VIF Information Alerts - 11th October 2018

US says China spy charged with trying to steal aviation secrets

Published: The Indian Express
11 Oct 2018

The US Justice Department said on Wednesday it had arrested and indicted a spy for China’s Ministry of State Security on charges of economic espionage and attempting to steal trade secrets from several US aviation and aerospace companies. Chinese operative Yanjun Xu was detained in Belgium in April after a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe and extradited to the United States on Tuesday. The Washington Post reported he was lured to Belgium by US agents.Click here to read.... [2]

Pakistan's bailout exposes some serious flaws in China's belt and road plan

Published: The Economic Times
11 Oct 2018

Pakistan’s government has finally admitted it needs help. Finance Minister Asad Umar says he will be meeting officials of the International Monetary Fund on the sidelines of its annual meeting Bali this weekend. There he’ll try and work out the terms for a bailout that would cover a $10 billion hole in Pakistan’s financing needs.Click here to read.... [3]

Sri Lanka briefs US State Department on Hambantota Port

Published: Colombo Gazette
11 Oct 2018

Sri Lanka has briefed the US State Department on the Hambantota Port and assured that there would not be a foreign military presence at the port. The Government today rejected US claims that China might establish a “forward military base” at a strategic port leased to Beijing by the indebted Indian Ocean island nation, the AFP news agency reported.Click here to read.... [4]

'Civilian casualties from airstrikes in Afghanistan rise up by 39%'

Published: Business Standard
11 Oct 2018

The number of Afghan civilians killed or wounded by aerial attacks rose to 39 per cent during the first nine months of this year, as the overall civilian casualties remained at "extreme levels", the United Nations said in a report on Wednesday.

Covering the period from January 1 to September 30, 2018, the new report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented 8,050 civilian casualties (2,798 dead and 5,252 injured), reflecting the same extreme levels of harm to civilians in comparison to the same period in 2017.Click here to read.... [5]

Yameen’s party challenges poll defeat

Published: The Hindu
10 Oct 2018

Maldives’ outgoing President Abdulla Yameen has challenged his recent election defeat, with his Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) on Wednesday filing a legal petition claiming the September 23 presidential election was rigged. According to local media reports, lawyers representing the party said they received “numerous complaints” from Mr. Yameen’s supporters. The PPM had, therefore, decided to “seek legal recourse” to uphold its members’ rights.Click here to read.... [6]

US warns against any attempt to undermine democratic process in Maldives

Published: The Tribune
11 Oct 2018

The United States has warned against any attempt to undermine the democratic process in the Maldives, saying it will take appropriate steps against any such move. The warning was delivered on Wednesday by a top American diplomat, currently on a visit to the Maldives, during a meeting with leaders and officials of the country.Click here to read.... [7]