15 JUNE 2016

Ø  The Navy sail boat INSV Mhadei — steered by an all-woman, six-member crew that will attempt to circumnavigate the world next year — entered Port Louis, Mauritius, on Tuesday. This historic open ocean voyage by the all-women crew, the first such in Indian maritime history, is designed to help them get used to the conditions they will face during their mission. The crew will, however, undertake their voyage aboard a new sailing vessel that is at present under construction at the Aquarius Shipyard in Goa. The yet-to-be-named boat is expected to be delivered to the Navy by February 2017. During the stay in Mauritius the crew will meet the country’s President and other dignitaries. The Mhadei will be open to visitors and schoolchildren.

Ø  The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has suggested 100 cuts in a Gujarati film on the Patidar agitation and asked the producer to remove the word ‘Patidar’ from the dialogue and the reference to B.R. Ambedkar. The film, Salagto Sawal: Anamat (Reservation: A burning question), is depicting the agitation launched by the Patidars in Gujarat that turned violent, forcing the government to call in the Army, impose curfew in several cities and suspend mobile-based internet services for a week.

Ø  With China at the back of its mind, India intends to expand its bilateral trade with Ghana from $3 billion to $5 billion in the next three years. This was agreed upon during the three-day maiden visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to the west African country. Ghana was the first stop of Mr. Mukherjee’s three-nation Africa tour. Though India has a strong presence for decades with a sizeable diaspora and business community engaged in trade for decades in Africa, it is way behind China in investments in key infrastructure sectors. After the hosting of the 3rd India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) in New Delhi in October 2015, India is working symmetrically on a plan to consolidate and further strengthen its engagement with Africa. India’s cumulative investments in Ghana hover around $1 billion, whereas bilateral trade is worth $3 billion in 2015-16. At the delegation-level talks, both sides conceded that though bilateral trade and investments have been steadily growing, these were still below potential. They acknowledged the need to take up mutually beneficial projects such as a joint fertilizer plant, with an emphasis on greater value-addition.

Ø  Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has defended his government’s foreign policy saying it has re-established god ties with major countries. Addressing a seminar here on Monday, Mr. Sirisena said his government’s improving ties with other countries had come in for criticism that he was selling out the nation’s interests to foreign powers.