1. Bengal panchayat polls: Counting begins amid tight security
2. Manipur violence: Can’t take away state’s job in upholding law and order, SC says
3. Foxconn pulls out of $19.5bn semiconductor deal in India, minister says ‘won’t impact fab goals’
4. India to buy 26 Rafales, 3 Scorpene submarines from France, deals likely to be announced during PM Modi’s visit
5. Rajnath Singh meets Malaysia’s top leadership, discusses strengthening of bilateral ties

What Else

6. Larsen & Toubro and Navantia join hands to bid for Indian Navy’s top submarine program
7. Al-Qaeda recruiter, ‘most wanted’ in India, arrested in Bangladesh
8. China Announces 11 foreign aid projects to court developing countries
9. Xi says Russia and China should ‘lead global governance reform’
10. Pakistan: Assemblies can be dissolved before August 13: Rana Sanaullah
11. Army assures govt of all-out support for economic stability
12. A journalist has been taken away from Karachi by “unknown persons”: Not much in media
13. Three Hindu families have left Thal (Thar side) for India

Bengal panchayat polls: Counting begins amid tight security

• The counting of votes polled for around 74k Bengal panchayat seats began under tight security on Tue morning a day after re-polling was held at 696 booths following violence during the balloting on Saturday.
• 42 people have died since June 8 when the schedule for the polls was announced.
• Officials said around 339 counting centers have been set up across 22 districts.
• The counting was likely to continue for 2 days and trends were expected to be available by the end of Tue. (here)

• Day after Bengal panchayat poll violence, SEC orders repoll in around 700 booths, death toll 17
• As the death toll in the clashes during Sat’s panchayat elections in West Bengal rose to 17, the State Election Commission on Sun ordered repolling in around 700 booths.
• The repolling held on Mon in the presence of central forces, said State Election Chief.
• This came on a day Governor C V Ananda Bose flew to New Delhi, where he is likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a report on the violence.
• According to the SEC, repolling will be held in 175 booths in Murshidabad district, which reported the most number of violent incidents. (here)

Manipur violence: Can’t take away state’s job in upholding law and order, Indian SC says

• The Supreme Court on Mon said that it cannot usurp the responsibilities of the state of the govt and uphold law and order in the state after a plea sought the SC’s intervention
• The remarks during the Court’s hearing of the matter after 2 petitions were filed.
• The first plea was filed by the Manipur Tribal Forum Delhi seeking the protection of the Kuki tribe by the Indian Army.
• The 2^nd petition was filed by the Chairman of the Hill Areas Committee of the state Assembly, challenging the direction of the HC.
• The hearing witnessed a brief heated moment after the lawyer of one of the petitioners, advocate Colin Gonsalves, alleged that the unrest is “state-sponsored violence”.(here)
• Case Registered against Fact-Finding Team which said Violence Was ‘State-Sponsored’: The FIR was registered on Jul 8 at the Imphal police station against 3 women- Annie Raja, Nisha Siddhu, and Deeksha Dwivedi.
• The 3 were part of the National Federation of Indian Women [a women’s wing of the CPI]’s fact-finding team that visited Manipur from Jun 28 to Jul 1. (here)
• A total of 142 people have been killed in the violence in Manipur over the past two months, the N Biren Singh govt told Supreme Court on Mon. (here)

Foxconn pulls out of $19.5bn semiconductor deal in India, minister says ‘won’t impact fab goals’

• Taiwanese firm Foxconn on Mon said that it was pulling out of a joint venture deal with Indian conglomerate Vedanta to set up a semiconductor plant in Gujarat.
• Last year, Vedanta and Foxconn signed an agreement to invest $19.5 billion to set up semiconductor production plants in PM Modi’s home state.
• On Mon, the company said it working to remove the Foxconn name from the joint venture which is now is a fully-owned entity of Vedanta.
• It said that for a over year, the Taiwanese company and Vedanta have been working have worked hard to bring a great semiconductor idea to reality.
• “Foxconn has no connection to the entity and efforts to keep its original name will confuse future stakeholders,” Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) said. (here)

India to buy 26 Rafales, 3 Scorpene submarines from France, likely to be announced during PM Modi’s visit

• In a major development, India is planning to buy 26 Rafale fighter aircraft and 3 Scorpene class conventional submarines from France.
• The proposals have been placed before the Defence Ministry by the defense forces and are likely to be announced during PM Modi’s visit to France this week.
• As per the proposals, the Indian Navy will get 22 single-seated Rafale Marine aircraft along with 4, twin seated trainer aircraft.
• The Navy had been pressing for it urgently as they have been facing shortages given the security challenges around the country.
• The aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and Vikrant have been operating the MiG-29s and need the Rafales for operations on both carriers.
• Meanwhile, the 3 submarines would be acquired under the repeat clause by the Navy as part of Project 75 where they would be built in the Mazagon Dockyards Ltd. (here)

Rajnath Singh meets Malaysia’s top leadership, discusses strengthening of bilateral ties

• Def min Rajnath Singh on Mon met Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim and other top leadership to discuss a wide range of issues to bolster bilateral defense and strategic ties.
• Singh arrived in Kuala Lumpur on a 3-day visit to Malaysia on 9 Jul.
• Singh and his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad Hasan discussed initiatives with a particular focus on identifying ways to strengthen industrial cooperation.
• They reiterated their commitment to fully implement the Enhanced Strategic Partnership based on common interests and shared values of democracy and rule of law
• The two approved amendments in the MoU on defense cooperation signed in 1993, through ‘Exchange of Letters’ will enable expansion cooperation. (here)

Larsen & Toubro and Navantia join hands to bid for Indian Navy’s top submarine program

• Indian conglomerate Larsen & Toubro and Spain’s Navantia have joined hands to submit a combined bid for India’s highly coveted Project 75 (I) submarine program.
• The teaming agreement (TA) was officially signed on Mon at the Spanish Embassy in New Delhi and S N Subrahmanyan, L&T CEO & MD.
• Ambassador José María Ridao Domínguez expressed Spain’s steadfast support for India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, ToT, and collaboration in the submarine program.
• The Indian Navy’s Project 75 (I) is an endeavor that requires the indigenous production of 6 conventional submarines equipped with Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP).
• The project, expected to exceed $ 5.2 billion in value, represents India’s largest defense acquisition program to date. (here)

Al-Qaeda recruiter, ‘most wanted’ in India, arrested in Bangladesh

• Al-Qaeda terrorist Ikramul Haque alias Abu Talha, widely described as one of ‘India’s most wanted’, was arrested in Dhaka, Bangladesh along with his wife in a raid recently.
• India’s ‘most wanted’ arrested: Ikramul Haque alias Abu Talha? He is the top leader of the Dawah wing of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent and has nearly a dozen terrorism-related cases registered against him in India.
• A key recruiter for Al-Qaeda in the subcontinent, the members of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent arrested in India have named Abu Talha as their recruiter. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

China announces 11 foreign aid projects to court developing countries

• China will undertake 11 new foreign development projects co-funded by receiving countries under the Global Development Initiative, top diplomat Wang Yi said on Mon.
• Projects including for infrastructure, such as power plants, a community hospital and public transport.
• Funding for the projects will also come from China’s foreign aid agency, and will involve resources from the private sector, and social and international organisations.
• The GDI, launched by President Xi Jinping in 2021, seeks to contribute to making progress on the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• The UN agenda includes goals such as poverty reduction, quality education, gender equality and combating climate change. (here)

Xi says Russia and China should ‘lead global governance reform’

• China and Russia need to “lead the correct direction of global governance reform”, said Chinese President Xi, at a meeting with a top Russian politician in Beijing on Mon.
• Beijing and Moscow have ramped up economic cooperation and diplomatic contacts in recent years, with exchanges only growing closer since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
• On Monday, Mr Xi met Ms Valentina Matviyenko, the Speaker of the Federation Council at the Great Hall of the People.
• Xi said the relationship between the two was “a strategic choice made by both countries based on the fundamental interests of their respective countries and peoples”.
• On Mon, Western leaders gathered in Lithuania ahead of a summit expected to present unity on Ukraine’s future membership of the Nato military alliance – a prospect Russia has reacted furiously to. (here)

Pakistan: Assemblies can be dissolved before August 13: Rana Sanaullah

• Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Mon the assemblies could be dissolved earlier than the scheduled date of Aug 13 to “facilitate” the Election Commission of Pakistan.
• “If the assemblies get dissolved on August 11 instead of August 13, the ECP will get more time to hold elections,” he said while speaking on Geo News.
• He asserted that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its supremo, Nawaz Sharif, were clear that assemblies should be dissolved and elections held on time.
• The PTI had dissolved the Punjab and KP in Jan, while the legislatures in Sindh and Balochistan, as well as, the National Assembly, are yet to be dissolved.
• Sanaullah’s statement comes as the final 30-day countdown to the end of the current parliament’s term and the govt’s tenure is set to begin this week. (here)

Army assures govt of all-out support for economic stability

• Army Chief Gen Asim Munir has assured the PDM-led coalition govt of the army’s all-out support for the economic development of the country.
• Addressing the National Seminar on Agriculture and Food Security at Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad on Mon, the army chief said: “Being an institution, we assured [government] of every possible cooperation for Pakistan’s economic progress.”
• He extended the military’s full support for all the initiatives being initiated under the ambit of the Special Investment Facilitation Council, including the Green Pakistan Initiative launched today.
• “Allah Almighty has blessed Pakistan with many resources,” Gen Munir said, adding, “We are a capable nation who has the potential to rise to the top.” (here)

A journalist has been taken away from Karachi by “unknown persons”: Not Much in Media

• A journalist has been taken away from Karachi by unknown persons while the police are showing ignorance about the disappearance of a journalist.
• Syed Mohammad Askari, a reporter from one of the country’s major newspapers, “Roznama Jang”, was taken away by some unknown persons on Sat night, and since then, nothing has been known about him.
• The journalist’s family has submitted a request to register an FIR regarding his disappearance at the Baloch Colony police station.
• On the other hand, journalists’ organizations have condemned the incident and demanded the release of the local reporter. (VoA)

Three Hindu families have left Thal (Thar side) for India

• According to sources, 10 more families are preparing to leave for India.
• According to sources hundreds of other Hindus gathered to say tearful goodbye to these Hindu families.
• The sources say families of Vijay Kumar, Vicky Kumar and Sandeep Kumar have left Thal due to growing lawlessness, artificial power and gas cuts and also due to severe water shortage at Thal. (Kawish, July 8)