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First Post June 22, 2019 China does the Taliban shuffle: Beijing's invite to terror outfit's chief negotiator a bid for greater geopolitical influence   After maintaining an ambiguous stance for some time, the Chinese foreign ministry finally conceded that it recently hosted Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Afghanistan Taliban’s chief negotiator, who is involved in peace negotiations with the United States over the political future of Afghanistan. According to Beijing, the Taliban delegation visited China as part of its efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. Clearly, Baradar’s ‘mission China’ marks a significant shift in China’s Afghan policy, as it is likely to create an opportunity for Beijing to exercise greater influence over the region’s geopolitical context.   China’s growing political and diplomatic profile at the international level requires it to assume a more assertive role in resolving regional disputes. Afghanistan is a test

Sunday Guardian June 22, 2019 Sanjeev Nayyar Time to review law for foreign funding of NGOs The equivalent of Lutyens Delhi is the NGO industry. It is not possible for the MHA to know who the actual donor is, and monitor the end use of the funds. Did you know that foreign organisations remitted Rs 169,619 cr into India between 2001 and 2017 (Table 1), which is 17 times ISRO’s revised budget estimate for 2018-19 of Rs 9,918 cr.1 So what is the regulatory framework for NGOs who receive foreign funds? The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) regulates the receipt of funds by NGOs and is managed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Any organisation that wants to receive contribution from abroad has to get approval from MHA. LARGEST DONORS/RECIPIENTS The country wise data in the public domain is available from 2002-03 to 2011-12. The details here are extracted from the 2011-12 Annual Report published by the MHA. The top three donor countrie

Daily Hunt June 22, 2019 What is ETIM, the Pakistan-based terror group that threatens China? Pakistan-trained Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) militants operating in China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region have emerged as a major threat to Beijing' national security, according to Defence experts. The increased threat perception comes at a time when Chinese counter-terrorism efforts have invited criticism from human rights outfits and western governments. China has allegedly detained a large number of Uighur Muslim people in "re-integration and re-education centres" to eliminate extremism. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination claimed that two million Uighur and other Muslims are kept in contentious detention centres. The Afghan side is also aware of these concerns, said a defence expert to Hindustan Times on conditions of anonymity. "Some 50 to 60 ETIM fighters have been captured and handed over to the Chines

Hindustan Times June 18, 2019 Facebook co-founder says Libra could shift monetary clout to private companies Hughes also said the corporations that would oversee the new currency would put their private interests - profits and influence - ahead of public Facebook Inc’s Libra cryptocurrency would hand over much of the control of monetary policy from central banks to private companies, the company’s co-founder Chris Hughes said in an opinion piece in the Financial Times on Friday. Hughes also said the corporations that would oversee the new currency would put their private interests - profits and influence - ahead of public ones. Facebook did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The social media giant revealed plans on Tuesday to launch a cryptocurrency called Libra and linked up with 28 partners in a Geneva-based entity called the Libra Association, which will govern the new digital coin set to launch in the first half of 2020. Hughes, a

Hindustan Times June 23, 2019 US launched cyber attacks on Iran after drone shootdown: Report US President Donald Trump ordered a retaliatory military strike against Iran after the drone shootdown but then called it off, saying the response wouldn’t be “proportionate” and instead pledged new sanctions on the country. United States launched cyber attacks against Iranian missile control systems and a spy network.  The United States launched cyber attacks against Iranian missile control systems and a spy network this week after Tehran downed an American surveillance drone, US media reported on Saturday. US President Donald Trump ordered a retaliatory military strike against Iran after the drone shootdown but then called it off, saying the response wouldn’t be “proportionate” and instead pledged new sanctions on the country. But after the drone’s downing, Trump secretly authorized US Cyber Command to carry out a retaliatory cyber attack on Iran, The Washington

Hindustan Times June 23, 2019 US launched cyber attacks on Iran after drone shootdown:  US President Donald Trump ordered a retaliatory military strike against Iran after the drone shootdown but then called it off, saying the response wouldn’t be “proportionate” and instead pledged new sanctions on the country. United States launched cyber attacks against Iranian missile control systems and a spy network.  he United States launched cyber attacks against Iranian missile control systems and a spy network this week after Tehran downed an American surveillance drone, US media reported on Saturday. US President Donald Trump ordered a retaliatory military strike against Iran after the drone shootdown but then called it off, saying the response wouldn’t be “proportionate” and instead pledged new sanctions on the country. But after the drone’s downing, Trump secretly authorized US Cyber Command to carry out a retaliatory cyber attack on Iran, The Washington Post

Hindustan Times Jun 23, 2019 Desperate farmers switching to illegal GM crops Despite the risk of prosecution, farmers in Maharashtra are growing illegal HT cotton, which has not been cleared for commercial cultivation, responding to a call by Shetkari Sangathana, an influential farmers organization in the western state. Desperate for breakthrough technologies as they struggle with a rough patch in traditional agriculture, thousands of farmers across states, some of them in open defiance of the law, are embracing illegal genetically modified (GM) crops — from Bt brinjal to herbicide tolerant (HT) cotton. Despite the risk of prosecution, farmers in Maharashtra are growing illegal HT cotton, which has not been cleared for commercial cultivation, responding to a call by Shetkari Sangathana, an influential farmers organization in the western state. Shetkari Sangathana, founded by the late Sharad Anantrao Joshi, a former MP, has traditionally advocated free markets