1. PM Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin speak on phone: Kremlin
2. Amid border tensions with China, India successfully tests Agni V missile
3. Ruckus in Upper House over Indo-China border clash
4. China and India trade accusations at special UNSC meetings after recent border clash
5. Congress celebrates 100 days of Bharat Jodo Yatra

What Else

6. 16th India-Nepal Joint Military Exercise commences
7. WHO Wrong in Linking Gambia Kids’ Deaths to Syrups from India, Say Officials
8. Vacancies in judiciary, pendency of cases to linger on till new system is formed: Rijiju
9. Lover of Hinduism but India in danger of becoming Hindu nationalist State: US Congressman’s anti-India tirade
10. BRI: China plans mega infra project in Myanmar close to Arunachal border
11. Senate approves amendment limiting scope of foreign investment law in Balochistan to Reko Diq
12. US-China chip war: Washington imposes trade ban on 21 Chinese chipmakers

PM Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin speak on phone: Kremlin

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Fri held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian state agency TASS confirmed in a statement.
• It was 4^th call, as previously spoke on the phone on Feb 24, Mar 2, and Mar 7—when Indian citizens, mostly students, were still stuck in Ukraine.
• The two leaders held an in-person bilateral meeting in Sept during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
• In the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, PM reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only way forward, Indian Readout.
• “….In particular, they exchanged ideas on how bilateral trade in agricultural goods, fertilizers, and pharma products could be encouraged further” MEA readout.
• “The leaders also discussed global issues, including the state of the international energy and food markets,” it said. (here)
• PM briefed President Putin on India’s ongoing Presidency of the G-20, highlighting its key priorities. 
• At the request of Modi, Putin gave principled assessments in the context of Russia’s policy on the Ukrainian direction, read Russian statement.

Amid border tensions with China, India successfully tests Agni V missile

• India on Thu (1730hrs) successfully conducted night trials of the nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni V, which is capable of hitting targets beyond 5,000 km accurately.
• ANI (source) -The test was carried out to validate new technologies and equipment on the missile that are now lighter than before.
• The existing variant of Agni IV is capable of hitting targets at a range of 4000 km, while Agni III can hit 3,000 km and Agni II can fly up to 2,000 km.
• India launched the last Agni V test last year in Oct. (here)
• While Agni-V has the range to deter any Chinese misadventure with its capacity to strike in Han mainland Tibet and Xinjiang.
• The DRDO is awaiting a green signal to roll out the 5000 km range K-submarine launched a ballistic missile to complete the nuclear triad.
• India, however, is still in the initial stages to develop an anti-ship ballistic missile to counter any naval armada threatening its 7500 km shoreline. (here)
• [Establishment remains tight lip as no official word came up]

 Ruckus in Upper House over Indo-China border clash

• The clash along the LAC in Tawang between Indian and Chinese troops has yet again triggered more disruptions in Parliament on Fri after several adjournments this week.
• The opposition has been accusing the govt of refusing a discussion on the matter.
• On Thu, opposition parties in LS staged a walkout following the Union minister’s response to the questions on petrol price rise.
• Discussions on women’s safety, and petrol price hikes are among the other issues that are likely to take place on the 8^th day of the winter session.
• The winter session that began on Dec 7 will continue till Dec 29, with a total of 17 working days.
• Sixteen new bills have been on the Centre’s agenda in this session. (here)

China and India trade accusations at special UNSC meetings after recent border clash

• Just days after their face-off, the two emerged far apart on Thu after 2 days of discussions on reformed multilateralism and counterterrorism at the UNSC.
• When FM S Jaishankar during a special meeting on multilateralism on Wed called for an “honest conversation” to manifest what “best reflects contemporary realities”.
• The UK, France, and UAE pledged to support.
• But Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the UN, instead urged for “special arrangements to accommodate Africa’s concerns” and avoided any mention of India.
• China is the only country among the council’s 5 permanent members to have never supported India’s attempts to secure a coveted seat on the panel. (here)

• Responding to a question on Pak dy FM’s recent statements on India, Jaishankar recalled Clinton’s “snake” analogy to emphasize the need to curb terrorism.
• Responding a few mins later, Pak FM told a UN briefing room on Thu “The butcher of Gujarat [PM Modi] lives, and he is the prime minister of India”.
• “Bilawal’s frustration better directed at masterminds of terror enterprises part of State policy,” India responded to Pak Foreign Min’s remark
• Responding to a query as to how long Asia will face terrorism, by Pak Journalist, Jaishankar said, “you asked the question to the wrong minister”
• “Let me thank India for having paid that much attention to the issue of consolidation of international efforts in combating terrorism in its capacity as President of the Council”, says Russia’s envoy to UN Vassily Nebenzia

16^th India-Nepal Joint Military Exercise commences

• The 16^th chapter of the India-Nepal Joint Military Exercise ‘Surya Kiran’ commenced on Fri at the Saljhandi-based Nepal Army Battle School.
• During the 2-week exercise, 334 military personnel each from the Nepal Army and the Indian Army, will be training together.
• Maj Gen Bimal Kumar Wagle will lead the Nepal Army while Col Himanshu Bahuguna will lead the Indian Army.
• The neighboring countries have alternatively hosted 15 joint exercises since its initiation in 2010.
• Both parties believe that the joint exercise will improve bilateral relations and cooperation between the armies. (here)

Congress celebrates 100 days of Bharat Jodo Yatra

• The Congress is celebrating 100 days of its mass contact program – the Bharat Jodo Yatra – which has been led by Rahul Gandhi since its start in Sept.
• During the foot march, the party has covered 7 states so far and is now in Rajasthan.
• Days, after he took oath as the Himachal CM, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, is set to join Gandhi on Fri along with other newly-elected MLAs of the grand old party.
• This week, a critic of the current govt’s economic policies, former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan also joined the foot march in Rajasthan.
• He also held a discussion with Rahul Gandhi on the national economy and shared observations and predictions about next year. (here)
• “Mark my words, the Bharatiya Janata Party will be taken down by the Congress party” said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi at Jaipur, Rajasthan

WHO Wrong in Linking Gambia Kids’ Deaths to Syrups from India, Say Officials

• Maiden Pharm said on Fri it will seek to re-open its factory after a govt laboratory found nothing wrong in syrups that the WHO had suspected of being linked to kids’ deaths in Gambia.
• Authorities halted production at Maiden’s main factory in Sonepat in Oct after a WHO said the company’s syrups might be connected to the deaths of 69 kids in Gambia.
• But in a letter to the WHO dated Dec 13, Drugs Controller, said that tests on samples of Maiden’s products had “been found to be complying with specifications”. (here)

Vacancies in judiciary, pendency of cases to linger on till new system is formed: Rijiju

• Union law minister Kiren Rijiju on Thu opened a new front in the ongoing exchange of words between the judiciary and the executive on the appointments to courts.
• He informed the Rajya Sabha that the issue of vacancies and appointments in the higher judiciary would remain a challenge till the time of a new system.
• The minister also pinned the blame for the staggering pendency of cases on the vacancies in the judiciary.
• Responding to a question by a Congress member on the pendency of cases in courts, the minister said the govt has limited power vis-a-vis appointment of judges. (here)
• No Supreme Court benches to be available during winter vacation: CJI

• The CJI’s announcement in the apex court assumes significance in the wake of Rijiju’s statement in which he said there was a feeling among the people that long court vacations were not very convenient for justice seekers. (here)
• Need for change in collegium system, Govt should bring NJAC bill again with new changes: opposition member, Manoj Jha

Lover of Hinduism but India in danger of becoming Hindu nationalist State: US Congressman’s anti-India tirade

• An outgoing Democratic Congressman has said that India is in danger of becoming a “Hindu nationalist State” rather than a “secular democracy”.
• Congressman known for his anti-India tirade called himself a “lifelong human rights advocate” and said the India of Modi today is not the India he “fell in love with”. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

BRI: China plans mega infra project in Myanmar close to Arunachal border

• China’s claim on Arunachal must be viewed in the context of the country’s plan to create a mega project in Myanmar’s Kachin state, to bring the area under its BRI.
• A Chinese company has announced plans to build the massive Myitkyina Economic Development Zone on about 4,700 acres of land
• It is along the historic Ledo Road in Kachin state, which was once rocked by insurgency, ET reported citing sources. (here)

Senate approves amendment limiting scope of foreign investment law in Balochistan to Reko Diq

• The Senate passed on Fri a bill for amendments to a recently approved foreign investment law, limiting the scope in Balochistan to “qualified investment” for the Reko Diq copper and gold mining project.
• The law was passed by both houses on Tue and paved the way for a settlement deal between the govt and a Canadian company for the revival of the long-stalled initiative.
• It aims to protect investors from unnecessary court proceedings and other hassles and has been a cause of discord within the ruling coalition
• Several parties, including key allies BNP and JUI-F, raised objections that it is against the rights of the people of Balochistan.
• Subsequently, Fin Min Ishaq Dar presented the bill for amendments (here)

US-China chip war: Washington imposes trade ban on 21 Chinese chipmakers

• The US, on Thu, banned 36 Chinese companies from importing components from the United States as part of the country’s new export rules.
• The banned Chinese companies also include Yangtze Memory Technologies and Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment, two of China’s biggest chipmakers.
• There are 19 other “major” Chinese players in the AI chip sector on the US trade blacklist, in a significant crackdown on China’s chip industry.
• The US added these 36 China-based companies to the Entity List of its Dept of Commerce, following the banning of telecom giant Huawei in May 2019.
• Due to the ban, U.S. companies can no longer sell goods to them without obtaining a permit, which is then difficult to obtain and make the business infeasible.