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), India exported sugar to 121 countries across the world during the financial year ended Mar 2022. Sugar export has increased by 291% since PM Modi’s Govt came into power in 2014. In 2013-14, sugar exports stood at $1.17 billion. India is the world’s 2^nd-largest sugar producer after Brazil. Since 2010-11, India has consistently produced surplus sugar. The record exports would enable the sugar producers to reduce their stocks and would also benefit the sugarcane farmers, as the increased demand for Indian sugar is likely to improve their realizations, said the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

3 Blasts In Kabul School, Many Killed: Report

NDTV–Many residents in the neighborhood belong to the Shia Hazara community, an ethnic and religious minority frequently targeted by Sunni terrorist groups. Multiple blasts were reported in the Dasht-e-barchi area of western Kabul in a Hazara-dominated area near a boy’s school. Initial reports indicate at least 25 people were killed in the explosions. More details are awaited.

Taliban meet French envoy to Afghanistan, discuss decree on prevention of poppy cultivation

ANI – Taliban member Suhail Shaheen has met with French envoy to Afghanistan Jean Marin Schuh and discussed several issues including the recent decree over the prevention of poppy cultivation and substitutes in Afghanistan. “Today, in Doha, I met Jean Marin Schuh, French envoy to Afghanistan currently based in Doha. We talked about a range of topics including education, the recent decree by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan about the prevention of poppy cultivation and substitutes, projects for farmers, and bilateral relations,” Suhail Shaheen said in a Tweet on Mon. On April 3, the Taliban announced a ban on the cultivation of poppies. The decree, read by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, said that there is a “strict ban” on the use and trafficking of “all types of illicit drugs” such as alcoholic beverages, heroin, “Tablet K”, hashish and others, reported Tolo News.

PM Shehbaz Sharif’s new cabinet takes oath

Dawn -31 federal ministers and 3 ministers of state took the oath. According to a statement issued by the President House, PML-N’s Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Khurram Dastgir Khan, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Miftah Ismail, Javed Latif, Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Murtaza Javed Abbasi and Azam Nazeer Tarar took the oath as federal ministers. From the PPP, Syed Khursheed Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman, Abdul Qadir Patel, Shazia Marri, Syed Murtaza Mahmud, Sajid Hussain Turi, Ehsan Ur Rehman Mazari, and Abid Hussain took the oath as federal ministers. Asad Mahmood, Abdul Wasay and Abdul Shakoor of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Muhammad Talha Mahmood, MQM-Pakistan’s Aminul Haque, and Faisal Sabzwari, BAP’s Muhammad Israr Tareen, JWP’s Nawabzada Shazain Bugti, and PML-Q’s Tariq Bashir Cheema are also among the newly appointed federal ministers. Meanwhile, PML-N’s Aisha Ghaus Pasha and Abdul Rehman Khan Kanju, as well as PPP’s Hina Rabbani Khar, were administered the oath as ministers of state. Moreover, PPP’s Qamar Zaman Kaira, PML-N’s Amir Muqam, and Awn Chaudhry from Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s estranged Jahangir Tareen group have been appointed as advisers to the PM. Earlier, a Dawn report, citing sources, had said President Arif Alvi was expected to go on leave on Tue over reported illness so that Sanjrani could administer the oath. Previously, the president had also excused himself to administer the oath to Sharif on health grounds after which Sanjrani had taken over the responsibility. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is expected to be named foreign minister with former FM, Hina Rabbani Khar as his deputy, people familiar with developments said on Mon.

Pakistan: Army scurries for damage control after Imran Khan’s ‘foreign conspiracy’ yorker

ANI – Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ouster, his US foreign conspiracy rhetoric which contradicts with Army’s standing, and the country’s troubled polity have all placed the military in an uneasy spot which is now trying to do damage control and recover the predominance of its role in national affairs. The DG of the Pakistani Army media wing, ISPR, Major Gen Babar Iftekhar urged Khan to desist from repeating the conspiracy charge in public. The officer stressed that Army is neutral. The officer further noted that the Army plays no role in the country’s political affairs. The Army vows that it will continue to support the “democratic institutions”, reported Al Arabiya.

US congresswoman due tomorrow, to visit AJK

Pakistan local media The International News-US Congresswoman Ilhan Abdullah Omar is expected to arrive in Islamabad Wed (tomorrow) and the highlight of the visit will be a trip to ‘Azad Kashmir’.A senior official at the Foreign Office has confirmed the visit though there has been no official word from Pak FO or Washington. 37-year-old Omar belongs to the Democrats and represents the State of Minnesota in Congress and is a staunch supporter of Kashmiris in IIOK. In 2019 after the annexation of Kashmir, Omer called for an immediate restoration of communication; respect for human rights, democratic norms, and religious freedom; and de-escalation in Kashmir, saying that the international organizations should be allowed to fully document what is happening on the ground.

US Indo-Pacific chief on Solomon Islands mission amid China security concerns

White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell and the State Department’s top official for Asia will travel this week to the Solomon Islands, the White House said on Mon, amid concerns that the Pacific Island country is making a security pact with China. Campbell and assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink will lead a delegation that includes officials from the Department of Defence and the US Agency for International Development. The officials will visit three countries: the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and the White House National Security Council.

China’s health minister rules out the relaxation of Covid rules: Report

SCMP- China’s health minister Ma Xiaowei, in an article published on Monday, ruled out easing China’s current policies on containing Covid outbreaks and pledged even tougher measures to prevent major clusters of the disease from breaking out. Ma urged the country to stick to the dynamic zero policy and take a clear-cut stand against “erroneous” thoughts of “coexisting with the virus”. Ma said there will be no relaxation of rules ahead of the twice-in-a-decade CPC Congress, a reshuffle of the top leadership where President Xi Jinping is expected to secure an unprecedented third term. It is expected to be held in the second half of 2022. This means China is likely to keep its international borders closed, allowing only a handful of cross-border flights, and tackle Covid-19 clusters with snap lockdowns and mass testing until, at least the end of the Congress. Reuters -For many leaders, mounting public anger and a rapidly worsening economic outlook would be cause for worry and a policy rethink. But Xi, who doubtless would prefer smoother sailing in the run-up to a 3^rd leadership term, is doubling down on a signature “dynamic zero” COVID-19 policy that has been increasingly tested by the more infectious Omicron variant.

China’s top Covid-19 expert Zhong Nanshan has said the country cannot pursue “dynamic zero-Covid” in the long term and should reopen to bring social and economic development back to normal, and adapt to global reopening. The editorial titled “Strategies for reopening in the forthcoming Covid-19 era in China” was published in the English-language National Science Review journal on Apr 6. A Chinese translated copy of the article was published on mainland news sites on Mon but has since been deleted.

Sri Lanka asks IMF for rapid financial assistance

Reuters -Sri Lanka has requested the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for rapid financial assistance and the global lender could consider it after initial reluctance, an aide to the country’s finance minister said on Tue. “The (foreign minister) requested a Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to mitigate the current supply chain issues, yet initially IMF of the view that it doesn’t meet their criteria,” Sabry’s aide Shamir Zavahir said on Twitter. “However, India subsequently made representations on an RFI for (Sri Lanka) as well and IMF may consider this request due to the unique circumstances.” Sri Lanka is seeking $3 billion in the coming months from multiple sources including the IMF, the World Bank, and India to stave off the crisis, Sabry told Reuters earlier this month.

In rare comments, Myanmar’s Suu Kyi urges people to ‘be united’ – source

Reuters -Myanmar’s former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called for unity among her people, according to a source familiar with her legal proceedings, in rare remarks since her overthrow in a military coup last year. “Aung San Suu Kyi tells the people ‘be united’, to have an open dialogue among each other. ‘Everyone has a different view – discuss and talk patiently,'” said the source, who asked not to be identified because the military is restricting information about Suu Kyi and her trial. The source did not elaborate on why the Nobel laureate had urged unity but added that it was not a call for dialogue with the junta. A military spokesman did not respond to a call seeking comment.

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

China and Solomon Islands sign military pact amid security concern

ANI – China and the Solomon Islands have signed a framework agreement on security cooperation that neighbors of the South Pacific archipelago fear could open the door to a Chinese naval base in the country.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced the agreement in Beijing, saying it would involve China cooperating with Honiara on maintaining social order, protecting people’s safety, aid, combating natural disasters, and helping safeguard national security, Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

• Australia and New Zealand have already expressed their concern regarding China’s increased military activity in the Indo-Pacific which could destabilize the region.
• Australia said that China has intentions to build a naval base in the Solomon Islands to intimidate the continent.

US Indo-Pacific chief on Solomon Islands mission amid China security concerns

SCMP-White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell and the State Department’s top official for Asia will travel this week to the Solomon Islands, the White House said on Mon, amid concerns that the Pacific Island country is making a security pact with China.

Campbell and assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink will lead a delegation that includes officials from the Department of Defence and the US Agency for International Development, which will visit 3 countries: the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea.

• The team will also stop in Hawaii to “consult with senior military officials and regional partners at United States Indo-Pacific Command”, it said.
• In Feb, the US announced it would open an embassy in the Solomon Islands, part of an effort to commit more diplomatic and security resources to the Indo-Pacific.
• The Solomon Islands said in Mar that it was creating a partnership with China to tackle security threats and ensure a safe environment for investment.
• This had been seen as a major inroad for Beijing in a region that US allies Australia and New Zealand have for decades seen as their “backyard”.
• But after a regional backlash, the Solomon Islands said it would not allow a Chinese military base there.
• Australia’s Defence Minister Peter Dutton has said that China hopes to gain a military foothold in the Pacific Islands, including a “military port” in Papua New Guinea.
• China offered to redevelop a naval base in Papua New Guinea in 2018 but Australia’s closest northern neighbor decided to have Australia develop the base instead.

Australia says it would keep security ties with the Solomon Islands despite the China pact

SCMP-Australia would continue to cooperate with the Solomon Islands on matters of security even if the Pacific island nation signs a proposed security agreement with China that Australia opposes, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Sun (Apr 17^th).

• Payne said there are concerns about a “lack of transparency” concerning the draft security agreement.
• Canberra is concerned the security deal, details of which have not been publicized, could foreshadow a Chinese military presence fewer than 2,000km from Australia.
• Despite a national election, the minister this week met with Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare and asked him not to sign the proposed agreement.
• Payne said the matter is “something that should be discussed in the broader Pacific Island forum context itself” and the “Pacific family” is best placed to respond to regional security issues.
• Both the US and Australia have intensified a diplomatic push directed at the Solomon Islands, part of a wider effort to counter China’s influence.
• A draft leaked official document showed that the deal could allow Beijing to deploy forces to “protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects in the Solomon Islands.”
• Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has said the archipelago won’t permit China to build a military base.
• Payne said those comments were “very important assurances” and that Australia would continue security cooperation with the Solomon Islands even if it signs the agreement with China.
• The group of East China Sea islets is controlled by Tokyo, which they call the Senkaku Islands.
• The Solomon Islands switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019