New Science and Technology Policy for National Security
Published: Australian Government
01 May 2018
The Government of Australia, on 01 May 2018, released its new National security science and technology policy agenda, aimed at strengthening Australia's national security. Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, said the Government was placing the highest priority on national security through this policy, which is underpinned by strong scientific research and the latest technology.
The policy statement can be found on the National Security Science and Technology Centre web page. Click here to read...
Trump administration agrees to supply Predator drones to India
Published: Hindustan Times
01 May 2018
In a bid to substantially enhance India’s so-called stand-off weapon capabilities, the Trump administration in the United States has agreed to supply long endurance high-altitude surveillance armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), which are capable of hunting and destroying targets across seas and over land borders. Click here to read...
Patience and sincerity crucial to rebuilding Sino-India ties, as militaries set up hotline: analyst
Published: Global Times
01 May 2018
Military trust between China and India is crucial to bilateral relations and demands patience and sincerity from both sides, experts said after the leaders of the two nations have reportedly agreed to set up a hotline between their respective military headquarters.
"The informal summit in Wuhan is a good start to alleviating stress between the two countries, which is the basis for future communication and trust building," Zhao Gancheng, director of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies' Center for Asia-Pacific Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Click here to read...
Hafiz Saeed’s political outfit holds convention at Nankana Sahib
Published: The Times of India
01 May 2018
Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) has openly come in support of Milli Muslim League (MML), a political front of Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. PSGPC general secretary Gopal Singh Chawla not only extended support to MML but also held party’s convention at Nankana Sahib, birthplace of founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev, on Saturday. Click here to read...
India, Pakistan revive Track II diplomacy
Published: The Times of India
01 May 2018
The NDA government is loath to any official engagement with Pakistan but, in a sign of some forward movement, it seems to have agreed to reviving the Track II diplomacy process with its western neighbour. The original Track II initiative, Neemrana Dialogue, received a fresh start with a high-powered delegation of former Indian diplomats, military veterans and academics travelling to Pakistan to discuss ways to improve India-Pak relationship .
The delegation was headed by former MEA secretary and Pakistan expert Vivek Katju. J S Rajput, former NCERT head, was also part of the delegation. The talks took place from April 28 to 30. Pakistan was represented by former foreign secretary Inam ul Haque and Ishrat Hussain among others. Click here to read...
Taiwan says China dangled US$3 billion to grab ally Dominican Republic
Published: Channel NewsAsia
01 May 2018
China offered the Dominican Republic a US$3.1 billion package of investments and loans to get them to sever ties with Taiwan, a Taiwan official said on Tuesday, after the Caribbean nation switched allegiance to China in a diplomatic blow to the self-ruled island.
China said there were no economic pre-conditions. Click here to read...
China’s ‘new’ map aims to extend South China Sea claims
Published: Asia Times
29 Apr 2018
In what is likely a new bid to reinforce and even expand China’s sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea, a group of Chinese scholars recently published a “New Map of the People’s Republic of China.”
The alleged political national map, reportedly first published in April 1951 but only “discovered” through a recent national archival investigation, could give new clarity to the precise extent of China’s official claims in the disputed waters. Click here to read...
