[NEWS OF THE DAY]

1. G20 summit chance for PM Modi to hold meetings with Xi, Biden, Sunak
2. PM Modi on two-day visit to four southern states today
3. “India is one of America’s indispensable partners… “US Treasury Secretary
4. Biden, Modi have productive, practical relationship: US National Security Advisor
5. J-K and Ladakh were and will always be India’s integral, inseparable part: Tushar Mehta at UNHRC

What Else

6. Moody’s cuts India’s growth projection to 7% in 2022 & 4.8% in 2023
7. Gyanvapi mosque: SC extends order of protection of areas where ‘Shivling’ was stated to be found
8. Russia open for Indian medical students who left Ukraine: Envoy
9. Twitter Rolls Out Paid Verification Service In India. Cost: ₹ 719 A Month
10. China eases Covid measures with reduced quarantine and scrapping flight bans
11. Consensus in London: ‘our way or the highway’
12. Pakistan: Imran Khan calls out party workers to end blockade
13. Senior Chinese official coming today despite Nepal’s reservations

G20 summit chance for PM Modi to hold meetings with Xi, Biden, Sunak

• The 7^th G20 summit at Bali in Indonesia next week and PM Modi will have a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi, besides US President Biden and British PM Sunak.
• Modi will visit Bali from Mon to Wed to attend the summit being hosted by Indonesian President Widodo, where Widodo will symbolically hand over the presidency to the PM.
• MEA said in a press briefing on Thu, “The PM will hold bilateral meetings with some of his counterparts”.
• It would be the first in-person meeting between Modi and Sunak (here)
• Chinese President Xi and President Biden will also be holding a bilateral meeting, while Russian President, Putin is not attending the meeting.
• PM Modi’s meeting with French President Macron will provide an occasion to reaffirm the close partnership New Delhi and Paris have.
• France has recently issued its National Strategic Review 2022 which emphasized deeper cooperation with New Delhi.

PM Modi on two-day visit to four southern states today

• PM Modi is on a two-day visit to four southern states from today to launch various developmental projects worth over Rs 25,000 crore.

• PM Modi will visit Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
• PM has unveiled a 108-feet bronze statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, who is known as the founder of modern Bengaluru.
• PM’s visit to Karnataka is politically significant with assembly elections in the state just about 5 months away.
• Karnataka Congress leader, Siddarmaiah questions PM Modi during his visit to the city, asks him about a police recruitment scam. Levels charges of 40% commission.
• Modi on Fri reached Bengaluru and inaugurated Terminal 2 of the International Airport in Bengaluru, is built at a cost of around Rs 5,000 crore.
• PM flagged off south India’s first ‘Vande Bharat Express’ between Mysuru and Chennai via Bengaluru.
• PM also attended a public function and addressed a gathering later in the day. (here)

“India is one of America’s indispensable partners… “US Treasury Secretary

• Janet Yellen, during her first visit to the country as US Treasury Secretary, on Fri, said that “India is one of America’s indispensable partners”, quoting President Biden.
• Speaking at Microsoft India Centre, Noida, she said, “I am delighted to be here as India celebrates its 75^th year of independence and prepares to assume the G20 presidency.”
• Yellen is in India to participate in the US-India Economic and Financial Partnership.
• Notably, the US surpassed China to become India’s top trading partner in 2021-22, reflecting the strengthening economic ties between the two countries.
• Recently, India has also joined a US-led initiative to set up an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and this move would help boost economic ties further. (here)

Biden, Modi have productive, practical relationship: US National Security Advisor

• US President Joe Biden and Indian PM Narendra Modi have a productive and very practical relationship, the us national security advisor Jake Sullivan has said.
• This came ahead of the bilateral between the two leaders on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
• He said the two leaders see common interests on several critical issues and have worked together to strengthen the US-India partnership.
• “When you add all that up, it is a productive, very practical relationship,” NSA added.
• “President Biden is looking forward to seeing Prime Minister Modi at the G20 this year, as we look ahead to the next year,” he said. (here)

J-K and Ladakh was and will always be India’s integral, inseparable part: Tushar Mehta at UNHRC

• Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on Thu slammed Pakistan for raking up the issue of Kashmir on the world stage again while addressing the 41^st session of the Universal Periodic Review, UNHRC.
• Mehta said, “The entire Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh was and will always be an integral and inseparable part of India.”
• In a reply to Pakistan, he also highlighted J-K’s transformation after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 as compared to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). “
• This comes after Pak raised the issue of J-K during his remarks in the review and made 6 endorsements including reversing Art 370 and access to independent observers.
• Meanwhile, Greece urged India to ensure full implementation of freedom of religion and Germany expressed concern about the status of human rights.
• Mehta further stated that India appreciates the role of rights defenders, journalists, and activists but the activities should be in conformity with the law.
• The UPR41 is set to adopt the report of India at 15:30 on Nov 16, 2022. (here)

Moody’s cuts India’s growth projection to 7% in 2022 & 4.8% in 2023

• Rating agency Moody’s cut India’s growth projections for the current and next calendar year due to higher inflation, high-interest rates, and slowing global growth
• It believes, will dampen economic momentum more than it had expected.
• Moody expects India’s GDP to slow to 7% in 2022 –– versus its previous estimate of 7.7% –– and then decelerate to 4.8% in 2023, before recovering to around 6.4% in 2024.
• The Reserve Bank of India expects a 2022/23 growth of 7%.
• The RBI has already raised rates by 190 bps since May to curb inflation, which has remained above its 2-6% target band for much of this year.
• Moody’s said the weakening Indian rupee and high oil prices will continue to exert upward pressure on inflation. (here)

Gyanvapi mosque: SC extends order of protection of areas where ‘Shivling’ was stated to be found

• The Supreme Court on Fri extended its earlier order to protect the area where the ‘Shivling’ was stated to be discovered during the court survey at Gyanvapi mosque complex, Varanasi.
• A bench of 3 judges headed by the Chief Justice of India said its interim order of May 17 will continue to remain in operation till further orders.
• The bench in its order stated, “We direct that pending further orders, the interim order dated May 17 shall continue to remain in operation till further order.” (here)

Russia open for Indian medical students who left Ukraine: Envoy

• Russia on Thu said that Indian students who had to flee Ukraine due to war can continue their studies in Russia if they wish to, as the syllabus in both countries is the same.
• Thousands of Indian medical students were left stranded in war-torn Ukraine.
• Following this, the Indian govt carried out ‘operation Ganga’ to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine amidst the Russian invasion.
• India has consistently called for an end to the fighting in Ukraine and pushed for dialogue.
• It has also repeatedly raised the impact of the Ukraine crisis on food and energy prices, especially for vulnerable countries. (here)

Twitter Rolls Out Paid Verification Service In India. Cost: ₹ 719 A Month

• Twitter has started rolling out its ‘Blue’ service, which includes a verification tag, in India, according to reports at the cost of ₹ 719 a month ($8).
• The update though is currently available only on iPhones but is expected to be available for all in the coming days.
• Users who subscribe to Twitter Blue will get a ‘blue tick’ without undergoing any verification. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

China eases Covid measures with reduced quarantine and scrapping flight bans

• China reduced the number of time travelers and close contacts of infected people must spend in quarantine, a significant calibration of the Covid Zero policy.
• Travelers into China will be required to spend 5 days in a hotel or govt quarantine facility, followed by 3 days confined to home, according to an official statement Fri.
• The current rules require 10 days of quarantine in total, with 7 in a hotel and then 3 days at home.
• A controversial system that penalizes airlines for bringing virus cases into the country will also be scrapped, the statement said. (here)

Consensus in London: ‘our way or the highway’

• Discussions among various stakeholders around the next army chief’s appointment gain momentum within and outside the country
• The Sharif brothers have reportedly decided in a London huddle that the PM will not buckle under any ‘pressure’ to make the all-important appointment — come what may.
• Sharifs agree not to accept Imran’s demand for snap elections
• Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif gets a diplomatic passport valid for five years.
• The coalition govt had ‘certain pressures’ from some quarters over the issue of army chief’s appointment and fresh polls. (here)

Pakistan: Imran Khan calls out party workers to end blockade

• Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chief Imran Khan on Fri called out to the party workers for ending the road blockade as the Haqeeqi Azadi march resumed.
• Earlier on Thu, PTI resumed its march to the capital after a protest procession was interrupted last week, following an assassination bid on the party leader Imran Khan.
• Former foreign minister, addressed the crowd, promising that Imran Khan would take over as the leader of the march from Rawalpindi, the twin city of Islamabad. (here)

Senior Chinese official coming today despite Nepal’s reservations

• Despite reservations from the govt, Chinese Vice Minister Li Qun is arriving in Nepal on Fri on a 5-day visit.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had advised the Chinese Embassy to postpone the visit until after the Nov 20 elections.
• The Chinese side insisted that the trip would be purely “personal” and involve visits to cultural heritage sites.
• The Nepali Embassy in Beijing is not aware of the visit.
• The PM’s office was also against receiving foreign dignitaries ahead of the elections as most leaders are busy electioneering and as the govt is a caretaker one. (here)