[NEWS OF THE DAY]

India ‘deeply concerned’ about the Ukraine-Russia war, reiterates the call for the cessation of hostilities, and encourages talks

India today reiterated its stance on the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, calling for a cessation of all hostilities and encouraging talks between the two countries. Speaking at the UNSC Arria-formula meeting on Ukraine, Counsellor in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN Pratik Mathur said New Delhi remains deeply concerned over the situation in Ukraine. These remarks also came two days after Kyiv suspended its envoy to the country. Mathur noted that India had, from the beginning of the conflict, been consistently calling for a complete cessation of all hostilities and advocated the path of peace, dialogue, and diplomacy. Last week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India has taken the “right course” on the Ukraine conflict and the most urgent issue is to prevent hostilities from escalating to a level where they only do harm. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sun announced the sacking of Ukraine’s ambassadors to Germany, India, the Czech Republic, Norway, and Hungary. He dubbed it a “normal part of diplomatic practice” and said new candidates were being readied for the positions. It was not clear if the envoys would be assigned new positions. (here)

PM Modi to participate in the first I2U2 Leaders’ Summit virtually on July 14

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be participating in the first Leaders’ Summit of I2U2, along with leaders of Israel, UAE, and the US on July 14 virtually. I2U2 is aimed to encourage joint investments in 6 mutually identified areas such as water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security. “Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will be participating in an I2U2 Summit, along with Prime Minister of Israel Yair Lapid, President of the UAE Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and President of the USA Joseph R. Biden,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. The I2U2 Grouping was conceptualized during the meeting of the FMs of the 4 countries held on Oc 18 last year. “Each country also has Sherpa-level interactions regularly to discuss the possible areas of cooperation,” the MEA said. It intends to mobilize private sector capital and expertise to help modernize the infrastructure, and low carbon development pathways for our industries, improve public health and promote the development of critical emerging and green technologies. (here) From Jul 13 to 16, Biden will travel to the Middle East, stopping in Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia. Nearly a dozen counterparts from across the region and abroad will also be in attendance.

Sri Lankan Crisis: President signs resignation letter, parliament to make the public announcement tomorrow

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Mon signed his resignation letter dated July 13 which will be handed over to the speaker of Parliament to make a public announcement on Wed. The resignation letter of the President was signed and handed over to a senior govt official who will hand it over to Parliament Speaker Yapa Mahinda Abeywardena. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wed will be sworn in as the President for a temporary period till a new President is elected by Parliament on July 20. Speaker in a statement said party leaders had decided to elect a new President on July 20 through a vote in Parliament per the provisions of the Constitution. Nominations for the presidency will be called for on July 19. So far the two confirmed candidates are the PM and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa who yesterday already informed that he is ready to rebuild Sri Lanka’s economy. The President, who announced his resignation on Sat, was earlier said to have fled and was in a third country but the speaker on Mon clarified that he is still in the country. ANI citing sources confirmed that Rajapaksha was protected by the Armed Forces. (here) The UN has called for a smooth transition to a legitimate government in Sri Lanka in the wake of rising tension in the island nation due to a severe economic crisis.

Sri Lanka president stuck in airport stand-off while trying to flee

 Sri Lanka’s embattled president was stuck in his own country on Tuesday (July 12) in a humiliating stand-off with airport immigration staff blocking his exit to safety abroad, official sources said on Tue. Gotabaya Rajapaksa has promised to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a “peaceful transition of power” following widespread protests against him over the country’s unprecedented economic crisis. (here)

[NATIONAL]

Pakistani columnist claims he passed information to ISI from his India visits

Nusrat Mirza, a Pakistani columnist who has visited India many times during the Congress’ rule, has boasted on camera that he used to pass on information collected during his visits to Pakistan’s Intelligence (ISI). During a virtual interview with journalist and political analyst Shakil Chaudhary, Mirza said that he had received various privileges from the foreign affairs department of Pakistan during his visits to India. He shared that “usually when you apply for a visa to India, they only allow you to visit three places. However, at that time, Khurshid Kasuri (Pakistani politician and writer who served as the Pak FO from Nov 2002 to Nov 2007) was the foreign minister who helped me to get a visa for 7 cities.” “I was invited to India at the time of Vice Presidentship of Mohammad Hamid Ansari.” “I have visited India 5 times. I have visited Delhi, Banglore, Chennai, Patna, and Kolkata as well. In 2011, I also met with the Milli Gazette’s publisher Zafarul Islam Khan.” Zafarul-Islam Khan is a former Chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission and Founder-Editor of the Milli Gazette, Indian Muslims’ leading news source. I asked them to work on the information I provided. They have a research wing. They have information. They know about the weaknesses in the leadership in India. But they do not use it,” he added. (here)

ED files money laundering charge sheet against Amnesty’s now-defunct India arm

A day after penalizing Amnesty India and its former chief executive officer Aakar Patel for violating the foreign exchange law, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a charge sheet against the international human rights organization’s now-defunct India arm for allegedly laundering money received from the UK, people familiar with the development said on Sat. Among those named under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) include Amnesty International India Pvt Ltd, Indians for Amnesty International Trust, and others. ED launched a probe against Amnesty in Oct 2018 based on a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation against AIIPL, IAIT, Amnesty International India Foundation Trust, and Amnesty International South Asia Foundation, under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and Foreign Contributions Regulation Act. According to the ED, Amnesty International India Foundation Trust had been granted permission under the FCRA, 2010 in 2011-12 for receiving foreign contributions from Amnesty International UK. However, the same was canceled based on the adverse inputs received. (here)

Pranay Verma to be the next Indian envoy to Dhaka, Sibi George goes to Japan

Pranay Kumar Verma, currently the Indian envoy to Vietnam will be the next Indian High commissioner to Dhaka even as Vikram Doraiswami who is the current envoy goes to London. In the past, Verma has served as the director-general of the East Asia Division at the Ministry of External Affairs and was also director-general for external relations at the Department of Atomic Energy looking after India’s nuclear diplomacy. Bangladesh and India’s ties have seen an upswing, from connectivity to culture. Sibi George, currently Indian Ambassador to Kuwait will be the next Indian envoy to Japan even as Indian envoy to Japan Sanjay Kumar Verma goes to Canada, which was vacant as Ajay Bisaria retired. Neeta Bhushan, AS in the Central Europe Division of the MEA will be the next Indian high commissioner to New Zealand as Muktesh Pardeshi returns to Delhi to play a key role in G20 summit preparations.  Meanwhile, Amit Kumar, India’s Consul General to Chicago will be the next Indian envoy to South Korea and Namgya C. Khampa is expected to be the next Indian envoy to Kenya. At the MEA in New Delhi, Khampa at different times handled relations with the US, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar and served on deputation at the Prime Minister’s Office from 2016 to 2018. (here)

Army to conduct trials of AI-enabled unmanned all-terrain vehicles in Ladakh next month

ThePrint-The Indian Army will soon conduct trials of indigenously developed artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled, unmanned all-terrain vehicles in Ladakh for surveillance and logistics operations. Trials will also be held in deserts in Rajasthan before the Army selects a final product and goes for large-scale acquisition. One of the vehicles under consideration has been developed by the Kalyani Group that runs on both batteries and motors. The vehicle was one of the 75 products that were on display at the defense ministry’s first AI symposium in Delhi Mon. The vehicle can operate on a battery for about 6 hours and on a motor for 14 hours. It has an operational range of 3 km and can carry a load of up to 500 kg. Additionally, day and night cameras, having a range of 2 km, are mounted on the vehicle. This means one can see up to 5 km from a command center. Citing the sources it claimed that there were more such vehicles under consideration, including one built by Torus Robotics. It has a payload capacity of 750 kg and has been developed with state-run BEML Limited. (here)

New laws soon to reduce the scope for violation: MoS IT

The ‘Uber files’ investigation has confirmed the concerns of the Indian govt that Big Techhave been using technology to game the system and consumers, but the govt is now determined to bring in “new rules and laws that will reduce the opportunities for them to violate Indian laws or do something illegal” said Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar. “It has been fairly obvious to most people that big tech platforms have been using technology to game the system and consumers both, and have evaded scrutiny by constantly covering themselves with innovations,” said Chandrasekhar. Innovation is important; the govt will continue to encourage an innovation ecosystem, but it will put in place laws and rules to ensure that the internet is open, safe, trusted, and accountable, the minister said. Uber had used stealth technology to bypass regulators, tapped into the lobbying network, and aggressively cut corners as it drove through loopholes in law and regulation. (here)

Centre delegates power to Ladakh LG under Electricity Act 2003

The Central government delegated authority to Ladakh Lt Governor to exercise the powers and discharge the functions of the Union Territory under the Electricity Act, 2003. The order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Mon, mentioning President Ram Nath Kovind, directed that the Lt Governor of the UT can exercise the powers under the Electricity Act, 2003. Electricity Act, 2003 provides the power to consolidate the laws relating to the generation, transmission, distribution, trading, and use of electricity and generally for taking measures conducive to the development of the Electricity industry, promoting competition therein, protecting the interest of consumers and supply of electricity to all areas. (here)

5G: India keeps Chinese firms away from the telecom equipment market

The Indian govt on Mon ordered telecom businesses to only purchase devices from “trusted sources” for network expansion or upgrades, dealing a severe blow to Chinese telecom equipment manufacturers. A statement tightening the rules for telecom licenses was released on Mon by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The action is intended to stop Chinese suppliers like Huawei and ZTE from giving Indian telecom carriers equipment for the impending 5G services. However, “These directions will not affect ongoing annual maintenance contracts or updates to existing equipment already inducted into the network as on the date of effect,” it added. “Designated authority may also notify a list of designated sources from whom no procurement can be done. Procedure for inclusion of equipment in the list of trusted sources will be issued,” the notice added. (here)

PM Modi inaugurates Deoghar Airport

Intending to boost infrastructure development, enhance connectivity and give an impetus to ease of living in the region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Deoghar Airport and other development projects in the city on Tue. The development projects in Deoghar have been listed as worth more than Rs 16,800 crores. The airport worth Rs 400 crores was inaugurated to pace up the direct connectivity to Baba Baidyanath Dham, which is an important religious destination for devotees from all over the country. The Terminal Building of the airport is equipped to handle over 5 lakh passengers annually. (here)

Jaishankar to launch ‘Connecting through Culture’, an anthology on India’s soft power

ANI- External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will be launching an anthology of essays on various aspects of India’s soft power on Wed titled ‘Connecting through Culture’, a first-of-its-kind book that is a joint project of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA). Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan will be the Guest of Honour at this function to be held at Sushma Swaraj Bhavan in the national capital. An independent section in this anthology is devoted to Universal Heroes produced by India.

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

China’s Wang Yi holds talks with ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi in Jakarta

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met here on Mon with ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi, with both sides promising to strengthen ties. Wang said at the meeting that China and ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) are each other’s largest trading partners and China has always made ASEAN a foreign policy priority, supported the development and growth of ASEAN, and the ASEAN Community building. China was the first to forge a strategic partnership with ASEAN and upgraded it to a comprehensive strategic partnership, said Wang. China was also the first to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, the first to start free trade area negotiations with ASEAN, and the first to give unequivocal support for ASEAN’s centrality in regional cooperation, he said. He said China is willing to work with ASEAN to build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful, and amicable home, benefiting the ASEAN people. (here)

The US warns it will defend the Philippines if China breaks sea ruling

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed a call to China to comply with a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s vast claims in the South China Sea and warned that Washington is obligated to defend treaty ally the Philippines if its forces, vessels, or aircraft come under attack in the disputed waters. Blinken’s statement, issued by the U.S. Embassy in Manila on Tue, was released on the 6^th anniversary of the 2016 decision by an arbitration tribunal set up in The Hague under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea after Manila complained in 2013 against China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed sea. Aside from China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei have had overlapping claims in the busy waterway, which is believed to be rich in undersea gas and oil deposits and where an estimated $5 trillion worth of trade and goods are shipped per year. China did not participate in the arbitration, rejected its ruling as a sham, and continues to defy it. (here)

Wang Yi warns of ‘ferocious storms’ if the one-China policy is abandoned by the US

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said the one-China principle is what underpins stability across the Taiwan Strait and warned of “ferocious storms” across the region if the principle is “arbitrarily challenged or even sabotaged.” Wang made the remarks when asked about the root cause of the current tensions across the Taiwan Strait as he made a policy speech at the ASEAN Secretariat, Xinhua news agency reported. Wang said history and practice have repeatedly proved that when the one-China principle is fully recognized and thoroughly followed, the Taiwan Strait would remain calm and the two sides enjoy peaceful development. However, when the one-China principle is arbitrarily challenged or even sabotaged, there would be dark clouds or even ferocious storms across the Taiwan Strait. Wang said the current tensions across the Taiwan Strait are rooted in the fact that Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have abandoned the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle, undermining the important foundation for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and going further down the wrong path of “seeking independence with foreign support.” (here)

US and Australia must boost Indo-Pacific security cooperation as China looms: deputy PM

The United States and Australia must bolster their security cooperation to avoid a “catastrophic failure of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia’s deputy prime minister said, warning of China’s rapid military advances, it’s courting of Pacific Island nations, and “use of force or coercion to advance territorial claims”. “Notwithstanding our strong foundations, we can’t afford to stand still,” Richard Marles, who also serves as Canberra’s defense minister, said during an appearance at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies on Mon. The No 2 Australian official’s comments marked the start of his first trip to the US in his current role and came as Canberra considers whether to choose British or American designs for new nuclear-powered submarines – an outcome of a trilateral security pact forged by the previous Australian administration. Marles offered a full-throated endorsement of that deal, which is known as AUKUS, saying “the heart of deterrence is undersea capability”. (here)

China’s international popularity plummets, but influence peddling continues

China is making progress in some places in its quest to influence politicians and curry favor, but overall its popularity is diminishing across the world. This was made manifest in data released by a US research company at the end of June. A report concluded, “In 19 countries surveyed by Pew Research Center this spring, people see the US and President Joe Biden more favorably than China and its president, Xi Jinping.” Yet at the same time, it noted, “But when it comes to perceptions of each country’s relative influence in the world, much larger shares in most nations see China’s influence growing than say the same of the US.” (here)

China bank protesters win the promise of repayments

Following protests by ban depositors that caught the eye of national and international media, Chinese authorities in the central Henan province have promised to start paying back first on behalf of several rural banks’ funds of some clients that had been frozen. Payments will be made in batches, with the first due on July 15, state media outlet Global Times reported citing the local banking and insurance regulator and financial regulatory bureau of Henan province said in a joint statement. This development comes after China on Sun dispersed a protest by hundreds of depositors, who sought to demand their money back from banks that have run into a deepening cash crisis. Four rural banks in China’s Henan province have frozen millions of dollars worth of deposits since April, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of customers in an economy already affected by Covid lockdowns. (here) “It doesn’t solve the underlying problem,” said a saver surnamed Hang, who has a total of 860,000 yuan (US$128,000) in savings with three of the four rural banks in Henan province with her parents. (here)