IMF cuts world economic growth forecasts as import tariffs, emerging market issues bite
Published: The Indian Express
09 Oct 2018
The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday cut its global economic growth forecasts for 2018 and 2019, saying that trade policy tensions and the imposition of import tariffs were taking a toll on commerce while emerging markets struggle with tighter financial conditions and capital outflows.
The new forecasts, released on the Indonesian resort island of Bali where the IMF and World Bank annual meetings are getting underway, show that a burst of strong growth, fueled partly by US tax cuts and rising demand for imports, was starting to wane.Click here to read....
Link to the World Economic Outlook, Oct 2018
Pakistan to Buy 48 Chinese Wing Loong II Multi-role Drones
Published: defenseworld.net
09 Oct 2018
Pakistan will buy 48 Chinese Wing Loong II reconnaissance and strike medium altitude, long endurance (MALE) drones in the largest such arms deal of its kind between the two countries. Reports in the Chinese media attributed the information about the sale to a posting on the official Facebook account of the Pakistan Air Force's Sherdils Aerobatic Team on Sunday without giving out information about the value of the deal.Click here to read....
China accuses detained Interpol chief of bribery
Published: The Guardian
08 Oct 2018
China has accused the missing ex-Interpol president Meng Hongwei of bribery, as the case continues to tarnish Beijing’s image as a rising power and responsible member of international organisations.
In a terse statement on Sunday evening, the Chinese authorities admitted they were holding Meng and China’s ministry of public security said on Monday that the Interpol chief, who was reported missing in France at the weekend, was being investigated for accepting bribes.Click here to read....
Japan pulls out of naval drills over demands it remove 'rising sun' flag
Published: The Guardian
08 Oct 2018
Japan has withdrawn from an international fleet review this week after rejecting demands that its warship take part without its “rising sun” flag ensign – regarded by many Koreans as a symbol of Japanese militarism and colonial rule.
South Korea – the host nation – had asked all 14 countries sending vessels to the five-day event, which begins on Thursday at a naval base on the island of Jeju, to ensure they display only their national flags and the flag of South Korea.Click here to read....
Top American diplomat Alice Wells to travel to Maldives, Sri Lanka
Published: The Tribune
08 Oct 2018
In a significant development, the United States State Department announced that it is sending one of its top diplomats to Maldives and Sri Lanka.
During her three-day trip from October 9 to 11, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice Wells, will reiterate the strong US commitment to its partnerships with Sri Lanka and Maldives and their shared interests in a prosperous and open Indo-Pacific region, an official statement said on Sunday.Click here to read....
BrahMos Aerospace engineer arrested for allegedly leaking information to Pakistan
Published: Hindustan Times
09 Oct 2018
An engineer working at the BrahMos Missile Research Centre in Nagpur was arrested on Monday on charges of spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI and other countries. Nishant Agrawal, the arrested scientist, is suspected to have leaked information about India’s Brahmos missile, police said.
Agrawal, 28, was arrested in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) in Ujjal Nagar on Monday. His home and the Brahmos Aerospace office in Dongargaon, 40 km south of Nagpur, were searched.Click here to read....
