[NEWS OF THE DAY]

China Blocks US, India Move To List Pakistani Terrorist In United Nations

China today put a last-minute block on a joint proposal under the 1267 ISIS and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UNSC by India and the US to list Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki as a ‘Global Terrorist’ under the ISIS and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council. Makki is a US-designated terrorist and the brother-in-law of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed. Earlier too, China has placed holds and blocks on bids by India and its allies to list Pakistan-based terrorists. A veto-wielding permanent member of the UNSC, China was the only hold-out in the 15-nation body on the bid to blacklist Masood Azhar, blocking attempts by placing a “technical hold”. All decisions of the committee are taken through consensus. In Nov 2010, the US Department of the Treasury designated Makki as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. Makki- Key person at UN listed Pak-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba terror group; has to reward of $2 million on him by US Govt, Close to al-Qaeda’s Ayman al-Zawahiri (here)

India succeeded in bringing regulation on illegal fishing: Piyush Goyal after WTO’s 12^th Ministerial Conference

India succeeded in bringing regulation on illegal fishing, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said after the conclusion of the 12^th World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference on Fri. “India has received 100% success. There is not one issue for which we need to return to India with any kind of worry,” said the Union Minister while addressing the media today after Conference, in Geneva said that our demands to control the illegal, unregulated, unreported fishing were also accepted. It is a big success for the country, as many countries engage in deep-sea fishing thus exploiting and endangering the fish species of the world. Ministers from 164 members of the WTO have adopted various decisions including food security, e-commerce, TRIPS agreement, fisheries, and preparedness for future pandemics, a significant outcome for the Modi-led govt. The WTO is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. (here)

India calls on EU to fight against terrorism, resolve Ukraine conflict

India on Fri (local time) called on the EU to collectively fight against terrorism and emphasized the need to resolve the Ukraine conflict to resolve the peace and security challenges at the UNSC. India’s deputy envoy to the UN, R Ravindra said, “The EU has an important role to play in our continued fight against terrorism and other new and emerging challenges. …..India would like the EU to step up its support to make our fight against terrorism a collective fight and one fought with “zero tolerance”, without any double-speak.” He highlighted the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict and stressed the need to strengthen the partnership and linkages between the UN and regional organizations. He said that India supports all diplomatic efforts including the resumption of talks between Ukraine and the Russian Federation to end the conflict which has impacted the whole world. The deputy envoy also said that India and the EU share a common interest in ensuring security prosperity and sustainable development in the multipolar world. India is the chair of the counter-terrorism committee and 1988 sanctions committee. (here)

US ‘playing long game’ and ‘investing in a relationship’ with India: White House NSA

As India continues to remain neutral on the Russian-Ukraine War, the US said it is playing a “long game” concerning its relationship with India and is “investing in a relationship” with India that is not going to be judged on its non-aligned foreign policy. “India is a sovereign democratic nation, they will make their own decisions and we are not here to lecture them or to insist on a certain outcome,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told at a forum organized by the Center for a New American Security, a Washington based think tank. The US has often publicly acknowledged that it understands India’s historic ties with Russia and how it would be difficult for India to quickly cut its ties with Russia. Sullivan added that the US continues a strategic dialogue with India referring to regular telephonic conversations between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the in-person meeting between the two leaders a couple of weeks ago in Tokyo. (here) US to provide India alternatives on security issues, step up the partnership: White House adviser- At a time of changing world order and security challenges emanating in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, White House Indo-Pacific adviser Kurt Campbell said that the US has decided to step up its partnership with India as well as to provide New Delhi with the alternatives on security issues. The official also called the relationship with India “most important” for the US in the 21^st century. Defending India’s neutral stance on the crisis, Campbell informed that the US is privately engaging with New Delhi and its leadership to communicate quite clearly, that over time, the US wants to build a “stronger relationship with India.” (here) The US is there for India: State Department on Moscow’s ties with New Delhi – Noting that New Delhi’s relationship with Moscow developed over several decades when Washington was not ready for that, US States Department on Thu said, the US is “there for” India. “We have had several discussions with our Indian partners, and the point that we have made is that every country is going to have a different relationship with Moscow,” the State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during a press conference. Price said, “We condemn the offensive comments made by two BJP officials and we were glad to see that the party publicly condemns those comments.” (here)

‘Agnipath’Protests Row: Govt raises age limit to 23 under scheme, asserts intake will go up

The govt also stressed the intake in the armed forces in the coming years will be around triple the current recruitment, with several avenues also being opened for those being demobilized after the 4-year tenures. The maximum damage was reported in Bihar, that too, at rail services, followed by Telangana, besides UP, Punjab, and Hariyana.

• Protests against ‘Agnipath’ turn violent in Bihar; houses of Deputy CM, state BJP chief attacked
• The Schedule of the recruitment process under the Agnipath scheme will be announced shortly: Indian Army
• Training of first Agniveers will begin in Dec 2022, active service to commence in the middle of 2023: Army chief
• Protests against ‘Agnipath’, in Bihar, continued for the second consecutive day as protestors on Fri disrupted the movement of trains in various districts of Bihar.
• Railways says over 200 trains affected so far, 35 trains canceled, 13 short-terminated
• The three service chiefs mounted a defense of the Agnipath model, arguing that it presented an opportunity to youth to serve the nation, and military service would equip them with skills for subsequent employment, even as tens of thousands of angry defense aspirants ignored appeals for calm and intensified their protests across the country demanding that the scheme be immediately rolled back.
• Indian Air Force chief will be visiting 6 forward bases on Fri where he would address the troops and discuss the details of the Agnipath entry scheme.
• 1 dead among 13 people who were brought to the hospital. Among the injured, 1 person is in critical condition, he received a chest injury.
• Haryana govt orders suspension of mobile internet services, all SMS services given potential law and order situation in the wake of new army recruitment policy. Order shall be in force for the next 24 hours with immediate effect i.e. till 16:30 hours

[NATIONAL]

Indian money in Swiss banks rise 50% to a 14-year high of Rs 30.5k Cr

The wealth of Indian companies and people in Switzerland’s banks has increased by 50% to a 14-year high of 3.83 billion Swiss francs (over Rs 30,500 crore) in 2021. It also includes money deposited in Swiss Bank Branches and other financial institutions in India. According to the annual data released by the Central Bank of Switzerland (SNB) on Thu, Indians’ money in Swiss banks has increased due to an increase in stake and customer deposits through related instruments including securities. Earlier, by the end of the year 2020, Indian money in Swiss banks was 2.55 bn Swiss francs. Moreover, deposits in savings or deposit accounts of Indian customers hit a 7-year high of around Rs 4,800 crore in 2021 after 2 years of decline. Of this, 60.20 crore Swiss francs are in the form of customer deposits, while 1225 mn Swiss francs are held through other banks and 3 mn Swiss francs are through trusts, etc. [interestingly not much has been discussed in Indian media, though PTI has twitted] (here)

J-K: 2 terrorists involved in the killing of a school teacher neutralized in the Kulgam encounter

Two terrorists involved in the May 31 killing of a school teacher Rajni Bala in the Gopalpora area of Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir have been killed in an encounter on Thu, the Inspector-General of Kashmir Police, Vijay Kumar informed. Earlier on Tue, an encounter broke out in the Mishipora area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam, said the Kashmir zone police. A school teacher from the main minority community in J&K was killed by terrorists in the Kulgam district of the Kashmir region on May 31. Earlier, two civilians, including Kashmiri Pandit employee Rahul Bhat and three off-duty policemen, were killed in Kashmir by the terrorists this month. (here)

Pakistan once again shows interest in India for trade

Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thu emphasized the country’s interest in trade and engagement with India saying that Pakistan was isolated on the world stage due to past policies. “Despite a “long history of war and conflict” and the Indian government’s actions in occupied Kashmir and its anti-Muslim agenda, it was not in Pakistan’s interest to remain disengaged,” Bilawal said while speaking at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, a government-funded think tank, the Dawn reported. Referring to the former government of Pakistan-Tahreek-i-Insaf (PTI), he said that the coalition government had inherited an “internationally isolated and internationally disengaged” country, adding “But it was time for pivoting to economic diplomacy and focusing on engagement.” (here)

India, Indonesia renew deal on visa waiver on diplomatic passports

India and Indonesia renewed the agreement on visa waiver on diplomatic and official passports, said the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Fri. This deal was renewed during the 7^th India-Indonesia Joint Commission Meeting held in New Delhi. During the meeting, the EAM Jaishankar and his counterpart from Indonesia Retno Marsudi also exchanged views on the India-ASEAN partnership and the cooperation of the countries in the UN and G20. The two countries also discussed regional and global issues including Indo-Pacific, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and the repercussions of the Ukraine conflict. The ASEAN FMs, ASEAN Secretary-General, and Representatives of FMs along with Jaishankar today addressed the Ministerial Session of the twelfth edition of Delhi Dialogue which focuses on 30 years of ASEAN-India relations with the theme ‘Building Bridges in the Indo-Pacific’. (here)

‘You can wait’: Supreme Court declines to pause HC hearing on Hemant Soren

The Supreme Court on Fri declined to stop the Jharkhand high court from hearing two petitions to seek a probe by central agencies into alleged irregularities in grant of mining leases by chief minister Hemant Soren and money laundering by shell companies allegedly operated, among others, by his family members. “You can wait after the high court has decided the matter finally. Let the high court decision. You have the option to come at a later stage. We are not going to decide this in a piecemeal way,” the bench of justices JK Maheshwari and Hima Kohli told senior lawyer Mukul Rohatgi who appeared for the state government. Rohatgi was told that the top court will take up its request in July when the top court reopens after vacation. The state government had challenged the high court’s June 3 decision that rejected objections to hearing the two public interest litigation (PILs). The state has claimed that the PIL has been filed with political motives to destabilize the government and the high court agreed to hear the matter without examining the credentials of the petitioner as required under the high court rules. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

All eyes on FATF as Pakistan hopes to come off the ‘grey list’ today

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global watchdog for combatting money laundering and terrorist financing, is expected to announce today (Fri) whether Pakistan will be removed from or retained on its increased monitoring list, also known as the “grey list”, but the government is hopeful the outcome will be in the country’s favor. A spokesperson for the govt told BBC Urdu that the outcome was expected to be in Pakistan’s favor according to information available at the moment. He clarified, however, that even if the country was removed from the list, it would take seven to eight months to “settle matters”. Diplomatic sources earlier told Dawn that China and some other allies are quietly working to get Pakistan off the grey list latest during the latest plenary session. Recent reports in the international media also mentioned this “quiet lobbying”, led by China, and one Indian media outlet [India Today] reported that the plenary session “is likely to decide to move Pakistan out from the list”. However, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, who is leading Pakistan’s delegation in Berlin, cautioned that prejudging the outcome and speculative reporting should be avoided. (here) [some verified sources said that Pakistan would be out of the FATF grey list.]

Diplomatic relations between Pakistan and South Africa have been strained

Both countries have imposed an unannounced ban on the transfer and registration of vehicles of each other’s embassies. According to sources, the South African Revenue Services Department has launched an investigation against the Pakistani embassy. Pakistani diplomats stationed in South Africa have been accused of selling vehicles imported from abroad. Pakistan’s ambassador to South Africa Mazhar Javed and former deputy ambassador Adnan Javed are also facing charges. However, Pakistani ambassadors Mazhar Javed and Adnan Javed have strongly denied the allegations while speaking on the Geo News.

A Chinese invasion of Taiwan: Too costly to countenance?

On Taiwan’s tiny Penghu islands, the missile bases that sit next to white-sand beaches and bustling fish markets are a visceral reminder of the constant threat of attack from China. Despite the huge military discrepancy between the two sides, many analysts believe Taiwan’s location, inhospitable terrain, and US support mean China would find a full-scale invasion extremely hard — and possibly too costly to countenance. The Chinese defense ministry last week said it would “not hesitate to start a war” to stop Taiwan from becoming independent. One US admiral has said an attack could come by 2027, the centenary of China’s Army (PLA). Taiwan’s biggest advantage is its geography- Amphibious assaults are exceedingly difficult and if China was to invade Taiwan — and crucially hold it — Beijing would need to move hundreds of thousands of troops as well as equipment across the Taiwan Strait. Even at its narrowest point, the strait is 130 km and weather conditions are notoriously unforgiving with two monsoon seasons. That leaves just two brief “windows of attack” — May to Jul and Oct — for such a large-scale operation, according to a US Naval War College report. (here)

China launches its third aircraft carrier – Fujian: Report

China on Fri launched its third aircraft carrier, the first such ship to be designed and built entirely within the country. The 003 new-generation aircraft carrier christened Fujian left its drydock at a shipyard in Shanghai in the morning and tied up at a nearby pier, state media reports said. State broadcaster CCTV showed assembled navy personnel standing beneath the massive ship as water jets sprayed over its deck and multi-colored streamers flew and colorful smoke was released. The launch comes as China seeks to extend the range and power of its navy. Equipped with the latest weaponry and aircraft-launch technology, the ship’s capabilities are thought to rival those of Western carriers, as Beijing seeks to turn its navy, already the world’s largest, into a multi-carrier force. The launch of the carrier marks a major milestone for the Chinese military. It has significantly more advanced technology than China’s two other carriers, including electromagnetic catapults to launch aircraft off its deck, the official Xinhua news agency reported. (here)

Bangladesh on the path of economic growth, but hit by Islamic radicalization

While India’s neighbors Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Nepal continue to reel under external debt fueled by depreciating local currencies against the US dollar, a country, which was once dubbed one of the poorest, has emerged as a ray of hope due to rapid strides in economic growth and progressive outlook. Born in 1971, Bangladesh has emerged as among the fastest-growing economies in the past decades, the World Bank said. According to the report, poverty declined from 43.5% in 1991 to 14.3% in 2016. The IMF has forecast the country’s real GDP projection at 6.4% for 2022. Pakistan’s economy is in a precarious situation with high external debt, double-digit inflation, and a spiraling Pakistani rupee which currently stands at 207 against the US dollar. Thanks to the misgovernance during the previous Imran Khan regime, the Shehbaz Sharif government has been forced to hike fuel prices with petrol over ₹230 per liter and cut down luxury imports including tea from Kenya. Bangladesh’s progress in economic growth is running counter to rising Islamic radicalization in the country, which will turn out to be a long-term threat to the People’s Republic and has the potential to destabilize the northeast part of India. (here)