The Hindu Morning Digest, December 26, 2023

Jaishankar lands in Moscow, talks to focus on bilateral issues

Striking a nostalgic note on India-Russia ties, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar shared memories of a visit to Moscow during his childhood, at the beginning of his five-day visit to Moscow and St. Petersburg on Monday for bilateral talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Trade Minister Denis Manturov.  Shortly after landing in Moscow, Mr. Jaishankar visited the Kremlin, posting an entry pass in his name from a 1962 commemoration for the first Russian cosmonauts in space at the Red Square, where he visited as a seven-year-old boy,  along with a current picture of himself at the Red Square amidst sub-zero temperatures, entitling it “How it started”, and “How it is going”. 

Three officers in Poonch area attached as Army probes three civilian deaths

Three officers, including the Brigadier in-charge in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, have been sidestepped and attached with the local unit pending inquiry, over the deaths of three civilians in the district on December 22. The J&K Police have already registered a murder case against unidentified persons over the deaths .Amid the prevailing tension, Army Chief General Manoj Pande visited Poonch sector on Monday, and was given an update on the prevalent security situation. The three officers have been “attached as per procedure” while an Army inquiry is under way into the incident, two sources independently confirmed. All three were attached to the Nagrota-based 16 Corps, another source stated.

Railway officers to be trained in disaster management; NAIR, IRIDM to impart training

Disaster management has now been incorporated as an integral component of the training module for railway officers at the induction/foundation course level and also included in refresher or mid-career training programmes. The National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR), Vadodara, and the Indian Railway Institute of Disaster Management (IRIDM), Bengaluru, would work together in imparting the comprehensive training programme, railway sources said on Monday. 

France allows aircraft with 303 Indians to fly back to India

An aircraft with 303 passengers, mostly Indian citizens, that was detained by the French authorities on December 21 over alleged concerns of undocumented immigration was allowed to return to India on Monday, the Embassy of India in Paris announced. The aircraft, an Airbus A-340, had landed for a technical halt at the Vatry airport, located approximately 160 km away from the French capital on Thursday when an anonymous tip off had prompted the French government to stop the aircraft from taking off. 

Initial assessment of merchant vessel Chem Pluto indicates a drone attack: Navy

Merchant vessel Chem Pluto that was hit by a projectile reached Mumbai on Monday and the preliminary assessment of the area of attack and th“However, further forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used,” the Navy said in a statement. A joint investigation by various agencies has commenced on completion of the analysis by the Navy’s EOD.

Delhi Health Minister, Chief Secy. clash over Burari Hospital case report

In a note to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar on Sunday, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj sought an action taken report (ATR) within six hours. Sources in Mr. Kumar’s office on Monday alleged that AAP released the note on social media hours before the bureaucrat got it on email and that Mr. Bharadwaj’s office was “politically compromised”. Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary sought the suspension of Mr. Bharadwaj’s private secretary.

Inauguration of Ram Temple befitting reply to those who mocked BJP: Fadnavis

The inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22 is a befitting reply to those who used to attack the BJP with the ‘mandir wahi banayenge par tarikh nahi batayenge‘ taunt, said Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday .The opposition Congress and leaders from other parties often mocked the Bharatiya Janata Party claiming it was using the temple issue for political gains despite being unsure of whether it would ever get built.

Gaza refugee camp in ruins after Israeli strike

Residents of Gaza’s Al-Maghazi refugee camp returned to their neighbourhood on Monday only to find blocks of concrete strewn where their homes had stood just a day ago. “These houses are destroyed. Our house was bombed,” said camp resident Abu Rami Abu al-Ais amid the debris. “There’s no safe place in the Gaza Strip. ”Late on Sunday three houses in the camp were hit by Israeli air strikes that killed at least 70 people, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. AFP was unable to independently verify the information.

Chhattisgarh CM Sai, Singh Deo join the debate over deforestation in Hasdeo

As protests against the ongoing deforestation in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo region continued on Monday, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai blamed the Congress for the exercise, while former Deputy CM T.S. Singh Deo insisted that public opinion should be sought for any mining-related activity. “They should see that the permission for deforestation is from a time when it was their [Congress] government in power…. Whatever has happened, even if it is deforestation, is happening with their permission,” Mr. Sai said, responding to a query from the media on the issue.

India has had its moments in the Rainbow Nation, will look for maiden Test series win

South Africa has produced some of cricket’s finest cricketers and a team that brimmed with extraordinary talent. But that side, led by Ali Bacher and possessing gifted cricketers like Barry Richards, Graeme Pollock and Mike Procter, didn’t get the opportunities it deserved as South Africa was banned by the ICC for the country’s apartheid policy .The Test that the team played in 1970, against Australia at Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), would be Proteas’ last for more than two decades. And it was in 1992 that the South Africans could play in another Test at home. The opponent was India, which had earlier played host on South Africa’s return to international cricket with an ODI at Kolkata.

Russian forces gain control of Maryinka in east Ukraine, defence minister says

Russian forces have gained full control of Maryinka, a town in eastern Ukraine, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin, one of Russia’s most significant gains since the capture of Bakhmut in May. Most accounts of Maryinka, southwest of the Russian-held regional centre of Donetsk, describe it as a ghost town. Putin said control of the town, which was once home to 10,000 people, will allow the Russian forces to move enemy combat units away from Donetsk.

Army detained a few youth for questioning, three of them died, says FIR

The First Information Report (FIR) filed in the alleged custodial death in the Poonch-Rajouri sector stated that in the aftermath of the terror incident on December 21, Army troops detained a few youth for questioning and three of them succumbed to injuries and “as such a cognizable offence under section 302 of IPC is made out”. The FIR has been filed by the Surankote police station against “unknown” accused persons. Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) pertains to murder.

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu heckled by hostage families during parliament address

Families of hostages taken by Gaza militants booed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on December 25 as he addressed parliament, vowing to bring the captives home but saying “more time” was needed. Mr. Netanyahu’s address came after his Likud party reported that he visited the Gaza Strip on Monday and vowed to step up the army’s assault in the Palestinian territory.