1. India backs Mauritius’ efforts to reclaim Chagos Archipelago
2. NIA arrests four persons in fake Southeast Asian call centres case
3. 5 Bangladeshi nationals who illegally entered India arrested in Guwahati: Police
4. Kanchanjunga express accident was ‘waiting to happen’, probe points to lapses
5. 12 Naxals killed in encounter with police on Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border

What Else

1. Two soldiers injured in gunfight with hiding militants in J&K’s Doda
2. 9 sailors, including 8 Indians rescued from crew of vessel that capsized off Oman coast
3.  ‘Godman’ builds temple at 16,000 feet on Uttarakhand glacier, probe begins
4. Odisha’s opposition BJD forms shadow cabinet to counter BJP.
5. Calcutta HC bars Banerjee from making ‘defamatory’ remark against governor
6. Bangladesh PM vows punishment for perpetrators as students mourn dead classmates
7. Britain must be able to confront China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, warns new defence lead
8. US expresses concern over Pakistan govt’s decision to ban PTI
9. Taiwan to host ‘unscripted’ drills aimed at simulating China invasion
10. Pakistan demands ‘decisive’ action from Afghanistan against terrorists after Bannu terror attack

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India backs Mauritius’ efforts to reclaim Chagos Archipelago

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is on a 2-day visit to Mauritius, held talks with Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth to review bilateral ties.
• India will continue supporting Mauritius on Chagos Archipelago in line with its stand on decolonisation, Jaishankar said an event in Port Louis alongside Jugnauth on Tue.
• Chagos Archipelago- A group of 7 atolls that includes Diego Garcia island, a strategic US military base
• Jugnauth raised the issue at the same event and expressed gratitude for India’s “unflinching support” to Mauritius’s efforts to complete its “decolonisation process so … sovereignty over our entire territory, including the Chagos Archipelago”.
• Earlier, Jugnauth and Jaishankar virtually inaugurated 12 community development projects financed by India, most of them sports facilities.
• The two sides exchanged a project plan document for the joint development of a satellite through cooperation between the ISRO and the MRIC.
• The two sides signed 2 MoUs for developing an institute for curriculum research and for establishing a chair for Sanskrit and Indian philosophy at the MGI in Mauritius.
• They also finalised an understanding on India helping to digitise immigration archives.
• The discussions between two covered technical and financial assistance, defence and security matters, infra development, economic cooperation and trade. (here)

NIA arrests four persons in fake Southeast Asian call centres case

• The National Investigation Agency said on Jul 16 it has arrested 4 persons in the human trafficking and cyber fraud case related to Laos and other Southeast Asian countries.
• While 2 accused were arrested in Delhi and one from Bahadurgarh, Haryana, and the 4^th one from Bihar’s Siwan.
• NIA- the 4 were part of the organised trafficking syndicate involved in luring and trafficking Indian youth to foreign countries on the false promise of lucrative jobs.
• The victims were forced to work in fake call centres at Laos, GTSEZ, among other places in the SE Asian region, as part of a massive network being operated by foreign nationals through operatives based in various parts of India, Laos, and other countries. (here)

5 Bangladeshi nationals who illegally entered India arrested in Guwahati: Police

• 5 persons including 2 women were arrested at Guwahati Railway Station on charges of illegally entering the country from Bangladesh, Railway Police said on Tue.
• Officials said the 5 were Bangladeshi nationals who entered from Agartala in Tripura and were headed to Bengaluru to look for jobs.
• [Intresting! What is in south of the India, that most of the illegal migrants aheads?]
• Police said the 5 were on a train when they were intercepted by security officials at the railway station on Tue morning.
• “They were taken to Paltan Bazar Police Station and after registering a case, we arrested them,” a police officer said.
• The officer cited above said the five suspects told interrogators that they paid ₹20,000 each to a gang for their illegal entry into India. (here)

Kanchanjunga express accident was ‘waiting to happen’, probe points to lapses

• Chief of Railway safety (CRS) has said the Kanchanjunga express accident involving a goods train was “waiting to happen” due to lapses at multiple levels in train operations in automatic signal zones, and “poor counselling” of loco pilots and station masters.
• In its probe report into the Jun 17 accident that left 10 persons dead, including the loco pilot of the goods train, the CRS  also recommended implementation of the Automatic Train-protection system (KAVACH) on top priority.
• The CRS said wrong paper authority or T/A 912 to cross defective signals was issued to the loco pilot of the goods train involved by authorities concerned.
• Further, the paper authority didn’t mention the speed that the goods train driver was supposed to follow while crossing the defective signal.
• Besides the K Express and the goods train, 5 other trains entered the section from when the signals turned defective until the accident happened on that day. (here)

12 Naxals killed in encounter with police on Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border

• At least 12 Maoists, including a senior Divisional Committee member, were killed in an encounter with a police team in Gadchiroli of Maharashtra on Wed, police said.
• Two police personnel were injured in the gunfight.
• The encounter took place at Wandoli located close to the border with Chhattisgarh.
• According to Police, they received information that 12-15 Maoists were camping near Wandoli village, following which an operation was launched around 10 am on Wed.
• 7 teams, comprising commandos of the elite C-60 unit and other district police personnel, were sent to the location.
• Police said the operation lasted six hours and after a fierce gunfight, the bodies of 12 Maoists were recovered.
• Several automatic weapons were also found at the site.
• 2 of the dead Maoists were identified as Divisional Committee Laxman Atram alias Vishal Atram, who was in charge of the Tipagad Dalam, and Sarite Parsa, an Area (here)

Two soldiers injured in gunfight with hiding militants in J&K’s Doda

• Two soldiers were injured in an encounter with terrorists in a forest village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district early Thu, July 18, 2024.
• However, the information is yet to be confirmed by Army sources.
• The encounter took place at Jaddan Bata village in Kastigarh area around 2:00 am when terrorists opened fire on a temporary security camp established in a government school for the ongoing search operations, the officials said. (here)
• Death toll for security forces rises to 51 in Jammu since 2021, Army takes maximum hit: The death toll among security forces in the Jammu region has climbed to a staggering 51 personnel, including the latest killing of 3[4] jawans and a captain in an ambush by unidentified terrorists in Doda.
• An analysis of data shared by security agencies and publicly available information determined the casualties among the forces.
• This year alone, 11 security personnel have lost their lives, including 4 Army soldiers in Doda, 5 soldiers on 8 July in Kathua, 1 IAF personnel in May in Poonch and a CRPF personnel in Jun.
• (Sources)- the kill ratio was stacked against security forces.
• While 62 terrorists have been shot dead since 2021, the casualties among security personnel stood at 52 and of civilians at 19, they added. (here)

9 sailors, including 8 Indians rescued from crew of vessel that capsized off Oman coast

• At least 9 sailors, including 8 Indians and a Sri Lankan citizen, have been rescued from the crew of Comoros flagged vessel, MT Falcon Prestige, that capsized on Jul 14, off the coast of Oman.
• The merchant vessel had a crew of 16, of whom 13 were Indians.
• There is no information as yet on the remaining Indian crew members.
• The vessel had transmitted a distress call around 10 pm on Jul 14 off the Oman coast.
• Vessel capsized 25 nautical miles SE of Ras Madrakah, near the Omani port of Duqm.
• The 117-m-long oil products tanker was built in 2007.
• Indian Navy’s warship INS Teg was deployed along the maritime surveillance aircraft P-8I along with the Omani vessels and personnel to carry out search and rescue.
• INS Teg was carrying out an operational turnaround in the area from where it was directed on Jul 15 to carry out search and rescue missions.
• The naval warship had located the tanker on July 16. (here)

‘Godman’ builds temple at 16,000 feet on Uttarakhand glacier, probe begins

• A self-styled godman, Chaitanya Akash, has built an unauthorised shrine at 16.5k feet on a govt land on the Sunderdhunga glacier in Bageshwar, Uttarkahand, ToI reported.
• Godman, built on a Uttarakhand glacier after claiming he received divine instructions from a goddess in a dream (Unsplash) despite the region being ecologically sensitive.
• One of the villagers in the region, MS Dhami, said, “The baba convinced the villagers to support the project, saying Devi Bhagwati appeared in his dreams and directed him to build the temple at Devi Kund.”
• Dhami, also claimed, that the Kund – which was once a sacred spot for the villagers – has now been turned into a “swimming pool” for the baba.
• “He can often be seen bathing there. It is desecration. There is no doubt about that,” he added. (here)

Odisha’s opposition BJD forms shadow cabinet to counter BJP.

• In what could be seen as a lesson in politics for the rival INDI opposition bloc in Lok Sabha, the BJD party in the Odisha formed a shadow cabinet to scrutinise work done by the BJP govt.
• The opposition BJD assigned 50 of its 51 MLA to various dept of the govt to form a shadow govt, a move akin to Britain’s Westminster system.
• The move by BJD president and former CM Naveen Patnaik came ahead of the budget session of the state assembly, slated to begin on July 22.
• The BJD chief aims to kill two birds with a single stone here: Keeping the party united after being booted out of power and keeping a check on the BJP govt of Mohan Majhi.
• The shadow cabinet ministers are expected to carefully monitor the work done by comparatively inexperienced new BJP ministers in the state. (here)

Calcutta HC bars Banerjee from making ‘defamatory’ remark against governor

• The Calcutta high court on Tue restrained West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee from making any ‘defamatory or incorrect’ statement against governor CV Ananda Bose
• On Jun 28, Bose had filed a defamation case against the CM at the Calcutta high court, day after she said that women complained to her saying that they were afraid to visit the Raj Bhavan.
• On May 2, a contractual woman employee at the governor’s house had accused Bose of molesting her, prompting the Kolkata Police to begin an investigation.
• Commenting on the issue, Banerjee claimed that women informed her “they are afraid to visit Raj Bhavan due to recent incidents reported there.”
• On Mon, the CM in the high court stood by her statement.
• The governor, represented by his counsel, sought to restrain the CM, two newly elected MLAs and another TMC from making further comments in connection. (here)

[Neighborhood]

Bangladesh PM vows punishment for perpetrators as students mourn dead classmates

• Bangladesh PM vowed Wed to punish those responsible for killing 6 people in ongoing student protests over civil service hiring rules, hours after police forcibly dispersed a funeral ceremony to mourn the dead.
• Six people were killed Tue in clashes around the country as rival student groups attacked each other with hurled bricks and bamboo rods, and police dispersed rallies with tear gas and rubber bullets.
• The worst day of violence since the demonstrations prompted Hasina’s govt to order the closure of schools and universities nationwide until further notice.
• ‘Domino effect’: Students at the university had spent Tue night scouring dormitories and expelling pro-govt classmates in what they said was a bid to end the violence. (here)
• Rights watchdog Amnesty International and the US State Department have both condemned the violence and urged Hasina’s govt not to crack down on peaceful demonstrators. (here)

Britain must be able to confront China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, warns new defence lead

• Britain’s armed forces must have the ability to confront a “deadly quartet” of China, Russia, Iran and N Korea, the surprise pick to lead a major review of the UK’s shrunken defences has warned.
• Lord Robertson, a former Labour defence secretary and former NATO chief, is being brought back to frontline military policy by Sir Keir Starmer after he led Labour’s last Strategic Defence Review (SDR) more than a quarter of a century ago.
• In another twist, the govt on Tue announced 2 other external experts will work with the peer on crafting the new blueprint for the future shape and size of the armed forces.
• They include Fiona Hill, a former foreign policy adviser to the Donald Trump White House who testified against the former president during his impeachment trial. (here)

US expresses concern over Pakistan govt’s decision to ban PTI

• The United States on Tue voiced concern over Pakistan govt’s decision to ban Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, ARY News reported.
• During a presser the US State dept spox expressed concern regarding potential restrictions on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf by the govt, the report said.
• “We have observed public statements from the govt regarding potential restrictions on PTI,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a press briefing.
• “Banning a political party would be of great concern to us. We advocate for respect for democratic principles and people’s fundamental rights, which are essential not only in Pakistan but also globally,” he added.
• US stands against political violence, Pakistan-based ARY News cited spox. (here)

Taiwan to host ‘unscripted’ drills aimed at simulating China invasion

• Taiwan hosts a series of military exercises and drills next week that will include preventing attacks on key airports and ports, and testing the ability of troops to respond to scenarios similar to a hypothetical invasion from China.
• Ministry of National Defense says the annual Han Kuang and Wan An exercises, from July 22 – 26, will focus on “unscripted and real combat drills.”
• They will include drills such as shelter-in-place and air defense drill alerts.
• The exercises come as China increases military pressure on Taiwan, which Beijing views as part of its territory.
• Beijing has vowed to unify the democratically ruled island with China, by force if necessary.
• When Taiwan President Lai Ching-te took office in May, China conducted a blockade-style military exercise around Taiwan, aimed at testing its ability to “seize power.”
• Beijing has also increased the number of military aircraft, naval vessels, and coast guard vessels operating near Taiwan. (here)

Pakistan demands ‘decisive’ action from Afghanistan against terrorists after Bannu terror attack

• Pakistan on Wed issued a strong demarche to Afghanistan following a deadly terrorist attack on Bannu Cantonment on Mon, which claimed the lives of 8 security personnel.
• According to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, the Deputy Head of Mission of the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad was summoned to the ministry today.
• It said that Pakistani officials conveyed their deep concerns and demanded that the interim Afghan govt fully investigate the incident and take immediate, robust action against the perpetrators. [Exactly in the same manner, as Pakistan does]
• They also called for measures to prevent future attacks emanating from Afghan soil.
• The Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, the group that carried out the Bannu attack, along with TTP, has been responsible for numerous deadly attacks within Pakistan. (here)