1. PM Modi calls for consensus on India’s G20 presidency at all-party meet
2. Ahead of India missile test, Chinese spy vessel in Indian Ocean Region
3. High alert in Ayodhya, Mathura on 30^th anniversary of Babri demolition
4. All party meeting begins in Parliament ahead of Winter Session
5. ICMR Server Attempted to be Hacked Over 6,000 Times A Day

What Else

6. Afghanistan Situation, regional security among top concerns at Central Asian ministers’ meet in Delhi
7. ”If You (India) Benefit From Our Suffering…”: Ukraine Minister’s Message
8. India to resume E-Visa facility for UK nationals:
9. Govt considering using PAN as single-point identifier to expedite clearances: Goyal
10. World Bank sees India’s growth at 6.9% this year
11. Pakistani Intruder Shot Dead By Border Security Force In Rajasthan
12. At least 7 killed in blast in north Afghanistan
13. Indian traders block bridge, stage protest following stone pelting incident on India-Nepal border
14. Stalemate persists between IMF and Pakistan over ninth review
15. Arshad Sharif murder: Supreme Court orders govt to submit fact-finding report, register FIR today
16. US and EU weigh climate-based tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum
17. Indian technical assistance to uplift local milk production

PM Modi calls for consensus on India’s G20 presidency at all-party meet

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Mon evening, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, urged leaders of political parties to come together for the govt’s plans for the G20 presidency
• Also called the year-long period when India will head the important international bloc as an opportunity to showcase the country’s success story.
• The PM was addressing an all-party meeting, where he appealed to the leaders to build a political consensus over the G20 agenda, which, he said, was “not for one individual”.
• He said ‘this is for India. And we seek all of your support’.”
• The PM underlines that the G20 would help showcase parts of India beyond the conventional big metros, thus bringing out the uniqueness of each part of the country.
• Congress Chief M Kharge also suggested that the presidency could be leveraged to secure New Delhi’s permanent membership in the UNSC, adding that it should be used to press China on the border issues and trade imbalance. (here)
• Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao skipped the meeting, while all other party leaders were present. 

Ahead of India missile test, Chinese spy vessel in Indian Ocean Region

• The cat-and-mouse game continues in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), while the rival armies are ranged against each other in eastern Ladakh.
• Chinese research and space-tracking vessel Yuan Wang-5 has now reentered the IOR ahead of another long-range ballistic missile test planned by India next week.
• The docking of Wang-5 at Hambantota in Aug had led to a diplomatic spat between India and Lanka, which is being closely tracked by the Indian Navy.
• The presence of 20,000-tonne Yuan Wang-5, which is packed with large antennae, advanced sensors, and electronic equipment with a crew of around 400.
• This comes after India recently issued a NOTAM with a long-expanded no-fly zone over the Bay of Bengal for a missile test from the Odisha coast on Dec 15-16.
• The country’s most formidable missile, the over 5,000-km range Agni-V, is in the process of being inducted into the tri-service Strategic Forces Command. (here)

High alert in Ayodhya, Mathura on 30^th anniversary of Babri demolition

• A high alert has been announced in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, given the 30^th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition on Dec 6^th.
• Strong security arrangements have been made not only in Ayodhya but also in Mathura.
• Amidst tight security, surveillance is being done by drones. Police have been deployed everywhere
• The administration has not permitted anyone to organize any kind of event on this occasion in the area.
• Vehicles and people coming from outside are also being checked. (here)

All party meeting begins in Parliament ahead of Winter Session

• All-party meeting ahead of the Winter Session held on Tue in the Parliament Library Building.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, DMK MP TR Baalu, Harsimrat Kaur Badal (SAD), and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Congress) among several leaders are present in the meeting.
• The Winter Session will begin on Dec 7 and will last until Dec 29 and there will be a total of 17 working days.
• The union govt’s agenda for the winter session of Parliament, which begins on Dec 7, includes 16 new bills.
• The National Dental Commission Bill, the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022, the Cantonment Bill, 2022, the Old Grant (Regulation) Bill, 2022, the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill seeks to amend the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2022. (here)
• The opposition demanded issues like price rise, unemployment, and the situation at the Sino-India border.
• Leaders from more than 30 parties attended the meeting convened by the central govt to discuss the legislative agenda.

ICMR Server Attempted to be Hacked Over 6,000 Times A Day

• After the massive cyber attack at AIIMS, the server of the ICMR was attempted to be hacked over 6000 times a day.
• The IP address from where the hack emerged is a blacklisted one based in Hong Kong.
• This comes after the massive cyber attack at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences created massive chaos at the premiere medical hospital in the country.
• Many patient services were affected with people being forced to wait for hours as their medical records were fetched.
• Cyber attacks often render massive administrative and computing systems defunct leading to either monetary or time loss.

Chinese hackers blamed for cyberattacks in the US, Canada

• Amnesty International Canada said it first detected the breach on Oct 5, and hired forensic investigators and cybersecurity experts to investigate, while the US Secret Service claims Chinese hackers stole millions worth of Covid relief money. (here)

Afghanistan Situation, regional security among top concerns at Central Asian ministers’ meet in Delhi

• NSA Ajit Doval on Tue strongly pitched for giving greater priority to countries of the region to counter terror financing, saying monetary resources are the “lifeblood” of terrorism.
• In an address at the inaugural India-Central Asia meeting of NSAs, Doval also said that all UN member states should fulfill the obligations enshrined in relevant CT.
• He described Central Asia as India’s “extended neighborhood”, and said New Delhi accords “highest priority” to this region.
• The NSAs of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are attending the conclave while Turkmenistan is being represented by its ambassador to India.
• Doval said connectivity with Central Asian countries remained a key priority for India and that New Delhi stands ready to cooperate, invest and build in the region.
• “.. connectivity initiatives are consultative, transparent and participatory, with respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries,” he said, seen as an oblique reference to China’s BRI. (here)
• “No terrorist organization including those designated by UNSC resolution 1267 should be provided sanctuaries or allowed to use the territory of Afghanistan” read a joint statement.
• “Be it Mumbai or Mosul, India strongly believes that the credibility of our collective fight against terrorism can be strengthened only when we can ensure accountability“, says Ruchira Kamboj, permanent envoy to UN, at the UNSC meeting on Iraq.

”If You (India) Benefit From Our Suffering…”: Ukraine Minister’s Message

• ”The opportunity for India to buy Russian oil at a cheap price comes from the fact that Ukrainians are suffering from Russian aggression and dying every day,” said Dmytro Kuleba, FM of Ukraine.
• Kuleba was responding to Indian FM S Jaishankar’s statement on Mon that between Feb and Nov this year, the EU has imported more fossil fuel from Russia than the next 10 countries combined.
• ”It is not enough to point fingers at the EU and say, Oh, they are doing the same thing,” he said.
• The Ukrainian Foreign Minister also said that India, specifically PM Modi, has a key role to play in helping to end the war.
• Asked if New Delhi’s intervention could realistically make a difference, Kuleba said it was important to make a concerted effort. (here)

Home Secretary to chair high-level security meet on Kashmir this afternoon

• Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla chairs a high-level security review meeting on Jammu and Kashmir, on Tue.
• The meeting is held in the Ministry of Home Affairs in a hybrid mode around 12.30 pm with senior officials in the ministry joining it in the presence of intelligence chiefs.
• “Officials in Jammu and Kashmir will also join the meeting, which is being held in a hybrid mode,” said the officials.
• The meeting was held after The Resistance Front recently issued a threat letter to 56 employees of the Education Department from the Srinagar district.
• They have urged the govt to ensure the safety of employees appointed under the PM’s package in Kashmir Valley. (here)

India to resume E-Visa facility for UK nationals:

• India is prepared to resume its e-visa service for the citizens of the UK for the first time since the Covid-19 outbreak in Mar 2020.
• The website will be ready shortly so that applicants can apply for their visa on the same, the High Commission of India in London informed.
• E-Visas are admissible under 6 categories: e-Tourist Visa, e-Business Visa, e-Medical Visa, e-Medical Attendant Visa and e-Conference Visa.
• To apply for an e-visa, applicants can visit the indianvisaonline.gov.in
• After the e-Visa application is submitted, the same shall be scrutinized and if any Document/ Image is not appropriate, the applicant may be advised in the given e-mail
• The e-Visa application may take 72 hours or more for processing.
• The processing fees are country-specific. (here)

Govt considering using PAN as single-point identifier to expedite clearances: Piyush Goyal

• Commerce minister Piyush Goyal said the govt is considering the use of a PAN as a single-point identifier to expeditious regulatory approvals for new investment proposals, besides allowing a similar facility for the renewal of licenses.
• The proposal involves the use of PAN as a unique identifier for entering the National Single Window System instead of using other identifiers.
• PAN is likely to be used as a unique identifier for API integration of data between ministries and states for ensuring a unique business user ID.
• NSWS also helps reduce data duplication and fills the same data in various forms using an auto-population module, he said. (here)

World Bank sees India’s growth at 6.9% this year

• Reuters – India’s economy is expected to grow 6.9% in the current fiscal year, the World Bank said on Tue, adding that it is well-positioned to tackle global headwinds.
• Asia’s fourth-largest economy expanded 6.3% in the Jul-Sept quarter, and GDP growth for the full fiscal year is likely to be 6.8-7%, the govt said last week.
• The World Bank raised its forecast for India’s growth to 6.9% for the current fiscal year from 6.5% earlier.
• Bank trimmed its expectation for the next fiscal year to 6.6% from 7% earlier. (here)

Pakistani Intruder Shot Dead By Border Security Force In Rajasthan

• A man trying to cross over to Indian territory from the Pakistan side was shot dead by jawans of the BSF posted at the IB in Rajasthan Karanpur of Ganganagar on Mon night.
• Pakistan Rangers have refused to accept the body of the unknown intruder who tried to enter Indian territory on the previous day, according to sources.
• The BSF troops on patrolling duty warned the intruder not to move forward, but he added he did not pay any heed and kept moving toward the fence. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

At least 7 killed in blast in north Afghanistan

• A roadside bomb killed at least 7 petroleum company employees aboard a bus in northern Afghanistan on Tue, police said.
• The explosion was caused by a bomb. “The bomb was placed in a cart by the roadside. It was detonated as the bus arrived.”
• Balkh province is home to one of Afghanistan’s main dry ports in the town of Hairatan, near the border with Uzbekistan, which has rail and road links to Central Asia.
• It was not clear who the employees on the bus worked for. (here)

Indian traders block bridge, stage protest following stone pelting incident on India-Nepal border

• India has reportedly closed a suspension bridge connecting Nepal since early Mon, following the Sun stone-pelting incident on the Indian workers by the Nepalese in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.
• Earlier on Mon, the traders and residents staged a protest here.
• While today, the locals have said they will continue to protest until the Nepal administration takes action against the stone pelters, as per reports
• “We have told the Nepal administration to take action against stone pelters. If they believe in false rumors then we’ll try to clarify them by meeting them,” Jt. Magistrate.
• The incident occurred during the construction of an embankment wall on river Kali on the Indian side, which acts as the border between Nepal and India. (here)

Stalemate persists between IMF and Pakistan over ninth review

• Talks between Pakistan and the IMF are at a stalemate as IMF pushing Islamabad on policies and reforms needed to keep the bailout program’s targets on track and complete the pending 9^th review.
• Delay in Pakistan-IMF talks jitters financial markets.
• IMF resident chief says not all end-Sept quantitative targets have been met.
• Pakistani authorities are still hopeful that soon the 9^th review would be accomplished. (here)

Arshad Sharif murder: Supreme Court orders govt to submit fact-finding report, register FIR today

• The SC of Pakistan Tue ordered the govt to register a first information report of the murder of journalist Sharif and submit the report of the fact-finding committee today.
• A 5-member bench including CJP Umar Ata Bandial issued the directives today during the hearing of the suo motu notice of the journalist’s killing in Kenya.
• The court had issued notices to the concerned secretaries, Intelligence Bureau, and president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists.

US and EU weigh climate-based tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum

• The US and EU are weighing new tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum as part of a bid to fight carbon emissions and global overcapacity.
• The move would mark a novel approach, as the US and EU would seek to use tariffs – usually employed in trade disputes – to further their climate agenda.
• US aluminum and steel producers climbed in extended trading.
• The idea, generated within the US administration, is still in the initial phase and has not been formally proposed.
• An agreement with the EU, including specifics on how to identify thresholds for applying tariffs, is not likely until late next year at the earliest. (here)

Indian technical assistance to uplift local milk production

• President Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a Committee consisting of councils of the public and private sectors to work with the team of the NDDB, India
• The aim is to prepare a short, medium, and long-term plan to increase local milk production to reduce the country’s dependence on imported milk powder.
• Accordingly, NDDB and the Indian Amul Milk Company have taken steps to provide the necessary technical support for the production of liquid milk in Sri Lanka.
• A preliminary discussion was held in this regard at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday under the chairmanship of President’s Secy SamanEkanayake. (here)