1. Vishnu Deo Sai, Tribal leader set to become Chhattisgarh Chief Minister
2. 15 ISIS Terrorists Arrested by NIA; Accused Declared Maharashtra Village ‘Liberated Zone’
3. $34.7mn cash seized in I-T raids on Cong MP’s assets; PM vows ‘every penny will have to be returned’
4. INDIA bloc’s 4th meeting on December 19 in Delhi: Congress’s Jairam Ramesh
5. Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to arrive on state visit to India on Dec 16

What Else

6. ‘Chinese deep state, cybercrime, Pannun’— key items on agenda for FBI director’s India visit
7. Fake and fabricated: MEA on report claiming memo targeting Sikh separatists
8. ‘Pouring oil on fire’ — Azerbaijan’s President slams sale of Indian arms to Armenia
9. Navy facing shortage of 10,896 personnel including 1,777 officers, govt tells Parliament
10. Pakistan: Nawaz urges better ties with India, other neighbors
11. Pakistan: COAS Munir heads to US on first official visit
12. South China Sea: Chinese coastguard blames Philippine boats for ‘collision’ near disputed Second Thomas Shoal
13. Bangladesh: Seat-sharing for JS polls: AL keeps its allies hanging

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Vishnu Deo Sai, Tribal leader set to become Chhattisgarh Chief Minister

• Ending a week-long suspense, BJP leader Vishnu Deo Sai was named as the new Chhattisgarh CM on Sun after the party held hectic parleys over who would be
• A prominent tribal leader of BJP since 1990, Vishnu Deo Sai has held various positions with the party, including as Chhattisgarh BJP chief.
• He was a former union minister in the 1^st tenure of the Modi-led BJP govt at the center.
• The party won 17 of the 29 constituencies reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs), which propelled it to come to power, dislodging the Baghel-led Congress govt.
• As the 59-year-old Vishnu Deo Sai is set to assume charge as the 4^th CM and the 2^nd from the BJP since the state was formed in 2000
• Born on Feb 21, 1964, in Bagia village of Jashpur district, he completed his secondary education at LHSS, Kunkuri, Jashpur.
• Before joining politics, he was an agriculturalist by profession. (here)
• A population with 32% tribal population, got its 1^st tribal CM.

15 ISIS Terrorists Arrested by NIA; Accused Declared Maharashtra Village ‘Liberated Zone’

• The National Investigation Agency has arrested 15 accused including a self-proclaimed leader with self-assumed rights to administer ‘Bayath’ of a Maharashtra village.
• The accused had declared Maharashtra village as a ‘Liberated Zone’ and were using it for their training.
• The NIA along with State Police and ATS, on Sat, arrested 15 operatives of ISIS during multiple raids across Maha and Karnataka and busted this terror module.
• NIA teams swooped down on as many as 44 locations in Padgha-Borivali, Thane, Mira Road, and Pune in Maharashtra, and Bengaluru in Karnataka.
• The accused, operating on the orders of foreign handlers, had been actively involved in various activities, including the creation of IEDs, to advance the agenda of ISIS
• Rs 68,03,800 in cash, 51 Hamas flags, 1 pistol, two air guns, 8 sharp-edged weapons, 2 laptops, 6 hard disks, 3 CDs, 38 mobile sets, 10 magazine books
• NIA has revealed that the all accused were operating from Padgha-Borivali, where they had hatched the conspiracy to spread terror and violence across India. (here)

$34.7mn cash seized in I-T raids on Cong MP’s assets; PM vows ‘every penny will have to be returned’

• Income Tax Deptt, during raids on properties linked to Congress’ RS MP Dheeraj Sahu, recovered a huge sum of approx $34.7 mn, [$43.7] the raids have been increased.
• The cash seizure figure may go further up as counting is still on.
• Boudh Distillery Private Limited in Odisha is the location from where the amount was discovered and the counting of currency is still underway.
• The raids also extended to Sahu’s business premises in Jharkhand and West Bengal, including areas in Naxal-affected regions, prompting cautious procedures.
• PM Modi has also reacted to the ongoing raids and spoken of his commitment to recovering every penny.
• The Jharkhand unit of the Congress has not been commenting much on the Income Tax raids and the large sums of money which was found by the authorities. (here)
• The opposition leader blamed the failure of the demonetization policy of Govt.

INDIA bloc’s 4^th meeting on December 19 in Delhi: Congress’s Jairam Ramesh

• The fourth meeting of the Opposition INDIA bloc has been postponed again and will be held on Dec 19 in Delhi, said Congress Gen Secy Jairam Ramesh on Sun.
• He did not give any reasons why the meeting was postponed from Dec 17.
• Earlier, the meeting was postponed after top leaders in the alliance, including CMs of Bihar, WB, TN, JH, and SP chief decided to skip the which was called on Dec 6.
• The meeting on Dec 6 was called by the Congress on the day the election results of MP, CH, TG, and Raj were announced.
• As the BJP crossed the halfway mark in 3 states, the meeting of the Oppn bloc was announced. (here)

Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to arrive on state visit to India on Dec 16

• In the 1^st visit in 26 years, Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik is set to embark on a first state visit to India on Sat (Dec 16) since ascending the throne.
• Announcing the visit, the MEA in a statement said, it “marks a significant milestone in the diplomatic relations between India and the Sultanate of Oman”.
• The Sultan, accompanied by a delegation of top 9 cabinet ministers, underscores the importance both countries place on this diplomatic engagement.
• Bilateral discussions with PM Modi will be followed by a luncheon.
• The Sultan has not traveled anywhere else to Asia so far except Iran while he will go to Singapore before coming to India.
• The Indian Ocean neighbors, India and Oman have witnessed an increase in defense and security ties.
• Earlier this year, NSA, Ajit Doval, visited Oman to strengthen strategic cooperation and security ties, where he conveyed a personal message of greetings from PM Modi.
• India also extended an invitation to the G20 Summit and associated meetings as a guest country during its presidency of the grouping.
• India has emerged as one of the largest investors in Oman, with total investments exceeding US $7.5 billion, with Bilateral trade worth 12 bn in 2022-23 (here)

‘Chinese deep state, cybercrime, Pannun’— key items on agenda for FBI director’s India visit

• ThePrint-Discussions with the CBI chief on extradition and cybercrime cooperation, a session with the NIA chief on terrorism, IB chief, NSA, and the Delhi Police HQ — all this is in the schedule for FBI director Christopher Wray’s visit
• While the visit is taking place under the shadow of the Pannun affair, it’s not hush-hush, unlike the earlier visits by the CIA chief and the director of national intelligence.
• (source)- Wray’s visit was planned “well in advance” and had been in the schedule of the directors of the investigation agencies since May this year.
• One of the key items of Wray’s visit Mon-Tue is to facilitate “information sharing on China’s deep state and its assets in India”, which is crucial for “both countries”.
• Moreover, the US indictment of the alleged involvement of an Indian govt official in an assassination plot against wanted Pannun is likely to be another ‘key issue’ (here)

Fake and fabricated: MEA on report claiming memo targeting Sikh separatists

• India on Sun night described as “fake” and “completely fabricated” The Intercept’s report, which claimed that a “secret memo” was issued by New Delhi in Apr to take “concrete” measures against certain Sikh separatists including Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
• MEA said the report is part of a “sustained disinformation campaign” against India and the outlet is known for propagating “fake narratives” peddled by Pak intelligence.
• Online American media outlet The Intercept came out with the report.
• “….The outlet in question is known for propagating fake narratives peddled by Pakistani intelligence. The posts of the authors [Murtaza Hussain, Ryan Grim] confirm this linkage,” he said. (here)

‘Pouring oil on fire’ — Azerbaijan’s President slams sale of Indian arms to Armenia

• Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has slammed the sale of Indian-made arms to Armenia, while also questioning their quality.
• This comes amid a decades-long conflict between the two over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region when New Delhi has been attempting to boost its geopolitical heft
• In Sept 2022, Armenia signed a G2G contract with India for the indigenous Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers, anti-tank missiles, and ammunition. (here)

Navy facing shortage of 10,896 personnel including 1,777 officers, govt tells Parliament

• The Navy faces a shortfall of 10,896 personnel, including 1,777 officers, the central govt informed Parliament Fri.
• In reply to a question in the LS, Minister of State, Dy Defence Min Ajay Bhatt stated that apart from 1,777 officers, the force was short of 9,119 sailors.
• He added that the sanctioned strength, excluding medical and dental branches, was 11,979 officers and 76,649 sailors as of Oct 2023.
• The Navy recruited 323 officers and 5,547 sailors in 2021, and 386 officers and 5,171 sailors in 2022.
• The minister stated that the ministries of def and fin are working on a mechanism to enable a special dispensation for the MoD to operationalize. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Pakistan: Nawaz urges better ties with India, other neighbors

• PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif on Sat expressed his intention to normalize the ties with its neighboring countries, particularly India if voted to power in elections slated in Feb.
• The former PM was speaking to ticket aspirants at the party’s Model Town office.
• It may be noted that PML-N’s parliamentary board has been doling out tickets in the lead-up to polls.
• The ex-premier called for improving ties with New Delhi, which were downgraded following the removal of India-held Kashmir’s autonomous status in 2019.
• “We will have to improve our relations with India, Afghanistan, and Iran. We need to ensure stronger relations with China,” he said
• “Modi Sahib and Vajpayee Sahib came here (on my invitation). Did anyone come here before them?” he asked.
• Sharif said his party never stepped back when it was about the dignity and sovereignty of Pakistan.
• Says Musharraf ousted him for opposing the Kargil war (here)

Pakistan: COAS Munir heads to US on first official visit

• Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir on Sun left for the US on an official visit, as per the military’s media affairs wing, ISPR.
• In a statement, ISPR said this was COAS Munir’s 1^st visit to the US as the army chief.
• “During his visit, Gen Munir is scheduled to meet the senior military and other govt officials of the USA,” the ISPR said.
• The rumors that Gen Munir quietly flew across the Atlantic had begun after a former army officer claimed in a tweet that the army chief’s aircraft went to the US on Feb 6 and landed at New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport. (here)
• The US has been working with Pak to find a workable solution to avoid Afghan deports.
• The US is keen that such vulnerable Afghans are not touched either. (here)

South China Sea: Chinese coastguard blames Philippine boats for ‘collision’ near disputed Second Thomas Shoal

• The Chinese coastguard took “control measures” against Philippine vessels in disputed areas of the SCS for the 2^nd straight day on Sun, blaming them for a collision near a shoal claimed by both countries.
• In a statement on Sun, the China Coast Guard said 2 Philippine coastguard vessels, a public service vessel, and a resupply vessel had “illegally”.
• It also accused the vessel of “deliberately colliding” with a coastguard ship, causing a scratch on the hull. “The responsibility is all on the Philippines,” it said.
• The Manila rejected China’s account of events, raising “grave concern over the deliberate disinformation” and condemning its “latest unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers”.
• The National Task Force of the West Philippine Sea said it was on a routine resupply and rotation mission to the disputed shoal when their civilian supply vessels were subjected to reckless and dangerous harassment at close range by Chinese vessels.
• It accused the China Coast Guard of firing water cannons at their vessels.
• One vessel suffered serious engine damage, another had its mast damaged, and a 3^rd was rammed during the confrontation, the statement said.
• Beijing rejects the UNCOLS 2016 ruling as having “no binding force”. (here)

Bangladesh: Seat-sharing for JS polls: AL keeps its allies hanging

• A crucial meeting between the Awami League and its 14-party allies ended last night without any concrete decisions on seat sharing.
• At the meeting, participants could not reach a consensus over the withdrawal of “AL independents” who would compete against AL partners.
• Frustrated by what they said was the AL dilly-dallying over resolving the seat-sharing issue and keeping partners hanging, the other 14-party alliance leaders said they would make polls-related decisions on their own, said meeting sources.
• The AL will make its partners wait until Dec 17, the deadline for withdrawal from the race, to finalize the number of seats it will give to its partners. (here)