1. India Increases Cyber Surveillance as Khalistan Groups Launch G20-Like Sites, Entice Farmers to Join Militancy
2. India kicks off massive military exercise along China, Pak borders, to carry on through G20
3. India to be invited to join trilateral summit of Israel, Greece, Cyprus: Greek PM
4. Hacker leaks over 3.2 lakh Patients’ Data linked to Ayush Jharkhand Govt Website to Dark Web
5. WHO Summit’s ‘Gujarat Declaration’ reaffirms global commitment, harnesses potential of traditional medicine

What Else

6. Aditya-L1 second Earth-bound Op done; spacecraft in 282km x 40,225km orbit
7. ‘Accept that J&K India’s integral part’: SC asks affidavit from MP during 370 hearing
8. “I’m apologising on behalf of Govt…” Devendra Fadnavis on lathi charge against protesters demanding Maratha reservation
9. Pakistan: Navy helicopter crashes, three crew members killed: Report
10. Pakistan: Unrest in Gilgit-Baltistan as clerics court controversy
11. Pakistan: Thousands including minority Hindus protest against “dacoit rule” in Kandhkot
12. Pakistan ISI Chief Nadeem Anjum’s Tenure Extended, to Remain Spymaster for Another Year
13. B’desh: French President Macron coming to Bangladesh on Sept 10 to deepen relations
14. China: US intelligence agencies are worried about Chinese spies trespassing military sites
15. UN to provide over USD 300 million to Sri Lanka for development projects

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G20: India Increases Cyber Surveillance as Khalistan Groups Launch G20-Like Sites, Entice Farmers to Join Militancy

• Central agencies have increased surveillance in cyberspace on the heels of the Khalistani graffiti incident in Delhi after the pro-Khalistan group, SFJ has floated several websites ahead of the G20 Summit to dent India’s global image.
• The Centre has also initiated action under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000, to ban websites fuelling anti-India propaganda.
• SFJ, which was banned last year, has increased the push for anti-India sentiment across the world and is enticing Sikh youth and farmers to join militancy.
• SFJ entities are also targeting people not only in Punjab but also in UP, UK, and Indians living abroad to fuel their agenda. (here)
• PM Modi rejects Pakistan, China’s objections on G20 meets, speaks up on Russia-Ukraine war: PM Modi on Sun rejected Pakistan and China’s objections to holding G20 meetings in J&K, in an interview with PTI, the PM said it is natural to hold meets in every part of the country. (here)
• Xi’s absence deepens India-China chill, puts question mark on G20 consensus: Chinese President Xi is not going to attend the G20 summit – in what is going to be the most conspicuous and telling absence from the summit.
• The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Mon that Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the summit. (here)
• “Disappointed, But…”: Biden on reports that Xi may skip G20: US President Biden said he was disappointed about reports his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, plans to skip the G20.
• “I am disappointed, but I am going to get to see him,” Biden told reporters in Rehoboth Beach. (here)

India kicks off massive military exercise along China, Pak borders, to carry on through G20

• India Mon kicked off a major military exercise along the borders with China and Pakistan that will see all frontline assets of the Air Force, even as Army formations carry out separate drills in Ladakh.
• The exercise is taking place at a time when India will be hosting the G-20 meet that will see global leaders descending on the national capital
• The air exercise — Trishul — was already scheduled from Sept 4 to 14 and that it would continue through the G-20 meet from Sept 8 to 10.
• It is the IAF’s responsibility to ensure full air space security, which will see the highest number of world leaders that India will be hosting together at any one point in time
• The Trishul exercise helps with the overall plan to ensure an integrated air defense, in which IAF deploys a plethora of defensive and offensive assets in and around Delhi.
• Anti-drone systems have also been put in place, sources said.
• Army to carry out exercise in Ladakh (here)

India to be invited to join trilateral summit of Israel, Greece, Cyprus: Greek PM

• India can be invited to the 9^th trilateral– Israel, Greece, and Cyprus summit expected to be held next year, The Times of Israel reported.
• In the Summit, Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the country is especially interested in natural gas export partnerships with countries such as India, which may even be invited to the next trilateral summit, expected next year
• The engagement reflects shared values and ever-increasing common interests, aiming to contribute to peace, stability, security, and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider region.
• Due to the growing need for energy diversification and interconnectivity, the leaders reaffirmed a reliable energy corridor from the Eastern Mediterranean basin to Europe.
• The leaders stressed promoting energy synergies with like-minded countries and regional projects such as electrical interconnections, like the EuroAsia Interconnector, and possible natural gas/hydrogen pipelines. (here)

Hacker leaks over 3.2 lakh Patients’ Data linked to Ayush Jharkhand Govt Website to Dark Web

• In a major cybersecurity breach, over 320,000 patient records from Ayush Jharkhand’s official website, have been compromised and leaked on dark web hacking forums.
• The breach, attributed to a hacker known as “Tanaka,” has exposed highly sensitive personal information, including medical diagnoses, doctor credentials, and login details
• As per the team of researchers from CloudSEK, the breach was discovered when Tanaka shared a post titled “bitsphere.in” on an English-speaking hacking forum.
• The compromised database, totaling 7.3 MB in size, contains more than 320,000 patient records, each including personally identifiable information (PII) and medical diagnoses.
• Furthermore, the exposed data also comprises PII details of 472 doctors, along with information about their postings. (here)

[Significant to ask why cyber attacks are taking place in medical establishments in India, the most populous country. This doesn’t seem to confine some money trail]

WHO Summit’s ‘Gujarat Declaration’ reaffirms global commitment, harnesses potential of traditional medicine

• WHO has released the 1^st document on the outcome WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit 2023 in the form of the “Gujarat Declaration,” said the Ministry of AYUSH.
• The declaration reaffirmed global commitments towards indigenous knowledge, biodiversity, and traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine.
• WHO underlined that the application of rigorous scientific methods [experimentation] is needed to better understand, assess, and apply more holistically. (here)

Aditya-L1 second Earth-bound Op done; spacecraft in 282km x 40,225km orbit

• Early on Tue, ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (Istrac) scientists in Bengaluru completed the second Earth-bound maneuver of Aditya-L1 spacecraft.
• The next maneuver — 3^rd of the 5 Earth-bound manoeuvres scheduled — is scheduled for 2.30 am on Sept 10.
• On Sept 3, a day after Aditya-L1 was launched on a PSLV, ISRO had completed the 1^st Earth-bound maneuver and put the spacecraft in an orbit of 245x 22459 km.
• It has 7 distinct payloads — 5 by ISRO and 2 by academic institutions— developed indigenously.
• Aditya means Sun and L1 — about 1.5 million km from Earth — refers to Lagrange Point-1 of the Sun-Earth system. (here)

‘Accept that J&K India’s integral part’: SC asks affidavit from MP during 370 hearing

• The Supreme Court on Mon asked NC MP Mohammad Akbar Lone to file an affidavit saying he owes allegiance to the Constitution of India and that J&K is an integral part of India during the hearing on petitions challenging the scrapping of Article 370.
• The remarks came after the Centre flagged Lone – one of the petitioners – shouting “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans on the floor of the J&K Assembly when he was an MLA
• Lone will file an affidavit by Tue, Sibal told a 5-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice.
• The senior lawyer said, he will not represent Lone if he does not file the affidavit as sought by the bench.
• “He is an MP of Lok Sabha. He is a citizen of India and sworn to his office by the Constitution. He accepts the sovereignty of India,” Sibal said. (here)

“I’m apologising on behalf of Govt…” Devendra Fadnavis on lathi charge against protesters demanding Maratha reservation

• Amid tension in Maharashtra’s Jalna after a lathi charge on protestors over the Maratha reservation, Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis on Mon apologized on behalf of the Govt.
• A meeting was called with Maratha agitation leader Manoj Jarange Patil for discussion on the matter, the Deputy Chief Minister’s office informed.
• Meanwhile, CM Eknath Shinde said, “We held a high-level meeting on the Maratha reservation. I have already spoken to protesters and we will resolve this issue systematically.”
• Earlier on Fri, a clash had broken out between police and protesters in Jalna demanding reservation for the Marathas.
• Police resorted to lathi charges to disperse the protesters. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Pakistan: Navy helicopter crashes, three crew members killed: Report

• A Pakistan navy helicopter crashed in a southwestern city on Mon after suffering a suspected mechanical fault, killing 3 crew members, the military said.
• The Sea King aircraft crashed during takeoff at around 10:00 am local time, after suffering an engine fire and losing its rear tail, according to a preliminary report.
• The accident “possibly attributed to a technical malfunction” killed 2 officers and 1 enlisted man, the navy spokesman said.
• Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, is heavily militarised owing to huge Chinese investment schemes in the region which are regularly targeted by separatist militants.
• Last Sept, 6 servicemen were killed in the province after their helicopter crashed in the small town of Khost. (here)

Pakistan: Unrest in Gilgit-Baltistan as clerics court controversy

• The GB govt, which has been dealing with a tense situation for over a week, on Sat dismissed reports of army deployment as baseless and deployment of security forces only for the ‘chehlum, next week’.
• Also, mobile internet service has been suspended across the region till further orders.
• The decision came after 2 clerics from different ‘schools of thought’ made insensitive remarks over the past few days, hurting the feelings of the respective communities.
• The situation turned tense on Sept 1, when demonstrations were held in the Gilgit and surrounding areas on the call of Anjuman-i-Imamia, hours after Maulana Qazi Nisar Ahmed allegedly made derogatory remarks during a protest in Gilgit. (here)

• GB clerics promise peace efforts will be backed: Amid a peaceful rally held in Skardu demanding the arrest of a cleric and the govt’s declaration that the situation has turned normal, GB CM, HG Khan met with the delegations of Anjuman-i-Imamiya Gilgit and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat on Sun as part of efforts to maintain law and order in the region. (here)
• Murderous attack on Ex CM and Tehreek-e-Insaf GB President Khan: PTI strongly condemns the murderous attack on Khalid Khurshid Khan
• Demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible for the attack at Chogam in Astoor on Khurshid and their strict accountability
• Khalid Khurshid Khan was going to participate in the election campaign along with his colleagues and his convoy was stopped by erecting a barrier and fired upon.
• The state machinery engaged in shameful political engineering appears to be completely ineffective and ineffective in maintaining public order.

Pakistan: Thousands including minority Hindus protest against “dacoit rule” in Kandhkot

• Thousands of citizens took out a peace procession and staged a sit-in at Ghantaghar in Kandhkot town on the 2^nd consecutive day against the police’s failure to recover the hostages, including several members of the minority Hindu community.
• The protestors included activists of nationalist parties, social and rights organizations, and traders, who also raised voices against restoring law and order.
• The traders and shopkeepers kept their businesses and shops shut on a call for protest given by ‘Hindu Panchayat’ against the abduction of several hostages in different areas.
• The leaders of the protest included Mehr Chand, Harish Kumar, advocate Abdul Ghani Bijarani, Hafiz Nasrullah Chana and others, who demanded a massive army operation against the “dacoits rule” in the district.
• The 2022 was a dreadful year for Balochistan as the forcibly disappeared record touched 629, extra-judicially killed 195, and tortured 187 people, as per the report. (here)

Pakistan ISI Chief Nadeem Anjum’s Tenure Extended, to Remain Spymaster for Another Year

• Pakistan spy chief Nadeem Anjum’s tenure has been extended and he is set to remain as the DG of the ISI of Pakistan for 1 more year, CNN-News18 reported citing sources.
• The decision comes shortly after Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Gen Asim Munir, held an important meeting with top businessmen in Karachi.
• There is a comfortable equation between Pakistan Army Chief and DG ISI Anjum.
• They also said that former Pakistan PM and PML-N supremo, Nawaz Sharif, is also comfortable with the move. (here)

B’desh: French President Macron coming to Bangladesh on Sept 10 to deepen relations

• French President Emmanuel Macron will go to Dhaka on Sept 10 from New Delhi after attending the G20 summit to deepen bilateral relations.
• “It will also be an opportunity to deepen our bilateral relations with a country that is experiencing rapid economic growth and seeking to diversify its partnerships,” the French embassy in Dhaka said on Mon.
• The embassy said the G20 will allow President Macron to maintain a constant dialogue with his counterparts to fight against the risks of partitioning the world.
• It will also be a matter of advancing in the implementation of joint responses to the major global challenges.
• The G20 will also be an opportunity to follow up on the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact held in Paris last Jun.
• Earlier, FM AKA Momen told reporters that the French President would be visiting following the invitation of PM Sheikh Hasina during her official visit to Paris in 2021.
• The development of defense and security cooperation was also stressed. (here)

China: US intelligence agencies are worried about Chinese spies trespassing military sites

• The Asian giant’s meteoric rise and economic development are proving to be a big challenge to USA’s hegemony across the globe.
• The multiple cases of trespassing at US military sites in recent years by Chinese nationals have sparked spying fears among intelligence agencies
• According to a report by The WSJ, about 100 incidents involving Chinese trying to access American military and other installations are being investigated
• US officials informed that spying fears are being looked into as the cases involved people crossing into a US missile range in New Mexico.
• In another incident, scuba divers were found swimming near a rocket launch site and Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (here)

UN to provide over USD 300 million to Sri Lanka for development projects

• The UN is expected to provide over $300 million to Sri Lanka for the development programs of the next 5 years.
• UN Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche congratulated for adopting the Anti-Corruption Act and the establishment of the Parliamentary Budget Office.
• Furthermore, views were also exchanged on Sri Lanka’s legislative process, electoral system, peace-building activities, and women’s representation in politics (here)