1. BRICS Submit: PM Modi, Xi agree to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement in Ladakh
2. BRICS invites Saudi, Iran and 4 others to join developing world bloc
3. “Discussions on trade settlements in national currency have been positive within BRICS framework”: FS Kwatra
4. India, Greece to upgrade long friendship during PM Modi’s visit: Greek Ambassador
5. Govt approves proposals worth $944 mn to enhance operational capabilities of armed forces

What Else

6. George Soros-backed group plans ‘expose’ on Indian firms: Report
7. Chandryan-4: A joint Mission between India and Japan in 2026
8. UK-India trade deal negotiations in their “final, trickier” stage: Report
9. Pakistan: After changes to election law, CEC sees meeting with Alvi of ‘scant importance’
10. China: Xi Jinping pledges more help to Africa in both industrial and agriculture sectors
11. Taiwan boosts defense budget to record US$19 billion amid PLA sabre-rattling

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BRICS Submit: PM Modi, Xi agree to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement in Ladakh

• PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke at the sidelines of the BRICS summit where both leaders agreed on “expeditious de-escalation” in the eastern Ladakh region.
• PM Modi told Xi that “maintenance of peace, tranquillity in border areas and respecting LAC” is essential for the normalization of India-China ties.
• “Modi and Xi ‘agreed’ to direct relevant officials to ‘intensify’ [realy] efforts at expeditious disengagement, de-escalation,” Kwatra said. [Result-nothing]
• The Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in over a 3-year stand-off in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides have initiated extensive talks
• The Two Troops talks: So far, 19 rounds of talks have taken place at the commander’s level, with a focus on the resolution of issues in Depsang Plains and Demchok.
• Before this, NSA Ajit Doval met top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on the sidelines of a meeting of the five-nation grouping BRICS in Johannesburg on Jul 24.
• Doval conveyed that the situation along the LAC in the western sector of the India-China boundary since 2020 had “eroded strategic trust”.
• India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. (here)
• Chinese statements read, “President Xi stressed that improving China-India relations serves the common interests of the two countries …. The two sides should bear in mind the overall interests of their bilateral relations and handle properly the border issue to jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border region.” (here)

[China does not intend peace along borders. It shows the Chinese aggression along LAC has approval from the top, ie Xi himself.]

BRICS invites Saudi, Iran and 4 others to join developing world bloc

• The 5 BRICS ‘developing’ nations will admit Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, and the UAE, they said on Thu, to grow the clout as it pushes to rebalance the prevailing world order.
• This could also pave the way for dozens more to seek admission, which has pledged to address their grievances over a world order many feel is rigged against them.
• BRICS – whose acronym was originally coined by an economist at Goldman Sachs, currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
• Deepening geopolitical ‘polarisation’ in the wake of Russia’s invasion and China’s relations with the US are inciting efforts by Beijing and Moscow to forge BRICS into a viable counterweight to the West.
• The six candidate countries will formally become members on Jan. 1, 2024.
• In a reflection of the bloc’s growing influence, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended Thu’s expansion announcement. (here)
• A deal to expand the BRICS group of leading developing countries appeared stuck in 11^th-hour negotiations at a leaders summit on Wed, threatening to undermine the bloc’s ambition to give the “Global South” more clout in world affairs. (here)
• (sources)- India’s objective during the negotiations was to give first preference to its “Strategic Partners”.
• Amid speculations of a one-on-one meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi, the two were seen walking side by side and having a brief conversation (here)
• As BRICS Evolves Criteria for Expansion, and 22 Countries Interested so far, India’s Concerns: With a large number of developing countries clamoring to join the BRICS countries, India is wary about the dynamics of BRICS and has indicated that it will give preference to its “Strategic Partners”. (here)
• PM Modi holds bilateral talks with Mozambique’s President in South Africa; the Iranian President; Senegal’s President Macky Sall; Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed, etc.
• BRICS joint statement calls for UNSC reforms, support for aspirations of emerging countries: The joint statement on Thu called for UNSC reforms and affirmed support for the aspirations of emerging and developing countries.
• The BRICS joint statement also expressed “strong condemnation” for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations “whenever, wherever and by whomsoever” committed.
• The BRICS nations also reiterated that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization, or ethnic group. (here)

“Discussions on trade settlements in national currency have been positive within BRICS framework”: FS Kwatra

• Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Thu that discussions on trade settlements in national currency have been very positive within the BRICS framework.
• During a special briefing on the PM’s visit, Kwatra said that BRICS nations have been discussing for quite some time how to put in place a mechanism through which each of BRICS nations can at least start trading in the national currencies.
• However, he said each country decides to do trade settlement in the national currencies, and not just the BRICS’s decision. (here)

India, Greece to upgrade long friendship during PM Modi’s visit: Greek Ambassador

• Greek Ambassador to India Dimitrios Ioannou has said that during Prime Minister Modi’s Greece visit, the two countries will upgrade their long friendship.
• He added that the Greek people have very fond feelings for the Indian people.
• Ioannou while speaking on cross-border terrorism, said: “This is the worst kind of terrorism and we condemn this kind of terrorism on every occasion”
• On India’s involvement in the Mediterranean region, he said: “India is a force of peace, stability and rationality.”
• PM Modi during his visit on Aug 25^th to Greece, will receive a ceremonial reception on his arrival and will also hold meetings with the Greek President and PM. (here)
• Modi is also scheduled to interact with business leaders from both countries.
• He will also have an interaction with the Indian community in Greece.
• A business lunch hosted by the Greek PM is also scheduled during the visit.
• PM Modi will also lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens (here)

Govt approves proposals worth $944 mn to enhance operational capabilities of armed forces

• The govt has approved proposals worth $944 million to enhance the operational abilities of the Armed Forces.
• Ministry stated on Thu, these proposals were approved by a Defence Acquisition Council meeting, held under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
• All the procurements would be sourced from indigenous vendors only.
• From choppers to LMG: The statement said that to enhance the efficiency of the air force, the DAC granted the AoN for the procurement and installation of Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite on Mi-17 V5 Helicopters under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category which will enhance better survivability of Helicopters. (here)
• India To Upgrade Ladakh Landing Strip To Airbase, Just 35 Km From LAC: The advanced landing ground in eastern Ladakh’s Nyoma will be upgraded to a fully-equipped airbase that can operate numerous fighter jets.
• The airbase will bolster air operations as the Nyoma ALG is only 35 km from the LAC, where tensions have been seething for many years despite several rounds of talks
• India has 2 airbases in Ladakh at present – 1 in Leh and the other in Partapur, both operate fighter jets. But these airbases are over 100 km away from the LAC. (here)

George Soros-backed group plans ‘expose’ on Indian firms: Report

• Months, after a US short seller shook markets with a damning report on the Adani group, the OCCRP – an organization funded by likes of Soros and Rockefeller-, is said to be planning another ‘expose’ on certain corporate houses in India.
• OCCRP, which calls itself “an investigative reporting platform formed by 24 nonprofit investigative centers”… spread across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, may publish a report or a series of articles.
• An email sent to OCCRP seeking comments remained unanswered.
• Founded in 2006, OCCRP claims to specialize in reporting on organized crime and largely publishes these news articles through partnerships with media houses.
• On its website, it identifies the OSF of Soros, a financier with a penchant for funding radical causes around the world, as one of the institutional donors.
• Others include the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Oak Foundation.

• Sources said the ‘expose’ may involve overseas funds investing in the stocks of the corporate house. (here)

Chandryan-4: A joint Mission between India and Japan in 2026

• With the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, ISRO and JAXA will work together to launch LUPEX (Chandrayaan-4) in 2026.
• LUPEX will land at the Moon’s South Pole with the primary goal of looking for the presence of water on the Moon and its usability for future astronauts.
• The data gathered from this mission will allow engineers to know how much water will be needed to be brought from Earth for future crewed missions to the Moon.
• Water will be the most valuable resource for crewed missions to space as it can be converted to oxygen for breathing, hydrogen for rocket fuel, act as radiation shielding, and of course, for drinking.

UK-India trade deal negotiations in their “final, trickier” stage: Report

• Trade negotiations between the UK and India are reportedly in its “final but trickier” stages, the BBC reported.
• This week, G20 trade ministers are expected to gather in India under the leadership of Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch.
• Whether a trade agreement will be reached before Rishi Sunak’s travel to India in Sept has been the subject of rumors.
• However, the BBC has been informed that the UK govt does not anticipate that a complete deal will be reached by then.
• The BBC report nevertheless highlights that there are still some “big nuts to crack” before an agreement could potentially be reached in the coming “months.” (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Pakistan: After changes to election law, CEC sees meeting with Alvi of ‘scant importance’

• Chief Election Commissioner SS Raja on Thu responded to the letter written by President Arif Alvi for a meeting to “fix an appropriate date” for general elections.
• Raja said that participating in such a confab would be of “scant importance” after changes to the election law.
• The president had written to Raja on Wed, inviting him for a meeting regarding holding general elections in the country.
• In his letter, President Alvi quoted Article 244 of the Constitution, saying he was duty-bound to get the elections conducted in 90 days’ once the NA is dissolved.
• However, the situation has changed now, as under recent amendments, the CEC has been empowered to fix the date for polls without the president’s input. (here)

China: Xi Jinping pledges more help to Africa in both industrial and agriculture sectors

• China will allocate more resources for Africa’s industrialization and agricultural production – as well as train thousands of African students in vocational skills, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised African leaders on Thu.
• Meeting African leaders for the China-Africa Leaders’ Roundtable Dialogue at the end of the BRICS, Xi said that China would launch an initiative to support industrialization.
• While not disclosing the amount, Xi said China would channel more resources for assistance, investment, and financing toward industrialization programs.
• China would help African countries expand grain plantations, encourage Chinese companies to increase agricultural investments in Africa, and boost seed production.
• Xi’s pledge of support came as the continuing Ukraine war exacerbated the food crisis in many African [only?] countries face.
• In Nov, China will host the second forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Agriculture on the Chinese island province of Hainan.
• To tackle the food crisis in some African countries, especially in the Horn of Africa, China will provide additional food emergency assistance.
• “China has confidence that Africa will attain food self-sufficiency through its efforts,” Xi said. (here)

Taiwan boosts defense budget to record US$19 billion amid PLA sabre-rattling

• Taiwan will increase its defense spending to a record US$19 billion next year to tackle growing challenges from the People’s Liberation Army.
• The spending – approved by the island’s cabinet on Thu– is up 4.6% from 2023, Premier Chen Chien-Jen in Taipei after a meeting on the govt’s budget for next year.
• It comes after the Pentagon gave the green light for the sale to Taiwan of advanced sensor systems for F-16 fighter jets worth US$500 million
• The PLA ramped up pressure on Taipei with live-fire drills off the coast of Fujian – the mainland Chinese province closest to the island. (here)