VIF Information Alerts - 24th August 2018

Pompeo’s remarks on terrorism during maiden call to Imran Khan trigger controversy

Published: The Hindu
24 Aug 2018

A fresh row has erupted between the U.S. and Pakistan on the issue of terrorism following a telephone call by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to newly-elected Prime Minister Imran Khan, as Islamabad took exception to the American version of the conversation. Mr. Pompeo on Thursday spoke to Mr. Khan for the first time after the cricketer-turned-politician assumed office last week and sought “decisive action” against all terrorists operating in Pakistan, the U.S. State Department said.Click here to read... [2]

India, China to have new defence MoU, check Doklam-like incidents

Published: The Indian Express
24 Aug 2018

Nearly a year after the disengagement at Doklam, India and China have agreed to work towards full implementation of ongoing confidence building measures along the disputed border, besides drafting a new bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence exchanges and cooperation between the two countries. The two sides also agreed to handle Doklam-like incidents with sensitivity and resolve them through greater interaction at lower levels in the military.Click here to read... [3]

China aims to build houses, roads in Sri Lanka north to extend sway

Published: The Hindustan Times
24 Aug 2018

China wants to build houses and roads in Sri Lanka’s north, much of which is in a state of disrepair nearly a decade after the end of civil war, Chinese and Sri Lankan officials said, in a bid to expand it influence beyond the island’s south. China’s latest push in the Indian Ocean island nation comes despite criticism that a big Chinese port project and related infrastructure in the south are dragging the country of 21 million people deep into debt.Click here to read... [4]

Data dump: China sees surge in personal information up for sale

Published: The Tribune
23 Aug 2018

Personal data has become widely available in China and can be scooped up for pennies by insurance companies, banks, loan sharks, and scammers alike, according to sellers and financiers interviewed by Reuters.

In May, China introduced its most comprehensive data protection laws to date, tightening restrictions on the sharing of private data held by financial institutions and other firms.Click here to read... [5]

CSIR tech to make combat aircraft Tejas 20% lighter Published: The Hindustan Times

24 Aug 2018

Technology indigenously developed by a government laboratory for manufacturing carbon components will make India’s light combat aircrafts 20% lighter. The technology developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - National Aerospace Laboratory (CSIR-NAL) uses indigenously developed carbon fibre, which is pre-impregnated with the organic polymer ‘resin’, to make complex parts like fin, rudder, wing spars and fairings in a single mould.Click here to read... [6]

Russia offers to upgrade Indian Su-30MKI along with its own Su-30SM

Published: The Statesman
24 Aug 2018

Russia has offered to upgrade the Indian Air Force (IAF) Su-30MKI fighter jets along with the improvement programme of the Russian Air Force’s Su-30SM aircraft. Such a move would lead to cost effectiveness and bring in some technologies and systems which have been planned for the Su-30SM aircraft, said A.A. Mikheev, General Director of Russian Arms exporter, Rosoboronexport here on Friday.Click here to read... [7]

Hold out an olive branch

Published: The Indian Express
24 Aug 2018

The Home Minister of India recently claimed that the challenge of Naxalism in the country is on its “last legs”. His assessment stems from the fact that the security forces have been achieving signal successes against the Maoists. Fifteen Maoists were killed in an encounter in the Konta area of Sukma district in Chhattisgarh on August 6. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, at least 122 Maoists have been killed across the country in the first six months of 2018.Click here to read... [8]