[NATIONAL]

‘When Asia was under threat…’: At Raisina Dialogue, S Jaishankar’s rebuttal on criticism of India’s Ukraine stand

Defending India’s stand on the Ukraine-Russia conflict, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on Tue reminded Europe that when rules-based order was under challenge in Asia, the advice India got from the West was to do more trade. He said India at least is not giving that advice concerning the Russia-Ukraine crisis, describing the conflict as an issue of concern for everyone. He was speaking at the Raisina Dialogue Townhall. Earlier this month, Jaishankar said if New Delhi has chosen a side, it is the side of peace and for an immediate end to violence. US President Joe Biden earlier said that of the four Quad countries, India’s response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine had been “somewhat shaky”.

Jaishankar lauds European Union for approaching global challenges with sharp strategic awareness

ANI – At the inaugural session, External Affairs Minister hailed the EU and commended it for approaching global challenges with a much sharper strategic awareness. Jaishankar highlighted that the personal leadership of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was largely responsible for the impetus given to the initiatives designed to take India-EU ties to the next level. He said that among the geographies that are partners in this endeavor (Raisina Dialogue) ‘Europe has clearly stood out’. He further recalled that the EU Chief and PM were the co-chairs of the 27+1 EU summit in May 2021 that has set new directions for India-EU partnerships. (here)

On the sideline of Raisina Dialogue: Jaishankar meets with his Armenian counterpart

ANI – Jaishankar on Mon held discussions on bilateral cooperation across various fields with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and also exchanged views on current regional and international issues ahead of the Raisina Dialogue. He said on Twitter, “….Much progress since my visit there last Oct. Discussed trade, connectivity, culture, and training cooperation.” (here)

On the sideline of the Raisina Dialogue: Jaishankar discusses bilateral cooperation with his Netherlands counterpart

ANI – Jaishankar on Tue met with Netherlands Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra and discussed bilateral cooperation, including water and agriculture. Earlier on Mon, Jaishankar held talks with Poland counterpart Zbigniew Rau where both sides shared their commitment to growing the India-Poland partnership. The EAM also expressed gratitude to the Poland FM for facilitating the evacuation of Indians from conflict-ridden Ukraine

EAM Jaishankar to visit Bangladesh and Bhutan later this week

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be traveling to Bangladesh and Bhutan later this week as part of an in-person engagement with the Neighbours. He will be in Bangladesh on April 28, following which he will be traveling to Bhutan on April 29. Last month, EAM traveled to the Maldives and Sri Lanka the neighborhood with a key focus on development projects and the BIMSTEC summit. EAM’s visit to Bangladesh comes even as indications are that Bangladesh’s PM could travel to India soon. Jaishankar visited Bhutan in June 2019 as his first overseas visit after assuming office. (here)

Now, the defense minister’s nod must for the import of weapon systems

In further attempts to cut down on foreign arms dependency, the govt has introduced a new rule under which all imports of weapon systems, including those being bought under the emergency clause, will require approvals by the defense minister. The specific approval by the Minister-led Defence Acquisition Council is expected to bring further scrutiny to imports and encourage Indian industry to step up supplies. (here)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh holds talks with UK’s defense procurement minister

ET-Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tue held talks with British Min of Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin, focusing on bilateral cooperation in areas such as aviation and shipbuilding. “We discussed the opportunities available in areas about aviation, shipbuilding, and other defense industrial programs for both the countries,” Singh tweeted. The talks between Singh and Quin took place days after PM Modi and his British counterpart agreed on a new and expanded India-UK defense partnership. During his visit to India last week, Johnson announced that the UK is creating an Open General Export Licence for India to “reduce bureaucracy and slashing delivery times” for defense procurement and that London will help New Delhi in the co-development of military hardware including indigenous production of fighter jets.

SC directs not to take action relating to ‘jhuggis’ (slum huts) in Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar

ANI -The Supreme Court on Mon directed not to take any coercive action relating to the removal of ‘jhuggis’ in the Sarojini Nagar area of the national capital until further orders. A bench of Justice KM Joseph and Justice Hrishikesh Roy also issued to the Centre and others on plea challenging the Delhi High Court order which declined to provide rehabilitation or relocation of the slum dwellers residing in ‘jhuggis’ of Sarojini Nagar. The Court was hearing a petition filed by ‘jhuggi’ dwellers from Sarojini Nagar against the eviction orders without rehabilitation of slum dwellers. The present Petition has been filed against the final order and judgment dated April 19, 2022 (Impugned order) passed by the Division Bench of the High Court of Delhi, wherein the HC had refused to interfere with the order dated Apr 11, 2022, passed by the Single Judge of Bench of Delhi High Court. [what is interesting to note is that they can’t afford a place to live but can manage the huge fee of lawyers of SC] (here)

With giant mall, India’s Reliance sets sights on the next gold rush: luxury goods, articles with gallery

Reuters-Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani is betting a shopping palace within a $1 billion Mumbai business showcase will tap into surging demand for Western luxury goods, installing his Reliance empire as a portal through which most of the biggest brands must pass. Though still small for a country of its size, India’s luxury market is set to nearly double in size to nearly $5 billion within five years, Euromonitor estimates. Targeting that growth, Reliance is building a mall with dozens of outlets for powerhouse brands from Louis Vuitton to Gucci, documents reviewed by Reuters show. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

3 Chinese nationals among 4 dead in blast at Karachi University

At least four people were killed and several others were injured in a car explosion inside the premises of the University of Pakistan in Karachi,  blast took place in a van at approximately 2:30 pm, according to media reports on Tue. Television footage showed a white van in flames with plumes of smoke rising from its remains. It also showed police and rescue services present at the scene of the incident. Edhi rescue services said that a “cylinder blast” took place in a Hiace van near Maskan Chowrangi. However, the police have not yet commented on the nature of the blast. As per police sources, there were 7-8 people in the van; however, the exact number of casualties has yet to be reported. Baloch rebel group claims that the Director of the Confucius Institute Huang Guiping is among the dead.

Pakistan Foreign Office wants ‘cable controversy’ put to rest

Dawn-The Foreign Office on Mon called for moving past the so-called “Lettergate” controversy so that ties with the US, “a key partner”, could be taken forward. FO while speaking at a media briefing, said that following the National Security Committee’s conclusion that the Imran Khan govt was not ousted through a “conspiracy”, it was time to “put the matter to rest” and “move on” by “concentrating on our relationships with our partners” in the country’s “best interest”. He further noted that the US was one of Pakistan’s key partners. The NSC, which met last Fri, rejected PM Khan’s allegation (here).

Pakistan PM leaves for Saudi Arabia this week for his first foreign visit

Dawn-Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is paying his maiden 3-day official visit from Apr 28 to 30 to Saudi Arabia on Thu with a heavy entourage that included his 16 family members and 40 members in total, which has been criticized by Pak Tehreek-i-Insaf. However, Min for I&B claimed that all members of his would-be on their expenses. Though the list has not been made public. The Saudi leadership has, however, been more comfortable working with the Sharifs, which felt a bit nervous when Khan formed govt in 2018 and it hit a few bumps in the road. “Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a lasting bond of Islamic brotherhood,” Sharif said while speaking at a preparatory meeting held for the visit, while he directed authorities to work on recommendations for strengthening the bilateral relations, especially in the areas of energy, food security, and employment and long-term strategic partnership. (here)

Chinese warships go ballistic with new mystery missile

ANI – China continues to astound, and steal a march on its Western counterparts, with new types of weapons and missiles. The latest example of this occurred on Apr 19 when the People’s Liberation Army Navy released a video clip depicting a hitherto unknown missile being fired from a Type 055 guided-missile warship Wuxi cruiser. The new weapon is presumed by most commentators to be an anti-ship ballistic missile, which analysts refer to under the nomenclature of YJ-21. If the initial analysis of this YJ-21 is correct, then China becomes the first country in the world. From what can be seen in the video clip, the new Chinese weapon has small fins and a biconic nose. It is not a surface-to-air missile (SAM), was expelled from the launcher cell by gas. Chinese VLS cells can accommodate missiles up to 9m long and with an 850mm diameter, so the YJ-21 must be within these parameters. Presumably, its range could be anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500km, with a velocity of 10 Mach. The SCMP quoted naval expert Li Jie as saying, “The pairing of Type 055 large destroyer and the YJ-21 is meant to counter US maritime hegemony in the region through anti-access and area denial.” (here)

Jeff Bezos cites China over Elon Musk’s Twitter deal

After the news broke out of Elon Musk’s deal to buy Twitter, Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos posed a question for the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, whether this takeover would affect Tesla in China. Through a series of tweets, Jeff Bezos directed the public’s attention toward the fact that almost half of the Tesla vehicles produced in the last year were made in Shanghai, Tesla’s first overseas plant, according to Bloomberg. Musk’s bid to takeover Twitter was hampered by a hostile takeover threat as Musk sought to win over investors. Musk had earlier bought a 9% stake in Twitter but then sought to buy it, as the Twitter board said it would adopt a “poison pill” approach to thwart Musk’s plan. However, Musk won the fight as he informed that he had put together a mammoth $46.5 billion as the Twitter board accepted the offer. Twitter’s source code is locked down to make it harder for employees to make unauthorized changes to the platform, US Media reports.

[However, Bezos already facing criminal market manipulation charges in India, and also as per Reuters’s report “Amazon partnered with China’s propaganda arm”. It’s worth recalling what Marco Rubio, Senator for Florida, said recently that American elites are deeply compromised by their ties to China. Nonetheless, its just business]

Taiwan is banking on growing global support to regain its WHO observer seat in May

SCMP-Taiwan is holding out bigger hopes of taking part in next month’s World Health Assembly (WHA), as international support for the self-ruled island grows amid a wave of anti-Beijing sentiment. Taiwan had observer status at the WHA – the governing body of the WHO – from 2009 to 2016, a time when relations were warmer with Beijing. It has been seeking to return to that role since 2017, but those efforts have been blocked by Beijing under its one-China policy that sees Taiwan as a breakaway territory with no right to join international bodies. However, in the past year, calls have been growing for the WHO to reinstate Taiwan as a WHA observer – a status it had enjoyed under the presidency of Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang, which adopted a policy of engaging Beijing. But things changed after President Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party was elected to power. The WHO governing panel next meets on May 22-28. (here)

Shanghai lockdown: China struggles to maintain key supply chains amid ‘dynamic zero’ Covid-19 policy

SCMP-Shanghai authorities are struggling to keep the supply chains of key industrial sectors like cars and chips on track amid the city’s ongoing Covid-19 lockdown, with fewer than 3-quarters of the several hundred enterprises that received a green light to resume production a week ago able to do so. Companies on the so-called white list need to receive government approval for their work resumption plans, including provision for “closed-loop” operations, but state-backed Economic Daily reported that only 70% of the 666 approved enterprises had resumed some level of production as of Sun. “A supply chain only works if all the links are acting equally in unison,” said Tu Le, managing director of mobility consultancy Sino Auto Insights. Tesla, along with other high-profile carmakers, is given preferential treatment for being ‘companies that must resume production, according to local authorities. (here)

Be wary of foreign interference, China warns Central Asia

Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe has urged Central Asia to be on alert for foreign interference, saying China will step up defense cooperation with Kazakhstan as part of a wider push for regional security. Wei issued the call in a meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the capital Nur-Sultan on Mon, three months after mass protests in the country. “China firmly opposes external forces deliberately instigating a ‘color revolution’ in Kazakhstan and backs the Kazakh side,” the Chinese defense ministry quoted Wei as saying. Wei called for “vigilance about certain major powers interfering in Central Asia to disrupt and undermine regional security”. in the first 11 months of 2021, according to data from Chinese customs, up 14.7% from last year. China exported US$12.59 billion worth of goods to the country and imported 10.35 billion dollars worth of products from Kazakhstan over the period. China invested US$19.2 billion in the country between 2005-and 20. (here)