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Istanbul mystery

Jamal Khashoggi a Saudi Arabian journalist
He was known for his columns in the Washington Post critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
U.S. + Turkey + UN putting pressure on Saudi
Disappeared after he entered Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
Saudi Arabia has not provided a credible explanation.

They took 13 days since Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance to let Turkish officials finally search the consulate premises

The controversy is particularly damaging for Mohammed bin Salman
U.S. President Donald Trump warned of “severe punishment” if Riyadh was found to be responsible for the disappearance.
JP Morgan, Blackstone and BlackRock, have already pulled out of an investment conference due to be held in Riyadh next week.
The international community, has a moral responsibility to maintain the pressure on the kingdom till it reveals the truth.

Slippery slope

India’s economic fortunes continue to be tied to the sharply fluctuating price of oil.
PM Modi: urged oil-producing countries to reduce the cost of energy. This will help global economy.
PM also called for review of payment terms
Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid A. Al-Falih said that the price of oil could have been much higher but for the efforts taken by his country to boost supply.
Steering the economy in the midst of multiple external headwinds.
Long term solution: domestic sources of energy supply
In the short term, the government could look to diversifying its international supplier base to manage shocks better.

A security architecture without the mortar

In April this year, the Narendra Modi government set up a Defence Planning Committee (DPC)
Earlier this month, it also decided to revive the Strategic Policy Group (SPG) within the overall National Security Council (NSC) system.
India’s national security environment has steadily deteriorated since 2014.
Both the overall violence in Jammu and Kashmir and ceasefire violations on the Line of Control reached a 14-year high in 2017, a trend that refuses to subside in 2018.
National security strategy
International defence engagement strategy
Roadmap to build defence manufacturing ecosystem
Strategy to boost defence exports
Priority capability development plans
Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs report: Chinese forces are back in the Doklam plateau with more force.
$50 billion/year expense on defence: yet there are serious concerns about the level of our defence preparedness.
Rhetoric can neither make a country secure nor win wars.
There is little conversation between the armed forces and the political class, and even lesser conversation among the various arms of the forces.
Absence of jointness in the Indian armed forces
Key post of military adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) remains vacant.
NSA is not a legally-mandated one
All that the SPG and DPC would achieve is to further bureaucratise the national security decision making and centralise all national security powers under the PMO.
Ideally, the country should have an overall national security document.

Slow burn to rage

Losing a job, losing independence, losing face — these are not small fears.
Fakes are jumping onto the bandwagon.
Collateral damage might be inevitable, but it is never correct.
For men, it means subordinating desire to respect and learning that reciprocation is not a divine right. For women, it means learning to reject with confidence, learning how to deploy power.
Every incident has to be regarded separately, and there must be proportionality in how we respond to each.

Important News

Eight protesters held in late night crackdown at Nilacka
Sirisena alleges that RAW is plotting his assassination
In a move that might seriously impair India-Sri Lanka relations, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday accused India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of plotting his assassination.
SC relief for ‘amicable couple’
The Supreme Court has allowed a couple to go their separate ways without waiting for the mandatory “cooling-off” period of six months on learning that they have decided to part as friends.
A Bench of Justices Kurian Joseph and S.K. Kaul said the court found the husband and wife both “well-educated”. The judges had a long interaction with the couple and were “convinced that they have taken a conscious decision to part as friends” after entering into an amicable settlement. In terms of the settlement, the husband has paid the woman ₹12.5 lakh.
J&K fourth phase sees just 4.2% polling
A govt. app to rope in volunteers
Professionals keen on doing volunteer work in their free time will be provided a platform by the government through an app, #Self4Society, developed by MyGov. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the app at a townhall-style event here on October 24.
Aussie PM open to recognising Jerusalem as Israel capital
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday that Canberra was open to recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, prompting concern from Indonesian and Palestinian officials.