1. Encounter breaks out between terrorists and security forces in J&K’s Shopian
2. Lok Sabha witnessed rare bonhomie, passes Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill
3. Google CEO Sundar Pichai to PM Modi: “Inspiring to see rapid pace of technological change under your leadership”
4. I prefer India, best place: Dalai Lama over Tawang clash
5. Farmers protest again in Delhi, MSP guarantee top demand

What Else

6. Army will not let China change status quo along LAC ‘unilaterally’: Jaishankar
7. BRO ramping up roads in Arunachal districts along LAC
8. 20,980 base stations installed for 5G, about 2,500 being set up per week, Govt tells RS
9. Bangladesh commerce minister Tipu Munshi to visit India next week
10. Sharp rise in oil shipments changes India’s export map
11. ‘No breakthrough’ in talks: Tense situation prevails in Bannu after militants seize CTD centre
12. At least 13 injured in blast in Balochistan’s Khuzdar: police
13. China’s PLA battles ‘mental health crisis’ amid tensions with India, Taiwan
14. Toll of Covid-19 in China is a concern for world: US State Department
15. Indian Army Lieutenant General Sandhu arrives in Kathmandu on week-long visit

Encounter breaks out between terrorists and security forces in J&K’s Shopian

• An encounter broke out between the security forces and the terrorists early Tue at Munjh Marg area of Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, said J&K Police.
• More details are awaited. (ANI)

Lok Sabha witnessed rare bonhomie, passes Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill

• Lok Sabha witnessed a rare show of bonhomie across treasury and opposition benches as the House almost unanimously passed the Anti-Maritimes Piracy Bill 2019 on Mon.
• While most opposition parties spoke in favor even bringing 18 amendments, had been accepted by the govt and those had helped bring the right “balance” in the legislation.
• The Anti-maritime Piracy Bill, 2019 seeks to provide a legal instrument to combat piracy not only in territorial waters and the EEZ but also on the high seas.
• FM Jaishankar said the act of piracy on the high seas will be an offense punishable with imprisonment for life or death.
• Lok Sabha took up the Bill for consideration on Dec 7.
• The Bill will empower Indian authorities to deal with piracy on the high seas beyond the EEZ which is 200 nautical miles from the country’s coastline. (here)

Google CEO Sundar Pichai to PM Modi: “Inspiring to see rapid pace of technological change under your leadership”

• Google CEO Sundar Pichai met PM Modi on Mon here and said it is inspiring to see the rapid pace of technological change under his leadership.
• Pichai said he looked forward to continuing strong partnerships and supporting India’s G20 presidency to advance open internet that works for all.
• Earlier this month, India’s envoy to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu formally handed over Padma Bhushan, India’s 3^rd-highest civilian award, to Pichai in San Fransisco.
• After receiving the Padma Bhushan, Pichai thanked Sandhu and the Consul General for hosting him to receive the Padma Bhushan.
• Pichai, who joined Google in 2004, became the CEO of the company in 2015. (here)
• Pichai on Mon highlighted investments in AI that the company shared at Google for India event to make India’s digital economy more inclusive, helpful, and safe.

I prefer India, best place: Dalai Lama over Tawang clash

• Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, on Mon, said that India is a perfect place and his permanent residence and that he prefers India.
• While responding to a query over the Tawang clash, he said, “Now things… Now China also now more flexible. Ok. But there is no point to return to China..”
• “There is little pain (shows his left arm near shoulder) otherwise no problem,” he added while giving details about his health updates.
• This statement came in the backdrop of the Dec 9 clash where PLA troops contacted the LAC in the Tawang which was contested by Indian troops firmly and resolutely.
• Meanwhile, the Tibetan spiritual leader is scheduled to stay in Delhi for 2-3 days and then he will go to Bodhgaya in Bihar for spiritual teachings and other events.
• besides a few meetings and events in Delhi, there will be a health checkup. (here)

Farmers protest again in Delhi, MSP guarantee top demand

• Farmers of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) are staging a protest- Kisan Garjana Rally- at Ramlila Maidan in the national capital, voicing their demand for MSP for their produce.
• Over one lakh farmers from 560 districts’ 60 thousand village committees, across the country, are believed to be reaching Ramlila Maidan to attend the Kisan Garjana Rally.
• “The farmers will reach Ramlila Maidan as a part of the ‘Jan Jagran’ program, which kick-started four months ago,” an official release from BKS read.

This rally has been organized on 4 major demands,

1. Remunerative prices should be implemented based on cost and should be ensured,
2. GST should be abolished on all types of agricultural inputs,
3. A substantial increase in the ‘Kisan Samman Nidhi’ (Central Govt support)
4. Permission for Genetically Modified crops should be withdrawn. (here)

Army will not let China change status quo along LAC ‘unilaterally’: Jaishankar

• Indian Army will not let China change the status quo along the LAC “unilaterally” and its current deployment along the frontier was not seen before, EAM said Mon in house
• By rejecting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the govt’s handling of the border row.
• Jaishankar said the deployment of the Army was made on the orders of PM Modi and the Army did not go to the frontier region because Gandhi asked them for it.
• The external affairs minister said it is the commitment of the Indian Army to not let China change the LAC unilaterally.
• Post-Dec 9 Indo-China Face-off Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector, politics at peak in India, opposition blaming PM, and asking for debate in the house. (here)
• The opposition parties on Mon staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha as their demand to hold a debate over the recent clashes along the LAC at the Tawang was disallowed.

BRO ramping up roads in Arunachal districts along LAC

• The BRO is engaged in major infrastructural development works along the bordering areas and the govt has planned to connect all villages border of Arunachal.
• The BRO also is engaging in construction works of 2 important tunnels in Arunachal’s Tawang and West Kameng districts which will become the game changer for security.
• The constitution works of the Nechiphu Tunnel, (at 5,700 feet height, and 500 m long “D-shaped, Single Tube Double Lane Tunnel) on the road in the West Kameng district
• While the construction works of the Sela Pass tunnel will also be completed in the next 5-6 months.
• The Nechiphu tunnel has been conceived to bypass extreme foggy conditions prevailing around which have caused hindrances to traffic. (here)

20,980 base stations installed for 5G, about 2,500 being set up per week, Govt tells RS

• The Telecom Service Providers have started providing 5G services in the country and a total of 20,980 base stations have been installed in 14 states and UTs till Nov 26
• In a reply to a question by a BJP member on 5G towers, the MoS for Comm has told the RS said the TSPs are installing approx 2,500 base stations/week on average. (here)

Bangladesh commerce minister Tipu Munshi to visit India next week

• A focus on the negotiation roadmap for India-B’desh Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, B’desh’s commerce minister Tipu Munshi will be in India next week.
• He will hold talks with Indian trade minister Piyush Goyal on Dec 22^nd-23^rd.
• Both countries have already finalized a Joint Feasibility Study when it comes to CEPA.
• The CEPA pact, when signed, will be the 1^st major such accord Dhaka has with any big country in Asia.
• The India-Bangladesh joint statement issued after B’desh PM Hasina’s India visit earlier this year and meeting with PM Modi had a key emphasis on the signing of CEPA.
• Despite the disruptions due to the Covid pandemic, bilateral trade grew at almost 44% from US$ 10.78 billion in FY 2020-21 to US$ 18.14 billion in FY 2021-22.
• India is also Bangladesh’s largest export destination in Asia. (here)

Sharp rise in oil shipments changes India’s export map

• The Netherlands has emerged as India’s 3^rd largest export destination, trailing the US and UAE, during Apr-Oct this year, rising from the 8^th spot a year ago.
• Brazil, which was India’s 20^th biggest export destination at the same time, is currently placed 8^th, as per the latest disaggregated data available from the commerce department.
• And, Tanzania has seen imports from India soar 3 times to $2.4 billion during the 1^st 7 months of the current financial year.
• While the three countries may be spread across different continents, there is a common thread – oil exports.
• In the case of Tanzania, over 80% or $1.3 billion of the $1.6 billion in exports from India is on account of more petrol and diesel shipped to the African nation.
• During Apr-Oct, India’s total exports went up 12.5% to over $263 bn, while oil product exports soared nearly 70%. (here)
• Fin min Nirmala Sitharaman on Mon said note in circulation (NiC) has witnessed an annual growth of 7.98% to Rs 31.92 lakh crore as of Dec 2, 2022. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

‘No breakthrough’ in talks: Tense situation prevails in Bannu after militants seize CTD centre

• The outlawed TTP has claimed responsibility for the incident; Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif says govt won’t fulfill any demands of the terrorists.
• Authorities opened talks to try to resolve a stand-off involving more than 30 Pakistan Taliban militants who have taken hostages at a CT center in the Bannu, NW Pakistan.
• They broke free from custody and seized a police station, officials said and were looking to negotiate with govt for a safe passage to neighboring Afghanistan.
• “We are in negotiations with the central leaders of the Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan,” a spokesman for the KP state govt, told Reuters.
• Members of the TTP group, which is not linked to the Afghan Taliban but has a similar hardline Islamist ideology, overpowered the jailers on Sun and snatched weapons.
• The terrorists are demanding safe passage to Afghanistan, a spokesman for the provincial Khyber Pakhtunkhwa govt, said in a statement late Sun. (here)

At least 13 injured in blast in Balochistan’s Khuzdar: police

• At least 13 people were injured in a blast near the Umar Farooq Chowk in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district on Mon night, police said.
• Khuzdar Station House Office, while confirming the blast, told that the explosive was attached to a motorcycle in the area.
• “The police have reached the area and cordoned it off,” SHO said.
• Earlier, junior police said that two injured persons were in critical condition.
• He also said that checkpoints have been set up in the city to arrest the suspects.
• Meanwhile, Balochistan CM condemned the attack and imposed an emergency in hospitals across the city. (here)

China’s PLA battles ‘mental health crisis’ amid tensions with India, Taiwan

• Chinese soldiers are facing “nervousness, anxiety and fearful emotions” as they undertake unprecedented military activities amid tensions with India and with the US over SCS and Taiwan.
• Last month, reports in PLA Daily, mentioned that some officers and soldiers were prone to anxiety in intense combat training, and troops needed to learn how to adapt to that pressure.
• SCMP–“The PLA has introduced counseling services, regular assessments, and courses to help troops deal with the stress of their assignments and cope in combat”.
• Sources in the Indian defense and security establishment pointed out that this mental crisis was something, which was expected, and the huge stress on soldiers. (here)

Toll of Covid-19 in China is a concern for world: US State Department

• The US hopes that China can address the current Covid-19 outbreak as the toll of the virus is a global concern due to the size of the Chinese economy, State Deptt spokesman Ned Price said on Mon.
• “The toll of the virus is of concern to the rest of the world given the size of China’s GDP, given the size of China’s economy,” Price told a daily briefing.
• “It’s not only good for China to be in a stronger position vis-à-vis Covid but it’s good for the rest of the world as well,” Price said.
• He added that any time the virus is spreading it has the potential to mutate and pose a threat everywhere.
• Officially China has suffered just 5,237 Covid-related deaths during the pandemic, including the latest two fatalities, a tiny fraction of its 1.4 billion population. (here)

Indian Army Lieutenant General Sandhu arrives in Kathmandu on week-long visit

• An Indian Army team led by Lt Gen Jaswinder Singh Sandhu arrived in Kathmandu on Sun on a week-long visit to Nepal.
• Lt Gen Sandhu was welcomed by Brig Gen Binod Kharel upon his arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport.
• In an official release on Sun, said Sandhu will call on the COAS and visit Army Command and Staff College, Nepali Military Academy, and Nepal Army War College.
• Lt Gen Sandhu will also visit the Rupandehi-based Nepal Army Battle School where 334 personnel each from Nepal and the Indian Army are undergoing a joint exercise. (here)