VIF Information Alerts - 20 July 2018

India, US to hold first ‘2+2 dialogue’ on September 6: State Department

Published: The Indian Express
20 Jul 2018

The inaugural ‘two-plus-two dialogue’ between India and the US will be held on September 6 in New Delhi, the State Department announced Friday. Last month, the US had postponed the much-awaited dialogue due to “unavoidable reasons”. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis would travel to India for the dialogue.Click here to read... [2]

Indo-Pacific region must be 'free, open and inclusive' to avoid protectionism, says EAM Sushma Swaraj

Published: First Post
20 Jul 2018

Asserting that the Indo-Pacific must be a “free, open and inclusive” region, India said on Thursday that there was an imperative need for eschewing protectionism and avoiding return to great power rivalries. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, delivering the keynote address at the 'Delhi Dialogue' in the presence of 10 delegation heads of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, said a common, rules- based order must be followed in the that takes into account the equality of all, irrespective of size and strength.Click here to read... [3]

Pakistani-American father-son duo sentenced for unlawful export to Pak military

Published: The Tribune
20 Jul 2018

A Pakistani-American father-son duo has been sentenced to 18 months in prison by a US court for illegally exporting banned items to the Pakistan military, particularly to its atomic energy and space agencies. Muhammad Ismail, 67, and his 38-year-old son Kamran Khan would also have to undergo three years of supervised release after they serve their sentence for profiting from unlawful exports to Pakistan, the Connecticut US attorney said in a statement.Click here to read... [4]

No offer of talks made to Pakistan, dialogue only in atmosphere free from terror: Government

Published: The Economic Times
19 Jul 2018

The government today said it has made no offer of talks to Pakistan and asserted that any meaningful dialogue with that country can be held only in a terror-free atmosphere. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on whether Pakistan has repeatedly rejected the offer of talks made to it, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said no such offer was made by India. Click here to read... [5]

Pakistan’s current account deficit peaks at $17.99b

Published: The Express Tribune
20 Jul 2018

The current account deficit, which remains the single largest challenge for economic managers, shot to a record high of $17.994 billion (5.7% of GDP) at the end of fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 mainly due to exorbitant imports and less-than-projected inflows. This is 44.7% higher than $12.44 billion recorded in the previous fiscal year 2017. State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Tariq Bajwa said last week that the deficit has grown to an “unsustainable level” due to soaring aggregate demand in the economy.Click here to read... [6]

Israel Adopts Controversial Jewish Nation-State Law

Published: The Guardian
19 Jul 2018

Israel has passed a law declaring that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country, a move described by members of the Arab minority as racist and verging on apartheid.

“This is a defining moment in the annals of Zionism and the history of the state of Israel,” the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told the Knesset after the vote. Largely symbolic, the law was enacted just after the 70th anniversary of the birth of the state of Israel. It stipulates that “Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it”.Click here to read... [7]