1. J&K police recovers perfume IED for the first time from terrorist; probe on
2. NSE puts Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports, and Ambuja Cements under Additional Surveillance Mechanism
3. Adani row storms Parliament, Opposition demands probe
4. ‘World Bank not in position to interpret it for us’: India on differences with Pakistan on Indus Water Treaty
5. 143 Indian troops died on duty in Africa under peacekeeping missions since UN’s inception: Govt

What Else

6. Indian minister V. Muraleedharan to attend Sri Lanka’s Independence Day celebrations
7. India’s Cochin shipyard commences construction process for 2 ships for Germany
8. Threat call received to blow up Ram Janmabhoomi complex in Ayodha, says UP police
9. Income Tax raids on premises of 2 pastors in Punjab
10. Pakistan moves towards deal-or-default endgame
11. ‘Closing in’ on terror network: Peshawar mosque bomber was in police uniform, says KP IG
12. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Police took to the streets
13. PM Shehbaz invites Imran to APC on ‘national challenges’
14. Philippines grants US wider access to military bases amid tensions with China
15. Chinese spy balloon spotted over Western US: Pentagon
16. Nepalese women under fear due to trafficking by Chinese nationals: Reports

J&K police recovers perfume IED for the first time from terrorist; probe on

• By apprehending a Lashkar-e-Toiba member who is also a govt employee, J&K police claimed to make a significant development in the Jan 21 Narwal, Jammu blast.
• From his possession, a “perfume IED”, the first of its kind, was found.
• A significant victory had been attained in the form of the arrest of one Arif Ahmed, a resident of the Reasi district of Jammu.
• The DGP said, “since the IED is new to us, experts will see how harmful and how powerful it can be. We have not touched it so far.”
• “The accused got the supply of 3 IEDs towards the end of Dec. He is working under the influence of Qasim, a LeT terrorist from Pakistan,” said DGP Singh.
• He was working under the direction of LeT members Qasim, a Reasi local, and his uncle Qamardin, also a Reasi resident who is currently living in Pakistan. (here)

NSE puts Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports, and Ambuja Cements under Additional Surveillance Mechanism

• The National Stock Exchange has placed Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports, and Ambuja Cements under the Additional Surveillance Mechanism.
• Securities are put under ASM based on parameters like high-low variation, client concentration, number of price band hits, close-to-close price variation, and price-earning ratio.
• The NSE and BSE said these companies have satisfied the criteria for inclusion in short-term additional surveillance measures or ASM.
• Shares of the firm have declined for the sixth day in a row and all its 10 listed firms have seen a combined erosion of over Rs 8.76 lakh crore in these 6 sessions. (here)
• A former lawyer and ex-Solicitor General of India Harish Salve shed some light on the controversy and said that nobody is happy at the fact that India has come out of the shadow and is making its presence felt in the world. (here)
• Bangladesh has sent a letter to Adani Power Ltd to negotiate a lower import price for coal under a power purchase agreement, the state minister for energy and power told Reuters on Thu. (here)

Adani row storms Parliament, Opposition demands probe, halted the House

• Leaders of several opposition parties demanded a probe into the allegations raised against the Adani Group by US’s, on the last 25^th short-seller firm Hindenburg and said the issue is “endangering the hard-earned money of crores of Indians”.
• The opposition has sought a joint parliamentary committee or SC-monitored probe into the Adani Group crisis, a day after the Adani Board called off its flagship share sale.
• Congress chief Kharge said the Opposition has given the suspension of Business Notice in Parliament under Rule 267 to discuss the issue of investment by LIC, Public Sector Banks, and financial institutions in Adani Group companies losing market value. (here)
• The Hindenburg, in its report, raised concerns about shares of Adani group companies having a possibility of declining from their current levels, owing to high valuations.
• Hindenburg criticized the groups’ substantial debt, including pledging share loans and called out its auditors, saying they were not capable of complex audit work.
• This attack is very similar to how anti-India George Soros broke the Bank of England and the Bank of Thailand.
• This attack on the Adani group does not start on Jan 25, 2023, after the Hindenburg research report, but was initiated in the year 2016-17 from Australia. (here)

‘World Bank not in position to interpret it for us’: India on differences with Pakistan on Indus Water Treaty

• India on Thu questioned the WB’s decision to appoint a Court of Arbitration and a neutral expert under 2 separate processes to resolve differences between New Delhi and Islamabad over the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in J&K.
• Last week, India issued a notice to Pakistan seeking a review and modification of the 62-year-old Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
• New Delhi has been particularly disappointed over the appointment of the Court of Arbitration.
• Under the pact, any differences need to be resolved under a 3-stage approach.
• In the cases of Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects, WB started 2 concurrent dispute redressal processes at the insistence of Pakistan, which India felt was a breach. (here)

143 Indian troops died on duty in Africa under peacekeeping missions since UN’s inception: Govt

• 143 Indian troops died on duty in Africa under UN peacekeeping missions since the UN’s inception, the govt said on Thu.
• In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said the total number of women troops who have died is 35. (here)

Indian minister V. Muraleedharan to attend Sri Lanka’s Independence Day celebrations

• Minister of state in India’s Ministry of External Affairs V. Muraleedharan will be representing India at Sri Lanka’s 75^th Independence day celebrations on Sat.
• The island nation in India’s south will be focusing on the new reformist program for the next 25 years.
• In Jan, foreign minister Dr. S. Jaishankar visited the country and announced New Delhi’s support for the country’s debt restructuring program.
• Pakistan will be represented by its MoS Hina Rabbani Khar, Bangladesh will be represented by FM AK Abdul Momen, Maldives by FM Abdulla Shahid, Nepal by FM Bimala Rai Paudyal, and Bhutan by its education minister Jai Bir Rai. (here)
• To a separate question, MoS said in the house that India continues to assist Sri Lanka in its economic development and also supports it in overcoming its economic challenges.

India’s Cochin shipyard commences construction process for 2 ships for Germany

• The ceremonial ‘steel cutting’ was performed for two 7000-ton vessels being built by India’s government-run Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), for a German firm.
• Steel cutting is the first tangible step of the shipbuilding process, where the shipbuilder and customer press the start button of a laser cutter that cuts that steel sheet.
• CSL is building 8 multi-purpose vessels for HS Schiffarts group and this also marks the foray of the CSL into the European Shortsea shipping market, where similar vessels play a crucial logistics role between the North Sea and the Mediterranean sea.
• These Ice Class Vessels (built to help navigate through sea ice) are designed by Groot Ship Design Netherlands, with detailed engineering being carried out by CSL. (here)

Threat call received to blow up Ram Janmabhoomi complex in Ayodha, says UP police

• A threat call was received to blow up the Ram Janmabhoomi complex in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya on Thu.
• A local living near the temple in the Ramkot area alerted the police that he received a phone call from an unidentified no who threatened to blow up the temple. (here)

Income Tax raids on premises of 2 pastors in Punjab

• The Income Tax department on Tue conducted raids on the premises linked to two pastors from Punjab, Baljinder Singh and Harpreet Deol.
• The I-T teams conducted raids at various locations in Amritsar, Kurali, and New Chandigarh in Punjab.
• The two pastors, Baljinder Singh, and Harpreet Deol, are from Jalandhar.
• At around 8 am, the I-T department scrutinized documents of The Open Door Church, a famous church in northern India located in Khojewal, Kapurthala.
• More than 30 employees were questioned by the I-T team. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Pakistan moves towards deal-or-default endgame

• The International Monetary Fund review mission has rejected Pakistan’s revised Circular Debt Management Plan (CDMP).
• It has called on the Pakistan govt to increase the electricity tariff in the range of PKR 11-12.50/unit to restrict the additional subsidy at PKR 335 bn for the current fiscal year.
• The IMF review mission arrived in Islamabad on Mon and both sides will continue to hold talks to complete the pending 9^th review under the $7 bn Extended Fund Facility.
• Circular debt occurs when one entity facing problems with its cash inflows does not make payments to its suppliers and creditors.
• The IMF has called the revised CDMP “unrealistic”, which is made based on certain wrong assumptions.
• The IMF and Ministry of Def will work out a gap on the fiscal front after which various additional taxation will be finalized through the upcoming mini-budget. (here)
• IMF has sought the financial income details of several top bureaucrats and their family members for transparency and accountability.
• During intraday trade, the rupee depreciated by Rs 1.17 and was trading at Rs 270. The rupee had closed at Rs 268.83 on Wed.
• Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves drop to $3.09bn. SBP’s reserves cover only 18 days of imports, the lowest the import cover has been since 1998.
• Balochistan CM Abdul Bizenjo said that the province is facing a financial crisis and there is no money to pay salaries.
• He added that the govt would use the royalty of the Reko Diq project but unless the federation pays back its arrears situation would not come under control.
• Due to a shortage of funds no development project could be completed. (Qudrat)

‘Closing in’ on terror network: Peshawar mosque bomber was in police uniform, says KP IG

• KP Police Chief Ansari said on Thu that the police were “closing in” on the terror network behind the suicide attack in Peshawar.
• On Jan 30, a powerful explosion ripped through a mosque in Peshawar’s Red Zone area where between 300-400 people — mostly police officers — had gathered for prayers.
• The suicide blast blew away the wall of the prayer hall and an inner roof and claimed 101 lives.
• The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack, but retract later.
• Ansari said that the police had found ball bearings from the blast site. “We found ball bearings used in a suicide jacket from underneath the rubble [of the mosque].
• The suicide bomber wore a police uniform and entered Police Lines on a motorcycle
• 12-16kgs of TNT was used in the blast
• The combination of the explosive and pillarless building contributed to a high toll
• Body count could be revised as there is a possibility of duplication in lists
• FO says Pakistan expects cooperation from Afghan interim government in blast probe
• China says willing to deepen counter-terror cooperation with Pakistan
• ‘Will avenge every death’:At the onset of his presser, the police chief asserted that there would be a reckoning for every martyr.
• ‘Conspiracy theories’: Ansari also said that “conspiracy theories” were being made to “incite my children (policemen), lead them astray and bring them to the streets”. (here)
• “India is now providing training to anti-Pak establishment insurgents operating from Afghanistan,” claims the defense minister Khawaja Asif.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Police took to the streets

• For the first time in the history of Pakistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Police took to the streets in protest against recent terror attacks, unrest, and target killings.
• Policemen protested across KP including Peshawar demanding and warning of mass resignations if immediate investigations are not done and terrorists are not punished.
• The Police personnel complained about why every time they had to suffer.
• The Police Chief, however, said that protesting police personnel are playing into some foreign hands and such an act will demoralize the police force which would benefit terrorists. (Aeen)

PM Shehbaz invites Imran to APC on ‘national challenges’

• The PM to summon the APC to discuss ways to overcome the current national challenges and invite all national-level political leaders, including PTI chief, has come days after the Peshawar police lines carnage, which snuffed more than 100 lives when a suicide bomber blew himself up during noon prayers inside a mosque. (here)

Philippines grants US wider access to military bases amid tensions with China

• The Philippines and the US agreed to expand the access of American troops and equipment into 4 more Philippine military bases amid rising tensions in the SCS and Taiwan’s fraught relations with Beijing.
• The US got greater access to its military bases following the visit of US Defence Secy Lloyd Austin, who went to Manila on Tuesday night after traveling from S Korea.
• Austin met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Def Secy Carlito Galvez Jr, and other top Filipino govt officials during his three-day visit.
• On Wed, he also visited about 100 American soldiers currently stationed at a military camp in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines.
• They are helping Philippine troops fight remnants of militant groups linked to the Islamic State.
• Signed in 2014, the EDCA allows US forces to construct facilities, bring in equipment and hold joint training exercises in mutually agreed upon bases. (here)

Chinese spy balloon spotted over Western US: Pentagon

• The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple of days, but the Pentagon didn’t shoot it due to risks of harm to people on the ground, officials said Thu.
• The discovery of the balloon puts a further strain on U.S.-China relations at a time of heightened tensions.
• A senior defense told that the U.S. has “very high confidence” it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon and it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information.
• One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nation’s 3 nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
• Pentagon said it is “currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.”
• The official said the U.S. has “engaged” Chinese officials through multiple channels and communicated the seriousness of the matter.
• The incident comes as Secy of State Antony Blinken was supposed to make his first trip to Beijing, expected this weekend, to try to find some common ground.
• It was not immediately clear if the discovery of the balloon would impact Blinken’s travel plans. (here)

Nepalese women under fear due to trafficking by Chinese nationals: Reports

• Cross-border trafficking has become a concern for Nepalese women, feeling unsafe.
• The Chinese who trafficked them are now searching for them through their agents as their business got hampered because of the intervention by the police.
• Kathmandu Post- one of the kidnapped women revealed that even though they survived the place, the Chinese were looking for them through their agents, possibly to wreak revenge after their company was ruined due to police action.
• The trafficked women’s admissions reveal the cross-border network of Chinese engaging in human trafficking in Nepal, Laos, and several other countries.
• They also took their passports and ID cards and forced them to persuade Europeans and Americans to invest in illegal gambling, bitcoins, and other digital financial activities.
• They were threatened with grave penalties by the smugglers.
• These girls were able to escape from there with the assistance of Nepalese and return home. (here)