VIF Information Alerts - 30 January 2020

EU Parliament postpones voting on CAA in major diplomatic victory for India
Published: The Economic Times

30 Jan 2020

In a major diplomatic victory for India, the EU Parliament will not vote on resolution on CAA on Thursday. The pro-India group prevailed over the pro-Pakistan group in the European Parliament on Wednesday to postpone this voting, ET has leant. The Parliament heard resolution on Wednesday. The voting could now happen in March.Click here to read... [2]

US hits Russian railroad with sanctions over Crimea
Published: The Indian Express

30 Jan 2020

The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on a Moscow-based private railway company that last month opened passenger service between Russia and Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014. The sanctions target Grand Service Express, its CEO and seven people who were slapped with European Union sanctions earlier in the week for their role in organizing Russian local elections on Crimea in September.Click here to read... [3]

Alarm over Chinese research ships in Indian Ocean Region
Published: The Economic Times

30 Jan 2020

About four to six Chinese research vessels have been spotted in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) this month, while around 600 Chinese fishing boats are present in the IOR every year from 2015 till last year, according to government officials.
While the Chinese fishing boats indicate China’s growing footprint in the Indian Ocean Region, the research vessels have raised security concerns as they could be surveying the characteristics of the sea water for improving submarine warfare capabilities.Click here to read... [4]

India calls for two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian issue
Published: The Statesman

29 Jan 2020

Reacting to US President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan, India today called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. ”We reiterate our view that the final status issues should be resolved through direct negotiations between the two parties and be acceptable to both. We urge the parties to engage with each other, including on the recent proposals put forward by the US, to final an acceptable two-state solution for peaceful coexistence,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.Click here to read... [5]

President Xi orders military to help deal with coronavirus as toll mounts to 132
Published: millenniumpost

29 Jan 2020

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday ordered the military to "shoulder responsibility" to contain the coronavirus outbreak that has killed 132 people, infected 6,000 others with six foreigners contracting the disease for the first time in China and spread to 17 countries'
President Xi, who heads the People's Liberation Army, told the military to keep their mission firmly in mind and shoulder responsibility to make contribution to winning the battle against the novel coronavirus, which he has described as a "demon", state-run Xinhua news agency reported.