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Renton (Washington State),May 15 Indian Navy will soon have an edge in the Indian Ocean once it inks $2.2 billion deal for eight maritime patrol planes from Boeing.The agreement is expected to be signed soon. The Boeing P-8i Poseidons long-range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR)patrol aircraft will enable the Indian Navy to operate a platform almost simultaneously with the USNavy. Richard Buck,Boeing's international programme manager for P8,said that India would be able to leverage on the substantial investment made in the P8 by the US Navy. A lot of issues relating to the P-8i for the Indian Navy are still in the...

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - China's military build-up opposite Taiwan is counterproductive and fans pro-independence tendencies on the island, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said on Thursday. While stressing the United States' long-standing position that it does not support independence for Taiwan, Negroponte also told U.S. lawmakers Taiwan should be brought into international groups like the World Health Organization. The No. 2 U.S. diplomat, who made a two-day trip to Beijing this month, also repeated the U.S. stance that it will "continue to sell Taiwan defensive arms to maintain the capacity to assist in Taiwan's defense if needed."...

New Delhi, May 15 India, which is rich in land, people and natural resources, has become a less competitive Economy in the past one year, with the country slipping two ranks in the latest world’s competitiveness index. India has been given a score of 60.62 points, while that of China is 73.75. The IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook is a comprehensive report on the competitiveness of nations and is published since 1989. It provides several customised rankings, whether by size, wealth or regions.

JAIPUR, India (AFP) — A previously-unknown Islamic group claimed responsibility for a string of bombings that killed 63 people and warned of more attacks on Indian tourist targets, officials said Thursday.Gulab Chand Kataria, home minister of the northern state of Rajasthan of which Jaipur is the capital, told AFP police were investigating the claim made in a video clip emailed to several media organisations.The "Indian Mujahideen is waging an open war against the country for supporting the United States and the United Kingdom on international issues," the email said."India should stop supporting the United States ... and if you do...

US slump to prop up India as next offshoring hotspot 14 May, 2008, 0750 hrs IST,Chiranjoy Sen, TNN BANGALORE: Belt-tightening by global technology giants—a fallout of US economic slowdown—is likely to reinforce India as the most preferred offshoring destination. Top technology firms are actively moving part of their workforce from the US, UK and European markets to lower-cost destinations. They cite availability of local talent, better delivery and conducive enviroment as key offshoring reasons. While they may not admit it, firms would be looking at stepping the gas on offshoring to curb bloating costs and to lift margins. Networking and...

JAIPUR/NEW DELHI: A little-known outfit, Indian Mujahideen, has claimed responsibility for carrying out the fatal blasts in Jaipur on Tuesday. And to buttress its claim, it sent video clips to the media of a cycle strapped with a bag that it claimed held the bomb. As cops groped for clues to crack the serial blasts in Jaipur, the mysterious video of a brand new cycle added a new twist to the investigations. While such claims in the aftermath of a major terror attack are not uncommon and have even been used by the real culprits to throw the investigators...

NEW DELHI: Instead of blaming India and other developing nations for the rise in food prices, Americans should rethink their energy policy and go on a diet, say a growing number of politicians, economists and academics here. Criticism of the United States has ballooned in India recently, particularly after the Bush administration seemed to blame India's increasing middle class and prosperity for rising food prices. Critics from India seem to be asking one underlying question: "Why do Americans think they deserve to eat more than Indians?" The food problem has "clearly" been created by Americans, who are eating 50 percent...

A devastated scene near the Hanuman Mandir after the serial blasts in Jaipur. A series of explosions rocked the walled city on Tuesday evening, killing and injuring several people JAIPUR: Terror struck yet again — this time in Jaipur, at the busiest market, at the busiest hour, aimed with chilling precision to kill, maim, terrify and cleave the country. At last count, the toll was 80 killed, and with over 150 injured, it could go up. (Watch) The first blast took place at 7.20pm on Tuesday in the crowded Johari Bazaar and within 15 minutes seven more blasts occurred in...

Now Navy wants Super Hornets too It Is now sufficiently clear that the Indian Navy wants to be able to use the air force’s assets of war. In a revelation so far kept under wraps, the Navy has asked Boeing a contender for India’s $10-billion tender for 126 air force fighters if the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet can operate off the INS Vikramaditya, the rechristened Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov currently being refurbished in Russia for the Indian Navy. None of the fighters in the IAF’s existing fleet have the capability to operate from the deck of an aircraft carrier. Boeing’s...

The same could be said of india's health system. Sixty years after independence, India remains one of the unhealthiest places on earth. Millions of people still suffer from diseases and ailments that simply no longer exist almost anywhere else on the planet. Four out of five children are anemic. Almost one in four women who give birth receives no antenatal care. What makes the picture even bleaker is the fact that India's economic boom has had, so far at least, little impact on health standards. Think of it this way: in the five years between 2001 and 2006 India's economy...

Workers at Johnson Controls Inc.'s factory in Northwood learned in February that their jobs building seats for the Jeep Wrangler were being outsourced to India by 2010. But that plan may have proven a bit ambitious. Yesterday, the manufacturing chief for Chrysler LLC told an automotive trade publication that at least part of the work - the more complex front seats - will stay local. Meanwhile, the Indian company that won the work, Krishna Maruti Ltd., is looking for space in the Toledo area and plans to hire as many as 70 people to produce the rear seats, according to...

Five major blasts rocked the pink city of 'Jaipur' on Tuesday (May 13) at 7.35 pm. The serial blasts occured in Tripolia, Manek Chowk and Chandpol Gate, while the fourth blast occured at Lakshmi Mishthan Bhandar in old Jaipur. Though the cause of the blast is still unknown, it's learnt that five blasts occured within a span of half an hour in the walled city of Jaipur. According to initial reports, around 6 people have been killed, while 50 have been injured. According to initial reports, around 6 people have been killed and 50 have been injured. The injureds were...

Another democracy threatens the Mideast By MIDDLE EAST TIMESPublished: May 08, 2008 The 60th anniversary of Israel's founding has understandably focused much of the attention of Middle Eastern analysts on this old and familiar problem. But if they think this remains the prime security issue for the region, they may be looking in the wrong direction. India this week successfully completed the testing program of its nuclear-capable Agni-3 missile, designed and developed by the state-owned Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). The third test launch took place May 7, and flew 3,000 kilometers to its targeted impact site in the...

New Delhi: With a second successful test of the 3,500 km intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM), Agni-III, already in the bag, Indian defence scientists are planning to test a long range 5,000 km, IRBM by the end of the year. According to Aviansh Chander, project director, the planning process for the test launch of the Agni-IV was in the final stages, now that the Agni-III had reached the stage of operationalisation. He indicated Monday that test flights could be scheduled for the end of the year, once government clearance was received. According to Chander, an intercontinental range of 5,000-km would...

Apple's iPhone will be available from more than one mobile operator in Australia and India later this year, further signs that Apple is breaking with its history of exclusive iPhone distribution agreements with operators in other markets. On Monday, SingTel announced it had struck a deal with Apple to distribute the iPhone in Singapore, India, Australia and the Philippines. The announcement follows Vodafone's agreement with Apple, announced last week, to sell the iPhone in 10 countries including Australia, India and Italy. On the same day, Telecom Italia announced that it too would distribute the iPhone in Italy, the first sign...

12-year-old murdered in the name of 'honour' A Deadly calm prevails in the tiny village of Garhia, 15 kilometres off Bulandshahr in the rural belt of western Uttar Pradesh. Through the quiet of the village, dominated by the Lodha Rajputa community, a backward caste, one can only hear whispers — that of how a father beat his 12-year-old daughter to death to “save his honour”. The victim’s grandmother, Natho (60), told Newsline that her sons killed Mamta after they found a boy, Pintu (14), her schoolmate, in her room late on Friday night. Father Jagdish Singh and his brother Soni...

Border Patrol To Get Taste Of Woman PowerTill a few weeks ago, the Wagah border in Punjab (India) was nothing more than a picnic spot for 20-year-old Neha and her friends. It meant packing food and travelling the 85-odd kilometres to watch the fanfare of the retreat ceremony, a daily affair on the India-Pakistan border near Amritsar. All that has changed with the (Indian) Border Security Force (BSF) programme to recruit and train women constables. The Indo-Pak border is now "serious stuff" for Neha. "It used to be a fun outing to see the parade," she says. "It is now...

dd India and Belgium to the list of countries worried about attacks coming from China. Officials from both countries warned the public over the past week that online attacks -- appearing to come from the People's Republic of China (PRC) -- have targeted their government networks. Unnamed Indian officials told the Times of India that almost daily probes have focused on mapping and scanning India's official networks over the past 18 months. The Justice Minister of Belgium warned that e-mail attacks, aimed at compromising government computers, appear to be coming from China, according to a United Press International report.

NEW DELHI: China’s military upgradation has set off alarm bells in the military establishment with the Navy maintaining that it would keep a close watch on the movement of Chinese nuclear submarines housed at the underground submarine base on the Hainan Island in South China Sea. Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, who earlier expressed concerns on the base, said on Friday that China transports a lot of oil through the Indian Ocean and has been quite keen on attaining quick access to the region. ``Chinese are very keen to have presence in the Indian Ocean and there is no doubt...

Ten years after India crashed the nuclear weapons club, the Bush administration is planning on rewarding it for its bad behavior. When India conducted nuclear tests on May 11 and May 13, 1998, the Clinton administration condemned the tests and imposed sanctions. But now the Bush administration is condoning India's actions. By provisionally agreeing to supply fuel, reactors and other technology to India's civilian nuclear sector, the United States is legitimizing a weapons project that India conceived in dishonesty. Back in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, India misused material and know-how provided by countries such as Canada and...

(ISLAMABAD, Pakistan) — Pakistan said it test-fired a short-range cruise missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead Thursday, one day after archrival India test-fired a long-range missile with nuclear capability. The 220-mile-range Pakistani missile, known as the Ra'ad or Hatf VIII, was developed exclusively for launch from aircraft, a military statement said. The statement did not disclose the launch site but said the missile "has special stealth capabilities," and is a "low altitude, terrain-following missile with high maneuverability." The missile "can deliver all types of warheads with great accuracy," the military said. Pakistan became a declared nuclear power in 1998...

British Airways takes beef off the menu to avoid offending Hindus Last updated at 16:37pm on 09.05.08For decades the national dish has been a staple meal on the national carrier. But now British Airways has taken beef off the menu for economy passengers amid concerns about its "religious restrictions". The airline has instead switched to a fish pie or chicken dish option for the so-called "cattle class" passengers. BA's second-biggest long-haul market is to India, where the majority Hindu population do not eat beef because of their beliefs. Scroll down for more... In-flight food: BA passengers will be served a...

An underground nuclear submarine base on China's Hainan Island is drawing scrutiny from the United States and India. According to satellite imagery on the Web sites of Jane's Intelligence Review and the Federation of American Scientists, the base has a sea entrance wide enough to allow submarines to enter the underground facilities. The photograph reveals what appears to be a ballistic missile submarine moored to one of the piers outside. Rumors of a nuclear submarine base had been swirling for a few years. Kurt Campbell, with the Center for a New American Security, says the satellite photographs confirm those suspicions...

You think a $100K salary is a lot? $500K? Please. The truly wealthy scoff at your paltry breadcrumbs. Then it came to pass that I stumbled across this story from Forbes magazine, which is officially called "Forbes" but is actually called "Forbes oh my God we worship ruthless CEOs like shiny meth in the summertime," and among the glittering ads for luxury intergalactic travel and sleek private jets and $50K Rolexes and big phallic yachts and surreal 20-page ad inserts for Abu Dhabi megadevelopments, there was an article about the new home being built in Mumbai right now for Mukesh...

LEMOORE NAVAL AIR STATION (CALIFORNIA): The race for a $10 billion Indian order for 126 fighters just got hotter with the US Navy enthusiastically batting for the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, saying it was best suited for an Indian Air Force (IAF) requirement for a multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA). Such was the spirit with which UN Navy pilots put the jet through its paces at this sprawling air base in central California that it left no doubt it was making a strong pitch for the fighter that it assisted Boeing in developing. "The F/A-18 has delivered on all that it...

TWO religiously identified new states emerged from the shards of the British Empire in the aftermath of World War II. Israel, of course, was one; the other was Pakistan. They make an interesting, if little compared pair. Pakistan's experience with widespread poverty, near-constant internal turmoil, and external tensions, culminating in its present status asnear-rogue state, suggests the perils that Israel avoided, with its stable, liberal political culture, dynamic economy, cutting-edge, hi-tech sector, lively culture and impressive social cohesion. But for all its achievements, the Jewish state lives under a curse that Pakistan and most other polities never face: the threat...

NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday entered a select club of nations possessing intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) with a range of up to 3,000 km, when it successfully test-fired, surface-to-surface nuclear-capable Agni-III missile. With this, the Indian security establishment has acquired the capability to hit targets deep inside China, including Beijing and Shanghai. The all-solid fuel missile took off from Wheelers Island off the coast of Orissa 9:56 am and achieved its full range and accuracy by reaching its pre-designated target in 800 seconds. ”The missile is now ready for induction,’’ visibly happy DRDO scientists said after the missile achieved...

The Indian media are reporting sustained internet-based attacks from China against Indian networks. These attacks, they say, are not just isolated incidents and are sophisticated and broad in scope. Government officials have confirmed off the record that the cyber warfare threat from China is much more serious than attacks carried out from other countries. They believe the Chinese attackers have been scanning and mapping India's networks for around one and a half years. They are primarily using bots – approximately 50,000 of which are currently installed on Indian systems, key loggers and network topology mapping, which allows information to be...

NEW DELHI: In a move to somewhat bridge the stark strategic imbalance with China in terms of nuclear and missile arsenals, India is all set to test its most ambitious missile Agni-III on Wednesday. The countdown for the launch of Agni-III, designed to hit high-value targets deep inside China with a strike range of 3,500-km, has begun at the integrated test range on Wheeler Island off the coast of Orissa. "The test will be conducted on Wednesday morning if there are no last-minute hitches. The final checks for all the sub-systems in the complex 16.7-metre tall missile, with a lift-off...

In 2002, I speculated that China may be something we have never seen before: a mature fascist state. Recent events there, especially the mass rage in response to Western criticism, seem to confirm that theory. More significantly, over the intervening six years China's leaders have consolidated their hold on the organs of control--political, economic and cultural. Instead of gradually embracing pluralism as many expected, China's corporatist elite has become even more entrenched. Even though they still call themselves communists, and the Communist Party rules the country, classical fascism should be the starting point for our efforts to understand the People's...

Michael Pillsbury, a Pentagon consultant on China, said recently that the U.S. strategy of "hedging" against an emerging military threat from Beijing by building up U.S. forces in the Pacific likely will continue whoever is elected president in November. Mr. Pillsbury made the comments during a panel discussion at a Jane's U.S. Defense Conference and noted that a key part of the strategy is the U.S. buildup of forces on Guam. The recent deployment of additional U.S. forces there prompted some "hysteria" from the state-run Chinese news media, he said. The hedge strategy, Mr. Pillsbury said, remains below the public...

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION Rise in demand is putting pressure on authorities Illegal immigrants fearful of being caught in stepped-up workplace raids are fueling a growing market in Houston for phony immigration and work documents. The result, experts say, is a glut of false, altered and counterfeit documents that are easily obtained at Houston-area flea markets, businesses and clandestine printing shops set up in homes and apartments. The bogus documents include counterfeit Texas driver's licenses, fake Social Security and "green cards," and even worthless international driver's licenses sold here and in other states. "You could put all of HPD full time on...

U.S. Wary Of Small Boat Terrorism As boating season approaches, the Bush administration wants to enlist America's 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline and inland waterways. According to an April 23 intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press, "The use of a small boat as a weapon is likely to remain al Qaeda's weapon of choice in the maritime environment, given its ease in arming and deploying, low cost, and record of success." While the United States...

In their attempts to deny, they confirmShrine Rector Confirms New Ecumenical Orientation at Fatima by John Vennari  After two months of silence, Fatima Shrine officials finally spoke publicly about the alleged plan to turn Fatima into an Interfaith Shrine. Three news reports came from Fatima on the subject. The first was a January 1 Zenit report on a December 28 Communiqué from Fatima Shrine Rector, Msgr. Guerra; the second was the Shrine's own web posting of the December 28 Communiqué that was somewhat different from what Zenit reported (the reason for which will be explained); the third was a brief...

ASIAN TSUNAMI WAS PRECEDED BY PROPHECY AND FOLLOWED BY REPORTS OF MIRACLESIn the gloom -- and it is gloom -- come the accounts of miracles. A missionary escaping the tsunami with thirty students calls out the Name of Jesus as a wave sweeps into a lagoon and the wave seems to halt. This in Navalady, Sri Lanka. There is also the young American couple at a beach in southern Thailand. Clinging to a jungle gym under a thatched roof in a play area, the man shouted prayers amid the flooding. The thatched roof lodged against the jungle gym, and they...

Millions of pilgrims on foot towards the Lourdes of the EastEach year, over 5 million faithful visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Vailankanni. Over 3 million of these undertake the journey between August 29th and September 8th to celebrate the Blessed Virgin, despite the searing heat and distance. Chennai (AsiaNews/Ucan) – As the end of August approached, groups of Marian devotees dressed in saffron dotted highways leaving Chennai. They walked a slow but steady pace in the sultry weather. While many walked barefoot, some carried flags and a few pulled small cars decorated with images of the Blessed Mother. Every...

BEIJING: Beijing came out with a fresh assessment of the Tibet situation on Monday, one in which it accused the Tibetan Young Congress (TYC) of links with the al-Qaida and terrorist organisations involved in the East Turkmenistan movement in west China's Xinjiang province. The analysis, released by the official Xinhua news agency, said that Dalai Lama's government-in-exile in India consists of several TYC leaders and cadre. "The TYC has become a terrorist organization as concepts of violence have taken root within it," Xinhua quoted official Tibetologist Liu Hongji as saying in an interview. "The group's shadow was evident when the...

Even as the world spins into a global food crisis, a popular theory — voiced by the likes of US President George W Bush and secretary of state Condoleezza Rice — is that the Chinese and Indians are responsible. The 'logic': due to zooming incomes, they are eating more, causing worldwide shortages. But is that true? Due to their huge populations, countries like India and China may appear to consume gigantic amounts of food. But the real elephant in the room that nobody is willing to talk about is how much each person gets to eat. And the answer will...

The Manipur government has decided to provide arms and ammunition to the people of the state to defend themselves from militants. Official sources said in Imphal on Saturday that the state cabinet, presided over by Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, discussed the issue on Friday night at a meeting, which lasted for over three hours. In the first phase, the people of Heirok and Chajing would be provided security by opening special posts, to be commanded by Special Police Officers. The people of Heirok in Thoubal district had been demanding arms, following the killing of three people by militants...

Alleged insult to the prophet sparks off violence in Ranchi May 1st, 2008 - 6:34 pm ICT by adminPolice disperse protesters at the Ranchi University gate on Thursday. They were protesting against an objectionable question on Prophet Muhammad in a history exam paper of the university. Ranchi, May 1 (IANS): Violence sparked off in Ranchi following agitation by the students of Muslim community to protest against the alleged insult to the prophet in a question asked in the exam on Thursday. Muslim students of Ranchi University alleged that one of questions in the History paper was an insult to Prophet...

The 6-year-old girl is recuperating at a state-run hospital in Mathura, the north Indian city where the alleged attack occurred, said Dr. Ramesh Kumar. She is considered a dalit _ a member of the lowest caste in India, where a system of rigid social hierarchy still lingers. The alleged attacker, Madan Singh, 22, comes from a higher caste.

We must stop looking at China through American glasses and formulate policies on bilateral issues exclusively on the basis of what suits our long-term goals in the region rather than an empty emotionalism suiting local page concerns. We have to remember that in the world of diplomacy, the strong speak less and just act when required. India's China policy must be based on strengthening our position internally and waiting patiently on the external front for our time to arrive. A rhetorical approach often turns into own goals and mars strategic prospects. As a democratic and pluralist nation as well as...

China has secretly built a major underground nuclear submarine base that could threaten Asian countries and challenge American power in the region, it can be disclosed. Satellite imagery, passed to The Daily Telegraph, shows that a substantial harbour has been built which could house a score of nuclear ballistic missile submarines and a host of aircraft carriers. In what will be a significant challenge to US Navy dominance and to countries ringing the South China Sea, one photograph shows China’s latest 094 nuclear submarine at the base just a few hundred miles from its neighbours. Other images show numerous warships...

On Iran’s nuclear policy, the India Prime Minister said that India has “officially supported” Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear activity. To a question on US concern about Iran’s nuclear intentions, he replied that New Delhi had already given “a very good and appropriate response to the other side.”

WASHINGTON: The "improvement in the diets of people in India and China", which is forcing the governments there to keep food "inside" is a cause for the current global supply shortage, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said. In an interactive session at the Peace Corps 2008 Country Directors Conference, Rice said the ongoing food crisis was mainly due to "four causes", even as she specifically pointed out the exchange rate and the simple "inability" of getting food to the people. "There are, kind of, four causes that we really have to look at. Weve got to understand better...

  Monday's launch was carried live on state television India is well known today for its software and information technology industry.Less well known is that in a nation where more than 300 million people live on less than $1 a day, it is also a real force to reckon with when it comes to top class rocket and satellite technology. On Monday the Indian space agency created a world record by successfully launching 10 satellites in one go. That shattered the previous record of a Russian rocket that successfully launched eight satellites last year. Launching 10 satellites requires immense...

Six international companies have submitted bids for a contract potentially worth more than $10 billion to build 126 multirole fighter jets, the Indian ministry of defense said. The international companies offered their proposals on the last day of bidding, a ministry spokesman said. The list of bidders will be reduced to two or three before a final decision is made, the spokesman said. The bidders include Lockheed and Boeing of the United States, MIG of Russia, Dassault of France, Saab of Sweden and European Aeronautic Defense and Space, the consortium that makes the Typhoon. The spokesman said the first batch...

Since 2005, Prachanda, the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), has become a lovable mascot of India's liberal elite. They see nothing but positive in him. His pre-2005 record has been forgotten -- the brutal massacre of innocent civilians in different parts of Nepal by the well-trained, well-armed and well-motivated insurgent army raised by him, his contacts with the Shining Path guerillas of Peru, his role in helping the Maoists in India, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, his fulminations against India, particularly against the Indian Army, his devotion to Mao Zedong's thoughts, his raising of his insurgent army with...

Ultimately, Maoists in Nepal have proved in the elections to the Constituent Assembly that power flows from the barrel of the gun. It must be noted that the strength of Royal Nepal Army is 20,000 as against much superior numerical strength of armed Maoists guerrillas and the quality of their arms. The recent elections in Nepal were peaceful but not free from fear. For a decade, the people of Nepal have suffered non-governmental conscription of innocent young boys and girls. Those who were resourceful escaped conscription of their wards. A few years back I wrote about my personal experience. A...

BANGALORE, India (AFP) — An Indian rocket blasted off and successfully launched a cluster of 10 satellites in a single mission Monday, marking a milestone for the country's 45-year-old space programme.The PSLV rocket lifted off at 9:20 am (0350 GMT) from the Sriharikota space station in southern India in clear weather, leaving behind a massive trail of orange and white smoke, on its 13th flight."The mission was perfect," G. Madhavan Nair, chairman of the Bangalore-based Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said after the launch telecast live by the broadcaster Doordarshan. "Team ISRO has done it again.""It is a historic moment...