Junior Digest

Islamabad: Air forces of Pakistan and China today began their fifth joint exercise, signalling increasing military cooperation between the two all-weather allies.

Code-named as Shaheen-V, the exercise started at an operational base in Pakistan, which was not disclosed by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

“A contingent of People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) comprising combat pilots, air defence controllers and technical ground crew besides a PAF contingent are participating in the exercises,” said a PAF spokesman.

He said the last such exercise called Shaheen- IV was conducted in Beijing in October 2015.

The ongoing exercise saw participation of three different types of frontline fighter aircraft belonging to various PAF squadrons for the first time.

It will enhance bilateral relationship and capability of the air forces of the two friendly neighbours, he said.

The PAF spokesman said Pakistan and China enjoy very close relationship spanning over six decades.

Their partnership has been strengthened through the USD 46-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor linking China with a Pakistani deep seaport through a network of roads, railways and investment parks.

@ Agency report.

Hiroshima, Japan,April 11, 2016 :  US Secretary of State John Kerry and G7 foreign ministers today called for a “world without nuclear weapons”, citing North Korea’s sabre-rattling as a key challenge to achieving that goal.

“We reaffirm our commitment to seeking a safer world for all and to creating the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons in a way that promotes international stability,” the group said in their “Hiroshima Declaration”, after a landmark visit to the Japanese city’s atomic bomb memorial.

“This task is made more complex by the deteriorating security environment in a number of regions, such as Syria and Ukraine, and, in particular by North Korea’s repeated provocations,” it added.
On Saturday, Pyongyang said it had successfully tested an engine designed for an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) that would “guarantee” an eventual nuclear strike on the US mainland.
It was the latest in a series of claims by North Korea of significant breakthroughs in both its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.

The G7 statement came as ministers wrap up their final day of meetings with discussions focused on global hotspot issues including terrorism and other security threats as well as instability in the Middle East, and the refugee crisis.

@ Agency report.

Hiroshima (Japan), Apr 11 ,2016 : US Secretary of State John Kerry visited the revered memorial to Hiroshima’s atomic bombing today, delivering a message of peace and hope for a nuclear-free world seven decades after the US used the weapon for the first time in history and killed 140,000 Japanese.

Kerry became the most senior American official to travel to city, touring its peace museum with other foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialised nations and laying a wreath at the adjoining park’s stone-arched monument, the exposed steel beams of Hiroshima’s iconic A-Bomb Dome in the distance.

The otherwise somber occasion was lifted by the presence of about 800 Japanese waving flags of the G7 nations, including that of the US.

Kerry didn’t speak publicly at the ceremony, though could be seen with his arm around Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, a Hiroshima native, and whispering in his ear. The ministers departed with origami cranes in their respective national colours around their neck, Kerry draped in red, white and blue.

“Everyone in the world should see and feel the power of this memorial,” Kerry wrote in the museum’s guest book. “It is a stark, harsh, compelling reminder not only of our obligation to end the threat of nuclear weapons, but to rededicate all our effort to avoid war itself.”

“War must be the last resort never the first choice,” he added. “This memorial compels us all to redouble our efforts to change the world, to find peace and build the future so yearned for by citizens everywhere.”

Kerry’s appearance, just footsteps away from Ground Zero, completed an evolution for the United States, whose leaders avoided the city for many years because of political sensitivities.

No serving US president has visited the site, and it took 65 years for a US ambassador to attend Hiroshima’s annual memorial service.

Many Americans believe the dropping of atomic bombs here on August 6, 1945, and on the Japanese city of Nagasaki three days later were justified and hastened the end of the war.

Nevertheless, Japanese survivors’ groups have campaigned for decades to bring leaders from the US and other nuclear powers to see Hiroshima’s scars as part of a grassroots movement to abolish nuclear weapons.

As Kerry expressed interest, neither Japanese government officials nor survivor groups pressed for the US to say sorry.

And a senior American official travelling with Kerry said no apology would occur.

Shortly before the ceremony, Kerry called it “a moment that I hope will underscore to the world the importance of peace and the importance of strong allies working together to make the world safer and, ultimately, we hope to be able to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction.

@ Agency report.

Washington, April 2, 2016 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced several key initiatives taken by his government in the area of nuclear security and non-proliferation, including countering nuclear smuggling and deployment of technology to deter nuclear terrorism.

The announcements were made by Mr. Modi during the second and final day of the Nuclear Security Summit, which was attended by leaders from more than 50 countries.

Informing the world leaders of measures taken by him, Mr. Modi said India will continue to accord a high national priority to nuclear security through strong institutional framework, independent regulatory agency and trained and specialized manpower.

The plan includes development and deployment of technology to deter and defend against nuclear terrorism.

These include physical and cyber barriers, technological approaches, setting up a facility for medical grade ‘Moly-99’ using low enriched Uranium and using vitrified forms of vulnerable radioisotopes such as Ceasium-137, the national plan says.

India will counter nuclear smuggling and strengthen the national detection architecture for nuclear and radioactive material, he said, adding that a dedicated counter-nuclear smuggling team has been set up.

Further, India will support IAEA’s central role in nuclear security by a further contribution of USD1 million to the nuclear security fund. A workshop with IAEA experts on International Physical Protection Assessment Service (IPPAS) will also be held in India.

India, he said, will join trilateral initiative of NSS chairs circulated at IAEA by subscribing states as the joint statement on strengthening nuclear security implementation.

India will also join three gift baskets for this summit in priority areas of countering nuclear smuggling, nuclear security contact group in Vienna, and sharing of best practices through Centres of Excellence such as India’s own, he said.

Finally India will host a meeting of Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism in 2017. An international conference on countering nuclear smuggling is also being planned with Interpol.

The nuclear security architecture in the country has been strengthened and India has also participated in strengthening security architecture at the global level, the national action plan said.

India’s export controls list and guidelines have been harmonized with those of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and India looks forward to strengthening its contribution to shared non-proliferation objectives through membership of the export controls regimes, it said.

In 2005, India enacted the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems Act, 2005. This gives effect, inter alia, to India’s obligations under the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1540, it said.

@ Agency report.

After frequent incursions in Ladakh area, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops have been spotted at forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) on the Pakistani side of Kashmir, ringing alarm bells in the security grid.

The Army has spotted presence of senior PLA officials at the forward posts opposite Nowgam sector in North Kashmir after which some intercepts of Pakistani army officers suggested that the Chinese troops have come to create some infrastructure along the LoC, sources in the know of developments said today.

Army has officially maintained complete silence on the issue but have been constantly updating various intelligence agencies about the presence of PLA troops along the Line of Control, the sources said.

The PLA troops were first spotted in the later part of the last year and ever since their presence was witnessed opposite Tangdhar sector as well. In this area, Chinese government-owned China Gezhouba Group Company Limited has been building a Jhelum-Neelum 970 MW Hydel power project.

@ Agency report.

The government will induct woman personnel in all fighter streams of the armed forces, President Pranab Mukherjee said today as he underlined various initiatives taken to ensure safety and security of women.

“Government has approved the induction of women as Short Service Commission officers and as fighter pilots in IAF. In the future, government will induct women in all the fighter streams of our armed forces,” Mukherjee said in his address to Parliament.

Indian Air Force is the first armed force in the country to induct women in the fighter stream. Navy is planning to induct women as pilots in its aircraft used for surveillance which flies from the shore.

He said the government has initiated several measures to ensure women safety.

“Government has initiated several measures to ensure safety and security of women which include nationwide Emergency Response Systems, a Central Victim Compensation Fund, Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children, and Organized Crime Investigative Agency and an Integrated Emergency Response Management System for women’s safety on the railways,” he said.

The Central Victim Compensation Fund scheme was launched in October last year with an initial corpus of Rs 200 crore to support victims of rape, acid attacks, human trafficking and cross-border firing.

Under the nationwide Emergency Response Systems, single emergency response number will be used in case of any emergency, especially by women in distress.

@Agency news.

Seoul: North Korea threatened “indiscriminate” nuclear strikes against South Korea and the US mainland if the two allies push ahead with joint military drills scheduled to begin today.

The threat to carry out what it described as a “pre- emptive nuclear strike of justice” was made in a statement by the North’s powerful National Defence Commission, citing the Supreme Command of the Korean People’s Army (KPA).

It came just days after leader Kim Jong-Un ordered the country’s nuclear arsenal to be placed on standby for use “at any moment,” in response to tough new UN sanctions imposed over the North’s fourth nuclear test in January and last month’s long-range rocket launch.

Pyongyang has issued dire warnings of nuclear attack in the past, usually during periods of elevated military tensions of the Korean peninsula.

While the North is known to have a small stockpile of nuclear warheads, experts are divided about its ability to mount them on a working missile delivery system.

The national Defence Commission described the annual South Korea-US military exercises as “undisguised nuclear war drills” that threatened the North’s national sovereignty, and vowed an all-out offensive in response.

“The indiscriminate nuclear strike… will clearly show those keen on aggression and war, the military mettle of (North Korea),” said the statement published by the North’s official KCNA news agency.

Any strike would not just target operational theatres on the Korean peninsula, but also US bases on the mainland and in the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.

“If we push the buttons to annihilate the enemies even right now, all bases of provocations will be reduced to seas in flames and ashes in a moment,” it added.

The annual exercises slated to begin today – called “Foal Eagle” and “Key Resolve” last for weeks and involve tens of thousands of US and South Korean troops.

Pyongyang has long condemned the drills as provocative rehearsals for invasion, while Seoul and Washington insist they are purely defensive in nature.

@Agency report.

Beijing, Apr 6 ,2016 : Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will visit China later this month to strengthen military ties despite strains in bilateral relations over Beijing’s move to block India’s attempts in the UN to clamp a ban on Pakistan- based terror group JeM chief Masood Azhar.

Parrikar, the first Indian defence minister to visit China since 2013, will pay a three-day visit starting from April 18 during which he is expected to hold talks with top Chinese political and defence leaders, official sources here said.

His predecessor A K Antony visited China in 2013.

No agreements were expected during Parrikar’s visit which is being regarded as bilateral visit aimed at firming up ties, officials said.

His trip follows high-level visits by top Chinese defence officials including Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman General Fan Changlong to India last year.

CMC headed by President Xi Jinping is the highest commanding authority of the 2.3-million strong People’s Liberation Army.

While the two sides had set up a dialogue mechanism under Special Representatives of both the countries to find a solution to the vexed boundary dispute spanning 3,488 kms, they also operationalised a Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination to address tensions arising out of aggressive patrolling of the disputed boundary.

The Special Representatives have held 18 rounds of talks so far. The two sides also opened more border points for regular interactions between their officers and men to build friendly rapport between them.

Chinese officials say the border situation is generally stable and the two militaries should take concrete actions to implement the consensus reached by their leaders on the issue.

Parrikar’s visit also comes as concerns were rising in India about China’s move to block its bid to have JeM chief Azhar designated as terrorist by the UN in the aftermath of the terror attack on an air base in Pathankot in January.

While Indian officials say that strains resulting out of this controversy will not affect Parrikar’s visit as both sides attached importance to improving military ties, reports say India mulled to re-clamp security checks on Chinese firms investing in India to show its concern over the issue.

India is also concerned by reports of presence of Chinese troops in the forward positions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

China has termed such reports as baseless.

Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, speaking at a development conference on the impact of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), said the significance of a Pakistan-China economic alliance had “raised eyebrows” in the region.

Pakistan’s army chief on Tuesday accused longtime regional rival India of seeking to undermine his country’s $46 billion project to build an economic corridor to transport goods from China’s western regions through the Pakistani deepwater port of Gwadar.

Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, speaking at a development conference on the impact of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), said the significance of a Pakistan-China economic alliance had “raised eyebrows” in the region.

“In this context, I must highlight that India, our immediate neighbour, has openly challenged this development initiative,” Sharif told the conference in Gwadar.

Manila : The US today disclosed for the first time that American ships have started conducting joint patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea, a somewhat rare move not done with many other partners in the region.

At the same time, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced at a joint news conference with Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmi that the United States will be keeping nearly 300 troops, including Air Force commandos armed with combat aircraft and helicopters, in the Philippines through the end of the month.

It’s part of a military build-up sure to inflame tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea.

The US will also begin sending forces on increased rotations into the Philippines, it was disclosed, to beef up training and to support increased military operations in the region.

The increase in military support comes just days after a Philippine diplomat asked that the US help convince China not to build in the nearby Scarborough Shoal, which is viewed as important to Filipino fishermen.

Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia Jr said the Philippines is not capable of stopping China from constructing there. China has built man-made islands in other contested spots in the South China Sea.

According to the Pentagon, the US forces that will remain here are already in the Philippines participating in the Balikatan or shoulder-to-shoulder combat exercises which will end tomorrow.

About 200 airmen, including special operations forces will remain at Clark Air Base, along with three of their Pave Hawk attack helicopters, an MC-130H Combat Talon II special mission aircraft and five A-10 combat aircraft.

This initial contingent will provide training to increase the two militaries’ ability to work together, laying the groundwork for forces to do joint air patrols as well as the ship movements.

Also, up to 75 Marines will stay at Camp Aguinaldo to support increased US and Philippine combined military operations in the region.

The troops and aircraft are expected to leave at the end of the month, but other US forces and aircraft would do similar rotations into the Philippines in the future.

A defence official would not say how frequently those rotations would happen, but said the size schedule and makeup would fluctuate. The official was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.

@ Agency report.

Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today hit out at separatist groups for maintaining silence over the presence of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops along the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

“How is it that Kashmiri leaders who have so much to say about Indian troops in J&K have nothing to say about Chinese troops across the LoC?” Omar tweeted.

After frequent incursions in Ladakh area, PLA troops have been spotted at forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) on the Pakistani side of Kashmir, ringing alarm bells in the security establishment.

The Army spotted senior PLA officials at the forward posts opposite Nowgam sector in North Kashmir after which some intercepts of Pakistani army officers suggested that the Chinese troops have come to create some infrastructure along the LoC, sources in the know of developments said.

@ Agency report.

Mumbai, Apr 10 ,2016 : Delhi girl Priyadarshini Chatterjee was announced as the winner of FBB Femina Miss India World .
Priyadarshini will represent India at the Miss World 2016 pageant. She saw off competition from Bangalore girl Sushruthi Krishna, who was the 1st runner up and Lucknow’s Pankhuri Gidwani, to win the title here last night.

The jury included Sanjay Dutt, Yami Gautam, Arjun Kapoor, Kabir Khan, Amy Jackson, Miss World 2015 Mireia Lalaguna, tennis player Sania Mirza, Ekta Kapoor, designers Manish Malhotra and Shane Peacock.

@ Agency report.

WASHINGTON : The Obama administration maintained Friday that President Bashar Assad shouldn’t lead Syria any longer, rejecting a Russian claim that the U.S. has changed its position.

Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov saying Washington now accepts Moscow’s argument that Assad’s future shouldn’t be open for negotiation right now.

Assad’s Russian-backed government and Western-supported rebels recently concluded a round of peace talks and will meet again next month. Secretary of State John Kerry visited President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials in the Kremlin this week to plot the next steps.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said: “Any suggestion that we have changed in any way our view of Assad’s future is false. Assad has lost his legitimacy to govern. We haven’t changed our view on that.”

The U.S. softened demands last year for Assad’s immediate departure, but still insists he should resign at some point in a political transition process. Russia says outside powers shouldn’t try to determine Syria’s leadership. Assad has offered no indication he is willing to leave power.

At least 250,000 people — and perhaps as many as a half million — have been killed in the five-year civil war. The fighting also has spawned Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II and has led to the emergence of the Islamic State group.

New Delhi : The US has conveyed to India it has put in place an “effective oversight” and end-use monitoring system to ensure that security assistance given to Pakistan is used solely to combat terrorism.

The US last month had proposed USD 860 million in aid for Pakistan, including USD 265 million for military hardware, which it said would help the country fight terrorists, secure nuclear weapons and improve ties with India.

The US has been giving financial aid to Pakistan, both for civil and military purposes from time to time.

“India has consistently conveyed its concerns and sensitivities to the US government regarding the US security assistance to Pakistan.

“The US government has conveyed that it has put in place effective oversight and end-use monitoring mechanisms to ensure that its security assistance to Pakistan is used solely for counter-terrorism related purposes,” Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said while replying to a question in Lok Sabha.

Last month, the Obama Administration had decided to sell eight nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets worth nearly USD 700 million to Pakistan. Reacting to the decision, India had said it will create “negative sentiment” in the India-US relationship.

Replying to a separate question, Singh said a total of 25,049 people of Indian origin died abroad since 2013. He said in 2013, a total of 7,433 people died while in 2014, it was 7,691 and in 2015, it was 8,312. In 2016, a total of 1,613 people of Indian origin have died.

To another query, he said 115 incidents of attacks, involving 276 Indian nationals, have been reported in 30 countries in last three years.

“As a result of these attacks, 57 Indian nationals lost their lives,” the Minister said.

North Korea said Saturday it has successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic rocket engine that will give it the ability to stage nuclear strikes on the United States.

The engine’s ground test, if true, would be a big step forward for the North’s nuclear weapons program, which saw its fourth atomic test earlier this year. But the North may still need a good deal of work before it can hit the U.S. mainland with nuclear missiles. South Korean officials say North Korea doesn’t yet have a reliable intercontinental ballistic missile, let alone the ability to arm it with a nuclear warhead.

The test, announced by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, is only the latest in a string of what Washington and its allies consider North Korean provocations, including last month’s launch of a medium-range ballistic missile that violated UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit any ballistic activities by North Korea. It was the North’s first medium-range missile launch since early 2014.

@ Agency report.

New Delhi : India and France have signed an MoU for the construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra, two months after the two countries decided to conclude the techno-commercial negotiations for the project by the year end.

The pact was inked yesterday at the end of the two-day visit of a high-level delegation of Electricite de France (EDF – French public utility) to Mumbai for holding discussions with National Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) on the construction of the plants, diplomatic sources said.