[ NATIONAL ]

Army begins major theatre-level exercise along the western border, first since Covid pandemic

Army sources say Exercise Dakshin Shakti, under Southern Command, is designed to validate new concepts and doctrines for integration of armed forces and border-guarding forces.

US has not decided yet on potential CAATSA waiver to India on S400 purchase from Russia: Official

The US has not decided yet on any potential CAATSA waiver to India for its purchase of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia, the Biden administration has said, pointing out that the law does not have a country-specific waiver provision attached to it and bilateral conversations regarding the subject will continue.

Parliament panel wants a regulator for Facebook, Twitter

BJP leader PP Chaudhary, who heads the panel, said the report’s recommendations will be presented in parliament when it comes into session from Nov 29. He declined to discuss the contents of the report.

India pitches for an inclusive political settlement to the Afghan crisis

India on Wed reaffirmed the need for an inclusive negotiated political settlement to the Afghan crisis and said the territory of Afghanistan should not be used to the detriment of any other country. In a virtual interactive session at an industry chamber, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said New Delhi is in touch with all countries concerned on the Afghan issue.

India Stands on Cryptocurrencies, and the new bill will mean for Bitcoin and Co

As the Centre lines up the cryptocurrency Bill for Winter Session, there are apprehensions that it will go for an outright ban. Here’s what you need to know

India, US, China take on Opec+, to release oil from reserves to check prices

In coordinated efforts to control soaring oil prices, major economies like India, US, China, Japan, South Korea, and Britain on Tue decided to release millions of barrels of oil from their respective strategic reserves after Opec+ producers repeatedly ignored calls for cruder.

India will be a close partner of the new govt in Iraq to achieve economic recovery, stability: Secy Bhattacharyya

ANI – Strongly condemning the assassination attempt on Iraqi Prime Minister, India on Tue (local time) said that it will remain a willing partner of the new Govt in its efforts to achieve economic recovery, peace, and stability. These remakes were delivered by the Secretary to Govt of India, in the Ministry of External Affairs, at the UNSC Briefing on UN Assistance Mission for Iraq. Bhattacharyya said India hopes that the successful completion of elections marks the beginning of a new phase towards a stable Iraq.

60 tractors, 1,000 people will head to Parliament on November 29: Rakesh Tikait

The tractor march is being organized by farmer unions to press for a statutory guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops among other issues.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

The US says it will resume talks with the Taliban next week

The American delegation will be led by the US special representative for Afghanistan, Tom West, for the planned two weeks of discussions, State Department spokx Ned Price said Tue.

China backs nuclear-weapon-free zone in Southeast Asia in a move to ‘contain AUKUS’

China has voiced support for a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Southeast Asia as it seeks to strengthen regional alliances, pushed by concerns over the new Aukus security pact, according to observers.

While Beijing has yet to sign the protocol to the ASEAN treaty to keep nuclear weapons out of the region – despite indicating a willingness to do so for more than 2 decades – pressure from the new partnership between Australia, the UK, and the US could speed up the process, they said.

President Xi Jinping told the Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders on Mon that China-backed efforts to build a nuclear-weapon-free zone and was willing to sign the protocol to the treaty “as early as possible”.

‘Have courage and tell the public who pressured you,’ Maryam tells ex-CJP Nisar

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz Wed called upon former chief justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar to “have courage” and share with the public who had allegedly pressured him to convict her and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, days after alleged audio of the former top judge was leaked while addressing a press conference in Islamabad with other senior PML-N leaders.

Meanwhile, the US firm said, “it is being threatened over forensic analysis of Saqib Nisar’s alleged audio clip”. “Threatening our team to obtain a different result is unethical,” it says.

Pakistan among 110 countries invited by US to a virtual summit on democracy

United States President Joe Biden has invited around 110 countries to a virtual summit on democracy in December, including major Western allies but also Iraq, India, and Pakistan, according to a list posted on the State Department website on Tue.

Army begins major theatre-level exercise along the western border, first since Covid pandemic

ThePrint-As India’s defense forces work towards integration and theaterization, the Army has initiated the first big exercise along the western borders, involving over 30,000 troops, assets of the Air Force, Coast Guard, and multiple agencies including central intelligence organizations, since the outbreak of Covid-19.

(sources) -the exercise, named Dakshin Shakti, under the Southern Command, is designed to validate new concepts and doctrines for integration of the armed forces and border-guarding forces in the backdrop of the impending theaterization process.

• While the exercise is not a testbed for theaterization, inputs from this integrated warfighting approach will go into the ongoing efforts to work out theatre commands.
• India has kickstarted the theaterization of its military, which will see multiple unified commands being created over the next “2-3 years” to fight in the future.

The Army’s South Western Commander, Lt Gen Amardeep Singh Bhinder, has already been dual-tasked to work out the structures of the Western Theatre Command, which will be based in Jaipur and will look after the border with Pakistan.

Training areas in Rajasthan and Gujarat: The complete Desert Sector, Rann, and Creek Sector on the Western Front have been activated for this exercise, which also includes elements from the Bhopal-based 21 Strike Corps.

Sources -the emphasis of the entire exercise is on an integrated approach to war and the infusion of high technology including multiple new weapons systems besides unmanned aerial vehicles would be part of the exercise.

Dakshin Shakti, a multi-agency exercise called Sagar Shakti involving components from the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Border Security Force, and Gujarat state security apparatus including police, marine police, and fisheries department, was conducted in the Creek Sector of the Kutch Peninsula from Nov 19 -22.

This exercise involved the insertion of troops and maneuvers by forces in all three dimensions simultaneously in an integrated manner.

US has not decided yet on potential CAATSA waiver to India on S400 purchase from Russia: Official

The US has not decided yet on any potential CAATSA waiver to India for its purchase of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia, the Biden administration has said, pointing out that the law does not have a country-specific waiver provision attached to it and bilateral conversations regarding the subject will continue.

The State Department’s comments come a week after India started receiving the supplies of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia and amidst calls from top Republican and Democratic lawmakers not to impose Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions on India.

The CAATSA, enacted by the US Congress in 2017, provides for punitive actions against any country engaged in transactions with Russian defense and intelligence sectors.

Asserting that the US values its “strategic partnership” with India, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price maintained the Biden Administration’s suspense over the issue by telling reporters that the CAATSA does not have a blanket or country-specific waiver provision attached to it.

“…We have not decided on a potential waiver concerning Indian arms transactions with Russia,” Price said on Tue.

“We expect this strong momentum in our defense relationship to continue. We certainly value our strategic partnership with India. ….” Price said in response to a question.

CAATSA – authorizes the US to impose sanctions on countries that purchase major defense hardware from Russia in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections.

In Oct 2018, India had signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy 5 units of the S-400 air defense missile systems, despite a warning from the then Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions.

The US has already imposed sanctions on Turkey under the CAATSA for the purchase of a batch of S-400 missile defense systems from Russia, following which there were apprehensions that Washington may impose similar punitive measures on India.

• Russia has been one of India’s key major suppliers of arms and ammunition. Several members of the US Congress, Price said, have shown deep interest in the issue.
• Price said that the 2+2 talks would be held soon in Washington DC.
• Last month, US Senators and India Caucus Co-Chairs Mark Warner and John Cornyn sent a letter to President encouraging him to waive CAATSA against India.
• In cases where granting a waiver would advance the national security interests of the U.S.

Where India Stands On Cryptocurrencies, What New Bill Will Mean For Bitcoin And Company

As the Centre lines up the cryptocurrency Bill for Winter Session, there are apprehensions that it will go for an outright ban. Here’s what you need to know

News18-Another of the notorious price swings cryptocurrencies are known for was underway amid news that the Centre is set to introduce a Bill in Parliament that seeks to crack down on these unregulated assets in India, which has one of the largest crypto-ownership bases in the world.

The Centre has long made clear its wariness regarding cryptocurrencies even as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced plans to launch a digital currency of its own.

Total Indian Owned Cryptocurrencies: 10.07 crore cryptocurrency owners (mostly younger people, but also senior citizens), as per industry resources, which is ahead of the US, although it is estimated to surpass India on the total value of holdings.

Crypto research firm CREBACO: total investments in cryptocurrencies have increased from USD 1 to 10 billion since Apr 2020 to late.

As news of the crypto Bill being lined up for legislation got out, sizeable drops were reported, although the development was not specifically linked to its proposed legislation

Concerns: PM Narendra Modi had said (Sydney Dialogue—focused on emerging, critical and cyber technologies, in mid-Nov) – all democratic countries must work together to ensure that “it does not end up in wrong hands, which can spoil our youth“.

• Earlier, the PM had noted while chairing a meeting that unregulated crypto markets could be used for money laundering and terror financing.
• Sources had said that the practice of wooing investors, especially youths, with advertisements that over-promised gains and hid risks, too, was flagged at the meeting.

India Official Position: Union Finance Minister N Sitharaman had said in July that the wait was only to see “when the Cabinet can take it up and consider it so that then we can move it”.

The wording of the Bill as listed for the Winter session has stayed the same, saying that it seeks to “create a facilitative framework for… the official digital currency to be issued by the RBI” and that it also seeks “to prohibit all private cryptocurrencies in India“.

But the Bill does allow “for certain exceptions to promote the underlying technology of cryptocurrency and its uses”.

Reuters (source) amid Budget Session -the Bill would represent “one of the world’s strictest policies against cryptocurrencies (and) would criminalize possession, issuance, mining, trading and transferring crypto-assets“.

It had said that in such an event, investors would be given a window to dispose of their crypto holdings following which penalties will be introduced.

News18 (sources) – the govt is not going for “an outright ban” and that regulatory mechanisms will be put in place to prevent the misuse of cryptocurrencies. But cryptocurrencies will not be recognized as legal tender.

Cryptocurrency Tread in India: In its answer to a question in Parliament during the last Budget session on whether there was a ban on “bitcoin trading in the country”, the ministry had cited an RBI circular from April 2018 that had “advised all the entities regulated by it not to deal in” virtual currencies. However, it had noted that the Supreme Court had in a 2020 judgment set aside the RBI circular. That has meant that Indian investors have been able to trade in cryptocurrency. (see the weekend on Oct 16)

India’s parliament panel wants a regulator for Facebook, Twitter

StraitsTimes– An Indian parliamentary panel has recommended setting up a regulator to oversee Twitter and Facebook as they should be seen as publishers, according to people with knowledge of the matter, effectively reducing the legal protection from user content posted on their social media platforms.

The Parliament panel made those recommendations as it reviewed the personal data protection bill introduced in 2019 that seeks to protect users’ privacy and enforce strict controls on how Western companies collect, process, and store data.

• The panel is asking for tighter rules as current laws treating social media platforms as intermediaries haven’t done enough in terms of regulation.
• Also, the current provisions in the personal data protection bill are too broad, said the two people who are not authorized to speak to the media.
• A mechanism may be devised for such platforms to be held accountable for content also coming from unverified accounts.
• If these recommendations are passed in parliament, it could have a far-reaching impact on the operations of public and private companies in the largest SM market globally.
• Such a move echoes similar sentiments beyond India.
• These companies have so far enjoyed “safe harbor” and can’t be held liable for user-generated content so long as they follow the Intermediary Guidelines 2021.

This has included setting up offices in India, appointing compliance officials, and adhering to the government’s requests to take down certain types of content that it deems as harmful.

Data protection: India’s headlong rush to adopt smartphones has led to an explosion of personal and sensitive information. However, laws to protect users’ privacy haven’t moved at the same pace, sparking concerns among activists and civic groups over potential abuses.

• It took two years for the current govt to come up with data protection legislation after the Supreme Court ruled that privacy is a fundamental individual right.
• The parliamentary panel missed many deadlines to complete its report as lawmakers were divided on some of the bill’s provisions.
• The provision allows the govt to give exemptions to its agencies from parts of the legislation, although some lawmakers have expressed reservations about this.

India, US, China take on Opec+, to release oil from reserves to check prices

In coordinated efforts to control soaring oil prices, major economies like India, US, China, Japan, South Korea, and Britain on Tue decided to release millions of barrels of oil from their respective strategic reserves after Opec+ producers repeatedly ignored calls for more crude.

US President Joe Biden, facing low approval ratings amid rising inflation ahead of next year’s congressional elections, has repeatedly asked the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and its allies, known as Opec+, to pump more oil.

• Tuesday’s announcement was made after an official said Washington had approached major Asian energy consumers to help to drive down oil prices from near 3-year highs.
• Britain had not previously been mentioned as being involved.
• It was the first time Washington had coordinated such a move with some of the world’s largest oil consumers, officials said.
• Opec+, which includes Saudi Arabia and other US allies in the Gulf, as well as Russia, has rebuffed requests to pump more at its monthly meetings.
• It meets again on Dec 2 to discuss policy but has so far shown no indication it will change tack.

The group has been struggling to meet existing targets under its agreement to gradually increase production by 400,000 barrels/day (bpd)/ month and it remains worried that a resurgence of coronavirus cases could once again drive down demand.

Current high prices have been caused by a sharp rebound in global demand, which cratered last year, early in the pandemic.

The release from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve would be in a loan and a sale to companies, US officials said.

The 32 million barrels loan will take place over the next several months, while the administration would accelerate a release of 18 mn barrels in sales already approved by Congress.

India said in a statement it would release 5 million barrels, while Britain said it would allow the voluntary release of 1.5 million barrels of oil from privately-held reserves.

South Korea said details on the amount and timing of the release of oil reserves would be decided after discussions with the US and other allies.

Tokyo would announce its plans on Wed.

Benchmark Brent crude was trading above $80 a barrel on Tue, up from its levels before the announcement but still well below last month’s 3-year high of more than $86.

The effort by Washington to team up with major Asian economies to lower energy prices sends a warning to OPEC and other big producers that they need to address concerns about high crude prices, up more than 50% so far this year.

Suhail Al-Mazrouei, Energy Minister, UAE (Opec’s biggest producers) said before details of the release from the US were announced that he saw “no logic” in lifting UAE supply for global markets.

An Opec+ source said releasing reserves would complicate calculations for Opec+, as it monitors the market monthly.

Heightened tension “These developments point to a period of heightened political tensions between the world’s biggest consumers and OPEC+, which implies increased oil price volatility,” said Henning Gloystein at Eurasia Group.

• Japan and South Korea are IEA members. China and India are only associate members.
• Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch described the US release of 50 million barrels as “quite significant” and more than expected before the announcement.

HT-China’s oil stockpiles have risen to around 100 days worth of net imports, two people with knowledge of supply levels said on Feb 25, 2021. The build-up follows a push by Beijing to buy up crude for its reserves last year when prices crashed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

• The reserves fluctuate but have consistently been at or above 100 days worth of imports and rose as high as 120 days recently, one of the people said.

• Beijing set a goal of increasing govt stockpiles to hold at least 90 days of net imports, Bloomberg reported in April 2020.
• As the world’s largest oil importer a sufficient level of reserves is critical for economic resilience to supply shocks such as a war in the Middle East.
• The International Energy Agency recommends that countries have enough crude to cover at least 90 days of net imports.
• Unlike the US, where data about the nation’s strategic petroleum reserves are updated publicly and regularly, the size of China’s crude stockpiles is masked in mystery.
• There’s also less of a distinction between government reserves and commercial stockpiles, with many of the country’s biggest energy companies being state-owned.
• China was moving forward with plans to buy up oil for its emergency reserves in April of last 2020, people familiar with the plans said at the time.
• China’s crude imports averaged 10.9 mn bpd in 2020, according to import data compiled by Bloomberg, suggesting current stockpile levels of around 1.09 bn barrel.

60 tractors, 1,000 people will head to Parliament on Nov 29: Rakesh Tikait

HT-As many as 60 tractors and at least a thousand people will head to Parliament in the national capital as part of a tractor march, which will be organized by farmer unions on November 29 (to coincide with the beginning of the winter session of Parliament), to press for their demand for a statutory guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait announced on Tue.

“..We were accused of keeping the roads blocked. We did not block the road. Blocking the roads is not our movement. Perhaps, our movement is to talk to the govt. We will straight go to the Parliament,” Tikait told news agency ANI.

Union Cabinet clears bill to scrap three farm laws: (Sources) TOI

• The Union Cabinet on Wed approved the bill to repeal the 3 controversial farm laws.
• The govt has listed Repeal Bill, 2021 in the legislative business to be taken up in Lok Sabha during the winter session of Parliament beginning Nov 29.

HT-The statement comes on the day (Wed) when the Union Cabinet clears the farm law repeal bill, which triggered ‘nationwide farmers’ (only confined to 2 and a half states) protest.

Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions, that have been at the forefront of the year-long protests, an official stated that tractor rallies will also be organized in state capitals distant from Delhi.

• SKM noted, adding that the day will also be celebrated as a “partial victory” of their movement.
• “Solidarity events” are also being planned across the world by the Indian diaspora as well as international farmers’ organizations, SKM claimed.
• Parliament’s winter session will commence on Nov 29 to Dec 23.

Meanwhile, Tikait has said that he will open his political cards after the announcement of states Polls.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

Pakistan among 110 countries invited by US President Joe Biden to a virtual summit on democracy

United States President Joe Biden has invited around 110 countries to a virtual summit on democracy in Dec, including major Western allies but also Iraq, India, and Pakistan, according to a list posted on the State Department website on Tue.

China, the United States’ principal rival, is NOT invited, while Taiwan IS — a move that risks angering Beijing.

• Turkey, which like America is a member of NATO, is also missing from the list of participants.
• Among the countries of the Middle East, only Israel and Iraq will take place in the online conference.
• Traditional Arab allies of the US — Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE — are not invited.
• Biden invited Brazil even though its far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro has been criticized as having an authoritarian bent and was a firm supporter of Donald Trump.

In Europe, Poland was invited to the summit despite persistent tension with the EU over its human rights record.

In announcing the summit back in Aug, the White House said the meeting would “galvanize commitments and initiatives across three principal themes: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights”.

“For this kick-off summit […] there’s a case for getting a broad set of actors into the room: it provides for a better exchange of ideas than setting a perfect bar for qualification,” Laleh Ispahani of the Open Society Foundations told AFP.