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G20 make commitments to reach carbon neutrality, end coal financing abroad

The G20 reaffirmed past commitments by rich nations to mobilize $100 billion annually to help poorer countries. However, it failed to set a target for phasing out domestic coal use.

‘Last, best hope’: Crucial climate talks open with an eye on 1.5°C target

The president of the COP26 climate summit called on countries to work together to avert the most devastating impacts of global warming as he opened the meeting on Sunday. The Glasgow gathering, which runs to November 12, will be the “last, best hope to keep 1.5 °C in reach”, said Alok Sharma, referring to the temperature aspiration of the landmark Paris deal.

Indian Navy gets first P15B guided-missile destroyer ‘Visakhapatnam’

The construction and delivery of this ship — named “Visakhapatnam” — is another testament of the impetus given by the government and the Navy to the indigenous warship construction programs, the statement said.

Hiring boom in India’s IT sector amid a spike in demand and talent crunch

Industry experts predict hiring would continue at a similar rate over the next three to four quarters.   

Bengaluru’s SSS Defence beats Israeli firm, will be first from India to upgrade Army’s AK-47s

Before SSS Defence won this tender, Israel’s Fab Defense had a monopoly on the market, having upgraded a few thousand Army rifles in the past 10 years.

SC sets aside Calcutta HC’s blanket ban on crackers in Bengal

The Supreme Court on Mon set aside the Calcutta high court order to impose a blanket ban on firecrackers in West Bengal during the ongoing festival season. A special bench of justices A M Khanwilkar and Ajay Rastogi said the top court had allowed the use of green crackers in areas where the ambient air quality is “moderate”.

GST collection in October soars to ₹1.3 lakh crore, the second highest ever

The gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue in October this year is ₹1,30,127 crore, a 24% year-on-year jump and a 36% increase over Oct 2019, according to the finance ministry’s data, which is signaling a robust recovery of business activities after the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, and increased compliance.

Three women Maoists killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh: Police

Police identified the three as Raje Muchaki, Geeta Markam, and Jyoti Nuppo. A 12-bore gun, two countrymade revolvers, a muzzle-loading gun, two improvised explosive devices, and other items were recovered from the site.

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China dismisses ‘politically motivated’ US report into Covid origins

Foreign ministry spokesman attacks intelligence agencies’ ‘deplorable’ track record of falsification and says their use is ‘ironclad proof of politicization’.

The US warns China against any unilateral changes to the status quo around Taiwan

A recent increase in Chinese military exercises in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, including what Taipei said were eight such flights on Sunday, is part of what it views as stepped-up military harassment by Beijing.

TLP protesters clear GT Road, to continue sit-in at Wazirabad until Saad Rizvi’s release

Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan workers (TLP) on Monday abandoned their long march to Islamabad after the proscribed group’s leadership inked an agreement with the govt, but continued their sit-in in Wazirabad for the 4^th day. TLP supporters vacated Grand Trunk (GT) Road and Allah Wala Chowk. However, they pitched tents at a nearby ground and said they would stage a sit-in until TLP chief Saad Rizvi is released, who was detained by police under the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance on April 12 and remains incarcerated.

Matters with IMF ‘settled’, agreement to be signed this week, says, Tarin

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin on Monday announced that an agreement with the International Monetary Fund over the revival of the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) had been reached and a formal accord will be signed this week.

Craft fair held in Kabul, first since govt change

Officials from the chamber of mines and industry said due to problems in the banking system, they face a lack of raw materials in the coming winter. In this exhibition, out of one hundred craftsmen, forty women exhibited their handicrafts, ornaments, and traditional clothes.

Biden ‘disappointed’ by Xi, Putin absences at G20 as leaders promise effort to limit global temperature rises, but fail to offer firm commitments

• The final statement from the Rome summit recognizes that the 1.5^oC target will have a much lower impact than 2^oC but does not go beyond, 2016 Paris Agreement goals.
• The talks concluded with US President Joe Biden calling Chinese and Russian contributions ‘disappointing’

SCMP- US President Joe Biden has criticized the absence of his Chinese and Russian counterparts, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, from the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rome as “disappointing”, after the gathered heads signed off on a communique that promised to “pursue efforts” to limit global temperature rises but contained few new commitments.

• “There’s a reason why people should be disappointed” by Xi and Putin not making in-person appearances, Biden said. “I found it disappointing myself.”
• He added: “….us to continue to focus on what China’s not doing, what Russia is not doing, and what Saudi Arabia is not doing.”

Leaders of the world’s biggest economies made a compromised commitment on Sun to reach carbon neutrality by or around mid-century as they wrapped up a two-day summit that was laying the groundwork for the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

Italian Premier Mario Draghi told the leaders going into the final working session Sun that they needed both to set long-term goals and make short-term changes to reach them.

We must accelerate the phasing-out of coal and invest more in renewable energy,” he said.

According to the final communique: The G20 leaders also agreed to end public financing for coal-fired power generation abroad but set no target for phasing out coal domestically, a clear nod to coal-dependent countries including China and India, and a blow to Britain which had hoped for more solid commitments ahead of the Glasgow meeting.

The G20 reaffirmed past commitments by rich countries to mobilize 100 bn annually to help poorer countries cope with climate change, and committed to scaling up financing for helping them adapt.

• The sticking point remained the deadline to reach carbon neutrality or net-zero emissions (C-emission = C-consumption), which would be reached by mid-century,” rather than a specific year.

• ThePrint (anonymous French officer)-cited top carbon polluters China and India, as well as Indonesia.
• The future of coal, a key source of greenhouse gas emissions, has been one of the hardest things for the G20 to agree on.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at the U.N. General Assembly last month that Beijing would stop funding such projects, and Japan and South Korea made similar commitments earlier in the year.
• The spokesman for PM Boris Johnson, Max Blain, said the G-20 communique was never meant to be the main lever to secure commitments on climate change, which would be hammered out at the Glasgow summit.

PM Modi to take part in COP26 on climate change, meet with UK PM today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to participate in COP-26, is slated to participate in the crucial 26^th session of COP-26 on climate change in Glasgow on Monday. He will meet UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and discuss bilateral ties.

• A high-level segment of COP-26, titled the World Leaders’ Summit (WLS), will be held on Nov 1-2.
• The Summit will be attended by Heads of State of more than 120 countries.
• COP-26 is being held from October 31 to Nov 12 under the Presidency of the UK partnering with Italy in Glasgow.
• Meanwhile, COP26 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) kicked off on Sun in Scotland’s Glasgow.

India– Developed countries have reaped the benefits of energy, and they must accelerate their efforts to achieve net-zero so those poor countries may have some carbon space. (WION)

The idea of “One Sun, One World, One Grid” (OSOWOG) made its first appearance on a global platform when the idea was floated by PM Modi in the first assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), Invest India informed.

The initiative is aimed at constructing a trans-national electricity grid that would supply electricity across the globe in a phased manner.

The plan of OSOWOG is a step towards achieving a more sustainable source of electricity generation that uses solar power as a source of continuous renewable energy, taking forward the global goal of sustainable development, Invest India said.

• PM Modi will launch two important initiatives under the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and ISA at the upcoming 26^th session of COP-26 here.
• The Indian envoy to the UK, GI Kumar emphasized that COP-26 PM will share India’s commitment to the world.
• This visit comes after PM Modi participated in the G20 summit and the summit on Global Supply Chain Resilience, on the sidelines of the G20.

The 2021 UN Climate Change Conference will be an opportunity for PM Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson to review the implementation of the 2030 Roadmap launched for India-UK future relations, Indian envoy to the UK said on Sunday.

• After the World Leaders’ Summit, PM Modi will also join over 120 heads of state at a special VVIP reception at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
• Members of the royal family, including Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, are expected to be present at the reception.
• Tuesday (the last day of visit): He is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings with leaders of Switzerland, Finland, Israel, Nepal, Malawi, Ukraine, Japan, and Argentina, as well as a meeting with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

PM Modi’s also met with various heads of state, on the sidelines of G20 in Rome, Italy, including President of Indonesia, Mr. Joko Widodo; Prime Minister; Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor, Germany; Prime Minister of Spain; Prime Minister of Singapore; Prime Minister, Vatican City; Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi; President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

Earlier on Saturday, Modi was seen interacting with world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, on the sidelines of the summit. President had hosted PM Modi at the White House on September 24 for the first in-person meeting.

The G20: a global forum of the world’s major economies, which account for more than 80% of the global GDP, 75% of global trade, and 60% of the population of the planet.

Jaishankar discusses ‘important regional concerns’ with US’ Blinken on sidelines of G20 Summit

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the G20 Summit here on Saturday, discussing issues relating to the bilateral strategic partnership and updated each other on “important regional concerns”. Jaishankar is accompanying PM Modi. Foreign Secretary HV Shringla and National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval are members of the prime minister’s delegation.

G20 Sherpa, Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce holds Special Briefing from Rome: Goyal shared updates on PM Modi’s participation in the 16^th G-20 Summit on Oct 30-31 in Rome.

• On the eve of the G 20 Summit, India’s Leadership on global concerns and its views on a wide array of issues receive strong support
• The agenda of the ongoing Sherpas’ meeting is to finalize the Rome Declaration, which will be adopted by the Leaders at the G20 Summit
• Happy to get support from G20 colleagues on mutual recognition of travel documents, including testing and vaccine certificates.
• For Sustainable Development and food security, India has insisted that policies must protect the interests of small and marginal farmers, conserve local food cultures which in turn will ensure food security.
• India supports the need for critical enablers for galvanizing global Climate action like commensurate, long-term, concessional climate finance, access to affordable and sustainable technology.
• India is ensuring that there is no premature withdrawal of support for post-Covid Economic Recovery.
• G20 leaders agree to strengthen the WHO process for COVID-19 vaccines approval.
• “For the first time, they (developed countries) have acknowledged their shortcomings and they also accepted what they must do for the needs of developing countries like India and others, which they had promised earlier”.
• The Australian government on Mon said it has decided to recognize Covaxin, India-based Bharat Biotech’s vaccine against Covid-19.

Sino-India Standoff: Chinese build-up in RALP area matter of concern: officers

Efforts to strengthen infrastructure and strengthen posture

TheHindu-While India has strengthened its defenses as well as added offensive elements to its military posture in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh, the massive Chinese infrastructure development and troop build-up in the Rest of Arunachal Pradesh (RALP) area is a matter of concern and efforts are on by the Indian side to address it, according to officials.

Chinese patrols increase in the RALP, especially in the Asaphila area, along with massive development of infrastructure, at least two officers independently said.

(Source) -“They come for patrols and make a mess of the area. They leave stuff behind; in some instances, they had left tents and spades,”.

• “They have built extensive road construction all across,” the other officer noted.
• Other than the Kameng area, which consists of the East and West Kameng districts, the rest of the State is referred to by the Army as RALP.

Two road axis: India has two road axis in the forested RALP area in Lohit and Siang and now efforts are underway to improve infrastructure all across.

(Source) -China is now moving troops closer to the LAC in RALP and this fits into a similar pattern across the entire Line of Actual Control (LAC).

• In addition to roads, there is the construction of tunnels, habitats, and related facilities to support the troops.
• For instance, the construction of tunnels has been reported opposite the Subansiri area in recent months.

Last year, as the focus was on eastern Ladakh since the May stand-off, in addition to massive mobilization and retasking of troops in Ladakh, the Army quietly reoriented troops in the eastern sector as well, in the backdrop of heightened Chinese activity across the LAC. Of the 3488-km long LAC, 1346 km falls in the eastern sector.

In the Tawang sector: (source) There has been a significant push to expand infrastructure that enabled faster troops reorientation, which is a shortfall in the RALP area.

• Efforts were on by the Army and at the national level to speed up things, he stressed. The Army’s Engineering Task Forces have been employed.
• In terms of troops, till 2010, the Army had only one Division tasked for looking after RALP.
• With increased Chinese presence, the Army has since moved additional troops to strengthen its position.
• The construction activity across the eastern sector has been synced to the changing weather patterns in the region.
• To keep the momentum on infrastructure development going and enable long-term planning, the Army has proposed a 5-year roll-on infra development plan instead of the current 2-year plan. (see last weekend newsletter)

As per some unverified sources, last month, around 40 PLA personnel visited specific areas in the Neelam and Leepa valleys of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. The Chinese officials surveyed Pakistani Army posts along LoC and were also shown terrorist infiltration routes by ISI.

Indian Navy gets first P15B guided-missile destroyer ‘Visakhapatnam’

The Navy received its first P15B stealth guided-missile destroyer from Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders on Thu, an official statement said on Sat.

The construction and delivery of this ship — named “Visakhapatnam” — is another testament of the impetus given by the govt and the Navy to the indigenous warship construction programs, it said.

• A guided-missile destroyer can launch guided anti-aircraft missiles from its deck.
• “Visakhapatnam – first of the indigenous P15B stealth guided-missile destroyers being built at Mazagon Dock, Mumbai delivered to Indian Navy on October 28, 2021,” the Indian Navy said.
• “Induction of the destroyer will not only enhance the combat readiness but will also be a major leap forward towards our quest for Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” it added.

Bengaluru’s SSS Defence beats Israeli firm, will be first from India to upgrade Army’s AK-47s

ThePrint– Indian small arms firm SSS Defence has defeated Israeli firm Fab Defense, (Zahal), to bag a contract to upgrade a limited number of Kalashnikov rifles with a unit of the Indian Special Forces.

• (Sources) – the Bengaluru-based SSS emerged as the lowest bidder for the tender for upgrading 24 AK-47 rifles in service with a particular unit.
• “This is the first time when an Indian company, with its indigenous design and product, will upgrade a rifle for the Indian Army,” a source said.

Till now, Fab Defense had a monopoly in the Indian market over the upgrade of AK-47s in service with the Army.

• Different units of the Army have been upgrading their Kalashnikovs to suit modern warfare and Fab Defense has managed to upgrade a few thousand rifles over the last decade.
• Until now, all the materials needed for upgrades were imported, and the SSS contract could open up room for more such deals with a focus on indigenous products.

What the upgrade will bring: The upgrade would entail a new foldable buttstock for the rifle, a new dust cover that will allow mounting of sights, and changes to the fore-end, which will allow mounting of a bipod or a knife when needed, besides handguard and vertical grip.

• Sources said SSS has also offered to upgrade the rifle with a flash hider at no extra cost since it was not part of the requirements issued by the particular unit of the Army.
• Interestingly, while all upgrades by Fab Defense involved parts made of polymer, SSS Defence is offering aerospace alloys, sources said.

The Northern Command has come out with a Request for Proposal for the upgrade of 90 pieces of the nearly 3-decade-old rifle, but overall, the Army is estimated to have anywhere between 6,000-7,000 pieces of the DSR.

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China dismisses ‘politically motivated’ US intelligence report into Covid-19 origins

Beijing has dismissed a US review into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, saying the use of intelligence agencies was “ironclad proof of politicization”.

In the 18-page report, the US intelligence community concluded that the coronavirus had not been developed as a biological weapon, but could not determine if it had infected humans as a result of contact with animals or from a laboratory accident.

• “The use of intelligence agencies to trace the origins is in itself an ironclad proof of politicization,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
• “The US intelligence services have a deplorable track record, with their falsification and deception tactics known by the world.”

How Chinese red tape stopped US scientists from getting early virus access: He also urged the US to stop smearing China and to open its biological labs at US military base Fort Detrick for investigations.

He was speaking days after the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Intelligence Council jointly released a declassified version of the findings from a 90-day review ordered by President Joe Biden.

The report said: “The Intelligence Community judges they will be unable to provide a more definitive explanation for the origin of Covid-19 unless new information allows them to determine the specific pathway for initial natural contact with an animal or to determine that a laboratory in Wuhan was handling Sars-CoV-2 or a close progenitor virus before Covid-19 emerged.”

WHO forms a group in possible ‘last chance’ to study origins of coronavirus: It also accused China of not cooperating with attempts to find the cause, saying: “Beijing, however, continues to hinder the global investigation, resist sharing information, and blame other countries, including the US.

“These actions reflect, in part, China’s govt’s uncertainty about where an investigation could lead as well as its frustration the international community is using the issue to exert political pressure on China.”

• Beijing has insisted that while Wuhan is where the disease was first detected, it is not necessarily where the virus originated.
• It has also denied that the virus originated in a laboratory in the city and in July rejected the World Health Organization’s proposals for the second phase of its investigations into the virus’s origins, which included formal laboratory audits.
• WHO to confirm Sago team for Covid-19 origins hunt after public comments
• The search for the virus’s origins has become another arena for the confrontation between the US and China.
• Beijing regards calls for an +investigation into the origins and China’s handling of the initial outbreak as politically motivated.

It has pushed instead for the next phase of investigations to focus on other countries, including the biomedical research laboratory at the Fort Detrick military base in Maryland as well as more than 200 US overseas bases.

WHO ends Covid-19 mission in Wuhan, says lab leak ‘extremely unlikely’: In a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit on Sat, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that virus origin tracing “should be conducted in an objective, scientific and responsible manner” and that the global health body should treat all its members equally.

• “China is willing to use this as a basis to discuss future cooperation with the WHO,” he said, according to a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry.
• On Sunday, foreign ministry spokesman Wang said the US was undermining global scientific cooperation on origin-tracing.
• China urges ‘objective, scientific’ focus for WHO’s next Covid-19 origins hunt
• “At present, the US should stop all scapegoating and blame-shifting moves and focus instead on domestic efforts and global cooperation in fighting Covid-19,” he said.

The US warns China against any unilateral changes to the status quo around Taiwan

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi locked horns over Taiwan on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summits on Sun, trading warnings against moves that could further escalate tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

In an hour-long meeting in Rome, Blinken made “crystal clear” that Washington opposes any unilateral changes by Beijing to the status quo around Taiwan: a State Department official said.

A recent increase in Chinese military exercises in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, including what Taipei said were eight such flights on Sun, is part of what it views as stepped-up military harassment by Beijing.

The US wants to manage the intense competition between the world’s two largest economies responsibly, the State Department official said, adding that both sides acknowledged that open lines of communication are paramount.

Wang expressed China’s “solemn concern over various issues on which the US side has damaged China’s legitimate rights and interests, and asked the US side to change its course and promote China-US relations back to the track of healthy development”, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

• Wang -it was misleading of the US to blame China for a change in the status quo on Taiwan, saying it is US “connivance” and “support” for pro-independence forces in Taiwan that are at fault.
• China claims the island as part of its territory and views any foreign intervention over Taiwan as interference in its domestic affairs.

Sun’s meeting in Rome was “exceptionally candid” but productive, and will help lay the groundwork for a virtual summit between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year, the US official said.

Blinken on Sun said Iranians have indicated they’re “coming back” to the negotiating table on talks over a nuclear deal in November, but also noted, “We’ll see if they do.”

While the US, (like others, has no formal relations with Taiwan), Washington is the island’s most important international supporter and main arms supplier and is required by law to provide it with the means to defend itself.

Washington has long followed a policy of “strategic ambiguity” on whether it would intervene militarily to protect Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, though Biden said last week that it would come to Taiwan’s defense if necessary.

Blinken made clear that Washington had not changed its “one China” policy regarding Taiwan, and Blinken said there was “no change in our policy” when pressed on CNN on Biden’s comment.

“We’ve had a long-standing commitment,” he said, under the Taiwan Relations Act that Biden supported when he was a senator “to make sure that Taiwan has the means to defend itself. And we stand by that. The president does sit by that strongly“.

• “We want to make sure that no one takes any unilateral action that would disrupt the status quo concerning Taiwan. That hasn’t changed,” Blinken said.
• Wang told Blinken that Taiwan is the most sensitive issue between China and the US.
• “We require the US to pursue a real one-China policy, not a fake one-China policy,” Wang was quoted by the ministry as saying.

Blinken and Wang did not discuss a recent Chinese hyper-sonic weapons test.