[NEWS OF THE DAY]

PM Modi Leaves From Germany, Recalls Productive Talks On Global Well-being & Prosperity

On his way to India, PM Modi will make a brief stopover in the UAE on Tue to pay his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former president of UAE. PM Modi will land in Abu Dhabi at 3:30 PM to meet UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and will return to New Delhi at 10:45 PM. In recent years, relations and commercial ties between India and UAE have expanded to a great extent. Earlier this Feb, India, and UAE signed the historic Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement aimed at boosting merchandise trade between the two nations to $100 bn over the next 5 years. (here)

PM Modi makes India’s position clear on Ukraine, calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities: FS Vinay Kwatra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made India’s position clear on the Ukraine conflict at the G7 summit where he reiterated that there must be an immediate end to the hostilities and a resolution should be reached by choosing the path of dialogue and diplomacy, said Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra. Replying to a question on India’s stand on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Kwatra during a press conference said, “On Russia-Ukraine, PM made India’s position clear including an immediate end to hostilities; dialogue & diplomacy to resolve the situation.” Kwatra also highlighted that PM Modi has spoken with the world leaders on the knockdown effect of the conflict in Eastern Europe on the food security crisis, especially in the vulnerable countries. Ever since the war started on Feb 24, PM has been appealing to both Russia and Ukraine for peace and an end to hostilities. (here) Pushing back against the misconception that developing countries cause greater damage to the environment, PM Modi on Mon said India, which is home to 17% of the world population, accounts for only 5% of global carbon emissions while Addressing a special session on “Investing in a better future: Climate, energy, health” at the G7 Summit in Germany.

G7 nations announce plan to impose more sanctions against Russia; pledge USD 29.5bn support to Ukraine

The G7 leaders on Monday said they intend to continue to impose individual sanctions against Russia amid a “devastating war” that has produced dramatic consequences far beyond Europe. Condemning unprovoked and unjustifiable war, the leaders pledged USD 29.5 billion worth of support to Ukraine to help the country close its financing gap and continue ensuring the delivery of basic services to the Ukrainian people. The G7 countries said they will cut off Russia from participating in world markets, as well as limit its revenues, including from gold exports. The group also plans to further limit Russia’s access to “key industrial inputs, services, and technologies produced by our economies, particularly those supporting Russia’s armament industrial base and technology sector.” (here)

Meeting of PM with President of South Africa on the sidelines of G-7 Summit-PM Modi met the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa. Both leaders reviewed the progress made in bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly following the signing of the Strategic Programme of Cooperation in 2019. Discussions were also held on continued coordination in multilateral bodies and the need for their reform, particularly the UNSC.

Modi, Trudeau discuss security, counterterrorism cooperation-PM Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau discussed bilateral security and counter-terrorism cooperation on Mon amid growing concerns in New Delhi over the anti-India activities by radical pro-Khalistani elements among the Sikhs in the North American country. The meeting took place amid New Delhi’s concerns over links between radical pro-Khalistani Sikhs in Canada and the attempts being made to revive extremism in Punjab.

Meeting of PM with President of European Commission on the sidelines of G-7 Summit-The leaders expressed happiness on the resumption of negotiations on the Trade, Investment, and GI Agreements between India and EU. They reviewed India-EU engagements in various sectors, including digital cooperation, climate action, and technology & innovation.

Meeting of PM with President of Indonesia on the sidelines of G-7 Summit- PM Modi met the President of Indonesia. PM congratulated President Widodo on Indonesia’s ongoing G-20 presidency. Discussions took place on India’s forthcoming G-20 presidency.

[NATIONAL]

US Revives Offer To Co-Develop AMCA Fighter Jet Engine With India

The US has revived an offer to cooperate with India on the development of jet engine technology which could be used to power India’s futuristic Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). General Electric (GE) of the US, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of jet engines, has submitted a proposal for the co-development of a 110 kN thrust engine with Indian agencies. Top military sources have confirmed to BW that GE is being considered along with Safran of France and Rolls Royce of the UK for collaboration on the AMCA engine. “The options for a tie-up are open from among the three contenders. The Defence Research and Development Organisation is the lead agency and a private Indian entity is also likely to be involved in the program,” BW reported, citing sources. Industry watchers read the US turnaround as a bid to retain its lead in powering India’s indigenous fighter jet program, a position it does not wish to cede to European engine makers. (here)

India-UK to start fifth round of FTA negotiations in July

India and UK concluded the fourth round of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations closing 11 out of the 26 chapters, a commerce ministry official said on Mon, adding that both the countries will begin the 5^th round next month. The trade negotiations with the UK assume special significance for the domestic textile sector as duty-free textile exports would bring the Indian textile industry at par with major textile exporters such as Bangladesh and Vietnam. The agreement is estimated to double India-UK bilateral trade to about $100 billion by 2030. Besides, the pact aims to cover 65% of goods and up to 40% of services, with the coverage in goods expected to go up to 90% in the full agreement. India had a $3.3 billion trade surplus with the UK in 2020-21. The UK is India’s 7^th-largest export market, accounting for 2.8% of its total exports, as of June 2021. (here)

IAF Receives Over 94,000 Applications Under Agnipath Scheme in Four Days

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has received 94,281 applications under the Agnipath recruitment scheme within 4 days of the registration process getting underway on Fri. After the scheme was unveiled on Jun 14, violent protests against it rocked several states for nearly a week and several opposition parties have been demanding its rollback. ”A total of 94,281 Agniveer Vayu aspirants have registered till 10:30 am (Mon). Registration closes on Jul 5,” Defence Ministry. Under the scheme, the govt had said youths between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted for a 4-year tenure, while 25% of them will be subsequently inducted for regular service. (here) Over 2000 Social Media Handles Used To Incite Violence: Agnipath Toolkit Exposed- The updates on protest against Agnipath Scheme, it is being reported that a toolkit was made to incite violence and was shared through social media. Times Now intel report has exposed the Agnipath toolkit and it was supposedly designed to malign India. As per the report, over 2000 social media handles were being used to incite violence, which had been created in 2 days. Interestingly, all traffics have come from Gulf nations. Right after the announcement of the new armed forces recruitment scheme Agneepath, massive violent protests were witnessed across the country. (here)

Alt News Co-Founder Mohammed Zubair Sent To 1-Day Police Custody

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair has been sent to one-day police remand for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of a particular community on Mon. He was charged under sections 153A (promotion of enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language) and 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Delhi Police said. According to police, a complaint was received against the co-founder through Twitter regarding a tweet by Zubair. He was called for questioning today after which the IFSO unit of the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested Zubair, police said. He was evasive on the questions and neither provided the necessary technical equipment for the investigation nor cooperated in the investigation. (here) Calling it “extremely disturbing”, the Editors Guild of India [selectively stimulated] today condemned the “brazen” arrest of fact-checker Mohammed Zubair and demanded his immediate release. Pointing to commitments made by PM Modi in the G7 meeting in Germany to ensure a resilient democracy by protecting online and offline content, it said his release would support India’s position. India Toady citing the source wrote that Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair refuses to hand over electronic devices to cops after arrest. Zubair received more than 50 lakh rupees in his account in the last 3 months. The Delhi Police on Tue said that they would investigate these transactions, including the Unified Payment Interface from which the money was transferred and what it was used for. Meanwhile, the opposition slammed the Centre over Zubair’s arrest. (here)

Ex Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta takes charge as new NIA chief

Former Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta on Mon took over the charge of a full-fledged Director-General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA)– the post which was vacant since May last year after the retirement of YC Modi. The 1987-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Punjab cadre took over the charge from the Central Reserve Police Force, DG Kuldeep Singh, a 1986-batch West Bengal cadre IPS officer, who was handling the additional charge of the NIA since the retirement of Modi. Gupta was decorated with two police gallantry medals in 1992 and 1994. He was also decorated with the Police Medal for Meritorious Services by the President and the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service (2010). In 1999, Gupta was awarded the British Chevening Gurukul Scholarship by the British Council at the London School of Economics. (here)

India Blocks Twitter Accounts Of Pakistan Embassies In UN, Turkey, Iran & Egypt

Twitter India has banned official accounts of Pakistan Embassies in the UN, Turkey, Iran & Egypt. Earlier, Twitter also withheld the account of Radio Pakistan. After these official accounts were withheld in  India, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Twitter to restore the accounts with immediate access. This development comes shortly after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting blocked 16 news channels on YouTube, (cumulative viewership of over 68 crores) including 6 based in Pakistan, for ‘spreading misinformation related to India’s national security, and foreign relations, and public order’. The Ministry said these YouTube channels were spreading false, unverified information to create panic, incite communal disharmony, and disturb public order in India. (here)

Around Hundred Join AGP Today in Guwahati

As many as 150 people joined the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) during a program held on Mon at the party office in Guwahati. Former Congress minister Mohibul Haque and former All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Rasul Haque Bahadur are among those who have joined the party. Members of AGP came from different backgrounds including lawyers and engineers on Mon. AGP President Atul Bora has appointed Jayanta Khaund as the finance secretary, Krishnakanta Das as the editor, and Partha Pratim Bora as the spokesperson of the party. Meanwhile, Atul Bora questioned media representatives about the All-Assam Students’ Union (AASU) meeting in Koinadhora and stated that it was not a secret meeting. He also said that it is not a hard and fast rule that all meetings must be open to the media. (here)

Indian Coast Guard has inducted an armed version of the ALH Mark3 chopper in the Gujarat region which is armed with a 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Gun which can effectively hit targets at over 1800m. Coast Guard chief VS Pathania said the rules of engagement of the force allow it to be used against anti-national elements as per laid down procedures.

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

China’s Belt and Road Initiative MoU reveals Beijing seeking economic hegemony in Nepal

An accessed copy of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between China and Nepal on Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) projects reveals how China seeks economic hegemony in Nepal through these projects, local media reported. These BRI projects even after so many years of signing the MoU are nowhere to be seen on the horizon and in a key development, a procured copy of the MoU exposed China and its attempts to dominate Nepal’s economy with its currency and free trade provisions. Notably, in May 2017, the govt of Nepal and China signed an MoU on China’s BRI. However, neither Nepal nor China made the document public in all these 5 years. Meanwhile, Khabarhub has obtained a copy of the MoU on the widely-talked BRI signed between the two countries. As per the analysis of the contents of the MoU by Nepal’s local media outlet, China, through its BRI agreement, has attempted to impose its economic hegemony, conditions, and vested interest in Nepal in the name of Free Trade Connectivity. (here)

China’s H-6 bombers in show of air-navy coordination near southern Japan, experts say

People’s Liberation Army bombers flew over the Miyako Strait in southern Japan last week while carrying powerful supersonic cruise missiles, showing the coordination between China’s air and naval forces, according to military experts. Three H-6 bombers passed over the Strait from the East China Sea into the Pacific Ocean on Thu, then turned back taking a similar route, according to the Japanese Defence Ministry. News of the flight comes after Chinese and Russian warships were reported to have sailed around Japan in what Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi described as a “show of force”. Images from the ministry showed that two of the aircraft – H-6J bombers belonging to the PLA Navy – carried 8 YJ-12 anti-ship cruise missiles, while an H-6K belonging to the PLA Air Force was equipped with electronic countermeasure pods for jamming enemy radar, Chinese military analyst Wang Shichun wrote on Shanghai-based news site Guancha.cn. (here)

The U.S. says the Taiwan Strait flight shows commitment to open Indo-Pacific

A U.S. Navy aircraft’s flight through the Taiwan Strait last week demonstrated a U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the U.S. military said on Tue, after China complained it endangered peace and stability. China said it had sent aircraft to monitor and warn the P-8A anti-submarine aircraft as it flew over the sensitive waterway on Fri. “U.S Navy vessels and aircraft routinely interact with foreign warships and aircraft while operating throughout the region,” the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement. “All interactions with foreign military forces during the transit were consistent with international norms and did not impact the operation,” it said. (here)

Pakistan inches closer to sealing the deal with IMF

Pakistan has received the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the 7^th and 8^th reviews, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail confirmed Tue morning. This is a critical development signaling that the two sides have reached an agreement. The draft MEFP is a prerequisite to paving the way toward striking a staff-level agreement. Now that Pakistan has received this document, it will be analyzed and scrutinized for 3 days by the country’s economic team. The minister and State Bank of Pakistan governor will then sign it if no major problem is found. The staff-level agreement will then be presented before the IMF’s Executive Board next month for approval, after which the tranche will be released. (here) Told Miftah Ismail our ultimate goal is self-reliance: PM Shehbaz Sharif- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tue said that Pakistan’s “ultimate goal is self-reliance” in response to news that the country will receive not $1 billion but $2 billion in loans from the IMF.

Sri Lanka permits companies to import fuel as the crisis worsens

The Sri Lankan Cabinet on Tuesday granted to open fuel imports and retail sales market to companies from oil-exporting nations after the country ran out of fuel as only 1,100 tonnes of petrol and 7,500 tonnes of diesel are left, which are not sufficient to last for a day. Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said that the companies will be selected upon their ability to import fuel and operate without Forex requirements from the CBSL and banks for the first few months of operations, reported Daily Mirror Online. He said the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation will be the service provider for logistics, stocking, and distribution with a service fee levied from those companies. With no fuel shipment in sight any time soon, the country will come to a complete standstill from this week, as even public transportation will come to a grinding halt. Not only this but lengthened power cuts will also come into effect soon as the required stocks of fuel will not be supplied to the power plants. (here)