Argus Geopolitical Intel

Pakistan says it has shot down two Indian military jets and captured a pilot in a major escalation between the nuclear powers over Kashmir. India said it had lost one MiG-21 fighter and demanded the immediate and safe return of its pilot. Pakistani PM, Imran Khan said the two sides could not afford a miscalculation with the weapons they had. India and Pakistan - both nuclear-armed states - claim all of Kashmir, but control only parts of it. They have fought three wars since independence from Britain and partition in 1947. All but one were over Kashmir .

Image Credit. Pixabay/Michael Siebert Russia's lower house, the Duma , has passed the first reading of a bill which would give the Government the power to control the country's Internet. The so-called 'Internet Sovereignty Act' would require Russian companies to host data locally and make it mandatory for Russia's Internet traffic to be controlled centrally, within the country. The law states that it is designed to stop Russia being shut out of the Internet by American companies, and instead, allow Russia to control its own fate, however, lawyers fear that the government will use the act to crack down on freedom of speech.

Image Credit: Creative Commons Under a new contract, Leonardo will continue to support the delivery of cyber-security capabilities to the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) for a further 18 months. Leonardo has signed an 18-month contract with the NCI which will see it continue to deliver cyber-incident detection and management capabilities. The new NATO Computer Incident Response Capability (NCIRC) Cyber Security Support Services (CSSS) contract provides continuity of service to the NCIRC Full Operational Capability (FOC) contract which ends in February 2019.

Saudi Arabia has pledged investment deals worth $20bn with Pakistan which is currently seeking to bolster its fragile economy. The deal includes funding for an $8bn oil refinery in the city of Gwadar . Pakistan is suffering from a massive financial crisis, with only $8bn left in foreign reserves and is eager to secure new international backers.