<h5>Afghanistan </h5>

<h5>Islamic Emirate Signs Deal for Russian Oil Products, Gas and Wheat – Tolo News </h5>

The Islamic Emirate has signed a provisional deal with Russia to supply gasoline, diesel, gas and wheat to Afghanistan, Acting Afghan Commerce and Industry Minister Haji Nooruddin Azizi told Reuters. Azizi said his ministry was working to diversify its trading partners and that Russia had offered the Islamic Emirate administration a discount to average global commodity prices. The move, the first known major international economic deal struck by the Islamic Emirate since they returned to power more than a year ago, could help to ease the Islamist movement’s isolation that has effectively cut it off from the global banking system. <a href=”https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-180048” target=”_blank”>Click here to read…</a>

 

<h5>UN issues warning on warfare and increase poverty in Afghanistan – The Both Side News </h5>

The Taliban’s attack on the rights of girls and women, according to a senior U.N. official, demonstrates disregard for more than 50% of Afghanistan’s population and a willingness to risk international isolation, as well as a potential internal conflict and deepening poverty in the country. Some of the Taliban’s “claimed and recognised achievements,” Markus Potzel, the U.N. deputy representative for Afghanistan, told the Security Council, are also deteriorating. <a href=”https://thebothsidenews.com/un-issues-warning-on-warfare-and-increased-poverty-in-afghanistan/world/09/28/2022/” target=”_blank”>Click here to read…</a>

 

<h5>Bangladesh</h5>

<h5>Bangladesh wants to mark March 25 as International Genocide Day – The Print </h5>

Describing the horrors of the 1971 genocide by the Pakistani military, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said that Bangladesh is working to get recognition of March 25 as International Genocide Day by all the countries in the world. “The Genocide of Bangladesh committed in 1971 by the Pakistani military is one of the most heinous crimes in human history … we do not know of another instance of such barbarism of such intensity and mayhem,” he said, reported The Daily Star. <a href=”https://theprint.in/world/bangladesh-wants-to-mark-march-25-as-international-genocide-day/1144656/” target=”_blank”>Click here to read…</a>

 

<h5>Bangladesh aims for yuan trade as cushion against mighty dollar- Nikkei Asia </h5>

Hit by a strong dollar and fearful of shrinking foreign reserves, Bangladesh is turning to alternative currency arrangements including the use of the Chinese yuan in international transactions. Bangladesh Bank, the central bank, in mid-September said that authorized dealer banks (ADs) can carry out transactions in yuan for trade with China. <a href=”https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Bangladesh-aims-for-yuan-trade-as-cushion-against-mighty-dollar

 

<h5>Bhutan </h5>

<h5>BoB imposed Nu 6.2M for system failure – Kuensel Online </h5>

The Royal Monetary Authority (RMA) has imposed Nu 6.2 million (M) on Bank of Bhutan (BoB) for the system failure for about three days earlier this month. An official from the bank said that the bank is still negotiating the penalty amount with the authority. The bank’s both offline and online banking services could not be accessed because of the system failure. <a href=”https://kuenselonline.com/bob-imposed-nu-6-2m-for-system-failure/” target=”_blank”>Click here to read…</a>

 

<h5>Maldives </h5>

<h5>India Supports Hanimaadhoo Airport Project In Maldives – The WatchDog </h5>

After the contract for the largest infrastructure project to be undertaken outside the Greater Male’ region in the history of Maldives was signed, the High Commission of India in the Maldives on September 26 stated that it supports the nation in the project. The aim of the Hanimaadhoo International Airport Development Project is to transform the economic image of the North Maldives. An Indian company named JMC Projects Limited has signed the pact with the Maldives government to develop the Hanimaadhoo International Airport. <a href=”https://thewatchdog.news/national-e/india-supports-hanimaadhoo-airport-project-in-maldives/” target=”_blank”>Click here to read…</a>

 

<h5>Myanmar </h5>

<h5>The Two Hands of Washington’s Myanmar Policy – The Irrawaddy </h5>

Bilateral relations from the perspective of the Department of State are well-described by Murphy, the occupant of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Burma desk from 2007-12. As she relates this, US policy is about democracy, humanitarianism and free-market values that both nations share. And citizens pass on information in exchange for cash and vague promises of a US visa should things become difficult. <a href=”https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/guest-column/the-two-hands-of-washingtons-myanmar-policy.html” target=”_blank”>Click here to read…</a>

 

<h5>Intensifying pressure on Myanmar military – New Age BD </h5>

NOLEEN Heyzer, the special envoy of the UN secretary general, claimed that she would not return to Myanmar unless she could meet with former leader Aung San Suu Kyi during her brief visit there for discussions with the military leadership. According to Reuters, Suu Kyi has been detained since the February 1 coup last year and has been kept in solitary confinement since June. She has not been permitted visitors, and in August, a military spokesperson declared that the dictatorship would not permit anyone to meet with those who were charged with crimes. Suu Kyi is currently on trial for charges ranging from corruption to the disclosure of state secrets. The total maximum sentence for the crimes she is charged with is more than 190 years. <a href=”https://www.newagebd.net/article/182228/intensifying-pressure-on-myanmar-military” target=”_blank”>Click here to read…</a>

 

<h5>Myanmar-Thailand border point where 150 Indian techies are trapped in control of rebel group – New Indian Express </h5>

The software engineers, mostly from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, were entrapped in a job racket that four companies, primarily managed by some Dubai-based Chinese nationals, ran The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), a heavily-armed Myanmar rebel group fighting the military junta in that country, is suspected to be providing “protection” to an organised Malayasian-Chinese gang which continues to hold at least 150 Indian IT professionals trapped at a location on the Myanmar-Thailand border. <a href=”https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2022/sep/27/myanmar-thailand-border-point-where-150-indian-techies-are-trapped-in-control-of-rebel-group-2502492.html” target=”_blank”>Click here to read…</a>

 

<h5>Nepal </h5>

<h5>Energising India-Nepal ties, the hydropower way – The Hindu</h5>

Nepal’s move to involve India in completing the West Seti and Seti River (SR6) joint storage project has the potential to enhance much-needed cross-border power exchanges. On August 18, 2022, the Investment Board Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India’s National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited to develop the West Seti and Seti River (SR6) projects — a total of 1,200 MW. <a href=”https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/energising-india-nepal-ties-the-hydropower-way/article65943114.ece?homepage=true” target=”_blank”>Click here to read…</a>

 

<h5>Nepal President Blocks Citizenship Law – Human Rights Watch </h5>

Nepal’s ceremonial president, Bidiya Bhandari, has refused to endorse a Citizenship Bill passed by parliament, denying an estimated 500,000 people access to citizenship documents and threatening to plunge the country into a constitutional crisis. A deadline for her to sign the law expired last week. <a href=”https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/09/26/nepal-president-blocks-citizenship-law” target=”_blank”>Click here to read…</a>

 

<h5>Pakistan </h5>

<h5>Pakistan’s Vicious IMF Cycle – The Diplomat </h5>

On August 29, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the last remaining $1.1 billion in funds for Pakistan, following a combined seventh and eighth review of the extended fund facility provided to the country. The $6 billion bailout agreed upon in 2019 conditioned the IMF loan to market-determined exchange rate and rebuilding of official reserves in order to reduce public debt, ensure fiscal growth, and increase the country’s per capita income. The fund facility, extended until June 2023, is the 23rd IMF program that Pakistan has received in its 75-year existence. <a href=”https://thediplomat.com/2022/09/pakistans-vicious-imf-cycle/” target=”_blank”>Click here to read…</a>

 

<h5>After Jaishankar swipe at US over Pakistan F-16s, Antony Blinken says only to fight terror – Indian Express </h5>

Antony Blinken said it was a programme for F-16s that Pakistan already had, and it was Washington’s “obligation” to provide military equipment to ensure that the aircraft are maintained and sustained to bolster Islamabad’s capability to deal with “clear terrorist threats” from Al Qaeda and ISIS. A day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the US decision to provide a $450-million sustenance package for Pakistan’s F-16 fleet was “not fooling anybody”, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it is not a new programme. <a href=”https://indianexpress.com/article/india/after-jaishankar-swipe-at-us-over-pak-f-16s-blinken-says-only-to-fight-terror-8176851/” target=”_blank”>Click here to read…</a>

 

<h5>Sri Lanka </h5>

<h5>Asia’s ticking debt bomb: Sri Lanka crisis sounds alarm bells across region – Asia Nikkei </h5>

Every day after 4 p.m., residents in this quiet, leafy village listen for the putt-putting of motorbikes on the sandy road next to their homes. When they hear it, they know to shut their doors and turn off their lights. Their children are instructed to run inside and not let anyone in. A motorbike is the vehicle of choice for local debt collectors, who fan out through places like Chandana Pokuna, some 500 brick-faced, rundown houses in Sri Lanka’s rice-farming north central district of Polonnaruwa. The motorcycle men, agents of microlending companies, start work in the late afternoon, when they know residents will be at home. <a href=”https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/The-Big-Story/Asia-s-ticking-debt-bomb-Sri-Lanka-crisis-sounds-alarm-bells-across-region” target=”_blank”>Click here to read…</a>

 

<h5>High-security zones in Sri Lanka to ensure stability – Tribune India </h5>

The Sri Lankan Government on Monday defended its decision to declare several key locations in Colombo as high-security zones, saying the move was aimed at ensuring stability and not curbing freedom of expression. President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday declared several locations, including Parliament, the Supreme Court complex and the President’s Secretariat among others, as high-security zones (HSZs), banning any kind of protest or agitation in their vicinity. <a href=”https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/high-security-zones-in-lanka-to-ensure-stability-435805” target=”_blank”>Click here to read…</a>

DEFENCE

• Indian Army Contingent Participates in Exercise Vostok- 2022.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi commissions India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in Kochi.
• Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Manoj Pande, to visit Nepal.
• First Ever Visit by Indian Defence Minister to Mongolia.
• Raksha Mantri participates in India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Tokyo.
• CoE – SURVEI standardizes Drone images for land Survey.
• DRDO & Indian Army successfully conduct six flight-tests of Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile system.
• India-U.S.A 2+2 Inter-sessional Dialogue and India-U.S.A Maritime Security Dialogue.
• 16th round of India China Corps Commander Level Meeting.
• 1st Indian Army Logistics seminar held.
• Japan-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise – Jimex 2022.
• Exercise Pitch Black 2022 Concludes.
• Multinational Exercise Kakadu – 2022.
• 36th Tri-Services Commanders’ Conference – South held in Port Blair.
• Raksha Mantri’s telephonic conversation with US Secretary of Defence.

INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

Africa

Somalia

• Somalian forces eliminated senior al-Shabaab terrorist and freed hostages in Lower Shabelle region.

Afghanistan

• “JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar in Pakistan,” claimed Taliban.
• Islamic State-led suicide attack killed two diplomats at Russian Embassy in Kabul.

DOMESTIC TERRORISM

Jammu and Kashmir

• NIA filed chargesheet against six perpetrators in the “targeted killing of Sarpanch of Village” case.
• NIA filed chargesheet against eight terrorists/OGWs in “Pulwama JeM conspiracy” case.
• Security forces eliminated two HM terrorists in gunfight in Anantnag.

Left-Wing Extremism

• NIA searched multiple locations in Bihar in the “Maoist Terror Funding” case.
  Police arrested two Maoists from Telangana.
• NIA filed chargesheet against two Maoists in “PGLA Recruitment case” of Kerala.
• Security forces unearthed a Maoist dump in Andhra Pradesh.

Islamic Extremism (excluding J&K)

• NIA Special Court (Ernakulam) convicted IS terrorist in “IS Wandoor Case” of Kerala.
• NIA officials searched multiple locations in Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, in the “PFI conspiracy” case.
• NIA filed chargesheet against six JMB terrorists in “JMB Bhopal” case.

Khalistan-inspired Extremism

• Canada-based think-tank endorsed “Khalistan Referendum”.

North-East India Insurgency

• NIA searched locations in Mizoram in connection with pilferage of explosives from India to Myanmar.
• NIA searched multiple locations in Assam in connection with ULFA recruitment case.

Narcotics Trafficking

• NIA officials arrested three people in “Mundra Heroin” case.

DEFENCE

Indian Army Contingent Participates in Exercise Vostok- 2022.

A multilateral strategic and command Exercise Vostok – 2022 was held at the training grounds of the Eastern Military District of Russia from 01 to 07 September 2022. The exercise is aimed at interaction and coordination amongst other participating military contingents and observers.

The Indian Army contingent comprising of troops from 7/8 Gorkha Rifles had arrived at the exercise location and over the next seven days will undertake joint manoeuvres to include joint field training exercises, combat discussions, and firepower exercises. The Indian Army contingent will look forward to sharing practical aspects and put into practice the validated drills, procedures and practice amalgamation of new technology through discussions and tactical exercises.
Reference: Click here to read…

Prime Minister commissions India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in Kochi.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi commissioned the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) on September 02, 2022. During the event, the Prime Minister also unveiled the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan), doing away with the colonial past and befitting the rich Indian maritime heritage. He dedicated the new ensign to Chhatrapati Shivaji.

INS Vikrant is designed by Indian Navy’s in-house Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, a Public Sector Shipyard, Vikrant has been built with state of the art automation features and is the largest ship ever built in maritime history of India. The 262.5 m long and 61.6 m wide Vikrant displaces approx 43,000 T, having a maximum designed speed of 28 Knots with endurance of 7,500 Nautical Miles. The ship has around 2,200 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1,600 including women officers and sailors.

The ship is capable of operating air wing consisting of 30 aircraft comprising of MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31, MH-60R multi-role helicopters, in addition to indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) (Navy). Using a novel aircraft-operation mode known as Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR), INS Vikrant is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft, and a set of ‘arrester wires’ for their recovery onboard. With 76% indigenous content, construction of INS Vikrant has resulted in direct employment generation for over 2,000 employees of CSL. In addition, it has resulted in indirect employment generation for approx 12,500 employees for over 550 OEMs, sub-contractors, ancillary industries and over 100 MSMEs as well, thereby bolstering plough back effect on economy.

New Ensign of Navy

Resonant to the ongoing national endeavour to move away from colonial past, need was felt to transition to a new design that drew inspiration from our history. The White Ensign identified nation-wide with the Navy, now comprises of two main constituents – the National Flag in the upper left canton, and a Navy Blue – Gold octagon at the centre of the fly side (away from the staff). The Octagon is with twin golden octagonal borders encompassing the golden National Emblem (Lion Capital of Ashoka – underscribed with ‘Satyamev Jayate’ in blue Devnagri script) resting atop an anchor; and superimposed on a shield. Below the shield, within the octagon, in a golden bordered ribbon, on a Navy Blue background, is inscribed the motto of the Indian Navy ‘Sam No Varunah’ in golden Devnagriscript. The design encompassed within the octagon has been taken from the Indian Naval crest, wherein the fouled anchor, which is also associated with colonial legacy, has been replaced with a clear anchor underscoring the steadfastness of the Indian Navy.
For more information: Click here to read…

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Manoj Pande, to visit Nepal.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Manoj Pande, is scheduled to visit Nepal from 05 to 08 September 2022. This is his first visit to Nepal as COAS. During his visit, the Army Chief will call on the thePresident of Nepal, the Prime Minister of Nepal and the Chief of the Army Staff of Nepali Army, apart from meeting with the Country’s senior military and civilian leadership where he will discuss avenues for enhancing India-Nepal defence relations.
For more information: Click here to read…

First Ever Visit by Indian Defence Minister to Mongolia.

The RM will pay an official visit to Mongolia from 05-07 September, 2022. The upcoming visit by Raksha Mantri is the first ever visit by an Indian Defence Minister to Mongolia and will further consolidate the defence cooperation and strategic partnership between the two countries. During his visit he inaugurated the Cyber Security Training Centre, built with assistance from Government of India, at National Defence University in Ulaanbaatar. Shri Rajnath Singh, along with Minister of Education and Science of Mongolia, laid the foundation stone of the India-Mongolia Friendship School, which is being established with the assistance from Government of India.
For more information: Click here to read…

Raksha Mantri participates in India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Tokyo.

Upon completion of his visit to Mongolia, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh arrived in Japan on September 07, 2022 for a four-day official visit. The Raksha Mantri, along with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, participated in the 2nd India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Tokyo on September 08, 2022.

The RM held bilateral talks with Minister of Defense of Japan Mr Yasukazu Hamada in Tokyo on September 08, 2022. The two Ministers reviewed various aspects of bilateral defence cooperation as well as regional affairs. During the delegation-level talks, Shri Rajnath Singh highlighted that the growing complexities in the India-Japan bilateral defence exercises is a testimony to the deepening of defence cooperation between the two countries. The Ministers expressed their commitment in continuing bilateral and multilateral exercises including ‘Dharma Guardian’, ‘JIMEX’ and ‘Malabar’. They welcomed the operationalisation of the Reciprocal Provision of Supply and Services Agreement during Exercise ‘MILAN’ in March this year. The two Ministers agreed that the early conduct of the inaugural fighter exercise will pave way for much greater cooperation and interoperability between the Air Forces of the two countries.

The RM emphasised on the need to expand the scope of partnership in the field of Defence Equipment and Technological Cooperation. He invited Japanese industries to invest in India’s defence corridors where a conducive environment for the growth of the defence industry has been created by the Government of India. This year marks 70 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan. As two robust democracies, the two countries are pursuing a Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
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CoE – SURVEI standardizes Drone images for land Survey.

Setting World’s first standard on land survey using drone, the Ministry of Defense’s Centre of Excellence – Satellite and Unmanned Remote Vehicle Initiative (CoE – SURVEI) has published a draft concept paper prescribing the technical parameters which may serve as a reference standard to estimate the image quality of drone survey output. The COE-SURVEI has solicited comments from the stakeholders in this regard for laying down uniform standards to evaluate quality of output of drone images for purpose of land survey. At present no uniform parameters exist for evaluation of images obtained by the use of drones for the purpose of land survey at present. This poses a challenge in carrying out post-processing analysis on the drone imagery output, restricting the ability to extract relevant information from drone data by using AI & ML tools.

CoE – SURVEI, in association with its knowledge partners has taken a lead in developing draft standards for drone survey output, and published the same for seeking views and wider consultations with drone community and other stakeholders. The draft standards prescribe 19 parameters to evaluate quality of drone output and 8 extension metrics/ techniques to estimate image quality, apart from indicating sample benchmarking from literature.
Reference: Click here to read…

India-U.S.A 2+2 Inter-sessional Dialogue and India-U.S.A Maritime Security Dialogue.

India-USA 2+2 Inter-sessional meeting was held on 07 September 2022 in New Delhi to follow-up on the India-U.S. 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in April 2022 in Washington D.C. Both sides reviewed implementation of outcomes of the 2+2 Ministerial pertaining to bilateral cooperation in defence, counter-terrorism, maritime security, education, health, climate and clean energy, critical technologies, space, and people-to-people linkages. They discussed ways to further strengthen the Major Defence Partnership, including in new and emerging areas in the defence domain such as space, AI and cyber.

The 5th India-US Maritime Security Dialogue (MSD) was held on 08 September 2022 in New Delhi. During MSD, the two sides discussed developments in the global maritime domain, bilateral maritime cooperation endeavors, regional support initiatives and collaborative efforts such as Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness. They affirmed their shared desire to enhance maritime security internationally and strengthen cooperation towards a free, open and inclusive maritime order that would support security, inclusive growth and prosperity.
For more information: Click here to read…

16th round of India China Corps Commander Level Meeting.

On 8th September 2022, according to the consensus reached in the 16th round of India China Corps Commander Level Meeting, the Indian and Chinese troops in the area of Gogra-Hotsprings (PP-15) have begun to disengage in a coordinated and planned way, which is conducive to the peace and tranquility in the border areas.
Reference: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1857830″ target=”_blank”>Click here to read…

1st Indian Army Logistics seminar held.

In the keynote address at the conference at the first Indian Army Logistics seminar, organised on the theme ‘Samanjasya Se Shakti’, in New Delhi on September 12, 2022, the RM termed jointness among the three services as one of the major policy changes made in Ministry of Defence in the last few years, which has benefited a number of sectors across the board, especially logistics. He said, the foundation has been laid to establish a strong logistics system, which is pivotal for operational preparedness of the Armed Forces as it ensures that right items, with right quality & quantity, are available to the military at the right time and right place. Military logistics is an extremely important aspect that determines the outcome of a war, he said.
For more information: Click here to read…

Japan-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise – Jimex 2022.

The sixth edition of Japan India Maritime Exercise 2022 (JIMEX 22) hosted by Indian Navy commenced in the Bay of Bengal on 11 Sep 22. This edition marks the 10th anniversary of JIMEX, which began in Japan in 2012. It also coincides with the 70th anniversary of establishing of diplomatic relations between India and Japan. JIMEX 22 seeks to consolidate the high degree of interoperability that exists between maritime forces of the two countries, through complex exercises in the surface, sub-surface and air domains.
For more information: Click here to read…

Exercise Pitch Black 2022 Concludes.

The Indian Air Force contingent participating in Exercise Pitch Black 22 in Australia has returned after successful participation in the multinational exercise. Exercise Pitch Black 22 was hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force at its Darwin Air Base. Spanning over a duration of three weeks, the exercise saw the participation of 17 Air Forces and over 2500 military personnel. The IAF contingent included four Su-30 MKI & two C-17 aircraft. The participating forces took part in various multi-aircraft combat drills by day & night, simulating complex aerial scenarios, involving large formations.
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Multinational Exercise Kakadu – 2022.

INS Satpura and a P8 I Maritime Patrol Aircraft of the Indian Navy reached Darwin in Australia on 12 Sep 22, for participation in the multinational Exercise Kakadu – 2022, hosted by the Royal Australian Navy. The two week-long Exercise, both in harbour and sea, involves ships and maritime aircraft from 14 navies.
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36th Tri-Services Commanders’ Conference – South held in Port Blair.

36th Tri-Services Commanders’ Conference (TSCC) – South was held at Port Blair on 12th & 13th September 2022 under the aegis of Andaman and Nicobar Command. The two-day conference was hosted by Commander-in-Chief, Andaman Nicobar Command Lt Gen Ajai Singh. GOC-in-C, Southern Command Lt Gen JS Nain; FOC-in-C, Western Naval Command V Adm Ajendra Bahadur Singh; FOC-in-C, Southern Naval Command V Adm MA Hampiholi; AOC-in-C, Southern Air Command Air Mshl J Chalapati and Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command V Adm Sanjay Vatsayan were among those who attended the conference.

The senior leadership deliberated upon aspects various pertaining to the geostrategic situation and infrastructure development in the Indian Ocean Region, coordinating the actions of Regional Command of the three services as well as avenues of augmenting tri-services training and readiness of all components. The conference was aimed at synergising collective strengths and capabilities of India’s littoral service and Integrated-Service commands. It focused on addressing contemporary security paradigms while seeking ways to enhance combat capability and make operations more effective and efficient.
Reference: Click here to read…

Raksha Mantri’s (RM) telephonic conversation with US Secretary of Defence.

The RM and his US counterpart Secretary of Defence Mr Lloyd Austin had a warm and fruitful telephonic conversation on 14th Sep. They reviewed the multi-faceted India-US defence cooperation and reiterated mutual commitment to further strengthen military-to-military ties. The RM and Secretary Austin also discussed regional issues and affirmed their shared desire for maintaining peace and stability in the region and beyond. Shri Rajnath Singh conveyed India’s concerns over the US decision to provide sustenance package for Pakistan’s F-16 fleet.
For more information: Click here to read…

INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

Africa

Somalia

Somalian forces eliminated senior al-Shabaab terrorist and freed hostages in Lower Shabelle region.

On 10 September 2022, the Somali National Army (SNA) carried out counter-terrorism (CT) operation and killed al-Qa’ida affiliated al-Shabaab’s leader Carab, and injured other senior members, in the town of Mubaarak of Lower Shabelle region in southwest to Mogadishu, according to a statement issued by Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism. During the operation, the security forces freed several civilians who were being held by al-Shabaab in the Centre.
For more information: Click here to read…

Afghanistan

“JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar in Pakistan,” claimed Taliban.

In response to Pakistan’s letter to Afghanistan for the arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, Taliban’s spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid denied the presence of Masood Azhar in Afghanistan, as accused by Pakistan. “The leader of JeM group is not here [Afghanistan]. This is an organisation which could be in Pakistan. We have heard about this in news. Our [Taliban] reaction is that this is not true,” said Zabiullah Mujahid. “We also call on all parties to refrain from such allegations lacking any proof and documentation. Such media allegations can adversely affect bilateral relations between Kabul and Islamabad,” said Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesman of Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).
For more information: Click here to read…

Islamic State-led suicide attack killed two diplomats at Russian Embassy in Kabul.

On 05 September 2022, a suicide bombing outside the Russian Embassy in Kabul killed two officials of the embassy staff and at least one civilian. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry and State news agency— RIA Novosti, the explosion occurred at the entrance to the embassy’s consular section where several Afghans were waiting for the update on their visa applications. The Islamic State claimed the responsibility of the attack.

The incident is the recent in a series of attacks since the Taliban seized Kabul a year ago. The explosion appeared to be first of its kind to target a foreign diplomatic mission in Kabul.
For more information: Click here to read…

DOMESTIC TERRORISM

Jammu and Kashmir

NIA filed chargesheet against six perpetrators in the “targeted killing of Sarpanch of Village” case.

On 09 September 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed chargesheet against six perpetrators in the case related to the targeted killing of the Sarpanch Shabir Ahmad Mir, Sarpanch of village Adoora in Kulgam district. The killing was carried by Hizb ul-Mujahideen (HM) terrorists.

Aside from this incident, carrying out targeted killings in Kashmir Valley was a part of a larger plot by HM and other terrorist organisations to disturb the peace, undermine the Panchayti Raj System’s established democratic process in Kashmir Valley, as well as to instil fear among the region’s political leaders.
For more information: Click here to read…

NIA filed chargesheet against eight terrorists/OGWs in “Pulwama JeM conspiracy” case.

On 07 September 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed chargesheet in NIA Special Court, Jammu, against eight terrorists, including Over-Ground Workers (OGWs) of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) to execute terrorist activities against security forces in Southern Kashmir.

The investigations in the case— RC-02/2022/NIA/JMU have revealed that the chargesheet terrorists/OGWs had provided shelter, transportation, and other logistics support to JeM terrorists— Aquaib Mushtaq Bhat (local) and Kamaal Bhai (Pakistani), who were conspiring to carry out terrorist acts against security forces.
For more information: Click here to read…

Security forces eliminated two HM terrorists in gunfight in Anantnag.

On 06 September 2022, security forces killed two Hizb ul-Mujahideen (HM) terrorists— Danish Bhat and Basharat Nabi, in a gunfight in Pooshkreeri area of Srigufwara in Bijbehara area in Anantnag district of the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Both terrorists were involved in the killing of a Territorial Army (TA) officer— Saleem Pandit in Bijbehara and two civilians in Jablipora area in Anantnag district in 2021.

More than 130 terrorists have been killed this year, including 32 Pakistani national. Terrorists have been targeting Kashmiri Pandits, non-locals, policemen on leave, and politically-affiliated locals.
For more information: Click here to read…

Left-Wing Extremism

NIA searched multiple locations in Bihar in the “Maoist Terror Funding” case.

On 07 September 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials carried out search operations at five locations in Jehanabad, Gaya, and Aurangabad districts of Bihar in Maoist terror-funding case in the Magadh region of Bihar for the revival of Magadh Zone of the CPI (Maoist).
For more information: Click here to read…

Police arrested two Maoists from Telangana.

In a joint operation with CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) personnel, Charla Police, on 13 September 2022, arrested two Maoists— i) Vando Joga, and ii) Ravva Ungal, from Korakatpadu forest area in Charla Mandal of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district in Telangana. Both arrested Maoists were members of a Maoist dalam led by Charla Local Organising Squad (LOS) commander Rajitha that planned to install landmines in the Kurnapalli-Bodanelli forest area in early September 2022 to kill police officers.
For more information: Click here to read…

NIA filed chargesheet against two Maoists in “PGLA Recruitment case” of Kerala.

On 03 September 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet against two Maoists in connection with the case— RC-01/2022/NIA/KOC which pertains to recruitment and training of youth by the CPI (Maoist) and their front organisations besides organising camps to further carry out their activities and spread of Maoist ideologies.
For more information: Click here to read…

Security forces unearthed a Maoist dump in Andhra Pradesh.

On 08 September 2022, security forces comprising of Alluri Sitarama Raju district special police and CRPF force of 198 and 234 Battalions, in a joint combing operation, discovered a huge Maoist dump in a forest area near Jakkam village in Pedabayalu mandal in Visakhapatanam district in Andhra Pradesh.

“Articles such as communication manpack trans-receivers and a large quantity of Cordtex (detonating cord is a thin, flexible plastic tube filled with pentaerythritol) were found in the dump and police analysed its intensity of explosion by material,” said Alluri Sitarama Raju district Superintendent of Police (SP) Sateesh Kumar.
For more information: Click here to read…

Islamic Extremism (excluding J&K)

NIA Special Court (Ernakulam) convicted IS terrorist in “IS Wandoor Case” of Kerala.

On 14 September 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court, Ernakulam, convicted an Islamic State (IS) terrorist— Shaibu Nihar V.K., under Sections 120B r/w 125 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), r/w Sec 38, 39 and 40 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UA(P)A], and also separately u/s 125 IPC, 38, 39 and 40 of the UA(P)A.

As per investigation, Shaibu Nihar had raised funds with intention of furthering the activities of IS and provided the same to co-accused of their intended travel to Syria. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on 19 September 2022.
For more information: Click here to read…

NIA officials searched multiple locations in Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, in the “PFI conspiracy” case.

On 08 September 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) searched 20 locations in nine districts of Bihar, including Nalanda, Katihar, Arariya, Madhubani, Patna, Vaishali, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, and Saran. Along with, as a separate incident, NIA officials searched locations at Shiv Ganga district in Tamil Nadu and South Kannada district in Karnataka in connection with the case— RC-31/2022/NIA/DLI pertaining to the involvement of Popular Front of India (PFI) in anti-national activities.
For more information: Click here to read…

NIA filed chargesheet against six JMB terrorists in “JMB Bhopal” case.

On 07 September 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed chargesheet against six Jamaat ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terrorists— i) Fazar Ali, ii) Waliullah Milon, iii) Jainul Abidin, iv) Aqeel Ahmad Shaikh, v) Abdul Karim, and vi) Sheban Khan, in the case related to the arrest of six JMB terrorists, including three illegal Bangladeshi nationals, from Bhopal. The terrorists were involved in propagating JMB ideology and motivating youth to carryout jihad against India.
For more information: Click here to read…

Khalistan-inspired Extremism

Canada-based think-tank endorsed “Khalistan Referendum”.

In a press conference in Toronto and a virtual discussion, the chairman and members of the “Punjab Referendum Commission (PRC)”, released a report titled From Golden Temple to Punjab Independence, advocating the so-called Khalistan Referendum. The report was jointly published by Canada-based Research Institute on Self-Determination of Peoples and National (IRAI). The report reviewed the validity of ongoing Sikh secessionist referendum under international laws and established democratic norms.
“The referendum voting in the UK and European capitals had been a huge success and registered as a new model of campaigning. The model followed by Sikh for Justice (SFJ) can serve as a beacon for all those nations, ethnicities and groups who want to obtain their right to self-determination through peaceful ways,” said Matt Qvortrup, Chair of the PRC and academician at the Coventry University, UK.
For more information: Click here to read…

North-East India Insurgency

NIA searched locations in Mizoram in connection with pilferage of explosives from India to Myanmar.

On 13 September 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials searched two locations in Aizwal district in Mizoram in connection with the case of recovery of 2,400 kilograms of explosives, including 1,000 detonators, and 4,500 metres of detonating wire, cash of worth ₹ 73,500 and 9,35,500 Kyat (Myanmar currency unit).

Investigation revealed that the consignment of explosives was meant for the Myanmar based outfit— Chin National Front (CNF) which has been accumulating arms, ammunition and explosives for armed struggle against the Government of Myanmar. In the case— RC-09/2022/NIA/DLI, NIA had arrested and filed chargesheet against three accused on 19 April 2022.
For more information: Click here to read…

NIA searched multiple locations in Assam in connection with ULFA recruitment case.

On 02 September 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials searched 16 locations in seven districts of Assam, including Kamrup, Nalbari, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sadiya, Charaideo, and Sibasagar in the case— RC-23/2022/NIA/DLI pertaining to the recruitment and other activities of ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom), and their training camps based across the India-Myanmar border in Myanmar.
For more information: Click here to read…

Narcotics Trafficking

NIA officials arrested three people in “Mundra Heroin” case.

On 14 September 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials arrested three people— i) Rah Matullah (permanent resident of Kabul, Afghanistan), ii) Ishwinder Singh, and iii) Jasbir Singh, for their active involvement in smuggling of heroin in large consignments camouflaged in containers of talc stones, bituminous coal, through maritime road.

The case involves one of the greatest international drug smuggling syndicates, which is run by the “Daad brothers”—Hassan Daad and Hussain Daad (both Afghan nationals), who are already wanted by the NIA in the Mundra case. The duo has smuggled many consignments of heroin into India, camouflaged in seemingly benign consignments of products such as semi-processed Talc stones and Bituminous coal. These consignments were imported through various Indian ports, including Mundra, Gujarat, and Kolkata, and then trucked to New Delhi. The investigation uncovered a vast and widespread network of drug traffickers, international facilitators/conduits, importers using fake/shell companies, distributors, and local wholesalers and retailers operating a massive international drug smuggling racket from a variety of countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

National

Telecom equipment manufacturers respond enthusiastically to the design-led incentive programme

Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi had outlined his vision of making India a self-reliant or Atmanirbhar nation. In line with the vision, in 2021, the Govt. of India launched the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to encourage telecom equipment manufacturing in the country. So far,31 companies are beneficiaries of the scheme for manufacturing various telecom equipment. In June 2022, the design-led PLI scheme was also introduced to advance the entire value chain in telecom manufacturing. All the existing incentives in the said scheme will be increased by 01 per cent. India is primed to become a telecom and networking equipment design and production centre.^[1]

Ministry of Communication hosted ITU’s Regional Standardisation Forum for Asia and Oceania region in New Delhi, India

On 08 August 2022, the Ministry of Communication hosted the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)’s Regional Standardisation Forum (RSF) for Asia and Oceania region in New Delhi, India. The Forum focused on “Regulatory and Policy aspects of Telecommunications/ICT” and was followed by the four-day meeting of ITU-T Study Group 3 Regional Group Asia and Oceania (ITU-T SG3RG-AO) from 09th-12th August 2022. Minister of State for Communication Devusinh Chauhan inaugurated the RSF.

The Forum serves as a platform for the constructive exchange of ideas on issues related to standardisation, such as India’s experience in various technological fields, such as Sustainable Digital Transformation (SDT), the function of ITU standards, utilising technology for financial and digital inclusion in emerging markets, the evolution of the data value chain, and digital health. The RSF was addressed by 15 eminent speakers from academia, international Organisations, the ICT sector and the Government of India (GoI). Over 250 delegates from 20 countries participated in the RSF. The key takeaways from the deliberations in the RSF will be presented atthe ITU-T Regional Group of Asia and Oceania meeting for further work on standardisation in the emerging areas.^[2]

CERT-In hosted the Cyber Security exercise “Synergy” as part of the International Counter-Ransomware Initiative-Resilience Working Group

On 31 August 2022, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), in collaboration with the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) of Singapore, designed and conducted the Cyber Security exercise “Synergy” for 13 countries as a part of the International Counter-Ransomware Initiative-Resilience Working Group (ICRI-RWG), led by India under the leadership of National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).

The exercise theme was “Building Network Resiliency to Counter Ransomware Attacks”. The exercise scenario was inspired by real-life cyber incidents in which a low-impact domestic ransomware issue developedinto a global cyber security disaster. The CERT-In sponsored the exercise “Synergy” on its exercise simulation platform. Each State sent a National Crisis Management Team (NCMT) comprised of several government entities such as National CERTs/CSIRTs, Law-Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), Ministry of Communication & IT, and security agencies.^[3]

Reliance Jio will launch ‘World’s most extensive’ 5G services during the Deepawali festival

At Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)’s 45th Annual General Meeting (AGM), the company’s Chairman Mukesh Ambani announced that Jio would commence the world’s most extensive 5G services to its subscribers in metro cities in the next two months. “Jio 5G will be the world’s largest and most advanced 5G network. Jio will deploy the latest version of 5G, called standalone 5G, which has zero dependencies on the 4G network. Jio further announced that they are committed to making India a data-powered economy even ahead of the US and China,” Jio has emerged as the biggest investor by committing US$19 Billion on 5G Communication services including US$11 Billion on Airwaves.

Threat actors exploiting “Zimbra” Collaboration Suite Vulnerability

According to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In),threat actors actively exploit an authentication bypass Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in Zimbra Collaboration Suite. The exposure enables the attacker to access the target network and launch additional attacks. The RCE vulnerability exists in the Zimbra collaboration suite due to improper uploading of files by the mboximport function. An authenticated attacker with admin rights could exploit this vulnerability by executing a specially crafted request to upload arbitrary files. Successful exploitation of the vulnerability could allow the attacker to traverse directories on the target system.^[4]

CERT-In issued the “India Ransomware Report for H1-2022.”

On 02 August 2022, the Indian Computer Emergency Team (CERT-In) released a report titled “Indian Ransomware Report for H1-2022,” which covered the most recent tactics and approaches and sector-specific trends detected in the first half of 2022 in the Indian Cyber Space.^[5] The report also addressed ransomware-specific incident response, remediation, and mitigation techniques in light of the current threat scenario. The information is available at https://cert-in.org.in/PDF/RANSOMWARE_Report.pdf

International

An organisation in Eastern Europe became a victim of the most significant DDoS attack— 659 million Packets/Second

At the end of July and beginning of August 2022, an organisation became a victim of the biggest DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack with traffic of 659 million Packets per second (Mpps). Akamai Technologies announced that on 21 July 2022, they detected and mitigated the most significant DDoS attack launched against a European customer on the Prolexic platform. The attack was massive, with globally distributed attack traffic at 853.7 Gbps (Gigabits per second) and 659.6 Mpps over 14 hours.

The victim based in Eastern Europe was targeted 75 times in the past 30 days with horizontal attacks consisting of UDP, UDP fragmentation, ICMP flood, RESET flood, SYN flood, TCP anomaly, TCP fragment, PSH ACK flood, FIN push flood, and PUSH flood, among others. In September 2021, Yandex— a Russian Internet company, was hit by the Meris botnet, which launched DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacked with more than 21 million random packets. The use of DDoS attacks as a form of hacktivism has become increasingly popular in Eastern Europe due to incidents involving DDoS taking on a political tint.^[6]

Chinese govt supported hackers deceptively carried out a year-long cyber espionage campaign against Australia

In a sophisticated year-long cyber espionage campaign, Chinese government-aligned hackers posed as media outlet employees and targeted Australian government agencies, news outlets, and manufacturing companies via the implantation of malicious software on targeted computers. In a phishing scam, these hackers claimed to be employees of Australian news publications, including The Australian and the Herald Sun.

In the cyber espionage campaign, the hackers targeted an array of defence contractors, manufacturers, universities, government agencies and legal firms across the Asia-Pacific. According to a report prepared by PwC and Proofpoint— a US cyber security firm, a prolific China-based entity known as TA423 or ‘Red Ladon’ executed the cyber espionage operation. The group— TA423 has been operating since 2013. “China was using cyber-attacks to gain a long-term economic and military advantage over other nations,” said cyber security expert— Sherrod DeGrippo. The Chinese embassy in Canberra, Australia, Countering the claims, stated that “China always firmly opposes cyber-attacks and cyber theft in all forms. All such accusations are groundless.”^[7]

Hackers increasingly exploited DeFi bugs to steal cryptocurrency: FBI

In a statement released, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned investors about the cyber-criminals’ increasingly involvement in exploiting security vulnerabilities in Decentralised Finance (DeFi) platforms to steal cryptocurrency. The FBI encouraged investors to contact the FBI via the Internet Crime Complaint Centre (IC3) or the local FBI field office in case of any such theft. According to an estimate, around USD 1.3 billion in cryptocurrency was stolen between January and March 2022, stealing almost 97 per cent of it from DeFi platforms.

Attackers have utilised various ways to hack and steal cryptocurrency from DeFi platforms, including launching flash loans that trigger attacks in the platforms’ smart contracts and leveraging signature verification issues in its token bridge to withdraw all assets. The FBI has also observed hackers manipulating cryptocurrency price pairs by abusing a series of flaws, including the DeFi platforms’ use of a single price Oracle and then conducting leveraged trades to avoid slippage checks.^[8]

Singapore witnessed a rise in cybercrime, phishing and ransomware threats in 2021

According to a report released by Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency (CSA), on 29 August 2022, firms and individuals faced a rise in cybercrime, phishing, and ransomware threats in 2021. In 2020, around 89 ransomware incidents were recorded; in 2021, the numbers jumped by 54 per cent, and 137 incidents were reported. Phishing cases also rose by 17 per cent in 2021, where about 55,000 unique Singapore-hosted phishing URLs with a “.sg” domain were observed; in 2020, around 47,000 such URLs were identified. “This was possibly driven by malicious actors’ exploitation of public interest in WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy announcement on users’ phone numbers being shared with Facebook,” informed the CSA. ^[9]

Endnotes :

^[1] “Design led Incentive scheme gets enthusiastic response from Telecom Equipment manufacturers”, Ministry of Communications, 26 August 2022, available from: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1854731
^[2] “ITU’s Regional Standardisation Forum (RSF) for Asia and Oceania region to be inaugurated tomorrow by Shri Devusinh Chauhan”, Ministry of Communications, 07 August 2022, available from: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1849356
^[3] “CERT-In hosts Cyber Security Exercise ‘Synergy’ for 13 countries as part of International Counter Ransomware Initiative-Resilience Working Group”, Ministry of Electronics & IT, 31 August 2022, available from:https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1855771
^[4] “Threat Actors exploiting Zimbra Collaboration Suite Vulnerability”, Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, 18 August 2022, accessed on 03 September 2022, available from: https://cert-in.org.in/
^[5] “Indian Ransomware Report for H1-2022 by CERT-In”, Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, 02 August 2022, accessed on 03 September 2022, available from: https://cert-in.org.in/
^[6]Sparling, Craig. “Largest European DDoS Attack on Record”, Akamai Technologies, 27 July 2022, accessed on 03 August 2022, available from: https://www.akamai.com/blog/security/largest-european-ddos-attack-ever
^[7]Knott, Matthew. “Chinese hackers pose as Australian News Corp sites in cyber espionage scam”, The Sunday Morning Herald, 30 August 2022, accessed on 02 September 2022, available from: https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/chinese-hackers-pose-as-australian-news-corp-sites-in-cyber-espionage-scam-20220830-p5bduz.html
^[8]Gatlan, Sergiu. “FBI: Hackers increasingly exploit DeFi bugs to steal cryptocurrency”, Bleeping Computer, 29 August 2022, accessed on 03 September 2022, available from: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fbi-hackers-increasingly-exploit-defi-bugs-to-steal-cryptocurrency/
^[9]Ganesan, Natasha. “Singapore faced more cybercrime, phishing, and ransomware threats in 2021”, Channel News Asia, 29 August 2022, accessed on 03 September 2022, available from: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/cybercrime-ransomware-phishing-cybersecurity-2021-2906386

Former senior Xiamen municipal legislator arrested: Xinhuanet

September 8, 2022

China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) has announced its decision to arrest Chen Jiadong, a former senior legislator in the city of Xiamen in east China’s Fujian Province, for suspected bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power. Click here to read…

Former deputy commander of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps stands trial: Xinhuanet

September 8, 2022

Yang Fulin, former deputy commander of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, stood trial on Thursday at the Intermediate People’s Court of Jinan City in east China’s Shandong Province. Click here to read…

Chinese president appoints new ambassadors: Xinhuanet

September 8, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping has appointed six new ambassadors in accordance with a decision by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, according to a statement from China’s top legislature on Thursday. Li Jinjin has been appointed ambassador to Gabon, replacing Hu Changchun. Liu Jin has been appointed ambassador to Gambia, replacing Ma Jianchun. Click here to read…

Xi calls for efforts to boost enterprise innovation: Xinhuanet

September 8, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to promote enterprise innovation and foster more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are specialized and innovative. Click here to read…

China’s anti-graft chief urges solid work for 20th CPC National Congress: Xinhuanet

September 8, 2022

China’s anti-graft chief has called on discipline inspection and supervision organs to improve duty performance to advance full and rigorous Party governance, improve Party conduct, ensure clean government, and step up the fight against corruption to greet the convocation of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) later this year. Click here to read…

China to scale up support for employment, entrepreneurship to expand space of employment: Xinhuanet

September 8, 2022

China will step up policy support for employment and business start-ups to broaden the space of employment, help market entities emerge and grow, and foster new drivers of growth, according to a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday. Click here to read…

China says U.S. tariff decision on Chinese goods will hurt U.S.: Xinhuanet

September 8, 2022

The U.S. decision to continue imposing additional tariffs on Chinese goods amid mounting inflation is bound to inflict more losses on U.S. enterprises and consumers, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Thursday. China has always believed that the U.S. Section 301 measures are not conducive to the U.S., China, or the world, said ministry spokesperson Shu Jueting at a press briefing when responding to a related question. Click here to read…

China urges avoiding further deterioration of humanitarian situation in Ukraine: Xinhuanet

September 8, 2022

China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Geng Shuang, on Wednesday called on the international community to do its utmost to avoid further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. Click here to read…

China mulls cyberspace law enforcement oversight system: Xinhuanet

September 8, 2022

China is considering building an oversight system for administrative law enforcement by cyberspace regulators. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) Thursday released a set of rules concerning these law enforcement procedures of cyberspace administration departments to solicit public feedback. Click here to read…

China rides wave of cultural trade: Qiushi

September 8, 2022

Digital technologies put country’s exports of creative products, services in the fast lane China’s latest push to bolster its creative and cultural trade internationally is expected to cultivate fresh competitive advantages for its exporters, create more jobs and elevate the level of digital technologies in the fast-growing sector, according to government officials and business executives. Click here to read…

Construction of large-scale Yangtze River tunneling project underway: China Daily

September 8, 2022

The construction of a large-scale tunneling project under the Yangtze River kicked off Wednesday in East China’s Jiangsu province, the China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd. said on Thursday. Click here to read…

China unveils its version of Switchblade suicide drone in action: Global Times

September 8, 2022

China on Thursday promoted its answer to the Switchblade suicide drone among a wide selection of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles popular on the international and domestic market, releasing a video showing them in action. Click here to read…

PLA Naval Aviation Force gets carrier-based early warning aircraft, trainer jets: Global Times

September 8, 2022

The Naval Aviation Force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has made preliminary strides in its development from being coast-based to carrier-based, and it has established a carrier-based aircraft system consisting of fighter jets, helicopters, early warning aircraft and trainer jets, a top official of the force announced, confirming for the first time that China has been developing carrier-based early warning aircraft and trainer jets. Click here to read…

Key foreign-funded projects in China progressing well, 60% in full swing: Global Times

September 8, 2022

China’s key foreign-funded projects are progressing well, as 60 percent of the ones that have been put into operation are in full swing, Shu Jueting, spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said at a routine press conference on Thursday. Click here to read…

Latest iPhones get lukewarm response in China, while Apple suppliers switch to EV sector amid sluggish consumer spending: Global Times

September 8, 2022

Apple’s iPhone 14 series has met with a lukewarm response in China, given its apparent lack of innovations, and some Chinese suppliers are reducing their dependence on the US tech giant by switching to electric vehicle (EV) producers, aiming to survive in a sluggish electronics market. Click here to read…

German economy ministry reviews measures to curb China business: Reuters

September 8, 2022

Germany’s economy ministry is considering a raft of measures to make business with China less attractive as it seeks to reduce its dependency on Asia’s economic superpower, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The measures could include reducing or even scrapping investment and export guarantees for China and no longer promoting trade fairs and manager training there, those people said. Loans from state lender KfW could be re-directed to projects in other Asian countries, such as Indonesia, in line with attempts to diversify trade and increase business with democracies. Click here to read…

China cracks down on mooncakes: Taipei Times

September 9, 2022

Chinese authorities have launched a crackdown on “sky high” mooncake prices ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Mooncakes, a small customary baked dessert, are traditionally given to family and friends to celebrate one of the most important holidays in the Lunar New Year. Click here to read…

Why size matters when it comes to China’s new leadership line-up: South China Morning Post

September 9, 2022

At the end of the ruling Communist Party’s twice-a-decade congress in October, following a leadership reshuffle, those at the very top of Chinese politics will walk down a red carpet and meet the press. Only then will it be known who and how many of China’s political elites will make up the new Politburo Standing Committee, the party’s top decision-making body.
There are no written rules on how many members it can have – the number has fluctuated between three and 11 since 1927, when the standing committee was first formed. But if the past is any guide, a change in size could reflect a shift in the concentration of power or a move to balance factions. Click here to read…

He Jiankui, creator of world’s first gene-edited babies, seeks Chinese government funding for DNA synthesizer: South China Morning Post

September 8, 2022

He Jiankui, the Chinese scientist who sparked controversy when he created the world’s first gene-edited babies, said he has relocated to Beijing and is applying for government funding for a DNA synthesiser project. “I have come to Beijing for development,” He posted last month on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like microblogging platform. In a separate post, He said he wanted to research a new DNA synthesiser project and was preparing to apply to the government for funding. Click here to read…

Chinese mainland reports 259 new local confirmed COVID-19 cases: Xinhuanet

September 9, 2022

The Chinese mainland on Thursday reported 259 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 59 in Sichuan and 42 in Inner Mongolia, according to the National Health Commission’s report Friday. A total of 1,033 local asymptomatic carriers were newly identified. Click here to read…

Govt to expand its support for job creation, new businesses: People’s Daily

September 9, 2022

China will step up policy support for employment and business startups, create more job opportunities, help market entities emerge and grow, and foster new growth drivers, the State Council Executive Meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang decided on Wednesday. Click here to read…

China defence ministry: China and India troops are disengaging from border areas: Reuters

September 9, 2022

Chinese and Indian troops have started disengaging from the border areas, China’s defence ministry said on Friday. Click here to read…

DEFENCE

• Chief of Royal Malaysian Navy is on an official visit to India.
• Ex UDARASHAKTI between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) culminates.
• Vietnam-India Bilateral Army Exercise VINBAX 2022 concludes.
• Indian Air Force contingent has reached Australia for participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2022.
• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
• India delivers the 10th batch of medical assistance to Afghanistan.
• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh will hold bilateral talks with Tanzanian Minister of Defence.
• The third Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) of 780 strategically important Line Replacement Units (LRUs)/Sub-systems/Components approved.
• 13th Edition of India – USA Joint Special Forces Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR 2022 culminates.

NATIONAL TERRORISM

INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

Africa

Nigeria

• Security forces destroyed Boko Haram markets in Borno State.

Somalia

• Al-Shabaab terrorists attacked a hotel and killed 12 people in Mogadishu.

Afghanistan

• At the UNSC, India highlighted significant increase in IS-KP presence in Afghanistan.
• “Taliban have not found the body of Ayman al-Zawahiri”: Taliban spokesperson.

DOMESTIC TERRORISM

Jammu and Kashmir

• NIA officials searched multiple locations in UT of J&K in ‘Drone’ case.
• SIA and CID of J&K police arrested a terror financer from IGI Airport, Delhi.
• Security forces eliminated two LeT terrorists in Shopian.
• Police arrested three LeT terrorists from Baramulla.

Left-Wing Extremism

• Two Maoists, including a section commander, surrendered in Telangana.
• Over 500 Maoist sympathisers surrendered before Odisha police.

Islamic Extremism (excluding J&K)

• NIA filed chargesheet against four Islamic extremists in ‘Mayiladuthurai PS case’ of Tamil Nadu.
• India security agencies on vigil over IS suicide bomber’s confession.
• UP police arrested a JeM terrorist form Lucknow.

Narcotics Trafficking

• NIA filed supplementary chargesheet against nine narcotics traffickers in ‘Mundra Drugs’ case.

DEFENCE

Chief of Royal Malaysian Navy is on an official visit to India.

Admiral Tan Sri Mohd Reza Bin Mohd Sany, Chief of Royal Malaysian Navy is on an official visit to India from 16 to 19 Aug 22. Adm Mohd Reza called on Adm R Hari Kumar, CNS and discussed the progress of ongoing bilateral engagements in the maritime domain. He was also briefed on the broad range of Foreign Cooperation activities pursued by the Indian Navy. The leaders identified several new avenues for further strengthening bilateral naval cooperation and also expressed commitment to their support to uphold the principle of collective responsibility for maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.
For more information: Click here to read…

Ex UDARASHAKTI between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) culminates.

The bilateral exercise, Ex UDARASHAKTI between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) culminated at the RMAF Air Base Kuantan on 16 Aug 2022. Spanning four days, the exercise saw the two Air Forces work in cohesion through a series of complex aerial combat drills in multiple domains and exercise settings. The exercise was characterised by the display of a high degree of professionalism by all participants. Ex UDARASHAKTI provided both the Air Forces, an opportunity to share each other’s’ best practices. The culmination of the exercise was marked by a traditional closing ceremony and a seven aircraft formation flypast of Su-30MKI & Su-30 MKM aircraft over the air base.
For more information: Click here to read…

Vietnam-India Bilateral Army Exercise VINBAX 2022 concludes.

Vietnam-India Bilateral Army Exercise VINBAX 2022 concluded at Chandimandir with an display of Multi Agency Humanitarian Assistance in Disaster Relief (HADR) demonstration and an equipment display showcasing the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives. The exercise had commenced on 01 August and was focused on deployment of Army Engineer and Medical teams in UN Peacekeeping operations. It was the first time that the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) was undertaking a Field Training Exercise with any foreign Army. Over a period of three weeks, the soldiers of the two Armies worked with each other while learning and sharing best practices. The next edition of VINBAX will be hosted in Vietnam in 2023.
For more information: Click here to read…

Indian Air Force contingent has reached Australia for participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2022.

An Indian Air Force contingent has reached Australia for participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2022 scheduled to be held from 19 Aug 22 to 08 Sep 22 in Darwin. This is a biennial, multi-national exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It will focus on Large Force Employment warfare. The last edition was conducted in 2018. The 2020 edition of the exercise was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s exercise will see the participation of over 100 aircraft and 2500 military personnel from various air forces. The IAF contingent, comprises over 100 air warriors, deployed with four Su-30 MKI fighter and two C-17 aircraft. They will undertake multi-domain air combat missions in a complex environment and will exchange best practices with the participating air forces.
For more information: Click here to read…

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh attends Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Raksha Mantri (RM) Shri Rajnath Singh, on August 23, 2022, reached Tashkent, Uzbekistan on a three-day official visit. On the first day the RM held bilateral meetings with his Uzbek counterpart Lieutenant General Bakhodir Kurbanov; Defence Minister of Kazakhstan Colonel General Zhaksylykov Ruslan Zhakslykov and Belarusian Defence Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin. The entire spectrum of defence cooperation with the three countries was reviewed during the meetings, with focus on identifying avenues to expand mutually beneficial collaboration. Issues of mutual interest were also discussed.

Addressing the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting at Tashkent, Uzbekistan on August 24, 2022, the Raksha Mantri asserted that terrorism in any form, including cross-border terrorism, committed by anyone and for whatever purpose, is a crime against humanity. In this context, the Raksha Mantri proposed to host a workshop in India in 2023 on the theme ‘Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief – Risk mitigation and Disaster Resilient Infrastructure’ for the Defence Ministries of SCO Member States. He also suggested an annual seminar on ‘Topic of Interest’ among the defence think tanks of SCO countries. “We propose to organise the first such defence think tank seminar in India in 2023,” he added.

The Raksha Mantri met with Defence Minister of Kyrgyzstan also and during exchange of pleasantries with Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu the RM conveyed his deep appreciation for arresting in Moscow a terrorist who was planning attacks in India.
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India delivers the 10th batch of medical assistance to Afghanistan.

India supplied the tenth batch of medical assistance as part of India’s ongoing humanitarian assistance. The same was handed over to the Indira Gandhi Hospital, Kabul. In view of the urgent appeals made by the United Nations to assist the Afghan people, India has, so far, supplied 32 tons of medical assistance in ten batches, which includes essential life saving medicines, anti-TB medicines, 500,000 doses of COVID vaccine etc. These medical consignments have been handed over to the World Health Organization(WHO) and Indira Gandhi Children Hospital, Kabul.
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Raksha Mantri (RM) will hold bilateral talks with Tanzanian Minister of Defence.

RM held bilateral talks with Tanzanian Minister of Defence and National Service Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax in New Delhi on August 26, 2022. A wide range of issues concerning bilateral, regional and defence industrial cooperation were discussed during the meeting. The two Ministers reviewed the existing military-to-military activities and discussed ways to enhance cooperation in all domains with a focus on defence industry cooperation. Both the Ministers agreed to the formation of a Task Force to prepare a Five Year Future Road map for enhancing defence cooperation between both the countries and to hold the next Joint Defence Cooperation meeting in Tanzania at an early date. The Raksha Mantri also invited his Tanzanian counterpart to the India-Africa Defence Dialogue and DefExpo which is scheduled to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from 18-22 October, 2022.
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The third Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) of 780 strategically important Line Replacement Units (LRUs)/Sub-systems/Components approved.

In pursuit of self-reliance in defence manufacturing and to minimise imports by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) under ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’, RM has approved the third Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) of 780 strategically important Line Replacement Units (LRUs)/Sub-systems/Components with a timeline beyond which they will only be procured from the domestic industry. This list is in continuation to the two PILs of LRUs/Sub-systems/Assemblies/Sub-assemblies/Components that were published in December 2021 and March 2022. These lists contain 2,500 items which are already indigenised and 458 (351+107) items which will be indigenised within the given timelines. Out of 458, 167 items (1st PIL -163, 2nd PIL – 4) have been indigenised, so far.
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13th Edition of India – USA Joint Special Forces Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR 2022 culminates.

The 13th Edition of India – USA Joint Special Forces Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR 2022 culminated at Bakloh (HP) on 28 August 2022. This annual exercise is hosted alternatively between India and the United States. The 12th edition was conducted at Joint Base Lewis Mc Chord, Washington (USA) in October 2021.

The 21-day joint training provided an opportunity for the Special Forces from both nations to train in Air Borne Operations, Special Operations and Counter Terrorism operations in a joint environment under United Nations Charter. The exercise was conducted in two phases; the first phase involved combat conditioning and tactical level special missions training exercises and the second phase included 48 hours of validation of training received by both contingents in the first phase.
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INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

Africa

Nigeria

Security forces destroyed Boko Haram markets in Borno State.

On 24 August 2022, the troops of Nigeria’s security forces’ 21 Armoured Brigade attacked and destroyed Boko Haram markets in Bama Local Council of Borno State, and also eliminated six Boko Haram terrorists manning the market. “Troops in collaboration with the civilian joint task force, stormed an illegal market at Bararam village where terrorists were trading food items, used clothes, petrol, and drugs,” said Zagazola Makama— counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region.
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Somalia

Al-Shabaab terrorists attacked a hotel and killed at least 20 people in Mogadishu.

On 19 August 2022, al-Shabaab terrorists attacked a hotel and killed at least 20 people in Mogadishu; although some local media reported that the death toll could be higher. After the initial attack, a website affiliated with al-Shabaab claimed that terrorists were carrying out random shootings at the hotel— a prime location for employees of the federal government to meet. According to police spokesperson, the initial attack on the hotel was carried out by two car bombs. Al-Shabaab control much of the southern and central parts of Somalia, but has been successful to extend its influence into areas controlled by the government based in Mogadishu.
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Afghanistan

At the UNSC, India highlighted significant increase in IS-KP presence in Afghanistan.

At the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), India highlighted the significant presence and rise of Islamic State-Khurasan Province (IS-KP)’s capabilities to carry out attack in Afghanistan. India warned the UNSC about the linkages between proscribed terror groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), posing a direct threat to the region’s peace and stability.

“As we have repeatedly stated at the UNSC, India has direct stakes in ensuring the return of peace and stability, given our position as a contiguous neighbour and long-standing partner of Afghanistan, as well as our strong historical and civilisational linkages to the Afghan people,” said India’s Permanent Representative the United Nations (UN), Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj.
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“Taliban have not found the body of Ayman al-Zawahiri”: Taliban spokesperson.

Taliban spokesperson— Zabihullah Mujahid, on 25 August 2022, said that they have not found the body of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the former al-Qa’ida leader, after the United States (US) claimed to kill the leader in a drone strike in Kabul in August 2022.
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SIA and CID of J&K police arrested a terror financer from IGI Airport, Delhi.

On 25 August 2022, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) and Counter-Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police arrested a terror financer— Farooq Ahmad Naikoo aka Farooq Tendulkar, at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi. Farooq was deported from United Arab Emirates (UAE) and arrested at the airport for his alleged involvement in a terror funding case. “Farooq’s name appeared in various terror financing transactions during the investigation of the case and further investigation about his role was being investigated by the SIA officials,” said an official on the basis of anonymity.
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Security forces eliminated two LeT terrorists in Shopian.

On 30 August 2022, security forces killed two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists in a counter-terrorism operation in Nagbal area of Shopian district in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Following the inputs about terrorists’ presence in the area, security forces initiated the Cordon And Search operation and engaged in an exchange of fire with terrorists.
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Police arrested three LeT terrorists from Baramulla.

On 26 August 2022, the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police arrested three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists— i) Shariq Ashraf, ii) Saqlain Mushtaq, and iii) Taufiq Hasan Sheikh, from Bomai Chowk area in Sopore of Baramulla district. The joint operation involved 22 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and 179 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.

Upon arrest, police personnel recovered three hand grenades, 09 posters, and 12 Pakistani flags from terrorists. In another incident a day before i.e., on 25 August, security forces eliminated three infiltrators near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of J&K and recovered a Chinese-made M16 rifle from their possession.
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Left-Wing Extremism

Two Maoists, including a section commander, surrendered in Telangana.

On 24 August 2022, two Chhattisgarh-based Maoists— i) Deva, a section commander, and ii) Madvi Pojja, a militia member, surrendered before Superintendent of Police (SP) G. Vineeth in Kothagudem in Telangana. Deva was active in Maddedu, Bhairamgarh, and Gangaluru in Dandakaranya forest area and was also involved in four different incidents of conflict with police personnel in West Bastar division.
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Over 500 Maoist sympathisers surrendered before Odisha police.

On 22 August 2022, more than 500 Maoists sympathisers surrendered before police in Swabhiman Anchal area of Malkangiri district in Odisha. “After surrender of 295 Maoists sympathisers before police on 11 June 2022, another 500 of Ralegada surrendered before Malkangiri police and BSF personnel. They were motivated by the welfare work of the Odisha government,” tweeted the Director-General of Police (DGP) S K Bansal.

The Maoist supporters included both men and women from Dabal Pahad, Ralegada, Chintalduli, Korrapalli, Tekpadar, Palankrayi, Tatipahad, Eskapalli, Sarukabandha, Durgam, Banajholi, Chikatpalli, Jajpalli, Gajalmamidi, Sitapalli villages in Ralegada gram panchayat area under the jurisdiction of Papermetla police station. Before surrendering, the Maoist supporters burnt the dress materials of Maoists and demolished the Maoist ‘Martyr Pillar’ and shouted slogans— Maobadi Murdabad (death to the Maoist ideology).
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Islamic Extremism (excluding J&K)

NIA filed chargesheet against four Islamic extremists in ‘Mayiladuthurai PS case’ of Tamil Nadu.

On 18 August 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet against four Islamic extremists— i) Sathik Batcha, ii) R. Ashiq, iii) A. Mohammad Irfan, and iv) Rahamathulla, at the NIA Special Court, Chennai. The case— RC-20/2022/NIA/DLI pertains to a conspiracy by five Islamic extremists for threatening public and also attempting to kill police personnel during vehicle checking on 21 February 2022. All four chargesheet extremists were involved in forming terror modules, including ‘Khilafah Party of India’, ‘Khilafah Front of India’, ‘Intellectual Students of India’, and associating themselves with proscribed terror organisations, such as al-Qa’ida, Islamic State (IS), and National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) of Sri Lanka.
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Russia’s FSB arrested an IS terrorist plotting an attack on Indian politician over prophet Mohammad controversy.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), on 22 August 2022, arrested a Central Asian nation citizen and an Islamic State (IS) terrorist— Azamov Mashahont, who underwent a special training to carry out a suicide attack against a member of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) for the comments on prophet Mohammad.

According to the confession made by Mashahont, he was radicalised online by the IS operatives through Telegram application. As per the conspiracy, he travelled from Turkey to Russia and was in process to fly for India. During the interrogation, he confirmed that he would have received explosives, detonators, and other equipment necessary for a suicide bombing from a contact in India after his arrival from Russia.
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UP police arrested a JeM terrorist form Lucknow.

On 12 August 2022, Uttar Pradesh police’s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist— Muhammad Nadeem, from Saharanpur. Preliminary interrogation revealed that since 2018, Muhammad Nadeem was in touch with his handlers based in Pakistan and on their behest, he was conspiring to carryout terrorist attacks in many places in the State. Allegedly, he was also tasked to kill suspended BJP leader— Nupur Sharma.

“He (Nadeem) was in contact with several handlers on Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and they encouraged him to conduct anti-India activities. He was trained for lone-wolf attacks by knife and was ready to travel to Af-Pak region for further training,” said Prashant Kumar, Additional Director-General (ADG) of Police (Law and Order).
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Narcotics Trafficking

NIA filed supplementary chargesheet against nine narcotics traffickers in ‘Mundra Drugs’ case.

On 29 August 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed supplementary chargesheet against nine narcotics traffickers— i) Sarabjit Singh, ii) Jannat Gul Kaker, iii) Mujahid Shinwari, iv) Shami Ullah, v) Mohammad Lal Kaker, vi) Imtiaz Ahmed, vii) Imran Ahmed, viii) Balwinder Singh, and ix) Jasvir Singh, in the NIA Special Court, Ahmedabad, in connection with Mundra drugs seizure case.

The case—RC-26/2021/NIA/DLI pertains to the seizure of total 2988.21 kilograms of Heroin between 17-19 September 2021 at Container Freight Station, Mundra Port, Gujarat by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). The consignment was concealed in semi-processed talc stone. The traffickers are members of the international drugs smuggling network involved in trafficking of Heroin from Afghanistan to India for further distribution in Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and other States of India.

Earlier on 24 August 2022, NIA officials carried out search operations at 20 locations in various States— 14 locations in Delhi, 02 locations in Gujarat, 01 location in Punjab, and 03 locations in West Bengal in connection with the same case. The investigation into the entire supply chain and network of money laundering, drug distribution, and other players involved in this international drug network is still ongoing.
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China’s top legislature adopts revised agricultural products law: Xinhuanet

September 2, 2022

Chinese lawmakers on Friday voted to adopt a revised Law on Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products at the 36th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature. Click here to read…

China’s State Council appoints, removes officials: Xinhuanet

September 2, 2022

The State Council, China’s cabinet, announced the appointment and removal of officials on Friday. Cao Xuetao was appointed deputy head of the National Health Commission. Lin Shangli was appointed president of Renmin University of China, replacing Liu Wei. Click here to read…

China, Nepal to enhance cooperation, boost ties: Xinhuanet

September 2, 2022

China’s top political advisor Wang Yang on Friday met via video link with Chairman of National Assembly of Nepal Ganesh Prasad Timilsina. Wang, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, said that China stands ready to work with Nepal to jointly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries. Click here to read…

China issues guideline to further promote national defense education: China Military

September 2, 2022

A guideline on enhancing and improving national defense education for all people has been jointly issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission. Noting the significance of national defense education and people’s increasing awareness of national defense, the guideline specifies further efforts to implement a holistic approach to national security, enhance people’s vigilance against potential dangers in times of peace, respect for military personnel, and sense of responsibility to build a strong country with a strong military. Click here to read…

Great Wall-2022 forum eyes building consensus, enhancing int’l anti-terror cooperation: China Military

September 2, 2022

The Great Wall-2022 International Forum on Counter-terrorism wrapped up here on Wednesday. Sponsored by the Chinese People’s Armed Police (PAP), the two-day forum has attracted more than 170 representatives from the armed police forces or armed forces of this kind in 30 countries including China, Russia, Pakistan, Brazil and Italy. Click here to read…

Shenzhen shuts most public transport as China battles multiple outbreaks: Reuters

September 2, 2022

The main districts of Chinese tech hub Shenzhen shut down public transport andextended curbs on public activities on Friday as cities across China battled COVID-19 outbreaks that have dampened the outlook for economic recovery. Six districts comprising the majority of the city’s population of almost 18 million announced that all residents would be tested twice for COVID-19 over the weekend as subway and bus services were suspended. Click here to read…

China railway travel hits 8-year low in summer months on virus flare-ups: Reuters

September 2, 2022

Railway travel in China hit an eight-year trough and a pandemic low in the usually busy summer season, according to official data, as fresh virus flare-ups curbed mobility and hit tourist confidence. Some 440 million passenger trips were taken on China’s railway network between July 1 and Aug. 31, its lowest since 2014, data from China Railway showed. Click here to read…

China launches campaign against online rumours ahead of party congress: Reuters

September 2, 2022

China’s cyberspace watchdog said on Friday it would a launch a three-month campaign to clear up “rumours and false information involving major meetings”, just weeks before the ruling Communist Party holds its five-yearly congress. General Secretary Xi Jinping is poised to secure a historic third leadership term at the congress, which is due to start on Oct. 16. Click here to read…

New ministerial-level officials appointed by legislative body: China Daily

September 3, 2022

China appointed and removed key ministerial-level officials of the country’s top prosecutor, national supervision commission, and ministries of industry and information technology as well as emergency management on Friday. Ying Yong, 64, was appointed deputy procurator-general of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, according to the decision adopted by the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress, China’s top legislative body. Click here to read…

India agency searches payment firms in Chinese lending probe: Reuters

September 3, 2022

India’s federal financial crime-fighting agency said on Saturday it was searching the premises of online payment companies as part of an investigation of Chinese-controlled firms and individuals suspected of illicit lending practices. The payment companies included Razorpay Pvt Ltd, Cashfree Payments and Paytm Payment Services Ltd, the Enforcement Directorate said in a statement. Click here to read…

Chinese FM addresses seminar on UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: Global Times

September 3, 2022

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday spoke at a virtual international seminar commemorating the 40th anniversary of the opening for signature of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a Foreign Ministry press release said Friday. Click here to read…

China’s large solar-powered, near-space UAV makes maiden flight: Xinhuanet

September 4, 2022

China’s independently-developed QMX50, a large solar-powered near-space unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), made its successful maiden flight in Yulin, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, on Saturday, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) said Sunday. Click here to read…

E-commerce dimension to BRI in focus at services trade fair in Beijing: Global Times

September 4, 2022

A Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)-themed livestreaming studio at Shougang Park, one of the twin venues for the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, was among the most popular sites at the annual services gathering where an e-commerce dimension to the BRI is the focus of attentionClick here to read…

China to provide another 300 million yuan aid to flood-ravaged Pakistan as flood death toll surpasses 1,200: Global Times

September 4, 2022

China announced another 300 million yuan (roughly $43 million) of aid to Pakistan after the emergency relief supplies worth of 100 million yuan were donated last week, as the death toll in the flood-ravaged country has reached 1,290 as of Saturday. Click here to read…

China sees 13 provincial-level regions record 20% of population being aged 60 or above: Global Times

September 4, 2022

In the Chinese mainland, 13 provinces, municipalities and regions have now recorded more than 20 percent of their population being aged 60 or above, with three places seeing the share of this age period rise above one fifth for the first time, including Beijing, as the country’s aging process continues speeding up. Click here to read…

China sees 13 provincial-level regions record 20% of population being aged 60 or above: Global Times

September 4, 2022

In the Chinese mainland, 13 provinces, municipalities and regions have now recorded more than 20 percent of their population being aged 60 or above, with three places seeing the share of this age period rise above one fifth for the first time, including Beijing, as the country’s aging process continues speeding up.

A place is considered as entering a moderately aging society when the proportion of people aged 60 and above is between 20 and 30 percent, according to international standards. Click here to read…

Chengdu lockdown tightened: Taipei Times

September 5, 2022

China extended a lockdown in districts of Chengdu and ordered more mass testing as it tries to contain a COVID-19 outbreak. Chengdu’s central Jinjiang District would intensify lockdown measures and extend them for at least three days, authorities said in a statement yesterday. Click here to read…

Stability key ahead of CCP meet: Taipei Times

September 5, 2022

Economic and political stability are Beijing’s priorities in the lead-up to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 20th National Congress on Oct. 16, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. The CCP would be focusing on touting the “significant advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics,” and major economic and social development achievements, the report said, adding that all official propaganda apparatuses and social media platforms, as well as music, television and film productions, would therefore be “telling good stories about China,” “spreading positive energy” and doing service to “the Chinese dream that reinvigorates the Zhonghua minzu ,( Chinese ethnic group).” Click here to read…

Why is retirement beckoning for 11 members of the Communist Party of China’s top decision-making body? : South China Morning Post

September 5, 2022

Fading out gradually is seldom an option for top Chinese leaders.
They appear on prime-time news every night. Then, when the day of retirement comes, they suddenly vanish, rarely making public appearances or comments. Little is known about how they spend their time. The biggest mystery is how retirement decisions are made. For those who sit on the Politburo – the top echelon of the ruling Communist Party – the only guideline, in place since the party’s first orderly power transition in 2002, remains the unwritten rule of retiring at the age of 68. It was established gradually after decades of political turmoil to rejuvenate the party and ensure a stable transition of leadership at the top. Click here to read…

Chinese localities urge public to stay put or reduce travel during upcoming holidays to stop COVID: Global Times

September 5, 2022

Although two of the most important holidays in the second half of the year – the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day Holiday – are approaching in China, people may have to temporarily delay their long-distance travel plans due to the resurgence of COVID-19 in various cities. To stop the spread of the virus, many Chinese localities have requested residents to stay put or reduce travel during the holidays. Click here to read…

Evidence shows US’ NSA behind attack on email system of Chinese leading aviation university: Global Times

September 5, 2022

The email system of a university in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province – well-known for its aviation, aerospace and navigation studies – was found to have been attacked by the US’ National Security Agency (NSA), the Global Times learned from a source on Monday. Click here to read…

Henan official suspected of financial violations: China Daily

September 5, 2022

Chen Yimin, former director of the Henan Provincial Rural Credit Union, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervision investigation by the Henan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision, the commission announced on Friday. Click here to read…

China steps up efforts to increase people’s scientific knowledge: China Military

September 5, 2022

China has issued a guideline on facilitating the popularization of science to encourage innovation throughout society. Describing the propagation of scientific knowledge as a fundamental task for promoting innovation-driven development, the document underscores the importance of giving equal importance to both the popularization of science, and scientific and technological innovation. Click here to read…

Chinese mainland reports 303 new local confirmed COVID-19 cases: Xinhuanet

September 5, 2022

The Chinese mainland on Sunday reported 303 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 105 were in Sichuan and 64 in Tibet, the National Health Commission said Monday. Altogether 1,249 local asymptomatic carriers were newly identified on Sunday, including 452 in Tibet, 162 in Heilongjiang, 95 in Qinghai and 93 in Liaoning, said the commission in its report. Click here to read…

Over 8,100 officials punished for violating China’s frugality rules: Xinhuanet

August 29, 2022

A total of 8,185 Chinese officials were punished in July for violating the country’s eight-point code on improving Party and government conduct, China’s top anti-graft body said in a statement on Sunday. Click here to read…

China to provide more humanitarian supplies to Pakistan: Xinhuanet

August 29, 2022

China will provide additional humanitarian aid including 25,000 tents to flood-devastated Pakistan, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Monday. The Red Cross Society of China will also provide 300,000 U.S. dollars in emergency cash assistance to the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, Zhao said. Click here to read…

Xi sends condolences to Alvi over severe floods in Pakistan: Xinhuanet

August 29, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of condolence to his Pakistani counterpart, Arif Alvi, over the severe floods hitting the country. The Chinese president noted that severe floods have occurred recently in Pakistan, causing heavy casualties and serious property losses. Click here to read…

China’s AG600M firefighting aircraft makes maiden amphibious flight: Xinhuanet

August 29, 2022

China’s AG600M, a full-state, new-configuration amphibious firefighting aircraft, had a successful maiden amphibious flight on Monday, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Click here to read…

China’s Y-20 transport aircraft to be showcased at int’l airshow in Europe: China Military

August 29, 2022

China’s independently-developed Y-20 transport aircraft will be showcased at an international airshow in Europe for the first time, said a Chinese air force spokesperson Monday. The Y-20 transport aircraft have flown to various destinations in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania over recent years, delivering COVID-19 vaccines overseas to combat the pandemic, and bringing humanitarian aid to countries such as Tonga and Afghanistan, said Shen Jinke, a spokesperson for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, at an air force open day event in Changchun, northeast China’s Jilin Province. Click here to read…

Several Chinese cities tighten epidemic prevention measures amid new flare-ups: Global Times

August 29, 2022

As the new semester approaches, many places in China, including Chengdu in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province and Tianjin Municipality, have begun to tighten epidemic prevention measures amid COVID-19 flare-ups, including carrying out large-scale nucleic acid tests and delaying the return of students. Click here to read…

Henan police arrested 234 suspects involved in a rural bank scandal, achieved major development in money recovery: Global Times

August 29, 2022

Central China’s Henan police arrested 234 suspects involved in a rural bank scandal& achieved major devt in money and losses recovery, after depositors found they couldn’t withdraw their money from local village banks in Henan and E. China’s Anhui since July. Click here to read…

India urged to be fair, reasonable toward Chinese companies, investment: Global Times

August 29, 2022

Chinese companies and businessmen are deeply concerned about the recent harsh treatment they received from Indian authorities, including week-long custody and unexpected scrutiny of their businesses, in what could be an unprecedented move targeting Chinese firms and individuals. Click here to read…

China’s largest CCUS project set to cut annual CO2 emissions by 1m tons: Global Times

August 29, 2022

China’s largest carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) project was put into operation on Monday, marking a key step to facilitate China’s goal of carbon peaking and becoming carbon neutral, according to Sinopec, which is operating the project. Click here to read…

China policy steps this year exceed those of 2020: Reuters

August 29, 2022

The strength of China’s policy measures to support the economy so far this year has exceeded those of 2020, state media quoted Premier Li Keqiang as saying on Monday. The government has unveiled a series of policies this year to support the COVID-ravaged economy. Click here to read…

China to set up firewall between bankers, analysts in IPO deals: Reuters

August 30, 2022

China’s securities association has drafted rules to set up a firewall between investment bankers and analysts in deals to ensure unbiased pricing of initial public offerings (IPOs), the official Shanghai Securities News reported on Tuesday. Click here to read…

Russia, China cut back war games: Taipei Times

August 30, 2022

Russian military exercises in the Far East this week are to take place on a far smaller scale than when they were last held in 2018, reflecting the strain on Moscow’s forces as they struggle to make headway on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine. Click here to read…

Chinese mainland reports 349 new local confirmed COVID cases: Xinhuanet

August 30, 2022

The Chinese mainland on Monday reported 349 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 167 were in Sichuan Province, the National Health Commission said Tuesday. Altogether 1,368 local asymptomatic carriers were newly identified on Monday, including 645 in Tibet and 109 in Sichuan, said the commission in its report. Click here to read…

Country eager to share its high-speed rail experience: China Daily

August 30, 2022

China has accumulated vast experience in developing high-speed railways at home and is willing to share its know-how with the rest of the world, according to experts. The nation started to research building high-speed railways in the 1990s, when Japan had been operating its Shinkansen bullet trains for more than 20 years. Click here to read…

PLA garrison in Hong Kong completes 25th routine rotation: China Daily

August 30, 2022

The Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army on Monday completed the 25th rotation since it began garrisoning Hong Kong in 1997. Approved by the Central Military Commission (CMC), the move is a routine annual rotation in line with the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Garrisoning the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Click here to read…

China sees huge potential in application of robots: People’s Daily

August 30, 2022

On Aug. 18, 130 robot dogs danced to the music on a 1,000-square-meter stage at the Beijing Etrong International Exhibition and Convention Center, to celebrate the opening of the 2022 World Robot Conference (WRC). The WRC is the largest and highest-level robot event with the widest foreign participation in China. It has become an important bridge of technology and industry linking China and other countries. Click here to read…

China conducts central bank bills swap: People’s Daily

August 30, 2022

The People’s Bank of China, or the central bank, conducted this year’s eighth central bank bills swap (CBS) operation on Tuesday to improve the liquidity of perpetual bonds issued by commercial banks. The CBS, valued at 5 billion yuan (about 726.72 million U.S. dollars), is open to primary dealers for bidding at a fixed rate of 0.1 percent, the central bank said in a statement. Click here to read…

Chinese premier stresses importance of agricultural science, technology: Xinhuanet

August 25, 2022

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday stressed the importance of agricultural science and technology, calling for efforts to promote the innovation and application of agricultural science and technology. Click here to read…

China urges U.S., Britain, Australia to reverse decisions on nuclear submarine cooperation: Xinhuanet

August 25, 2022

A Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday urged the United States, Britain and Australia to fulfill their obligations concerning nuclear non-proliferation and revoke their decisions on nuclear submarine cooperation. Click here to read…

Chinese armed police to host int’l counter-terrorism forum: Xinhuanet

August 25, 2022

The Chinese People’s Armed Police Force (PAP) will host the International Forum on Counter-terrorism “Great Wall-2022” in Beijing from August 30 to 31, a Chinese military spokesperson said Thursday. Click here to read…

China requires tighter internal control of wealth management companies: Xinhuanet

August 25, 2022

China’s top banking and insurance regulator Thursday released measures requiring wealth management companies to tighten internal control for sustainable and sound operation in compliance with laws and regulations. Click here to read…

Chinese court upholds death sentence of U.S. citizen convicted of murder: Xinhuanet

August 25, 2022

A Chinese court on Thursday rejected the appeal of Shadeed Abdulmateen, an American national, who was sentenced to death in April this year for intentional homicide. The Higher People’s Court of east China’s Zhejiang Province announced the verdict after holding the second instance trial of Abdulmateen’s case in July and will submit it to the Supreme People’s Court for approval, the court said in a statement. Click here to read…

Handbook helps litigants involved in software disputes: China Daily

August 25, 2022

A handbook outlining what evidence should be provided during a copyright dispute involving computer software was issued by a Beijing court on Thursday, in a bid to give parties easier access to litigation services while improving judicial efficiency. Click here to read…

Some Chinese localities encourage group home buying to prop up sluggish property market: Global Times

August 25, 2022

A number of Chinese localities have announced a range of measures to encourage home buying in a bid to prop up the sluggish real estate sector, which experts have stated will be useful for reducing inventory in some regions, but greater efforts needed to spur demand for overall macro-economic recovery. Click here to read…

UN rights chief ‘under tremendous pressure’ over report on China’s Uyghurs: Reuters

August 25, 2022

The UN human rights chief said on Thursday that she is still aiming to release a long-anticipated report on China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority in Xinjiang by the end of her four-year mandate next week amid “tremendous pressure” from all sides. Click here to read…

Some Chinese financiers cold shoulder Beijing’s property rescue call: Reuters

August 25, 2022

Some of China’s state-backed financial institutions are pushing back on Beijing’s calls to support the embattled property sector due to concerns about the impact of such exposure on their balance sheets, seven people with knowledge of the matter said. Click here to read…

Xi Jinping looks to take China beyond Deng Xiaoping’s ‘get rich’ era with historic third term: South China Morning Post

August 25, 2022

On a cold morning in mid-January, two dozen senior Communist Party officials, wrapped in black coats to protect them against the winter chill, stood solemnly in rows at the courtyard of Guohong Mansion, home to China’s top economic planning agency.
The group had gathered for the launch of the Xi Jinping Economic Thought Research Centre, the 18th research institution set up since the Chinese president’s philosophy was enshrined in the constitution in 2018. Click here to read…

China economy: 7 ‘Xiconomic’ policies that have guided growth over the past decade: South China Morning Post

August 25, 2022

Xi Jinping has reshaped China’s major economic decision-making institutions – most notably the Central Economic and Financial Affairs Commission – since becoming president. Helped by Vice-Premier and chief economic adviser Liu He, Xi’s first term between 2013-18 was devoted to addressing domestic problems. These included high debt, a dwindling demographic dividend, industrial overcapacity and poverty, with structural adjustments and de-risking campaigns high on the agenda. Xi hardened his economic thinking amid the trade war with the United States, growing tension with major Western economies and the coronavirus pandemic. Click here to read…

China completes test of reusable, sub-orbital vehicle: Xinhuanet

August 26, 2022

China successfully completed the test of a self-developed, reusable, sub-orbital vehicle on Friday. The vehicle was launched “vertically” from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwest of the country, according to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the developer of the vehicle. Click here to read…

Chinese mainland reports 262 new local confirmed COVID-19 cases: Xinhuanet

August 26, 2022

The Chinese mainland on Thursday reported 262 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 111 were in Hainan Province, the National Health Commission said Friday.

Altogether 1,239 local asymptomatic carriers were newly identified on Thursday, including 444 in Tibet and 285 in Hainan, said the commission in its report. Click here to read…

China’s BRI new opportunity for deepening mutual cooperation with Africa: Qiushi

August 26, 2022

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will provide African countries with new opportunities to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in line with the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda Wang Xuekun said Wednesday. Click here to read…

Ministry: Nations’ military drills shouldn’t target 3rd party: China Daily

August 26, 2022

China is firmly opposed to any form of interference by a third party in the China-India boundary issue, Defense Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Tan Kefei said on Thursday. He also stressed that military exercises between countries should not target any third party. Click here to read…

China builds world’s largest 5G network with 475 million users: People’s Daily

August 26, 2022

China has built nearly 1.97 million 5G base stations and reached 475 million 5G mobile users by the end of this July, said the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), constituting the world’s largest 5G network. The 5G base stations currently in operation in China account for over 60 percent of the world’s total three years after the issuance of 5G commercial licenses, and the country’s 5G users make up more than 70 percent of global 5G users. Click here to read…

China builds world’s largest 5G network with 475 million users: People’s Daily

August 26, 2022

China has entrusted a defense-focused state firm to ship millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil despite U.S. sanctions, part of a deal to offset Caracas’ billions of dollars of debt to Beijing, according to three sources and tanker tracking data. Click here to read…

Half of China hit by drought in record heat wave: Taipei Times

August 26, 2022

A crippling drought exacerbated by a record heat wave has spread across half of China and reached the normally frigid Tibetan Plateau, according to official data released ahead of more searing temperatures yesterday. The world’s second-largest economy has experienced more than 70 days of heat waves, flash floods and droughts — phenomena that scientists say are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change. Click here to read…

Another U.S. senator visits Taiwan amid tensions with China: Kyodo

August 26, 2022

A U.S. senator arrived in Taiwan on Thursday in what became the second visit by members of Congress since House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to the self-ruled island infuriated China earlier this month. Republican lawmaker Marsha Blackburn, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that her trip to meet with leaders in Taipei is intended to “advance and strengthen our partnerships” and that regular high-level visits to Taipei are “long-standing U.S. policy.” Click here to read…

China’s State Council initiates inspection of policy implementation: Xinhuanet

August 23, 2022

China’s State Council will dispatch 19 inspection teams across the country to ensure that tasks set in the government work report are undertaken and policies aimed at stabilizing the economy are being effectively implemented. Click here to read…

China pushes for negotiation of post-2020 global biodiversity framework: Xinhuanet

August 23, 2022

China has spared no effort in leading and coordinating the negotiation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, or in pushing forward global biodiversity conservation, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on Tuesday. Click here to read…

Spokesperson deplores Japanese politicians’ Taiwan visits: Xinhuanet

August 23, 2022

A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Tuesday voiced resolute opposition to certain Japanese politicians and lawmakers’ visits to China’s Taiwan region, saying the moves are for their selfish political gains. Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to a media query regarding the visit to Taiwan by Keiji Furuya, a lawmaker of Japan. Click here to read…

Emergency response launched for central China drought: Xinhuanet

August 23, 2022

Chinese authorities on Tuesday launched a Level-IV emergency response for a relatively serious drought in central China’s Hubei Province. China has a four-level emergency response system for disaster relief, with Level IV being the lowest and Level I the highest. Click here to read…

China’s top procuratorate orders arrest of former senior provincial legislator: Xinhuanet

August 23, 2022

China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) has ordered the arrest of Wang Minghui, a former vice chairman of the Standing Committee of Sichuan Provincial People’s Congress, for suspected bribe-taking and power abuse. Wang’s case was transferred to the procuratorial authorities for review and prosecution following the conclusion of an investigation by the National Supervisory Commission, the SPP said in a statement on Tuesday. Click here to read…

China has favorable conditions for overall price stability: Qiushi

August 23, 2022

China is capable of keeping overall prices in a reasonable range despite soaring inflationary pressures worldwide and fluctuations in food prices in the near term, officials and analysts said. Click here to read…

Indian students prepare for return to China as China resumes visas for intl students: Global Times

August 23, 2022

Indian students are thrilled to prepare their visa applications in the hope they can return to universities in China as soon as possible, after the Chinese Embassy in India announced it would resume processing student visas for Indian students from Wednesday. Chinese embassies in around a dozen other countries have also announced a resumption for long-term student visas after a halt of more than two years due to COVID-19 restrictions. Click here to read…

China restarts mass production of Type 052D destroyers, media reports say: Global Times

August 23, 2022

With five Type 052D destroyers allegedly spotted under construction at the Dalian Shipyard, China is said to have restarted the mass production of this type of warship, with foreign media hyping that the fast pace of China’s shipbuilding makes the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy “the largest navy in the world,” a claim that Chinese analysts slammed on Tuesday as being the rhetoric of the “China threat” theory. Click here to read…

China says international services trade faces challenges: Reuters

August 23, 2022

China is facing growing challenges in international services trade as COVID-19 outbreaks curb mobility and softening external demand weighs on firms’ operating outlooks, the country’s vice commerce minister said on Tuesday. Local COVID-19 outbreaks have restricted cross-border movement, hurting travel, construction and exhibitions, said Vice Commerce Minister Sheng Qiuping at a press conference. Click here to read…

SCO banks to prompt collaboration in key areas to boost regional economic recovery: Global Times

August 24, 2022

China Development Bank and banks of the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) signed a regional economic cooperative plan for 2022-2027 during a regular conference on Tuesday, focusing on financial cooperation in some pillar sectors such as infrastructure for connectivity, low carbon initiatives and the digital economy. Click here to read…

US continues brazen crackdown campaign, as 7 more Chinese entities blacklisted: Global Times

August 24, 2022

The US Department of Commerce has added seven China-related entities to its so-called export control list, citing national security and foreign policy concerns, Reuters reported on Tuesday, proving once again Washington’s complete disregard for international trade rules and mounting damages inflicted by its brazen crackdown campaign to global businesses. Click here to read…

China’s semiconductor industry faces another headache amid lacklustre demand for the low-end chips it has plenty of: South China Morning Post

August 24, 2022

An oversupply of low-end semiconductors amid lacklustre demand from downstream sectors such as smartphones and home appliances is worsening in the world’s biggest chip market, according to business merchants. For vendors at Shanghai’s SEG Electronics Market, a sourcing centre for semiconductor components in the Yangtze River Delta, the headache is not from US trade restrictions on China’s access to advanced chips but weak demand for mature integrated circuits (IC) from smartphone and home appliance manufacturers. Click here to read…

Huawei founder stresses ‘survival’ as main goal, warns of global recession: Global Times

August 24, 2022

Given that the global economy is encountering recession risks and decreasing consumption capacity, Huawei needs to change its business strategy from promoting expansion to seeking profit and liquidity so as to ensure survival in the next three years, domestic news site yicai.com reported, citing an article written by Ren Zhengfei, founder of China’s 5G developer and telecom equipment provider Huawei. Click here to read…

Chinese mainland reports 380 new local confirmed COVID-19 cases: Xinhuanet

August 24, 2022

The Chinese mainland on Tuesday reported 380 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 264 were in Hainan Province, the National Health Commission said Wednesday. Altogether 1,261 local asymptomatic carriers were newly identified on Tuesday, including 543 in Tibet and 336 in Hainan, said the commission in its report. Click here to read…

Former vice president of China Development Bank stands trial for multiple offenses: China Daily

August 24, 2022

He Xingxiang, former vice president of China Development Bank, stood trial on Tuesday at a court in Beijing on charges of taking bribes, issuing financial bills and granting loans illegally, and concealing overseas bank deposits. Click here to read…

Harmful online information removed in nationwide campaign to crack down on cyber violence: Global Times

August 24, 2022

More than 65.41 million pieces of harmful information have been deleted and more than 78,000 illegal accounts have been shut down for cyber violence in an annual special campaign to regulate internet activities, said Sheng Ronghua, deputy director of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), at a press conference on TuesdayClick here to read…

Changing of China’s diplomatic guard on agenda for this year’s party congress: South China Morning Post

August 21, 2022

With cross-strait tensions skyrocketing following this month’s controversial visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, all eyes are on who will lead China’s diplomatic corps after this autumn’s party congress. The congress is expected to see President Xi Jinping secure a third term as party general secretary and usher in a new line-up of younger Communist Party leaders. Click here to read…

China’s political advisors discuss employment-first policy: Xinhuanet

August 22, 2022

The Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee convened a meeting on Monday to discuss the implementation of the country’s employment-first policy. Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the opening meeting of the 23rd session of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee. Click here to read…

Chinese Foreign Ministry refutes wrongful remarks by U.S. Ambassador to China concerning Taiwan region: Xinhuanet

August 22, 2022

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday refuted U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns’ wrongful remarks concerning the Taiwan region, noting his remarks confound right with wrong, and once again show the distorted and hegemonic logic of the United States. Click here to read…

Chinese public security authority urges better care for police officers: Xinhuanet

August 22, 2022

China will step up efforts to improve the care and protection provided to police officers, and see that their efforts are properly compensated, a newly released document shows. The document, released by the Communist Party of China committee of the Ministry of Public Security, calls for more efforts to safeguard the officers’ honor, protect their physical and mental health, and effectively implement relevant preferential policies. Click here to read…

China releases results of investigation into math textbook illustrations: Xinhuanet

August 22, 2022

China’s Ministry of Education (MOE) on Monday announced the results of an investigation into problematic illustrations in math textbooks for primary school students published by the People’s Education Press (PEP). According to an MOE statement, the illustrations of public concern failed to conform to the aesthetic preferences of the public in the overall painting style, and some of them did not meet high professional standards for illustration production. Certain illustrations featured errors and some other illustrations had the potential to cause misunderstandings. Click here to read…

Cooperation with China helps promote connectivity, poverty alleviation in Africa: Qiushi

August 22, 2022

When the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) was launched on May 31, 2017, Grace Wambui, a middle-aged Kenyan trader, could thus transport her goods seamlessly to earn profit. Constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation, the 480-km modern railway line, linking Kenya’s port city of Mombasa to the capital of Nairobi, has been at the heart of the country’s socio-economic transformation. Click here to read…

Employment stressed at CPPCC session: China Daily

August 22, 2022

China has made progress in promoting employment against the backdrop of the COVID-19 epidemic and an economic downturn, as the nation continues to implement its employment-first policy and secure a more stable job market. Click here to read…

Conference urges expediting vaccinations for seniors and vulnerable groups: China Daily

August 22, 2022

During a conference over the weekend, health officials and experts called for expediting COVID-19 vaccinations for the elderly and other vulnerable groups, while boosting research into the effects variants have on vaccines. Official data shows that as of Sunday, China had administered over 3.42 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses, and fully vaccinated over 90 percent of the population. Click here to read…

Six former staff of infamous Apple Daily to plead guilty; ‘little time left’ for diehard secessionists like Jimmy Lai: Global Times

August 22, 2022

Six former employees of Hong Kong’s secessionist media Apple Daily are going to plead guilty on the charge of violating the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong, according to the court’s hearing on Monday. They faced charges of colluding with foreign forces to jeopardize national security, as well as printing, publishing, distributing, displaying, or copying inflammatory publications. Click here to read…

27 people punished over problematic math textbook illustrations: Global Times

August 22, 2022

China’s Ministry of Education (MOE) on Monday announced penalties for 27 people, including senior executives of People’s Education Press, after a three-month investigation into problematic illustrations in primary school math textbooks. The people involved either received serious warnings or were removed from their post. The Party chief of the publishing house, Huang Qiang, was given serious intra-Party warning and major demerit, and editor-in-chief Guo Ge was removed from the post. Click here to read…

Indian FM criticized for blaming China over border issue, as it’s India, not China, that has ‘disregarded’ and ‘violated’ bilateral pacts: Global Times

August 22, 2022

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s recent remarks blaming China for the current China-India border issue could undermine the mutual trust and affect the development of bilateral relations, Chinese analysts warned. They said that it’s India, not China, that has disregarded and violated the bilateral pacts and encroached on China’s territory. Click here to read…

Will Toyota’s India strategy serve as reference for Chinese firms?: Global Times

August 22, 2022

Toyota is rebooting its strategy for India. This time, the Japanese carmaker is expected to focus more on lower-cost hybrids, instead of its flagship sedan in India – the Camry Hybrid, which is relatively expensive, Reuters reported on Monday. Central to Toyota’s new strategy is a drive to cut the cost of full hybrid powertrains by carrying out localized production in India, the report said. Click here to read…

China’s aviation regulator sets up goals for drone industry: Reuters

August 22, 2022

China’s civil aviation regulator on Monday proposed a roadmap for development of its civilian drone industry, saying it wanted to boost their use in inner-city logistics and eventually for long-haul goods transport. The proposed plan by the Civil Aviation Administration of China detailed various targets the regulator wanted its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industry to reach by the years 2025, 2030 and 2035, including improving regulations and expanding airspace capacity for civilian UAVs. Click here to read…

Chinese military ship leaves Sri Lanka after controversial visit: Reuters

August 22, 2022

A Chinese military survey ship that docked at Sri Lanka’s Chinese-built port of Hambantota despite opposition from neighbouring India left on Monday after a week-long stay, the port company told Reuters. Click here to read…

Further policy support to shore up NEVs: People’s Daily

August 23, 2022

China’s latest package of favorable moves for new energy vehicles, including exempting NEV purchase taxes for another year, is expected to further ensure the sector’s smooth and healthy development, analysts said. Click here to read…

Pinduoduo to launch international e-commerce platform next month: Reuters

August 23, 2022

Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo (PDD.O) plans to launch a cross-border e-commerce platform next month which will target the United States as its first market, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said. The company, a rival of Alibaba Group and JD.com in China, has briefed its merchants but details have not yet been finalized, the source said, declining to be named as the information was not public. Click here to read…

China says COVID has exacerbated decline in births, marriages: Reuters

August 23, 2022

China’s National Health Commission said COVID-19 has contributed to the decline in the country’s marriage and birth rates that has accelerated in recent years due to the high costs of education and child-rearing. Many women are continuing to delay their plans to marry or have children, it said, adding that rapid economic and social developments have led to “profound changes”.Click here to read…

Changing of China’s diplomatic guard on agenda for this year’s party congress: South China Morning Post

August 21, 2022

With cross-strait tensions skyrocketing following this month’s controversial visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, all eyes are on who will lead China’s diplomatic corps after this autumn’s party congress. The congress is expected to see President Xi Jinping secure a third term as party general secretary and usher in a new line-up of younger Communist Party leaders. Click here to read…

Chinese mainland reports 308 new local confirmed COVID-19 cases: Xinhuanet

August 23, 2022

The Chinese mainland on Monday reported 308 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 205 were in Hainan Province, the National Health Commission said Tuesday. Altogether 1,440 local asymptomatic carriers were newly identified on Monday, including 520 in Hainan and 518 in Tibet Autonomous Region, said the commission in its report. Click here to read…

Rice-producing areas rev up drought relief: China Daily

August 23, 2022

Despite persistent drought, Cao Liming, a 50-year-old farmer in Jiangxi province, is still looking forward to a bumper harvest this year. Cao contracts about 12.7 hectares of farmland in Zhouxi township, where the irrigation water source relies mainly on Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake. Click here to read…