DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated June 2, 2014

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated June 2, 2014
Source: K. V. Seth - DTN News + U.S. DoD issued No. CR-103-14 June 2, 2014
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 2, 2014: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued June 2, 2014 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

AIR FORCE

Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training, Moorestown, New Jersey, has been awarded a $914,699,474 fixed-price-incentive-firm, cost-reimbursable and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering, manufacturing and development, production and deployment for the Space Fence program. Work will be performed at Moorestown, New Jersey, and Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of Marshall Islands. The contractor will have 52 months after contract award to reach initial operational capability. Fiscal 2013 and 2014 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $415,000,000 are being obligated at time of award. The contract was competitively procured with two bids received. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/HBQK, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts is the contracting activity (FA8709-14-C-0001).

Raytheon Co., Marlborough, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $298,000,044 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00002) for FA8705-13-C-0005 for the Family of Advanced Beyond Line of Sight Terminals (FAB-T) Command Post Terminals (CPT) Production program. As a result of this down-select decision, low rate initial production, full rate production and interim contractor support contract options may be exercised to deliver FAB-T CPT-Only Terminals. The Phase 2 production contract options for LRIP, FRP, and ICS may be exercised after completion of Milestone C. Work will be performed in Marlborough, Massachusetts and Largo, Florida. Fiscal 2013 through 2019 aircraft and other procurement funds are programmed for this effort, with $31,274 being obligated at time of award. Two bids were solicited and two received. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/HNSK, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity.

L-3 Communications, Platform Integration Division, Waco, Texas, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $41,500,000 undefinitized contract action for the procurement and modification of four Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance aircraft, training and spares in support of the counterterrorism efforts in Yemen. Work will be performed at Waco, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2015. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition, and is 100 percent foreign military sales for Yemen. The 645 AESG/WIJK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-14-C-3020).

The Garrett Container Systems, Accident, Maryland, has been awarded a $37,174,689 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Defensor Fortis - Load Carrying System 2 Kits and Accessories. This contract includes 36 distinctive pieces of equipment that all security forces personnel utilize on a daily basis, including Rifleman Kits, Team Leader Kits, M-203 Grenadiers Kits, M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon Gunner Kits, M-240 Machine Gunner Kits, Military Working Dog Kits and Multi-Mission Kits. Work will be performed at Accident, and is expected to be completed by May 31, 2019. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and all offerors were solicited using Federal Business Opportunities; three offers were received. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,000 are being obligated at time of award. The 771st Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA8054-14-D-0004).

NAVY

General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, California, is being awarded a $20,745,556 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00024-13-C-4404) for USS Boxer (LHD 4) fiscal 2014 phased maintenance availability. A phased maintenance availability includes the planning and execution of depot-level maintenance, alterations, and modifications that will update and improve the ship's military and technical capabilities. Work will be performed in San Diego, and is expected to be completed by December 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Navy) and fiscal 2014 working capital (Navy) funding in the amount of $20,745,556 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $20,745,556 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.

Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is being awarded a $13,228,560 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to the previously awarded contract (N00024-13-C-2128) for procurement of Common Missile Compartment material. The contractor will be purchasing various long lead time parts to support the manufacture of the Common Missile Compartment for the Ohio Replacement Program. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy (37 percent) and the United Kingdom (63 percent) under the foreign military sales program. Work will be performed in Groton, and is scheduled to be completed by December 2017. Fiscal 2011 FMS and fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $13,228,560 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair, Groton, Connecticut, is the contracting activity.

S.T. Wooten Corp. Inc., Wilson, North Carolina, is being awarded $9,975,000 for firm-fixed-price task order 0003 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N40085-13-D-5245) for repairing various areas of runways 23R and 14L at Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point. The work to be performed provides for the repair of deteriorated bituminous concrete at various locations on the airfield using asphalt concrete milling/overlay and sealcoating to extend the useful life of the airfield pavements. Work will be performed in Havelock, North Carolina, and is expected to be completed by March 2016. Fiscal 2014 operation and maintenance (Marine Corps) contract funds in the amount of $9,975,000 are being obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Facilities Engineering and Design Command, Cherry Point, North Carolina, is the contracting activity.

ARMY

Northrop Grumman, Herndon, Virginia was awarded a $6,990,140 modification (P00039) to contract W31P4Q-12-C-0029 to acquire Rocket Artillery Mortar Warn Equipment for 2-44 Air Defense Artillery fielding six platoons. Fiscal 2014 other procurement funds in the amount of $6,990,140 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Nov. 3, 2014. This contract involved foreign military sales to Afghanistan. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

UPDATE: Kalmar RT Center, Cibolo, Texas (SPE8EC-14-D-0019) has been added as an awardee to the multiple award contract #SPM8EC-12-D-0001 announced Jan. 24, 2012.

Most Recent Contracts

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Contracts for May 27, 2014

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Contracts for May 22, 2014

Contracts for May 21, 2014

Contracts for May 20, 2014

Contracts for May 19, 2014

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth + U.S. DoD issued No. CR-103-14 June 2,, 2014 
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - INDIA NEWS: The Future of India's National Congress Dynastic Party Is In Doubt

DTN News - INDIA NEWS: The Future of India's National Congress Dynastic Party Is In Doubt
*Descendants of Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi have had trouble governing a changing India
*Some see the end of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty in the Indian National Congress' huge election loss

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Shashank Bengali
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 1, 2014: It is one of the most storied names in political history, a party synonymous with modern India and an inspiration for revolutionary movements led by the likes of South Africa's Nelson Mandela and Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh.

But a disastrous performance in the recent national elections has many wondering whether this is the end for the Indian National Congress party.

The party that has led India for most of its 67 years as an independent nation was thumped out of power, winning a paltry 44 of 543 parliamentary seats — its lowest tally by far — and prompting serious questions about the leadership of the Gandhis, the first family of Indian politics.

Related story: Pakistanis in disputed Kashmir worry about rise of Indian nationalist
Aoun Sahi, Shashank Bengali

The descendants of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's erudite first prime minister, and his strong-willed daughter, Indira Gandhi, have proved less adept at governing a fast-changing India. With the party's last several years in power subsumed by corruption scandals and economic calamities, the once-revered family name increasingly reeks of a stale dynasty that has even longtime supporters clamoring for the Gandhis to step aside.

An editorial in the Hindustan Times, a national newspaper run by former Congress party lawmaker Shobhana Bhartia, said the party is "seemingly in terminal decline" and needs to find a new generation of leaders.

"It has to undergo a drastic mind-set change and reevaluate many of its core principles, among them the relevance of dynastic rule," the newspaper said.

Some critics are writing the party's obituary. "They are not going to come back," said Mohan Guruswamy, a prominent economist who has advised Congress' rival, the conservative Bharatiya Janata Party.

The party faithful counter that Congress has lost before and come back strong. "Congress has always fought back, and there is no reason it can't fight back again," said Eknath Gaikwad, a Congress lawmaker from south-central Mumbai.

Congress' decline represents an epochal change for a fractious nation long held together by the party's big-tent liberalism. It comes as India appears to be turning rightward after overwhelmingly electing the BJP, whose leader, new Prime Minister Narendra Modi, rails against Congress' signature welfare and affirmative action programs aimed at historically disadvantaged lower castes and the rural poor.

Gandhi allies criticize the BJP as Hindu chauvinists, noting that none of its 282 Parliament members are from the Muslim community, which accounts for about 14% of India's 1.2 billion people. But as much as it sees pluralism as a founding principle, Congress has not embraced that ethos at the very top of its hierarchy, which is strictly a family affair.

Related story: From tea-seller to India's top job: The rise of Narendra Modi
Parth M.N.
Days after the election embarrassment, the mother-son team that leads Congress, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, met with advisors in New Delhi and reportedly offered their resignations. According to Indian news accounts in Indian media, the advisors spent more than half of the three-hour meeting imploring them not to go. The meeting ended with a unanimous statement of faith in the Gandhis' leadership.

"Not much time was left for any introspection," the Times of India reported dryly.

Longtime party officials say they have failed in campaigning, not in governing. Beginning in 2004, the party ushered in near-universal education, expanded food subsidies and introduced a landmark government transparency law. It also embarked on one of the largest welfare programs of its kind in the world, a rural employment system that guaranteed every household 100 days of wage-earning work a year. Officials say it has provided jobs to about 50 million of the poorest Indian households.

But after Congress won reelection in 2009, a parade of corruption scandals came to light. The welfare programs and economic liberalization increased incomes, which in turn pushed up prices of basic goods and contributed to inflation, one of the main complaints among working-class voters.

Scholarly Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was seen as a puppet of Sonia Gandhi and too weak to confront errant party bosses.

"The accomplishments were not well articulated, and they got lost in the hullabaloo of the election campaign," lawmaker Gaikwad said.

A 75-year-old party stalwart who joined Congress because he was inspired by Nehru, Gaikwad rejects any suggestion that the Gandhis find new blood to lead the party. Referring to the assassinations of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and Sonia Gandhi's husband, Rajiv, in 1991, he said that no family has sacrificed as much for India's democracy.

India's young voters look to Narendra Modi for change
Shashank Bengali
"It's because of the Gandhi family that I am in Congress," Gaikwad said. "They're the glue that keeps the Congress together, and Congress has laid the foundations of this country."

A younger group of party officials has begun to show hints of frustration with the family's stewardship, particularly that of the 43-year-old party vice president, Rahul. Square-jawed and Cambridge-educated, he had been billed as the party's leader of the future, but his diffident and distracted performances on the campaign trail have made him a national punch line., He eked out a narrow victory for his parliamentary seat in Amethi, a Gandhi family bastion for decades.

Some party insiders are said to want a bigger role for Rahul's sister, Priyanka, a political neophyte who nevertheless drew enthusiastic crowds in her few appearances on the campaign trail. The spitting image of her grandmother Indira, she carries political baggage: Her real-estate tycoon husband, Robert Vadra, is a fixture in Indian newspapers amid allegations of corrupt land deals.

"Everyone in India makes money the way the son-in-law makes money — it's the crony capitalist system — but the family is expected to be above all this," Guruswamy said.

Analysts see real danger for Congress because it suffered major election setbacks in its longtime strongholds in the so-called Hindi heartland of north and central India. With more Indians living in urban areas, Congress' rural base has softened. So, too, has its appeal as India's founding party, with a growing number of young voters more interested in private sector jobs and clean government.

Party stalwarts point out that Congress has been down before: in 1977, when it was drubbed at the polls after Indira Gandhi instituted emergency rule, and in 2004, when a BJP-led government swept into power for the first time. Both times, the party recovered to win the next national election.

"People have written our obituary before," Gaikwad said. "In five years the people will be disillusioned by Mr. Modi and they will come back to us."

Special correspondent Parth M.N. contributed to this report.


*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Shashank Bengali
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - GLOBAL HAWK DRONES: US Deploys First Advanced Drones To Japan, Improving Its Ability To Watch North Korea, China

DTN News - GLOBAL HAWK DRONES: US Deploys First Advanced Drones To Japan, Improving Its Ability To Watch North Korea, China

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Eric Talmadge, The Associated Press
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 30, 2014: MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan – The U.S. Air Force has deployed two of its most advanced long-distance surveillance drones to a base in northern Japan over the past week, enhancing its ability to monitor nuclear activities in North Korea and Chinese naval operations.

The deployment of the two unarmed Global Hawk drones to Japan, a key U.S. ally, is intended to demonstrate Washington’s commitment to security in Asia as part of its rebalancing of forces to the Pacific. But it will likely rankle with China and North Korea, which have been working to improve their own unmanned aircraft fleets.

Lt. Gen. Sam Angelella, commander of U.S. Forces Japan, said Friday the drones will remain here until October, when the typhoon season on the drones’ home base on the Pacific island of Guam is over. Similar rotations from Guam to Misawa are expected in the future, though Angelella said no firm plans have been made. He refused to comment on the specific missions the drones will carry out but noted that the Global Hawk’s “capabilities are well known.”

The drone is considered particularly valuable because it can conduct long-range missions without the limitations of pilot fatigue, is able to fly at a maximum 60,000 feet (18.3 kilometres) and can “loiter” around any particular site of interest for 24 hours or more.

From Japan, it can easily monitor areas on the Asian mainland — including North Korea’s nuclear sites — or targets at sea — such as areas where China and other countries have had confrontations over territory.

The military keeps much of the Global Hawk’s work secret, but Angelella spoke of its use in humanitarian missions including Japan’s 2011 tsunami and the devastating typhoon that hit the Philippines last year. More recently, he said, the drone was used in surveillance work following the mass abduction of more than 300 girls in Nigeria by Islamic extremists.

The deployment of the drones will also help Japan familiarize itself with the aircraft. Tokyo plans to buy three Global Hawks.

Angelella said the aircraft has proven itself to be one of the most reliable in the Air Force. While still under development, the Global Hawk began supporting overseas contingency operations two months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. As of September last year, it had surpassed 100,000 flight hours, three-quarters of which were performed in combat.

Safety is a key factor in Japan because many U.S. bases here are located in heavily populated areas.

Under a mutual security pact, the U.S. maintains about 50,000 troops in Japan, which is home to several major air bases, the headquarters of the U.S. 7th Fleet and more than 10,000 Marines.

Though some residents of the city of Misawa have raised concerns about the drone deployment, opposition has been notably muted compared to the often emotional and deep-rooted protests against the deployment of new aircraft or troops on the southern Japan island of Okinawa, where most of the U.S. military in Japan is based.

But the deployment comes at a politically sensitive time.

Tokyo is now hotly debating a significant revamp of the role of its military forces, which have since World War II been rebuilt and are now one of the strongest in Asia, though they remain restricted to a narrowly defined strategy of national defence.

Citing the perceived threats from China and North Korea, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is championing an effort to change that and allow the Japanese military to be able to fight more closely with U.S. troops in contingencies.


Abe’s focus has been on what the Japanese military should be allowed to do when an ally defending Japan comes under attack — what the Japanese call collective self-defence. But opponents fear loosening restrictions will open the door for the Japanese military to be drawn into broader U.S. conflicts that don’t have a direct connection to Japan’s national defence.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Eric Talmadge, The Associated Press
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - UKRAINE CRISIS: Separatists Shoot Down Ukrainian Helicopter

DTN News - UKRAINE CRISIS: Separatists Shoot Down Ukrainian Helicopter
*Rebels shoot down Ukraine military helicopter; 14 dead

Among victims is a Ukrainian general; rebel leader in Donetsk admits his fighters include Russian 'volunteers.'

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Haaretz
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 30, 2014: A Ukrainian Mi-24 military helicopter. 

Pro-Russian separatists shot down a Ukrainian army helicopter on Thursday, killing 14 soldiers including a general, as government forces pressed ahead with an offensive to crush rebellions in the east swiftly following the election of a new president.

After weeks of accusations from Kiev of Russian involvement in the uprising, a rebel leader in the eastern city of Donetsk acknowledged that some of his fighters who died in the government offensive had been "volunteers" from Russia, saying their bodies were being returned home across the border.

In Kiev, acting president Oleksander Turchinov said the helicopter, which had been carrying supplies in eastern Ukraine, had been brought down by anti-aircraft fire from near the town of Slovyansk, which has been under the control of separatists since early April.

It was one of the heaviest losses inflicted by the separatists on the army in two months of unrest in Ukraine's eastern regions, and followed a fierce assault by government forces in which 50 or so rebels were killed earlier this week.

"I have just received information that terrorists using Russian anti-aircraft missiles shot down our helicopter near Slovyansk. It had been ferrying servicemen for a change of duty," Turchinov told parliament.

The bodies of some of the separatists killed this week when the Ukrainian military tried to regain control of Donetsk international airport were being prepared for return to Russia on Thursday, the rebel leader said.

In a stark admission that the rebels were being supported by Russian militia fighters, the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, said: "Those who are volunteers from Russia will be taken to Russia today."

Interior minister Arsen Avakov accused the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind the airport violence. Weapons collected at the airport after the rebels were forced out by airstrikes and a paratroop assault had been brought in from Russia, he said.

"These are not our weapons - they were brought from Russia. Serial numbers, year of production, specific models ... I am publishing this photograph as proof of the aggression of the Putin regime," Avakov wrote on his Facebook page.

Kiev's leaders have long asserted that Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in March, has fomented the separatist rebellions in the east of Ukraine with a view to bringing about dismemberment of the country.

Moscow denies this but they also allege that it is failing to stop Russian fighters from crossing the long land border into Ukraine together with truckloads of guns and live ammunition.

Defense Minister Mikhailo Koval said on Thursday: "We have put all our forces and equipment into the anti-terrorist operation. We have covered the whole state border."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday accused the West of pushing Ukraine into "the abyss of fratricidal war", and reiterated his call for an end to Kiev's military offensive.

Fierce Assault

The assault launched last Monday was the first time Kiev has unleashed its full military force against the fighters after weeks of restraint and came the day after Ukrainians overwhelmingly elected Petro Poroshenko as president.

Poroshenko, 48, a billionaire confectionary magnate who became the first Ukrainian since 1991 to win the presidency outright in a single round of voting, marked his clear victory by calling for a swift and effective offensive to crush the eastern rebellions.

Though he is unlikely to be inaugurated before June 7, Poroshenko will have an opportunity to meet Putin when both attend commemorations of the 70th anniversary of World War Two's "D-Day" landings in Normandy on June 6. On June 3, Poroshenko is also expected to have talks with U.S. President Barack Obama in Warsaw.

The separatist authorities say those who died on Monday and Tuesday included a truckload of wounded fighters blasted apart as they were driven away from the battlefield. The government said it suffered no losses in the operation, when its aircraft strafed the airport and paratroops landed to reclaim it.

At Donetsk's Kalinin morgue, where the dead from the violence were taken, 30 coffins were laid out in rows on Thursday.

"Yes. They're going to Russia," said an orthodox priest, who was edgy and did not wish to be named.

In another part of the morgue lay a local man, 43-year-old Mark Zverev, who had also been killed in the airport fighting. "Europe should know what is happening. He's not a terrorist. He is a defender of his home, of his people and of his land," said his mother, clutching his portrait.

A separatist leader in another part of the region acknowledged his men were holding four monitors from the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) who went missing in eastern Ukraine on Monday.

Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, whose group controls Slovyansk, said the OSCE had been warned not to travel in the area, but had sent a four-man team out all the same. He said they would be released soon.

The OSCE sent in about 300 observers to monitor compliance of an international accord for de-escalating the crisis in troubled eastern Ukraine, where separatists have seized control of strategic points in several towns.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Haaretz
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
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DTN News - INDIA NEWS: Narendra Modi Sworn In As India's 15th Prime Minister

DTN News - INDIA NEWS: Narendra Modi Sworn In As India's 15th Prime Minister

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources NDTV
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 26, 2014: New Delhi: Narendra Damodar Modi, 63, took oath as India's Prime Minister on Monday evening. Almost 4000 people were present at the ceremony held in the forecourt of the magnificent Rashtrapati Bhavan. Lakhs more, including Mr Modi's mother, watched on television. (This is Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers)

Minutes after he was sworn in a new website of the Prime Minister's Office was launched with a short first message from Mr Modi. "On 16th May 2014 the people of India gave their verdict. They delivered a mandate for development, good governance and stability. As we devote ourselves to take India's development journey to newer heights, we seek your support, blessings and active participation." (Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Message to India)

The new PM also said, "Together we will script a glorious future for India. Let us together dream of a strong, developed and inclusive India that actively engages with the global community to strengthen the cause of world peace and development." He promised in his signed message to use the "website as a very important medium of direct communication between us."

Mr Modi invited leaders from eight South Asian neighbours to his swearing-in ceremony, including Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, an unprecedented gesture that was as much a show of his determination to be a key player on the global stage as a celebration of his stunning election victory 10 days ago.

At Rashtrapati Bhavan, Mr Sharif sat next to Mr Modi's predecessor, Manmohan Singh. On Dr Singh's other side was Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Nepal's Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay of Bhutan and Bangladesh parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin also attended. (At President's Dinner for SAARC Leaders, a Pan-Indian Menu)

After the ceremony, Mr Sharif was the first to shake hands with the new Prime Minister.

In the audience were two former presidents, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi of the defeated Congress, top industrialists, Bollywood actors and saints and seers in saffron robes. 

BJP president Rajnath Singh will be Mr Modi's number 2 in government as Home Minister and took oath immediately after him. He was followed by senior BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley. Mr Jaitley will be Finance Minister and will also have additional charge of Defence.

Ms Swaraj will be Minister for External Affairs. 

On Sunday, Mr Modi promised that he would head a lean Cabinet with a focus on "minimum government and maximum governance". On Monday evening, after he had seen off visiting dignitaries and the crowds began to melt, the PM posed for a group photo with his team - at 45 ministers the leanest council of ministers yet. (What No One Told You Yet About Modi's New Cabinet)


There are 23 ministers of Cabinet rank, 10 Ministers of State with Independent charge and 12 Ministers of State in the new union council of ministers. The oldest is Najma Heptulla, 74, the youngest Smriti Irani, 38.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources NDTV
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
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DTN News - INDIA NEWS: Narendra Modi To Be Sworn In As Indian Prime Minister

DTN News - INDIA NEWS: Narendra Modi To Be Sworn In As Indian Prime Minister

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources BBC News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 26, 2014: Narendra Modi is to be sworn in as India's new prime minister in a ceremony to be attended by his counterpart from rival Pakistan.

Nawaz Sharif will join other regional leaders at the ceremony in Delhi's presidential palace.

It is the first time since the two countries won independence in 1947 that a prime minister from one state will attend such a ceremony in the other.

Mr Modi led his BJP party to a landslide win in the recent election.

The BJP won the biggest victory by any party in India for 30 years, gaining a majority in parliament and trouncing the outgoing Congress Party.

Monday's grand outdoor ceremony in front of the presidential palace will be attended by the leaders of all seven South Asian countries as well as Mauritius.

Tough stance

But all eyes will be on the presence of Mr Sharif, who is expected to hold talks with Mr Modi on Tuesday, says the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder.

The two nuclear-armed rivals have fought three wars in the past 60 years, and Mr Modi's BJP party advocates a tough stance on Pakistan.

"Pakistan wants good relations with India and I am going to New Delhi with a message of peace," Mr Sharif was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India before he flew into the capital for the swearing-in ceremony.

Several thousand guests are expected to attend the inauguration during which President Pranab Mukherjee will administer the oath of office to Mr Modi, 63, and his council of ministers.

Pakistan"s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif waves upon his arrival at the airport in New Delhi May 26, 2014

Nawaz Sharif will join other regional leaders at the ceremony in Delhi's presidential palace
In a tweet, Mr Modi has indicated that his government will be leaner with fewer ministers in an attempt to make it more efficient.

Besides Mr Sharif, other regional leaders attending the ceremony include Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Nepal's Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and Maldives' President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

Bangladesh will be represented by Speaker Shirin Chaudhury as PM Sheikh Hasina will be travelling to Japan at the time of the swearing-in ceremony, reports say.

Tight security and traffic restrictions have been imposed in Delhi and all offices around the presidential palace will be closed five hours before the event takes place, according to the Press Trust of India.

Given the margin of victory, the BJP will be able to govern without coalition partners - 272 MPs are required for an absolute majority.


The Congress party finished with just 44 of the 543 seats and under 20% of the vote in what was its worst-ever performance.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources BBC News
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DTN News - OBAMA IN AFGHANISTAN: President Obama Makes Surprise Afghanistan Visit

DTN News - OBAMA IN AFGHANISTAN: President Obama Makes Surprise Afghanistan Visit

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Reuters
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 25, 2014: President Barack Obama, on a visit to Afghanistan, said on Sunday his administration would likely announce soon how many troops the United States will keep in the country, as it winds down its presence after nearly 13 years of war.

Speaking at a briefing by military commanders at Bagram Air Base, Obama said one reason for his trip was to discuss the U.S. footprint for the rest of this year - when the bulk of troops are scheduled to be withdrawn - and afterward.

"We'll probably be announcing some decisions fairly shortly," said Obama, who flew into the main U.S. base in Afghanistan for a brief, surprise visit.

The trip on Memorial Day weekend, his fourth visit to Afghanistan, comes as Obama is buffeted by criticism at home that his handling of foreign policy has been too passive in dealing with crises from Syria to Ukraine and Russia. He is to respond to the criticism in a speech on Wednesday at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Obama also delivered remarks to troops at Bagram, getting hollers from the crowd as he told them, "I'm here on a single mission and that is to thank you for your extraordinary service." He was also set to visit wounded soldiers.

His trip was bound to be seen by some critics as an attempt to redeem himself in the eyes of military veterans who are alarmed at allegations that government-run medical facilities in the United States have not provided timely care for veterans.

At Bagram, Obama was briefed by Army General Joseph Dunford, who heads U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham.

NO PLANS TO VISIT KARZAI

Obama had no plans to visit the Afghan capital Kabul or meet

President Hamid Karzai and other government officials during a trip expected to last only a few hours. This allows him to avoid getting immersed in the country's presidential election campaign to choose a successor to Karzai, who has long been out of favor in Washington.

In an indication of the frayed relations between the Obama administration and the Karzai government, the Afghan president rejected an invitation extended through the U.S. embassy to meet Obama at Bagram, Abdul Karim Khurram, Karzai's chief of staff, told Reuters.

"President Karzai said he would warmly welcome him if he comes to the palace but in no way he would go Bagram to meet him," Khurram said.

Karzai has irked Obama by refusing to sign a bilateral security agreement that Washington wants before it will agree to leave a contingent of U.S. troops behind in Afghanistan for training Afghan forces and counter-terrorism operations, after the formal U.S. troop drawdown.

In turn, Karzai has long expressed anger at civilian deaths in Afghanistan. He told the Washington Post in an interview in March that the war in Afghanistan was not fought with his country's interests in mind.

In a statement issued before Obama's arrival in Afghanistan, Karzai criticized the U.S. phone surveillance program, saying it violates his country's sovereignty.

In his remarks to troops at Bagram, Obama said he was hopeful that the U.S.-Afghan bilateral security agreement would be signed once a new Afghan president was sworn in.

The number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan may drop well below 10,000 - the minimum demanded by the U.S. military to train Afghan forces, Obama administration officials briefed on the matter say.

There are now about 33,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, down from 100,000 in 2011, when troop numbers peaked a decade into a conflict in which more than 2,100 Americans have been killed.

Obama left Washington under cover of darkness on Saturday night and flew for more than 13 hours to arrive at Bagram on Sunday night local time. He brought with him country music star Brad Paisley to provide entertainment for the troops.

Wearing an Air Force One bomber jacket, Obama was also joined by national security adviser Susan Rice and special counselor John Podesta, who has a son stationed in Afghanistan.


(Additional reporting by Jeff Mason in Washington and Jessica Donati and Hamid Shalizi in Kabul; Editing by Caren Bohan and Frances Kerry)

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Reuters
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DTN News - UKRAINE CRISIS: Defense-Technology News May 4, 2014 (Video)

DTN News - UKRAINE CRISIS:  Defense-Technology News  May 4, 2014 (Video)

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth 
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 4, 2014: Pro-Russian groups in Donetsk have been reacting angrily to the deaths in Odessa.

More than 40 people died there on Friday, most of them in a fire at the Trade Unions House, where separatist protesters had barricaded themselves following running battles with pro-Kiev activists.

Ukraine's interim PM has accused the security services of failing to stop violence in the southern city of Odessa that left more than 40 people dead.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk, on his way to Odessa, told the BBC there would be a "full, comprehensive and independent investigation" into Friday's events.

Most of the victims were pro-Russian separatists who had barricaded themselves inside a building.

Mr Yatsenyuk has blamed pro-Russian groups for "provoking the unrest".

Dozens of people were arrested after the unrest. On Sunday, hundreds of pro-Russians gathered outside Odessa's main police station demanding their release, and there were reports of scuffles breaking out on the streets.

'Real war'

Some 42 people died in Odessa on Friday, most of them in the fire at the Trade Unions House, where separatist protesters had barricaded themselves in following running street battles with pro-Kiev activists.

Mr Yatsenyuk said the security service and law enforcement office had done "nothing to stop this crackdown", saying they were "inefficient and they violated the law".

The police chief of the Odessa region had been removed, he said, and the prosecutor's office had started an investigation into "every single police officer"

Ukraine Crisis Top Stories / Headlines News for the world of TODAY.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth 
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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Priyanka Chopra – Virat Kohli on The Cover of 7th Anniversary Issue of HELLO! India

Priyanka Chopra – Virat Kohli on The Cover of 7th Anniversary Issue of HELLO! India

BHGSG News - TORONTO, Canada - April 28, 2014: Indian firebrand cricketer Virat Kohli features alongside actress Priyanka Chopra in the seventh anniversary cover of Hello! magazine.

The fiery Indian vice-captain is not only one of the best batsmen in the world but he has garnered a brand value over the recent past.

Kohli has surpassed Sachin Tendulkar in the ad time occupied on television, also leaving behind captain MS Dhoni.

The batsman is India's heartthrob at the moment on and off the field.

But Virat loses his shine while sharing the frame with actress Priyanka Chopra.

The "Exotic" lady is a style diva and stands out even in the most simplest of outfits.

The former Miss World is seen wearing a crop top over a full-length deep plum-coloured skirt with a long slit, flaunting her long legs.

Priyanka pulled back her hair in a ponytail; lips complimenting her plum skirt and she finishes the job with minimal accessories. The actress puts on heels that can kill (if her looks don't do the job).

In the clash of strong personalities Priyanka stands out in the cover shoot.

Lack of chemistry between the two is clearly visible; maybe shooting separately didn't help the cause.

Earlier, Virat had shot a TV ad with his alleged girlfriend Anushka Sharma for a hair product. Sparks flew in the set and the result of the fireworks is known to all.

Reports of a raging romance between Anushka and Virat often make it to the gossip columns.

Looking at the Hello! cover, Anushka will be more than happy for the cold chemistry.


(Read complete story on Bollywood & Hollywood Gup Shup Gossip - Click on link undermentioned)

Bollywood & Hollywood Gup Shup Gossip

http://indianbollywoodmusicandmovies.blogspot.ca/2014/04/priyanka-chopra-virat-kohli-on-cover-of.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Top Air Force General Doesn't Know If F-22 Successor Will Even Fly

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Top Air Force General Doesn't Know If F-22 Successor Will Even Fly

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources By Joel Gehrke - Washington Examiner

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 24, 2014: Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh doesn't know if the successor to the F-22 Raptor, the Air Force's fifth generation fighter, will fly.

"I don't even know that it's an airplane," Welsh told reporters Wednesday morning. "I wouldn't try and characterize it or describe it. I have no idea yet what it's going to look like, even is, whether it flies, or whether it's a combination of things — just don't know."

Welsh said that Air Force officials have to begin thinking about "what does air superiority look like 30 years from now" because the government doesn't react quickly enough to be prepared with the necessary technology if the research doesn't begin very far in advance.

Lockheed Martin, which made the F-22, would like the fighter's successor to have "greater speed, range, stealth and self-healing structures; developments that will require new breakthroughs in propulsion, materials, power generation and weapon technology," according to a 2012 report from Air Force Technology.

The development of the F-22 was undermined by high costs, though. "Alarmed by soaring costs, the Defense Department shut down production last year after spending $67.3 billion on just 188 planes -- leaving the Air Force to rely mainly on its fleet of 30-year-old conventional fighters," the Los Angeles Times noted in 2013.

"The Air Force began laying plans to build the F-22 in the early 1980s. A decade later, it estimated it would take nine years and $12.6 billion to develop the jet, but it ended up taking 19 years and costing $26.3 billion, not including the production of any aircraft. By the time production was completed, the F-22 cost an average of $412 million each, up from the original estimate of $149 million."

Related U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Aircraft Images;

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources By Joel Gehrke - Washington Examiner
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