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Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur cancelled his visit to the Asian Games, due to China’s denial of entry to Indian wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh, even as the government registered an official protest at the decision.
The three players — Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega and Mepung Lamgu — were refused entry despite having e-accreditations from the organisers.
While Ms. Wangsu could not board the flight from Delhi at all, the other two were told they could only travel till Hong Kong. With no further development and their event scheduled, it seems unlikely they will be able to participate.
Government officials in New Delhi said they were surprised by China’s treatment of the three sportspersons from Arunachal Pradesh who had valid accreditation.
Editorial
India and the great power contest in West Asia (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
At the G-20 summit in New Delhi earlier this month, United States President Joe Biden and others unveiled a U.S.-backed infrastructure project to connect India, West Asia and Europe with shipping lanes, rail networks, pipelines and data cables.
A week earlier, a high-level U.S. delegation had visited Saudi Arabia, chasing a normalisation agreement between the Sunni kingdom and the Jewish state of Israel, two of America’s allies in the region.
These seemingly unrelated but geopolitically contiguous developments offer a broad framework of Mr. Biden’s approach towards West Asia, a geostrategically important region where the U.S. had a domineering presence for decades, but which is now being challenged by multiple factors.
Mr. Biden’s West Asia strategy has two parts. One is the continuation of the Trump-era policy of bringing America’s two pillars in the region — the Gulf Arabs and Israel — closer to meet their common geopolitical challenges such as Iran’s rise.
The Abraham Accords reached under Mr. Trump’s tutelage set the stage for the transformation of Israel’s ties with the United Arab Emirates.
But the true potential of this policy would not be reached unless there is a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, arguably the most influential Arab country today. Mr. Biden, who as a candidate had vowed to make Saudi Arabia.
The administration believes that a Saudi-Israel deal would transform Arab-Israel ties, strengthening the U.S.’s position in the region without further military commitments.
A clear message to industry on dispute resolution (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Any conversation about the Indian litigation system eventually veers toward the term Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
ADR refers to a bouquet of mechanisms that enables disputing parties to resolve their differences amicably, without the intervention of courts.
Given the delays in Indian court proceedings and increasing cost of litigation, the significance of ADR in India cannot be understated.
Until recently, these discussions largely focussed on arbitration or conciliation of disputes under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (A&C Act). But mediation of disputes is finally getting its due.
In the recent monsoon session of Parliament, both Houses passed The Mediation Bill, 2023, and upon receiving the assent of the President of India, is referred to as the Mediation Act, 2023 (“the Act”).
The Indian legal framework already encourages courts to refer the disputing parties to ADR procedures, including mediation, if there were elements of settlement which the parties may accept.
The Act will take this encouragement a step forward. Irrespective of a prior mediation agreement, it will obligate each party to take steps to settle their dispute through pre-litigation mediation before approaching an Indian court.
To facilitate this process, the Act will also require courts and relevant institutions to maintain a panel of mediators.
News
Quad Ministers hold talks on rules-based order, UN reform (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Meeting along the fringes of the 78thsession of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Foreign Ministers of the Quad (India, Australia, Japan and the U.S.) reaffirmed the group’s commitment to a “free and open” Indo-Pacific region, where disputes are settled in accordance with international law.
The Quad also committed itself to the principles of the UN charter and reform of the institution. A new initiative to help countries respond to terror attacks was also discussed on Friday, as per a joint readout of the meeting.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his counterparts discussed the outcome of the Quad Counterterrorism Working Group’sConsequence Management Exercise, which studied how the Quad could help regional countries that had experienced terror attacks.
The Working Group is next scheduled to meet in Hawaii in December, where it will conduct a ‘tabletop’ exercise. The Ministers stressed their commitment to countering terrorism, including terror financing and cross-border movement of terrorists and curbing the use of emerging technologies for terror purposes.
On Ukraine, the Quad readout struck a similar note to the recent G-20 joint statement from New Delhi. It expressed “deep concern”, calling for a “just” and “lasting” peace in Ukraine, without naming Russia as the aggressor.
External Affairs Minister kick-starts nine-day visit to U.S. (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in New York, , kick-starting his nine-day visit to the U.S., to address the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and for bilateral and plurilateral meetings in New York and Washington DC.
The Minister’s visit comes at the end of a tumultuous week in international relations, with the Indian and Canadian governments engaged in a diplomatic brawl over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia in June this year.
Early on Friday, Mr. Jaishankar met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and the new Japanese Foreign Minister Yōko Kamikawa, for the Quad ministerial meeting.
Panel calls for revising rules of construction around protected ASI monuments (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 1, Culture)
A parliamentary panel has observed that the provision of 100-metre prohibited area and 300-metre regulated area around all monuments protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has pitted the local community against these heritage structures in many places as they find it difficult to carry out necessary repair work of their residential spaces.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport Tourism and Culture has asked the government to revise the rules to make them realistic.
It has also recommended rationalising the application of such rules based on the historical significance of the monuments.
In some cases, the entire village is within a radius of 300 metres, which makes it difficult for the entire village to carry out repair work of their residential houses. Such a situation in many places creates a hostile scenario, pitching the local community against the monuments.
The prohibited and restricted area provision was introduced in 2010 through an amendment to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958.
It prohibits and regulates all activities like mining and construction around 100 metres and 300 metres. The Central government has already said that it was in the process of amending the Act.
World
U.S. warns against attacks on diplomatic missions (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The U.S. State Department has issued a caution against attacking foreign missions on its soil, in the wake of a spiralling diplomatic crisis between India and Canada relating to the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s subsequent comments in Parliament that agents of the Government of India were linked to the killing.
In response to a query from, a State Department spokesperson said: “Vandalism or violence against diplomatic facilities or foreign diplomats in the U.S. is a criminal offence, and we take any threats against facilities or personnel extremely seriously.
The comments come in the wake of numerous threats received by Indian diplomatic missions including from Sikhs for Justice, a United States-based group that is banned in India, to “Shutdown Indian Missions” on September 25.
U.S. talking to India about Canada murder: NSA (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The U.S. is in touch with Indians at high levels after Ottawa said Indian government agents had links to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada, and Washington is giving India no “special exemption” in the matter, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
The United States has been seeking to strengthen its relationship with India. Asked whether U.S. concern over the incident could disrupt that process, Mr. Sullivan said the United States would stand up for its principles, regardless of what country is affected. There is not some special exemption, Mr. Sullivan said.
Business
‘India g-secs to attract $30 bn on entry into JPM’s indices’ (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The inclusion of Indian government bonds in JP Morgan’s bond indices could draw foreign fund inflows in the range of $30-$40 billion over the next 18 months, analysts reckon.
Goldman Sachs’ economists estimated the inclusion could prompt passive inflows of about $30 billion and at least another $10 billion from other funds.
So India could see inflows upwards of $40 bn over the next 1.5 years.