CHINA TRIED TO CHANGE STATUS QUO IN ARUNACHAL, RAJNATH SINGH SAYS IN PARLIAMENT

Giving details of the clash between the armies of India and China near Tawang, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday told Parliament that People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops of China tried to transgress across the LAC in Yangtse and unilaterally alter the status quo.

The minister said, “The PLA troops on December 9 tried to transgress the LAC in Yangtse area of Tawang sector and unilaterally change the status quo.” The Chinese attempt was contested by our troops in a firm and resolute manner, he added.

“The ensuing face-off led to a physical scuffle in which the Indian Army bravely prevented the PL.A from transgressing into our territory and compelled them to return to their posts,” the defence minister said. The scuffle led to injuries to a few personnel on both sides, he said.

“There are no fatalities or serious casualties on our side,” he said, adding that the PLA soldiers returned to their locations.

“The local commander (the Indian side) in the area held a flag meeting with his counterpart on Monday to discuss the issue in accordance with established mechanisms.”

The Chinese side was asked to refrain from such actions and maintain peace and tranquillity along the border, he said.

“Our armed forces are committed to protecting our territorial integrity and will continue to thwart any attempt made on it,” Rajnath  assured the House. “I am confident that the entire House will stand united in supporting our soldiers in their brave act,” he concluded.

The Opposition walked out alleging that they were not allowed to say anything on the matter. Speaker Om Birla cited rules of the House saying no clarifications could be sought.

Rajnath made identical statements in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

In Rajya Sabha, the Deputy Chairman refused to allow clarifications citing previous such examples when clarifications were not allowed on sensitive matters.

BORDER SITUATION 'GENERALLY STABLE': CHINA

China on Tuesday said the situation along the border with India was "generally stable", days after the troops of the two countries clashed in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh, resulting in minor injuries to some soldiers on both sides.

Hours after the comments by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on the Sino-India border situation, Senior Colonel Long Shaohua, spokesman of the Western Theatre Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), issued a statement, claiming that the clash on December 9 took place when its troops on regular patrol on the Chinese side of the LAC were blocked by Indian soldiers.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin addressing a media briefing said the two sides have maintained smooth communication on boundary-related issues through diplomatic and military channels.

Wang, however, declined to provide details of the December 9 clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers at the Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector.

GOVT: GANDHIS' NGO FCRA LICENCE REVOKED OVER CHINESE FUNDING

Countering the Opposition Congress for creating a ruckus in Parliament, Union Home Minister Amit Shah yesterday claimed the party’s “first family-led” NGOs had received funds from the Chinese embassy and Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation.

Shah alleged that the actual reason behind the disruptions in Parliament was not the clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Arunachal, but a question on the cancellation of the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) licence of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF).

Addressing the media outside Parliament, he said, “The Opposition leaders did not allow the question hour to run in the Lok Sabha. They did so citing the incidents in Arunachal. But they had no plausible justification to do so when the Parliamentary Affairs Minister had already said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh would make a statement at 12 noon.”

The minister claimed he “understood the Opposition’s cause for worry” when he glanced through the schedule of the question hour. “The fifth question in the schedule was related to the cancellation of the RGF’s FCRA registration and it was raised by a Congress member,” he said.

Had he got the opportunity, said Shah, he would have told Parliament that during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 fiscals, the RGF had received Rs 1.35 crore from the Chinese embassy. “Since the transaction was not in conformity with the FCRA laws, the MHA cancelled its registration,” he said.

MEA CONDEMNS OIC OFFICIAL'S VISIT TO POK

India has condemned the latest provocation by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Kashmir which dispatched its Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) where he remarked that the OIC had been working on a plan to find a channel of discussion between Pakistan and India on Kashmir.

“The OIC has no locus standi in matters related to J&K, which is an integral and inalienable part of India. Any attempt of interference and meddling in India’s internal affairs by the OIC is completely unacceptable,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

“The OIC has already lost its credibility by taking a blatantly communal, partisan and factually incorrect approach to issues. Its Secretary General has unfortunately become a mouthpiece of Pakistan,” added Bagchi.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

======================

"LEAVE AF IMMEDIATELY’: CHINA TO CITIZENS AFTER 5 HURT IN IS ATTACK

China on Tuesday advised its citizens in Afghanistan to leave the country “as soon as possible”, following a coordinated attack by Islamic State militants the previous day on a Chinese-owned hotel in the heart of Kabul. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said five Chinese nationals were wounded in the Monday attack.

The Chinese advisory appeared to be a setback for Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers who seek foreign investments in hopes of halting the downward spiral of the Afghan economy since their takeover of the country more than a year ago.

The Islamic State group — a key rival of the Taliban — claimed responsibility for the attack on Kabul Longan Hotel, which left three assailants dead and at least two hotel guests injured as they tried to escape by jumping out of a window.

China has economic and mining interests in the country though those familiar with past talks between the Taliban and Chinese officials say Beijing wants Taliban commitments to prevent China’s Uyghur opponents from setting up operations in Afghanistan.

The IS statement, carried by one of the militant Telegram channels used by the group, said two of its members targeted the hotel because it is frequented by diplomats and owned by “communist China”. It further claimed IS attackers detonated two bags with explosives that were left in the hotel earlier, including one in the main hall, and set fire to a part of the hotel.

META FACES NEW LAWSUIT, ACCUSED OF AMPLIFYING HATE SPEECH IN AFRICA

Meta Platforms Inc. is facing a lawsuit in Kenya’s high court accusing the company of failing Africans by amplifying hate speech and incitement to violence on Facebook and calling for about $2 billion in restitution.

The case has been filed by Ethiopian researchers Abrham Meareg and Fisseha Tekle, along with Kenyan human rights group Katiba Institute, supported by legal nonprofit Foxglove. Meareg’s father, chemistry professor Meareg Amare, was shot and killed outside his home last November after a series of hateful posts targeted him for attack, the court filings state.

The petitioners argue that the public needs protection from Facebook’s “woeful failure to address violence on its platform” and its design that “promotes and prioritizes hateful, incitement and dangerous content,” according to court filings seen by Bloomberg News.

Meta, which generated revenue of $117.9 billion in 2021, uses a recommendation algorithm on Facebook that promotes content that users are more likely to interact with in order to hold people’s attention. This allows people to be served more ads so the company can maximize revenue, according to the court documents.

THE REST

=========

ABOUT TAWANG FACE-OFF: AN ANI REPORT

In the face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Yangtse in the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh, PLA troops clashed with three units of the Indian Army belonging to different infantry regiments who thwarted their attempt to change status quo on the Line of Actual Control.

Sources on the ground told ANI that the troops belonging to three different battalions, including Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Jat regiment and Sikh Light Infantry, were present at the location of the clash last week when the Chinese tried to unilaterally change the status quo in the area.

The Chinese were armed with clubs, sticks and other equipment for the clash. The Indian troops were also prepared for the clash as they had known the intentions of the adversary, they said.

The Chinese had come with over 300 troops who were pelting stones in an attempt to attack the Indian position but were beaten back badly and forced to retreat to their side of the LAC

One of the units of the Indian Army was on its way out of there and was being relieved by a new unit. However, the Chinese chose to clash on a day when both units were present in the area.

The Chinese Army troops try to enter these areas every year and try to patrol out their claim line which India does not allow.

The Chinese military has been behaving aggressively over issues in Yangtse in the vicinity of the Holydip and Parikrama area on the Line of Actual Control where the Chinese side has been opposing Indian positions.

During the clash, sources said, the Chinese Army had come along with drones apparently to shoot the entire clash in which they were expecting to outnumber Indian soldiers.

The Chinese had come with over 300 troops who were pelting stones in an attempt to attack the Indian position but were beaten back badly and forced to retreat to their side of the LAC.

Home Minister Amit Shah has made it clear that the Indian forces would not allow anyone to capture an inch of land anywhere in the country.

NITISH SAYS TEJASHWI WILL LEAD MAHAGATHBANDAN IN 2025 POLLS

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday reiterated that Deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav would lead the “Mahagathbandan (Grand Alliance)” in the 2025 state Assembly elections. Kumar has often talked of Tejashwi as the future leader of Bihar, telling reporters in Nalanda district’s Rahui as recently as Monday that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader would “lead the Mahagathbandan in the 2025 polls”.

While the RJD called it a welcome step and said Tejashwi was “definitely the future leader of Bihar”, the BJP said the CM could “never live without power” and claimed that the statement was “another ploy to hoodwink Tejashwi and keep the RJD guessing”.

Kumar made the comment at a meeting of the ruling coalition’s legislators on the first day of the Bihar Assembly’s Winter Session. The CM also reiterated that he was not in the prime ministerial race and said all Opposition parties should come together to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Later, when reporters asked if he indeed meant when he said Tejashwi would lead the Mahagathbandan in 2025, Nitish reiterated, “Ekdum karega (He will surely lead).”

​

"WHO'S PAPPU NOW?": IN VIRAL SPEECH, TRINAMOOL'S MAHUA MOITRA SLAMS CENTRE

Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member Mahua Moitra on Tuesday attacked the government over its claims of economic progress, citing its own data on industrial output. Every February, the government had people believe that the economy is doing great, and that everyone is getting all basic amenities like gas cylinders, housing, and electricity, Ms Moitra said, terming the claims "falsehoods", and added that eight months later, now in December, "the truth comes limping after it." She said the government has said it needs ₹ 3.26 lakh crore in additional funds, over and above the budget estimate.

Ms Moitra started by quoting the author Jonathan Swift. "As the vilest writer has his readers, so the greatest liar has believers. And it often happens, that if a lie be believed only for an hour, it has done its work, and there is no farther occasion for it. Falsehood flies and truth comes limping after it," she said.

She then took on the government over its alleged coining of the term "Pappu".

"This government and the ruling party coined the term Pappu. You use it to denigrate and signify extreme incompetence. But the statistics tell us who the actual Pappu is," she said. Referring to the latest data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Ms Moitra claimed that while the country's industrial output shrunk by four per cent in October to a 26-month low, the manufacturing sector, which is "still the biggest generator of jobs", has contracted to 5.6 per cent.

She also took a swipe at the BJP over its defeat in the just-concluded Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, saying the ruling party's president could not hold on to his home state. "Who is the Pappu now?" she asked.

A FORENSIC FIRM CLAIMS EVIDENCE WAS ‘PLANTED’ ON STAN SWAMY’S COMPUTER

A US-based forensic firm on Tuesday claimed that digital evidence used to arrest Jesuit priest Father Stan Swamy in the Bhima-Koregaon case was “planted” on his computer's hard drive, similar to two other cases involving human rights defenders Rona Wilson and Surendra Gadling.

Swamy, 84, who was an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, died in July 2021, while waiting for interim bail on medical grounds.

An examination of an electronic copy of his computer by Arsenal Consulting, a Massachusetts-based digital forensics firm, concluded that a hacker infiltrated his device and “planted” evidence, The Washington Post reported, citing a new report by the company.

It was on the basis of these documents that he was first arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case, despite experts raising doubts about the authenticity of the documents, it added.

This follows previous reports which documented digital evidence planting on the devices of other human rights activists Rona Wilson and Surendra Gadling, the firm said in its report.

BANKS WROTE OFF RS 10 LAKH CR LOANS IN FIVE YEARS: FM NIRMALA SITHARAMAN

Banks have written off bad loans worth Rs 10.09 lakh crore during the last five fiscals, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

The banks recovered an aggregate amount of Rs 6.59 lakh crore, including the recovery of Rs 1.31 lakh crore from the written-off loan accounts, during the said period, she said.

Asked about the details of accounts in which loans worth Rs 10 crore and above were written off and the names of the top 25 defaulters, the RBI informed the Centre that under the provisions of Section 45E of the RBI Act, it was prohibited from disclosing borrower-wise credit information.

Sitharaman said NPAs were removed from banks’ balance sheets by way of write-off.

Accountability has been fixed against 3,312 bank officials of AGM and above rank and action taken over their lapses, the minister said.

RATINGS MANIPULATION: CHARGESHEET FILED AGAINST BARC EX-CEO

The CBI has filed a chargesheet against former Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) CEO Sunil Lulla for allegedly manipulating viewership ratings of channels from “his end” during his tenure in the agency, officials said yesterday.

The CBI said the agency, in its probe, did not find any evidence of alleged manipulation by channels at the customer level. The probe was conducted on a complaint from a Lucknow-based advertiser, they added.

The alleged manipulation in TV ratings took place at the level of Lulla when he was heading the BARC, the officials said quoting the chargesheet filed in a special court in Lucknow.

FTX'S BANKMAN-FRIED CHARGED WITH FRAUD; COULD FACE UP TO 115 YRS IN PRISON

U.S. prosecutors charged Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, with a host of financial crimes and campaign finance violations on Tuesday, alleging he played a central role in the rapid collapse of FTX and hid its problems from the public and investors.

The indictment says that, beginning in 2019, Bankman-Fried intentionally devised a scheme and artifice to defraud FTX's customers and investors, diverting their money to pay expenses and debts at his crypto hedge fund, Alameda Research, and to make lavish real estate purchases and large political donations.

Bankman-Fried was arrested Monday by Bahamian authorities at the request of the U.S. government.

ARGENTINA BEAT CROATIA 3-0 TO ENTER WORLD CUP FINAL

Argentina's Julian Alvarez scored twice and earned a penalty converted by Lionel Messi as they swept past Croatia 3-0 on Tuesday and into the World Cup final where they will face either holders France or Morocco at the weekend.

While all eyes were on Argentina captain Messi and his fifth bid to win the one major trophy eluding him, it was Alvarez who stole the show, earning the penalty and scoring once in each half including after a scintillating 50-metre run.

Messi put away the spot kick in the 34th minute, after Alvarez was brought down by goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, to become his country's all-time World Cup top scorer with 11 goals, before the 22-year-old Manchester City forward took matters into his own hands to add a second five minutes later.

The pair combined perfectly in the 69th for Alvarez to tap in his second goal following a mesmerising Messi drive to the byline and perfect cut-back to make sure of Argentina's sixth World Cup final appearance.

INDICATORS

Sensex 62,533 (+402), Nifty 18,608 (+111), Trading Value NSE (Rs.crores) 54,532

Nasdaq 11,257 (+113) Dow 34,109 (+104), S&P 4,020 (+29)

(US$-Rs. 82.60 GBP-Rs. 101.77, Euro-Rs. 87.41, UAE Dhm-Rs. 22.48, Can$-Rs. 60.78, Aus$- Rs. 56.22

GBP 0.81 /US$, Euro 0.94 /US$, Jap.Yen 136.62 /US$, Aus$ 1.46 /US$, Sing 1.35 /US$, Bang Taka 101.66 /US$, Can$ 1.35 /US$, Mal Ring 4.42 /US$,

Pak Re 224.17 /US$, Phil Peso 55.64 /US$, Russian Rouble 63.00 /US$, NZ$ 1.55 /US$, Thai Baht 34.66 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 36.62 /US$)

Bitcoin - USD 17,777

Dollar Index 103.57 Brent Crude 80.11 BDI 1,357

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,810 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,433 / 4,980, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 73,000

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you don't trust enough. - Frank Crane

OFF TRACK

Tom went to attend a seminar on man-woman relationships. Upon arriving he noticed two signs One said “Men Who Are Bossed By Their wives,” the other one said “Men Not Bossed By Their Wives.”

He noticed that while next to the first sign was a big line, by the second sign there was just one man. After getting even closer he realized it was his friend Harry.

“Hey Harry” Tom questioned “what in the world are you doing here? I know your wife bosses you around.”

“I don’t know” Harry replied “my wife told me to stand here.”