Here is the US news from Bangalore

In an office in central Bangalore, dozens of employees are arriving to work on the night shift.
They are journalists employed by the world's biggest news agency, Reuters.
Their job is to cover US financial news.
And they are working overnight so that they can report company news live as it happens on the New York Stock Exchange - from India.
Cost savings
But why in the world is Reuters covering Wall Street from Bangalore?
In a word: salaries.
These Indian financial journalists can be employed by Reuters for a fraction of the cost of employing a journalist at their New York office.
Reuters Editor-in-Chief, David Schlesinger, says that the move meant that they could broaden their coverage of US companies without incurring crippling costs.
Whatever the risks and benefits, outsourcing is here to stay.
World Association of Newspapers
He was able to hire 100 new journalists in Bangalore without in any way reducing the size of his New York office.
"Now we can send our New York journalists out to do more interesting stories. This is good for our business and good for journalism," he told the BBC.
And some other wire services are now following Reuters' lead and beating a path to Bangalore, according to local journalists.
But Mr Schlesinger insists that this is not outsourcing.
"Bangalore is a Reuters bureau like any other in the world. And Reuters journalists there work to the standards as Reuters journalists anywhere."
Internet journalism
Such a system has only recently become feasible - as a result of the internet.

Getting ready for the working day in the Bangalore newsroom
Most US companies now put out their press releases on the internet, and they all use financial PR firms to release their profit figures just as the stock market opens.
So Reuters journalists in Bangalore can access the same basic information - in the same time frame - as their colleagues in New York.
And the reduced cost of telecommunications links means that the news written in Bangalore can be sent around the world as quickly as the news written in New York - of key importance for a wire service, which depends on speed for its competitive advantage.
Reuters already knew about the data transmission capability of India.
In 2004, two years after it first established a corporate presence here, it moved its IT database operations to Bangalore.
It now employs 1,500 people to make sure that its clients receive the millions of bits of financial data it transmits every day.
Dateline: India
But, nevertheless, Reuters was taking a big gamble in trying to source its company news from India, as Abi Sekimitsu, the Reuters editor assigned to run the Bangalore office, explains.

Bangalore bureau chief Abi Sekimitsu has seen staff leave
"The Reuters brand is a strong one. There is no shortage of talented journalists here, but we need to train them up carefully to make sure they understand our values," she says.
But she stresses the journalists she employs are now eager to expand the range of stories they do, and have already moved from just doing headlines and summaries to writing more complex stories.
The Reuters journalists working in Bangalore do find some aspects of the job intimidating.
For Ankur Relia, covering the New York financial markets has taken some getting used to.

Ankur Relia writes 20 company news stories a day
He writes up to 20 brief stories a day reporting briefly on US company results.
But he is happy to defer to the New York office if a more complicated story involving a major US company passes his way.
To maintain their exacting standards, Reuters has recently created a new post in the Bangalore office - an additional training editor.
And they have hired a former Bloomberg employee and CNBC TV presenter, Kavita Chandran, on a two-year assignment.
Kavita, an Indian national, had been working for Bloomberg in New York.
She says it has been hard to adjust to coming back to Bangalore - but it is a very exciting time.
"We have a bright, enthusiastic young staff, who are eager to learn about US markets.
"I encourage them to read the NY Times and Wall St Journal online every day."
But she finds there are some cultural differences between work styles in the US and India that need tackling.
"Indian culture is much more laid-back and the work ethic is different. We need to install a sense of urgency, especially for breaking news, and ensure crisp and accurate copy."
"My role is really to clear up the cultural misunderstandings," she says.
"Being Indian, but having worked for more than 10 years in New York, I can spot the difficulties in communication and language between the two offices."
Turnover problems
However, the biggest problem that Reuters is facing in Bangalore is something they did not expect - turnover.
GLOSSARY
Outsourcing: Moving company functions from internal departments to external firms
Offshoring: Relocating corporate activities overseas.
Nearshoring: Relocating offshore activities nearer the client's home country
BPO: Business processing outsourcing - moving white collar tasks like accounting or invoicing. to an external firm
Captive firms: Companies owned by foreign multinationals who perform outsourcing services for the parent firm
UK call centres/US contact centers: Offices where workers provide telephone customer services like sales
Despite paying above the going rate for journalists, the turnover of staff in Bangalore is high compared with other Reuters offices.
"I am a Reuters lifer," Ms Sekimitsu told the BBC. "When I joined Reuters in Hong Kong, I planned to make my career in the firm. But some of the young journalists I am employing seem to think that a year is a long time to work for one company."
It's not just competition from rivals that have caused the problem.
India's economic boom - and the deregulation of television - has led to an explosion in financial journalism, with six financial news channels on cable TV.
And salaries of financial journalists on newspapers are rising as well.
With many financial journalists attracted to working in Mumbai, India's financial capital, Reuters is finding it increasingly difficult to retain its staff.
Newspaper outsourcing
Reuters' Bangalore operation is only one example of a broader trend in outsourcing by media organisations.
Many American newspapers, facing severe cost pressures, are looking to outsource many of their key functions to India.
Recent moves have included:
Columbus Dispatch: Ohio newspaper outsourced 90 jobs in advertising design to Affinity Express in Pune, India
Dallas Morning News: IT computer support outsourced to India
Knight Ridder Group: Considered outsourcing its copy editing to India in 2006, before being taken over by McClatchy
According to the World Association of Newspapers, the trend is gathering strength.
In a report published last year, the organisation said that "whatever the risks and benefits, outsourcing is here to stay".
"The newspaper industry has only taken tentative steps into outsourcing what was once considered core competencies such as editorial, advertising, and circulation. But the trend is gaining momentum," it added.
And the BBC too
And it is not just newspapers that are taking advantage of the cost savings of outsourcing to India.
The BBC recently announced that it would save £20m by outsourcing its payroll and expenses services to Xansa, based in Madras, India, although customer support would still be based in the UK.
Savings will go towards the BBC's target of releasing £355m of savings to invest in programmes and services.
"The BBC is taking advantage of the significant savings of globalisation while maintaining the benefits of more local customer support," the corporation said.

Outsourcing impact 'exaggerated'

Globalisation is a word that is on everyone's lips these days, from politicians to businessmen. BBC News is launching a major examination of the subject.
Few places in the world have seen the dramatic effects of globalisation more than Bangalore, the Silicon Valley of India, which is experiencing an unprecedented IT boom that is transforming the prospects of the Indian economy.
For Santosh, a tour guide in Bangalore, life is good. As a result of the IT boom, he has launched his own web-based travel firm, getoffurass.com, and is doing a booming business selling weekend getaway holidays to stressed-out IT workers.

For Dean Braid, a skilled car engineer in Flint, Michigan, life is not so good. He - and 28,000 other workers - were laid off from Buick City when GM closed the complex in 1999, and hasn't worked since.
Globalisation is blamed for many of the ills of the modern world, but it is also praised for bringing unprecedented prosperity.
But what is globalisation, and what are the forces that are shaping it?
Globalisation - good or bad?
The accelerating pace of globalisation is having a profound effect on life in rich and poor countries alike, transforming regions such as Detroit or Bangalore from boom to bust - or vice versa - in a generation.

Many economists believe globalisation may be the explanation for key trends in the world economy such as:
Lower wages for workers, and higher profits, in Western economies
The flood of migrants to cities in poor countries
Low inflation and low interest rates despite strong growth
And globalisation has played a key role in the unprecedented increase in prosperity in the last 50 years, which is now spreading from the United States and Europe to include many formerly poor countries in Asia, including China and India.
Defining globalisation
In economic terms, globalisation refers to the growing economic integration of the world, as trade, investment and money increasingly cross international borders (which may or may not have political or cultural implications).

Globalisation is not new, but is a product of the industrial revolution. Britain grew rich in the 19th century as the first global economic superpower, because of its superior manufacturing technology and improved global communications such as steamships and railroads.
But the pace, scope and scale of globalisation have accelerated dramatically since World War II, and especially in the last 25 years.
The rapid spread of information technology (IT) and the internet is changing the way companies organise production, and increasingly allowing services as well as manufacturing to be globalised.

Globalisation is also being driven by the decision by India and China to open their economies to the world, thus doubling the global labour force overnight.
The role of trade
Trade has been the engine of globalisation, with world trade in manufactured goods increasing more than 100 times (from $95bn to $12 trillion) in the 50 years since 1955, much faster than the overall growth of the world economy.
Since 1960, increased trade has been made easier by international agreements to lower tariff and non-tariff barriers on the export of manufactured goods, especially to rich countries.

Apple's new iPhone will be outsourced to Asian manufacturers
Those countries which have managed to increase their role in the world trading system by targeting exports to rich countries - such as Japan, Korea and now China - have seen dramatic increases in their standard of living.
In the post-war years more and more of the global production has been carried out by big multinational companies who operate across borders.
Multinationals have become increasingly global, locating manufacturing plants overseas in order to capitalise on cheaper labour costs or to be closer to their markets.
And globalisation is even harder to track now that one-third of all trade is within companies, for example Toyota shipping car parts from Japan to the US for final assembly.
More recently, some multinationals like Apple have become "virtual firms" outsourcing most of their production to other companies, mainly in Asia.
Service sector globalisation
It is not only the Western manufacturing industry that is under threat from globalisation.
The services sector, which includes everything from hairdressers to education to accounting and software development, is also increasingly affected by globalisation.

India dominates the global IT services sector
Many service sector jobs are now under threat from outsourcing and offshoring, as global companies try to save money by shifting many functions that were once done internally.
What China has become to manufacturing, India has become to the new world of business process outsourcing (BPO) - which includes everything from payroll to billing to IT support.

India is the world's leading exporter of IT services, with its volume of offshore business doubling every three years.
Every major international company in the IT industry now has a huge presence in India, and plans to expand its investments.
The Bangalore Tigers
Several dynamic new Indian companies are now challenging the multinationals for global leadership in this area, including TCS, Infosys and WIPRO.

1.4 million people applied to work at Infosys in Bangalore last year
The IT services boom has helped to transform the Indian economy, which is now growing at more than 9% per year, the same rate as China.
The new-found affluence of the young workers in the IT sector has in turn changed attitudes to wealth and consumption in India - with educated young people for the first time being able to afford such luxuries as motor cars and home ownership.
Western anxiety
The dizzying pace of change in the new world of globalisation is unprecedented, and can be frightening.

In Ohio, the Democrats won an upset victory on globalisation fears
A recent poll by Deloitte in November 2006 showed a sharp increase in worries about outsourcing of white collar jobs in the UK.
Just 13% said it was a good thing, compared to 29% in January, while 82% of the public believed enough jobs have been sent abroad already, and 32% wanted to force companies to bring jobs back to Britain.
Meanwhile in the US, the Democratic victory in the November Congressional elections had a lot to do with worries about the effect of globalisation on wages and jobs.
The speed and scale of economic change has made it increasingly difficult for governments to keep their economic destiny in their own hands.
And what is most disturbing for many people is that no-one seems to be in charge, or be able to agree fair rules for the new global economic order.
Crisis of legitimacy
The international institutions meant to deal with the globalising world are all in trouble.
For example, the World Trade Organization (WTO) is now under fire for failing to take into account labour standards or the environmental impact of trade.
And its efforts to break down global trade barriers are faltering.
Meanwhile the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, set up in 1944 as part of the UN system to run the international monetary system and to co-ordinate aid flows to poor countries, have come under criticism for not giving a bigger role to emerging market countries like India and China.
And the IMF has found it increasingly difficult to influence the world's capital markets, whose huge financial flows dwarf its resources - or to correct the huge global imbalances that arise from trade.
Who should run the world?
There is even less international regulation of other aspects of globalisation.

Even in Bangalore there have been anti-globalisation riots
Attempts by the OECD to set rules governing foreign investment by multinational companies collapsed in the 1980s, while the rules for international banking, stock markets and accounting are increasingly being negotiated by international quangos behind closed doors.
And while the rights of workers to organise unions is enshrined in resolutions passed at the International Labour Organization (ILO), it lacks any enforcement powers.
The key question is whether the growing globalisation of the world economy will lead to a parallel increase in global regulation - and whether that would be good or bad for world economic growth and equality.

Outsourcing 'to earn India $40bn'

Indian software and services exports are expected to earn about $40bn (£19.9bn) in the year to March 2008 as demand for outsourcing remains strong.
The National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) added that the sector should achieve $60bn in export revenue by 2009/2010.
"We are confident and I think we will get there," said Nasscom president Kiran Karnik.
"The overall demand is strong... the headroom for growth is huge."
Challenges ahead
Indian software firms such as Tata Consultancy, Infosys and Wipro offer services like system integration, application development, and supply chain designing and back-office services.
A large pool of English-speaking and well-educated workers have helped to win outsourcing contracts from firms in Europe and the US, and means India remains a favourite outsource destination.
Nasscom says the industry contributes 5.2% to the country's gross domestic production.
But there are challenges to the sector, such as rising wages and the increase in the rupee against the dollar this year.

German football team in Calcutta

This will be German legend Oliver Kahn's final match


The German football team Bayern Munich will become the first major European club to play a match in India when they play in Calcutta in a few hours.

Organisers say 120,000 spectators will watch them take on local side Mohan Bagan at the Salt Lake Stadium.

Their visit comes at a time when the sport is becoming increasingly popular in a country which is cricket crazy.

The friendly will also be the farewell game for German football legend Oliver Kahn, who retires after 22 years.

Cricket boring?

Bayern Munich arrived at the Calcutta Cricket and Football club to pass on some tips to some promising youngsters.

The visit of the German Champions comes at a time when more and more Indian youngsters - particularly from the middle classes - are watching and playing the beautiful game.

Children hold up a welcome poster in India during the visit of Bayern Munich players
Football has been steadily gaining in popularity in India

Drive around Calcutta at the moment and instead of seeing posters of the Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, you will find yourself looking up at billboards of goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.

Ramjit and Sanjoy will be in the crowd that will watch the match on Wednesday.

I ask them if they think that football can ever rival cricket in India.

"If Bayern Munich can come down here why can football not compete with cricket? It is just a slow ongoing process. There are kids who like watching football, they prefer it to cricket as cricket is getting boring," says Ramjit.

"It [football] is not as big as it once was. Every sport in this country is secondary to cricket. But it is again picking up and with Bayern Munich coming to India and Calcutta on a regular basis, it is making an impact," said Sanjoy.

Teams from Bayern have visited before, but this is the first time the senior squad are playing in India.

The reason they have is money.

This is one of the fastest growing football markets in the world.

Walk around any of the big cities in India and you will see youngsters wearing Manchester United and Chelsea jerseys.

So expect other clubs from Europe to be playing here in India soon.

Indians are less inclined to watch their own football league and whilst many youngsters play the game, a proper infrastructure needs to be put in place to nurture talent.

This match will be also an emotional one - it is the last ever match that Bayern legend Oliver Kahn will play for the club.

It may be the end of an era for him, but for India this game could mark a new chapter in its football history.

IAF to deploy UAVs to combat insurgency in North-East

Shillong, May 21: Indian Air Force will deploy for the first time unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to combat insurgency in Northeast India.

"At least one squadron of UAVs would be deployed by the year-end in the Northeast," Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief in Eastern Air Command (EAC) Air Marshal S K Bhan said.

"The aircraft, called 'bird' by the force, can survey up to 250 km from its station. Sensors and cameras fitted to the aircraft can detect developments and movements on ground. It would be handy in the deep jungles of Arunachal Pradesh and other inaccessible areas," Bhan said.

The move assumes significance in the wake of reports about regrouping of militants in the jungles of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and North Cachar Hills and Karbi Anglong districts of Assam.

Rough terrains have given an edge to the militants, with security forces facing difficulties in controlling their activities which led to a spate of violence in the region in the last few week.

An UAV aircraft has two teams of pilots, one external and another internal. The external pilot controls the flight of the aircraft while the internal one controls the sensors and cameras to spot movements on the ground.

The Air Marshal said the aircraft would increase intelligence inputs of the security forces and help deal with the insurgents efficiently.

Prithvi missile test-fired successfully

Balasore (Orissa) (PTI): India on Friday successfully test-fired its 150-250 km range surface-to-surface 'Prithvi' missile, which can carry a pay load of 1000 kg explosives, from the integrated test range at Chandipur.

"The Prithvi missile was test-fired as part of a user's trial by the Indian Army and the test was successful," defence sources said.

The 8.56 metre-long and one metre thick Prithvi missile can carry a pay load of 1000 kg explosives. The indigenously built missile, developed by the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), has already been inducted in the army, they said.

"Mounted on a mobile tatra transporter-erector launcher, the sophisticated missile took off vertically at about 1030 hours and plunged into the pre-designated splash-down point in the Bay of Bengal," the sources said.

Powered by liquid propellant, Prithvi can operate with both liquid as well as solid fuel. All parameters of the missile are now being analysed after the successful test fire," said the sources.

Friday's test was conducted jointly by DRDO and the special missile regiment raised by the army.

IAF building infrastructure in NE to match China

Shillong, May 21: Indian Air Force has been developing infrastructure in a big way in east and north-east India to match "developments across the border, especially China," Air officer commanding-in-chief of Eastern Air Command (EAC), Air Marshal SK Bhan said here on Wednesday.

Air Marshal Bhan downplayed reports of Chinese incursion and territorial claims on Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

"We are gearing up by building modern infrastructure and deploying latest machines to match the developments across the border, especially in China. We got to be ready for any future confrontation," Air Marshal Bhan told a press conference.

Refusing to use the word "threat" from neighbouring country, he said recent reports of Chinese claims in the northeast were "blown out of proportion".

"On the ground, there is no serious threat as such," Air Marshal said.

"At times forces of both the countries tend to cross each other's boundary as it is not well demarcated," he pointed out, contending that such incidents were "not an issue".

However, the top IAF officer in EAC said as part of the IAF'S uplift, Multi-Role Sukhoi-30MKIs would be deployed in the region to match massive build-up along borderline in Tibet by the Chinese.

The first batch of two squadrons of the aircraft will be deployed at Tezpur Air Base by March next year, while a few more would be brought by the end of 2009.

more...

Pak, China threat: IAF to deploy Sukhois

With Pakistan getting new F-16s from US and JF-17 ‘Thunder’ jets from China, IAF now has plans to progressively deploy its most potent Sukhoi-30MKI fighters on the western front.

This comes after IAF identified Tezpur and other bases in the North-East to also base the multi-role Sukhoi-30MKIs as a safeguard on the eastern front against China, which has gone in for a massive upgrade of airbases in Tibet and other areas near the Line of Actual Control.

At present, IAF has just about 60 of the 230 Sukhoi-30MKI fighters contracted from Russia at an overall cost of over $ 8.5-billion. Of the 230 jets, 140 are to be produced under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in India.

The government, incidentally, has directed HAL to complete the ongoing Sukhoi project by 2013-2014 since IAF is grappling with both a severe shortage in the number of its fighter squadrons, down to 32 from the "sanctioned" strength of 39.5, as well as "poor serviceability" of its MiG-21, MiG-27 and Jaguar fleets.

India has so far based its Sukhois — which can be jury-rigged to carry nuclear bombs — only at Pune, Jodhpur and Bareilly, though they have operated from as diverse places as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Halwara.
With fresh deliveries of the "air superiority" fighters in the pipeline, the earmarking of important airbases to position future squadrons is taking place in full flow.

The operationally crucial Western Air Command (WAC), which covers virtually the entire western front stretching from Ladakh to Bikaner, in particular, figures high on these plans.

"Our assets have to be distributed all over the country in line with our operational thinking. After the East, the planning is to base Sukhois in our area of responsibility," WAC chief Air Marshal P K Barbora told TOI.

WAC controls as many as 18 important airbases ranging from Srinagar, Leh, Thosie, Awantipur to Ambala, Amritsar, Halwara and Nal. But several of them need new inductions to maintain their operational readiness. Halwara, for instance, houses the old and accident-prone MiG-23s which are in the process of being phased out.

The basing of Sukhois at new bases will, of course, require new infrastructure. The Tezpur airbase, for instance, is currently undergoing a huge revamp to house two Sukhoi squadrons.

The move is significant since the Sukhois, which have a cruising speed of 3,200 km and can carry eight tonne of armaments, can strike targets deep inside China after taking off from Tezpur. Their radius of operation, of course, can be cranked up to around 8,000 km with air-to-air refuelling by IL-78 tankers.

Interestingly, Bareilly, which already has two squadrons, has been earmarked as the "hub" for Sukhoi operations in the eastern sector. Some of the fighters have even been fitted with Israeli reconnaissance systems to enable them to "look" 300 km into China without crossing the border.

The Sukhois and the 3,500-km-plus nuclear-capable Agni-III missile, which will be ready for operational deployment by 2010 or so, constitute a crucial part of the "affordable nuclear deterrence" posture against China.

Arunachal not enough, now China wants Sikkim

New Delhi: It would seem China is determined to broaden the areas of territorial dispute with India. To their claims on areas in Arunachal Pradesh, Beijing wants to add Sikkim, which China had accepted as part of India only a few years ago.

The area being claimed by the Chinese is a sliver of territory jutting into Tibet – the Indian Army refers to it as the ‘Finger Area’.

Chinese troops were trying to lay a road cutting through the Finger Area that would link up their locations on either side of it.

The Indian Army objected when China claimed this area during flag meetings and also diplomatically in Beijing.

“This is a flat area, same height as the Tibetan plateau from where forces can be launched to cut of the Shigatse-Yatung highway,” said Lt Gen Sheru Thapliyal, explaining why the area was crucial to India.

China-watchers in India say this is part of Beijing's tactics against India, probing Indian military defences on the ground, gauging the response, and diplomatically keeping up the psychological pressure on India.

“Unfortunately, we do not react strongly enough when the Chinese raise these doubts; our attitude is to sweep the thing under the carpet,” pointed out Thapliyal.

The Chinese moves in Skkim are also related to their concerns in Tibet. Before the 1962 war, Tibet was sustained to the extent of 60 per cent through supplies from India that came through Sikkim's Nathula Pass. They want normal trade through Nathula but India prefers to restrict such commerce, keeping in view its own security concerns and the need to protect local industry.

Some intelligence reports even suggest China provoking an incident somewhere on the frontiers with India, with the intention of winning concessions from a government seen as weak as it heads into a general election.

Reliance in major Hollywood deal

Indian billionaire Anil Ambani's Reliance Big Entertainment group says it has signed deals with eight Hollywood production houses.

The production houses are associated with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Nicholas Cage.

Reliance plans to invest about $1bn (£514m) in 10 films over the next few years to extend its global reach.

The deal is being seen as a major coup in Indian business circles.

Relative newcomer

The films are "part of [our] long-term strategy for media investments in Hollywood... to build a fully integrated movie company with substantial holdings in production, distribution and exhibition," a statement from Reliance Big Entertainment said.

The company is a relative newcomer to India's entertainment sector.

The BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Mumbai (Bombay) says that as India's middle-classes have become more affluent, their cinematic tastes have also changed, and Hollywood films have flourished in India in the last few years.

But Indian entertainment firms are also keen to spread their wings overseas.

Our correspondent says there is a sense in Bollywood that in order to really strike it big, its films and stars need to be accepted by Western audiences.

Many Bollywood stars try their luck in Hollywood every year, but so far no one has managed to break into the highly competitive market.

Link:Click here....

Wikiweasel is a free collaborative website for English language students and teachers.

http://wiki-weasel.wikispaces.com

Tejas set for hot weather trials over Rajasthan deserts

Bangalore: India’s light combat aircraft Tejas will fly over the deserts of Rajasthan later this month for hot weather trials.

The trials, in which the airplane and its systems will be tested in the summer heat, begin a crucial phase for the fighter before the Indian Air Force (IAF) inducts it into its fleet. “Because we are doing it for the first time, we are very very careful,” says P. S. Subramanyam, head of the Tejas programme at Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) the aircraft development arm of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

The designers of Tejas have till 2010—four years behind schedule—to achieve initial operational clearance, a milestone it has to cross before meeting IAF standards. These two years will be the toughest because the aircraft will be stretched to the limits of its performance, and any mistake could endanger the project.
ADA has appointed Boeing Co., which makes the F-18 fighter, as a consultant to help in flight trials till the certification.

When compared with the US or Russia, India’s fighter development programme is still taking baby steps despite its air force being a large buyer of military aircraft.
IAF is buying 126 fighters in a global tender valued at more than Rs42,000 crore to replace the ageing Russian-built MiG fighters in its fleet.



The Tejas project is India’s second fighter development programme. In the 1960s, the country tried to build a fighter aircraft—the HF-24 Marut—that failed to take off after failing to meet the air force’s expectations.

Tejas was conceived in the 1980s. It is a single-engine supersonic, fly-by-wire fighter that has delta wings and no tail. Fly-by-wire technology enables a pilot to control the plane electronically through computers.

Although the project officially kicked off in 1989, ADA says the inital fund of Rs2,188 crore to develop technology demonstrators arrived only in 1993. After its first flight in January 2001, the govermnent sanctioned an additional Rs3301.78 crore to build five prototype aircraft, including trainers, and equip them with weapons. These were scheduled to enter service by 2006.

The Tejas fleet of six aircraft, including two technology demonstrators, powered by US-made General Electric 404 engines, have flown 865 sorties so far.

In 2006, IAF ordered 20 Tejas aircraft to be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, or HAL, in addition to 8 limited series production planes.

The Tejas project did not meet its deadline, prompting IAF to appoint Air Vice Marshal B.C. Nanjappa to hasten its development and draw a plan for delivery.
IAF’s suggestions included design expectations that are yet to be proved in simulation or wind tunnel tests. Nanjappa declined to comment on the matter.
“That is why (we ) should be careful, because it could lead to unrecoverable situations if it (the aircraft) is not controlled properly,” says T. Tamilmani, chief executive of Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification, an independent regulating agency under the DRDO.

There have been several instances of mishap in aircraft development globally. In India, a prototype airborne early warning and control system developed by the Centre for Airborne Systems, a Bangalore lab of DRDO, crashed in 1999.

Tamilmani says he does not see a challenge in certifiying the Tejas for safety standards. “The challenge is in complying with the air staff requirements set by the IAF.”

Air Marshal (retd) P. Rajkumar, a former head of the fighter project, says he can understand why DRDO has been careful in pushing the limits of the aircraft. “I would rather have an aircraft that meets all safety requirements a few years late, than an unreliable one tomorrow.” Rajkumar has written a book—The Tejas Story—on the light combat aircraft programme.

Analysts say going slow due to a learning curve is only to be expected, but the delays in getting the radar, weaponisation and finally, a homegrown Kaveri engine for the fighter, are worrying signs.

“It is not just being cautious. They also have to reach the technical specifications within the time frame,” says A.K. Saxena, a former managing director of HAL, the manufacturer of Tejas. “That is not happening”.

More.......

India sending 2 ships with relief material to Myanmar

New Delhi, May 05: Reaching out to Myanmar in its hour of crisis after a cyclone claimed nearly 4,000 lives in that country, India on Monday said it is despatching two Naval ships with relief and medical supplies and considering airlifting of aid material.

The ships carrying food items, tents, blankets, clothing and medicines will sail to Yangon from Port Blair, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters here.

"We are also considering further immediate relief and medical supplies, including by air," he said.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee conveyed India`s readiness to provide immediate emergency relief assistance to Myanmar to cope with this calamity.

President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee have sent messages of condolence, expressing their deep distress at the devastation caused by the natural disaster.

The External Affairs Minister, in a message to his Myanmar counterpart, extended his deep sympathy to the victims and the bereaved families.

The death toll in the devastating cyclone `Nargis` that swept through Myanmar has risen to almost 4,000.

more.....

To match China, BRO to build 61 roads along border

NEW DELHI: In a bid to match the infrastructure build-up on the Chinese side, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is undertaking construction of 61 roads along the Sino-India border.

"We have identified 3,400 km of roads along the border which is identified as critical. This comprises 61 roads and we plan to complete it in a time-bound manner by 2012," BRO Director General A K Nanda told reporters here.

Out of the 61 roads, Nanda said, construction of nine has been completed and the work on eight is expected to be over by this year-end.

Asked about BRO's participation in Myanmar, he said his personnel were now engaged in re-surfacing the 160km road they built in 2000. "We expect to complete our assignment next year," he said.

Nanda said the financial capabilities of BRO have been increased from Rs 1,638 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 2,686 crore in 2007-08.

More....

China-specific Agni-III to be tested today

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 weight of 48 tonnes and a warhead of 1.5 tonnes, have been completed," said an official.

A ballistic missile basically enters a free-flight zone after an initial powered flight, which in turn is finally followed by the re-entry phase where the missile re-enters the earth's atmosphere from stratosphere on its way to the target.

The Agni-III launch on Wednesday becomes important since it is the third time that the rail-mobile missile will be tested.

The missile's entire flight path will be tracked from ground stations at Dhamra, Balasore and Port Blair, as well as naval warships deployed in the Indian Ocean. The first test of the two-stage Agni-III in July 2006 had gone completely awry, with scientists losing control of the missile over the Bay of Bengal barely 65 seconds into its flight.

It was later established that the "recirculation of hot gases", with temperatures going up to 1000 degree Celsius, had caused damage to cables of the control system of the first-stage.

For the second test, on April 12 last year, the missile was fitted with a "flex nozzle control system" or a "flexible" heat shield to protect vital components and cables from the high temperatures generated by the missile's re-entry into the earth's atmosphere.

And it worked, with the entire flight of the missile "validating" all mission objectives. Agni-III, which has a velocity of 5,000 metres per second, is a totally new system from the 700-km-range Agni-I (12-tonne) and 2,500-km-range Agni-II (17-tonne) missiles inducted by the armed forces.

Technicalities apart, India needs an operational Agni-III missile as soon as possible since China already has a wide array of missiles, ranging from the fully-operational 8,500-km CSS-4 to the new 11,270-km DF-31A inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

China, as reported by TOI earlier, is also the only country in Asia to have SLBMs like JL-1 and the almost-ready JL-2, with a strike range in the region of 8,000 km. "Chinese missiles can target any major city in India. What we need is credible minimum deterrence against any Chinese misadventure. Agni-III will be a concrete step towards it," said an official.
More......

India, Brazil, S Africa conduct joint naval exercise

Durban (PTI): India, Brazil and South Africa have started a 10-day long joint naval exercise here aimed at tackling terrorism at sea.

The exercise called IBSAMAR, which started on Monday along the Cape Town will continue till May 15.

India's INS Mumbai and INS Karmukh will take part in the event, which includes the very basic to the most advanced, and involving submarines and aircraft.

South Africa, India and Brazil, who form part of the new forum IBSA, will sport their biggest frigates and test the latest electronic systems against each other in a simulated war situation.
South African Navy captain, Charl Coetzee said: "We have a series of exercises we'll do at sea, both from surface warfare perspective, boarding and we'll be doing some anti-terrorist drills and flying operations. Over the weekend and in the next week a similar series of exercises will take place between the naval ships of our three countries."

Ajit Kumar, captain of INS Mumbai, said they wanted to share their best practices with the South African and Brazilian navies. He said the Indian Navy had a wealth of experience in this regard. "For example at the end of 2006 we were able to work with Sri Lankan and Nepalese navies during the Lebanon conflict. We've also played an active role during the tsunami of 2004 where tremendous amount of resources from the Indian Navy was used," he said.
Captain Onias de Castro Lima of Brazil said, "With this exercise we want to obtain better co-operation between our different navies and implement some of the expertise we have in our navy. We intend to share experiences and to share our knowledge in helicopters and with submarines."

Giant wrestler finds fame in India

A giant former labourer from India who has become an international wrestling sensation is now a star in his homeland too.
The Atlanta-based Dalip Singh Rana, who is from Himachal Pradesh, stands over 7ft tall and weighs nearly 200kg.
Nicknamed the "Great Khali", Rana is a top draw at the hugely popular World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
With some Hollywood work under his belt, he is now looking at offers from Bollywood.
'Punjabi Warrior'
Rana, 36, is now back in India to spend some time at home and shoot a documentary on his life.
He could put his hand over your entire head and crush youHollywood actor Steve Carell
He is the first Indian to be signed up by WWE, and enjoys top billing in the famous American showbiz circus alongside fighters such as Hulk Hogan and The Rock.

"Hailing from India, the Great Khali stands at an impressive 7ft 3in [2.21m] and weighs 420 pounds. This enormous monster has walked the jungles of India unafraid of pythons and wrestled White Bengal tigers," says the WWE website.
"Legend states that the Punjabi Warrior has stared into the abyss and the earth trembled at his gaze."
Rana laughs when reminded of this dizzy tribute.
"Americans could not imagine someone from India in WWE. They are now actually having a lot of fun," he says.
He briefly wrested the world champion's mantle in 2007 with a series of superlative performances at WWE.
Soaring popularity
Two years ago, when the US government wanted to send WWE wrestlers to cheer soldiers in Iraq, Rana's name was also in the initial list.
Once he knew he would not make it, he apparently prayed in front of a map of India in his living room.
"He prayed for better luck next time. But God, otherwise, has been kind to him," says Amit Swami, a bodybuilder from the northern Indian state of Haryana who is also Rana's spokesman.

Rana plans to spend a few more years with WWE
Rana should have no complaints as his popularity is now soaring in his homeland, and he has been offered a chance to act in Bollywood films.
He is no stranger to films.
Like many WWE stars - such as The Rock, aka Dwayne Douglas Johnson - Rana has done a few odd Hollywood roles, including a 2005 film called The Longest Yard.
On the set of another film, called Get Smart, the wrestler surprised Hollywood actor Steve Carell.
"Literally, you shake his hand and you are shaking the inner part of his palm. He could put his hand over your entire head and crush you," Carell told a reporter later.
"He's a very sweet guy, but he did not speak English really well. I don't even know if he was completely aware that he was doing a movie."
Now Rana says he will be "choosy" about doing roles in Bollywood.
Clearly, the wrestler has come a long way since he was breaking rocks on road building projects. In his spare time, he picked up two body building titles.
When he was not working, women in his village of Dhirana would often call him to do what they call heavy duty work: lifting cattle from one barn to another.
'Really tough'
The turning point came when he and his friend, Swami, went with a group of admirers to Delhi's international airport to receive Dorian Yates, a top British bodybuilder.

Rana suggested his nickname after an Indian goddess
Rana's physique impressed Yates the moment he saw him.
"He is India's man for WWF [as the WWE was called in those days]. This one will go places if he can maintain his physique," Swami quotes Yates telling him.
Soon Rana was off to Japan to try his luck there. He spent a year performing some mock fights as "Giant Singh" and says he was duped by his agents.
But eventually, he landed in the US and debuted as a professional wrestler in 2000.
"It was tough, really tough reaching here," says Rana.
His meeting with WWE officials was brief but the decision to enlist him in the show immediate.
'Simple life'
WWE scriptwriters racked their brains for an appropriate nickname: Rana first proposed Big Bhima, a character from the Indian epic Mahabharata, but the name did not find much appeal. "Giant Singh" also found no takers.
Someone recommended Lord Shiva but it was rejected on fears that it might offend Indian sentiments.
Rana then proposed the Indian Goddess, Kali, and spoke about her destructive powers.
It clicked instantly. The rest is history.
Rana says he is a vegetarian and abhors alcohol and tobacco. He says he lives a "simple life" with his homemaker wife Harminder Kaur .
"I have no fancy villa or cars. I live in a simple home and do not have the money to order a customised car that would fit my size," he says.
Back in India on a three-week-long holiday at his village and then a documentary shoot, he says he plans to spend a few more years with WWE.
Until then, the "Great Khali" is going to soak in all the attention and fame now coming his way in the land of his birth.

China mounts cyber attacks on Indian sites

NEW DELHI: China’s cyber warfare army is marching on, and India is suffering silently. Over the past one and a half years, officials said, China has mounted almost daily attacks on Indian computer networks, both government and private, showing its intent and capability. ( Watch: ‘China's cyber intrusion a threat’ ) The sustained assault almost coincides with the history of the present political disquiet between the two countries. According to senior government officials, these attacks are not isolated incidents of something so generic or basic as "hacking" — they are far more sophisticated and complete — and there is a method behind the madness. Publicly, senior government officials, when questioned, take refuge under the argument that "hacking" is a routine activity and happens from many areas around the world. But privately, they acknowledge that the cyber warfare threat from China is more real than from other countries. The core of the assault is that the Chinese are constantly scanning and mapping India’s official networks. This gives them a very good idea of not only the content but also of how to disable the networks or distract them during a conflict. This, officials say, is China’s way of gaining "an asymmetrical advantage" over a potential adversary. The big attacks that were sourced to China over the last few months included an attack on NIC (National Infomatics Centre), which was aimed at the National Security Council, and on the MEA. Other government networks, said sources, are routinely targeted though they haven’t been disabled. A quiet effort is under way to set up defence mechanisms, but cyber warfare is yet to become a big component of India’s security doctrine. Dedicated teams of officials — all underpaid, of course — are involved in a daily deflection of attacks. But the real gap is that a retaliatory offensive system is yet to be created. And it’s not difficult, said sources. Chinese networks are very porous — and India is an acknowledged IT giant! There are three main weapons in use against Indian networks — BOTS, key loggers and mapping of networks. According to sources in the government, Chinese hackers are acknowledged experts in setting up BOTS. A BOT is a parasite program embedded in a network, which hijacks the network and makes other computers act according to its wishes, which, in turn, are controlled by "external" forces. The controlled computers are known as "zombies" in the colourful language of cyber security, and are a key aspect in cyber warfare. According to official sources, there are close to 50,000 BOTS in India at present — and these are "operational" figures. What is the danger? Simply put, the danger is that at the appointed time, these "external" controllers of BOTNETS will command the networks, through the zombies, to move them at will. Exactly a year ago, Indian computer security experts got a glimpse of what could happen when a targeted attack against Estonia shut that country down — it was done by one million computers from different parts of the world — and many of them were from India! That, officials said, was executed by cyber terrorists from Russia, who are deemed to be more deadlier. The point that officials are making is that there are internal networks in India that are controlled from outside — a sort of cyberspace fifth column. Hence, the need for a more aggressive strategy. Key loggers is software that scans computers and their processes and data the moment you hit a key on the keyboard. This information is immediately carried over to an external controller — so they know even when you change your password. Mapping or scanning networks is done as a prerequisite to modern cyber warfare tactics. MEA has a three-layered system of computer and network usage — only the most open communication is sent on something called "e-grams". The more classified stuff uses old-economy methods — ironically, probably the most secure though a lot more time-consuming. The same is true of other critical areas of the government. But the real gap inside the national security establishment is one of understanding the true nature of the threat. National security adviser M K Narayanan set up the National Technology Research Organization, which is also involved in assessing cyber security threats. But the cyber security forum of the National Security Council has become defunct after the US spy incident. This has scarred the Indian establishment so badly that it’s now frozen in its indecision. This has seriously hampered India’s decision-making process in cyber warfare.

UK property lures India's super-rich

UK developers are heading to India in search of wealthy new customers for their luxury flats. But why would anyone invest in London's wobbly property markets? Because the super-rich still have plenty of cash to spend.

Nicolas Candy on how the credit crunch will not hinder his property sales
One of the world's most expensive homes is currently being built in Mumbai for Reliance head Mukesh Ambani.
His personal skyscraper will boast six storeys just for parking cars, and is expected to cost nearly $2bn by the time it is complete.
It's this spectacular level of wealth that is being generated in the country that has caught the eye of developers overseas.
Nick Candy, one half of the design and development firm Candy & Candy, is in Mumbai to drum up interest for his own super-luxury project, One Hyde Park.
The central London project is offering apartments - to the right kind of customer - for an average of £20m.
Mr Candy is a man used to dealing with the fabulously rich. But he says, "I'm flabbergasted by the amount of wealth in India. It's staggering."
Stable at the top
Candy & Candy specialises in strictly top-end property. Its customer base is a roll-call of the super rich: royals, entrepreneurs, private company bosses.
All with a taste for the best, all very discreet, and many from the developing petro-states - Russia, the Gulf, Kazakhstan.

Construction of One Hyde Park will not be finished until 2010
It's now looking to open an office in India.
But why would Indian investors want to put money into London's property market now the boom is over? And with the financial markets still suffering the fallout of the US sub-prime crisis?
"It's going to be very tough in America, and I think the UK will probably mirror it six months later," admits Mr Candy.
But, he says, this applies only to properties under £2m where buyers need to borrow the money.
There, you can expect "serious reductions in prices", according to Mr Candy - "and you're looking at a lot more than 10%."
For top-end property - costing more than £5m - he thinks prices will be stable. There are not many people who can afford that level of luxury - and in London, there are still very few properties for them to buy.
Besides, says Mr Candy, "they've still got huge amounts of wealth. Maybe it's come down from $1bn to $500m - or if they've been very unlucky, it's $50m. But it's still huge amounts of wealth."
Old-money roots
India now has more billionaires than any other country in Asia - 36 at the last count. Together they are worth nearly $200bn.
It's a testament to the rapid growth of the South Asian economy, which shows little signs of flagging.
Many of those super-rich are now keen to invest their wealth around the globe. But the number of self-made entrepreneurs still lags far behind the US.
India's top three richest people are all successful businessmen, but have made their money in old-economy industries, such as oil and property.
And while they have thrived in India's new economy, they have all built their wealth on fortunes inherited from their parents.

All set for critical test of Agni III

India is all set to test Agni-III, which is slated to be the most powerful surface-to-surface missile and is likely to be launched between May 5 - May 9. The missile will be capable of carrying nuclear warheads to a range of more than 3,000 km. The Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) had successfully tested the Agni-3 earlier, which reached the target of 3,000 kms in the stipulated time. This test of Agni 3 is critical as it is being seen as a deterent to China's growing power.
Elaborating on the missile, DRDO chief, M Natrajan said:"Agni-3 is an intermediate range missile with a range over 3000 meters. It can carry nuclear weapons and can be deterant to the Chinese missile. The test is schedule in the next week."
While, Agni-II is an intermediate ballistic missile, with a range of 2000 km. The missile weighs 16,000 kg and a length of 20 m. Agni 2 has two solid fuel stages and a Post Boost Vehicle.
Agni 1, on the otherhand, is a single-stage missile, powered by solid propellants, which has a range of 750 km. The missile stands 15 metres tall and weighs around 12 tonnes.
link........

Chinese n-submarines: Cabinet security panel to meet, Navy chief to brief NSA Narayanan

NEW DELHI, MAY 3:Caught on the backfoot over the extent of development of Sanya strategic facilities by China on Hainan Island in South China Sea, the UPA government is expected to convene a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) shortly with Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta preparing a detailed brief for National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan.
Advertisment


Related Stories
Antony blasts Navy for pulling off last-minute USS Cole surpriseHawk fleet remains grounded as investigations enter fifth dayManipur Govt decides to arm people against militantsChina’s new n-submarine base sets off alarm bellsIAF flight encounters two pigs at airport
Government sources confirmed to The Sunday Express that Admiral Mehta, who returned from his US trip on Friday night, would be briefed by Navy’s intelligence and operational chiefs on Monday, after which the strategic implications would be taken up with Narayanan.
Although the Indian Navy and Narayanan were aware of the Sanya naval facility on Hainan Island, the presence of four access tunnels on the mouth of the deep water base has come as a rude shock as it has serious strategic ramifications in the Indian Ocean.
The Defence Ministry had purchased satellite photographs of Hainan Island from Quickbird Satellite and had briefed the three armed forces chiefs as well as Narayanan, but it did not have the latest images that show the extent of development at Sanya.
The access tunnels mean that China is expected to deploy its JL-2 ballistic missile equipped type 094 class submarines at the Sanya base in a bid to project power in South China Sea and North Asia. The Chinese Navy has already one proven nuclear submarine (type 094), two are under trials and the last one is in the building stage.
The JL-2 missile has a range of 7,200 km though Rand Corporation reports that China has modified the range to 12,800 km. This is in sharp contrast to India, which is expected to launch its first nuclear submarine from Vishakapatnam at the end of this year.
With Russia acting tough on the Admiral Gorshkov carrier, the date of the proposed lease of Akula class nuclear submarine from Moscow is not yet clear.
But the contrast does not end here: China’s defence budget this year touched $197 billion as compared to $26 billion for the Indian armed forces; China has 492 shipyards, India has only five. And the Indian defence budget this year was increased only by 1.97 per cent.
With China focusing on a sea-based doctrine since 1996, New Delhi is also worried about the Chinese Woody Islands base in Parcel Islands. After forcing Vietnam out of Parcel Islands during the 1974 invasions, China has been building an air facility there with a strategic aim to project power more than 1,800 miles in the coming decades.
Armed with no less than 40 amphibious warships, the Chinese Navy is well on its way to acquire expeditionary capability, which will be a serious security concern to not only India but also to Japan, US and South Korea in the coming years.

India, Malaysia hold naval exercise

India and Malaysia on Saturday took their increasing defence cooperation a step forward by holding a naval exercise that involved targeted live firing. This marked a scale-up of the regular “passage exercise.”
Two India-built missile corvettes, INS Kora and INS Kirpan, were joined by Malaysian corvettes, KD Amin and KD Nadim, in the “passage exercise.”
With that, the Indian vessels completed their five-day goodwill visit, the other highlight of which was the professional interaction with the Malaysian Navy at its Lumut base in Perak State. The two sides also carried out a simulated exercise at the base.
Earlier, hosting a reception aboard INS Kora, India’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ashok K. Kantha emphasised the importance of such voyages of friendship and professional exchanges between the two maritime neighbours. Perak State Assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar noted how trade and tourism ties between the two countries were also on the upswing now.
The goodwill visit by the Indian ships acquired unusual importance in the context of the recent agreement between the two sides to elevate their defence ties to a new high. In January, Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Najib Tun Razak agreed upon a programme of training Malaysian Air Force personnel by Indian specialists in the operation of Su-30 MKM warplanes. The two Ministers had also emphasised the possibility of enhanced naval cooperation that could cover the Scorpene class of submarines, which Malaysia would acquire and India “is producing.”
Yet another identified area for cooperation was counter-insurgency training on a coordinated basis. Other possibilities that were cited for overall defence cooperation included co-production, joint ventures, and military-related industry collaboration at one level, and interactions with other countries to promote regional and global security, at another level.

link...

Pilotless aircraft off-target

27 yrs on and Rs 165 cr later, it fails to meet IAF normsThe ministry of defence cleared bulk production of indigenously developed pilotless target aircraft (PTA) without evaluating their performance. This led to the Air Force putting a hold on its induction, thereby seriously affecting training of pilots and missile crew.
The IAF, as a result, has also withdrawn its commitment to the PTA’s follow-on development programme in favour of imports.
After spending Rs 165 crore and a lapse of 27 years, the PTA, produced by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), did not fully meet the qualitative requirements of the IAF. Despite this, the DRDO went ahead for the limited series production.
The IAF initially inducted three PTA, but refused to accept the remaining 12 aircraft. These were meant for providing realistic airborne targets for training aircrew and ground crew in air-to-air and surface-to-air weaponry.
It has been revealed that the engine developed by HAL had certain limitations. The PTA could fly up to an altitude of only 6,500 meters against the requirement of 9,000 meters. Further, HAL offered a guarantee of only five landings against an envisioned requirement for minimum 10 landings. The IAF had accepted these limitations so that training did not further get adversely affected.
Missions carried out by IAF revealed numerous defects and design deficiencies which were brought to the notice of the DRDO. None of the improvements were proved, but the MoD concluded a contract with the HAL without waiting for the results for the performance. Consequently, HAL proceeded to undertake bulk production with major deficiencies like defects in tow body, poor endurance, inadequate product support and deficiency in booster brackets.
The first campaign with the PTA could only be undertaken in December, 2006, due to multiple engine problems. During trials, the PTA could be test flown only up to eight of 2,500 meters. It was again test flown in March, 2007, but its operational capability could not be verified as it crashed into water within 14 seconds after launch.
The IAF’s annual requirement for missile firing and annual training is 158 aerial targets, for which existing PTA would have to deliver 79 launches per year. The inability of the PTA to meet the training requirements has adversely affected the training status of pilots and missile crew.
In October, 2007, Air Headquarters had revealed that the HAL-supplied PTA could meet only 27 per cent of its requirements.
more.........

India signs deal to upgrade 51 Mirage fighters

As part of steps to keep the country's air power capability at optimal level, India has signed a billion-Euro deal to upgrade its 51 Mirage Multi-Role Fighters.
Dassault, the French original equipment manufacturer, has agreed to upgrade the Indian Air Force's Mirage 2000 fleet, Defence Minister A K Antony told Lok Sabha today.
Antony said the Request For Proposal (RFP) had been issued to Dassault on April 9 after clearance of the Cabinet Committee on Security.
IAF is currently flying three squadrons of the Mirage fighters and under new plans, Indian Mirages will be upgraded to the level of French Air Force Mirage 2000-5 with superior avionics and extend their lifespan by another 25 years.
This is the second major upgradation deal signed by India in recent weeks. Earlier, IAF had entered into an agreement with Russia's MIG-RAC for upgradation of 63 MIG-29 air superiority fighters in a deal worth 964 million dollars.
The upgradation of the country's frontline fighters is being taken up by the government against the backdrop of alarming depletion in the IAF's squadron strength which has plunged from 39 fighter squadrons to just 32.

India completes revised price assessment for Russian carrier

New Delhi, April 29: The government on Tuesday indicated that a breakthrough in the delivery of Gorshkov aircraft carrier had been made and new price assessment for the warship was completed. "The reassessment of Gorshkov is complete," Defence Minister A K Antony told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. He said the technical evaluation of the revised contours of the project was going on. Simultaneously, the discussions were going on with the Russian state-owned manufacturers, Antony said. Touching upon the dissatisfaction among the armed forces over the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission, Antony said "there are certain issues, I am sure the government will find a fair solution to the pending issues. On the rise in incidence of pre-mature retirement in the armed forces, Antony said the country would have to live with it. Asked if a better pay package could be a solution to the exodus from the forces, he said "government is aware of this and a solution will be found out". On the restructuring of the DRDO, the Defence Minister said "the government was studying the report of the P Ramarao committee."

Lakshya test flown successfully

Lakshya, India's indigenously developed micro-light and pilotless target aircraft (PTA), was successfully test flown today from the integrated test range (ITR) at Chandipur, about 15 km from here."Lakshya fitted with an advanced digitally controlled engine was test flown at about 12 noon successfully and it was carried out to check the validity of its engine and duration enhancement," defence sources said here.
Usually, the flight duration of the six feet long micro light aircraft is 30 to 35 minutes.
Lakshya, a sub-sonic and re-usable aerial target system is remote controlled from the ground and designed to impart training to both air borne and air defence pilots.
The PTA has been developed by India's Aeronautic Development Establishment (ADE), Bangalore to perform discreet aerial reconnaissance of battle field and target acquisition.
Lakshya was introduced in the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2000.

Satellites beam quality images

CHENNAI: The cameras on board Cartosat-2A and the Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1), which were launched by a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C9) on Monday, have started sending pictures of some States and the quality of the images was “excellent,” according to a press release from the Indian Space Research Organisation.
The PSLV-C9 also put eight foreign nano satellites in accurate orbits. The telemetry data received indicated that all the sub-systems of the Indian satellites were normal.
The multispectral camera on board the IMS-1 was switched on the previous day and it transmitted a high quality image covering a wide swathe from Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh to Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.
On Wednesday, the hyperspectral camera on the IMS-1 and the panchromatic camera on Cartosat-2A were switched on.
The images from the IMS-1 covered Uttarakhand to Karnataka, passing through New Delhi and Bhopal.
The images from the Cartosat-2A covered strips of land from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh to Nuh (south of Delhi) and Sangli in Maharashtra to the Goa coast. “The quality of the images received at the National Remote-Sensing Agency, Hyderabad, was excellent.”
The release said the launch of PSLV-C9 was a milestone for ISRO as it again proved the reliability and versatility of the PSLV and its ability to put satellites in different types of orbits.

Indian prices at three year high

Indian inflation is at its highest in over three years as food and energy costs continue to rise, official figures show.
India's wholesale price index, released weekly, hit 7.57% for the year up to 19 April, the highest since November 2004.
The government has been taking steps to control inflation, raising bank cash requirements and limiting rice exports.
India's finance minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said food prices would fall in coming months.
In India, the wholesale price index, which measures inflation at the "factory gate", is more closely watched than the consumer price index because it tracks a wider range of goods.
The consumer price index reflects shop and market prices.
Record prices of rice, wheat and other foodstuffs, along with the sky-high oil price, have fanned inflation worldwide.
This has prompted many governments to impose price controls and curb exports of essential goods.
Fighting inflation is a top priority for India, where a much higher proportion of people's income is spent on food than in more developed countries.
"Inflation could ease over the next few weeks, as the impact of these measures takes hold," said Gaurav Kapur, senior economist at ABN Amro bank in Mumbai.
"That said, risks still pretty much remain on the upside for inflation, especially considering that no relief seems to be in sight from the spiralling international commodity prices."

Amnesty urges India execution ban

Rights group Amnesty International has urged the Indian government to impose an immediate moratorium on executions and move to abolish the death penalty.
The group says there are "grave concerns about arbitrariness and discrimination" in processes leading to the death penalty.
It says 135 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.
Indian authorities say the death penalty is rarely carried out and is usually reserved for serious cases.
Apart from a single execution in 2004, there have been no executions in the country in the past ten years.
A 1983 ruling by the country's Supreme Court stated that the death penalty should be imposed only in "the rarest of rare cases".
Only particularly horrific or politically sensitive cases have attracted the penalty.
'Gross underestimate'
In a new report, Amnesty disputes this and says the Indian government does not disclose how many people have been executed and how many are awaiting execution today.
It says, according to official figures, there were 273 people awaiting the death penalty in Indian prisons as at the end of December 2005.
The group says it "believes this figure to be a gross underestimate".
It says at least 140 people are believed to have been sentenced to death in India in 2006 and 2007.
It is not clear how the group arrived at the figure.
Indian prison authorities denounced Amnesty's claim that there was no transparency about prisoners on death row in India.

The death penalty can be imposed in cases relating to terrorism
"Death sentences are carried out under court orders. Every order is recorded and prison records sent to the federal government regularly. There is nothing hush-hush about it," said BD Sharma, the chief of prisons in eastern West Bengal state.
"Such claims are totally sensational," he said.
To put things into perspective, he said, in a big state like West Bengal, there were 12 prisoners on death row, down from 17 a few years ago.
Amnesty says it studied death penalty cases in collaboration with the Indian rights group People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) for its latest report.
It says that most death sentences handed down in India are based solely on circumstantial evidence.
Fabricated evidence
The report says "innocent people" have been sentenced to death on the basis of "false and fabricated evidence, often used in manipulated investigations and prosecutions, with investigating and prosecuting agencies acting in collusion".
Amnesty urged the government to ensure that the death penalty was not imposed on anyone suffering from mental disability.
PUCL president DR V Suresh said there is a danger of the death penalty being "used disproportionately against ethnic minorities, the poor or other disadvantaged groups".
"There is only one way to ensure such inequalities in the administration of justice do not occur: the complete abolition of the death penalty."

There have been protests against death penalty in India
In India the death penalty is carried out by hanging. An attempt to challenge this method failed in the Supreme Court, which stated in its 1983 judgement that hanging did not involve torture, barbarity, humiliation or degradation.
Under Indian law, the death penalty can be imposed for murder, gang robbery with murder, abetting the suicide of a child or insane person, waging war against the government, and abetting mutiny by a member of the armed forces.
In recent years, however, special courts have also extended the penalty to cases of terrorism under anti-terror legislation.
Some people are pushing for it to be used against rapists.
Last year, a former member of the Indian parliament, Anand Mohan, was sentenced to death for his role in a mob killing 13 years ago.
An Indian soldier was also sentenced to death for killing his superior in Indian-administered Kashmir last May.
The assassins of India's independence leader, Mahatma Gandhi, and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi were among those executed in the past 60 years

Life sentence in India rape case

A court in the Indian state of Rajasthan has sentenced a guest house owner to life imprisonment for raping a British journalist.

The accused, Parbat Singh, was also fined 25,000 rupees ($625; £312).

The trial, which concluded within four months of the charges being brought against Singh, is one of the fastest in India's usually slow legal system.

This is the third such conviction handed out by special fast-track courts in Rajasthan in the past three years.

The 40-year-old female journalist was raped in the guest house in the town of Udaipur last December.

Police arrested Singh in January after the journalist informed the British High Commission in the capital, Delhi, of the incident.

In 2006, a court in Rajasthan sentenced the son of a top police official to seven years in prison for raping a German student.

The trial was completed in 10 working days.

In 2005, a similar court handed out a life sentence to two men in Rajasthan for abducting and raping a German tourist.

Both trials were unusually swift for India, where courts often take years to hand out verdicts.

India to repatriate ill UK inmate

A seriously ill Briton serving a jail term for drugs offences in a notorious Indian prison is to see out his 10-year sentence in the UK, officials say.

Stephen Jenkins, 58, from Yorkshire, is being held in Delhi's crowded Tihar jail after being convicted in 2006.

Prison officials say he wants to die in his homeland. The UK says arrangements for his transfer are nearly complete.

Jenkins will be among the first inmates to benefit under a 2005 India-UK accord on prisoner transfers.

'Very happy'

"I want to die in my homeland. I can serve the rest of my imprisonment in my country's jail. Please send me," Jenkins wrote in his request for transfer, a Tihar prison official told the BBC.

The appeal was forwarded to the governments of India and the UK and accepted about a fortnight ago, the jail official said.

He said Jenkins had Aids and was set to leave for Britain in the second week of May.

Court orders bar Jenkins from talking to the media, but Tihar officials say he is "very happy" that he is going home.

"He is old and he is seriously ill. He thinks he will not survive his full sentence," the official said.

According to jail records, Stephen Jenkins is from Yorkshire in northern England and was unemployed before travelling to India.

The records say he was arrested in August 2004. In November 2006 he was sentenced to 10 years in jail for "peddling drugs".

Overcrowding

A spokeswoman for the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the details of the transfer were still being finalised.

"Procedures are in place to formalise the request and complete it," she told the BBC.

She could not confirm when Jenkins would return to the UK, or give any details on his medical condition.

She said a small number of prisoners had already been repatriated under the transfer accord.

Tihar, in the west of India's capital, is the country's biggest prison. It has the capacity to accommodate 6,250 inmates, but houses many more.

Last June, more than double that number were being held there and over 600 prisoners being held for minor offences were freed to ease congestion.

At least six inmates and one warder died in the searing summer heat.

Adequate drinking water and other basic amenities are scarce.

British-made plane down in India

The trainers are part of Indian's air force's modernisation plans

The Indian air force says one of its Hawk trainer aircraft has crashed in the southern state of Karnataka.

An air force official said the advanced trainer jet slammed into a wall while taking off from an air base near the town of Bidar.

The two pilots escaped unhurt, the official said.

This is the first accident involving the British-built plane in India since its introduction into the air force in February this year.

Air force spokesman J Upasane told the BBC that an an investigation has been ordered into the incident.

India ordered 66 Hawk trainer jets following a series of crashes involving Russian-made jets.

They are part of the Indian air force's ambitious plans to modernise and upgrade its fleet.

India sex workers get life cover

For the first time, some 250 female sex workers in the eastern Indian city of Calcutta have been given life insurance cover by a state-owned company.

Sex workers in India already run cooperative banks

Activists think this is a step forward in sex workers' long campaign to have the profession legalised in India.

Although illegal, prostitution is a thriving business in many cities and towns across India.

It is estimated that there are more than two million female sex workers in the country.

Sex workers in Calcutta and the western Indian city of Mumbai have already set up highly successful cooperative banks for the community to deposit their earnings.