12 APRIL 2014

Ø  BOOK- Accidental Prime Minister: Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh by his former media adviser Sanjaya Baru.

Ø  India has decided to send the naval stealth frigate INS Shivalik to participate in an international fleet review and maritime exercise hosted by the Chinese Navy on April 23 — an exercise that has acquired particular diplomatic significance with the United States declining to join the review after Japan was excluded from the event. China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy is hosting the review and exercise in the northeastern port of Qingdao, the headquarters of its North Sea fleet, as it prepares to mark its 65th anniversary with great fanfare. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to preside over the celebrations. At least 10 countries have so far confirmed their participation in the fleet review and exercise, including India, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, Indonesia and Pakistan, according to a provisional list. With India and Pakistan taking part, the review and exercise will also provide a rare instance of both countries jointly taking part in a naval exercise. The fleet review and maritime exercise will take place along with the annual meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) — a U.S.-established grouping of 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, Russia, Japan, South Korea and China, and three observers, India, Bangladesh and Mexico.

Ø  Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh will travel to Beijing and Moscow next week. India’s last high-level political interaction with China took place towards the end of last year and another is unlikely till 2014 end when its President Xi Jinping is likely to visit India. With Russia, a lot has changed in the past couple of months due to the turmoil in Ukraine. Late last year, the Indian Ambassador in Moscow reported no response to an Indian request for oil blocks. Last month, when Russia was in need for support after annexing Crimea, a top energy official Igor Sechin flew into India to promise oil wells and even a pipeline.

Ø  In its first night trial, the Agni-1 surface-to-surface nuclear-capable ballistic missile was test-fired for its full 700-km range from the Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast.

Ø  British comic author Sue Townsend, the creator of teenage angst-ridden Adrian Mole , has died after suffering a stroke. She was 68.

Ø  Foreign exchange reserves continued to increase in the new financial year, gaining $2.974 billion to reach $306.647 billion for the week ended April 4, as currency assets rose.