Chindia Alert: You’ll be Living in their World Very Soon
aims to alert you to the threats and opportunities that China and India present. China and India require serious attention; case of ‘hidden dragon and crouching tiger’.
Without this attention, governments, businesses and, indeed, individuals may find themselves at a great disadvantage sooner rather than later.
The POSTs (front webpages) are mainly 'cuttings' from reliable sources, updated continuously.
The PAGEs (see Tabs, above) attempt to make the information more meaningful by putting some structure to the information we have researched and assembled since 2006.
This is the worst terror attack on security personnel since the Uri incident in September 2016 which left 18 soldiers dead.
SNS Web | New Delhi | February 14, 2019 4:52 pm
At least 13 jawans were killed on the spot and others succumbed in the hospital.
At least 20 security force personnel were killed and over 45 seriously injured in suicide blast when an explosive-laden car rammed into a bus in which they were travelling near Letapora of Pulwama in South Kashmir.
According to news agency ANI, gunshots were heard from the area following the high-intensity blast.
CRPF DG RR Bhatnagar said the convoy carrying the soldiers was travelling from Jammu to Srinagar when the attack occurred. Terrorists continued to fire at the convoy even after the bus was completely charred. The convoy consisted of 70 vehicles carrying about 2500 soldiers. Two CRPF vehicles were damaged in the attack.
The attack has reportedly happened on a heavily guarded highway.
The attack is being taken seriously as the highway particularly in South Kashmir is properly sanitised before movement of convoys of security forces. The Road Opening Parties (ROPs) also conduct thorough checking of the road for possible IEDs.
The DGP of J-K Police, Dilbag Singh, confirmed that it was a suicide attack in which an explosive-laden car was rammed into the CRPF bus.
The bus was completely destroyed and mutilated bodies of the jawans lay scattered on the road that also bore blood stains.
At least 13 jawans were killed on the spot and others succumbed in the hospital.
The injured jawans have been rushed to the 92 Base hospital of the Military and CRPF hospital.
Pakistan backed Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack, in a text message to Kashmiri News Agency GNS.
A spokesman of JeM claimed that the attack was carried out by their activist Aadil Ahmad of Gundi Bagh in Pulwama.
Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti condemned the gruesome attack.Former chief minister Omar Abdullah also condemned the attack and extended his condolences to the families of the bereaved.
He further said the Jaish has claimed the blast as a suicide (fidayeen) attack reminiscent of the dark days of militancy pre-2004-05.
Army and CRPF jawans have cordoned off the area and launched search operations in the nearby residential locality.
The convoy was held up in Jammu for the past six days due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar highway because of snow and landslides and proceeded to Srinagar this morning only after the highway was opened for one way traffic.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to be assigned the investigation of the attack.
This is the worst terror attack on security personnel since the Uri incident in September 2016.
Eighteen soldiers were killed and several others injured when heavily-armed militants stormed a battalion headquarters of the Indian Army in North Kashmir’s Uri town.
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – An escalation of tariff wars between China and the United States could dampen growth in international container shipping as operators pre-emptively brought forward business in the second half of last year, Germany’s Hapag Lloyd said.
“Many customers tried to get their goods through to the U.S. ahead of time in second half 2018, creating additional growth,” Rolf Habben Jansen, chief executive of the company that is the world’s fifth biggest shipping liner, told reporters in Hamburg on Tuesday.
“That points to some business having been brought forward,” he added.
However, with European activities being relatively stable, a direct crisis was not on the horizon, and only later this year would it be clear whether there would be sustained damage to business, he said.
Shipping is only slowly recovering from an oversupply of vessels that plunged the sector into an almost decade-long slump, forcing some players out of business and others to combine forces to seek economies of scale.
Elsewhere, freight rates were stable for the time being and further direction for the remainder of the year would emerge in the period from now up to the middle of May, Habben Jansen said.
On vessel supply, he said order books were low, representing 10 percent of the global fleet, with some scrapping activity being noticeable.
Preliminary results for 2018, due on Feb. 25, were likely to reflect growth in transport volumes above the market average and results should be “satisfactory”, Habben Jansen said.
The company in November said a later peak season in 2018 was likely to lift full year earnings.
It targets earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) in a corridor of 200-450 million euros ($226.4-509.4 million).
Hapag Lloyd is introducing a surcharge mechanism this year to account for cleaner fuel rules starting in 2020 under the watch of the International Maritime Organisation.
It was important to have “the right bunker clauses in all contracts”, Habben Jansen said.
China has dismissed a newspaper report that its diplomats held talks with the political opposition in Venezuela to protect its investments in the Latin American country as “fake news”.
The Wall Street Journal said the diplomats, concerned about oil projects in Venezuela and almost US$20 billion that Caracas owes Beijing, had held talks in Washington with representatives of Juan Guaido, the opposition leader heading US-backed efforts to oust President Nicolas Maduro.
“In fact the report is false. It’s fake news,” Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told reporters on Wednesday when asked about the article.
Venezuela’s “affairs” should be resolved via dialogue, Hua said, reiterating China’s previous stance.
Guaido invoked a constitutional provision to assume the presidency three weeks ago, arguing that Maduro’s re-election last year was a sham.
Most Western countries, including the United States, have recognised Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state, but Maduro retains the backing of Russia and China as well as control of state institutions including the military.
China has lent more than $50 billion to Venezuela through oil-for-loan agreements over the past decade, securing energy supplies for its fast-growing economy.
A change in government in Venezuela would favour the country’s two main foreign creditors, Russia and China, Guaido said in an interview last month.
NEW YORK, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) — Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said Tuesday that exciting progress against poverty and disease around the world has been made in 2018, and China has been a major contributor to this progress.
In a video speech exclusively broadcast via Xinhua, Gates said over the past four decades, China lifted over 800 million people out of poverty and became the second largest economy in the world. Now, it’s stepping up its efforts to help solve some of the toughest challenges in the rest of the world.
He said during his recent visit to China, he attended the Reinvented Toilet Expo and once again saw China’s innovation capacity, with companies showcasing game-changing products that will benefit billions who today do not have access to safe sanitation.
He met Chinese scientists who are developing new drugs to tackle infectious diseases like tuberculosis that affect the poor, and talked with Chinese partners who are sharing lessons from China’s own development, so that African countries can make progress on vital priorities such as strengthening health systems and controlling deadly diseases like malaria, and also improving agricultural transformation.
“I believe in China’s ability to help hundreds of millions of young people in the world’s poorest countries fulfil their potential. As we usher in the New Year, our foundation is committed, as always, to supporting China in building a better future for all,” he said.
The video coincides with the release of Bill and Melinda Gates 2019 Annual Letter, in which they focussed on nine surprises and what can be learned from them.
“Some surprises help people see when the status quo needs to change. Others underscore that needed transformation is already happening,” he said.
“In 2018, we continued to see exciting progress against poverty and disease around the world. But as many nations turn inward, we risk losing sight of crucial global priorities, especially the need to invest in the health and education of young people,” Gates said.
He said one surprise they share in the letter is how much Africa is the world’s youngest continent. Between now and the end of the century, an increasing proportion of young people will come from countries on the African continent.
“Whether we ensure that these people (who) grow up healthily and well-educated and have the opportunity to thrive will determine the future trajectory of the whole globe,” he stressed. “We hope observations like these will prod readers to take action to accelerate the progress the world has been making.”
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) — Data from NASA satellites have shown that China and India led the way in greening on land, thanks to ambitious tree-planting programs in China and intensive agriculture in both countries.
The study published in the latest edition in Nature Sustainability on Monday showed that at least 25 percent of the foliage expansion since the early 2000s globally came in China.
The researchers from Boston University found that global green leaf area has increased by 5 percent in the new century, an area equivalent to all of the Amazon rainforest.
“China and India account for one-third of the greening, but contain only nine percent of the planet’s land area covered in vegetation,” said lead author Chen Chi of Boston University.
“That is a surprising finding, considering the general notion of land degradation in populous countries from over-exploitation,” said Chen.
Rama Nemani, a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center and a co-author of the study said: “When the greening of the Earth was first observed, we thought it was due to a warmer, wetter climate and fertilization from the added carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.”
But with data from NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, scientists realized that humans are also contributing.
“Humans are incredibly resilient. That’s what we see in the satellite data,” said Nemani.
China’s contribution to the global greening trend comes in large part from its programs to conserve and expand forests, accounting for about 42 percent of the greening contribution, according to the study.
Another 32 percent of the greening change in China, and 82 percent in India, resulted from intensive cultivation of food crops, since the farmland in China and India has not changed much since the early 2000s, while both increased their food production to feed large populations.
However, the researchers rang bells as well. They said that the gain in global greenness did not necessarily offset the loss of natural vegetation in tropical regions like Brazil and Indonesia.
The loss of sustainability and biodiversity in those ecosystems cannot be offset by the simple greenness of the landscape, according to the study.
BEIJING, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) — China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) on Tuesday unveiled measures to make its procuratorial network more efficient in dealing with public interest litigations.
The procuratorial organs still lack expertise and experiences in public interest litigation, a newly-conferred function by law, said an SPP statement.
As part of a five-year reform plan made public Tuesday, the SPP ordered procuratorates to give full play to the role of pre-suit procedure by smoothing communication with administrative agencies, offering procuratorial suggestions, and coordinating related parties for implementation.
Efforts should also be made to improve coordination among procuratorates, courts and administrative law enforcement organs, it read.
The SPP plans to introduce platforms to better link public interest litigation with administrative law enforcement, and standardize methods of handling public interest litigation cases.
Meanwhile, the SPP will explore a mechanism for hiring or consulting experts from administrative agencies for prosecutors who are dealing with litigation cases involving environmental protection or food or drug safety.
China’s top legislature passed the revised civil and administrative procedure laws in June 2017 to allow prosecutors nationwide to institute public interest litigation.
The reform aims to better protect the interests of the nation and the public, especially in the protection of the environment and resources, and food safety.
LONDON, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) — China and UK should keep the long-term interests and larger picture in mind, look at each other’s development as opportunities, respect each other’s sovereignty, security and right to development, handle our differences properly and enhance strategic mutual trust, Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming has said.
The Chinese diplomat made the remarks while attending the Chinese New Year Dinner by the Cities of London and Westminster Conservative Association on Monday night.
“If we compare China-UK relations to a building, it could not stand tall without a solid foundation. This foundation is the mutual confidence between our two countries,” he said.
Recalling that the world economy is under downward pressure, with surging protectionism and unilateralism making things doubly difficult. Against this situation, Liu said it is all the more important that China and the UK advocate free trade, oppose protectionism and promote open cooperation.
“We hope that the UK would continue to provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies. We hope you will make successful Chinese companies such as Huawei feel welcome here in Britain, and convince them that the UK is a trustworthy place to put their money,” said the Chinese ambassador.
Liu said both China and the UK are known for their profound cultural heritage and important contribution to the progress of human civilization.
“I hope that in the new year our two countries will continue to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and deepen mutual understanding and strengthen friendship.”
The ambassador also hoped that people from all walks of life in both China and UK will join hands to cement the foundation for a solid and magnificent edifice of bilateral relations.
British Prime Minister Theresa May sent a congratulatory message to the event, saying that it is an important moment to recognize the contribution of the Chinese community in London and across the whole of the United Kingdom.
“The Chinese community’s expanding business expertise, scientific inquiry and cultural heritage and traditions are of immense value to our country – not least here in London, where the vibrancy of Chinatown stands as a strong beacon for the Chinese community and a reminder of all that they have contributed to our society,” she said.
Indian researchers have discovered a new species of frog – in a roadside puddle.
Sonali Garg, a PhD student at Delhi University, and her supervisor SD Biju found the new species in the Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot in southern India.
The species belongs to a new Indian frog group or genus which the scientists have named Mysticellus.
The name is derived from Latin and means mysterious and diminutive.
The scientists discovered the narrow-mouthed frog after three years of extensive explorations, and have confirmed that it represents an entirely new species and genus of microhylid frogs.
The new genus is currently known only in a single locality.
“Our discovery of this new frog genus from one of the most explored and researched regions in the Western Ghats indicates that documentation of amphibians in this globally recognised biodiversity hotspot is still far from being complete,” says Sonali Garg.
“This frog went unnoticed until now probably because it appears for less than four days for breeding activities and lives a secretive lifestyle for the rest of the year.”
A number of new frog species have been discovered in the Western Ghats in the past decade, making it one of the leading biodiversity hotspots in the world.
“At the same time, Indian amphibians face various extinction threats, especially due to habitat loss and degradation. The only known population of the new genus is found in a wayside area disturbed with vehicular movement, plantation activities and human settlements,” says Ms Garg.
“Since little is known about the habitat requirements and the distribution range of the new frog, the specific site needs to be preserved to protect this frog.”
A new tadpole that burrows through sand was discovered in Western Ghats in 2016, and an extraordinary tree frog thought to have died out more than a century ago was also rediscovered in the same year.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – In a putdown rare even for India’s sometimes dramatic court proceedings, the country’s Supreme Court told the former chief of federal police on Tuesday to “sit in one corner” and fined him 100,000 rupees for disobeying the court.
M Nageswara Rao, former chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), was given the instruction after being found guilty of violating an earlier order that mandated seeking court permission before taking an investigating officer off a case.
“Please go and sit in one corner till the rising of the court. Fine to be deposited in one week,” Ranjan Gogoi, the court’s chief justice, told him after the court found him guilty of contempt of court.
Rao proceeded to sit in a corner and appeared to be avoiding eye contact with anyone, a Reuters witness said.
Bizarre orders and courtroom drama are fairly common in Indian courts, but lawyers and court officials said such a direction towards a senior CBI official in the Supreme Court was unprecedented.
Rao, now an additional director in the CBI, had ordered the transfer of a CBI officer investigating a sexual exploitation case at a shelter home in the eastern state of Bihar.
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 
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