[NEWS OF THE DAY]

1. China building spree at Depsang Plains
2. India Deploys New Docks, Upgrades Speedboats for Pangong Tso Patrol
3. India attends Moscow format of talks on Afghanistan to eradicate terrorism
4. UN: India voices concerns on energy, food security due to Ukraine conflict
5. Pakistan is not participating in India’s ‘No Money For Terror’ Conference, says NIA DG

What Else

6. 2 men arrested in Amritsar for carrying hand grenades
7. ‘Modi govt feels no pressure’: Puri ahead of Dec 5 deadline on Russian oil price cap
8. ‘A very worrying scenario’: Internal documents on India Covid-19 vaccine raise troubling questions about approval process
9. Soon the KYC of Caller will be displayed on call, on mobile screens
10. Attack on Taiwan would be ‘mistake’ for China, like Russian invasion of Ukraine: Top US Gen
11. French president plans Beijing trip to seek China’s help mediating Russia’s war on Ukraine
12. ‘US cannot stop us’: Pakistan warns Washington, says want oil from Russia on India’s pattern
13. China playing ‘long game’ as it co-opts UK assets, warns MI5 chief
14. Nepal, China seal a deal for utilization of Rs15 billion in Chinese grant
15. Nepal: CEC Rajiv Kumar invited as international observer for Nepal polls
16. Pakistan: Minister ‘confirms’ plans to amend army act
17. Pakistan-Afghan border Bab-e-Dosti remained closed to all kinds of traffic for the 4th day

Media

China building spree at Depsang Plains

• Telegraph (sources)- Recent report suggests the Chinese are building additional roads, helipads, and military camps inside India-claimed lines on the strategic Depsang Plains.
• In Depsang they have so far resisted any disengagement process.
• China plans to hold on to territory that it has occupied at multiple transgression points since May 2020 and declare a new status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
• The development comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping last week told the country’s army to “focus all its energy on fighting” in preparation for war.
• Official-“the PLA continues to ramp up its military infrastructure on the Depsang Plains where it is estimated to be entrenched 18km inside India-claimed lines.”
• The Indian army chief, Gen Pande, had on Sat said the situation in eastern Ladakh was “stable but unpredictable”.
• Defense ministry sources said the biggest worry was the Chinese army’s unwillingness to discuss disengagement from the Depsang Plains.
• The Indian army maintains that these buffer zones are temporary and that India has not given up its right over these areas.
• The Chinese are estimated to have taken over close to 1,000sqkm of India-claimed territory in eastern Ladakh since May 2020. [?] (here)

India Deploys New Docks, Upgrades Speedboats for Pangong Tso Patrol

• The Army has deployed new landing docks and speed boats for patrolling the Pangong Tso lake in eastern Ladakh, matching the Chinese deployment at the lake.
• It is part of the capacity enhancement initiated post-2020 standoff in eastern Ladakh to plug the loopholes with the Chinese build-up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
• A defense source said, “This recruitment has significantly boosted our patrolling capability and we now have boats that match the adversary.”
• The source said the landing craft is capable of carrying 35 soldiers or a jeep and 12 personnel, while the speed boats can reach a speed of 35 knots.
• Officials said the landing craft is capable of carrying 35 soldiers or a jeep and 12 personnel, while the speed boat can reach a speed of 35 knots.
• Sources said the new landing craft has also been deployed at Sir Creek in Gujarat facing Pakistan.

India attends Moscow format of talks on Afghanistan to eradicate terrorism

• India and 9 other countries on Wed called for creating a “truly inclusive” govt in Kabul and eradicating terrorism during their discussions under the Moscow format.
• Russia China Pakistan India Iran Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan have participated but No participation this time by the US, Taliban
• It said representatives of Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey were also present at the meeting as guests.
• The Russian said the participants expressed a consolidated demand for the “complete unfreezing” of Afghanistan’s assets by Washington.
• A joint statement released said “firmly fight, dismantle and eliminate them, to ensure that Afghanistan would never again serve as a “breeding ground, safe haven or source of proliferation for terrorism”.
• The participants expressed support for Kabul in developing crop substitution programs and cracking down on narcotics production and trafficking. (here)
• In an unusual move, Pakistan has given a damning assessment of the Taliban regime’s 16 months in power, saying the interim govt has done little to form an inclusive govt, protect the rights of women and eradicate terrorist groups. (here)

UN: India voices concerns on energy, food security due to Ukraine conflict

• India on Wed voiced its growing concern about energy and food security around the world due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
• Addressing a UNSC debate on Ukraine, India’s top envoy to the UN, underscored the adverse impact of the Ukraine conflict, especially the developing countries.
• The latest briefing comes as millions of people in Ukraine are without electricity, water, or heating under below zero along with a wave of missile attacks in at least 16 regions.
• The damage to civilian infrastructure comes at a critical time when the temperature is dropping below zero.
• …We thus stand ready to support all efforts aimed at de-escalation,” she said. (here)
• The military task of kicking Russia physically out of Ukraine is very difficult. It won’t happen until Russian Army completely collapses which’s unlikely. The probability of Ukrainian military victory, defined as kicking Russia out anytime soon, is not high: US top Gen Mark A Milley.

Pakistan is not participating in India’s ‘No Money For Terror’ Conference, says NIA DG

• As per Dinkar Gupta, NIA Director General, Pakistan is not participating in the ‘No Money For Terror’ Conference being organized in Delhi on Nov 18-19.
• Gupta revealed that 78 countries and multilateral organizations are participating in the third edition of the Conference being organized in the national capital.
• Traditional methods of Hawala money and new ways of terror financing would be part of the discussion at the conference.
• Over 20 Ministers from all countries are participating in the conference.
• There is no doubt that there has been a huge reduction in terrorism and violent extremism but the battle has to be fought.
• Social media are used as crowdfunding platforms, & finances raised through such sources are ultimately used for terror purposes, which needs to be discussed

2 men arrested in Amritsar for carrying hand grenades

• The Amritsar police on Thu arrested two men and seized three hand grenades, Rs 1 lakh in cash, and a car from them.
• Parkash Singh and Angrej Singh of Ferozepur were nabbed at a checkpoint on the Amritsar-Pathankot road, said sources. (here)

‘Modi govt feels no pressure’: Puri ahead of Dec 5 deadline on Russian oil price cap

• Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas has said that the incumbent govt feels no pressure on an impending price cap on Russian oil proposed by the G-7
• This response to reporters being asked about the price cap mechanism on Russian crude oil proposed by G7 nations starting Dec 5.
• Minister made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of World LPG Week 2022 held in Greater Noida on Wed. (here)

‘A very worrying scenario’: Internal documents on India Covid-19 vaccine raise troubling questions about approval process

• One of India’s leading companies, Bharat Biotech was racing to develop a vaccine with crucial backing from the Indian govt.
• The shot engineered by Bharat Biotech was, in part, an important effort to create a home-grown product that could bolster the fortunes of the Indian pharma industry.
• STAT -The steps taken toward govt approval found that regulators endorsed Covaxin, despite discrepancies in the number of clinical trial participants.
• Moreover, questionable changes were made to the trial protocols to expedite the approval process. (here)
• Media reports .. rushed due to political pressure are misleading and fallacious. Scientific approach and prescribed norms adhered to in approving Covid-19 vaccines for Emergency Use Authorization: Govt of India

Soon the KYC of Caller will be displayed on call, on mobile screens

• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is set to roll out new measures that will ensure that the caller’s name flashes on the screen during an incoming call.
• TimesNow (sources)-the name will flash based on the customer’s KYC (Know Your Customer) documents available with the telecom operators.
• The measure will enable the authorities to ensure compliance on part of telecom operators for completing the KYC documentation of subscribers.
• This is in turn expected to curb unverified callers, spammers, and more importantly, cyber-criminals, who resort to using multiple sim cards to carry out fraud.
• A similar arrangement is also likely for WhatsApp calls.
• The matter is being dealt with through a legal and constitutional process. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Attack on Taiwan would be ‘mistake’ for China, like Russian invasion of Ukraine: Top US Gen

• An attack on Taiwan would be a ‘strategic mistake’ for China, the US top Gen said on Wed, as the strategic rivalry continues to intensify between the 2 largest economies.
• Gen said there are lessons to be learned from the conflict in Ukraine when it comes to the situation in Taiwan and helping the island prepare to defend itself.
• Terming China as a pacing threat, the top US general said Beijing has advanced its objective to become the number one power by mid-century.

• During a press conference, Milley said the continued superiority of the US military to China’s helps to deter great power conflict between the two nations.
• General Milley said that as long as the US military remains dominant, it can deter a “great power war” between the US and China.
• Earlier this year, the US labeled China the pacing challenge in its national defense strategy.
• Milley also said China is the greatest geopolitical threat to the US and is not shy about its intention to be the number one global power. (here)

French president plans Beijing trip to seek China’s help mediating Russia’s war on Ukraine

• French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wed he would visit China early next year, hoping to persuade Beijing to help mediate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
• Macron said he was “convinced that China can play a more important mediation role alongside us in the coming months”.
• Following a meeting between Xi and new Italian far-right PM Giorgia Meloni on Wed, Italian media reported that she had also accepted an invitation to visit Beijing.
• Despite requests from Kyiv and EU officials, Xi has yet to speak directly with Ukrainian President Zelensky. (here)

‘US cannot stop us’: Pakistan warns Washington, says want oil from Russia on India’s pattern

• The US cannot stop Pakistan from purchasing Russian oil and it will be possible to do so soon, Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said.
• Dar made the remarks while addressing the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) workers in Dubai on Nov 13.
• During his visit to the US in Sept, Dar had a meeting with the officials of the State Department in which the matter of oil purchases from Russia was discussed amid West’s sanctions.
• “We told the State Department officials that US cannot stop us from buying oil from Russia because our neighboring country India is also buying oil from Russia,” said Dar
• Worth mentioning, Pakistan is the 35^th largest importer of crude petroleum in the world, and in 2020-21, it imported crude oil worth $1.92 billion. (here)

China playing ‘long game’ as it co-opts UK assets, warns MI5 chief

• The expulsion of more than 400 suspected Russian spies from across Europe this year has struck the “most significant strategic blow” against Moscow, Britain’s spy chief said.
• In his annual update, the spy chief repeated warnings about Chinese attempts to influence lawmakers and those in public life, and harass the Chinese diaspora.
• Chief said a massive number of Russian officials had been expelled from across the world including over 600 from Europe of which more than 400 were judged to be spies.
• Chief said Beijing was “playing the long game” in trying to manipulate opinion by cultivating contacts with not just lawmakers but those in their early careers.
• He referenced an incident last month in Manchester, when a man who was protesting outside a Chinese consulate said he was dragged inside by masked men, and then kicked and punched. (here)

Nepal, China seal a deal for utilization of Rs15 billion in Chinese grant

• Nepal and China on Tue signed an agreement for the utilization of Rs15 billion in Chinese grants for various projects selected by the Nepali side, in Beijing.
• CIDCA (China’s external aid and development agency) has already made a foray into Nepal with different developmental activities.
• The govt has already given CIDCA the approval to execute 15 small developmental projects in 13 northern districts.
• “Now it is up to us to select and execute the projects.” Chinese Foreign Minister pledged Rs15 bn to Nepal for the year 2022, during the visit of Nepal FM to China in Aug. (here)

Nepal: CEC Rajiv Kumar invited as international observer for Nepal polls

• Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has been invited by the Election Commission of Nepal as an international observer for the forthcoming elections there.
• Elections are scheduled on Nov 20 to elect 275 members of the Federal Parliament and 550 seats of the 7 Provincial Assemblies.
• Kumar will be leading a delegation of ECI officials as a state guest in Nepal from  Nov 18 to 22, the poll panel said on Nov 17.
• Mr. Kumar would be visiting polling stations in Kathmandu and nearby areas.
• The EC also has a similar international election visitors program where members from other poll management bodies are invited to experience firsthand India’s poll.

Pakistan: Minister ‘confirms’ plans to amend army act

• Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wed attempted to downplay the debate on a leaked proposal to amend the army act
• However, the revelation has laid bare the ongoing behind-the-scenes power struggle, ahead of the impending appointment of a new army chief.
• The former defense secretary says the proposed law seems tailored to the army chief
• Govt already able to ‘retain’ retiring officers of Lt-Gen rank and below, as evidenced by Shuja Pasha’s extension.
• Gen Bajwa, who continued his farewell tour as he visited the Malir Garrison in Karachi on Wed, also seems to have read this.
• But the struggle between the government and the military for the next chief is far from over. (here)

Pakistan-Afghan border Bab-e-Dosti remained closed to all kinds of traffic for the 4^th day

• This came after the incident of firing from the Afghan border on Bab-e-Dosti in Chaman.
• 9,500 Pakistanis stuck in Afghanistan returned, while more than 2,000 Pakistanis are stuck across the border with no identity cards.
• More than 3000 loaded and empty trucks and containers are stuck in Afghanistan, due to which food, vegetables, and fruits are spoiling and millions of rupees are being lost.
• The administration says that until the accused involved in the Bab-e-Dosti firing incident is not handed over by the Afghan authorities, the border will remain closed.
• It should be noted that one FC official was martyred and two others were injured in firing from the Afghan border at Bab-e-Dosti on Sunday, since then it is closed. (Jasarat)