[NEWS OF THE DAY]

Pics Expose China’s Inroads Near Doklam – Bid To Bypass Indian Defences?

NDTV- New satellite images indicate that a Chinese village, constructed 9 km East of the Doklam plateau where Indian and Chinese forces faced off in 2017, is now fully inhabited with cars parked at the doorstep of virtually every home. Significantly, the village, which Beijing calls Pangda, lies squarely within Bhutanese territory. Cars are seen parked alongside houses in the Chinese village of Pangda. Alongside Pangda is a neatly marked all-weather carriageway, part of China’s extensive land-grab in Bhutan. This cuts 10 km into Bhutanese territory, along the banks of the fast-flowing Amo Chu river. For India, construction along the Amo Chu means that Chinese forces could end up getting access to a strategic ridge in the adjacent Doklam plateau. This would give them a direct line-of-sight to India’s sensitive Siliguri corridor, the narrow sliver of land that connects the northeast states with the rest of the country. The new images indicate that a 2^nd village in the Amo Chu river valley is now virtually complete while China has stepped up for a 3^rd village further South. (here)

Ranil Wickremesinghe wins Presidential polls in Sri Lanka, succeeds Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Sri Lanka’s Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe won the Presidential election on Wednesday amid the ongoing economic turmoil in the island nation. Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected as the new President following a vote in Sri Lankan Parliament (134/223). Wickremesinghe, who has served as the Prime Minister of the island nation 6 times, was among the top for the Presidential election in which members of the House voted through a secret ballot. The Daily Mirror reported that Sri Lankan Speaker said MPs were not allowed to bring mobile phones into the House, during the election after some party leaders had informed their MPs to take pics of their ballot papers.  The bulk of Wickremesinghe’s support came from the Rajapaksas’ discredited party Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. The economy in Sri Lanka is bracing for a sharp contraction due to the unavailability of basic inputs for production, an 80% depreciation of the currency since Mar 2022, coupled with a lack of foreign reserves, and the country’s failure to meet its international debt obligations. (here)

Protesters somber after Wickremesinghe’s win in Sri Lanka, but some vow to fight on- Parliament’s selection of Wickremesinghe as Sri Lanka’s next president was a deep disappointment for many protesters at the secretariat and adjoining protest camp in the commercial capital Colombo, which has been the epicenter of nationwide demonstrations. Dubbed the “old fox”, Jayewardene was renowned for his cunning, but his nephew is regarded as an even shrewder navigator of the country’s internecine power networks. It was Mr Jayewardene who brought him into politics by making him a deputy foreign affairs minister in 1977. (here)

High Commission of India in Sri Lanka: The Parliament of Sri Lanka, in the exercise of the provisions of the Sri Lankan Constitution, has today elected H.E. Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe as the President of Sri Lanka. As a close friend and neighbor of Sri Lanka and a fellow democracy, we will continue to be supportive of the quest of the people of Sri Lanka for stability and economic recovery, through democratic means and values, established democratic institutions and constitutional framework.

‘Assurances’ from Beijing- ChineseAmbassador Qi Zhenzhong has also made a strong pitch for resuming the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement with Sri Lanka, which was stalled after 6 rounds of talks. “We are open to discussing any concerns and China will be flexible so we can ensure early harvest for Sri Lanka,” he said. The FTA will also help Sri Lanka become a sub-distribution hub for Chinese firms to set up manufacturing operations and serve global markets. Colombo has asked for further help from India, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Chinese are said to have not taken it well. (here)

SC Grants Interim Bail to Mohammed Zubair in All FIRs Registered in UP, To be Released before 6 pm

LiveLaw-Supreme Court on Wed granted interim bail to fact-checking website Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in all the six FIRs registered against him in Uttar Pradesh. A bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud stated that the existence of the power of arrest must be pursued sparingly by the police. It also directed the jail authorities to ensure that he is released before 6 pm today, subject to furnishing bail bonds, a report in LiveLaw said. The apex court said that there is no justified reason to keep him in custody when the subject matter is his tweets. Earlier on Mon, an SC bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud directed that no “precipitative steps” be taken against Zubair in connection with the FIRs he is facing in Uttar Pradesh.

[NATIONAL]

Smuggling Corridor: From beedis to arms for Naxals, TN ports become abuzz amid Lanka crisis

The National Investigation Agency today searched a special camp, which lodges foreigners with criminal records Trichy (Tiruchirappalli) in Tamil Nadu. The camp houses over 100 foreigners from Sri Lanka, Bulgaria, Russia, the UK, Bangladesh, and Kenya. It was from this camp that last year a Bulgarian national had managed to escape. In 2019 a Nigerian national lodged at this camp too had escaped. Since the outbreak of the crisis in Sri Lanka, several agencies have kept a close watch on the activities along the border. With the ongoing crisis in the neighboring country, the smuggling corridor, which has been active for several years now has once again come under the close radar of the agencies. (here)

Naxal violence reduced by 77 pc in 2021, from an all-time high in 2009: MHA

The incidents of Naxal violence reduced by 77% from an all-time high of 2,258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told the Rajya Sabha on Wed. While giving a written reply to the query of Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Rai said “The incidents of LWE violence have reduced by 77% from an all-time high of 2,258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021. Similarly, the resultant deaths (civilians and security forces) have reduced by 85% from an all-time high of 1,005 in 2010 to 147 in 2021,” the Minister said. The geographical spread of the violence has also reduced as only 46 districts reported LWE-related violence in 2021 as compared to 96 districts in 2010, said the Minister. (here)

Sidhu Moose Wala murder: Four gangsters shot dead in an encounter with Punjab police near Amritsar; pistol and AK rifle recovered

Four gangsters allegedly involved in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala have been killed in an encounter, which went on for 5 hours by Punjab police near Amritsar in Punjab. 3 policemen are also reportedly injured in the encounter. It is said that police were involved in the encounter with 5 suspected gangsters who were allegedly involved in Sidhu Moose Wala’s killing. One journalist is reported injured in the encounter. Police cordoned off the area as the shootout broke out. Two of the deceased gangsters are identified as Jagroop Singh Roopa and Manpreet Singh alias Mannu Kussa. Earlier, Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar claimed responsibility for the murder in a fb post. He claimed no action was taken against Sidhu Moose Wala after his name cropped up in the killing of singer and youth Akali leader Vikramjit Singh Middukhera alias Vicky Middukhera. (here)

Russian ship with military cargo in ‘detention’ in India, Russia’s embassy says

Reuters -The Russian embassy in India said on Tue that it was aware of a Russian cargo ship in detention at the Indian port of Cochin. “Russian Embassy in India is aware of the Russian cargo ship detention in the Indian port of Cochin, on board of which a military cargo for the Indian Armed Forces was delivered,” ANI quoted the embassy as saying. “The Embassy has sent to the Ministry of External Affairs of India an official request for an explanation of the circumstances of the incident. We have also asked the Ministry to ensure unconditional observance of the rights of the Russian ship-owners and crew,” ANI quoted the embassy as saying.

Fiscal prudence figures at an all-party meeting on Sri Lanka; some opposition parties accuse the Centre of politicization

Fiscal prudence and learning from Sri Lanka were discussed at the all-party meeting on the situation in the island country with some parties opposing and questioning the move to bring in the issue while some parties also supported the idea to discuss fiscal prudence, ANI reported citing sources on Tue. TRS the party strongly objected to the mention of state borrowings. PV Midhun Reddy of YSRCP also objected to the mention of the financial situation of the states. Reddy also said that in the presentation of the Finance Ministry, mention was made of the borrowings of the state but no figure was given in terms of the borrowings of the Centre. Members expressed concern over the situation in the neighboring country and said India should extend more help. (here) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in the meeting that there is a very serious crisis in Sri Lanka and India has approached the situation in the neighboring country in a very humanistic way as part of its neighborhood first policy. The minister told the all-party meeting that the situation in Sri Lanka is unprecedented and India is worried about it but drawing comparisons is uninformed. The minister said that as Sri Lanka’s discussions with IMF going forward, India will give whatever support it can give in terms of working with relevant agencies. (here) Indian mission in Sri Lanka rejects reports of India influencing political leaders in the country ahead of Presidential Polls.

Indian passport gives visa-free access to 60 countries

India has ranked 87^th on the Henley Passport Index – a global passport rankings chart that uses data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) to rank ‘strongest’ and ‘weakest’ among 199 passports. India’s passport provides visa-free access to 60 nations. By comparison, Japan, which topped the chart, has visa-free access to 193 nations, followed by Singapore and South Korea – both second with access to 192 nations. India fell 2 places in the third quarter but rose 3 from the corresponding period last year. India ranked 90^th in Q3 and Q4 in 2021. The passport index defines the strength of diplomatic relations of any one country with others; essentially, the more one country has ‘ease of access’ to others, the higher it’s ranking. Countries to which Indians have ‘visa-on-arrival’ access include Asian destinations like Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, and Sri Lanka. 21 countries in Africa provide visa-on-arrival services to Indian citizens. There are only 2 European countries to do the same. (here)

India extended concessional loans of over 12.3 billion dollars to Africa: Jaishankar at CII EXIM Bank Conclave

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaking at the 17^th CII EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa growth partnership said that India has extended concessional loans of over 12.3 billion dollars to Africa. “…We’ve completed 197 projects so far, 65 more are currently under execution & 81 are at the pre-execution stage,” said Jaishankar. He also highlighted that India has granted USD 700 million of grant assistance. Jaishankar also informed about various development works done by India in African countries like Gambia, Zambia, Mauritius, Namibia, and South Sudan. He underscored the focus on training and education in Africa to create new opportunities for cooperation. Development partnership is the primacy of India’s Africa policy due to post-colonial reconstruction. This has been the centerpiece of the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) that first commenced in 2008. Since then, the IAFS Summit has expanded very significantly. Particularly, after 2015 the engagements have intensified, which underlines PM Narendra Modi’s commitment to greater equity and sustainable development. (here) Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu met 4 African leaders over lunch at Hyderabad House on Tue. The leaders include Vice President of Gambia Badara A Joof, Vice President of Mauritius Marie Cyril Eddy Boissezon, Vice President of Zambia WK Mutale Nalumango, and Deputy Prime Minister of Namibia Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.

Govt extends deadline for PLI applications for telecom products

The central govt has extended the last date for submission of applications for design-led manufacturing under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for telecom and networking products up to Aug 05, 2022. The registration process started on Jun 21, 2022. The last date for submission of the application was fixed as Jul 20, 2022. The move to extend the deadline was taken keeping in view the requests made by some of the interested companies and for their wider participation in the scheme, a Ministry of Communications said on Tue evening. The PLI scheme was launched to boost domestic manufacturing, investments, and export of telecom and networking products. This will give a boost to the manufacturing of telecom and networking products to develop a 5G ecosystem for India. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

China says U.S. is ‘maker of security risks’ after Taiwan Strait sailing

Reuters – The US is a “maker of security risks” in the Taiwan Strait with its frequent provocations there, China’s military said on Wed after another U.S. warship sailed through the sensitive waterway. The U.S. Navy’s 7^th Fleet said the destroyer USS Benfold conducted a “routine” Taiwan Strait transit through international waters “in accordance with international law“. The United States has been carrying out such voyages about once a month, angering China, which views them as a sign of support for Taiwan, the democratically governed island that Beijing views as Chinese territory. (here) China warns of ‘forceful measures’ if U.S. House Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan- China’s govt warned on Tue that it would take “forceful measures” if U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan after the Financial Times said she would go to the Chinese-claimed island next month. Pelosi and her delegation will also visit Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore, and spend time in Hawaii at the headquarters of U.S. Indo-Pacific command, the London newspaper added, citing people familiar with the matter. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said it has “not received relevant information” about any visit. Asked about the report, Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, said, “We do not confirm or deny international travel in advance due to longstanding security protocols.” (here)

Tianjin gas explosion in north China: 1 dead, 12 injured

One person has died in a gas explosion that injured 12 others at a six-story residential building in the Chinese port city of Tianjin, state media said Wed. A trapped person who had been pulled out on Tue at 5:40 p.m., more than 10 hours after the morning blast, had weak vital signs and died after being taken to a hospital, according to a Tianjin Daily report posted by the Tianjin government on social media. The search was continuing for three others who remained missing, the report said. The injuries to the other 12 are not life-threatening, it said. Tianjin, a major port and manufacturing hub, is less than an hour by high-speed train from Beijing and has long been one of China’s most developed and international cities. (here)

China tries to prevent the UN rights chief from releasing the report on human rights violations in Xinjiang

According to a Chinese letter seen by Reuters and corroborated by diplomats from 3 different nations who received it, China is requesting that the UN human rights chief bury a highly anticipated report on human rights crimes in Xinjiang. After receiving harsh criticism from the general public for being too lenient toward China during a visit in May, UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet announced she will not run for re-election for personal reasons. However, as reported by Reuters, she has promised to write a report on the western Chinese region of Xinjiang before she departs at the end of Aug. Rights organizations charge Beijing with mistreatment of the Uyghur people living in Xinjiang, including the widespread use of forced labor in internment camps. China has vehemently refuted the claims. (here)

Afghanistan, Pakistan hold talks to facilitate bilateral trade

Afghan Minister Nooruddin Azizi on Tue said that the country is holding talks with a Pakistani delegation to sign an agreement to facilitate bilateral trade. A trade delegation from Pakistan led by Pakistan’s Commerce Secretary Saleh Farooqui arrived in Kabul on Mon evening to hold a discussion on coal imports along with transit and barter trade between the two countries, TOLO News reported. The Pakistani delegation is led by Commerce Secretary Saleh Farooqui. Earlier, Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry said the delegation will discuss trade, transit, and transportation with the Afghan authorities. According to the data provided by the ACCI, the exports to Pakistan are over USD 300 million. Kabul had earlier raised coal prices for Pakistan, two days ahead of the delegation’s visit. The coal price has increased from USD 200 to USD 280 per tonne. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Minerals and Petroleum said adding that 10,000 tons of coal are exported to Pakistan every day earning the country millions. Earlier this month, the Taliban had increased the price of coal by 30% after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved importing coal from Afghanistan. (here)

Nepal’s civic group submits memorandum to claim China-encroached land

A civic group in Nepal has submitted a memorandum to Minister of Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation Shashi Shrestha, demanding to claim the country’s territory occupied by China. A delegation of Rastriya Ekata Abhiyan, led by its President Binay Yadav, handed over the memo to the Minister on Tue in Kathmandu. The civic body also drew Minister’s attention to the latest incursion of China whereby the Beijing side has erected a fence at the Ruila border of Chumanubri Rural Municipality-1 in Gorkha without coordinating with the opposite side. Similarly, President Yadav added that repeated attacks on Nepal’s territorial integrity by China in face of Nepal’s condemnation have not deterred the Beijing side to undertake its illegal motives. (here)