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Russia in dogfight for India contract By James Lamont in New Delhi Published: March 11 2010 23:28 | Last updated: March 11 2010 23:28 Vladimir Putin, Russia’s prime minister, will be fighting to maintain his country’s supremacy as India’s largest arms supplier as he arrives for talks in New Delhi on Friday. For the past six decades Moscow has supplied the bulk of New Delhi’s military hardware, from submarines to Sukoi jets. But Russia faces stiff competition from the US, Europe and other arms-producing countries such as Israel. The world’s largest democracy stands at the crossroads over the supply of...

The conventional wisdom concerning the Indian economy has two tenets: (1) India has weathered the financial crisis exceptionally well; and (2) India is still undergoing liberalizing reform. Both of those tenets, though, can reasonably be questioned. Reported Indian GDP growth fell to 6.0 percent in the October-December quarter of 2009, lower than the 6.2 percent in the same quarter of 2008. By itself this decrease is not important, but it comes at a time of high inflation and a dangerously large budget deficit. Under such circumstances, 6 percent growth is not much of an accomplishment. More telling for the long...

THE TIMES OF INDIA: Diphu (Assam) - "HUGE QUANTITIES OF EXPLOSIVES RECOVERED, TWO ARRESTED" SNIPPET: "... at Bokajan area and recovered 1200 detonators, 75 kg of explosives and five kgs of fuse wire, which they had kept concealed inside boxes of tomatoes. The duo, identified as Tazika and Thuk from Nagaland's Phek district, were arrested, sources..."

Gorshkov, the "festering sore" in Indo-Russian relations PTI New Delhi, March 10, 2010 Soviet-era aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov had always been a major irritant in Indo-Russian relations after it was marred by a series of price disputes and delayed deliveries. The legendary Soviet Navy Commander-in-Chief of the Cold War era and a friend of India after whom the carrier has been named would not have thought that the eponymously named aircraft carrier would become a "festering sore" in otherwise warm bilateral relations. As the two sides haggled for almost three years over the Russian demand for a price over three...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-memorandum-regarding-india Home • Briefing Room • Presidential Actions • Presidential Memoranda The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release February 03, 2010 Presidential Memorandum Regarding India Presidential Determination No. 2010-04 MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE SUBJECT: Certifications Pursuant to Section 104 of the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act Regarding the Safeguards Agreement Between India and the International Atomic Energy Agency Pursuant to section 104 of the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act (Public Law 110-369), I hereby determine and certify that: 1....

India and Russia are expected to sign the first of a series of agreements for the development of fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) to meet futuristic requirements of the Indian Air Force during Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to New Delhi later this week "We expect to ink the agreement for the development of FGFA design and its technical parameters after March 10," sources in the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said. The comments come ahead of Putin's two-day visit to New Delhi begining Thursday. The twin-stick two seater version of the futuristic multi-role fighter jet for the IAF would...

WASHINGTON: The CIA on Tuesday warned India and Brazil that they face "emerging threats" from al-Qaida and Taliban, though the terrorist outfits are "on the run" due to extreme pressure exerted on them in Afghanistan and Pakistan. CIA Director Leon Panetta, said that the US spy agency has a "fundamental duty to provide warning and prevent surprise," which also refers to "emerging threats" to nations like Brazil and India, indicating the need for growing cooperation between the US and India on intelligence sharing. Intense operations have put top al-Qaida and Taliban leaders under extreme pressure and "many of them are...

Government expressed serious concern over the US equipping Pakistan army with modern weapons and asked Washington to ensure that they were not used against India. "United States decision to provide sophisticated weapons (to Pakistan) is a matter of serious concern to India. The US should ensure that these weapons are not targeted against India", Defence Minister A K Antony told reporters here Saturday. Noting that the issue had already been taken up with the US defence weapons, Pakistan , US, army Secretary during his visit to India recently, he said the American explanation that Pakistan army has to be strengthened...

$11 bn in the balance, a no-show by Gripen fighter The high-voltage $11 bn contest to sell India 126 Medium Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MMRCA) is reaching the end of the trials phase Ajai Shukla / New Delhi March 9, 2010, 0:43 IST The high-voltage $11 billion contest to sell India 126 Medium Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MMRCA) is reaching the end of the trials phase in a blaze of potential controversy. Today, the last of the six contenders being evaluated by the Indian Air Force — the Swedish Gripen — will fly into Bangalore for trials. But Business Standard has learnt...

The confrontation in the Indian subcontinent among al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and their allies on the one hand, and the three democracies they target -- Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India -- on the other hand must be reevaluated in terms of international cooperation against the jihadi threat. A regional system should be established to integrate the struggle against all jihadi forces in the subcontinent. There needs to be a separation of the ethnic and territorial questions from the fight against terrorism. Once that distinction is made, the possibility of internationalization of counterterrorism will be high. Jihadists based in any country of the...

India is seeking another 42 Su-30MKI fighters from Russia. The negotiations have been going on for months, in an effort to get the right price. India buys bare bones fighters from Russia, and equips these Su-30MKIs with Israeli sensors and communications gear. India has about a hundred Su-30MKIs in service, and is building about one a month under license. India bought fifty in the late 1990s, and another 40 three years ago. This is in addition to the license to build 140 locally. India wants to have nearly 300 within five years, partly because of the increasing threat of invasion...

The CIA has paid millions of dollars to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) since 9/11, "accounting for as much as one-third of the foreign spy agency's annual budget", says a media report. The ISI also collected "tens of millions of dollars through a classified CIA programme", which pays for the capture or killing of wanted militants, a newspaper reported on Monday citing current and former US officials. An intense debate has been triggered within the US government due to "long-standing suspicions that the ISI continues to help Taliban extremists who undermine US efforts in Afghanistan and provide sanctuary to Al Qaeda...

The middle classes have always been the bulwark of society. Aristotle believed they were democracy's secret weapon—the protectors of social values, the moderators of political extremism, ramparts of reason over fiat, and believers in a society run by laws instead of by strongmen. They have also been the engines of economic growth, setting the stage centuries ago for the expansion of capitalism and global trade, and continuing through the ages to snap up every new gadget or service in sight. Now, with the Western middle classes sinking into debt and distress, many economists look to a new emerging-market_middle_class as the...

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Indian Government on Saturday expressed serious concern over the US equipping Pakistan army with modern weapons and asked Washington to ensure that they were not used against India. "United States' decision to provide sophisticated weapons (to Pakistan) is a matter of serious concern to India. The US should ensure that these weapons are not targeted against India", Defence Minister A K Antony told reporters here. Noting that the issue had already been taken up with the US Defence Secretary during his visit to India recently, he said the American explanation that Pakistan army has to be strengthened to...

National Security Advisor (NSA) Shivshankar Menon today assured President Hamid Karzai that New Delhi will continue its developmental efforts in Afghanistan. But India has temporarily suspended its medical mission in Kabul that was the target of a suicide attack last Friday. While Menon, in his interaction with Karzai and top Afghan officials, made it clear that reconstruction efforts will not be affected, sources said India will take a more cautious approach after the third major attack on its establishments here in the last two years. The Karzai government assured Menon that security for Indian establishments across Afghanistan would be increased...

WASHINGTON: A top American official on Thursday reeled back his remarks about a terrorist attack on Indians in Kabul that New Delhi found callous and offensive, providing a brief respite from growing US support for Pakistani interests in the region. Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration's Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, had caused dismay and anger in India earlier this week by suggesting that Indians were not the target of the terrorist attack in Kabul and there were ''other foreigners, non-Indian foreigners,'' who were also victims. ''Let's not jump to conclusions,'' Holbrooke advised about an attack that Indian and Afghan...

Killed, aborted or neglected, at least 100m girls have disappeared—and the number is rising IMAGINE you are one half of a young couple expecting your first child in a fast-growing, poor country. You are part of the new middle class; your income is rising; you want a small family. But traditional mores hold sway around you, most important in the preference for sons over daughters. Perhaps hard physical labour is still needed for the family to make its living. Perhaps only sons may inherit land. Perhaps a daughter is deemed to join another family on marriage and you want someone...

Russia and India are expected to sign three contracts in military technical cooperation totaling $4 billion, including retrofitting the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier during Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to India, Vedomosti Russian daily reported. A $2.35-billion contract between Russia's state-controlled arms exporter Rosoboronexport and the Indian Defense Ministry on refitting the INS Vikramaditya (Admiral Gorshkov) and the $1.2-billion contract on delivery of MiG-29K/KUB carrier-based fighters will be signed during Putin's visit to India on March 11-12. The Vikramaditya is currently undergoing repairs and refit at the Sevmash shipyard in Russia. The initial refit agreement of $970 million went...

Thirty-seven children have been killed in a stampede at a temple in India. The youngsters' bodies, together with those of 27 women, have been recovered by police in Kunda, Uttar Pradesh. A stampede broke out as thousands of people jostled each other to get free clothes and utensils being distributed during a religious ceremony. An under-construction gate collapsed on the crowd as people surged forward towards a local holy man, police said.

Mumbai is in turmoil after Islamic jihadists attack many parts of this commercial city. At that moment at least 125 people have been killed in this ongoing carnage and clearly the security forces of India are at a loss. After all, the response was rather aimless during the first 24 hours. Therefore, Islamists were given a free reign for far too long during the initial stages. Obviously, at the moment the mass media is clutching at straws with regards to why this attack was so violent. Yet in the "cold light of day" it is clear that terrorism is a...

ndian officials have described as “absolutely incorrect” the statement by Washington's AfPak envoy, Richard Holbrooke, that India was not the target of last week's terrorist attack in Kabul. The officials expressed surprise and even consternation at this assertion, which, they said, ignored the fact that the terrorists' primary target was a building used by the Indian medical mission. The U.S. assessment, they said, also ran counter to what Afghanistan's intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, has established so far. On Tuesday, NSD spokesman Saeed Ansari told AP in Kabul that there was evidence Urdu-speaking Pakistanis from the Lashkar-e-Taiba had...

The major flight trials of Russia's fifth generation fighter aircraft will begin in April, 2010, at Gromov R&D Institute, in Zhukovsky. According to a report by RIA Novosti, the statement was conveyed on Monday by the sources from Sukhoi Company. In Feb, 2010 the fifth generation fighter aircraft made its first test flight in Komsomolsk-na-Amure. "Before it passes to the serial production stage, the aircraft should make about 2000 flights. Judging by the way the work is organised (as per PAK FA) we have no doubts that we will succeed in it and our armed force will get the aircraft...

A Russian-Indian fifth-generation fighter jet could be developed by 2015-2016, a Russian defense industry official said on Tuesday. Moscow and New Delhi are expected to sign a contract on a joint development of the new fighter in the near future, focusing on the design concept and technical requirements put forward by India. "I hope that we will be able to build a joint fifth-generation aircraft in the next five to six years. It is a time-consuming and complex project," said Alexander Fomin, first deputy head of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation. The new aircraft will be most...

India and Russia are negotiating a new contract on the delivery of 42 Su-30MKI to the Indian Air Force, an Indian newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing military sources. According to the Daily News and Analysis newspaper, the new deal, which is reportedly worth more than $3 billion, has been in the works for several months. The new air-superiority fighters will come on top of the 230 already contracted from Russia in three deals worth a total of $8.5 billion. "The [new] order is being placed due to the insufficient number of fighter squadrons in the Indian Air Force and would...

There is a marvellous passage in Kim where Kipling good-humouredly pats himself on the back and is asking for our applause for the way that he has totally immersed himself in India, and has mastered all the nuances of caste, creed and etiquette. Practically every Westerner writing gushingly about India commits unforgiveable solecisms- there are traps for the unwary and untutored. Modern films like the ridiculous “Gandhi’ are the most egregious sinners. Here is the passage from Kim....

There may be more than 600 million metric tons of water ice sitting in craters at the moon’s north pole. The discovery, made by an Indian spacecraft, could mean big things for human colonization of our nearest neighbor. BBC: A radar experiment aboard India’s Chandrayaan-1 lunar spacecraft has identified thick deposits of water ice near the Moon’s north pole. The US space agency’s (Nasa) Mini-Sar experiment found more than 40 small craters containing water ice. Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8544635.stm

India Prepares for a Two-Front War This isn't just a change in military doctrine—it's a reflection of America's declining power in Asia. By DAN BLUMENTHAL There is one country responding to China's military build-up and aggressiveness with some muscle of its own. No, it is not the United States, the superpower ostensibly responsible for maintaining peace and security in Asia. Rather, it is India, whose military is currently refining a "two-front war" doctrine to fend off Pakistan and China simultaneously. Defending against Pakistan isn't anything new, and Delhi has long viewed China with suspicion. But in recent years India has...

Russia is buying the largest number of new tanks this year, 300 T-90s, than it has in nearly two decades. During the Cold War, the Russian Army often received over a thousand new tanks a year. But when the Cold War ended in 1991, so did the large procurement budgets for the Russian military. Meanwhile, the biggest user of the T-90 is India, which has been buying them for $3.2 million each. This is about a third less that a new M-1, with similar capabilities, would cost. The most recent M-1 model costs twice that. Four years ago, India adopted...

New Delhi: A host of big ticket agreements, including at least three major defence deals and a contract for a dozen nuclear reactors, are likely to be signed by India and Russia when prime minister Vladimir Putin visits the country in the second week of March, government officials said.

RIYADH: India will grow at the rate of 9 to 10 percent for the next 25 years, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here on Monday. "Despite the economic slowdown, we hope to achieve a growth rate of 7.5 percent in the current financial year," the economist-turned-prime minister told the Majlis-ash-Shura, the Saudi parliament. "In the next 25 years, we aspire to (having) growth rates of between 9 and 10 percent annually. This will enable us to lift millions of our people out of poverty so as to transform India into one of the largest economies of the world." The speech...

Blast rocks Navy sub, sailor killed TNN, Feb 26, 2010, 01.05am IST NEW DELHI: A sailor was killed and some others injured when a blast occured in one of the Navy's Russian-origin Kilo-class submarines at Visakhapatnam in the east coast on Friday afternoon. The submarine, INS Sidhurakshak, was fortunately docked at the harbour when the explosion took place in the battery compartment of the vessel. "A board of inquiry has been ordered to find out the exact reason behind the explosion... it's too early to come to any conclusion. The submarine did not suffer major damage," said an officer. If...

A day after India and Pakistan held their first official talks since the Mumbai terror attacks, Taliban militants targeted central Kabul guest houses frequented by Indians, opening fire, hurling grenades and blowing themselves up to leave at least 18 people dead and 32 injured. Nine among the dead were Indians. The Noor guest house, home to the Indian medical mission and the Army training team, was one of the main targets. Indian Embassy sources identified six of the dead Indians as Major Dr Laishram Jyotin Singh of Army Medical Corps, Major Deepak Yadav of Army Education Corps, engineer Bhola Ram,...

Guwahiti, India, Feb 26, 2010 / 11:40 am (CNA).- Bishops in India have responded to the publication an image of Christ in a children's textbook that shows Jesus holding a beer in one hand, a cigarette in the other, and the word "Idol" beneath. Although "deeply offended," the bishops said they are against seeking an "anti-blasphemy law" in the country.A statement from the Indian bishops, who holding a bishops' conference meeting in Guwahiti until March 3, was issued on Thursday. "We are deeply offended by the blasphemous image of Christ used on school books and on posters," they said in...

ndia and Pakistan held their first formal talks in 14 months yesterday, seeking to put their volatile relationship back on track after it was derailed by the devastating 2008 Mumbai attacks. Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir met for three hours in New Delhi for talks that offered little hope of a breakthrough, but carried vital importance for regional peace and stability. Arguments over the agenda and a brief exchange of fire between Indian and Pakistani border guards before the meeting augured badly for major progress, with the probable best-case scenario an agreement to keep...

In a strange twist of fate, a former province of the then USSR — Ukraine — is emerging as the likely meeting point for naval aviators from India and China as the two countries try to rapidly acquire the capabilities to build and operate aircraft carriers of the future. A small aircraft carrier training base on the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine is the most sought after training facility for both countries that are planning to induct modern aircraft carriers in the next five years. While India, which has been operating aircraft carriers for the past 50 years, wants to use...

It’s a truism that the 21st century future of not just Asia, but the entire world, will be significantly determined by the relationship between the globe’s two fastest-growing large economies, China and India. As most observers know, there have long been kinks in the political military relationship between the two countries, most notably their direct armed confrontation in 1962. This was generally seen as a military victory for China, and provoked a thoroughgoing rejection of the generally pacifist policy of India’s founding Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Indeed, this resulted in a significant militarization of India’s foreign policy throughout the 1960s...

U.S. Sells Arms to South Asian Rivals Washington Increases Weapons Transfers to India and Pakistan to Maintain Neutrality, Aid Industry By YOCHI J. DREAZEN And AMOL SHARMA The Obama administration is sharply expanding American weapons transfers to both India and Pakistan, longtime rivals about to sit down for peace talks Thursday. The U.S. has sought to remain neutral in the thorny relationship between the nuclear-armed neighbors. But Washington hasn't been shy about pursuing weapons deals in the region, which officials say will lead to closer ties with each country while creating new opportunities for American defense firms. The U.S. has...

NEW DELHI: Taking a serious view of some TV channels airing interviews of terrorists, the government issued a fresh advisory to the electronic media to exercise caution while covering incidents of terror attacks. "This is in continuation of the directives issued by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on November 27, 2008 and December 3, 2008, regarding the coverage of incidents by electronic media during terrorist attacks in Mumbai. "In the said directive, TV channels were asked to exercise caution while providing coverage to the incidents to avoid any adverse consequences on the rescue operations," the advisory from the ministry said....

NEW DELHI: Barely days before the Indo-Pak engagement, Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed has surfaced, inciting jihad against India. At a ‘Kashmir solidarity’ rally in Lahore, Saeed, accused by India of masterminding the Mumbai terror attack, was back at spewing venom against India saying jihadis were willing to go a long way for liberating Kashmir. The leader of the banned outfit, who clearly timed his rally ahead of the Indo-Pak talks, told a huge gathering of his supporters that jihad was the only option left as India would never let go of Kashmir. Threatening India with dire consequences he further said...

India and France are now finally close to inking the around Rs 10,000 crore project to upgrade the Mirage-2000 fighter jets in the IAF combat fleet after protracted negotiations. The first four to six IAF Mirages will be upgraded in France, while the rest 50 will equipped with new avionics, weapon and sensor suites to enhance their combat edge by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd in India under transfer of technology in the project. "It (the project finalisation) should happen shortly,'' IAF chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik told TOI on Monday. This will be the second such big programme with...

12,000 old missiles a bother for army Josy Joseph / DNAWednesday, New Delhi: Dated weapons are a headache. And the army is beginning to realise it as it looks for ways to dispose off — hold your breath — 12,000 missiles. The anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), which are now over 20 years old, were originally manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and were to serve for a decade. The missiles were on a life extension. “We have decided to dispose them off, but need to figure out how,” said a senior officer at the army headquarters. He said the 12,000...

The IAF has grounded its entire MiG-27 aircraft fleet for checks following last week's air crash near Hashimara in which an ace fighter pilot was killed. It also ordered examination of the aircraft following preliminary report of the court of inquiry suggesting that the mishap could have taken place due to failure of "low pressure turbine blades", a problem tackled only at the overhaul or fourth line servicing stage. "The MiG-27 aircraft are not flying till the checks ordered on the fleet are completed," a senior IAF officer said here on Monday. The IAF flies around 160 MiG-27 swing wing...

The IAF is planning to hold a joint war game with the Chinese Air Force in 2012, even as it prepares to showcase its capabilities to fight a war during "day, dusk and night" on February 28 in Rajasthan. The planning for the joint exercise with China's People’s Liberation Army (Air Force) had already commenced and the exercise will be held keeping with its policy of joining an international war game biennially, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik told reporters here on Monday. "As far as China is concerned, around 2012 we hope we will also be able...

Indian defence minister AK Antony has confirmed that India will indeed order an additional 29 MiG-29K combat jets for the Indian Navy over and above the initial order placed for 16 such fighters. "As per the navy's requirements we will be buying 29 additional fighter aircraft from Russia," Antony told reporters after formally inducting the navy's first four MiG-29Ks. He, however, did mention any time frame for the supply of the fresh batch. The induction ceremony was held at the navy's shore-based establishment at Dabolim, INS Hansa, and was marked by a spectacular fly past performed by the newly inducted...

ebruary 21, 2010: An Indian firm (Metaltech) has created what amounts to an armored golf cart for protecting facilities and chasing down terrorists. The ATAC (Anti-Terrorist Assault Cart) looks like an enclosed golf cart, and it is armored (in addition to some large bulletproof windows) to protect the two people inside from bullets and grenade fragments. ATAC has firing ports so the crew can shoot back. The $45,000 vehicle is battery powered, and can operate for six hours between recharges. Top speed for the half ton vehicle is 25 kilometers an hour and it is small enough to move around...

PESHAWAR: The Taliban has reportedly beheaded two Sikhs in Pakistan's lawless tribal region bordering Afghanistan and sent the heads to a gurdwara. Jaspal Singh and Mahan Singh, both businessmen, were kidnapped from Tira Valley, in Khyber agency, and Darra Adamkheil, in Orakzai agency, on January 19 and held for ransom. Sources in the area told TOI on Sunday that they were killed because they were paying `protection' money to a rival faction. However, according to security sources in New Delhi, Jaspal and Mahan were reportedly told to convert to Islam or face death. When they refused, their heads were chopped...

SNIPPET: "Three prestigious global sports events are scheduled to take place in India between now and the end of the year---the World Cup Hockey, the IPL Cricket League and the Commonwealth Games. 2. These events will atract the attention of not only the sports enthusiasts of the world, but also of the terrorists with a global or an anti-Indian agenda who will look upon the events as an opportunity to publicise their cause and to demonstrate their capability to take the intelligence and security agencies by surprise. Even if they are not able to carry out any terrorist strike on...

India, alarmed at Chinese claims on its northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, will deploy six of the first eight squadrons of its new Akash air defense system there. Akash is Indian designed, developed and manufactured, and is modeled on the older, but successful, Russian SA-6 system. Akash is meant to replace some very old Russian air defense systems India is still using. Each 1,543 pound Akash missile has a 132 pound warhead, a range of 27 kilometers and can kit targets as high as 49,000 feet, or as low as 66 feet. Each squadron has eight launchers (each carrying three...

GAUHATI, India - Authorities in a Christian-majority state in India's remote northeast have confiscated all copies of a school textbook that carried a picture of Jesus Christ holding a can of beer and a cigarette, an official said Saturday. The primary school textbook, which teaches cursive handwriting, used the picture of Jesus on the page for the letter 'I' — to represent Idol. Ampareen Lyngdoh, education minister of Meghalaya state, strongly criticized the illustration.

NEW DELHI: US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry, who is on a visit to Capital to share foreign policy notes with the government, has failed to find any takers for his views in the Indian establishment. Mr Kerry, who met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, defence minister A K Antony and National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon has annoyed the Indian side by insisting that India must talk to Pakistan. The advice, coming just two days after the Pune bomb blast, has not gone down very well with the Indian side. Even though the Indian government has decided to go...