DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: India, Russia Sign Deal For Ammunition

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: India, Russia Sign Deal For Ammunition

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth 
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 1, 2014: India has signed a deal worth over Rs 2,600 crore with Russia to procure 66,000 anti-tank shells to meet the shortfall of critical ammunition faced by its armoured fleet including the latest T-90 tanks.

The two sides signed the deal on March 27 for the supply of anti-tank shells to the Army and agreement in this regard was inked by Defence Ministry officials from India and Rosoboronexport officials from the Russia side, Defence Ministry told PTI here.

The Cabinet Committee on Security headed by the Prime Minister had recently cleared the proposal to acquire Mango 66,000 tank shells from Russia, they said.

Under the deal, Russia will also undertake transfer of technology on the production techniques of the specialised tank ammunition to the Ordnance Factory Board, which will produce it indigenously, they said.

Faced with shortage of weapon systems, the Defence Ministry has decided to form JVs with the Russian manufacturers to produce them in India like the rockets for the Smerch multi-barrel rocket launcher systems.

The severe shortage of tank ammunition was first highlighted by former Army Chief Gen V K Singh in a top secret letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in March this year which later found its way to the media.

Gen Singh had noted in his letter that only three to four days of this particular ammunition was left in the inventory of the armoured regiments.

Later on, the Army had also informed the Standing Committee on Defence about the shortage and how the situation had worsened by the recent blacklisting of its supplier Israeli Military Industry (IMI).

>>10 Facts you need to know about the T90S-Bhishma Tank
Courtesy : Defence News

India's many battle tanks are in certain cases superior or at par with many other by world standards. But the delay in launching the Arjun Main Battle Tank has been a matter of concern for the Indian Army. India's many battle tanks are in certain cases superior or at par with many other by world standards. But the delay in launching the Arjun Main Battle Tank has been a matter of concern for the Indian Army. Therefore the induction of the T-90S Bhishma Tanks acted as a boon for the Indian Army. Here I am going to share a few facts about the Indian Army's main tank which are worth reading. 1. T-90S Bhishma is originally derived from Russia. Bhishma is a dubbed name just for T-90S. Russian Ministry Of Defence found that it could no longer afford to manufacture two war tanks in parallel. The one being T-80U which was of better quality and another being T-72B which was cheaper. Therefore they started giving small orders along with improvised features in hope for improving exportation to other countries. Later to showcase the sole battle tank of Russia, the ministry launched the T-90S, an amalgam of T-80U and T-72B with far superior fire control system. 2. Initially India never built the T-90S tanks. In 2001 around 310 T-90S tanks were imported from Russia. Out of which 120 were delivered completely, 90 in semi knocked down kits and 100 in complete knocked down kits. 3. The sole purpose of purchasing T-90S was that it had features almost similar to the T-72 which were then used by Indian Army there by simplifying training and maintenance. 4. Coming to the new features of T-90S, it has a new engine, jamming system, laser warning receivers. These Tanks can be used for more than 3 decades with little or no mid-life improvement. The tank has a Fire Control System which includes day and night sighting system mounted at the commanders’ station which allows the detection of a target between the ranges of 700m to 1100m during night. 5. The tank includes one 125mm 2A46M smoothbore gun which is stabilized and has a thermal covering. The easy part is that the gun tube can be effortlessly replaced without dismantling the turret inside. 6. It is built in with both passive and active defenses and the shielding is done by traditional armor plating with explosive reactive armour. 7. It has an improvised mobility factor. The tank has a deep snorkel that can carry 5m of water with tools which can be deployed in 20 minutes to avoid 5m deep water obstacles. The motorized transmission also includes two planetary gear boxes and two final drives which improves its mobility. It can also carry 1600L of fuel in the fuel tank, which is defiant of armor plating. 8. After a series of imports from Russia, finally India got the licence to manufacture the T-90S. Russia supplied documents for the local manufacture of the tank in India. A T-90S Bhishma tank was thus manufactured by the Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi, Tamil Nadu on January 7, 2004. Following which 10 others were manufactured by the end of 2009. 9. On November 2012, The Tribune reported that the Army had placed an order of around 250 T-90S tanks which has improved electronic devices. 10. Overall 700 tanks were purchased from Russia till date out of which some were partially or completely built in Russia. But the current contract for manufacture of 347 T-90S Bhishma, which are to be built in India under licence, will lead India to the largest force of modernized tanks in South-Asia.

*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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DTN News - PERVEZ MUSHARRAF - PAKISTAN NEWS: Pakistan Court Indicts Former President Pervez Musharraf For Treason

DTN News - PERVEZ MUSHARRAF - PAKISTAN NEWS: Pakistan Court Indicts Former President Pervez Musharraf For Treason
>>Pervez Musharraf 'knew' where Osama bin Laden was hiding, new book says
>>What Pakistan Knew About Bin Laden - By  Carlotta Gall New York Times

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Reuters, Times of India TOI
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 31, 2014: Pakistan's former president, Pervez Musharraf, on Monday pleaded not guilty to five counts of treason, in the latest chapter of a long-running drama between the country's increasingly assertive judiciary and its former military ruler.

Musharraf faces the death penalty if convicted of the charges over his suspension of the constitution and imposition of emergency rule in 2007, when he was trying to extend his rule as president.

Judge Faisal Arab, who heads the special panel of three judges trying the case, rejected a defence plea for additional time.

Musharraf stood ramrod straight and replied "Not guilty" to each charge.

"I would like to ask where is the justice for me in the Islamic republic of Pakistan ... I have only given to this country and not taken anything," Musharraf said.

"I prefer death to surrender."

The case is being closely watched for any impact on the relationship between Pakistan's three power centres — the historically powerful military, an increasingly independent judiciary and the civilian government, led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Some observers are concerned that the trial could anger the army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half its history since independence in 1947.

Musharraf has told reporters the whole army supported him, though the military leadership has given no indication that it might intervene in the trial.

Musharraf's lawyer later asked the court for permission for his client to visit his sick mother in Dubai. The former military ruler is currently under house arrest. The court promised to rule on the request during the day's proceedings.

Musharraf's trial began last November, but faced repeated delays. First he refused to appear. Then a series of explosive devices was found planted along his route.

On January 2, he was rushed to hospital when he suffered chest pains on the way to court.

Musharraf's lawyers have challenged the court's jurisdiction, saying it was inherently biased because the judiciary had helped lead popular protests that led to his resignation in 2008.

They argue that Musharraf cannot receive a fair trial under the government of Sharif, who won landslide elections a year ago. Musharraf deposed Sharif in a coup in 1999.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Reuters, Times of India TOI
*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 - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: North, South Korea Exchange Fire Over Maritime Border

DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: North, South Korea Exchange Fire Over Maritime Border

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AFP
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 31, 2014: The two Koreas traded live fire into the sea across their disputed maritime border on Monday, after Seoul said a North Korean military exercise dropped shells into South Korean waters.

"Some of the shells fired by North Korea dropped in our area and our side responded with fire," a spokesman for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) told AFP.

There was no indication that either side was firing at any particular target.

Officials on the South Korean border islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong said residents were being evacuated to shelters as a precaution.

The North Korean live fire exercise began at 12:15 pm (0315 GMT) and the South began responding with its own volley of artillery shells within 30 minutes.

"For the moment, both sides are firing into the sea," the JCS spokesman said.

North Korea regularly conducts live-fire drills but, in an unusual move, it had notified the South of Monday's exercise in advance.

The JCS had immediately warned it would respond in the event of any shells falling on its side of the border.

The Yellow Sea boundary is an extremely sensitive region that has been the scene of brief but bloody clashes in the past.

In November 2010, North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong island, killing four people and triggering concerns of a full-scale conflict.

"The aim is to threaten us and rack up tension on the Yellow Sea border and the overall Korean peninsula," South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Wi Yong-Seop told reporters before the North Korean drill began.

"The fact that they sent a message to us indicates their hostile intention," Wi said.

-- 'New form' of nuclear test --

The exchange of fire came a day after North Korea threatened to carry out a "new form" of nuclear test -- seen as a possible reference to efforts to build a nuclear warhead small enough to fit on a ballistic missile.

Pyongyang has carried out a series of rocket and short-range missile launches in recent weeks, in a pointed protest at ongoing annual South Korea-US military exercises.

On Wednesday it upped the ante by test-firing two mid-range ballistic missiles capable of striking Japan.

It was the first medium-range missile launch since 2009 and coincided with a trilateral summit attended by the South, the United States and Japan that focused on presenting a united front to the dangers posed by Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

UN resolutions prohibit the North from firing any ballistic missiles and the UN Security Council said it would consider taking "appropriate" action -- a response that triggered the North's "new" nuclear test threat.

North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests, the most recent -- and most powerful -- in February last year.

Most experts believe it is still some way from mastering the technology required to build a miniaturised warhead -- a development that would be seen as a game-changer in assessing the North's nuclear arms capabilities.

The de-facto maritime boundary between the two Koreas -- the Northern Limit Line -- is not recognised by Pyongyang, which argues it was unilaterally drawn by US-led United Nations forces after the 1950-53 Korean War.

Both sides complain of frequent incursions by the other and these resulted in limited naval clashes in 1999, 2002 and 2009.

-- North rights record condemned --

North-South tensions have been rising for weeks, undermining hopes raised after the North in February hosted the first reunion for more than three years of families separated by the 1950-53 war.

As well as the annual South Korean-US military drills, the North has been angered by efforts to bring Pyongyang before the UN Security Council over a UN report detailing Pyongyang's record of systematic human rights abuse.

On Friday, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution urging the Security Council to ensure that those responsible for "gross human rights violations" in North Korea be held to account.

North Korea's foreign ministry called approval of the resolution a "vicious, hostile" act, engineered by the United States.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AFP
*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: Mystery of Malaysia Airlines MH370 Top Stories / Headlines News Dated March 29, 2014

DTN News: Mystery of Malaysia Airlines MH370 Top Stories / Headlines News Dated March 29, 2014

 Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth 

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 29, 2014: Comprehensive daily news related to Mystery of Malaysia Airlines MH370 Top Stories / Headlines News for the world of TODAY.

*Comprehensive daily news related to Mystery of Malaysia Airlines MH370 Top Stories / Headlines News for the world of TODAY

1. News for Malaysia Airlines MH370 News March 29 2014
   
   

   

   CNN
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      More objects spotted in search for MH370

      Ninemsn ‎- 2 hours ago

      March 29, 2014: Objects discovered floating in a new area of the Indian ... the suspected debris of Malaysia Airlines MH370 further north and closer to Perth. ... China's state news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday that the ...
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      Debris reports offer 'more hope,' but still no confirmation of Flight 370's end

      CNN‎ - 5 hours ago
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      Flight MH370: Fresh objects found in new Indian Ocean search area

      The Guardian‎ - 8 hours ago
   3. 
      More news for Malaysia Airlines MH370 News March 29 2014

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Search for MH370 to go on 'no matter how remote the odds', minister ...
www.straitstimes.com/.../search-mh370-go-no-matter-how-remote-the-o...‎



3 hours ago - MALAYSIA'S Defence and Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein ... Malaysian families are housed while awaiting news of the search for MH370. ... from the media at The Everly Hotel in Putrajaya, on March 29, 2014. ... Malaysia Airlines flightMH370 at a hotel in Putrajaya, on March 29, 2014.
Objects found in new MH370 search area 11 ... - News - Ninemsn
news.ninemsn.com.au/.../2014/03/28/.../search-resumes-for-missing-mh3...‎



1 day ago - The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has resumed with ...March 29, 2014: Objects discovered floating in a new area of the ...
Three weeks on, Malaysian kin of missing MH370 afloat on hope ...
www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/.../three-weeks-on-malaysian-kin...‎



1 hour ago - PUTRAJAYA, March 29 — No news can sometimes be good news. ... weeks waiting for any news of the fate of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370, the fact ... on board flight MH370 at Everly Hotel, Putrajaya, March 29, 2014.
Families of MH370 passengers requested for three things, says ...
www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/.../families-of-mh370-passengers...‎



1 hour ago - News · Malaysia · World · Money · Life · Showbiz · Opinion · Sports · Eat/Drink ... Picture by Saw Siow Feng PUTRAJAYA, March 29 — Acting Transport ... of Malaysia by the families affected by the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 tragedy. ... from the media at Everly Hotel in Putrajaya March 29, 2014.
Debris offers 'more hope,' if not confirmation of Flight 370's end ...
www.cnn.com/2014/03/28/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/‎



Nearly three weeks after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the focus of the ... updated 10:56 PM EDT, Fri March 28, 2014 ... doubt that MH 370 has been lost and that none of those onboard survived." ... A relative of missing passengers waits for a newsbriefing by officials in Beijing on Tuesday, March 18.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 leaves just mystery | The Saturday ...
www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/.../2014/.../malaysia-airlines...mh370.../1...‎



20 hours ago - March 29 2014 aA ... as a relative of passengers aboard missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 demands answers about the flight's fate during ...

MH370 Lost in Indian Ocean: New objects seen but none recovered ...
www.nst.com.my/.../font-color-red-mh370-lost-in-indian-ocean-font-ne...‎



29 March 2014| last updated at 03:59PM ... been recovered, a Malaysian minister involved in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 said ... a Chinese Ilyushin IL-76, spotted three floating objects, China's official Xinhua News Agency said, ...
Flight MH370: Fresh objects found in new Indian Ocean search area ...
www.theguardian.com › ... › Malaysia Airlines flight MH370‎



8 hours ago - theguardian.com, Friday 28 March 2014 21.09 EDT ... Air Force AP-3C Orion aircraft searching for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. ... Transport Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, told a news conference on Friday.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_370‎



Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370/MAS370), also marketed as China Southern ... that disappeared on 8 March 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to .... 00:26, 01:07, 17:07, Last ACARS data transmission received; crew confirms .... Although Bloomberg News said that analysis of the last satellite "ping" ...

*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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DTN News - UKRAINE CRISIS: UN Rejects Russian Annexation of Crimea

DTN News - UKRAINE CRISIS: UN Rejects Russian Annexation of Crimea 

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources by Jennie Matthew (AFP)
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 28, 2014: The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted a Western-backed resolution declaring Crimea's breakaway referendum illegitimate and refusing to recognize Russia's annexation of the peninsula.

The non-binding measure passed with a comfortable majority in the 193-member body, with 100 votes in favor and 11 votes against. But 58 abstained and more than 20 did not vote.

Ukraine, which drafted the resolution, welcomed its adoption and called for a "stronger and more concrete" united, international front against Russian aggression.

"I'm very much satisfied with the vote... (an) overwhelming majority of nations in the world supported this resolution," acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya said.

He had urged the international community to back the text, hoping an overwhelming show of support would ward off further Russian intervention on Ukrainian territory.

"I am convinced that a strong vote today will help to deter further aggressive moves," Deshchytsya told the assembly.

"It sends an essential message that the international community will not allow what has happened in Crimea to set a precedent to further challenges to our rules."

Western diplomats wanted a strong majority vote to press home what they say is Russia's isolation, but there had been fears that a high number of countries would abstain.

Moscow's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin claimed the vote was a "moral victory" for Russian diplomacy, saying that "almost half" the UN membership refused to support the resolution.

"An increasing number of countries are beginning to understand the complexity of the situation and the motives behind the actions of Crimea and the Russian Federation," he said.

But the resolution did garner more support than a similar text passed in 2009 over the Georgia crisis.

Ukraine submitted the draft resolution, writing the text in moderate language in the hope of attracting a maximum number of votes, and it makes no direct reference to Russia.

The text is similar to a US-drafted resolution submitted to the Security Council on March 19, which Russia vetoed. China abstained and the other 13 members of the council voted in favor.

Thursday's resolution repeats that the March 16 referendum in Crimea has "no validity" and asks countries not to recognize any alteration of the status of the Black Sea peninsula.

It calls on all states to refrain from any attempts to modify Ukraine's borders through the threat or use of force or other unlawful means and calls for dialogue to resolve the crisis.

Ukraine said that a vote for the resolution was a vote for the UN charter, while a vote against or an abstention undermined it.

"One month has cost us dearly. More inaction may cost us this organization," Deshchytsya said.

- US urged 'yes' vote -
The United States backed Ukraine's request and criticized Russia.

US Ambassador Samantha Power told the assembly it was "disheartening in the extreme to see Russia carry on as if Ukrainians have no legitimate interest in Crimea."

"Ukraine is justified in seeking our votes in reaffirming and protecting its borders," she said.
"We urge you to vote 'yes' on a resolution that enshrines the centrality of territorial integrity and that calls for a diplomatic not a military solution to this crisis."

Russia stuck to its position, saying it had no right to refuse support to Crimeans in their right to self-determination.

The 11 countries that voted against the text were Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Russia, Nicaragua, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

NATO and Western powers voted overwhelmingly in favor. Among the abstentions were Afghanistan, China, India and Pakistan, as well many South American nations.

Israel and Iran were among those that did not vote.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources by Jennie Matthew (AFP)
*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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