1. Did PM Modi Just Checkmate Hostile Maldives? Google Searches for Lakshadweep Skyrocket
2. Nepal, India ink 10-year 10,000MW power trade
3. Another Hindu Temple in California defaced with Pro-Khalistan Graffiti; demand to install Cams Rises
4. Supreme Court junks plea for consular access to Nikhil Gupta charged in Pannun murder plot
5. Javed Ahmed Mattoo, wanted Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorist, caught in Delhi

What Else

• Chinese State Media Praises India’s Remarkable Foreign Polices & Growth Under PM Modi, but Questioned Quad.
• India’s Indra Mani Pandey assumes charge as BIMSTEC Secretary General
• Artillery shells from restive Myanmar region hit southwest China town: Global Times report
• Exclusive: Thermo Fisher halts DNA collection kit sales in Tibet
• Xi Vows to Strengthen Economic Recovery After ‘Tough’ Year
• Bangladesh deploys army to keep peace ahead of Sun’s election
• Faizabad Commission: Ex-DG ISI Faiz Hamid rejects allegations of ‘conspiracy’ against govt

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Did PM Modi Just Checkmate Hostile Maldives? Google Searches for Lakshadweep Skyrocket

• The year was 2021 and the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic was still visible on India’s tourism business.
• PM Modi took to Twitter urging everyone to visit the tulip garden located at the foothills of the Zabarwan range in J&K and enjoy the warm hospitality of the people of the UT, which would open a floodgate of visitors to the tourist-starved Valley.
• At the beginning of 2024, the PM seems to have done the same, this time for Lakshadweep — a tropical archipelago of 36 atolls and coral reefs in the Laccadive Sea, off the coast of Kerala.
• Serene beaches, blue water, white sands, friendly people, and nature preserved from the exploits of extreme commercialization make it one of the most lovely places in India
• Restrictions on visits, cumbersome processes, and little knowledge had kept tourists away, so far. Data suggests that Lakshadweep received 1 lakh foreign travelers in 2022.
• Domestic visitors have also not been very imminent.
• But photos of PM Modi snorkeling, walking on white sand, or simply resting on a virgin beach in front of a vast blue ocean have gone viral in India, prompting a massive surge in Google searches (50,000 searches that day; 9^th in India). (here)

Nepal, India ink 10-year 10,000MW power trade

• Indian and Nepal FMs jointly inaugurated 3 cross-border transmission lines.
• Nepal and India on Thu inked an agreement setting the target to reach 10,000 megawatts of electricity export to India in the coming 10 years.
• On Sept 5 last year, India formalized its statement that it would buy 10k MW of electricity from Nepal over 10 years with the long-term inter-govt power trade pact
• The energy deal was among the 4 agreements signed on Thu.
• India has also agreed on Rs10 billion financial aid to Nepal for the reconstruction of Jajarkot and Rukum West which were worst hit by the earthquake in Nov.
• Agreement for this was signed between Nepal Academy of Science and Tech and New Space India Ltd, on behalf of ISRO on Thu in Kathmandu in the presence of FMs
• Similarly, a MoU for cooperation in renewable energy has also been signed by the Nepal Electricity Authority and NTPC Limited, India.
• The two ministers also jointly inaugurated three cross-border transmission lines.
• Meanwhile, a group of rights activists and former bureaucrats have criticized the agreement and termed the energy deal a problematic one. (here)
• India handed over the 5^th tranche of post-Jajarkot earthquake relief supply to Nepal during the ongoing visit of EAM Jaishankar to the country.
• Jaishankar on Thu called on Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel and PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ here during which the two sides exchanged substantive views on the age-old, unique, and multifaceted Nepal-India relations.
• In the evening, Jaishankar separately met former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba, K P Sharma Oli, and Madhav Kumar Nepal. (here)

Another Hindu Temple in California defaced with Pro-Khalistan Graffiti; demand to install Cams Rises

• A Hindu temple in California’s Hayward has been attacked with anti-India graffiti.
• The defacing of Vijay’s Sherawali Temple with pro-Khalistani scribblings comes merely 2 weeks after Swaminarayan Mandir in California was vandalized, and a theft took place at Shiv Durga temple in the same vicinity.
• This latest incident adds to a growing number of attacks on Hindu temples in the US, strongly condemned by India.
• Last month, a Hindu temple was in California with anti-India and pro-Khalistan graffiti on its exterior walls.
• In the incident at Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple in Newark, the word ‘Khalistan’ was spray-painted on a signpost outside the temple along with other objectionable graffiti. (here)

Supreme Court junks plea for consular access to Nikhil Gupta charged in Pannun murder plot

• The Supreme Court on Thu rejected a petition filed by Indian national Nikhil Gupta, seeking consular access to challenge his indictment and extradition in a case charged by the US authorities for allegedly plotting to kill Khalistani terrorist Pannun in US.
• The top court noted that the matter is sensitive, and it should respect the jurisdiction of the foreign court.
• The 52-year-old Indian national, Gupta, was arrested in the Czech Republic in Jun 2023 at the request of US authorities.
• He has been lodged in a solitary confinement facility in the Czech Republic.
• Gupta’s family alleged that he was denied consular access, the right to contact his family in India, and the freedom to seek legal representation and sought the SC’s intervention.
• Senior Advocate Sundaram argued that the petitioner has a “right to seek assistance” from his country.
• However, Justice Khanna noted, “This applies when you are in our jurisdiction”. (here)

Javed Ahmed Mattoo, wanted Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorist, caught in Delhi

• Javed Ahmed Mattoo, a wanted terrorist of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in J&K, was caught in Delhi on Thu in coordination with central agencies, a team of the Special Cell of DP.
• The police team recovered a pistol, six live cartridges, and a stolen car from Mattoo.
• Mattoo was wanted in 11 terror attacks in J&K and was among the top 10 targets in the Valley on the list of security agencies.
• He was carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head.
• According to the police, Mattoo went underground after getting injured in an exchange of fire with security forces in J&K.
• He then fled to Nepal on the instructions of Pakistan’s spy agency ISI.
• Mattoo is one of the last surviving A++ designated terrorists who belong to J&K (here)

Chinese State Media Praises India’s Remarkable Foreign Polices & Growth Under PM Modi

• GT praised India’s significant strides in the spheres of economic, social governance, and foreign policies saying New Delhi has become more strategically confident and proactive in creating and developing a “Bharat narrative” under PM Modi
• An article by Zhang Jiadong, the director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, Shanghai, highlighted India’s exceptional achievements over the past 4 years admitting New Delhi’s robust economic growth (here)
• Also, GT published another article, “Quad faces wide question on value of existing after Biden not to visit India in January”: Titled “Stars not aligning: Quad summit in doubt for second year running,” a news report by an Australian media outlet said that preparations were underway for Indian PM Modi to host Australian PM Anthony Albanese and the other Quad leaders on Jan 27, but those plans were ditched.
• Citing this news GT questioned Quad’s ability to serve as a democratic bulwark against China [Chinese Expensionist attitude].
• “This reflects the fragile strategic foundation of the Quad itself,” Li Haidong, a Chinese professor said. (here)

India’s Indra Mani Pandey assumes charge as BIMSTEC Secretary General

• Seasoned diplomat Indra Mani Pandey on Thu assumed charge as the 4^th secretary general of 7-nation BIMSTEC in a 1^st for an Indian to hold the key position
• Pandey, a 1990-batch Indian Foreign Service official, was serving as India’s permanent mission to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva before this.
• BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation)- India, Sri Lanka, B’desh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, & Bhutan
• He succeeded Bhutan’s Tenzin Lekphell and will have a tenure of 3 years.
• On his arrival in Dhaka earlier in the day, Pandey was warmly received by Abdul Motaleb Sarker, DG (SAARC and BIMSTEC), at the Foreign Ministry of B’desh. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Artillery shells from restive Myanmar region hit southwest China town: Global Times report

• 5 people in a Chinese town near Myanmar were wounded on Wed by stray artillery shells from across the border, according to China’s state-controlled GT, as fighting between Myanmar’s junta and rebels persisted despite talks.
• GT circulated a video on social media showing one person lying on a pedestrian pavement in front of a row of street stores with people shouting, “Call the police!”
• Officials in Zhenkang, a city in Yunnan province, had confirmed shelling that had strayed from Laukkai, an area in Myanmar’s Kokang region, hitting Nansan, a town under its jurisdiction, around 2:00 p.m. on Wed.
• For years, Kokang in Myanmar’s Shan state has been a volatile and restive region. (here)

Exclusive: Thermo Fisher halts DNA collection kit sales in Tibet

• Biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific has halted sales of DNA collection kits to Tibet after criticism from rights groups and pressure from Congress, Co. tells Axios
• Chinese police are reportedly building a massive DNA database of Tibetans, who live under the Chinese govt’s repressive policies.
• “Based on several factors we made the decision in mid-2023 to cease sales of HID products in the region and no longer sell our human identification technology in the Tibet Autonomous Region,” a Thermo Fisher replied to the email of  Axios
• In 2022, reports based on Chinese govt documents revealed that police were engaging in mass DNA collection in Tibet, and they had purchased equipment from Co. (here)

Xi Vows to Strengthen Economic Recovery After ‘Tough’ Year

• Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to strengthen economic momentum and job creation, admitting some companies and citizens had endured a difficult 2023 in a rare admission of domestic headwinds facing the country.
• While China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong used his annual New Year address to trumpet his nation’s achievements, he also conceded some “enterprises had a tough time” and “people had difficulty finding jobs and meeting basic needs.”
• Xi says nation will ‘surely’ unify as Taiwan election looms
• Signs of weakness in the economy have increased recently (here)

Bangladesh deploys army to keep peace ahead of Sun’s election

• Troops deployed across Bangladesh on Wed amid fears of violence ahead of a national election which the main opposition party is boycotting.
• Soldiers travelled in armoured vehicles to temporary camps set up across the capital Dhaka to help the civil administration maintain peace and security.
• The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is boycotting the election, set to take place on Sun after PM Sheikh Hasina refused their demands that she resign and cede power
• Hasina has repeatedly blamed the BNP for instigating anti-govt protests that have rocked Dhaka since late Oct in which at least 10 people have been killed.
• The troops will only act on request from polling officers, the military stated (here)

Faizabad commission: Ex-DG ISI Faiz Hamid rejects allegations of ‘conspiracy’ against govt

• Former DG of ISI Faiz Hamid has recorded his statement before the Faizabad sit-in commission, denying allegations of conspiring against the govt, (sources) Geo Thu.
• The former spymaster was summoned by the panel — investigating the 2017 sit-in staged by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan— thrice but he failed to appear before it.
• He was then sent a questionnaire by the commission to which he responded and stated that he held negotiations with the TLP on the directions of the government.
• According to the sources, the commission had summoned the former army officer on Jan 2 but he didn’t appear before the panel.
• This was the third time that the former ISI chief remained absent from the hearing.
• However, the first notice couldn’t be delivered. (here)
• In a jibe at Faiz Hamid, PML-N senior leader Khawaja Asif said Thu that “conspirators” hardly admit that they hatched plots. (here)