clataffairs

The UN General Assembly adopted the draft resolution 'The situation in Myanmar' with 119 Member States voting in favour, including Myanmar. The diplomat Kyaw Moe Tun is still recognized by the United Nations as Myanmar’s ambassador, although he was pushed out and charged with treason by his country’s military leaders. 36 nations abstained, including Myanmar's neighbours - India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Laos, Nepal and Thailand, Russia also abstained.  Belarus was the sole country voting against it. THE RESOLUTION The resolution was introduced by Liechtenstein, whose representative warned that there is a “real and present danger of a full-fledged civil war” in Myanmar.  It is non-binding resolution condemning the military regime in Myanmar. The resolution expressed "grave concern" at the February 1 coup and called upon Myanmar's military junta to immediately and unconditionally release President Win Myint, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other governme...

The Indian Prime Minister addressed the 47th G7 Summit 2021 through video conferencing. Earlier, the Finance Ministers from the G7 nations reached a landmark accord setting a Global Minimum Corporate Tax Rate (GMCTR). This year’s summit was hosted by the UK.  The theme was ‘Build Back Better. The last G-7 summit was in France in 2019, with last year’s event in the US canceled due to the pandemic.  4 PRIORITIES BY UK The UK has outlined four priority areas for its presidency this year: Leading the global recovery from coronavirus while strengthening resilience against future pandemics, Promoting future prosperity by championing free and fair trade, Tackling climate change and preserving the planet's biodiversity, Championing shared values and open societies. BUILD BACK BETTER FOR THE WORLD PROJECT It is aimed squarely at competing with China’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. BRI was joined by G7 member Italy, in 2019. The G-7 project will collectively c...

Fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi, key accused in the Rs-13,000-crore PNB loan fraud case, was arrested in Dominica.  He illegally entered the country from Antigua, where he had been staying since 2018.   Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi remains in the custody of Dominican authorities with certain legal proceedings underway, and asserted that all efforts will continue to be made to bring back fugitives to face justice in India.  Antiguan PM Gaston Brown has told media that Choksi can be deported to India from Dominica itself,  Choksi’s lawyers have argued that he cannot be sent back to India as he is not an Indian citizen anymore.  Choksi acquired Antiguan citizenship in 2017, just over a month before he fled India in January 2018, and has even surrendered his Indian passport. According to Section 9 of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, any Indian citizen who acquires foreign citizenship ceases to be an Indian citiz...

India hit out at President of the UN General Assembly Volkan Bozkir for his comments on Jammu and Kashmir, Saying his "misleading and prejudiced" remarks does "great disservice to the office he occupies".  Volkan Bozkir of Turkey was elected the President of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly. UNGA president Volkan Bozkir was speaking at a joint news conference with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. He said, “India and Pakistan’s Simla Agreement of 1972 which says that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir is to be settled by peaceful means in accordance with the UN Charter.” He also noted that Palestine has more “political wind” behind it, whereas the Kashmir issue doesn’t have the “same enlarged political wind behind it”. The Simla Agreement, signed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistan President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1972. It is a bilateral agreement that rejects any third-party m...

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio Infocomm is constructing the largest international submarine cable system centered on India.  The mobile broadband digital service provider is working with several key global partners and submarine cable supplier SubCom is currently deploying two next generation cables to support data demand growth across the region. The India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) system will connect India to Singapore and beyond. The India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) system will connect India to the Middle East and Europe.  The IAX system will have express connectivity from Mumbai and Chennai to Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.  The IEX system will extend India's connectivity to Italy, landing in Savona, with additional landings in the Middle East and North Africa. IAX is expected to be ready for service by the middle of 2023, While IEX should be in service sometime in 2024. FIBRE OPTICAL CABLE A fiber optic cable is a direct link through which it connects one country to the rest o...

INDIA-ISRAEL RELATIONS In 1948, India was the only non-Arab-state among 13 countries that voted against the UN partition plan of Palestine in the General Assembly that led to the creation of Israel. India had given recognition of Israel in 1950 but without full diplomatic ties. PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s reasoning for the decision to recognise Israel was that it was “an established fact”, and that not doing so would create rancour between two UN members. The opening of an Indian embassy in Tel Aviv in January 1992 marked an end to four decades of giving Israel the cold shoulder.  For two-and-a-half decades from 1992, the India-Israel relationship continued to grow, mostly through defence deals, and in sectors such as science and technology and agriculture. In 2000, L K Advani became the first Indian minister to visit Israel. It was during NDA-2 that the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to take full ownership of the relationship with Israel.  In 2016, India abst...

India’s permanent representative to the United Nations, T S Tirumurti, made a carefully crafted statement at the UN Security Council “open debate” on the escalating Israel-Palestine violence. He strived to maintain balance between India’s historic ties with Palestine and its blossoming relations with Israel. BALANCING The statement, the first India has made on the issue, appears to implicitly hold Israel responsible for triggering the current cycle of violence by locating its beginnings in East Jerusalem, referring to the clashes in the Al-­Aqsa compound and East Jerusalem’s neighborhood, rather than from Gaza.  This means, India doesn’t see Hamas’s rocket firing on May 10 as the trigger of the conflict. The request that both sides refrain from “attempts to unilaterally change the existing status quo including in East Jerusalem and its neighbourhoods” seems to be a message to Is...

Moscow has plans to introduce the single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine in India soon. Sputnik Light vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. SPUTNIK LIGHT V. SPUTNIK V Sputnik Light is the first component of Sputnik V – this means it is the first dose of the Sputnik V vaccine.  The vaccine is based on recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (rAd26).  The single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine demonstrated 79.4 percent efficacy, according to analysed data taken from 28 days after the injection was administered as part of Russia’s mass vaccination programme between 5 December 2020 and 15 April 2021. SPUTNIK V Sputnik V made waves for being the world’s first registered vaccine against coronavirus on 11 August 2020.  Russia's COVID-19 Vaccine Sputnik V is developed by the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.  The vaccine is based on the e...

Indian Prime Minister participated in the India-European Union (EU) Leaders’ Meeting. The meeting was held in a hybrid format with the participation of leaders of all the 27 EU Member States as well as the President of the European Council and the European Commission.  This is the first time that the EU hosted a meeting with India in the EU+27 format. The meeting was the initiative of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU. FREE TRADE NEGOTIATIONS India and EU decided to relaunch free trade negotiations by resuming talks that were suspended for the Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA). India and EU had launched talks for having a wide-ranging Free Trade Agreement (FTA), officially called broad-based BTIA, long ago in 2007. The BTIA was proposed to encompass trade in goods, services and investments. However, the talks stalled in 2013 over differences on market access and movement of professionals. CONNECTIVITY PARTNERSHIP Launched an ambitious and comprehensiv...

Indian Navy has launched Operation Samudra Setu-II for shipment of Oxygen-filled containers to India. Seven Indian Naval ships viz. Kolkata, Kochi, Talwar, Tabar, Trikand, Jalashwa and Airavat have been deployed for shipment of liquid medical oxygen-filled cryogenic containers and associated medical equipment from various countries. Two ships, the INS Kolkata and INS Talwar, have entered the Port of Manama, Bahrain, to carry back 40 tonnes of liquid oxygen to Mumbai. The INS Jalashwa is enroute to Bangkok while the INS Airavat is on its way to Singapore on similar missions Operation Samudra Setu was launched in May 2020 as part of the national effort to repatriate Indian citizens from overseas during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The Trade Ministers of India, Japan and Australia have formally launched the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI). The SCRI aims to create a virtuous cycle of enhancing supply chain resilience with a view to eventually attaining strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth in the Indo-Pacific region.  The SCRI was first proposed by Japan.  It aims to reduce dependence on China amid a likelihood of rechurning of supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially, SCRI will focus on sharing of best practices on supply chain resilience and holding investment promotion events and buyer-seller matching events to provide opportunities for stakeholders to explore the possibility of diversification of their supply chains.

The 19th edition of the Indian and French Navy bilateral exercise ‘VARUNA-2021’ is being conducted in the Arabian Sea. Earlier this year, the Indian Navy took part for the first time in the France-led naval exercise “La Pérouse" with the navies of the US, Australia and Japan. The Indian and French Navies have been conducting bilateral maritime exercises since 1993.  Since 2001, these exercises have been called ‘VARUNA’. 2021 EXERCISE This is the first time that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is participating in the Varuna maritime exercise. The ‘Varuna’ joint exercise is part of the French carrier strike group’s ‘CLEMENCEAU 21’ deployment, which the French Navy is conducting in the eastern Mediterranean, the Gulf and the Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea). Its goal is to contribute to the stabilization of these strategic zones and strengthening cooperation with the navies of partner countries, in particular India for the Indian Ocean component. OTHER EXERCISES Desert Knight-21 and Garuda ...

SAUDI ARABIA Saudi Arabia shipped 80 metric tons of liquid oxygen to India.  The urgent supply shipment is being undertaken in coordination with India’s Adani group and Linde company. The group is also securing 5,000 medical-grade oxygen cylinders from Linde Saudi Arabia. OTHER COUNTRIES The United Kingdom has announced that it will ship over “600 pieces of vital medical equipment” to help India fight COVID-19. Singapore has donated four cryogenic oxygen tanks to India. Australia has announced that it will send oxygen, ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to India. The Germany Army will ship a large oxygen production plant and other authorities are working to provide respirators, ventilators and huge quantities of Remdesivir and other medicines from German emergency stocks. France is sending to India oxygen generators, liquid oxygen containers, ventilators and other medical supplies by air and sea to support the country in its fight against surging coro...

US has assured immediate supplies of specific raw materials that are needed by the Serum Institute of India (SII) to ramp up the production of Covid vaccines. The U.S.’s assistance will include making raw materials for COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covishield’ immediately accessible and pursuing options to generate oxygen “on an urgent basis. The U.S. will also expand financing for BioE, a Hyderabad-based firm, to ramp up production to meet requirements of a vaccine supply programme that is being rolled out by the Quad (India, the U.S. , Australia and Japan). TRIPS AGREEMENT   India discussed its initiative at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for a relaxation in the norms of the agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) to ensure quick and affordable access to vaccines and medicines for developing countries. The 1995 agreement on TRIPS is a key legal instrument that harmonises Intellectual Property (IP) protection by imposing binding obligations on member countrie...

During the 11th round of discussions between the senior military commanders of India and China to resolve the standoff in eastern Ladakh, China refused to vacate two of the four original friction points. At two friction points, Patrolling Point 15 (PP15) in Hot Springs, and PP17A near Gogra Post, China still has a platoon-level strength each, along with vehicles. Other two are the Galwan valley and the Depsang plains.  PATROLLING POINTS Along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China, Indian Army has been given certain locations that its troops have access to patrol the area under its control. These points are known as patrolling points, or PPs, and are decided by the China Study Group (CSG). CSG was set-up in 1976, when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister, and is the apex decision-making body on China. PP15 and PP17A are two of the 65 patrolling points in Ladakh along the LAC. PP15 is located in an area known as the Hot Springs, while PP17A is near an area called t...

India has ranked 142nd yet again out of 180 nations in the recently unveiled World Press Freedom Index. The index is published each year by the international journalism not-for-profit body, Reporters Without Borders (RSF).  It has been published every year since 2002 by Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) or Reporters Without Borders. GLOBAL Journalism, the main vaccine against disinformation, is completely or partly blocked in 73% of the 180 countries. Only 12 of the Index’s 180 countries (7%) can claim to offer a favourable environment for journalism. Norway has topped yet again for the fifth year in the row, followed by Finland and Denmark. Eritrea is at the bottom meanwhile China is ranked 177, and is only above North Korea at 179 and Turkmenistan at 178. INDIA India is among the countries classified “bad” for journalism and is termed as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists trying to do their jobs properly. The report has blamed an environment of intimidation created...

The expert panel of country's drug regulator on Monday approved the use of Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine.  The decision comes after Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI)'s Subject Expert Committee (SEC) met to take up Sputnik V application for Emergency Use Authorization in India.  This is the third Covid vaccine to be available in India.  The first two are Serum Institute of India's locally-made Oxford Covid-19 vaccine 'Covishield' and Bharat Biotech's indigenously manufactured Covaxin. SPUTNIK V This is a vaccine that uses two different human common cold viruses (adenovirus) that have been modified so that the gene causing the cold infection is removed and instead replaced with a code to make SARS-CoV-2’s ‘spike protein’. The human adenoviruses then act as a vehicle to transport this code to the cells when a person is vaccinated, so that the body can develop an immune response in the form of antibodies to protect it in the event the real...

The US Navy recently conducted a freedom of navigation patrol in Indian waters without India’s prior consent.  It declared that it was intended as a challenge to India’s “excessive maritime claims”. USS John Paul Jones (the ship) asserted navigational rights and freedoms approximately 130 nautical miles west of the Lakshadweep Islands.  There has been no official reaction from the Indian government and it is not known if Indian forces had challenged the US warship. UNCLOS UNCLOS is also sometimes referred to as the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty.  It came into operation and became effective from 16th November 1982.  However, the first time such a proposal was announced before the United Nations was in the year 1973. India ratified the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1995. It said, “the provisions of the Convention do not authorize other States to carry out in the exclusive economic zone and on the continental shel...

La Pérouse is a France-led exercise that is currently taking place in the Bay of Bengal.   All QUAD member countries — India, the US, Japan and Australia — will be a part of France initiated joint naval exercise. The exercises have been named after La Pérouse, a French naval officer and explorer of18th century. France had initiated the joint naval exercise in 2019 and at that time had included US, Japanese, and Australian forces.  India deployed its frontline warships and P-8I maritime patrol aircraft from the Eastern Naval Command at Vizag for this Quad-plus-France exercise. RISING FRENCH INTEREST IN INDO-PACIFIC France has the world's largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and includes territories in the Pacific Ocean and the Southern Indian Ocean.  France also has 8,000 military personnel based in the region. In 2019, the country published its Indo-Pacific strategy. Its main objective was to promote a rules-based, multilateral regional order, free of any hege...

Pakistan did a U-turn on a move for limited resumption of trade with India.  A Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan rejected a decision made by a government panel to allow imports of sugar and cotton from India to control prices and overcome a shortage. Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told reporters in Islamabad after the cabinet meeting that the move to permit imports from India was “deferred till Article 370 is not restored” and speaking in Urdu, he added, “till then, [imports of] cotton and sugar will not happen.” Earlier on March 31, Pakistan's new finance minister Hammad Azhar had announced that the ban on imports from India has been lifted. THE BAN Pakistan’s decision to suspend bilateral trade with India in August 2019 was primarily a fallout of India’s decision to scrap Article 370.  Pakistan called the move “illegal”, and took this trade measure as a way of showing its dissatisfaction.  However, an underlying reason for suspendi...