| DEFENCE NEWS |
| Dear Readers, Good Evening! In what could lead to another flashpoint with India , the Chinese parliament on Thursday adopted the 14th five-year plan that envisages, among projects worth billions of dollars, a controversial hydropower dam on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet, close to the Arunachal Pradesh border. Do read the report below. ET’s Manu Pubby reports that as the government prepares to sell defence land to create a new fund for military modernisation, the finance ministry has proposed that only half the money raised be given to the armed forces and the rest be channelled into the Consolidated Fund of India. Addressing a select gathering at an event held late Thursday evening at the Afghan Embassy here to mark the ANDSF Day, Ambassador-designate to India, Farid Mamundzay thanked India, describing it as “the most reliable regional partner and the largest regional contributor to the development of Afghanistan”. Terming as “historic” his first-ever Quad meeting with leaders from the US, India and Japan, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that he was keen to discuss with “close friends” the issues of security and maritime challenges across the Indo-Pacific region, even as China said exchanges and cooperation between countries should contribute to mutual understanding rather than “targeting” a third party and refrain from “ pursuing exclusive blocs”. The international order is facing multiple challenges to peace and security, India has said, asserting that purely bilateral issues are brought to regional and international forums that diminish the chances for direct and mutual dialogue. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday that China opposes separatist activities aimed at ” Taiwan independence” but welcomes any dialogue by Taiwanese political parties on cross-Strait relations. Russia said Friday it backed the Taliban’s integration into a future interim government in Afghanistan, as global powers ramped up efforts to secure a peace deal and end decades of war. Gunmen in the northwest Nigerian state of Kaduna kidnapped around 30 students overnight from a forestry college near a military academy, the state’s security commissioner said on Friday, in the fourth mass school abduction since December. The Israeli military said Friday that it has conducted a joint naval exercise with Greece and Cyprus, in the latest sign of increased cooperation among three countries that increasingly view Turkey as a rival in the Mediterranean Sea. In Pictures: IAF set to raise second squadron of Rafale jets Happy reading! |
| In new worry, China to build dam near Arunachal Pradesh border In what could lead to another flashpoint with India, the Chinese parliament on Thursday adopted the 14th five-year plan that envisages, among projects worth billions of dollars, a controversial hydropower dam on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet, close to the Arunachal Pradesh border. India had said in December that it was closely following all developments on the Brahmaputra and that the government had consistently conveyed its concerns to Chinese authorities. Read more |
| Give half of defence land sale proceeds to forces: Finance Ministry With the government preparing to sell defence land to create a new fund for military modernisation, the finance ministry has proposed that only half the money raised be given to the armed forces and the rest be channelled into the Consolidated Fund of India. ET has learnt that the finance ministry has proposed that the fund be initially created with the proceeds of monetisation of defence land. This would involve identifying surplus land available with the armed forces, especially in urban areas where several large such holdings exist. This land can then be sold to the state, civic agencies or any other entity identified by the committee overseeing monetisation. Read more |
| India chairing Taliban sanctions committee key factor behind inclusion in high table The Unites States’ recommendation to include India in the United Nations-led six-party platform on Afghanistan is based on the fact that New Delhi will play a critical role in the landlocked country as head of the Taliban sanctions committee, or the 1988 sanctions committee, in the UN Security Council. The decision to include India as the chair of this important sanctions committee in the UN significantly shaped the move to have India at the Afghan high table along with the United States, Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan, ET has learnt from highly placed sources. |
| Commanding Officer of first Rafale squadron transferred The Commanding Officer of the first Rafale fighter squadron based in Ambala air force station in Haryana has been transferred to the headquarters of the Eastern Air Command in Shillong, official sources said on Thursday. The Indian Air Force is set to raise the second squadron of the Rafale combat jets in mid-April and it will be based in Hasimara air base in West Bengal, the sources said. Read more |
| In China strategy, Joe Biden to meet with leaders of Australia, India, Japan U.S. President Joe Biden will meet on Friday with the leaders of Australia, India and Japan, a group central to his efforts to counter China’s growing military and economic power. The Quad was revived under the Trump administration, which saw it as a vehicle to push back against China’s spreading influence. The United States hosted a foreign ministers’ meeting in 2019, that was followed by another in Japan last year and a virtual session in February. Read more |
| NIA files chargesheet against Indian operative of Pakistan ISI in espionage caseET Defence@ETDefenceThe NIA has filed a charge sheet against an Indian ISI operative, read: … |
| Despite transatlantic ‘love fest’, EU charts third way in ties with US and China US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s first videoconference with European Union foreign ministers last month was so good humoured that some diplomats in Europe described it as a “love fest”. But two senior envoys who attended said there was no direct response from the ministers gathered in Brussels when Blinken said: “We must push back on China together and show strength in unity.” Read more Happy weekend and Au revoir! |
