Morning Brief: PM May Skip NAM Meet; Anjem Choudary Convicted For IS Support; PV Sindhu In Semis

MOVING ON

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not attend the next non-aligned movement (NAM) summit scheduled to take place in Venezuela next month. Despite receiving the invitation weeks in advance, the centre has not confirmed PM’s participation.

No Indian PM other than Charan Singh in 1979 has skipped the NAM meet in the movement’s 55-year history. NAM has lost much of its significance since the disintegration of the USSR and is now widely seen as a platform for anti-Americanism. PM Modi who has made US-India relations a centrepiece of his foreign policy may not want to be seen associated with it.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj or Vice-President Hamid Ansari may go to Venezuela in his stead.

DEFENCE

India is ramping up its defence capabilities along the China border in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. The IAF will activate its Pasighat advanced landing ground (ALG) in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday. This will be capable of operating both aircraft and helicopters.

ALGs have also been activated in Daulat Beg Oldi and Nyoma in Ladakh. Apart from Pasighat, Ziro, Along, Mechuka and Walong ALGs are now operational. Tuting will be ready by the end of this year and Tawang by April end next year,

Several infrastructure development projects in the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) have also been approved. Sukhoi-30MKI fighters and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, as well as the long-range patrol and anti-submarine warfare Poseidon-8I aircraft, are regularly deployed at the ANC.

CONVICTED

One of the UK’s most notorious hate preachers, Anjem Choudary has been convicted for swearing an oath of allegiance to ISIS. A UK Court noted that Choudary and his co-defendant, Mohammed Rahman told their supporters to obey Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the ISIS leader, who is also known as a caliph, and travel to Syria to support ISIS or “the caliphate”.

Their sentence will be pronounced on six September and both face upto 10 years in jail for supporting a banned terror organisation.

HOPE AT RIO

Shuttler PV Sindhu stunned World no two Wang Yihan of China in the badminton women’s singles quarter-finals to enter the semi-finals of the Rio 2016 Olympics. Sindhu completely dominated her opponent and won her match in straight sets 22-20, 21-19.

She became only the second Indian women’s player to reach the semi-final of Olympic Games after Saina Nehwal who achieved the feat in 2012. Sindhu is now one win away from securing a medal for her country.

AIRPORT SECURITY

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju informed yesterday that a security audit of all airports has been ordered and their security will be upgraded accordingly. Also, the Home Ministry has turned down the Civil Aviation Ministry’s proposal to raise a separate force for aviation security. Instead, it has advocated that all airports be brought under the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

Out of 98 functional civil airports, as many as 39 are not under CISF cover.

Currently, the cost of security personnel is borne by the airport developer. Airlines charge customers ‘airport development fee’ for this purpose. But now the government believes that security is a “sovereign function” and it should take over the entire security apparatus. This will also help lower the cost of air tickets for passengers.

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