[NEWS OF THE DAY]

1. Army successfully tests BrahMos supersonic cruise missile
2. India’s latest earth observation satellite starts serving images
3. China to increase nuclear warheads to 1,500, Pentagon warns
4. Huge cache of arms and explosives seized from terrorist hideout in JK’s Poonch
5. 27 drones detected along Pakistan border in Jammu region this year: BSF

What Else

6. 16 killed, 24 wounded in north Afghanistan
7. China’s security chief vows crackdown on ‘hostile forces’ after protests against Covid restrictions
8. Blast targeting police patrol kills 3, injures over 20 in Pakistan: Report
9. 2 Naxals shot dead in encounter with Hawk Force in MP; operation still underway
10. Indian Hindu group vows to march in support of Adani port
11. “Date is set”: India, Australia trade deal to enter into force on December 29
12. Maldives thanks India for USD 100 million aid, says “good friendship reaping benefits”
13. NDTV co-founder Prannoy Roy, wife steps down as NDTV directors
14. Foreign Secretary Kwatra receives extension for 16-months
15. No objections to Pakistan importing Russian crude oil: US State Dept
16. Sri Lanka’s debt to China close to 20% of public external debt: Report

What Media is Cooking

Army successfully tests BrahMos supersonic cruise missile

• The Indian Army has tested a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands.
• The extended-range version of the missile was tested by the Western Command of the Army, its sole tri-services command, the islands’ DGP tweeted on Tue.
• It the no-fly zone notified for the test, it was suggested that the variant of the cruise missile tested on Tuesday can hit targets at a range of 450km or more.
• The BrahMos cruise missile functions on a “fire and target” mode of operation, adopting varieties of flights on its way to the target.
• Its cruising altitude can be up to 15km, and its terminal altitude is as low as 10 m. The missile carries a conventional warhead carrying 200 to 300kg.
• BrahMos can be launched from land, sea, and air, and has an identical configuration for all 3. (here)

India’s latest earth observation satellite starts serving images

• The Earth Observation Satellite-06 launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation on Nov 26 has started serving images, the agency said on Wed.
• ISRO released 1^st-day images of the Earth Observation Satellite-06 covering the Himalayan region, the Kutch region of Gujarat, and the Arabian Sea.
• Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO shared on Twitter the first-day images received on Tue at the National Remote Sensing Centre, Shadnagar, Telangana.
• “They are captured by the Ocean Color Monitor (OCM) and Sea Surface Temperature Monitor (SSTM) sensors (onboard EOS-06)”, it said. (here)

China to increase nuclear warheads to 1,500, Pentagon warns

China is expanding its nuclear force and is on pace to nearly quadruple the number of warheads it has by 2035, rapidly closing its gap with the US, as per a Pentagon report on Tue. In response, China says “By promoting the “China threat”, the US seeks to justify its expansion of nuclear arsenal and perpetuation of its military predominance”.

Main points of reports:

• China has warned American officials not to interfere in its relationship with India
• During its standoff along the Line of Actual Control, CCP sought to downplay the severity of the crisis.

[Downplaying its aggression, ironically, also aids India’s efforts to save face.]

• Beijing intended to preserve border stability and prevent the standoff from harming other areas of its bilateral relationship with India. [quite visible] (here)
• Last year, the number of Chinese nuclear warheads could increase to 700 within 6 years and may top 1,000 by 2030. Currently, about 400 nuclear warheads.
• The US, by comparison, has 3,750 active nuclear warheads.
• Beijing’s growing arsenal is creating uncertainty for the US as it navigates how to deter two nuclear powers, Russia and China, simultaneously,
• While China has not provided Russia with weapons in the current conflict,
• China is also closely watching how the international community reacts to Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
• US Congress requires the Pentagon to prepare the report annually.
• China has also made worrying capabilities that “blind and deafen the enemy,” including knocking out communications and early warning satellites, expanding its use of artificial intelligence, and intensifying its efforts in cyber warfare. (here)
• People’s Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps conducted submarine deployment to the Indian Ocean. Some of China’s BRI projects could create potential military advantages, such as PLA access to selected foreign ports..in waters as distant as the Indian Ocean.

Huge cache of arms and explosives seized from terrorist hideout in JK’s Poonch

• Security forces on Wed busted a terrorist hideout in Jammu and Kashmir’s border district of Poonch and recovered a large cache of arms and explosives, police said.
• The recoveries made from the hideout included 2 AK assault rifles, 6 magazines, 69 rounds, 1 pistol with a magazine, and five hand grenades.
• He said the hideout was unearthed during a joint search operation by police and Army at village Nabna in Surankote tehsil.
• However, no one was arrested during the operation, the official added. (here)

27 drones detected along Pakistan border in Jammu region this year: BSF

• As many as 27 Pakistani drones have been detected along the 192-km long India-Pakistan border in the Jammu region this year so far.
• It was an attempt to fuel the insurgency, including through smuggling of arms and ammunition via unmanned aerial vehicles, BSF said on Wed.
• The comments came a week after an IED, 2 pistols, 4 magazines, 2 batteries, a detonator, and Indian currency worth nearly Rs 5 lakh in a Pakistani drone was suspected.
• This was the second such case this month in the region, where drones have been used to drop weapons, drugs, ammunition, arms, and money. (here)

2 Naxals shot dead in encounter with Hawk Force in MP; operation still underway

• Two Naxalites were shot dead in an encounter with Hawk Forces at the border area of Mandla and Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh on Wed, an official said.
• “Two Naxals have been shot dead so far and the operation is still going on,” police said.
• The dead Naxals were active in the Kanha Bhoramdev Committee and information about their movement was continuously received by the Hawkforce team. (here)

Indian Hindu group vows to march in support of Adani port

• Reuters – More than 1,000 members of a Hindu group close to India’s ruling party have vowed to go ahead with a protest march on Wed in support of the construction of a port by the Adani Group which protesters want to block for environmental reasons.
• Work on the $900 million Vizhinjam port in Kerala has been halted for almost 4 months by the protesters from a mostly Christian fishing community who say the port is causing erosion that has undermined their livelihoods.
• The villagers, led by Catholic priests, are blocking the site’s entrance and clashes with police on Sun led to more than 80 people being injured [including 36 policemen].
• The port is of strategic importance to both India and billionaire Gautam Adani.
• Once completed, it will become India’s first container transshipment hub, rivaling Dubai, Singapore, and Sri Lanka for business on the lucrative east-west trade routes. (here)
• The state govt on Mon told the Kerala High Court that all the compensation for the losses incurred during the protest will be taken from the protesters.

“Date is set”: India, Australia trade deal to enter into force on December 29

• The Aus-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) will enter into force on Dec 29, announced Australia’s envoy to India Barry O’Farrell on Wed.
• This statement comes a week after Australian PM Anthony Albanese said that country’s Free Trade Agreement with India has passed through its Parliament on Nov 22.
• From Dec 29, tariffs on 85% of Australia’s exports to India will be eliminated and high tariffs on a further 5% of goods will be phased down.
• “ECTA will save Australian exporters around $2 billion in a year in tariffs, while consumers and business will save around $500 mn in tariffs on imports of finished goods, and inputs to our manufacturing sector,” the release said. (here)

Maldives thanks India for USD 100 million aid, says “good friendship reaping benefits”

• Maldives on Tue expressed gratitude and thanked India for the financial assistance of $100 mn to overcome economic challenges.
• “We (India-Maldives) have a good friendship that’s reaping benefits, support each other & is creating history,” the Foreign Minister of Maldives, Abdulla Shahid said on Tue.
• External Affairs Min participated in the ceremony virtually and said the partnership between the 2 countries “is marked by genuine concern for each other’s welfare”.
• The ceremony was attended by Maldives Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer. (here)

NDTV co-founder Prannoy Roy, wife steps down as NDTV directors

• Prannoy Roy and his wife Radhika Roy, founders and promoters of channel New Delhi Television, resigned as directors on the Board of RRPR Holding Pvt Ltd
• RRPRH, the promoter group vehicle of NDTV, holds a 29.18% stake in NDTV, which is being taken over by the Adani group.
• “RRPRH has approved Sudipta Bhattacharya, Sanjay Pugalia, and SS Chengalvarayan as new directors on Board with immediate effect.

Foreign Secretary Kwatra receives extension for 16-months

• Foreign Secretary VM Kwatra’s tenure extension for 16 months has been approved in the post beyond his date of superannuation on Dec 31 this year, a govt order said.
• His tenure extends at a time when India is set to assume its G20 presidency on Dec 1.
• In its presidency, India will host over 200 meetings across the nation in 50 cities.
• India will also light up 100 monuments on December 1st with the G-20 logo as the country officially takes the presidency of the grouping. (here)
• The tenure of India’s ambassador to the United States (US) Taranjit Singh Sandhu was extended for a year till the end of Jan 2024 by the govt of India. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

16 killed, 24 wounded in north Afghanistan

• At least 16 people were killed and 24 wounded in the north Afghanistan blast on Wed, which took place at Jahdia seminary in Aybak city during the afternoon prayer.
• A doctor of Samangan Provincial Hospital says that at least 15 dead and 27 injured people have been brought to this hospital.
• A Taliban official said that at least 10 students were killed as the bomb blast hit a religious school in northern Afghanistan.
• Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor said several others were wounded in the blast in Aybak, the capital of the northern Samangan province.
• So far, no group or organization has taken responsibility for the explosion. (here)

China’s security chief vows crackdown on ‘hostile forces’ after protests against Covid restrictions

• The CCP security chief has vowed to crack down on “hostile forces” after people took to the streets in multiple cities and campuses at the weekend to protest against stringent Covid-19 restrictions.
• Chen is a member of the 24-strong Politburo that was newly formed in October.
• The meeting was convened to “study recent decisions and deployments by the party’s leadership”, according to the readout.
• It did not elaborate on the content of those decisions.
• The meeting called for law-enforcement agencies to take strong measures to safeguard national security and social stability, and implement Xi Jinping’s thoughts.
• When asked about public sentiment in a press conference on Tue, the National Health Commission said Beijing was “constantly studying and adjusting” its Covid-19 restrictions. (here)
• There was no word of protests on Tue in the major mainland cities that were the scene last weekend of the most widespread protests since the army crushed in 1989.
• The Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission also said “illegal and criminal acts that disrupt social order” would not be tolerated.
• Chinese authorities have reportedly begun tracking down people who gathered at weekend protests against COVID-19 curbs. (here)
• For almost 20 seconds after the Reuters journalist asked China official Zhao Lijian a question on public frustration in China, the foreign ministry spokesperson continued looking down at his papers and then asked the question to be repeated.

Blast targeting police patrol kills 3, injures over 20 in Pakistan: Report

• A suicide bomb blast in Pakistan’s southwestern city of Quetta targeted a police patrol on Wed, killing 3 people and wounding 28, police said.

[official data – Over 5 killed + 25 injured.]

• The explosion, claimed by the Pakistani Taliban militant group, (TTP) in a text message to Reuters, came after the group ended a ceasefire with the govt this week.
• The patrol had been guarding a polio vaccination team at the time of the suicide blast, he added.
• Islamist militants in Pakistan often target polio vaccination teams, in the belief that the immunization effort is a Western tool to spy on them. (here)
• The attack comes 48 hours after TTP announced the end of the ceasefire and asked their commanders to begin attacks in Pakistan.
• Pakistan security forces killed at least 10 suspected terrorists during an intelligence-based military operation in Balochistan province, the country’s military said in a statement. (here)

No objections to Pakistan importing Russian crude oil: US State Dept

• State Department says it is aware of reports of a Pakistani delegation visiting Moscow to discuss the import of Russian crude oil.
• The US says it does not currently have sanctions in place against Russian energy exports to other countries.
• State Dept warns that Russia’s actions in Ukraine and Europe have shown that it was not a reliable supplier of energy. (here)

Sri Lanka’s debt to China close to 20% of public external debt: Report

• Sri Lanka owed Chinese lenders $7.4 billion by the end of last year, calculations by the China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) published on Wed.
• The figure was above the “often-quoted 10 to 15% figures,” the study said, adding a “significant portion” of the country’s debt had been lending to state-owned enterprises.
• Export-Import Bank of China (EximBank) and China Development Bank are the two largest Chinese lenders, accounting for $4.3 billion and $3 billion respectively.
• The island nation kicked off talks with bilateral creditors in Sept after securing a staff-level agreement of $2.9 billion with the IMF.
• The island nation’s total external debt is $37.6 bn, according to the report.
• Central bank foreign currency debt, including a $1.6 bn currency swap with China, public external debt rises to $40.6 bn, of which 22% is from Chinese creditors. (here)