• Relation with Burma
• अफीम में भीगे गमछों से ड्रग्स तस्करी, बाजार में हजारों में कीमत, खुला म्यांमार बॉर्डर बड़ी चुनौती

Key points:

1. पूर्वोत्तर राज्य नगालैंड बॉर्डर पार से हो रही ड्रग्स तस्करी से इन दिनों बुरी तरह जूझ रहा है। सुरक्षाबलों और इंटेलिजेंस एजेंसियों की सतर्कता के बावजूद ड्रग्स तस्कर कोई न कोई तरीका ढूंढ ही लेते हैं। तस्करों ने बीते कुछ सालों में जो तरीका अपनाया है वह बेहद हैरान करने वाला है। म्यांमार बॉर्डर पर सख्ती को देखते हुए तस्करों ने अफीम में भीगे कपड़ों को बैग में सामान्य कपड़ों के बीच रखकर भारत में पहुंचाना शुरू कर दिया है।
2. नगालैंड के डीजीपी (बॉर्डर अफेयर्स) रुपिन शर्मा ने ड्रग्स तस्करों के काम करने के इस तरीके को लेकर बड़ा खुलासा किया है। रुपिन ने बताया, ‘इंडो-म्यांमार बॉर्डर और खासतौर पर नगालैंड के नोकलाक, मोन, किफिरे और त्वेनसांग जिले अफीम और ड्रग्स तस्करी से बुरी तरह जूझ रहे हैं। यहां तस्कर अफीम के घोल में भीगे और सुखाकर लाए गए कपड़े लाते हैं और बेचते हैं।’
3. उन्होंने बताया, ‘एक छोटे से कपड़े के टुकड़े को तस्कर 6-8 छोटे-छोटे (1X2 इंच) के हिस्सों में कर लेते हैं और हर हिस्से को 200-250 रुपये में बेचते हैं। 2 फीट कपड़े का एक टुकड़ा करीब 4500 रुपये में बिकता है। इसे रोकने के लिए एक संयुक्त प्रयास की जरूरत है, साथ ही बॉर्डर के दोनों ओर इसके आदी हो चुके लोगों के रिहैबिलिटेशन की भी व्यवस्था करनी होगी।’
4. दरअसल भारत-म्यांमार बॉर्डर अरुणाचल प्रदेश से लेकर मिजोरम तक करीब 1600 किलोमीटर दायरे में फैला है। दोनों देशों के बीच हुए समझौते के मुताबिक, बॉर्डर के दोनों ओर 16 किमी भीतर तक फ्री मूवमेंट (बिना किसी दस्तावेज के आना-जाना) की इजाजत है। दोनों सरकारों ने यह समझौता साझा संस्कृति और विरासत के चलते किया, मगर इसका फायदा ड्रग्स तस्करों ने बखूबी उठाया है। नतीजा है कि म्यांमार बॉर्डर पर स्थित नगालैंड, मिजोरम और मणिपुर जैसे राज्य ड्रग्स की भीषण समस्या से जूझ रहे हैं।
5. म्यांमार अफीम की खेती का गढ़ है। यूनाइटेड नेशन ड्रग कंट्रोल प्रोग्राम (UNDCP) और इंटरनैशनल नारकोटिक्स कंट्रोल बोर्ड ने इस इंडो-म्यांमार बॉर्डर के एक बड़े ड्रग्स हब के तौर पर उभरने को लेकर आगाह किया है।बता दें कि भारत और म्यांमार की मिजो, नगा, कूकी जैसी कई जनजातियां बॉर्डर के दोनों ओर भारी संख्या में हैं। यहीं वजह है कि इंडो-म्यांमार बॉर्डर की फेंसिंग नहीं हो पा रही है। साल 2003 में फेंसिंग का काम शुरू भी हुआ तो स्थानीय लोगों के भारी विरोध की वजह से रुक गया। फ्री बॉर्डर का फायदा ड्रग्स तस्करों ने बखूबी उठाया। नगालैंड, मणिपुर, मिजोरम, अरुणाचल के स्थानीय बाजारों में ड्रग्स एंट्री करने के बाद देश के अन्य हिस्सों में भेजी जाती है।

(Navbahrat Times, 28 September, 2020) News Link

• Relation with Bangladesh

1. India, Bangladesh foreign ministers to hold virtual meet to review ties

Key points:

1. Connectivity and development projects and sharing of river waters are expected to be on the agenda of a meeting of the India- Bangladesh joint consultative commission (JCC) to be held on Tuesday, people familiar with developments said.
2. The creation of a new mechanism to review the progress of bilateral development projects is also expected to figure in the virtual meeting to be chaired by external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen, the people said on condition of anonymity.
3. “It will be a virtual meeting… but if the pandemic situation improves, it could be in person (in December),” Momen said. He indicated some agreements could be signed during the meeting between the premiers.Referring to the JCC meeting, Momen said, “India is our neighbour and our best friend. We have many things to discuss.”
4. The foreign ministers are expected to discuss a draft framework for water-sharing agreements on six rivers – Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gomti, Dharla and Dudhkumar – the people cited above said.
5. The 5th JCC meeting was held in New Delhi in February last year wherein the two sides had signed four MoUs to strengthen multifaceted cooperation. However, Momen said no agreements were expected to be signed during Tuesday’s meeting.

(Hindustan Times, 28 September, 2020) News Link

• Relation with Shri Lanka
• India Pledges US$15 million Grant to Boost Buddhist Ties with Sri Lanka

Key points:

1. The government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced that it would extend a US$15 million grant to the neighboring island nation of Sri Lanka to promote Buddhist, cultural, and diplomatic ties between the two countries.
2. “Testifying to the long-standing civilizational links and cultural heritage, Prime Minister Modi announced grant assistance of US$15 million for the promotion of Buddhist ties between the two countries,” said joint secretary Amit Narang of the Indian Ocean Region Division in India’s Ministry of External Affairs. “The grant will assist in deepening people-to-people linkages between the two countries in the sphere of Buddhism.” (WION)
3. Buddhism is the state religion of Sri Lanka, with 70.2 per cent of the population of some 20 million people identifying as Theravada Buddhists, according to census data for 2012. Hindus made up 12.6 per cent of Sri Lankans, while Muslims accounted for 9.7 per cent, Christians 7.4 per cent, and others 0.05 per cent. As the state religion, Buddhism receives special privileges under the constitution, although the constitution also stipulates freedom of religion and right to equality for all citizens.

(Buddhist Door, 28 September, 2020) News Link

• Relation with Japan
• India and Japan Hold Bilateral Naval Exercise in North Arabian Sea

Key points:

1. The three-day India-Japan bilateral maritime exercise, held this year in the North Arabian Sea, concludes today against a backdrop of deepening military ties between the two countries. News reports note that the 4th edition of the biennial JIMEX, which started in 2012, saw the participation of JS Kaga, one of Japan’s two Izumo class helicopter carriers, as well as a guided missile destroyer.
2. The two navies also participated in a week-long passage exercise (PASSEX) around the Malacca Straits in late June, amid serious India-China tensions along their undefined border in Ladakh.
3. Malabar naval exercise, in a sign of growing three-way defense cooperation. India and the United States also held a PASSEX in the eastern Indian Ocean in July, with the U.S. being represented by the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and accompanying strike group.

(The Diplomat, 28 September, 2020) News Link

• Relation with US
  • Strategic Energy Partnership emerged as cornerstone of expanding India-US ties: Envoy

Key points:

1. Strategic Energy Partnership has emerged as a cornerstone of expanding the US-India ties as the bilateral hydrocarbon trade has increased by 93 per cent in the last two years, a top official has said. India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, in an op-ed in The Houston Chronicle, wrote that numbers speak for themselves.
2. There has been an increase of 93 per cent in the hydrocarbon trade between India and the United States in the last two years; it has reached USD 9.2 billion in 2019, he said.
3. India is now the fourth largest international market for the US crude oil and the fifth largest for the US liquefied natural gas. Indian firms have concluded several contracts for sourcing crude from the United States and are expanding their investments in the US energy sector, creating jobs and economic opportunities, he said.
4. ”Announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States in June 2017 – and its intensity enhanced when Modi visited Houston in September 2019 – the Strategic Energy Partnership has emerged as a cornerstone of expanding India-US ties. ”In an uncertain world, the key to effective partnerships between nations is reliability, trust and long-term commitment. The India-US strategic energy partnership touches all three aspects. The pandemic has only reminded us of the need for more focused and expeditious action to galvanise economic growth through mutually beneficial collaborations,” Sandhu wrote
5. India is primed for investment of USD 118 billion in oil and gas exploration, and natural gas infrastructure, including urban consumer gas distribution networks over the coming five years. For the US investors and energy companies with their global footprint, India is the new frontier, he said.

(Financial Express, 28 September, 2020) News Link

• Agri, food processing sector to strengthen India-US ties: Arkansas governor

Key points:

1. Participating in the webinar ‘India- Arkansas Partnership: Food Processing, Logistics and Manufacturing’, Governor Hutchinson said trade opportunities in Arkansas and India, and collaboration in them would be beneficial for both economies.
2. “We have laid an incredible foundation for the future. And that foundation is based on our commitment to democracy, our mutual love for entrepreneurship, business and trade,” Hutchinson said
3. “The aerospace and defense industry is another major part of our economy. Lockheed Martin, Dassault Falcon, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Raytheon Missile Systems, General Dynamics, and others. Big companies like Tyson and Walmart that have significant investment and partnership in India are located here,” he said.

(Business Standard, 28 September, 2020) News Link

• US President Donald Trump got $2.3 million from licensing deals in India, mainly from Pune, Mumbai properties, say real estate experts

Key points:

1. Of the four properties launched in India, only two properties – Pune and Mumbai are complete; the others located in Kolkata and Delhi-NCR are still under construction
2. “Till date, only the Pune project located in Kalyani Nagar, Pune and the Lodha Trump Towers, Worli are complete and ready for possession. Around Rs 500 crore would have perhaps been earned by US realty firm from the deal it entered with Panchshil Realty in Pune and Lodha Group in Mumbai. The remaining Rs 100 crore would have come from the projects in Gurgaon and  Kolkata,” experts told Moneycontrol.
3. Real estate experts in India told Moneycontrol that majority of the 2.3 million dollars (around Rs 20 crore) has come through the sale of Trump properties in India worth over Rs 600 crore.  This has largely been received from the Trump Towers project in Pune and Mumbai which are complete and the rest from the projects in Delhi NCR (Gurgaon) and Kolkata.

(Money Control, 28 September, 2020) News Link

• Trump’s firms paid $750 in taxes in US, $145,400 in India in 2017: Report

Key points:

1. Donald Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes in the year he was elected US president and also in his first year in the White House, according to a media report, which also said that he or his companies paid $ 145,400 taxes in India in 2017.
2. “Donald J Trump paid $ 750 in federal income taxes the year he won the presidency. In his first year in the White House, he paid another $ 750,” the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing tax return data extending over 20 years.
3. US presidents are not required by law to release details of their personal finances, but every one since Richard Nixon has done so. Trump, who has fiercely guarded his tax filings, is the only president in modern times not to make them public. He has, in fact, fielded court challenges against those seeking access to his returns, including the US House, which is suing for access to Trump’s tax returns as part of congressional oversight.
4. The report revealed that in his first two years in the White House, Trump’s revenue from abroad totalled $ 73 million, much of which was from his golf properties in Scotland and Ireland. Some of the revenue came from licensing deals in countries like Philippines ($ 3 million), India ($ 2.3 million) and Turkey ($ 1 million).
5. “He reported paying taxes, in turn, on a number of his overseas ventures,” it said, adding, “In 2017, the president’s $ 750 contribution to the operations of the US government was dwarfed by the $ 15,598 he or his companies paid in Panama, the $ 145,400 in India and the $ 156,824 in the Philippines.”

(Times of India, 28 September, 2020) News Link

• Centre approves arms worth Rs 2,290 crore, including 72,000 more assault rifles from US

Key points:

1. The Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC) cleared the Rs 780 crore acquisition of the assault rifles from US firm SiG Sauer. The 13-lakh strong Army has already inducted 72,400 SiG Sauer rifles, which are 7.62×51 mm caliber guns with an effective “kill” range of 500-metre, under a Rs 647 crore fast-track procurement (FTP) deal inked in February last year.
2. The DAC on Monday also gave the nod for the indigenous procurements of smart anti-airfield weapons for Rs 970 crore and static HF trans-receiver sets for Rs 540 crore. (Times of India, 28 September, 2020) News Link

1. Pakistan should tackle influx of outsiders in PoK, India tells UN rights body

Key points:

1. Exercising its “right of reply” at a discussion in Geneva on situations requiring the attention of the UN Human Rights Council, India also pointed to Pakistan continuing to be a “safe harbour for terrorists”
2. “None of Pakistan’s vile accusations against India could stifle the voice of the minorities and the people under its subjugation. The fate of religious and ethnic minorities is well known when beheading is the only option in Pakistan in exchange for freedom of religion,” India said in its response delivered by Pawan Badhe, first secretary in the permanent mission in Geneva.
3. “It should be a matter of concern for the Council that Pakistan has been continuously misusing this august forum for malicious propaganda against my country,” Pawan Badhe, first secretary in the permanent mission in Geneva added.
4. Different international organisations had described Pakistan as the “killing field for minorities” and the Ahmadi community continues to be the most persecuted community in Pakistan. “Hundreds of Christians are persecuted every year while maximum of them are subjected to violent deaths in Pakistan,” Pawan Badhe, first secretary in the permanent mission in Geneva said.
5. “Children as young as 12 years old in Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh are normally abducted and trained to be suicide bombers. In a chilling reminder to what Pakistan is capable of, ministers of Pakistan proudly call for another full-scale genocide against [the Baloch people] to resolve the political crisis in Balochistan,” it added.Pawan Badhe, first secretary in the permanent mission in Geneva also said Pakistan’s “deceit and hypocrisy” is reflected in the “orchestrated mass influx” of outsiders to the Pakistan-occupied parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh through “discriminatory domicile laws”.

(Hindustan Times, 28 September, 2020) News Link

• Relation with Tibet
• चीन ने तिब्बत में उड़ाया जासूसी वाला खास हेलिकॉप्टर, भारतीय सीमा पर करेगा तैनात

Key points:

1. भारत से तनाव के बीच चीन ने तिब्बत के पठार पर अपने जासूसी वाले खास अनमैंड हेलिकॉप्टर को उड़ाया है। बताया जा रहा है कि चीन की खुद की तकनीकी से निर्मित इस हेलिकॉप्टर की ऊंचाई वाले क्षेत्र में यह पहली उड़ान थी। चीनी मीडिया के अनुसार, इस हेलिकॉप्टर को भारत से सटी सीमा पर तैनात किया जाएगा।
2. ग्लोबल टाइम्स की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, AR500C नाम के इस अनमैंड हेलिकॉप्टर ने दाओचेंग येडिंग एयरपोर्ट पर अपनी पहली पठारी उड़ान को पूरा किया है। यह एयरपोर्ट 4,411 मीटर की ऊंचाई पर स्थित है। इसके साथ ही यह दुनिया का सबसे ऊंचा नागरिक हवाई अड्डा भी है। इस हेलिकॉप्टर को चीन सरकारी की एजेंसी एविएशन इंडस्ट्री कॉर्पोरेशन ऑफ चाइना ने बनाया है।

(Navbharat Times, 28 September, 2020) News Link