1. Covid: In his last ‘Mann ki Baat’ of 2022, India’s PM cautions people to be vigilant; BF.7 variant reported
2. ‘War-like stores… AKS 74 rifles, 12 Chinese pistols seized in Uri’: Indian Army
3. India, Russia plan to ditch US Dollar, Euro for bilateral trade settlements but issues remain
4. Pralay ballistic missiles cleared for armed forces; to be deployed along China border
5. ‘We stand ready to…’: What Chinese foreign minister said on resolving India-China border dispute

What Else

6. Nepal President appoints Pushpa Kamal Dahal as Nepal PM
7. Raising judges’ retirement age could extend non-performers’ tenure: Govt
8. ‘India vulnerable; China, Pakistan together’: Rahul Gandhi says, ‘If war happens…’
9. Spooked China stops publishing Covid data –censorship will create blind spot for the world
10. China stages drills, citing U.S.-Taiwan provocation
11. Six security men martyred in Balochistan terror incidents

Covid: In his last ‘Mann ki Baat’ of 2022, India’s PM cautions people to be vigilant; BF.7 variant reported

• PM Modi on Sun addressed the 96^th episode of his monthly radio program ”Mann Ki Baat” where he said that the year 2022 was brilliant for the country as it completed 75 years of independence while progressing rapidly and the world’s 5^th-economy. (here)
• The Union govt has asked all states to strengthen hospital-based surveillance for early detection of signs of a possible surge in the country even as Covid-19 cases rise globally.
• In his review meeting with state health ministers on preparedness for management of Covid-19 and vaccination progress on Fri, the Union health minister said the focus should be given to health facility-based sentinel surveillance.
• He further said emphasis should also be given to sewage and wastewater surveillance in various states as humans also shed the virus through their feces. (here)
• On day 1 (Sun) of random testing, 110 foreign passengers were screened at Delhi Airport, (here)
• One case of Infection was reported from Agra, who came from China 2 days back
• India recorded 227 new Covid cases, while the active cases increased to 3428, on Mon till 9 am, discharged 44143179 death toll stands at 5,30,693 with two fatalities.

‘War-like stores… AKS 74 rifles, 12 Chinese pistols seized in Uri’: Indian Army

• Security forces in J&K recovered on Sun a huge cache of arms and ammunition in the general area of the Hathlanga Sector of Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
• The stores included 8-AKS 74 rifles with 24 magazines, 560 live rifle rounds, 12 Chinese pistols with 24 magazines, 224 live pistol rounds, 14 Pak and Chinese grenades along with 81 balloons with Pak flag.
• The incident comes after the police arrested 17 persons, including 5 policemen, an activist, and others from different areas of the Kupwara and Baramulla.
• This again came after unearthing a narcotics smuggling module originating from Pak.
• As per police, after receiving a tip-off from Mohd Waseem Najar, a poultry shop owner was arrested with some narcotics from his house. (here)
• In another incident in J-K’s Shopian, terrorists opened fire but civilians escaped unhurt
• An over-ground worker of terrorists was arrested from the Mendhar in a joint search operation by police and the Indian Army on Sun, according to officials. (here)

India, Russia plan to ditch US Dollar, Euro for bilateral trade settlements but issues remain

• India and Russia plan to stop using the dollar and Euro for bilateral trade, and plan to do all such transactions in rupee and rouble, a senior official of the Russian FM said.
• The head of the India division in Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs told Russia’s state-run news agency that the decision is necessary to address the trade imbalance.
• Currently, India imports 5 times more from Russia than it sells back.
• To address the trade imbalance, India will expand its exports to Moscow based on the list of items demanded by the latter.
• India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar during a visit to Moscow last month discussed with Russian counterparts the matter of increasing Indian exports.
• Post-Russia-Ukraine war, Delhi’s trade with Moscow has increased by USD 27 billion on the back of surging energy imports and other items, this year. (here)

Pralay ballistic missiles cleared for armed forces; to be deployed along China border

• The defense ministry has cleared the procurement of around 120 Pralay ballistic on Sun, which will be deployed along the borders with China and Pakistan.
• Pralay is a surface-to-surface short-range missile that can take out targets from 150 to 500 km and is extremely difficult to intercept through interceptor missiles. 
• Reports have mentioned that the Pralay ballistic missiles can change their path after covering a certain range in midair.
• The missiles are powered by a solid propellant rocket motor and other new technologies. 
• India now permits the use of ballistic missiles in tactical roles, therefore the acquisition of these ballistic missiles is considered a significant development for the nation. (here)
• India has approved proposals to acquire defense equipment, including infantry combat vehicles, light tanks, and missile systems, worth $10.18 billion, on Thu.

Raising judges’ retirement age could extend non-performers’ tenure: Govt

• Increasing the retirement age of SC and HCs judges could extend the years of service of non-performing judges and might have a cascading effect with govt employees raising a similar demand, the Department of Justice told a parliamentary panel.
• It also said increasing the retirement age would be considered along with measures to ensure transparency and accountability in appointments to the higher judiciary. (here)

‘India vulnerable; China, Pakistan together’: Rahul Gandhi says, ‘If war happens…’

• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a conversation with Army veterans said China and Pakistan are together and are planning a ‘surprise’ for India.
• If there is any war, it will be against both of them, Gandhi said interacting with Army veterans a few days ago, in a video released on Sun. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Spooked China stops publishing Covid data –censorship will create blind spot for the world

• A Chinese health official reportedly said that half a million people in a single Chinese city are being infected by Covid every day, censors quickly swooped down on the remarks but not before, it leaked out and caused alarm across the world.
• China’s  Health Commission has said that it will no longer release daily Covid figures from today (Sun) even as China witnesses a surge in cases, which threatens the global.
• Reuters reported that the NHC published Covid data regularly for the past 3 years.
• It is not known what prompted the change and how frequently China CDC intends to update the data.
• China is believed to have had 250 mn Covid cases in the first 20 days since the lockdown was eased earlier in Dec.
• This was revealed in a leaked govt document which is believed to be authentic, according to a senior Chinese journalist who spoke to Radio Free Asia.
• The official estimates of the infection are quite different.
• The CCP regime’s efforts at keeping a lid on the situation are proving in vain. (here)
• ‘What we need is paracetamol’: Chinese authorities face backlash overdrive to hand out traditional medicine Lianhua Qingwen as Covid surges.
• The decision to hand out half a million boxes prompted protests from some Yunnan residents who asked for modern medicines
• The opinion is split on the benefits of using the treatment, whose makers say it is based on a formula dating back 2,000 years (here)
• In two weeks, the biggest annual human migration on Earth will begin for the Lunar New Year, lasting about 40 days.
• As 100s of millions of people prepare to return home, worries are growing that the Covid-19 sweeping China’s big cities will engulf smaller urban and rural areas.
• In these areas, health systems tend to be more fragile, leaving many more people vulnerable to the dire consequences of mass infections. (here)

‘We stand ready to…’: What Chinese foreign minister said on resolving India-China border dispute

• China stands ready to work with India for “steady and sound” growth of relations between the two, Chinese FM Wang Yi said as both nations are committed to upholding border stability.
• Wang’s statement comes amid simmering tension between the two countries over the recent violent face-off in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh on Dec 9.
• The two sides also agreed to stay in close contact, maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest, MEA’s statement read. (here)

China stages drills, citing U.S.-Taiwan provocation

• China’s military sent 71 planes and 7 ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour display of force directed at the island, Taiwan’s defense ministry said Mon.
• Among the planes, China sent toward Taiwan were 18 J-16 fighter jets, 11 J-1 fighters, 6 Su-30 fighters, and drones. (here)
• “We will take all necessary steps to defend sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” the Eastern Theater Command of the PLA stated without giving more details. (here)
• China blasted an annual U.S. defense spending bill for hyping up the “China threat” while Taiwan welcomed the legislation.
• President Biden signed the $858 billion defense bill into law on Fri, which includes about $45 billion more than Biden had requested as lawmakers look to offset inflation and boost the nation’s military competitiveness with China and Russia. (here)

Nepal President appoints Pushpa Kamal Dahal as Nepal PM

• Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Sun appointed Maoist Center leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal as the PM of Nepal, President’s Office said.
• Dahal was appointed PM for the 3^rd time after he secured the support of 169 members of the Parliament to form the new coalition govt with the support of 6 parties.
• Dahal, also known by his nom de guerre Prachanda, meaning “fierce”, served as PM from 2008-09 and again from 2016-2017.
• In the new coalition, the CPN-UML has 78, Maoist Center 32, RSP 20, RPP 14, JSP 12, JP 6, NUP has 4 MPs and 3 independent. (here)

Six security men martyred in Balochistan terror incidents

• Six security personnel, including a captain, embraced martyrdom while at least 17 people suffered injuries in different incidents of terrorism across Balochistan on Sun.
• According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a clearance operation was underway in Kahan after an explosive device targeted security forces.
• The ISPR said that an IED went off close to the leading party of the security forces.
• The statement further said that the sanitization operation continued in the area to apprehend the suspects involved in the attack.
• In another statement, the ISPR said that an operation against militants in the Sambaza area of Zhob left one security man martyred. One terrorist was killed, while two personnel were injured. (here)
• US govt issues alert and restricts officials from visiting Islamabad’s Marriott Hotel ‘due to possible attack.’ After this, the UK also issued an advisory on travel restrictions.
• Seven blasts hit the province — 3 in Quetta, two in Turtbat, and one each in Hub and Kohlu — as the country battles a fresh wave of terrorism
• Most attacks claimed by TTP, including the Islamabad suicide attack on Fri.
• Pakistan FM Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that the US is willing to provide funds to Islamabad to help it enhance it’s border security for preventing cross-border attacks.
• Bhutto was in Washington from Dec 14-21 where he met various top policymakers and chaired the Ministerial Conference of the G-77 and China.