[NEWS OF THE DAY]

1. “Even a single attack is one too many”: PM Modi at anti-terror conference
2. Assam, Mizoram governments hold talks over inter-state border issue
3. Vikram-S, India’s first private rocket successfully lifts off from Sriharikota
4. A driver from MEA Arrested on espionage charges
5. ‘Longer the reform is stalled…’: India delivers G4 statement at UN

What Else

6. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar meets Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in Delhi
7. Australian PM Anthony Albanese to visit India next March
8. India Slams Pak At UN For Raking Up Kashmir
9. India following ‘no peace’ policy by ignoring cooperation with Pakistan, says Prez Alvi
10. Saudia exempts Indian citizens from submitting Police Clearance Certificate for obtaining visa
11. Former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah resigns as National Conference president
12. SC judge recuses himself from hearing plea challenging extension of ED director
13. Xi Jinping meets Japanese PM Fumio Kishida as tensions grow over Taiwan, East China Sea
14. FBI director ‘very concerned’ by Chinese ‘police stations’ in US
15. Moody’s shuts down its consulting business in China and cuts jobs
16. Imran Khan’s life under threat as per intelligence reports: IHC
17. Pakistan needs 34 billion dollars to pay foreign loans. It is likely to default

Media

“Even a single attack is one too many”: PM Modi at anti-terror conference

• PM Modi on Fri stressed that all terrorist attacks deserve equal outrage and action and the intensity of the reaction to the attacks cannot be based on its place of occurrence.
• The PM’s remarks came while addressing the 2 days, 3^rd Ministerial Conference on Countering Financing of Terrorism in the national capital.
• “Our country faced horrors of terror long before the world took serious note of it,” he said.
• The PM also underlined the need to strike at the “root of terror financing”.
• He said that there is no place for an “ambiguous approach while dealing with a global threat” calling terrorism an attack on humanity, freedom, and civilization.
• Further, sometimes, there are indirect arguments made in support of terrorism to block action against terrorists.
• On Thu, India said that confirmation from China is still awaited while Pakistan and Afghanistan are not participating in the international event.
• However, a total of 78 nations and multilateral organizations, including Ministers from 20 nations, have confirmed their presence organized on Nov 18 -19 in Delhi (here)
• In a veiled attack on Pakistan and China, PM has called on a mechanism to extract “cost” from countries supporting terrorism.
• The PM also stressed isolating organizations and individuals who attempt to create “sympathy for terrorists”.

Assam, Mizoram governments hold talks over inter-state border issue

• A crucial meeting between the Assam and Mizoram govts over the vexed inter-state border dispute issue was held in Guwahati on Thu.
• From the Assam side, the state Agriculture Min and Forest Min, and from the Mizoram side, the state Home Min, Revenue Min, and other senior officials were present.
• Mizoram govt will furnish the list of villages, their areas, geospatial extent and ethnicity of the people, etc within 3 months which can be examined by Regional Committees.
• The Assam Minister further said that both sides also agreed to abide by the resolutions encapsulated in the Joint Statement of Aug 5, 2021, signed in Aizawl.
• Assam shares a 164-6 km long inter-state boundary with Mizoram and the border dispute between the two states is a decade long-standing issue.
• Earlier, Assam CM and Mizoram CM Zoramthanga met twice in New Delhi in Nov 2021 and Sept 2022 to find an amicable solution to the vexed border dispute. (here)

Vikram-S, India’s first private rocket successfully lifts off from Sriharikota

• Vikram-S, India’s first-ever privately developed rocket successfully lifted off from the Sriharikota spaceport on Fri at 11.30 am from the Space Centre at Sriharikota.
• The ‘Prarambh’ mission and the Vikram-S rocket have been developed by Skyroot Aerospace start-up in Hyderabad with support from ISRO and IN-SPACe.
• The rocket is carrying payloads of 2 Indian and 1 international customer into space.
• 89.5 Km peak altitude achieved. Vikram-S rocket meets all flight parameters. It’s history in the making for India.
• As per Skyroot Aerospace, with a body mass of 545 kg, length of 6m, and diameter of 0.375 m, Vikram-S is the quickest and most affordable ride to space.

A driver from MEA Arrested on espionage charges

• A Ministry of External Affairs driver was arrested from Jawahar Lal Nehru Bhawan in New Delhi on espionage charges.
• The driver was transferring information/documents in lieu of money to a Pakistan PIO who was acting as a woman Poonam Sharma/Pooja.
• The Pakistani spy had shown a fake ID to trap the MEA driver.
• In Aug 2022, a 46-year-old was arrested from Delhi by Rajasthan Police for allegedly spying for Pakistan. Notably, the man got Indian citizenship in 2016.
• The spy, identified as Bhagchand, was born in Pakistan and came to Delhi along with his family in 1998.
• The 46-year-old got obtained Indian citizenship in 2016 and started working as a taxi driver and laborer in Delhi.
• Bhagchand was in touch with his handlers through his relatives in Pakistan. (here)

‘Longer the reform is stalled…’: India delivers G4 statement at UN

• India on Thu delivered a joint statement on behalf of G4 (India, Germany, Japan, and Brazil) at the UNGA on equitable representation of the UNSC.
• Underlining the “broad support” for reforms in the UNSC, India’s Permanent envoy to the UN, said that “longer the reform is stalled, the greater its deficit in representation.”
• During the 77^th General Assembly, more than 70 Heads of State underlined that reforming the UNSC should be one of our priorities during this session.
• US President backs India’s UNSC permanent seat, entry into  Nuclear Suppliers Group during his first in-person bilateral meeting with PM Modi at the WH in Sept.(here)
• The UK has reiterated its support for the creation of new permanent seats in the UNSC for G4 and the expansion of the council in both permanent and non-permanent.
• “This year, we approach UNSC reform at a time when the world is facing a set of interlocking crises that have placed the entire multilateral system under pressure. We should admit that this is about the credibility & relevance of the UN” UN GA Prez

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar meets Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in Delhi

• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Fri held a meeting with Syria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Dr. Faisal Mekdad in Delhi.
• Dr. Mekdad arrived in New Delhi on Nov 17 for a 5-day visit to India.
• The Ministry of External Affairs said that Dr. Faisal Mekdad’s visit to India will further boost the bilateral ties between the two nations.
• In Sept, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met him on the sidelines of the UNGA. Here in Delhi, Jaishankar will be meeting in the evening.
• During the meeting, the two leaders discussed education, training, and capacity building. (here)

Australian PM Anthony Albanese to visit India next March

• Australian PM Anthony Albanese announced that he will visit India next year in Mar to lock India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement deal.
• We’ll take a business delegation to India. And that will be an important visit and an upgrade in the relationship that we have between our two nations.”
• This announcement came on the sidelines of the 17^th edition of the G20 summit.
• He further said that PM Modi will visit Australia next year for the Quad meeting.
• And then he will return to India later in the year for the G20 Summit.
• Recently, the two leaders met on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Bali and reiterated their stand for a shared and peaceful Indo-Pacific region amid Chinese assertiveness.
• They reviewed the progress made in deepening cooperation across a diverse range of sectors as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest. (here)

India Slams Pak At UN For Raking Up Kashmir

India slammed Pakistan for raking up the Kashmir issue during the UN debate and has called it a “desperate attempt to peddle falsehood.” (here) [Rutein Work of Pak to keep issue boiling]

India following ‘no peace’ policy by ignoring cooperation with Pakistan, says Prez Arif Alvi

• Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Thu accused India of following the policy of “no peace” by ignoring cooperation with his country while addressing Margalla Dialogue.
• Alvi said that Pakistan has been trying to come to solutions on all its fronts, and regretted that India has not been able to strike a chord of friendship and cooperation.
• India has said it desires normal neighborly relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility, and violence.
• Relations between India and Pakistan have often been strained over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
• The President maintained that arms control should be led by the bigger powers. (here)

Saudia exempts Indian citizens from submitting Police Clearance Certificate for obtaining visa

• Owing to strong ties and strategic partnership with India, Saudi Arabia on Thu announced the exemption of Indians from submitting a Police Clearance Certificate for a visa.
• India-Saudi relations have strengthened over the past few years including in political, security, energy, trade, health, food security, cultural, and defense fields. (here)

Former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah resigns as National Conference president

• Former Jammu and Kashmir’s chief minister Farooq Abdullah resigned from his post as the National Conference (NC) president on Fri.
• 85-year-old leader tendered his resignation citing health reasons.
• According to reports, a fresh election for the party’s presidential post is scheduled to be held on Dec 5.
• Meanwhile, it is speculated that NC vice president Omar Abdullah is likely to take over the reins of the party.
• In an emotional speech, Abdullah urged party leaders to take control of the situation and work towards strengthening the party. (here)

SC judge recuses himself from hearing plea challenging extension of ED director

• The Supreme Court judge Justice SK Kaul on Fri recused himself from hearing a plea challenging the Centr decision of extending the term of the ED Director SK Mishra.
• The court directed to list the matter before another bench of this court.
• The court said that as the counsel expressed some urgency, so the matter should be placed before the CJI for appropriate direction.
• One of the counsels apprised the court about the latest developments that the tenure of Sanjay Kumar Mishra has been extended to another year recently.
• The court was hearing various pleas challenging the Central Govt’s decision to extend the term of the Mishra by one more year, by his 3^rd extension.
• The Centre has defended and said that the Petition Challenging the extension is clearly motivated and is certainly intended to scuttle the genuine statutory investigation (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Xi Jinping meets Japanese PM Fumio Kishida as tensions grow over Taiwan, East China Sea

• Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he conveyed concerns over regional security to Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thu amid growing tensions in Asia.
• Xi was quoted by Chinese TV as telling Kishida that China and Japan should deepen trust, areas of cooperation and regional integration, and resist “conflict and confrontation”.
• The two leaders met in Thailand on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, marking the 1^st top-level talks between the two in almost 3 years.
• Japan also lodged a diplomatic complaint in Aug after 5 ballistic missiles launched by the Chinese fell into Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
• The Japanese premier took an East Asia Summit held in Cambodia last week, openly criticizing China for “violating” Japan’s sovereignty in the East China Sea. (here)

FBI director ‘very concerned’ by Chinese ‘police stations’ in US

• The US is deeply concerned about the Chinese govt setting up unlawful ‘Police Stations’ in the US to maybe pursue influence operations, FBI Chief told legislators on Thu.
• Safeguard Defenders, a Europe-based rights organization, in Sept, claimed the dozens of Chinese police “service stations” around the world, including New York.
• The report said the stations were an extension of Beijing’s efforts to pressure some Chinese nationals or their relatives abroad to return to China to face criminal charges.
• It also linked them to the activities of China’s UFWD, a Communist Party body charged with spreading its influence and propaganda overseas.
• “…We are aware of the existence of these stations,” FBI Chief told a US Senate, admitting but declining to detail the FBI’s investigative work on the issue.
• China’s embassy in Washington did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
• Earlier this month, China FM denied it had such stations in the Netherlands after a probe by Dutch, but it said they were offices to help own citizens. (here)

Moody’s shuts down its consulting business in China and cuts jobs

• Moody is shutting down its consulting business in China and laying off people at several sites in the country, two people familiar with the matter said on Fri.
• According to people familiar with the matter, the U.S.-based credit rating agency started closing down Moody’s Analytics operations in China this week.
• They declined to be identified as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
• (source)- Moody’s Beijing Shanghai and Shenzhen offices were affected by it. (here)

Imran Khan’s life under threat as per intelligence reports: IHC

• Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq said on Fri that as per intelligence reports, there were fears of another attack on former PM Imran Khan.
• He passed the remarks while hearing a petition filed by traders regarding road closures due to the party’s protest.
• Earlier, Justice Farooq had sought a report from the Islamabad police chief on the petition and directed the interior ministry to devise a strategy to ensure the protests.
• At the outset of the hearing, the IHC CJ instructed the PTI to submit a fresh plea to the Islamabad administration seeking permission to stage a sit-in in the capital. (here)

Pakistan needs 34 billion dollars to pay foreign loans. It is likely to default

• Pakistan’s default risk has increased sharply amid political turmoil and uncertainty about talks with the International Monetary Fund.
• The country’s default risk was measured by 5-year credit-default swaps (CDS), insurance contracts that protect an investor against a default.
• The CDS increased and reached 75.5% on Wed from 56.2%, Dawn cited data circulated by research firm Arif Habib limited.
• The increase in the CDS shows a ‘grave situation’ making it extremely difficult for the govt to raise foreign exchange from markets through bonds or commercial borrowings.
• Pakistan needs $32 -34 billion this fiscal year to meet its foreign obligations. (here)
• IMF seeks details of $16bn post-flood reconstruction plans, before deciding to dispatch the review mission.
• Fund didn’t give a confirmed date for completion of the 9^th review.
• Pakistan, the lender decides to continue the exchange of data in the coming days.