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The Firstpost July 17, 2018 Sreemoy Talukdar  The sickening "thud" that you hear is the sound of US exceptionalism falling to its death from the Kremlin rooftop. Among all other crimes that Donald Trump is said to have committed in Helsinki on Monday (and the list is long) the biggest was the US-Russia "moral equivalence" that he apparently tried to create with Vladimir Putin by his side. Trump's statement that "both countries are responsible" for plummeting of ties was deemed to be even more offensive (if that is possible) than his reprehensible act of failing to defend American interests and even attacking own citizens and institutions to publicly side with a hostile foreign adversary. This argument may seem quaint to the rest of the world. US critics around the world will point out that if we are discussing Russian interventionism in US politics, then we should first consider American interventionism which is globally more rampant and ...

The Hindu July 17, 2018 Jagriti Chandra Say it will criminalise sex workers and transgenders The proposed anti-trafficking Bill likely to be tabled in Parliament during the Monsoon Session will criminalise sex workers and transgenders, according to activists who have appealed to parliamentarians that the draft legislation be sent to the Standing Committee. Activists as well as sex workers have also appealed to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, which drafted the legislation, that the Bill should explicitly state that consenting adult workers will not be penalised under the new law. “When a law prescribes life imprisonment for trafficking leading to AIDS or begging or injecting of hormones, it will ultimately lead to criminalisation of trans-identities,” said LGBTQ rights activist Vikramaditya Sahai at a press conference on Tuesday. He added that the law would also lead to a multi-fold increase in violence against sex workers. “If a sex worker...

The Reuters July 17, 2018 Stephanie Nebehay The credibility and survival of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is under “serious threat” as major economies put up protectionist barriers, independent experts warned on Tuesday. The report issued by the Bertelsmann Foundation comes amid a deepening trade dispute between China and the United States which has engulfed other major trading partners. U.S. President Donald Trump has warned he may ultimately impose tariffs on more than $500 billion worth of Chinese goods - nearly the total amount of U.S. imports from China last year – to combat what Washington says are Beijing’s trade abuses. China has sworn to retaliate at each step. The 14 experts, led by Bernard Hoekman, urged WTO’s 164 member states to agree on a new work programme that will address trade-distorting policies and preserve the multilateral rule-based trading system. “Sticking to status quo modes of operating is a recipe for the institution’s gra...

The Express Tribune July 17, 2018 Security forces in southwest Iran have arrested four suspected Islamic State operatives who were planning attacks, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi was cited as saying by the Tasnim news agency on Tuesday. Last year, Islamic State’s members carried out attacks on the parliament in Tehran and the mausoleum of the founder of Iran’s revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, killing at least 18 people. “This team had the intention of sowing destruction in certain areas but the operations were not carried out because of the timely intervention of security forces,” Alavi said, according to Tasnim. The group was led by a man whose brother was killed while  fighting for Islamic State in Syria, Alavi said. Separately, three suspected militants and one member of the Iranian security forces were killed when they clashed on Saturday in northwestern Iran, according to the Revolutionary Guards. Reference:  https://tribune.com...

The Express tribune July 17, 2018 Arsalan Altaf An Islamabad-based religious leader, who is placed by the United States on a terror watch list, has announced to support the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the upcoming general elections scheduled for July 25. Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil was placed by the US government on Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) list on September 30, 2014, for his alleged role in Harkatul Mujahideen (HuM) militant organisation, which he reportedly founded in the past. He later founded and is still heading Ansarul Ummah, which he says is a political party. Both HuM and Ansarul Ummah are on the SDGT list. Khalil’s Ansarul Ummah also took part in the last local government elections. However, many were surprised on Monday when senior PTI leader Asad Umar took to social media to announce that Khalil along with hundreds of other Ulema (clerics) had joined the PTI and announced to support him in the upcoming elections. “Mau...

The Express Tribune July 17, 2018 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Monday that escalating and sustained trade conflicts are increasingly likely, threatening to derail economic recovery and depress medium-term growth prospects. The IMF, in an update to its World Economic Outlook growth forecasts, said that the United States, as the focus of retaliatory tariffs from trading partners, was especially vulnerable to a slowdown in its exports. An escalation of tariffs to levels threatened by the United States, China and other countries would not only have a direct effect on demand, but would heighten uncertainty and hurt investment, the IMF said. “Our modelling suggests that if current trade policy threats are realised and business confidence falls as a result, global output could be about 0.5% below current projections by 2020,” IMF chief economist Maury Obstfeld said in a statement. “As the focus of global retaliation, the United States finds a relatively high...

The New Indian Express July 18, 2018 Fayaz Wani Manan in the statement, which was released by Hizb media cell, said decade's long bloody conflict has turned Kashmir into one of most politically mature nations of the world. Hizbul Mujahideen commander Manan Wani, a PhD scholar who joined the militancy early this year, has defended his joining the militant ranks and said "the militants don't fight to die but to win and don't feel dignity in death but feel dignity in fighting Indian forces". Manan in the statement, which was released by Hizb media cell, said decade's long bloody conflict has turned Kashmir into one of most politically mature nations of the world. "India is slowly but steadily failing in justifying its "colonial rule" to people of Kashmir. But, we as a nation and community have to evolve and update ourselves of the new military, mental and diplomatic tactics of India as a colonial state," he said. Acco...

India Today July 18, 2018 China has set up an unmanned automatic weather observation station in Tibet near Arunachal Pradesh border to provide meteorological support to its military and assist operations of aircraft and missiles in case of "regional live-fire conflicts", a media report said today. The station in Yumai township under Lhunze county of Shannan Prefecture in Tibet will eliminate a blind area of meteorological services, state-run Global Times reported. It will also provide strong meteorological support for national defence and further promote border development as well as military-civilian integration, according to a statement by the Tibet weather bureau. "The station can observe six factors, including air temperature, air pressure, wind speed, wind direction, humidity and precipitation, with more accuracy than before," Tashi Norbu, a technician in charge of the station, was quoted as saying by the daily. "Yumai is at the b...

The Asian Age July 18, 2018 Besides, senior officials of Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs are also part of the committee. In an attempt to stop defaulting promoters from fleeing the country, the government has set up a high-level committee headed by financial services secretary Rajiv Kumar to look at various measures and suggest changes in existing laws, according to official sources. The focus will be on those promoters who hold citizenship of any other country so that episodes of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya are not repeated. The panel had its first meeting which discussed dual citizenship and strengthening and streamlining of system so that economic offenders do not run away from the country, sources said. Other members of the high-level panel include representatives from the Enforcement Directorate, CBI, Intelligence Bureau, and RBI. Besides, senior officials of Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Aff...

The Indian Express July 17, 2018 "This administration in the United States doesn't know how to behave towards the world... it breaks international treaties as a tool," Zarif said in the meeting. Iran has filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the United States for reimposing sanctions, said the foreign ministry as quoted by AFP. The complaint was registered on Monday as tweeted by the Foreign Minister of Islamic Republic of Iran Javad Zarif. “Iran is committed to the rule of law in the face of US contempt for diplomacy & legal obligations. It’s imperative to counter its habit of violating int’l law,” Zarif wrote on Twitter. US President Donald Trump had re-imposed sanctions affecting Iran’s economy, such as petrochemical, energy and financial sectors after withdrawing from a nuclear deal with world powers. Zarif addressed world diplomats and Iranian businessmen at a Tehran hotel Monday night and stated that ...

Financial Express July 18, 2018 The department of telecommunications (DoT) is unlikely to act on the data privacy recommendations given by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Monday. Sources told FE that Trai’s suggestions were suo motu and not sought by the government and, hence, will be sent to the Srikrishna committee which has been set up by the government and is looking into the issue of data privacy. “It is up to the Srikrishna panel to assess what they can draw from the recommendations put forward by Trai. It is only when the committee gives its report will the government formulate a data protection law,” an official said. The official added Trai’s recommendations asking the government to notify a law regulating the entire digital ecosystem comprising devices, operating systems, browsers, and applications does not fall under the DoT but cuts across other ministries like electronics and IT and information and broadcasting, and would need wider consulta...

Times of India July 18, 2018 The US embargo on Iran oil shipments has put Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a quandary. If he plays along, India could find itself on the right side of President Donald Trump on trade but lose cheap supplies and preciousforeign exchange. Official sources said the issue of US sanctions on import of Iranian oil figured in the talks the delegation had with Gokhale who explained to it India's position on the matter.Oil imports from Iran totaled about $9 billion in the year ended March and substituting some of the contracts with more North American crude will help India lower the $24.5 billion trade surplus it runs with the world’s largest economy. Indians already buying more crude from the US, data from the Census Bureau and Energy Information Administration show.  While ending purchases from Iran will cost India savings on shipping costs and the longest credit period offered by any of its suppliers, there are gains to be had from paring th...

Times of India July 18, 2018 In the first big contract since its inception, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has allowed three industries—two private and one government-run firm—to build as many as 27 satellites in the next three years, indicating industry readiness and paving way for the next chapter in Indian space programme. In all these years of space-faring, only two satellites have been assembled by the industry, the IRNSS-1H and IRNSS-1I, that too on a select-basis, only  late last year and early this year. The two satellites were assembled by Bengaluru-headquartered consortium led by Alpha Design Technologies. Now, Isro’s contract for satellites will see the Alpha Design consortium that includes six SMEs— Newtech; Aidin; Aniara; DCX; Vinyas and Exseed  Space—defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), and, Tata Advanced systems Limited make three satellites each per annum for the next three  years. All three firms will integrate...

The Times of India July 18, 2018 The United States has offered India the armed version of Guardian drones that  were originally authorized for sale as unarmed for surveillance purposes, a senior US official and an industry  source told Reuters. If the deal comes to fruition, it would be the first time that Washington sells a large armed drone to a country  outside the NATO alliance. It would also be the first high-tech unmanned aircraft in the region, where tensions between India and Pakistan run  high. In April, President Donald Trump's administration rolled out a long-awaited overhaul of US arms export policy  aimed at expanding sales to allies, saying it would bolster the American defense industry and create jobs at home.  The plan included a new drone export policy that allowed lethal drones that can fire missiles, and surveillance  drones of all sizes, to be more widely available to allies. One administrative hurdle to the deal...

The Print July 18, 2018 The region is the sparsely populated Khunjerab Pass in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which is part of the CPEC that India opposes.  New Delhi: China is ramping up its defences and patrolling the Khunjerab Pass with Pakistani troops in territory that India claims, satellite imagery analysed by The Print shows. The area is north of the Siachen Glacier and crucial to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that India has opposed because it passes through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The CPEC will be passing through the Karakoram mountains. China’s Ministry of National Defence site says Chinese and Pakistani troops patrolled the Khunjerab Pass jointly on 26 June. “Chinese and Pakistan frontier defence forces discuss Chinese-Pakistan border situation during a joint border patrol at a mountainous region in Khunjerab in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,” the website says. Pakistan’s online media platform The Nation u...

First Post July 18, 2018 The Enforcement Directorate has filed a fresh charge sheet in a Delhi court accusing former AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica directors Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini and ex-IAF chief SP Tyagi of money laundering in a VVIP chopper bribery scam case. The supplementary charge sheet accused 34 Indian and foreign individuals and companies, including Tyagi, Italian middlemen Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke, lawyer Gautam Khaitan and Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland, of laundering money to the tune of around 28 million Euro. The probe report also claimed that the kickbacks were paid by AgustaWestland through two different channels. "One channel was handled by middleman Christian Michel James and the other channel was handled by Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke. Gerosa and Haschke in collusion with Tyagi Brothers, cousins of S P Tyagi, conspired with Gautam Khaitan of M/s OP Khaitan & Co, Auditors and Solicitors based at New Delhi...