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Gates’ visit to open doors for India, US military ties

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates is expected to arrive here next week, hoping to open up doors for bilateral military cooperation and take forward talks on unresolved defence pacts.

After entering into the End User Monitoring Agreement (EUMA), which allows Washington to verify the use of military equipment sold by the US, Gates is likely to intensify negotiations to build momentum for military pacts.

These include the logistics support agreement (LSA) and the communication, interoperability and security memorandum of agreement (CISMOA).

Both deals have been on the backburner for around four years. The Obama administration notched a victory last July when the EUMA was signed during Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to India. But the US presidency's marathon efforts to clinch the two agreements haven't been productive until now.
"India and the US still do not see eye to eye on the two agreements. Further discussions are required," defence ministry sources said.
Proposed by the Bush Administration, the LSA would bind India and US to support each other's aircraft, ships and personnel with logistics, fuel and spares on a reimbursable or barter basis. Countries importing military equipment from the US have to enter into the CISMOA, as Washington wants to make sure that exchange of sensitive communication remains secure.
Gates, who last came to India in February 2008, is also expected make a pitch for US defence firms that are competing with international rivals to grab some lucrative military contracts.

His visit comes in the wake of India issuing a letter of interest to the US government for the potential acquisition of 10 C-17 Globemaster III advanced airlifters worth over $2 billion (Rs 9,000 crore).

New NIA chief appointed

Home Minister P Chidambaram said that the NIA team would be hand picked

J&K Vigilance Chief Vinod Raju is New NIA Head

DadaSaheb Phalke 2009 Awards

The prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke awards were given out to film personalities on May 4 in Mumbai's Bhaidas Auditorium in suburban Vile Parle. Among the many recipients were film producer Surinder Kapoor. His sons Boney and Sanjay Kapoor as well as daughter-in-law Sridevi were present at the function to cheer him. Son Anil Kapoor could not make it, as he is currently in Los Angeles.

Surinder Kapoor started his career as an assistant director in his cousin Prithviraj Kapoor's film, Mughal-e-Azam, and went on to produce films like Tarzan Comes to Delhi and Ponga Pundit.

Dada Saheb Phalke Ratan for Manoj Kumar

Prithviraj Kapoor was awarded the Phalke Kalpataru Award posthumously for his contribution to Hindi cinema. His son Shammi Kapoor was awarded the Phalke Legend Actor Award but he could not attend the event due to his ill health.
His nephew Randhir Kapoor was present at the event, and gave away the Phalke Memorable Commercial Film Award to Ashutosh Gowariker.
Sridevi presented the Phalke Ratna Award to Manoj Kumar. Kumar, who starred in and made patriotic films like Upkar, Shaheed, Purab Aur Paschim and Kranti, was nicknamed Bharat. He came in with son Kunal Goswami.


Himesh Reshammiya's father Vipin also recieved a Phalke award. The award was given away by Mahesh Bhatt, who was the chief guest at the event.
Legendary singer Shamshad Begum was awarded the Phalke Golden Singer award.

Prem Bhatia award for Neerja Choudhury, Gargi Parsai

New Delhi: Noted journalist Neerja Choudhury was selected for the prestigious Prem Bhatia Award for her exemplary contribution in the field of political reporting. Senior journalist Gargi Parsai of The Hindu has also been selected for the award in the category of reporting on environment issues.
Ms. Choudhury was selected for the award for “combining social conscience with commitment” to her profession, Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust said on Thursday. She fought for social causes and was the first and only Civil Rights correspondent for an Indian newspaper when she was serving The Statesman from 1982 to 1987. — PTI

Infosys becomes first pvt firm to get CISF cover

CISF personnel stand guard at the Infosys building in Electronic City in Bangalore on July 31, 2009. Photo courtesy: AFP

Infosys becomes first pvt firm to get CISF cover

Fri-Jul 31, 2009

Bangalore / Press Trust of India

Software giant Infosys on Friday came under the security blanket of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), becoming the first private firm to be protected by the force which usually guard government installations.

The commencement of the CISF deployment at the Infosys campus was marked with the hoisting of the CISF flag by company chairman and chief mentor NR Narayana Murthy followed by a ceremonial guard of honour by the force and the official handing over of the security keys by the Infosys.

The Bangalore-headquartered Infosys, which was reported to be on terror radar, had approached the Union Home Ministry earlier this year for a protective cover over and above the capabilities of their own private security wings and agencies.

IMD to use a new forecast model to predict drought

The official weather forecasting agency, India Meteorological Department (IMD) will now be in a position forewarn drought like situation in any particular region of the country about seven to 10 days in advance. Assessing rainfall deficiencies in different parts of the country in the last 20 years and the severedrought years – 2002, 2004 and 2009 – in particular, the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) has developed an experimental model to forecast a possible drought by assessing imagery and data generated by satellite.

The 2009 drought and the failure of the South-West Monsoon may be due to some internal problems which might have crept into the system, apart from the known factors like the warming of the Pacific and Indian Ocean and the influence of the Eurasian snow cover, according to a team at the IITM.

“We have assessed the meteorological data of rainfall deficiencies in different parts of the country in the last 20 years. We also assessed the rainfall deficiencies in the years not influenced by El Nino (a phenomena caused by the warming of the Pacific Ocean). We also studied the influences of Indian Ocean Diapole, warming of Indian Ocean and came to the conclusion that some problems in the internal dynamics of the monsoon system are also the causes for prolonged dry spell,” said Dr R Krishnan of IITM.

He said that IITM will give this experimental forecast model to IMD. The IMD director-general, Ajit Tyagi when contacted said : “we will use this model from 2010.” Dr Krishan is participating in the 97th Indian Science Congress.“Monsoon system is a complex interactive mechanism involving land-ocean-atmosphere correlation. When the moisture laden clouds enter the mainland it works according to its own mechanism. Sometimes the dry spells are lingered to the problems in the system and this causesdrought,” he said.

India on an adventurous and dangerous path: Pakistan Army Chief

January 2, 2010

Paush Krushna Dwitiya, Kaliyug Varsha 5111

Responding to Indian Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor's statement that the Indian Armed forces were ready to fight Pakistan and China simultaneously, Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervz Kayani said the situation in the region could get out of control due to such "dangerous adventurism".


"The proponents of conventional application of military force, in a nuclear overhang are chartering an adventurous and dangerous path, the consequences of which could be both unintended and uncontrollable," Kayani said while addressing the military's top brass at the General Headquarters.

The Inter Services Public Relations quoted Kayani as saying the Pakistan Army was fully alert and alive to the 'full spectrum of threat, which continued to exist in conventional and unconventional domains.'

He said the Pakistani army duly supports and is contributing to bring peace and stability in the region, but added that necessary action would be taken to thwart any challenge facing the country.

"But at the same time, it (the military) will continue to maintain the necessary wherewithal to deter and, if required, defeat any aggressive design, in any form or shape such as a firmed up proactive strategy or a cold start doctrine," The Daily Times quoted Kayani, as saying.

"An army supported by 170 million people, with faith in Allah, is a formidable force to reckon with," he added.

Source: Rediff

World Today

• UK and US unite on 'Yemen threat'
  The UK and US agree to intensify joint efforts to tackle the "evolving" terror threat from Yemen and Somalia.
• Afghan MPs reject Karzai names
  Afghan MPs deal President Hamid Karzai a big political setback rejecting 17 of 24 nominees for his new cabinet.
• Petition against Icesave pay-out
  Almost 25% of Iceland's voters sign a petition against a bill to repay foreigners who lost money in the Icesave banking collapse.
• The Ugandan army says it has killed a Lord's Resistance Army commander inside the Central African Republic.
• Lava from an erupting volcano in a sparsely populated area of DR Congo threatens rare chimpanzees, officials say.
• North Korea issues a New Year message calling for an end to hostile relations with the US, and peace on the Korean peninsula.
• The Cambodian government issues an arrest warrant against opposition leader Sam Rainsy over a border dispute.
• Somali pirates hijack an Indonesian chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden - the third vessel seized in the area this week.
• Indian firms are losing productivity because office staff spend too long on social networking sites, a survey says. :):):):)
• The Indian government has announced that a meeting will be held on 5 January to prepare a "road map" for the proposed new state of Telangana.
• Sweden begins a legal cull of wolves with more than half the quota of 27 believed to have been killed on the first day.
• Scientists have analysed DNA extracted from the remains of a 30,000-year-old European hunter-gatherer.
• Researchers identify the genetic source of the fatal tumours that are driving Tasmanian devils to the edge of extinction.
• The first effects of France's controversial new law against internet piracy will begin to be felt as the new year starts.

DO YOU KNOW

• North Korea is one of the most secretive states in the world. Its citizens cannot travel abroad and have little, if any, contact with those who visit their country. The few tourists who do make it are carefully herded to a handful of destinations and rarely get off the beaten track.

Source--BBC News

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International Affairs 2009 (type 1)

International Current Affairs 2009