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1. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed 14 billion Euros of agreement with France for 80 Rafale warplanes.
About the Deal
A) UAE and France recently inked a 17 billion Euros deal. Under the deal, UAE is to buy 80 Rafale jets and 12 Caracal military transport helicopters.
The deal will support 7,000 jobs in France. Also, it will guarantee the supply chain of Dassault Aviation – made aircraft till 2031.
B) For observation: The UAE rival Qatar had recently bought 36 Rafale jets from France.
The Rafale jets are to replace the Mirage 2000 fleet of UAE. However, the US F-35 jets are to remain deployed. France and the USA are the two major defence suppliers of the UAE.
C) This is the biggest international order ever made for the Rafale jets.
Criticisms
D) UAE is one of the biggest customers of the French defence industry. Between 2011 and 2020, UAE has purchased 4.7 billion Euros worth of military goods from France. This made the UAE the fifth largest arms customer of France.
E) France was criticised when some of these weapons were used against Yemen. In Yemen, a Saudi – led coalition is fighting against the Iran backed rebels. And UAE is a part of the Saudi – led coalition.
2. Dr S Jaishankar, Minister of India’s External Affairs addressed the 5th Indian Ocean Conference in Abu Dhabi.
A) India External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has stressed on the importance of respecting and facilitating freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded commerce in a globalised world.
B) Dr Jaishankar stated that the consequences of China’s growing capabilities are profound because of the extrapolation of its domestic seamlessness to the world outside. He said as a result of this, there is now an ongoing debate on the changed nature of power and influence whether it is connectivity, technology or trade.
C) The Minister pointed out that two developments have significantly heightened uncertainties that the Indian Ocean countries contemplate. One is the American withdrawal from Afghanistan and the second is the impact of Covid on a region that is particularly vulnerable to health and economic stresses.
D) He pointed out that Quad has developed a robust agenda covering many areas including maritime security, cyber security, climate action, vaccine collaboration, critical and emerging technologies, higher education, and resilient supply chains.
E) The Minister held a meeting with his UAE counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the conference in Abu Dhabi. Dr Jaishankar also called on Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and conveyed the greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Golden Jubilee of UAE.
3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Neeraj Chopra’s Initiative saying “Let’s Inspire youth to shine on Games field”.
A) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded Tokyo Olympic Gold Medalist Neeraj Chopra for interacting with school students at Sanskardham in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
B) Neeraj Chopra started off an ambitious outreach programme that connects India’s ace athletes with school children when he interacted with students from over 75 schools at Sanskardham.
C) He gave tips to students about the importance of a balanced diet, fitness and sports.
4) Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov will arrive in Delhi today.
A) Mr. Sergei will be arriving in Delhi and will participate in the 22 ministerial dialogue between India and Russia tomorrow.
B) The Russian Foreign Minister will also hold a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
5) Three phase Panchayat Elections to be held in Madhya Pradesh beginning from January 6.
A) In Madhya Pradesh, the State Election Commission has announced the schedule for panchayat elections in the state.
B) In the three-phase exercise, voting will be held on January 6, 28 and February 16.
C) Elections will be held for 850 posts of zila panchayat members, 6,727 members of janpad panchayat, 22,581 sarpanch and 3,62,754 posts of panch across the state.
D) In the first phase of civic body elections, voting will be held in nine districts, seven districts in the second phase and the remaining 36 districts in the final phase.
The publication of election information and the receipt of nomination papers will start on December 13 for the first and second phase and on December 30 for the third phase. The last date for receipt of nomination papers is December 20 for first and second Phase while January 6 for Third Phase.
6. The United States and European Union have expressed concern over China’s growing military aggression in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.
A) The two sides said China’s actions in the South China Sea, East China Seas and Taiwan Strait undermine peace and security in the region and have a direct impact on the security and prosperity of both the United States and European Union.
B) Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino led the first US-EU high-level consultations on the Indo-Pacific in Washington during which they reviewed their respective Indo-Pacific engagement and strategies.
C) They reconfirmed their interest in stability and the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and both sides noted a shared interest in deepening cooperation with Taiwan consistent with their respective one-China policies.
D) This comes as Beijing has aggressively pushed its nine-dash line claims in the Spratly and Paracel islands in the South China Sea. The other claimants to the SCS islands are Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
7. Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in Delhi tomorrow on an official visit to India for the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A) The leaders will review the state and prospects of bilateral relations and discuss ways to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. The Summit will be an opportunity to exchange views on regional, multilateral and international issues of mutual interest. Both leaders will also hold one-on-one talks.
B) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will arrive in India later tonight. He will hold a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tomorrow morning ahead of the First India-Russia 22 Ministerial Dialogue. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Dr. Jaishankar will represent the Indian side in the Dialogue and the Russian side will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
C) The Annual Summit meeting between India and Russia is the highest institutionalized dialogue mechanism in the strategic partnership between India and Russia. Our correspondent reports that so far, 20 Annual Summit meetings have taken place alternatively in India and Russia.
8. Industry is playing Huge Role in the upliftment of the poor and underprivileged- Commerce and Industry Minister.
A) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal today called upon the captains of Indian Industry to set ambitious targets as the country’s economy is poised for a sustained spell of rapid growth. Addressing the 5th Meeting of the CII National Council in New Delhi, he said the industry has a huge role to play in the uplift of the poor and underprivileged.
B) He encouraged the industry to have a greater appetite for taking risks, to invest in Industries that may be less profitable at the start, but are labour oriented and create lakhs of jobs. He also urged the Industry to promote tribal handicraft products as part of their CSR activities.
C) Mr Goyal said there is big scope in the expansion of labour-intensive Plastics, Footwear and Textiles industry. He added that India cannot be truly Atma Nirbhar without empowering its poor to be Aatmanirbharat.
9. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday called for a moral resurgence in civil services.
A) If the country improves the delivery of services to the common man and to ensure the fruits of development reach the people.
B) In this regard, he urged zero tolerance towards corruption and ensuring total transparency and accountability at all levels of governance. Noting that corruption eats into the heart of democracy.
C) He stressed the need for stringent and timely action under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) against erring civil servants and public representatives.
D) He called for fast-tracking the high pendency of cases related to corruption involving public servants on priority.
10. Maldives to begin EKUVERIN defence exercise from Dec 06.
A) The 11th edition of Exercise EKUVERIN between India and Maldives will be conducted at Kadhdhoo Island, Maldives from tomorrow. It will conclude on the 19th of this month.
B) The exercise will enhance synergy and inter-operability between the Armed Forces of both nations in terms of understanding transnational terrorism both on land and at sea, conducting Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency Operations and sharing best military practices and experiences.
C) Besides rigorous training, the joint military exercise will also include cultural and sports activities to enhance defence cooperation and bilateral relations.
D) The Defence Ministry said the exercise will go a long way in strengthening India’s relations with the Maldives amidst emerging security dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region.
