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Neighbourhood first?

“FIRSTS” in his visit
Mr. Modi’s first visit to the Maldives, the only country in South Asia he had not yet visited in his tenure, and the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 7 years.
First time Mr. Modi attended the swearing-in ceremony of any other leader.
The fact that he did, and chose to be one among the audience rather than on stage, may be a more visible sign of a new, softer neighbourhood policy than the one Mr. Modi’s government has pursued in previous years.
Nepal: ‘tough love’ policy and 2015 blockade
2018: Mr. Oli was re-elected
Despite his anti-India campaign, the Modi government wasted no time in reaching out Russia
Sochi Retreat China
Wuhan Summit
Mr. Modi has made two visits to Nepal, with a third one planned in December to be part of the “Vivaha Panchami” festival.
Maldives: when emergency was declared, New Delhi made no attempt to threaten.
Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka: India has chosen to make no public political statement that could be construed as interference or preference for one side over the other.
Moscow conference on Afghanistan
2 Union Ministers to Pakistan this week to join Prime Minister Imran Khan for the groundbreaking ceremony for the Kartarpur corridor

Together in an uncertain world

Last week saw the European Union releasing its strategy on India after 14 years.
Tomasz Kozlowski: “India is on the top of the agenda of the EU in the field of external relations… this strategy paper reflects that EU has taken India’s priorities very seriously. We are ready for a joint leap.”
The 2004 EU-India declaration on building bilateral strategic partnership, which this road map replaces, has not had much of a success in reconfiguring the relationship as was expected.
A recognition of the need to develop defence and security cooperation with India.
Last few years: India’s relations with individual EU nations has improved quite well, EU’s focus on India has grown, so now both cannot afford to look away from each other. Afghanistan Central Asia Terrorism Radicalisation Extremism Terrorist financing

EU emerged as India’s largest trading partner and biggest foreign investor
There is widespread disappointment with the trajectory of China’s evolution and the Trump administration’s disdain for its Western allies is highly disruptive
EU will be part of the International Solar Alliance, and has invited India to escort World Food Programme vessels to transport food to Somalia.
The two have been coordinating closely on regional issues.
India needs resources and expertise from the EU for its various priority areas, such as cybersecurity, urbanisation, environmental regeneration, and skill development.

The death debate

Bachan Singh (1980): upholding the validity of the death penalty and laying down guidelines for awarding death in ‘the rarest of rare’ cases’, still holds the field.
It is impossible to ignore the ethical and practical dimensions of the debate in a world that is increasingly questioning the wisdom of capital punishment.
Justice Joseph has underscored the arbitrary manner in which it is awarded by different judges and the way public discourse influences such decisions.
Law Commission Report, 2015: constitutional regulation of capital punishment attempted has failed to prevent death sentences from being “arbitrarily and freakishly imposed.
There is a conflict between those who sense the danger of inconsistent application and those who believe in condign justice.
This conflict can be resolved only if the debate is taken to a higher plane: a moral position that there shall be no death penalty in law, regardless of the nature, circumstances and consequences of an offence.
Post-appeal reviews and curative petitions are routinely admitted. Review petitions are now heard in open court.
The views of the Law Commission and Justice Joseph should not be ignored.

Wage drag

International Labour Organisation: Global Wage Report
Global wage growth, adjusted for inflation, slowed to 1.8% in 2017, from 2.4% in 2016, it shows. Worryingly, this is the lowest rate since 2008.
In the advanced G20 countries the pace eased to 0.4%, with the U.S. posting an unchanged 0.7% growth and Europe (excluding Eastern Europe) stalling at about zero.
The emerging and developing economies in the G20 were not spared a deceleration, with the growth in wages slowing to 4.3%, from 4.9% in 2016.
The ILO report observes that the acceleration of economic growth in high-income countries in 2017 was led mainly by higher investment spending rather than by private consumption.
For India’s policymakers, the message is clear: to reap the demographic dividend we need not only jobs, but wage expansion that is robust and equitable. –

Important News

Manipur: SC rejects Army officers’ plea
A Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and U.U. Lalit dismissed a petition by 355 Army officers, serving in insurgency-hit areas such as Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern region, against the court’s decision to order a CBI probe into the encounter deaths in Manipur between 2000 and 2012.

Growth slows to 7.1% on oil, rupee
Second-quarter GDP growth slowed to 7.1%, from 8.2% in the preceding three-month period, official estimates released on Friday show. Gross Value Added (GVA) growth eased to 6.9% in July-September, from 8%.
Economists said while the slowdown was anticipated, given that oil prices had been high and the rupee had weakened against the dollar during the quarter, the actual numbers had surprised on the downside.
Coalgate: former Coal Secretary convicted
A Delhi court on Friday convicted former Coal Secretary H.C. Gupta in a corruption case relating to allotment of coal blocks in West Bengal during the previous UPA regime at the Centre.
Five others, including one retired and another serving public servant — K.S. Kropha and K.C. Samria — were held guilty of various offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code, including Sections 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
Pakistan FM scored self-goal with ‘googly’ remark, says New Delhi
‘Army not ready for women in combat roles’
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said on Friday that while the force would take in increasing numbers of woman officers in the coming years, it wasn’t ready yet to cast them in combat roles.
‘Gujarat officers get all key posts’
‘Fake news affects voting behaviour in a big way’
Modi meets Trump, Putin ahead of G20 summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday interacted with U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister Theresa May ahead of the G-20 summit .
The brief exchange of views took place before the first trilateral meeting between Mr. Modi, Mr. Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe scheduled for later in the day.
Mr. Modi assured Mr. Guterres, that India will play its “due and responsible” role at the crucial climate change negotiations in Poland next week.
Paris Agreement can’t be renegotiated: India
India will resist attempts by countries to renegotiate the Paris Agreement, said one of India’s key negotiators at climate talks set to begin next week in Katowice, Poland.
“India won’t create obstacles…however, we want that the Conference of Parties-24 (discussions) be balanced, inclusive and consistent with the Paris Agreement,” said C.K. Mishra, Secretary, Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change. “Some countries are trying to reopen the Paris Agreement.”