1. BJP releases list of 189 Karnataka candidates with 52 new faces, Yediyurappa’s son to contest from Shikaripur
2. Military Court orders dismissal of IAF officer for shooting down own chopper after 2019 Balakot strike
3. In first, two US B1-B bomber jets to participate in joint exercise in India
4. Massive Chinese build-up near Doklam rings alarm bells in Indian military
5. Pakistan condemns India’s decision to hold G20 meetings in Kashmir

What Else

6. IMF projects India to be fastest growing economy in the world
7. India must miniaturize satellites, develop re-usable launch vehicles: Chief of Defence Staff
8. Closely watching PM Modi’s comments, NSA Ajit Doval should visit Kyiv: Ukrainian minister
9. Covid: “XBB1.16 variant able to evade immune system, upcoming 4 weeks crucial,” Experts
10. India to soon conduct trial run of its first underwater metro
11. Adani Group starts supplying electricity to Bangladesh
12. Apple prepares to open first official store in India next week
13. Pakistan: AJK PM Sardar Tanveer Ilyas disqualified by high court for contempt
14. Afghan soil still being used by TTP for attacks on Pakistan: defense minister
15. Qin Gang to visit Uzbekistan, attend talks on Afghanistan as China continues diplomatic push in Central Asia
16. US-Philippines Balikatan joint drill kicks off soon after Beijing’s military exercises around Taiwan
17. At least 100 killed in air strike by Myanmar junta on Pazigyi village

BJP releases list of 189 Karnataka candidates with 52 new faces, Yediyurappa’s son to contest from Shikaripur

• The BJP Tue released a list of 189 candidates for the Karnataka assembly elections, fielding BS Yediyurappa’s son from Shikaripura in Shivamogga.
• The BJP released the list for the polls, scheduled to be held on 10 May for the 224-member assembly.
• The results will be declared on 13 May.
• Most of the leaders who helped topple the HD Kumaraswamy-led JD(S)-Congress coalition govt have been retained.
• The Congress has released two lists so far for 166 candidates in total, while the Janata Dal (Secular) has released 93 names.
• Former CM Jagadish Shettar said it was not right to tell him not to contest when there were only a few days left for nominations.
• He said the BJP leadership has assured him that they will reconsider. (here)

Military Court orders dismissal of IAF officer for shooting down own chopper after 2019 Balakot strike

• The military court, Mon endorsed the dismissal of Gr Cap Suman R Chowdhury for shooting down won Mi-17 helicopter as it approached Srinagar in 2019, which caused the death of 6 IAF personnel and a civilian.
• The Court of Inquiry had found him guilty of a violation of SOP and taking the call to shoot down as the then Chief Operation Officer.
• While this is just a recommendation, which has to be confirmed by the IAF chief, there is a stay order by the High Court against the implementation.
• The tragic incident took place a day after the Balakot strike when the PAF launched a counter-strike.
• Chowdhury was found guilty of 5 major counts of the 9 charges against him. (here)

In first, two US B1-B bomber jets to participate in joint exercise in India

• Two B1-B heavy bomber jets of the US Air Force, for the 1^st time, will be a part of the ‘Cope India’ exercise, a joint India-US mega air drill that began on Mon.
• Amid the current geopolitical situation and China’s coercive action in the Indo-Pacific region, the exercise started in Kalaikundaas.
• The exercise comprised American platforms that include a fleet of F-15 E fighter jets, C-130, and C-17 transport aircraft.
• The B1 bomber aircraft will join the exercise in India for the first time. (here)

Massive Chinese build-up near Doklam rings alarm bells in Indian military

• Serious concerns are being expressed by the Indian military over massive construction by China in the Amo Chu River valley in Bhutan.
• Amo Chu abuts the strategic Doklam plateau, from where India’s Siliguri corridor is in direct line of sight of China’s PLA.
• The India-China-Bhutan, tri-junction was the site of an intense military stand-off between India and China in 2017 over road construction by Beijing.
• The PLA’s permanent habitation along with communication towers in Amo Chu.
• The PLA is attempting to approach the same ridge through an alternate axis so that it can bypass Indian defenses to the west of Doklam.
• Doklam is an isolated plateau, which was hardly patrolled by Chinese or Bhutanese forces before 2017 when the Indian military came into the scene. (here)

Pakistan condemns India’s decision to hold G20 meetings in Kashmir

• Pakistan on Tue condemned India’s decision to hold G20 meetings in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir next month, calling the move “irresponsible”.
• Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled in part by the two nuclear-armed neighbors who have fought two of their three wars over control of the region.
• India currently holds the rotating year-long presidency of the G20 and is set to host a leaders’ summit in New Delhi in early Sept.
• On Fri, India released a full calendar of events leading up to the summit, which included G20 and Youth 20 meetings in Srinagar and in Leh, in Apr and May.
• It went on to accuse India of acting in “disregard of the UNSC resolutions and in violation of the principles of the UN Charter and international law.” (here)
• The TOI – through the event in Srinagar, the “govt will hope to convey to the world that normalcy has returned in the Union territory”.

IMF projects India to be fastest growing economy in the world

• The IMF in its flagship WEO projected that India will be the fastest-growing economy amid financial sector turmoil, high inflation, the Ukraine war, and 3 years of COVID.
• IMF on Tue lowered its growth projection for 2023-24 to 5.9% from 6.1% earlier but despite a significant drop, India continues to be the fastest-growing economy
• The IMF projects India’s inflation to slow to 4.9% in the current year and further to 4.4% next fiscal year.
• IMF growth forecast is lower than the Reserve Bank of India projection, RBI predicted 7% GDP growth for FY 2022-23 and 6.4% in the ongoing fiscal that started on Apr 1^st.
• The govt is yet to release full-year GDP for 2022-23, while the IMF flagged concerns about inflation, debt, and risks to the financial sector from rising interest rates. (here)

India must miniaturize satellites, develop re-usable launch vehicles: Chief of Defence Staff

• India must work on expanding its existing navigation with the Indian Constellation series of satellites, provide space-based ISR and ensure secure satellite-assisted comm, said Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Anil Chauhan.
• CDS was speaking at the ‘Indian DefSpace Symposium 2023’, organized by the Indian Space Association and the DRDO.
• CDS said that India needed to focus on the miniaturization of satellites, reusable launch vehicles, and similar cost-effective solutions.
• He also mentioned the need to safeguard India’s space assets with counter-space capabilities (anti-satellite weapons). (here)

Closely watching PM Modi’s comments, NSA Ajit Doval should visit Kyiv: Ukrainian minister

• Ukraine is closely watching the “comments” of PM Modi and would like Indian officials like NSA to visit Kyiv just as he visited Moscow, said a top Ukrainian min in Delhi Tue.
• Min, Dzhaparova, who is on an official visit to India, was speaking at an event hosted by the Indian Council of World Affairs.
• Her visit is an attempt by Kyiv to intensify dialogue with India, which has remained neutral throughout the conflict and has called for diplomacy and dialogue.
• During her remarks, she said Ukraine can share military expertise with India and that New Delhi can play the role of an “arbiter” in the ongoing Ukraine war.
• She also criticized China’s proposed 12-point peace plan for the Ukraine conflict, arguing that parts of it are “not perfect”. (here)

Covid: “XBB1.16 variant able to evade immune system, upcoming 4 weeks crucial,” Experts

• Amid the recent upsurge in the number of Covid cases, experts have warned that the new XBB1.16 variant can evade the immune system and the coming 4 weeks are crucial.
• India reported a total of 5675 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours.
• Considering the prevailing situation, the Union Ministry held a two-day nationwide mock drill to evaluate preparedness against the virus. (here)
• XBB1.16.1 is a mutation of Omicron’s infectious XBB1.16 variant.
• The XBB1.16.1 has been found across 13 states and Union Territories, including Delhi, Gujarat, and Haryana, the data showed.
• According to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium, data, 1,774 cases of the XBB1.16 variant have been found.

[The maximum no of cases increased in Kerela is 1312, while the total no of cases is 13745. In all the previous 3 waves, the state was first to report the cases and a maximum no of cases]

India to soon conduct trial run of its first underwater metro

• India is gearing up to conduct the 1^st trial run of the underwater metro train in Kolkata, under tunnels that have been constructed for the trial in Hooghly River.
• Two tunnels have been constructed between the East-West Metro Corridor, which connects Sector V in Salt Lake to Howrah Maidan, beneath the Hooghly.
• The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation had scheduled a Sun trial run on one part of this route, however, the officials abruptly postponed it.
• In the trial run, a metro train having 2-6 coaches will travel the 4.8 km-long stretches between Esplanade and Howrah Maidan, at a speed of 80 km/hr.
• Approximately, 157 crores have been spent per km. (here)

Adani Group starts supplying electricity to Bangladesh

• Adani Power Limited announced that it has started supplying electricity to Bangladesh as it commissioned its 1^st of 2800 MW thermal power units in Jharkhand.
• The unit at Godda region is presently supplying 748MW of power to the neighboring country as part of a wider agreement to provide 1,496MW net capacity power.
• The 2^nd 800MW thermal plant is expected to be commissioned soon, as the delay was due to the pandemic and the non-completion of the infrastructure in B’desh. (here)

Apple prepares to open first official store in India next week

• Apple is preparing to open its 1^st retail store next week in a move that may be seen as the importance the tech giant attaches to the world’s fastest-growing phone market.
• Apple will open its 1^st official store in Mumbai on Apr 18 and then in Delhi on Apr 20
• At present, the company sells its product in the country through exclusive Apple Premium Reseller stores.
• As per Cybertmedia Research, Apple has a market share of 4% with a year-on-year increase of 17% in 2022. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Pakistan: AJK PM Sardar Tanveer Ilyas disqualified by high court for contempt

• The full court bench of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Tue disqualified PM Sardar Tanveer Ilyas from being a member of the legislative assembly for contempt.
• After the verdict, Ilyas ceased to hold the office of the AJK PM and the assembly will have to elect a new premier.
• He has the right to appeal the decision in the AJK Supreme Court.
• On Mon, the superior courts of AJK had separately served notices to Ilyas to explain his position concerning his “derogatory remarks about the superior judiciary”. (here)

Afghan soil still being used by TTP for attacks on Pakistan: defense minister

• Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the proscribed TTP is still using Afghan soil for launching attacks on Pakistan — especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
• “…the Afghan authorities have not succeeded in stopping the use of their territory in attacks on Pakistan,” he said in an interview with VoA.
• The matter, the federal minister said, had been brought up and discussed last month when a meeting between a high-ranking delegation and Afghan officials.
• The Afghan authorities said that they would not allow their land to be used for terrorism against any country, Asif added. (here)

Qin Gang to visit Uzbekistan, attend talks on Afghanistan as China continues diplomatic push in Central Asia

• Chinese FM Qin Gang will visit Uzbekistan on Wed, followed by a meeting with his counterparts from 6 regional countries to discuss Afghanistan, Beijing said on Tue.
• On his first trip, Qin will meet Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the country’s acting FM Bakhtiyor Saidov.
• Xi chose Central Asia as the destination for his 1^st overseas trip since the pandemic.
• In Samarkand, Uzbekistan, he attended the SCO summit and received a Medal of “Highest Friendship” from Mirziyoyev.
• The leaders agreed to work together to push forward the construction of a cross-border railway under China’s BRI.
• On Thu, Qin will meet the FMs of Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkmenistan Pakistan, Russia, and Tajikistan to discuss the Afghanistan issue – the 4^th such meeting since 2021. (here)

US-Philippines Balikatan joint drill kicks off soon after Beijing’s military exercises around Taiwan

• The US and the Philippines kicked off their largest joint drill in decades on Tuesday soon after Beijing concluded its war games around Taiwan.
• Experts said China would not respond excessively to the drills, especially about the Philippines, to prevent pushing it further away.
• An estimated 17k military personnel will join the exercise named Balikatan, meaning “shoulder to shoulder” in Tagalog – more than double who took part in a drill last year.
• On Mon, the Chinese foreign ministry: “The US-Philippine military cooperation must not interfere with disputes in the SCS.” (here)

At least 100 killed in air strike by Myanmar junta on Pazigyi village

• Myanmar’s junta confirmed that it carried out an air strike on Tue in a village in which at least 100 people, including many children and reporters, were killed.
• The people were gathered for the opening of a local office of the country’s opposition movement outside Pazigyi village in Sagaing region’s Kanbalu township.
• The Associated Press reported citing a witness that a fighter jet dropped bombs directly onto a crowd of around 150 people at around 8 am on Tue.
• The exact number of deaths remains unclear as reporting is restricted by the military govt. (here)