1. India, China continue discussions to resolve issues in Eastern Ladakh
2. DRDO’s Tapas UAV crashes in Karnataka after technical snag
3. Expansion of BRICS, use of national currency among key agendas of summit
4. India and Taiwan set to sign mobility pact in Oct, enhancing people-to-people engagement
5. India’s Scorpene submarine carries out its longest deployment, traveling 7,000 km to Australia

What Else

6. Months after submitting territorial claims, Mizoram govt ‘waits’ for Assam to resume talks on border row
7. Jammu and Kashmir: Hunt still on in south Kashmir for terrorists behind Kulgam attack
8. Officer, 8 Army soldiers dead after vehicle falls in gorge in Ladakh
9. Pilot, Tharoor in as Kharge reconstitutes CWC, ’50-under-50′ motto unmet
10. 30 crude bombs, several country-made pistols found in Prayagraj hostel
11. ‘As God is my witness’: President Alvi says he did not assent to bills amending Army Act, secrets law
12. OIC delegates praise ‘improvements’ to people’s livelihoods in China’s Xinjiang
13. Chinese weapons supplier Norinco expands influence in West Africa, challenging Russia and France
14. China helping to arm Russia with helicopters, drones and metals

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India, China continue discussions to resolve issues in Eastern Ladakh

• Armies of India and China are holding ‘marathon discussions’ to resolve the long pending issues in Demchok and Depsang plains.
• (Sources)- the Major General-level talks at Daulat Beg Oldie and Chushul to resolve the ongoing stand-off in Eastern Ladakh have been on since Fri morning with breaks to address the pending issues.
• The two sides have held 19 rounds of talks so far to address the boundary issues in Eastern Ladakh since 2020 post-Chinese aggression there.
• As part of the follow-up on discussions at Corps Commander level talks, the Indian Army and their Chinese counterparts are holding the Maj Gen-level talks. (here)

DRDO’s Tapas UAV crashes in Karnataka after technical snag

• An indigenous Tapas UAV, being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, crashed near Challakere in Karnataka’s Chitradurga on Sun
• The DRDO attributed the incident to a technical snag.
• The medium altitude long endurance UAV, a tactical platform for airborne surveillance, has thus far undergone more than 200 test flights.
• The DRDO has launched an investigation into the crash.
• The crash comes at a time when the UAV is ready for user evaluation trials. The UAV had earlier crashed in September 2019.
• The platform can operate at an altitude of 8534.4 m and has an endurance of 18 hours, with night flying capability, and can carry a maximum payload of 350 kg.
• India currently does not have any drones in the High Altitude Long Endurance class UAV (here)

Expansion of BRICS, use of national currency among key agendas of summit

• Expansion of BRICS and use of national currency are among key agendas of the discussion in the 15^th BRICS Summit beginning here from Tue.
• Explaining in detail, the officer, said BRICS expansion discussion is going on for the last two years.
• PM Modi will join the leaders of Brazil, China, and South Africa for the Summit.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin will join the meeting virtually while the Russian delegation will be led by foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.
• Modi will also participate in a special event with the theme “Brics – Africa outreach and Brics plus dialogue”.
• This is being organized after the BRICS Summit and will include dozens of countries, mostly from the African continent, invited by South Africa. (here)

India and Taiwan set to sign mobility pact in Oct, enhancing people-to-people engagement

• India and Taiwan are expected to sign a migration and mobility pact in Oct consolidation ties between the two sides.
• The landmark agreement is expected to foster greater people-to-people engagement and facilitate smoother migration between the two nations.
• India seeking to establish a chip manufacturing industry and Taiwan possesses the requisite expertise.
• The forthcoming pact holds the potential to significantly increase the influx of Indians into Taiwan.
• India has previously entered into Migration and Mobility pacts with countries such as France, the UK, and Germany, and plans are underway for a similar pact with Italy.
• Notably, about 60% of Taiwanese companies that have invested in India and established factories in the country have chosen locations in southern India.
• Bilateral trade has experienced a remarkable surge, increasing from $1.19 billion in 2001 to nearly $7.7 billion in 2021, with 106 Taiwanese companies operating in India (here)

India’s Scorpene submarine carries out its longest deployment, traveling 7,000 km to Australia

• In a 1^st-if-its-kind, longest-ever deployment of India’s Scorpene submarines, INS Vagir, commissioned in Jan 2023, has made its way to Australia, covering a distance of 7k km.
• The Indian Navy released a statement Sat evening saying that the submarine is on an extended-range deployment.
• The deployment commenced in June 2023 and Vagir -5^th Kalvari submarine will reach Fremantle, Australia on Aug 20, it added.
• Except for one port call in Sri Lanka, as part of International Day of Yoga, the submarine has not made any other port call.
• They also said that the submarine has traversed about 7,000 km, or a little over 4,000 nautical miles since it began its operational deployment in June.
• During her stay in Australia, INS Vagir will participate in various exercises with Royal Australian Navy units on the West Coast of Australia. (here)

Months after submitting territorial claims, Mizoram govt ‘waits’ for Assam to resume talks on border row

• The Mizoram govt has sought the resumption of secretary-level talks with Assam over a 150-year-old border dispute between the 2 states, ThePrint reported citing an official
• The development comes over 2 years after deadly clashes between police forces of the 2 states claimed 7 lives, including that of a civilian.
• The state govt had submitted a list of its territorial claims to Assam in Feb — 3 months after the two govts had agreed that it was the way forward to resolve the border dispute.
• It had received no response, the official said.
• The two share a 165-km-long border that runs between Cachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj in Assam and Kolasib, Mamit, and Aizawl in Mizoram. (here)

Jammu and Kashmir: Hunt still on in south Kashmir for terrorists behind Kulgam attack

• The hunt is on for terrorists involved in the ambush in which 3 soldiers died in Kulgam earlier this month, indicating the same group was behind attacks in Rajouri and Poonch
• Combing operations were underway in south Kashmir and quadcopters were being used extensively to track down the perpetrators of the attack.
• We assess that the group is still in south Kashmir and has not crossed over to the other side of the Pir Panjal mountain range.
• We are hoping for contact with the group before they cross over. If they manage to cross over, they will lie low for another extended period.
• Three Army personnel were killed by the terrorists in the Halan forest area of Kulgam on Aug 5^th. (here)
• J-K: Encounter breaks out in Larrow-Parigam area of Pulwama: An encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in the Larrow-Parigam area in Pulwama District, Kashmir Zone Police said on Sun evening. More details are awaited (here)
• The J&K Bank sacks official, for having alleged links with ISI and terror outfits: The J&K Bank sacks Sajad Ahmad Bazaz for having alleged links with ISI.
• It is revealed that Bazaz was given 3 promotions despite not having cleared the Certified essential exam to date and was rabidly against the Indian state and an open secessionist”
• He also worked illegally as a correspondent-cum-columnist for Greater Kashmir by using different pen names to conceal his real identity. (here)

Officer, 8 Army soldiers dead after vehicle falls in gorge in Ladakh

• At least 8 soldiers and a junior commissioned officer died on Sat after the truck they were traveling in met with an accident and fell into a 60-foot-deep gorge in Ladakh.
• Leh Police Chief said the Army vehicle, with 10 personnel on board, was on its way to Nyoma when its driver lost control and it plunged into a gorge around 4.45 pm.
• The troops, belonging to an artillery unit, were moving from Karu garrison to Kyari near Leh.
• Another jawan died subsequently, Police said.
• The officer said one more jawan was undergoing treatment and his condition was stated to be “critical”. (here)

Pilot, Tharoor in as Kharge reconstitutes CWC, ’50-under-50′ motto unmet

• Almost 10 months as the party president, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge Sun rebuilt the Congress Working Committee, the party’s top decision-making body.
• It is arguably the largest CWC ever — comprising a total of 84 members — however, failed to meet the ‘50-under-50’ criteria that were delineated twice in two years
• At both events, Congress announced that 50% of the permanent members in the new CWC will be under the age of 50, but the total nos lies only 3
• The apex decision-making body even as there seems to be an attempt to placate disgruntled leaders such as Shashi Tharoor, Sachin Pilot, and Manish Tiwari.
• After the party’s plenary session in Raipur earlier this year, it announced that the CWC will be expanded from 23 to 35 permanent members.
• However, in the list, the body further extended the limit to accommodate 39 permanent members. (here)
• Siddaramaiah, and Ashok Gehlot among Cong leaders dropped from CWC

30 crude bombs, several country-made pistols found in Prayagraj hostel

• At least 30 crude bombs and several country-made pistols were recovered during a police raid on a trust-run hostel, police officials confirmed on Sun.
• The raid on the hostel, named Muslim Boarding House, was after crude bombs were hurled at a resident, who was injured in the attack, the officials said.
• The crude bombs were diffused with the help of a bomb disposal squad.
• Police said Asif Iqbal, a resident of room number 11 of the hostel, sought police help as he said there was a murderous assault on him earlier that night. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

‘As God is my witness’: President Alvi says he did not assent to bills amending Army Act, secrets law

• President Arif Alvi on Sun denied approving changes to the Official Secrets Act and the Pakistan Army Act while the law ministry, functioning under a caretaker setup, rebuked his statement and asked him to “take responsibility for his actions”.
• In a post on social media platform X around 2 pm, Alvi said: “As God is my witness, I did not sign …..as I disagreed with these laws.”
• The president said he asked his staff to return the bills unsigned within the stipulated time to make them “ineffective”.
• So far, the President’s House has not released a statement.
• Hours after the statement, a gazette notification was issued by the Senate Secretariat, stating that the two bills were “deemed to have been assented by the president”. (here)
• The Federal Investigation Agency has launched a thorough probe into the alleged “disappearance” of the diplomatic cipher, booking former PM Imran Khan and former FM SM Qureshi under the recently enacted OSA.
• (sources)- told TET on Sat that the leakage of a classified document was a grave misconduct, which has ignited concerns over national security. (here)

OIC delegates praise ‘improvements’ to people’s livelihoods in China’s Xinjiang

• A group of diplomats and delegates from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation began a visit to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China.
• In the city of Kashgar, they visited a residential community, a village known for planting mushrooms, and the ancient city.
• The group praised the progress made in the development of the city and region, CGTN reported on Sun.
• Diplomats from the OIC gained first-hand insight into the efforts of the local govt during a visit to the Kunlunjiayuan residential community, in Xinjiang. (here)

Chinese weapons supplier Norinco expands influence in West Africa, challenging Russia and France

• Chinese state-owned defense conglomerate Norinco opened a sales office in Dakar, Senegal, challenging French and Russian arms suppliers.
• Analysts said Norinco, would use the new office to expand its military procurement in the region, where China has vast economic interests
• The countries such as Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Guinea have recently been hit by military coups.
• Norinco also aims to set up operations in Mali and Ivory Coast – countries where the Chinese military contractor already has a market presence through the sale of arms.
• It also plans to establish centers for maintenance, repair, and overhaul of vehicles and military equipment in those West African countries.
• Norinco already has regional offices in Nigeria, Angola, and South Africa. (here)

China helping to arm Russia with helicopters, drones and metals

• China is helping to arm Russia with helicopters, drones, optical sights, and crucial metals used by the defense industry, a Telegraph investigation has found.
• Russian firms – including sanctioned companies – involved in the production of missile launchers, armored vehicles, and strategic bombers, have received tens of thousands of shipments from China since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began through the first quarter of this year.
• It comes as China, which insists it remains neutral, is attempting to position itself as a key peace broker in talks aimed at ending the conflict.
• Trade between China and Russia is set to surpass $200 billion this year, a new record high, even as Chinese exports to other countries have fallen significantly.
• Exports of goods with potential military uses rose by more than three times in the year which ended this June, compared to the one prior, according to analysis from the Observatory of Economic Complexity, a trade data visualizer. (here)