VIF Information Alerts - 8th May 2018

India ranks fourth in Asia-Pacific on power index
Published: The Tribune
08 May 2018

India has ranked fourth out of 25 nations in the Asia-Pacific region on an index that measures their overall power, with the country being pegged as a “giant of the future” but trails behind in indicators of defence networks and economic relationships.

The Lowy Institute Asia Power Index measures power across 25 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region, reaching as far west as Pakistan, as far north as Russia, and as far into the Pacific as Australia, New Zealand and the US. Click here to read... [2]

SC moved against Chinese people buying land in Pakistan
Published: The Nation
08 May 2018

A senior lawyer on Monday approached the country’s top court seeking directives for the government to stop sale of land on proprietary rights to the Chinese citizens in connection with China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Watan Party’s head Barrister Zafarullah Khan filed the petition before the Supreme Court, saying that Chinese citizens had beengiven certain relaxations in the name of CPEC and they were acquiring land on lease which was against the sovereignty of the state. Click here to read... [3]

Indian and Chinese troops may coordinate patrolling to prevent another Doklam: Chinese scholar
Published: The Hindu
07 May 2018

Indian and Chinese troops may coordinate their patrolling in 16 “grey areas” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to prevent Doklam-type standoffs along the borders, a leading Chinese scholar has said.

In an interview with The Hindu, Hu Shisheng, senior researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), a premier think-tank, said that both countries were aware of the each other’s deployments along the LAC. But in recent years, they have not been coordinating their patrols, especially in 16 “grey areas” where rival border claims sharply collide. " target="_blank">Click here to read... [4]

Top Maoist leaders paid lakhs to get engineering and medical seats for relatives: Govt
Published: The Indian Express
08 May 2018

The Home Ministry said Monday that it has identified top Maoist leaders who have been diverting a chunk of the funds they receive to sponsor the education of their children in professional colleges and ensure that their “families live in comfort”.

To choke this funding, officials said, the Ministry has now set up a multi-disciplinary group comprising officers of intelligence and investigative agencies, and various tax departments. Click here to read... [5]

East Africa: New Maritime Security Agreements Between Indian Ocean Countries
Published: allAfrica
07 May 2018

Four agreements pertaining to enhanced state coordination for maritime security in the western Indian Ocean were signed during a ministerial conference hosted by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and the government of Mauritius, with the support of the European Union, an observer member of the IOC.

The event was convened to address common threats like piracy and illegal fishing faced by states in the western Indian Ocean region. For instance, $13 billion was lost to maritime piracy in the western Indian Ocean in 2013, and losses as a result of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing amount to $400 million annually according to the IOC. http://allafrica.com/stories/201805070736.html" target="_blank">Click here to read... [6]

West Africa: Fulani conflict getting worse
Published: Deutsche Welle
07 May 2018

The mood is tense in the Menaka region in eastern Mali. According to Reuters, armed men raided two villages earlier this week and killed at least 16 people belonging to the Tuareg ethnic group. By the end of April, at least 40 Tuareg had been killed. The governor of Menaka, Daouda Maiga, described the perpetrators as Fulani, who were linked to the terrorist group, the so-called "Islamic State" (IS). Maiga said the act may have been a retaliatory strike after the Tuareg had supported French troops in an an anti-terrorist operation.Click here to read... [7]

Congressional move to rename US Pacific Command as Indo- Pacific Command
Published: The Economic Times
04 May 2018

A powerful Congressional committee today proposed renaming the US Pacific Command as the Indo-Pacific Command, which is in line with the Trump Administration's nomenclature of describing the strategically vital region. The region has traditionally been called as Asia Pacific.

The House Armed Services Committee in its mark for National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2019 renames the Southeast Asia Maritime Security Initiative as the Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative and proposes to add India as a covered country. Click here to read... [8]