1. PM Modi conferred with highest honors of Fiji, Papua New Guinea,‘Companion of the Order of Fiji’
2. PM Modi arrives in Sydney, to hold talks with Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese
3. G20: India held third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Srinagar
4. Fresh flare-up rocks India’s northeastern Manipur state, former MLA among 3 held
5. Fugitive For 20 Years With 102 Cases Pending, NIA Nets Chief Of Banned PLFI

What Else

6. Indian fighter jets, marching contingent to take part in French National Day parade with PM Modi as main guest
7. US, Papua New Guinea sign new defense cooperation agreement
8. No conflict with army, only want fair elections: Imran
9. PTI moves Supreme Court against proposed military trials
10. Iran’s Police Vow Martyrdom of Border Guards Not to Remain Unanswered

PM Modi conferred with highest honors of Fiji, Papua New Guinea,‘Companion of the Order of Fiji’

• PM Modi was conferred with the highest civilian honors of Fiji & Papua New Guinea on Mon, as he traveled to PNG on a historic trip and attended the 3^rd FIPIC Forum.
• The PM was conferred by his Fijian counterpart, PM Sitiveni Rabuka, in “recognition of his global leadership,” said the PMO.
• The statement also said that only a handful of Non-Fijians have received this honor to date. (here)
• Co-chairing the 3^rd FIPIC Summit in PNG, PM Modi said, “For me, you are large ocean countries and not small island states”.
• 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs) took part in the summit. (here)
• PNG PM James Marape told on Mon that the PICs consider PM Modi as the leader of the Global South and will rally behind India’s leadership at global forums.
• He added that we are victims of global powerplay. (here)
• On a day the US signed a landmark defense agreement with PNG to limit China’s influence in the South Pacific, PM Modi announced a 12-point action plan to up India’s engagement with the region and to fulfill the developmental aspirations of PIC. (here)

PM Modi arrives in Sydney, to hold talks with Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese

• PM Modi arrived in Sydney as part of the 3^rd and final leg of his 3-nation visit after concluding his visit to PNG.
• PM Modi was received by Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell and other officials upon his arrival in Sydney.
• During his visit, PM Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.
• The leaders will discuss trade and investment, including efforts to boost trade between the two countries through a CECA, and defense and security cooperation.
• Members of the Indian diaspora also welcomed PM Modi as they chanted slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram”.
• PM Modi will also meet business leaders to drive Australia’s growing trade and investment with India and take forward the Australia-India CEO Forum (here)

G20: India held third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Srinagar

• Sixty foreign delegates arrived in J&K to participate in the 3^rd G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Srinagar beginning Mon (May 22-24).
• An ethnic and magnificent display of traditional dance forms by local Artists, showcasing J&K’s cultural heritage, was also done.
• As of now, the G20 Working group meeting in J&K will focus on 5 key priority areas: Green Tourism, Digitalization, Skills, MSMEs, and Destination Management.
• The meeting aims to strengthen economic growth, preserve cultural heritage and promote sustainable development of the region. (here)
• After China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt & Oman skip G20 tourism meet: Egypt and Oman joined China, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey in skipping the meeting in Kashmir
• The first international event of this scale is being held since the abrogation of Article 370 and the change to the Union territory of Jammu & Kashmir in 2019.
• [Egypt and Oman are not member states but were special invitees].
• Indonesia was also speculated to skip the event, it sent representatives from its mission.
• Incidentally, trade delegations from both Saudi Arabia and Turkey have come.
• MoS PMO said that over 300 meetings have been held as part of the G20 and not all countries take part all the time. (here)
• Former chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Thu said that 15,000 youths in J&K were working for the Intelligence Bureau to spy on the people. (here)
• Pakistan FM Bilawal Bhutto has criticized the West for “turning a blind eye” to the situation in J&K, as he addressed the state legislature in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir

Fresh flare-up rocks India’s northeastern Manipur state, former MLA among 3 held

• Fresh violence rocked Manipur after a gap of almost 2 weeks which had triggered due to ethnic clashes between the tribal Kuki and the non-tribal Meitei communities.
• The latest flare-up was reported in many parts of the state on May 21, with the capital Imphal City facing the brunt of it.
• Miscreants torched abandoned houses and cars and also shot 3 people, injured were admitted to a nearby hospital and said to be safe.
• A group of Indian armed forces— the Army & Assam Rifles regime—were deployed to the scene to maintain law and order.
• PTI reported that no casualties have been recorded due to the arson. (here)
• The spate of ethnic violence that has so far claimed 73 lives and left thousands homeless has also triggered an exodus in the small state of 3.6 million people.
• 7,472 Meiteis have migrated from the hill districts to the Imphal valley while 5200 Kukis have left Imphal and nearby areas since the violence erupted on May 3. (here)

Fugitive For 20 Years With 102 Cases Pending, NIA Nets Chief Of Banned PLFI

• In a breakthrough, the NIA arrested one Dinesh Gope, a self-styled supremo of the banned People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI).
• More than 102 criminal cases, mostly related to murder, abduction, threat, extortion, and raising funds are registered against Gope in Jharkhand, Bihar, and Odisha.
• The PLFI, a militant Maoist outfit formed in 2007 in Jharkhand and also a splinter group of the CPI-Maoist (CPI-Maoist).
• The NIA had also declared a reward of Rs 5 lakh for leads on Gope, besides the reward of Rs 25 lakh announced by the Jharkhand govt, which was absconding for almost 2 decades. (here)

Indian fighter jets, marching contingent to take part in French National Day parade with PM Modi as main guest

• India is preparing to send a military contingent including fighter aircraft to take part in the French National Day parade where PM Modi would be the guest of honour.
• The traditional military parade is held in Paris during Bastille Day on Jul 14.
• The visit is also marking the 25^th anniversary of the “strategic partnership” between France and India.
• The French Air Force is planning to field its Rafale combat aircraft in the parade which is also in the Indian inventory.
• India may send aircraft from the Jaguar fleet which has been designed by the French and joined the Indian Air Force in the 1980s in significant numbers. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

US, Papua New Guinea sign new defense cooperation agreement

• The US and PNG have signed a new bilateral defense cooperation agreement amid increasing China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, CNN reported.
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and PNG PM James Marape signed the pact and a maritime security agreement on Mon during Blinken’s visit to Port Moresby.
• PNG, Sat, framed its agreement with the US as an opportunity to advance its infrastructure and capacity for defense at a time of growing global security concerns.
• This move has sparked controversy in the Pacific Island nation and comes as Washington and China jostle for influence in the region. (here)

No conflict with army, only want fair elections: Imran

• Former PM and PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Mon stated that he had no conflict with the army and reiterated his primary objective of holding fair and transparent elections.
• During the 90 mins-long interactive session, on Twitter, Khan took many questions about the current political situation, relations with the army, the economy, etc.
• On COAS, said, “He [army chief] should address the issue. I cannot say [more].”
• Imran Khan said that whenever he criticizes the army, it is like how a parent criticizes their children. “We want a strong army; we would never want a weak army,” he said.
• “However, if they think I will be intimidated because of fear, I would prefer to die because death is better than slavery.” (here)
• Imran, who is facing several court cases, left for Rawalpindi on Tue to appear before the National Accountability Bureau in Rawalpindi in the £190 million case. (here)
• Imran on Mon advised supporters to remain peaceful even if he is arres­ted by the NAB authorities on Tue when the Al Qadir Trust corruption case would be heard. (here)

PTI moves Supreme Court against proposed military trials

• The PTI on Mon approached the SC against the federal govt’s decision to prosecute civilians under the Army Act, over violence on May 9, and the summon military.
• The PTI urged the court to declare the govt’s decision to try civilians in military courts as well as the crackdown on the party and its supporters as illegal and unlawful.
• The PTI also challenged the deployment of the armed forces in aid of civil powers in Islamabad, Punjab, KP, and Balochistan.
• The trial of civilians through military courts, the petition argued, was a clear violation of constitutional guarantees of due process and fair trial.
• Such trials are highly deprecated internationally and widely considered as falling short of providing a fair trial, it added. (here)

Iran’s Police Vow Martyrdom of Border Guards Not to Remain Unanswered

• Iran’s Dy Police Chief Rezaei issued a strong warning to terrorists behind a fatal raid on a border post in Sistan and Baluchestan province and pledged a harsh consequence.
• A funeral ceremony for 5 Iranian border guards who were martyred in the terror attack was held in the city of Zahedan on Mon.
• The deputy police chief also emphasized that such incidents will not create divisions between Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan as the trio enjoy long-standing relations.
• Separately, the border police commander warned neighboring countries to observe the principle of good neighborliness and not allow destabilizing activities on their soil.
• “Our patience has limits,” Brigadier General Ahmad Ali Goudarzi stated. (here)