14 December 2013

Ø  India has expressed its dismay over the arrest and handcuffing of its Deputy Consul-General in New York, Devyani Khobragade, by summoning U.S. Ambassador Nancy Powell to the Ministry of External Affairs as well as “taking up forcefully” the diplomat’s case with the State Department. Dr. Khobragade’s is the third recent case of an Indian diplomat being charged with evading payment of minimum wages in the country of posting. New Delhi, however, is focussing on her arrest which, it has emphasised, went against established norms. Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade (39), had to pay a $250,000 personal recognisance bond and has surrendered all travel documents and submitted to numerous restrictions on travel, contact with involved parties and employment change declarations.

Ø  Maldivian Minister of Defence Mohamed Nazim, who is on a visit to India to strengthen bilateral defence relations, will unveil the frame-marking of the indigenously-built ALH, which is being prepared for transfer to the MNDF at the Indian Navy’s Southern Command here. The ALH will be manned by Indian naval crew. India donated an ALH to the MNDF in 2010.

Ø  As part of its efforts to enhance Afghan National Army (ANA) capability, India has been training a large number of cadets from that country. Now, 52 cadets, who form the second-largest batch of Afghan soldiers to have completed training, will pass out of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) on Saturday.  India intends training nearly 1,000 ANA soldiers in various defence establishments every year. 

Ø  Iron and soil for the 182-metre tall statue, which will come up near the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada, are being collected from farmers from across the country. In an attempt to reach out to the farming community, the BJP has been making references to the Sardar as a “farmer’s son”. The ‘Run for Unity’ would initiate the party’s campaign to collect raw materials from around 2.38 lakh panchayats. A collage of photographs of panchayat members would be put up at the statue site.

Ø  North Korea on Friday said it had executed its second-ranked official Jang Song-thaek — the uncle of the current leader Kim Jong-un — after accusing him of attempting to “overthrow” his nephew with “dirty political ambitions”.

Ø  India’s trade deficit with China after 11 months of this year has reached a record $29.5 billion, exceeding last year’s annual figure, according to newly released trade data.Bilateral trade fell to $66.50 billion, even as both countries announced an ambitious $100 billion target for 2015.

Ø  World’s largest airline grouping Star Alliance, on Friday, unanimously decided to recommence Air India’s integration into the grouping, setting the stage for revocation of suspension of the national carrier in 2011. The decision to recommence the Star Alliance integration process would be beneficial for both sides. Once the airline becomes a member, its passengers would enjoy major benefits, including seamless transfers on travel across the world, more frequent-flyer mileage points, code-sharing leading to a wider choice of flights and access to over 1,000 lounges at airports worldwide. The Star Alliance network offers 21,900 daily flights.