[NEWS OF THE DAY]

Sri Lankans Continue To Flee Crisis-Hit Nation, 6 More Reach Tamil Nadu

Six more Sri Lankans, fleeing the economic crisis-hit country, arrived in Tamil Nadu on Wed, officials said. 3 of them were children. The two different families had left their hometown of Jaffna in Sri Lanka and arrived in Rameswaram by boat before officials rescued them from an islet and took them to the Mandapam refugee camp. Scores of Lankans, mostly Tamils, have entered the country through Tamil Nadu in recent months as they were unable to survive the crisis that has crippled the island nation. Prices of essential commodities have been skyrocketing there. Last week, 7 people belonging to two families in Lanka arrived here. The two families, dropped near Rameswaram island by boatmen, were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard and brought to Dhanushkodi and handed over to the police. (here)

‘Ensure Russia honors UN deal to ship grains from Ukraine’: USAID chief in India

India and the US have to work with other countries to ensure that Russia honors the terms of an UN-brokered deal to ship grains from Ukraine to ease global food shortages, USAID chief Samantha Power said on Wed. Power, on a visit to New Delhi to address the global food security crisis, also contrasted the role of India and China in responding to the severe economic crisis in Sri Lanka. She emphasized that the Indian side has done much more by reacting swiftly with economic assistance worth more than $3.5 billion. The deal to ship grains out of Ukraine was put together by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over many weeks, but Russia has imposed a “lot of restrictions” on modalities and the inspection process, Power told reporters after delivering an address on the US-India development partnership. “Contrast this with the People’s Republic of China, which has been an increasingly eager creditor of the Sri Lankan governments since the mid-2000s,” Power said. Over the past two decades, China became “one of Sri Lanka’s biggest creditors, offering often opaque loan deals at higher interest rates than other lenders and financing a raft of headline-grabbing infrastructure projects”, she said in an apparent reference to Hambantota port. (here) If it helps the international market get “food grains, it will be welcomed”, said the Ministry of External Affairs on Russia- Ukraine pact on wheat movement, in a weekly press briefing on Thu.

India keeping a note of Chinese research vessel set to make a call at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port, says MEA

Ministry of External Affairs said in weekly pressers that India is keeping note of the Chinese research vessel set to make a call at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port, in response to a media question on Thu. A Chinese scientific research vessel ‘Yuan Wang 5’ set sail for Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port on Aug 11^th for a week-long stay. During this significant visit to the key Sri Lankan port, it could conduct satellite research in the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean region, prompting security concerns for India. Hambantota port, located around 250 km from Colombo was built with high-interest Chinese loans. The Sri Lankan govt struggled to repay the debt they had taken from China following which the port was handed over to the Chinese on a 99-year lease. The port area is under heavy security and people outside have no idea of what goes on inside the port. There were reports that a few months back the Sri Lankan government found a radioactive substance inside a ship that was en route to China. Initially, the Chinese government had asked for 80% of the portland share including the control of security, which was later changed to 70% after pressure from the neighboring countries including India. (here)

Maldives President Solih to visit India on Aug 4^th -MEA

Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will visit India on Aug 4^th, a visit that is expected to have key outcomes in areas like connectivity, trade, etc. He is likely to visit India on the 2^nd and 3^rd but the final plan is still taking shape. During India’s visit, he will not only be in Delhi to hold political level talks but also visit India’s financial capital Mumbai to meet with business leaders. The last state visit to India by President Solih was in Dec 2018, which was also his first foreign visit abroad after assuming office earlier that year. During that visit, New Delhi announced a financial assistance package of US$1.4 billion and also offered additional 1000 scholarships over the next 5 years. PM Modi also choose the Maldives as his first foreign destination in 2019 after his re-election. He also toured the Chinnaswamy Stadium and visited the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. India and Maldives have seen increased engagement, including a high-level visit of External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar to the country and a visit of Maldives Foreign minister Abdulla Shahid to Delhi. The developmental partnership has been a key pillar of the ties. Under Indian grant assistance of MVR 260 million, 45 projects are being implemented across the country. Another area of cooperation has been connectivity. India is supporting the Greater Male Connectivity Project, the largest infrastructure project in the Indian Ocean country through a Line of credit of USD 400 million and a grant of USD 100 million. (here)

UNSC meets at India’s request after death of UN Peacekeepers in Congo; condemns the attack

At the request of India, the top United Nations body, United Nations Security Council (UNSC) met on Tuesday (July 26) to discuss the attack on UN Peacekeepers deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. India had requested a meeting under the AOB or Any other business format immediately after it became clear that Indian personnel deployed at the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo died in an attack. Two Indian UN Peacekeepers from Border Security Force (BSF) and one Moroccan peacekeeper died in the anti-UN protest in the country. Indian external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar took to Twitter to term the attack ‘outrageous’ and those responsible “must be held accountable and brought to justice”. India has been one of the major contributors to UN peacekeeping missions-India had worked with France which is the penholder when it comes to the MONUSCO mission, and the statement was tabled by both countries. (here)

[NATIONAL]

India: Bangladesh Navy training delegation visits Southern Naval Command

A training delegation from the Bangladesh Navy is on a visit to India’s Southern Naval Command, which is the training command of the Indian Navy. The delegation of 5 officers from the Bangladesh Navy is headed by Commodore Abu Mohammad Sazzad Hossain. It is notable that India’s Armed Forces train cadets and serving officers from friendly-foreign countries, as a part of military diplomacy and cooperation. This has been existing between the Bangladesh Navy and the Indian Navy, for many years. A wide spectrum of courses is being facilitated for officers and sailors of the Bangladesh Navy by the training units at Southern Naval Command, Kochi. As part of the visit, the delegation visited various training facilities of the Indian Navy, such as the School for Naval Airmen, Anti-Submarine Warfare School, Water Survival Training Facility, CELABS, INS Dronacharya, and Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology and Damage Control Training Facility. (here)

The major issue hits Microsoft Edge, Indian govt issues a severe warning

On Mon, the popular internet browser Microsoft Edge was alerted to various vulnerabilities by the Indian govt’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) (Chromium based). It noted that the problems affected Microsoft Edge browser versions before 103.0.1264.71 and assigned it a “high” severity level. You must constantly keep your internet browser up to date, regardless of which one you choose. This week, in particular, it’s critical because hackers could compromise Microsoft’s Edge browser. To stop their data from ending up in the hands of thieves, Edge users must likewise update. You shouldn’t ignore this update either because it fixes a vulnerability. (here)

HAL signs USD 100 mn engine contract with Honeywell

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Wednesday signed a contract worth over USD 100 million with Honeywell for the supply and manufacture of 88 TPE331-12B engines/kits along with maintenance and support services to power the Hindustan Trainer Aircraft (HTT-40). HAL CMD R Madhavan said the company has successfully developed Basic Trainer Aircraft (HTT-40) to address the basic training requirements of the IAF. “We are proud of our four-decade-long partnership with HAL and happy to extend our relationship with this new order,” said Senior Director, OE Sales, Honeywell Defense & Space, Eric Walters. “The TPE331-12 family of engines has proven itself in operations all over the world, and we have committed to support and deliver engines as well as kits within the stipulated schedule to meet the requirements of the IAF. HAL said it is working closely with Honeywell for its support for the export potential of HTT-40. “HAL and Honeywell are exploring other areas such as 1MW Turbo Generators, manufacturing, Repair & Overhaul of TPE 331-10GP / 12JR engines for variants of Dornier,” it was stated. (here)

Visit of MoS for External Affairs to Thailand for Second North-East India Festival (Jul 29-31)

Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs, Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh will visit Bangkok, Thailand from July 29-31 to inaugurate and attend the 2^nd edition of the North-East India Festival being organized by the Embassy of India in association with the NE states of India and Trend MMS, India. The first edition of the NE India Festival was held in Bangkok in 2019, which opened substantial business opportunities for the NE Indian business community, especially in the tourism, agro, and food processing sectors. The Festival assumes special significance this year as India and Thailand are celebrating the 75^th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations, the Ministry of External Affair statement read.

NIA probes several locations in the Phulwari Sharif case with links to PFI

National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been conducting raids at several locations in Bihar since Thu morning in connection with the Phulwari Sharif case. Parts of Bihar, including Nalanda district, are being probed almost a week after NIA registered a case under UAPA in the matter and arrested 5 Popular Front of India (PFI) suspects. Reports say that all these places where raids are being carried out belong to people associated with the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). HT citing sources reported that as part of the raid being conducted for the last 3 hours, many people have been taken into custody so far. Heavy security personnel has been deployed in the area. The NIA registered the case on July 22 night under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act following an order issued by the Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation division of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directing the agency to take over the investigation from Bihar Police. (here)

Centre plans compulsory registration of warehouses

In a key reform, the Union govt is planning to make registration of all warehouses with a federal regulator mandatory by amending an existing law – a move that will enable authorities to track food stocks and quantities of various farm commodities stored by traders and farmers across the country in real-time through an online database, a senior official said requesting anonymity. Currently, registration of any private warehouse or silo stocking farm produce is optional and these are not required to reveal their stocks. Therefore, there is much opacity about the quantities of food stocks in the country. This often helps market players to gouge prices during periods of scarcity, and the government has no way of estimating how much quantities are locally available to take effective anti-inflation measures, according to the official cited above. “The govt is in the process of finalizing an amendment to the Warehousing (Development and Regulation) Act 2007,” the official said. Once an amendment is passed by Parliament, “any person desirous of commencing or carrying on the warehousing business issuing warehouse receipts shall make an application to the authority”, a food ministry note reviewed by HT. (here)

PM Modi inaugurates multiple projects of Sabar Dairy in Gujarat’s Sabarkantha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thu inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple projects of Sabar Dairy at Gadhoda Chowki in Gujarat’s Sabarkantha worth more than Rs 1,000 crores on Jul 28. PM Modi integrated 120 metric tonnes per day (MTPD) Powder manufacturing plant at Sabar Dairy in Sabarkantha. The total cost of the entire project is more than Rs 300 crores. The layout of the plant meets global food safety standards. It is highly energy efficient with almost zero emission. The plant is equipped with the latest and fully automated bulk packing line. PM also inaugurated the Aseptic Milk Packaging Plant at Sabar Dairy, with an investment of around Rs 125 crores. It is a state-of-the-art plant with having capacity of 3 Lakh liter/day. PM also laid the foundation stone of the Sabar Cheese and Whey Drying Plant Project with an estimated outlay of the project being around Rs 600 crores. PM will also launch NSE IFSC-SGX Connect, a framework between NSE’s subsidiary in GIFT International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) and Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX). (here)

Advanced ammunition is a reality of new age warfare: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has called for innovations in the field of ammunition for the creation of a strong and self-reliant base that keeps the Armed Forces fully prepared to deal with future challenges. He was addressing the inaugural session of the second conference on Military Ammunition (Ammo India) on the theme ‘Make in India Opportunities and Challenges’ in New Delhi on Wed. Singh described advanced ammunition as the reality of the new age warfare, which is a must for India, given its regional and global imperatives and security challenges. Singh asserted that the Central govt understands the crucial role the private sector can play in strengthening the defense sector and enhancing their participation in the field of ammunition, many earlier prevalent barriers have been removed. (here)

US Fed again raises rates by 75bps, all eyes on RBI

It is widely expected that the RBI would hike rates by 35-50bps despite believing that inflation has peaked in India. This is because the central bank will need to ensure that there is an interest rate differential between India and the US to attract dollars at a time when the country is expected to witness a record current account deficit and may have to dip into reserves to maintain the balance of trade. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

US aircraft carrier enters the South China Sea amid Taiwan tensions

A US aircraft carrier and strike group have entered the South China Sea as part of what the 7th Fleet said was a scheduled operation amid rising tensions with China over a potential Taiwan visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The USS Ronald Reagan, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier, made its way to the disputed waters following a 5-day port call to Singapore, departing Changi Naval Base on Tue (July 26), the US 7^th Fleet said in reply to a query from Bloomberg News. The trip follows remarks this week by China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian that Beijing was getting “seriously prepared” for the possibility that Mrs. Pelosi could visit Taiwan, a self-governing island that China regards as a renegade province to be reunified by force, if necessary. While the 7^th Fleet declined to say where the carrier was heading following its first trip to the city-state, since 2019, it had already been conducting maritime security operations in the South China Sea before its arrival, having left for its annual spring patrol in May from Yokosuka, Japan, where it’s based. Those included flight operations with fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, maritime strike exercises, and coordinated tactical training between surface and air units. (here) U.S. officials say they have little fear that China would attack Nancy Pelosi’s plane if she flies to Taiwan. But the U.S. House speaker would be entering one of the world’s hottest spots, where a mishap, misstep, or misunderstanding could endanger her safety. So the Pentagon is developing plans for any contingency the officials told The Associated Press, adding that if Pelosi goes to Taiwan — still uncertain — the military would increase its forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region. (here)

Uygur separatist group rebuilds bases in Afghanistan even as China-Taliban ties grow

The separatist Uygur East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) that China blames for terror attacks in its far-western region of Xinjiang remains in Afghanistan and is believed to have rebuilt several of its strongholds there, according to analysts and a UNSC report. After the Taliban returned to power last year, China pledged support for the leaders while demanding it crack down on ETIM, also known as the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP). ETIM operates in Afghanistan and Syria and has close ties with several militant groups, including al-Qaeda and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which analysts say is one of the Taliban’s closest allies. The report added that ETIM had reportedly rebuilt several strongholds in Badakhshan, northeast Afghanistan, and “expanded its area of operations and covertly purchased weapons, to improve its capabilities for terrorist activities”. (here)

Chinese Ambassador called on Finance Minister Pakistan

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong met the Federal Minister of Finance & Revenue, Miftah Ismail. The two officials discussed the bilateral relations between Pakistan and China. In addition, the federal minister and Chinese ambassador talked about the financial cooperation between the two countries. China and Pakistan have maintained warm and amicable ties since the establishment of diplomatic relations in May 1951. Notably, Pakistan became one of the first countries to recognize China. Hence, Pakistan considers China a close ally and neighbor, whereas Beijing considers Pakistan its “Iron Brother.” Pakistan-China cooperative relationship has grown enormously over the last few decades. For many years, China has provided significant military, technological, and financial support to Pakistan. When it comes to economic relations, China is one of the largest trading partners of Pakistan. The trade volume between the two countries reached US$ 18 bn in 2018. (here)

Pakistan: Shehbaz Sharif govt to hold meeting over Nawaz’s proposal to call for early polls

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will hold a special summit meeting of its allies today to discuss the suggestion of PML-N supremo, Nawaz Sharif to hold fresh polls in the country following a crushing defeat at the hands of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Punjab polls. The meeting will be chaired by Maulana Fazal ur Rehman and Nawaz Sharif will address it via video, The News International reported, adding that the Quaid of the PML-N has worked out a strategic plan for giving up the govt and it would be highlighted today’s meeting. The meeting will be attended by PM, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, PPP Chairman Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Secretary General (PML-Q) Chaudhary Tariq Bashir Cheema, former CM KPK Akram Khan Durrani, etc, the sources said, explaining that the meeting will also discuss the situation regarding developments in Punjab in the wake of the ouster of the govt from Punjab. (here)

Political, economic uncertainty keeps the rupee under pressure despite minister’s assurances

The Pakistani rupee (PKR) continued its downward spiral against the US dollar in the interbank market during intraday trade Thu, despite assurances by Finance Minister Miftah Ismail that pressure on the rupee will soon “vanish”. The rupee was trading at Rs240 against the US dollar in the interbank market during intraday trade amid the ongoing economic and political uncertainty in the country. The domestic currency lost 3.98 during the intraday trade. The local unit closed at 236.02 per dollar a day earlier. It fell by 1.31% during the session. The dollar soars by Rs 4 and is traded at Rs 245 in the open market. (here)

Sri Lanka keeps emergency rule as crackdown starts on protesters

Sri Lanka is keeping in place emergency rule orders set out by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, while police have arrested at least 3 organizers of the street protests that forced out his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Parliament on Wed (July 27) voted to approve and keep in place for a month the measures that allow the army and police sweeping powers to question, detain and arrest people. The govt is willing to support non-violent public protests, but will not accept “any act of terrorism” that jeopardizes democracy, newly-appointed Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told legislators on Wed. Wickremesinghe has also called on the army to maintain public order. Security forces, acting on a court’s instruction, cleared a major oceanfront protest site near the presidential secretariat in a pre-dawn operation just a day after Wickremesinghe was sworn in, leading to tense scenes. (here)