Expresso Top National and International Headlines of the Week on 1 October 2023

In top national news: In a tit-for-tat response signalling a downgrade of the relationship between the two countries, India sent a mid-ranking official for the first in-person National Day reception hosted by the Chinese embassy in New Delhi since 2019. The government sent Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs, as the chief guest at the Chinese National Day reception Monday — the first in-person gathering since the start of the Covid pandemic and the Chinese incursions in eastern Ladakh in 2020. Usually, the government sends ministers, holding a Cabinet rank or a Minister of State portfolio, to National Day receptions hosted by embassies and High Commissions located in New Delhi.

In more political news: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a Preliminary Inquiry in connection with alleged irregularities in the construction and renovation of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s new official residence in Civil Lines. On Tuesday, the CBI sent a letter to the Delhi government’s PWD department, asking it to provide all documents related to the work at the CM’s residence, including recommendations, approval and request from the “client” to execute “work of super specification” such as modular kitchen, marble flooring and ornamental work. A Preliminary Inquiry is a statutory verification of allegations by the investigating agency, based on which a decision to file an FIR is taken.

In a significant decision, the Mizoram government has declared that it will not be collecting biometric data of Myanmar refugees in the state, ignoring a direction by the Centre. In April this year, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had directed the governments of both Mizoram and Manipur, which share borders with Myanmar, to capture the biometric and biographic details of “illegal immigrants” in their states. In June, it directed the states that the campaign be completed by the end of September and directed both to prepare a plan and initiate the process. The government of Mizoram has opened its doors to refugees fleeing the army crackdown in Myanmar.

The hospitality industry might see its best boom post-Covid with Ahmedabad expected to be flooded with cricket fans, as it hosts five of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 matches beginning next month. While hotels have increased their room tariffs up to 10-fold, even the Airbnb website shows rates for properties as high as 20-fold for October 14 when India plays Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera. For instance, an apartment hosted on the Airbnb website claiming to be “250 m” from the stadium is listed as “Motera cricket stadium home furnished 6 bed-2 BHK”, available for Rs 81,000 a night.

In top international news: Saudi Arabia’s newly appointed envoy to the Palestinian Authority presented his credentials to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his first visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Tuesday, a trip linked to American efforts to normalize ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel. The visit by nonresident ambassador Nayef al-Sudairi, who also serves as the Saudi ambassador to Jordan, is widely seen as an attempt by the kingdom to address the key sticking point in the Saudi-Israeli normalisation deal — Saudi Arabia’s long-standing support for the Palestinians. The Saudi government has said it will only normalise ties with Israel if there is major progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state.

In news from South Korea: South Korea’s constitutional court ruled on Tuesday the ban on sending propaganda leaflets to North Korea was unconstitutional, striking down a law passed in 2020 by the liberal party of then-President Moon Jae-in, who sought better ties with Pyongyang. The law, which subjects violators to up to three years in prison or 30 million won ($22,210) in fines, had come under intense criticism from rights activists and conservative lawmakers as a violation of free speech rights. The seven-to-two ruling found that a clause in the Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act banning the distribution of leaflets excessively limited freedom of speech, the Court said in a summary of the ruling.

In news from Ukraine: The commander of Russia’s Black Sea fleet was killed in a missile strike on the navy headquarters in Crimea on Friday, Ukraine said, as per media reports. Admiral Viktor Sokolov, one of Russia’s senior navy officers, was allegedly among the 34 people killed. Russia however is yet to comment on Ukraine’s claim. Moscow had earlier reported that one serviceman was missing after a missile attack on the fleet headquarters in Sevastopol, Crimea and that five missiles were downed. Ukraine’s claims, if confirmed, would mean that Friday’s attack was one of Kyiv’s most successful strikes on Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. No independent agencies or media houses have confirmed Ukraine’s claims of casualties yet.

Lastly, in his first remarks on the row over Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation of a potential Indian link to the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Wednesday that the government had told Ottawa that “this is not the Government of India’s policy”. Responding to a question on the Canadian allegation during an interaction at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, Jaishankar said, “One, we told the Canadians that this is not the Government of India’s policy. Two, we told the Canadians that look, if you have something specific, if you have something relevant, let us know. We are open to looking at it.”