[NATIONAL]

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina says India can access Chittagong port to enhance connectivity

ANI -Emphasizing the need to increase connectivity between the two countries during her interaction with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina on Thu said that India’s NE states can access the Chittagong port for the purpose. The Chittagong port is one of the important seaports of B’desh, located in the region of the Chittagong hill tracts. Due to the sea port’s proximity to NE Indian states, the port facility has the potential to significantly boost economic activity in the NE Indian states, providing close access to global shipping lanes. EAM called on the B’desh PM on Thu during his 2-day visit, which concluded today (Fri). Jaishankar also met his counterpart and extended him an invitation to attend the next meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission to be held in India before the visit of PM Hasina. During a Joint Press interaction with Jaishankar also announced the resuming of cross-border bus and railway services between the two countries, shortly after Eid. From B’desh he reached Bhutan. Notably, this is Jaishankar’s first visit to Bangladesh, since Mar 2021. (here)

The US continues its engagement with India over Ukraine war, says White House

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the US and India have held multiple talks over ways to support Ukrainians during the war, including discussions on sanctions and assistance, news agency PTI reported. “We have had several engagements, as you know, with leaders in India about our approach to supporting the Ukrainians in this war, …. We will convey the same sentiments in this meeting,” Psaki told reporters when asked about how the issue of the Ukraine war will be discussed during the Quad summit. Previously, the two leaders spoke about the war on Apr 12. During the meeting, Biden urged Modi not to accelerate the buying of Russian oil as the US and countries were trying to cut off Moscow’s energy income following its invasion of Ukraine. Although the QUAD summit agenda is under work, a very instructive exchange between the US Senator and Secretary of State in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thu shows that India and US are on the same page despite public pressure and media perception of the Ukraine war. Secretary said that he shared the US Senator’s perspective that India-US was an alliance of good and would have an impact on the Chinese Communist Party’s future moves. (here)

More than 14,000 Bangladeshi nationals sent back since 2019

ANI- Nearly 14,000 Bangladeshi nationals were sent back and averted to enter at Indo-Bangladesh border in India since 2019, said a Border Security Force. According to the report, as many as 9,233 Bangladeshis have been held at IB while they were trying to flee back after their ‘illegal’ stay in the country. Thus, 14,361 Bangladeshi nationals were intercepted crisscrossing the border in just over 3 years. The report found that the max number of illegal migrants entering or leaving India is from the South Bengal border (11034). India shares a 4,096-km-long boundary with B’desh of which S Bengal Frontier shares 913.32 km, of which more than 50% is either unfenced or riverine, at certain places, where the villages are right on the IB making it difficult for the security forces to detect infiltration. (here)

Maldives’ Nasheed meets NSA Doval in India, calls him ‘grandmaster of geopolitics’

Mohamed Nasheed, Speaker of the People’s Majlis (Parliament) of Maldives, met National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval Thu and referred to him as a “grandmaster of geopolitics”, even as back home his govt is busy quashing a growing anti-India campaign as the island nation heads for elections next year. Nasheed — also a former president of Maldives — who is currently visiting India, also met External Affairs Minister and Lok Sabha speaker during the trip. He discussed some of the challenges faced by the Maldives in terms of its economy, which is facing massive debts to China as the latter expands its presence in the island nation. His meeting with the NSA assumes critical at a time when the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party has come under massive criticism from opposition parties and critics for allegedly letting India manipulate Maldives’ domestic politics. At every meeting he had with Indian officials, Nasheed emphasized that the Maldives had become a debt-ridden economy, as the assets are one-third of the debt. (here) Chinese debt trap-At a lecture in New Delhi Tue, Nasheed said it was Yameen who had sold off more than a dozen islands to China during his tenure and brought the Maldives under massive debt, while India has acted as a “friend”. “….they (China) ask for equity and we lose sovereignty and we lose control,” he said, giving the example of the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka — another island nation facing a Chinese debt burden.

Alternate alignment to Daulat Beg Oldi Road gets wildlife board nod

The National Board of Wildlife has cleared the construction of a road on the Chinese border from Ladakh’s Saser la to Saser Brangsa. It will be crucial for building an alternate alignment to the Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) Road. The strategically important road will pass through the Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary. 55 hectares of the sanctuary will be used for building the road while protecting wildlife. The wildlife board gave its go-ahead for road construction on Mar 25 on the condition that an annual compliance report would be submitted. (here)

An anti-ship version of the BrahMos missile successfully test-fired

An anti-ship version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired jointly by the Indian Navy and the Andaman and Nicobar Command. In a tweet, the Andaman and Nicobar Command said the test-firing was carried out on Wed. The Andaman and Nicobar Command is the only tri-services command of the Indian armed forces. On April 19, the Indian Air Force successfully test-fired the BrahMos from a Sukhoi fighter jet on the Eastern seaboard. Last month, the Indian Navy successfully test-fired an advanced version of the Brahmos missile from a stealth destroyer in the Indian Ocean. BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound. The range of the advanced version is learned to have been extended to around 350 km from the original 290 km. (here)

Russia offers a dual-payment plan for oil, other trade with India

Russia has offered India a dual-payment mechanism to allow more trade in local currencies as pressure mounts on the sanction-hit nation, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The latest offer from Moscow involves payment for Indian oil imports from Russia in dollar or euro while the rest of the trade will be settled using a rupee-ruble mechanism, the people said. Russian central bank officials discussed the proposals with their Indian counterparts and also with officials at the fin ministry last week, but yet no conclusion was achieved. Russia has been pushing India for rupee-ruble payments using its messaging system SPFS since sanctions were announced on Russian banks and the ban on transactions from the SWIFT system. The latest data show India has a trade deficit of $5.5 billion with Russia, which includes more than $3 billion in imports of oil and petroleum products. India further wants to boost shipments to Russia by an additional $2 billion to narrow the trade imbalance. (here)

India’s Tibet Policy changed after 2014, but Nehru did what he felt was Better for India: Tibet Prez

The president of the Tibetan govt-in-exile, Penpa Tsering on Thu said that former Indian PM Nehru recognized China’s claim over Tibet believing that it was the best decision for India at that time. Tsering told reporters in Washington that India, however, has changed its stance on the Tibet issues since 2014 – when the PM Modi came to power. The president said that Tibet has never been part of China. Tsering indicated that the current govt by not adhering to ‘One China’ may have upped the pressure on Beijing on the world stage. When questioned if Nehru put too much faith in China, Tsering said he does not Nehru for his move. He also claimed that Nehru’s ill health and death were caused partly due to Chinese betrayal when Beijing invaded India in 1962. After meeting Biden admin officials, Tsering said that he found the current US govt is putting the fresh impetus on Tibet. Tsering also met House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and will also meet other top officials of the Admin and members of the US Congress. (here)

Shaheen Bagh drug case: NCB suspects narco-terror angle, 2 more arrested

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized 50 kg of ‘high-quality’ heroin, worth Rs 100 Cr and 47 kg of other suspected drugs, and Rs 50 lakh in cash from Shaheen Bagh. Recently, NCB has raised the possibility of a narco-terrorism module in the case. In a recent development in the Shaheen Bagh [Area in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, where CAA protesters sit in 2020] drug case, the NCB raised the possibility of a narco-terrorism module in the connection with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. Recently, the Taliban govt announced a ban on cultivation. The NCB said that the material was seized from residential premises during a raid on Wed. Three-person were arrested so far since the raid. Besides the drugs and money, the NCB also seized cash counting machines and other incriminating material during the raid. (here)

Police Fire In The Air As 2 Groups Clash In Punjab’s Patiala

Parts of Patiala in Punjab are tense after two groups clashed during an anti-Khalistan protest march today. The police fired in the air to disperse the crowd. At least two people are believed to have been injured in the clashes. The district administration has also appealed to residents to maintain peace and harmony, requesting the two groups to resolve their “dispute or misunderstanding” through a dialogue. Clashes broke out after the procession held by the group which identifies itself as Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) came face to face with a Sikh group that is believed to be pro-Khalistan. Members of the two groups also waved swords and threw stones at each other. (here) Also, a made-in-China, Pakistani drone was shot down by Border Forces near Amritsar [This is a serious threat as they were giving a lot of energy and money to revive the Khalistan problem in Punjab.]

Power cuts: Railways to cancel 670 passenger train trips to rush coal rakes

The spike in coal requirement due to the steep increase in electricity demand has forced Indian Railways to cancel around 16 mail/express and passenger trains daily in the past couple of weeks to create extra paths for rakes carrying the key ingredient to power plants located across the country. The railway ministry has notified the cancellation of nearly 670 trips of passenger trains till May 24. Meanwhile, the central minister Pralhad Joshi, claimed that the thermal power plants hold about 22 million tonnes of coal, the stock will be replenished continuously:

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Richard Olson pleads guilty to undisclosed lobbying

Richard Olson, a former US ambassador to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, has pleaded guilty to undisclosed lobbying for Qatar while still in service and soon after his retirement, court records show. He is also accused of accepting a lavish trip to Qatar while still serving as the US envoy to Pakistan. “I wish to plead guilty to the offenses charged, to waive trial in the Central District of California, and to dispose of the case in the District of Columbia in which I am present,” he wrote in a consent letter submitted by his lawyer. (here)

Pakistani pilgrims accost, chant slogans against PM Shehbaz, ministers at Masjid-i-Nabwi

A group of Pakistani pilgrims has accosted, heckled, and chanted slogans at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his entourage at the Masjid-i-Nabwi in Madina during their 3-day visit — their first foreign trip since assuming office — to Saudi Arabia. The premier along with his delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia Thu at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The officials landed in the country on Thu afternoon and later offered prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque. Later, in a video message in response to the chants, the I&B minister said this act was perpetrated by a “select group”, while most Pakistanis respected the sanctity of the holy mosque. (here)

Twin blasts kill at least nine in northern Afghanistan

Two explosions, within minutes of each other, have killed at least 9 people and wounded 13 in northern Afghanistan. The blasts on Thu targeted two separate vehicles in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province. The ISIL (ISIS) group later claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on its Telegram. Taliban security cordoned off the area and residents said members of the Shia minority Hazara ethnic group appeared to be the target of the attack. (here)

China’s yuan down almost 4% against the dollar in April as the market guards against economic headwinds

China’s yuan has lost 3.8% against the US dollar this month as pressure mounts on the world’s second-largest economy which has been battling the worst coronavirus crisis in over two years. Depreciation pressure on the yuan against the US dollar has intensified over the past 2 weeks amid more lockdowns across China. The financial hub Shanghai has been in lockdown for nearly a month with no sign of it easing any time soon, and as the outbreaks continue to spread, the capital city of Beijing has now rolled out restrictions. The onshore yuan closed at 6.5866 per US dollar on Fri from the previous night’s close of 6.6255, having weakened to 6.6520 earlier in the day. (here)

China hits back at Australia over Solomon Islands ‘red line’, saying ‘the Pacific is not someone’s backyard’

China has slammed Australia for opposing its security pact with the Solomon Islands, calling it a colonialist myth-driven violation of sovereignty and saying Canberra had no right to lay down any “red line”. This came as Australian PM Scott Morrison said a Chinese military base in the South Pacific nation would be a “red line” for his govt, days after Beijing and Honiara confirmed the signing of the deal without revealing details. Talk of China building a naval base on the Solomon Islands was “purely fake news”, Chinese defense ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said on Thu, accusing Canberra and the media of intentionally distorting facts and creating tension. (here)

US Navy chief says ‘phenomenal growth’ in China’s military requires a strong response

China is an impressive military adversary that is consistently improving and meeting its targets years in advance, putting the US Navy under pressure to respond effectively to the mounting challenge, a top US admiral said on Thu. “We certainly have a lot of respect for them given their ability to learn and evolve,” Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of US naval operations, said at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in a discussion of the US Navy’s future. His comments came as US-China relations hit new lows and tensions rise over the Pentagon’s “freedom of navigation” voyages in the contested Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. In preparing for any US-China confrontation, Gilday continued, the US Navy must make some tough trade-offs in a constrained budgetary environment. This includes killing outdated shipbuilding programs and focusing on acquiring resources that make the service “ready to fight tonight” as well as five years in the future while integrating with the rest of the Pentagon operations: air force, army, marines, cyber, and space forces. (here)