[NATIONAL]

Aim to conclude India-UK Free Trade Agreement by Diwali, says Boris Johnson

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is on his 2-day visit to India. The UK PM met PM Narendra Modi in Delhi today (Fri). He said the partnership of the two democratic nations is vital as the world faces growing threats from autocratic states. The FTA would pave the way for a doubling of bilateral trade by 2030, which will be signed by Oct end. A Joint Statementfor further intensifying cooperation on Cyber Security, particularly in the areas of cyber governance, cyber deterrence, and safeguarding critical national infrastructure. They also agreed to closely cooperate on countering the persistent threat of terrorism and radical extremism. “The UK is creating an India specific open general export license reducing bureaucracy“, said UK PM after the delegation meeting, and added that “shared interests in keeping the Indo-Pacific region free, open and rule-based. Agree to combat threats on air, space & maritime.” 2 MoUs on the implementation of the India-UK Global Innovation Partnership and the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP) were exchanged during the visit. India’s request for an expedition of economic offenders, who are in London – has been noted by UK PM, the foreign secy said after the meeting. India, UK form an anti-extremist task force to deal with rising Khalistan extremism, announces Johnson. Also, announcements were made on–

Strategic Tech Dialogue – Ministerial-level dialogue on emerging communication technologies such as 5G, AI etc.
Collaboration on Integrated Electric Propulsion – Co-development of technology between the two Navies.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s Pakistan visit not sponsored by US govt: Official

During the trip, Omar met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his predecessor Imran Khan and several other leaders of the country. As reported, India on Thu condemned Omar’s visit to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), saying her travel to the region violated the country’s sovereignty and it reflected her “narrow-minded” politics. “..Omar is not visiting Pakistan on US govt-sponsored travel,” State Department told reporters at his daily news conference.

CISF confirms terrorists in Sunjwan encountered part of the freshly infiltrated module, attacked personnel bus

A Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) source said the terrorists attacked a bus carrying 15 CISF personnel going for morning shift duties on Fri morning. They opened fire and threw grenades at the bus. The 2 suicide attackers who initiated the attack are part of a freshly infiltrated module. TimesNow citing sources claimed that they were affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohamad later both have been killed within a few hours of the operation. The encounter took place amid heightened security arrangements in J&K, 2 days ahead of the Prime Minister’s scheduled visit to the Samba district. Meanwhile, in J&K The total number of militants killed so far in the operation, which began in the early hours in the Malwah area of Baramulla in north Kashmir on Thu, has risen to 4, police said.

Looking at keeping economic ties with Russia stable: MEA

Ministry of External Affairs, on Thu, reiterated that it has been looking at keeping its economic ties with Russia ‘stable’ and that it procures “very little” Russian crude oil, in response to a question, India is buying more Russian oil, in a regular briefing. It has been added that India’s position on Russia has been “clear and steadfast” “….. It is not done on a govt-to-govt basis.” Also, it is added that India had a very good conversation with the US on the matter

India, US to advance ties in quantum science, biotech & chips: Rajnath Singh

India and the US have decided to advance cooperation in emerging technologies in the fields of communication, artificial intelligence, quantum science, semiconductors, and biotech, defense minister Rajnath Singh has said, urging the private industry of both nations to undertake joint development and production of defense equipment, while addressing to members of the American Chamber of Commerce in India. India shared a document that outlined specific areas of collaboration for emerging defense technologies. The minister shared that the US companies have been investing and creating jobs in India and 35% of Indian defense exports have been to the US, amounting to around $2.5 billion in the last 5 years. Raytheon will invest $ 100 Million in research and manufacturing, while Boeing will set up MRO for the Navy’s P8i airplanes and eliminate the need to send them to the USA.

India highlights its contribution to global food security

ANI – Highlighting the contribution India has made towards global food security, New Delhi on Thu (local time) said that it is a basic minimum requirement, especially when the world is beset by the universal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts while speaking at the UNSC, ARRIA formula meeting on conflict and hunger. New Delhi has provided food aid to several countries including Myanmar (10,000 tons of rice and wheat), Afghanistan (50,000 MT of wheat), Lebanon, Sudan, and South Sudan.

Inaugural Indo -pacific dialogues in UK parliament explores the geopolitical situation

ANI -The inaugural Indo-Pacific Dialogue hosted by the Indo-Pacific All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG) was held in the UK parliament, the 1^st-time post-pandemic, on Tue to explore the geopolitical situation within the region and to discuss challenges about the geopolitical maneuvering of the regional and extra-regional powers. The objective of the meeting was to highlight the Indo-Pacific alliance in front of the MPs so that the British govt can actively participate in the pact, as stated in an official statement. They also emphasized the importance for the UK to actively participate and support the regional players like India to balance the power equation and maintain stability in the region.

Raisina Dialogue – India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics – 2022

1. The 7^th Edition of the Raisina Dialogue “Terra Nova: Impassioned, Impatient, and Imperilled” in-person format over three days will be inaugurated on 25^th and will be concluded on Apr 27^th, the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation. Prime Minister will inaugurate the Dialogue while the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will join the Inaugural Session as Chief Guest. The theme of the Dialogue will be (i) Rethinking Democracy: Trade, Tech, and Ideology; (ii) End of Multilateralism: A Networked Global Order?; (iii) Water Caucuses: Turbulent Tides in the Indo-Pacific; (iv) Communities Inc.: First Responders to Health, Development, and Planet; (v) Achieving Green Transitions: Common Imperative, Diverging Realities; and (vi) Samson vs Goliath: The Persistent and Relentless Tech Wars. This year, Raisina Dialogue side-events will be hosted in Berlin and Washington D.C.

Govt to spend 31, 000 crores, build 64 border roads and 103 bridges

The govt has proposed the construction of 64 strategic roads with a total length of 3,508 km and 103 bridges in areas falling in the India-China, Indo-Pakistan, and Indo-Myanmar border areas with an estimated cost of over Rs 31000 crore. Nearly 3/4 of the roads and all the proposed bridges would come up in areas close to the India-China border. The strategic roads, which have been identified for the ‘India@75 Strategic Roads Package (ISRP)’, will also help reduce the road head differential gap with the border as compared to neighboring countries, to be completed by 2029. An official said in Arunachal Pradesh, except for Kameng Sector, which is the border area opposite Tawang, the distance of road head from the Indian border varies from 20 km to 120 km against the Chinese reach which is 8 km from the border.

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa promises justice to Easter Sun attack victims

Nine suicide bombers belonging to local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through 3 Catholic churches and as many luxury hotels on Apr 21, 2019, killing nearly 270 people, including 11 Indians, and injuring over 500. “Thus far 735 persons have been taken into custody, and 27 cases against 79 persons have been filed under 25,653 charges. The govt,” Rajapaksa said.

China ‘debt trap diplomacy’: ex-central bank governor slams accusations as a ‘smear’ amid warnings of global credit risks

SCMP-China’s overseas lending is not a “debt trap”, former central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan has said after the world’s top two financial institutions warned of growing credit risks in poorer countries as they struggle with the coronavirus and soaring food prices. Zhou acknowledged that some Chinese lending might not have always been “carefully designed” but in general, it was not like a “smear” [image portrayed] on China. The Belt and Road Initiative, a globe-spanning infrastructure project introduced by the Chinese President in 2013, aims to connect Asia, Europe, and Africa while deepening economic integration and [and therefore] expanding China’s influence. China has often been accused of “debt-trap diplomacy” – meaning entrapping countries with loans that cannot afford to repay, [i.e. Sri Lanka and many more in the way]. Following a default, China can then seize assets, according to critics. IMF said it would prioritize debt restructuring for countries and work with the Group of 20 (G20) on its Common Framework for Debt Treatments.

South China Sea: ‘external forces’ meddling in disputes, Chinese official says

Interference by external powers is compounding challenges in the South China Sea, a senior Chinese foreign ministry official told an international forum on Thu. Without naming those powers, Tan Qingsheng, from the ministry’s boundary and ocean affairs, said some external forces were provoking division among claimants of the waters for their geopolitical motives. “Achieving ‘sustainable development in the SCS’ still faces many difficulties and challenges. The most prominent of these is that some foreign powers, out of their geopolitical interests, have stepped up manipulation and involvement in disputes in the SCS,” Tan said in a panel discussion on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia on the southern island province of Hainan.

China’s support for Myanmar shows its preference for abusive, autocratic govts

The Singapore Post – China’s support for Myanmar despite human rights abuses by the Junta and the supply of weapons to its military via Pakistan shows Beijing’s continued preference for doing business with abusive and autocratic govt across the world. According to a write-up by Sophie Richardson, which was published by Human Rights Watch, it is a “tenet of Chinese foreign policy” to have relations with and provide aid to even those governments that “abuse” the human rights of their nationals. Since the coup in Myanmar in Feb last year, the junta has destroyed 100 villages and razed over 5,500 buildings in the country’s central region. Beijing has pledged to jointly oppose unilateral sanctions, a new consulate office in China, and support the junta in hosting FMs of China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Forum-all this while avoiding any mention of human rights abuses.

Pakistan’s New Govt Passes Orders to Scrap China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority

News18-Pakistan’s new govt has initiated a process to abolish the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority, with the planning minister saying it was a “redundant organization” that wasted resources and let down the speedy implementation. Minister passed orders to the concerned officials to begin the process of abolition of the authority following reports that Chinese power producers have shut down 1,980 MW of production capacity due to non-clearance of their Rs 300 billion dues. The CPEC Authority established through an ordinance in 2019 was aimed at accelerating the pace of CPEC-related activities, finding new drivers of growth, and unlocking the potential of interlinked production networks and global value chains through regional and global connectivity. According to the minister, his officials “will move a summary seeking PM’s approval to abolish the CPEC Authority”.

Amid demand to reverse Khan’s relief package, Pak FM reaches US to hold talks with IMF

ANI – With Pakistan’s economy in the doldrums and amid demands from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reverse the Former PM’s relief package, Fin Minister on Fri reached Washington for talks. This comes at a time when the FM on Wed said that IMF wants the country to revoke the subsidies extended by the previous govt by increasing fuel prices and power tariffs, to revive its Extended Fund Facility. The talks will continue until Apr 24. A Source privy to the info said, “…during the talks as IMF has already demanded an increased tax target for the next fiscal year,” ARY News reported. Noting that the fund had set a series of prior conditions involving steep fiscal adjustment close to PKR 1.3 trillion, the FM before leaving said that the IMF wants fuel prices raised to breakeven and taxes restored, an amnesty scheme discontinued for industries, circular debt reduced, power rates increased and fiscal savings ensured to completely reverse the Feb 28 relief package extended by the previous govt. Notably, the previous govt committed to having a primary balance of PKR 25 billion which was now in deficit at PKR 1.3 trillion.

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