VIF Information Alerts - 12 Feb 2018

India, Oman sign 8 agreements as PM Modi meets Sultan Qaboos
Published: The Tribune
12 Feb 2018

India and Oman have signed eight agreements, including on cooperation in the field of defence, health and tourism, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks with the Sultan of the country. Modi, who arrived here from Dubai on the last leg of his three-nation tour, led delegation-level talks on Sunday with Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said. Click here to read... [2]

India, UAE to deepen strategic ties, counter terror
Published: The Hindu
11 Feb 2018

India and the UAE will hold a bilateral naval exercise, the External Affairs Ministry announced on Sunday.The declaration came during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s discussion with the leadership of the Gulf country with both sides agreeing to deepen the strategic partnership and counter terrorism in “all forms”.

“The two leaders welcomed the decision taken during the latest round of JDCC [Joint Defence Cooperation Committee] held in New Delhi in December 2017 to conduct the first bilateral Naval Exercise during 2018,” a press statement from the Ministry said. It explained that maritime security would be a crucial domain of India-UAE cooperation focussing on the Indian Ocean and the Gulf region.Click here to read... [3]

India, Palestine sign six infrastructure agreements
Published: The Economic Times
10 Feb 2018

India and Palestine signed six agreements on the infrastructural development in the Palestine. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between India and Palestine for setting up of a India-Palestine Super-specialty hospital at Beit Sahour in Bethelhem Governorate at a cost of USD 30 million. Click here to read... [4]

China updates 'sensitive sectors' for outbound investment
Published: China Daily
12 Feb 2018

China on Sunday updated its list of "sensitive sectors" for outbound investment subject to additional regulation, deleting telecoms and electricity and adding the arms industry and several high-profile sectors.

Effective from March 1, investment in overseas projects of telecoms operation, massive land development, and electric mains and power grids need only complete record filings with authorities like other common sectors, with official approval no longer necessary, according to a statement of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).Click here to read... [5]

Suspected foreign terrorists using fake Malaysian identity documents to sneak into the country, secure jobs: Report
Published: The Straits Times
12 Feb 2018

Suspected foreign terrorists are using forged Malaysian identification documents to enter the country without being detected, the New Straits Times reported on Monday (Feb 12).

Several suspected foreign terrorists had crossed the country's borders using assumed identities, the paper reported, citing police and an enforcement agency source. They included those from the Philippines, who have sneaked into the country from Sabah through illegal sea lanes. Click here to read... [6]

Lanka’s Rajapaksa back in hunt
Published: The Tribune
12 Feb 2018

Sri Lanka’s ruling alliance was humiliated today in local elections seen as a test of its leadership as the party of former strongman president Mahinda Rajapaksa pulled off a stunning landslide victory, final results showed.

The mid-term polls further strained the uneasy coalition between President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as they face a resurgent challenger in Rajapaksa’s new party.Click here to read... [7]

Jammu attack: Civilian interface a security hazard for military camps
Published: Hindustan Times
12 Feb 2018

Not long ago, Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat’s preference for high-end technology over manual protection of army installations proved to be a problem not too far away from his South Block office. As a test case, Rawat asked for motion sensors to be installed for perimeter protection at the Manekshaw Centre in the Delhi cantonment. The idea was to free up vital human resources.

The experiment wasn’t successful because motion sensors started picking up trucks using the National Highway 48, which runs close to the Manekshaw Centre, setting off numerous false alarms at the control centre.Click here to read... [8]

'Afzal Guru squad' emerges as biggest challenge for security agencies in J&K
Published: Deccan Herald
11 Feb 2018

The 'Afzal Guru squad' of Jaish-e-Mohammad terror outfit believed to be behind Saturday's deadly attack on Sunjuwan army camp in Jammu, is emerging as the biggest challenge for security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir. The fidayeen (suicide) militants of the squad have carried out audacious attacks at will on security forces including the army. The squad is part of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror outfit headed by Moulana Masood Azhar.Click here to read... [9]