Thursday, October 1, 2009

China vs India: Military might

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hina's military parade on the 60th anniversary of the Communist Party taking over was designed, right down the smallest detail, to prove the country's super-power status.
The world's other declared rising super-power watched the parade closely. And India's calculations reflected this.

China's army, with a little over 2 million soldiers, is double India's.

China's Air Force has 9,000 aircrafts with 2000 fighter planes. The Indian Air Force has 3,000 airplanes with 790 fighter planes.

China's combat power is guaranteed through its fleet of Russian Sukohi-30 MKK and indigenously built J-10 fighters.

The Indian Air Force, on the other hand, has French built-Dassault Mirage 2000s and Russian Sukohi-30 MKI as the best aircrafts in its combat fleet. No indigenous fighters or aircrafts have been deployed by India so far.

The Indian Navy is the world's eighth largest navy with a with a fleet of 145 vessels consisting of missile-capable warships, advanced submarines, the latest naval aircrafts, and an aircraft carrier in its inventory. It is experienced both in combat and rescue operations during wartime and peace, as seen from its wars with Pakistan in 1971, and the Tsunami that struck in December 2004.

In comparison, China's Navy with its fleet of 284 vessels is quantitatively larger but lacking in actual war experience, which could undermine its strategic capability. China currently has no aircraft carriers in its naval fleet but is slated to build and induct an aircraft carrier by 2010.

In strategic nuclear defence and delivery systems, China's army is miles ahead of India's nuclear forces with 200-400 active nuclear warheads. In comparison, India's strategic nuclear force is estimated to have stockpiled about 50-70 nuclear warheads.

The most powerful warhead tested by India had an yield of 0.05 megatons which is quite small compared to China's highest yield of 4 megatons. India's nuclear delivery system consists of bombers, supersonic cruise missiles and medium range ballistic missiles. Agni 2,

India's longest range deployed ballistic missile is capable of a range of 2500 km, carrying a single nuclear warhead of about 1000 kg. In stark contrast, China's nuclear delivery system is far more capable with multiple warheads.

US Cong passes bill to triple non-military aid to Pak

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ashington, Oct 1 (PTI) The US Congress has passed a bill to triple non-military aid to Pakistan to a whopping USD 7.5 billion till 2014 amid India's warning that such funds have been diverted in the past to support hostile operations against it and need to be monitored.

The US House of Representatives gave a go ahead to the bill despite strong misgivings voiced by lawmakers who said that Pakistan was not doing enough to fight the enemies.

"We cannot allow Al-Qaeda or any other terrorist groups that threatens US national interest to operate with impunity in the tribal regions or any other part of Pakistan," said Howard Berman, Chairman of the House Committee for Foreign Affairs.

Under the bill passed by voice vote yesterday, a week after the Senate okayed it, the non-military aid to Pakistan has been tripled to USD 1.5 billion per annum in a five year commitment.

Normalcy restored in AI operations, 18 flights take off

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ew Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) With the striking pilots getting back to work, operations of Air India returned to normal today with 18 of its flights taking off from the national capital.

"Flight operations have returned to normal and 18 of our morning flights have taken off for various destination as per schedule," an airlines official said.

The airlines' flights to Southeast Asia operated as per schedule. Air India also operated its Delhi-Frankfurt- Chicago, Mumbai-Frankfurt-Chicago, Mumbai-London, Delhi- London, Amritsar-London-Toronto and Ahmedabad-Frankfurt flights this morning.

At check-in counters at the airport here, AI officials offered passengers roses and apologised to them for the five days of disruption due to the strike.

In an attempt to attract more passengers, the airlines has planned to increase the number of seats offered on special fares, the official said.

ISRO develops tech to boost satellite life by 5 years

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angalore, Oct 1 (PTI) For the first time, India's space scientists have developed electric propulsion technology that is expected to boost the life of geostationary satellites by upto five years.

In other words, the satellites which today have a lifespan of ten years, could last upto 15 years.

The system - plasma thrusters - would be tested in GSAT-4 spacecraft slated to be launched on board GSLV later this year, ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair told PTI.

"Electric propulsion is going to be a unique thing. It will be used in GSAT-4. This is a concept we are going to prove in this (GSAT-4). Once proven, it can be adopted as standard for future geostationary orbits", he said.

So far, ISRO had been using chemical propulsion for station-keeping, altitude control, precision spacecraft control, stabilisation and orientation.

Man arrested for confining wife, daughters in house for 7 yrs

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umbai, Oct 1 (PTI) A 60-year-old man, who had allegedly locked up his wife and three daughters in a room for seven years fearing they would be raped if they ventured out, has been arrested.

"After preliminary investigations, we arrested the accused, Francis Gomes, late last night, for causing hurt to the victims and wrongfully confining them," Thane police inspector Ashok Pawar said today.

The hapless women were rescued by police on September 29 with the help of an NGO from their second floor flat in Neelambha Cooperative Housing Society at Naigaon in neighbouring Thane district.

However, Gomes in his statement to the police has refuted the allegations.

His wife Theresa in her complaint to the police had said that Gomes would lock them inside the house when he left for work in the morning and would return only in the night.

Arunachal can't be parted with at any cost: Pranab

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TANAGAR: Reiterating New Delhi's stand on frequent Chinese claims over Arunachal Pradesh, Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday
said the northeastern state "is an integral part of India which cannot be parted with at any cost".

"There's no question of surrendering our sovereignty," said Mukherjee, who had earlier served as the external affairs minister before taking charge of the finance portfolio.

With China often claiming that Arunachal is part of it, this frontier state has been an area of contention between the two countries over the past decade. The neighbouring country has also opposed the proposed November visit of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to Arunachal. Besides, the recent visits of President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the state have not gone down well with Beijing.

"India has conducted 11 rounds of talks with the neighbouring country. We have maintained during the meetings that Arunachal cannot be parted with at any cost. Things are moving in a positive direction after each round of talks," Mukherjee said.

On the traditional trade between the two Asian giants, he said business between India and the Tibet Autonomous Region of People's Republic of China ceased after the 1962 aggression.

"In 1988, then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had visited China and taken up the issue of border trade with Chinese authorities. During my tenure as a foreign minister in 1995, we had opened two border trade points in Lekula and Sipkilla. And, during the visit of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabow in 2006, it was agreed that another trade point be set up in Nathula," he added.

Mukherjee was here to release the manifesto of the ruling Congress for the October 13 elections to the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly.

Arunachal CM elected unopposed to assembly

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runachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu and two other ruling Congress candidates were declared elected unopposed, while a total of 154 candidates were left in the fray for the rest 57 assembly seats after withdrawal on Tuesday.

Along with Khandu (Mukto constituency), Tsewang Dhondup, sitting MLA from Tawang town and debutant Jambey Tashi (Lumla), all belonging to predominantly Buddhist Tawang district, were declared elected unopposed as no nominations were filed against them.

Congress has put up candidates for all the 60 seats going to polls on October 13.

NCP has 36 candidates and is followed by Trinamool Congress, which is contesting elections in this eastern most border state for the first time, with 26 aspirants.

The single largest opposition, BJP, has been debilitated due to the defection of all its nine MLAs and former Lok Sabha member, Kiren Rijiju, to the ruling Congress.

The party has put up candidates in only 18 seats this time against 39 in 2004.

Also in the fray are three candidates of JD(U), 11 of Peoples Party of Arunachal, a regional party, and three Independents.

This time another regional party, Arunachal Congress (AC), which had won two seats in 2004, did not put up any candidate and the ruling Congress claimed that the AC had merged with it.

In all, 11 of the 13 sitting MLAs, who were denied ticket by Congress, joined Trinamool Congress and 10 are contesting on its ticket. One sitting MLA and Congress deserter is contesting on NCP ticket.

In the last state assembly elections Congress won 34 seats, BJP nine, NCP and AC two each, while 13 seats went to Independents.

Kerala boat tragedy toll climbs to 37

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hekkady, (Kerala) Oct 1 (ANI): Rescuers on Thursday fished out five more bodies from the Thekkady Lake, taking the death toll from Wednesday’s boat tragedy to 37.



The tragedy occurred when the state-run double decker boat Jalakanyaka carrying 74 tourists tilted after several tourists moved to one side on sighting elephants in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary on the banks of the lake on Wednesday evening.



According to Kerala Government sources, a team of experienced divers extricated 36 bodies from the partly submerged boat.



The toll is likely to go up as some more people are yet to be traced, sources added.



Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Acchuthanandan has ordered for a judicial inquiry into the incident.



Acchuthanandan informed reporters that a sitting judge of the Kerala High Court would conduct the probe.



He announced a compensation of Rs five lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and said state authorities will ensure that bodies were handover quickly back to the families of the victims.



Among the deceased identified so far were nine each from Tamil Nadu and Delhi, six from West Bengal, four from Andhra Pradesh, three from Karnataka, one from Punjab, officials said. (ANI)

Police arrest Tibetan protestors in Delhi

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ew Delhi, Oct 1 (ANI): Over 20 Tibetans demonstrators were arrested for protesting in front of the Chinese embassy here on Thursday on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People''s Republic of China.

The protesters claimed that life in Tibet remains a day-to-day struggle to protect their culture and livelihood from Chinese tyranny.

The Tibetans also accused China of doing little to improve their lives and expressed resentment over Beijing''s restrictions on freedom and religion.

"They have made their country rich by sucking people''s blood. They do not follow the path of truth. They kill our people and make their country rich,” a protestor said.

"They (Chinese) are showing their power to the entire country. They are even trying to attack India. We Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) cannot sit quite. India is like our guide and we can even lay down our lives for it,” another protestor said.

Meanwhile, China stepped up its military presence in Tibet and refused travel permits to tourists, journalists and other international observers.

According to sources, an estimated 1,200 Tibetans remain unaccounted for following a violent crackdown on demonstrations in March 2008. (ANI)

Indian Air Force chopper rescues five teenagers from Andhra river

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ehboobnagar (Andhra Pradesh), Oct 1 (ANI): In a miraculous rescue, an Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper has rescued five teenagers, who got stuck midstream in a river in Mehboobnagar of Andhra Pradesh.

Seven children had got caught in a small rivulet, midstream while trying to cross it, as the water level rose suddenly.

While two of the boys swam away to safety, the other five were stuck in midstream, three of them hanging onto some bushes to save themselves from being washed away.

The authorities contacted the IAF following which a helicopter was immediately sent for the rescue operation.

The helicopter airlifted the stranded teenagers watched over by hundreds of people. (ANI)