(…) Thus any chance of Mahe becoming a prospective naval base seems to be a remote possibility. Though the stationing of troops has raised doubts about China’s “military base” in Seychelles which might lead to an increase in Chinese influence in the region surpassing that of the US in Africa. Nonetheless, China is not the only country which has stationed troops, an Indian Dornier surveillance aircraft (under construction) was given to the SPDF for maritime surveillance within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in February, 2011. In addition two Chetak maritime choppers were provided to fight against sea pirates. India hails the Seychelles efforts to combat piracy and has initiated a series of maritime operations to check piracy. In 2009 US Africa Command (AFRICOM) had put together a US military base in Seychelles. American military drone had earlier been used to monitor piracy off the East African coast.
Daily chart: how long leaders stay in office in different countries. Countries in the Middle East tend to hold on to their leaders longer than anywhere else (a little over eight years on average). Africa comes next at more than seven years.
Daily chart: all the phones in China. China is about to sign up its billionth mobile subscription; India is not far behind with over 900m. The Chinese numbering system theoretically allows for 100 billion mobile numbers, and India’s 10 billion, so neither is likely to run out of numbers anytime soon.
Daily chart: fastest growing nations. Global economic growth is originating almost exclusively from the emerging world, according to a new forecast from the International Monetary Fund.
Next week it’ll be posted the third part of this interview.
Daily chart: the world’s biggest armed forces. In absolute numbers, America, China and India keep the biggest militaries. But the most heavily militarised country of all is North Korea, where there are 49 military personnel for every 1,000 people.
This working paper identifies key components of smart renewable energy policy in developing countries, focusing on the power sector. It also provides recommendations for maximizing the effectiveness of international support for deployment of renewable energies, drawn from these on-the-ground experiences in developing countries.
FOCUSING on what unites them and putting aside their divisions, the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and, now, South Africa—the so-called BRICS countries—ended a one-day summit on China’s southern resort island of Hainan with a joint statement that calls for far-reaching changes in the global financial and political order…
some experts say the BRICS caucus has already shown its worth as a counterweight to the West in global talks on trade and climate change and, within the Group of 20 leading economies, on how to redistribute power in international financial institutions…
