VIF Information Alerts - 22th May 2018

Government creating national registry for crimes against women
Published: The Times of India
21 May 2018

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is in the process of creating a national registry of crimes against women, its chief Ish Kumar said on Monday, amid growing concern over incidents of sexual assaults. The move comes against the backdrop of an around three-percent increase in crimes against women and a 12-percent rise in incidents of rape in 2016 as compared to 2015.Click here to read... [2]

India working on unmanned tanks, vessels, robotic weaponry for future wars
Published: The Times of India
20 May 2018

In an ambitious defence project, the government has started work on incorporating artificial intelligence + (AI) to enhance the operational preparedness of the armed forces in a significant way that would include equipping them with unmanned tanks, vessels, aerial vehicles and robotic weaponry. The move is part of a broader policy initiative to prepare the Army, Navy and the Air Force for next generation warfare and comes amid rising Chinese investments in developing critical applications of AI for its military.Click here to read... [3]

Asean at an inflexion point, positive outlook cannot be taken for granted: Chan Chun Sing
Published: The Straits Times
21 May 2018

SINGAPORE - Asean is at an inflexion point, as the open and rules-based multilateral trading system, regional integration and economic cooperation come under mounting pressure, said Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing on Monday (May 21). This comes at a time when uneven gains from globalisation are being exploited, resulting in inward-looking sentiments that challenge the relevance and value of platforms such as Asean, he added.Click here to read... [4]

Tehran rejects Russian call for Iranian forces to eventually leave Syria
Published: The Times of Israel
21 May 2018

In a rare show of public disagreement, Iran on Monday appeared to reject remarks from Russia’s leader saying the Islamic Republic should pull its forces out of Syria after a political settlement is reached in the war-torn country. “No one can force Iran to do anything,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bahram Qasemi said, according to the Tasnim news website.

“As long as terrorism exists and the Syrian government wants, Iran will have presence [in Syria],” Qasemi said. “Those who have entered Syria without the consent of the Syrian government should leave.”Click here to read... [5]

UK lists Pakistan among top three money launderers
Published: DNA
21 May 2018

The United Kingdom's National Crime Agency (NCA) has listed Pakistan among the top three sources for money laundering in the United Kingdom. The other two countries are Nigeria and Russia. The NCA report says that the UK is a prime destination for foreign corrupt and politically exposed people to launder money and has identified trade misinvoicing as one of the key mechanisms used for such operations.Click here to read... [6]

Pakistan sees a new ‘Badshah Khan’ as Pashtun hero takes on army
Published: The Indian Express
21 May 2018

Drawing comparisons to Badshah Khan, a young and charismatic Pashtun leader is giving the jitters to the powerful Pakistan army. A trained veterinarian, who is never seen without his trademark “Mazari hat” or “Pashteen hat”, 26-year-old Manzoor Pashteen has been drawing huge crowds across Pakistan for the past three months with his non-violent Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), as he takes on the army.Click here to read... [7]

Tamil separatists are regrouping abroad, says Sri Lanka president
Published: Hindustan Times
21 May 2018

Sri Lanka’s president Saturday warned that Tamil extremists were regrouping abroad to revive their demand to divide the island nation nine years after the end of its decades-long ethnic war. Maithripala Sirisena said government forces had failed to quash the Tamil rebels’ separatism, although they were militarily conquered by May 2009 following a no-holds-barred offensive.Click here to read... [8]

Nepal launches tourism website in Chinese language
Published: Xinhua
21 May 2018

Nepal on Monday launched an interactive tourism website, the first of its kind, in Chinese language to attract more Chinese tourists. Amid a function attended by government officials, tourism professionals and Chinese community, Nepali Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari launched a customized website www.welcomenepal.cn [9] which is an initiative of Nepal Tourism Board, the main tourism promotion body, to communicate in Chinese language.Click here to read... [10]

Distance between Kathmandu, Nepal-China border town shortened after new road section completed
Published: Xinhua
20 May 2018

The distance between Nepal's capital Kathmandu and Nepal-China border town Rasuwagadhi has been shortened by 25 kilometers after Nepal Army (NA) handed over an alternative 17-km road section to Department of Road on Sunday, the NA said. The NA handed over the Mailung-Syaphrubesi road section to the Department of Road, a body under Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport amid a function

The section replaced the original Betrawati-Dhunche-Syaphrubesi section, cutting the distance significantly, the NA said. Distance between Kathmandu and Rasuwagadhi is 145 km through the original route.Click here to read... [11]