DALLAS: Lockheed Martin has received contracts totaling $774 million from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command for hardware and services associated with the combat-proven Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile program. These contracts include Fiscal Year 2009 missile production for the U.S. Army as well as the first sale of the PAC-3 Missile Segment to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE becomes the first Middle East customer and the fourth international customer for the PAC-3 Missile, joining The Netherlands, Germany and Japan in fielding the system. Lockheed Martin expects in excess of $1.8 billion in PAC-3 Missile-related business over the life of the initial UAE program. The FY09 contracts include production of 172 hit-to-kill PAC-3 Missiles, 42 launcher modification kits, spares and other equipment, as well as program management and engineering services. Production of all equipment will take place at Lockheed Martin manufacturing facilities in Dallas and Lufkin, TX, Chelmsford, MA, Ocala, FL, and the PAC-3 All-Up Round facility in Camden, AR. Deliveries on the contracts will be completed by July 2011. "The PAC-3 Missile's proven hit-to-kill lethality provides an unprecedented level of protection to the warfighter," said Mike Trotsky, vice president - Air & Missile Defense Programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "We continue to see interest in the PAC-3 Missile Segment around the world, and Lockheed Martin remains focused on producing this vital technology for our customers." "The PAC-3 Missile offers the UAE combat-proven hit-to-kill lethality to protect critical capabilities and National assets," said Dennis Cavin, vice president - International Air & Missile Defense Strategic Initiatives at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "PAC-3 Missile Segment performance and lethality are the premier technologies available to provide defense against the threats facing our forces and allies today and well into the future." As part of these contracts, Lockheed Martin will produce and deliver equipment to begin upgrading all U.S. Army Patriot fire units with the capability for firing the PAC-3 Missile. The U.S. Army initiatives, called "Pure Fleet" and "Grow the Army," were launched in 2006 and will provide consistency across the fleet for the user anywhere Patriot is deployed or trained. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor on the PAC-3 Missile Segment upgrade to the Patriot air defense system. The PAC-3 Missile Segment upgrade consists of the PAC-3 Missile, a highly agile hit-to-kill interceptor, the PAC-3 Missile canisters (which each hold four PAC-3 Missiles, with four canisters per launcher), a fire solution computer and an enhanced launcher electronics system. The PAC-3 Missile is the world's most advanced, capable and powerful theater air defense missile, and currently is the only fielded pure kinetic energy air defense missile. It defeats the Patriot Air Defense System threat: tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and fixed and rotary winged aircraft. PAC-3 Missiles significantly increase the Patriot system's firepower, with 16 PAC-3s loading out on a single Patriot launcher. Lockheed Martin achieved the first-ever hit-to-kill intercept in 1984 with the Homing Overlay Experiment, using force of impact alone to destroy a mock warhead outside of the Earth's atmosphere. Further development and testing produced today's PAC-3 Missile, which won a competition in 1993 to become the first hit-to-kill interceptor produced by the U.S. government. The PAC-3 Missile has been the technology pathfinder for today's total conversion to kinetic energy interceptors for all modern missile defense systems. Currently, the Lockheed Martin-developed Aegis Weapon System, PAC-3 Missile, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Weapon System, the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) and the Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV) utilize this proven advanced technology to deliver lethality against today's most dangerous threats. Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.
Lockheed Martin is a world leader in systems integration and the development of air and missile defense systems and technologies, including the first operational hit-to-kill missile. It also has considerable experience in missile design and production, infrared seekers, command and control/battle management, and communications, precision pointing and tracking optics, as well as radar and signal processing. The company makes significant contributions to all major U.S. missile defense systems and participates in several global missile defense partnerships.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Lockheed Martin Receives Contracts for Combat-Proven PAC-3 Missile Program
Pakistan closes NATO supply route, operation launched
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Pakistan on Tuesday cut off supplies to NATO and US forces in Afghanistan via the Khyber Pass as security forces launched a major operation against militants there, an official said. The operation comes after a series of spectacular raids by suspected Taliban militants on foreign military supply depots in northwest Pakistan earlier this month in which hundreds of NATO and US-led coalition vehicles were destroyed. Pakistani security forces sent tanks, helicopter gunships and artillery units into the lawless Khyber tribal region on the Afghan border before dawn, the area's administrator Tariq Hayat told reporters in Peshawar. "We have launched an operation against militants and armed groups in Jamrud," the gateway to the Khyber Pass, Hayat said. The main highway linking Peshawar to the border town of Torkham has been shut down until the operation is complete, he said, adding: "Supplies to NATO forces have temporarily been suspended." "This is a giant operation. It will continue until we achieve our objective," Hayat said, adding that the operation could be expanded beyond the area near Jamrud -- located between Peshawar and Torkham -- if necessary. The Khyber tribal area official said the operation was aimed at putting a stop to attacks on NATO supply vehicles, as well as a spate of kidnappings for ransom in the tribal badlands, where Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants are active. "We have 26 targets -- we will eliminate their hideouts," Hayat said, adding that three people had been injured so far, including a security official. The bulk of the supplies and equipment required by NATO and US-led forces battling the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan is shipped to Pakistan's largest port, Karachi, in the south. From there, the containers of food, fuel, vehicles and munitions are taken by truck to depots outside Peshawar before being transported to Afghanistan via the Khyber Pass. But the fabled road passes through the heart of Pakistan's lawless tribal zone, where extremists sought refuge after Afghanistan's hardline Taliban regime was ousted in a US-led invasion at the end of 2001. Two weeks ago, several haulage companies in Pakistan refused to ply the 50-kilometre (30-mile) route, saying the security of their drivers could not be ensured. But the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) downplayed the significance of the move by the Khyber Transport Association, saying it was continuing to receive supplies. "We continue to monitor the impact of that. It is not our only means of (getting) supplies," an ISAF spokesman, British Royal Navy Captain Mark Windsor, told AFP. Senior Pakistani officials said last week that some troops had been redeployed from the tribal areas to the country's eastern border with India, amid simmering tensions with New Delhi over the Mumbai attacks. The move sparked concerns that the fight against extremists in the rugged border region could suffer.
Lord's Resistance Army rebels kill almost 200 in DR Congo: UN
KINSHASA: Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army rebels killed almost 200 people in a campaign in northeast Congo, a UN agency said in a report released Monday. Its report said at least 120 houses have been burned down during the campaign. Troops from Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and southern Sudan have launched a military operation in the stricken region to find LRA leader Joseph Kony, who is wanted by a UN tribunal for war crimes. Kony's rebels are accused of having raped and mutilated civilians, forcibly enlisting child soldiers and of massacring thousands during two decades of conflict.
Since December 25, the rebels have killed 40 people in the Faradje district, 89 around Doruma and 60 in the Gurba area alone, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Researchers unlock secrets of 1918 flu pandemic
Researchers have found out what made the 1918 flu pandemic so deadly -- a group of three genes that lets the virus invade the lungs and cause pneumonia.
The discovery, published in Tuesday's issue of theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could also point to mutations that might turn ordinary flu into a dangerous pandemic strain.
Yoshihiro Kawaoka of theUniversity of Wisconsin and colleagues at the Universities of Kobe and Tokyo in Japan used ferrets, which develop flu in ways very similar to humans.
Usually flu causes an upper respiratory infection affecting the nose and throat, as well as so-called systemic illness causing fever, muscle aches and weakness.
But some people become seriously ill and develop pneumonia. Sometimes bacteria cause the pneumonia and sometimes flu does it directly.
During pandemics, such as in 1918, a new and more dangerous flu strain emerges.
"The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most devastating outbreak of infectious disease in human history, accounting for about 50 million deaths worldwide," Kawaoka's team wrote.
It killed 2.5 percent of victims, compared to fewer than 1 percent during most annual flu epidemics. Autopsies showed many of the victims, often otherwise healthy young adults, died of severe pneumonia.
"We wanted to know why the 1918 flu caused severe pneumonia," Kawaoka said in a statement.
They painstakingly substituted single genes from the 1918 virus into modern flu viruses and, one after another, they acted like garden-variety flu, infecting only the upper respiratory tract.
But a complex of three genes helped to make the virus live and reproduce deep in the lungs.
The three genes -- called PA, PB1, and PB2 -- along with a 1918 version of the nucleoprotein or NP gene, made modern seasonal flu kill ferrets in much the same way as the original 1918 flu, Kawaoka's team found.
Most flu experts agree that a pandemic of influenza will almost certainly strike again. No one knows when or what strain it will be but one big suspect now is the H5N1 avian influenza virus.
H5N1 is circulating among poultry in Asia, Europe and parts of Africa. It rarely affects humans but has killed 247 of the 391 people infected since 2003.
A few mutations would make it into a pandemic strain that could kill millions globally within a few months.
Four licensed drugs can fight flu but the viruses regularly mutate into resistant forms -- just as bacteria evolve into forms that evade antibiotics.
Monday, December 29, 2008
NEW F-16 Avionics Updates
Northrop Grumman displayed a model of its Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) AESA radar, unveiled earlier this year in Singapore. This radar will fit into F-16s from Block 50/52 onward, as a drop-in replacement for the company's APG-69 mechanically scanning radar set. Another upgrade option from Raytheon is the replacement of backup flight instruments installed at the center of the cockpit with large, vertically mounted 6x8 inch multi-function color 'Center Pedestal Display' (CPD) unit. This display is optimally suitable to support situational awareness, digital map displays and video imaging which sofar suffered from lack of proper display capability in the cockpit. CPD is designed to operate in daylight and at night (NVIS) color modes. It is linked to the aircraft databus and communications systems, offering two-way situational awareness datalink (SADL) messaging.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
IAF Air Strikes Destroy Palestinian Tunnels Under the Gaza-Rafah Border Line
The Israeli Air Force continues to demonstrate high precision attack, based on superior intelligence collected despite the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005. In an air raid that lasted only four minutes the IAF attacked today about 40 supply tunnels dug underneath the Gaza-Rafah border with Egypt, which was the only available supply line serving the besieged Gaza economy. Although hundreds of active tunnels are known to be operating in the Rafah area, targeting this essential supply line has a psychological effect on the Palestinians, already hard hit after yesterday's air strikes. The IDF experimented engaging palestinian tunnels with JDAM weapons before the 2005 disengagement. Back then, tunnels were dug deep since the IDF has permanent presence in the area. Therefore, such attacks had marginal effect and posed risk to friendly forces. Apparently, the IAF improved their methods to enable effective destructions of such targets. The Palestinian retaliated on the Israeli attacks launching rockets over distances never before achieved. SOme 20 rockets were fired on Sunday (December 28, 2008). By morning , five Grad type rockets were launched at targets between Ashdod and Ashkelon, at ranges of about 40 km. From preliminary examinations of the long range rockets retrieved from the sites near Ashdod experts assume one is a new Grad type 122mm rocket modified for extended range of up to 40 km. The other is a standard Grad rocket capable of reaching 35km. The Israelis are preparing for a long battle, which could also be expanded to ground operations. On Sunday the Israeli government approved mobilization of 6,500 reservists to duty and the home-front command is preparing for emergency conditions, under emergency law declared by the government today. Saturday December 27 was one of the bloodiest days of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak indicated that the battle will be long and difficult, "but the time has come to act and to fight back" Barak said. Overnight, the IAF continued its attacks against weapons caches and suspected rocket firing tems. Other targets attacked overnight included the Hamas television station, but apparently the broadcast continued from a mobile unit. Israel hammered Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the firstday of operation "Cast Lead", as some 60 Israel Air Force aircraft andhelicopters pounded over 50 Hamas military targets in Gaza over the spanof just a few minutes, killing at least 280 people and wounding over 600 sins the campaign started by Saturday noon, in retaliation for unprovoked massive rocket attacks by Palestinians, fired against Israeli civilians over the past weeks. Israeli military spokesman Avi Benayahu said some 250 attacks were carried out since the offensive began. The Palestinians replied with sporadic rocket attacks, totaling over 60 rockets launched at Israeli cities and villages around the Gaza strip, killing a single Israeli man and wounding several others. According to theAssociated Press report, one rocket struck close to the largest city in southern Israel, Ashdod, some 23 miles (38 km) from Gaza. It reached almost twice as deep into Israeli territory as ever before and confirmed security officials' concerns that militants are capable of putting major cities within rocket range. According to official military sources in Israel, since the campaign began, more than 110 rockets and mortars have bombarded southern Israel.Hamas said the strikes destroyed its security structures across Gaza and killed three senior officials - the Gaza police chief, the police commander for central Gaza and the head of the group's bodyguard unit. Israel is expected to continue and pursue top military targets, while political leaders could also be among Israel's hit list. The Israelis are expected to continue their pursuit of Hamas' infrastructure, especially rocket production and storage sites, while hunting down rocket launching teams preparing to launch rockets at Israeli targets. One such team was spotted and terminated before launching its rockets on the evening of the first day of the attack. Although the Israeli attack was prepared for weeks, careful operational security and a well planned psychological deception campaign left the Palestinians completely surprised, despite their expectance of the incoming attack. Deception tactics employed known tactical limitations, such as weather operational limitations, and extensive and prolonged political deliberation and indecision among the Israeli interim caretaker government, which kept the enemy, and the Israeli public, unsuspicious about the imminent strike. Today's confrontation came after the final collapse of the Egyptian brokered six-month Israeli-Hamas truce that expired a week ago, on December 19, 2008. The Israeli attacks caught Hamas unprepared, causing severe casualties especially in areas where militants gathered after days of preparations for the Israeli action. Nevertheless, Hamas swiftly responded by firing several almost 60 rockets into the Jewish state, killing one Israeli and wounding several civilians. However, the Israelis are not alluding themselves about their opponent's capabilities, and are preparing themselves to absorb more and heavier hits in the coming days, as operation "Lead Cast" continues. Emergency Martial Law has already been declared by the Home Defense Command covering almost 30 kilometers range of possible rocket strikes. 
Friday, December 26, 2008
Unsafe for Indians to travel to Pak, says MEA advisory
It is for the first time in 30 years that such an advisory has been issued against Pakistan.
Responding to a question about arrest of alleged Indian national Satish Anand in Pakistan on suspicion of being involved in the Lahore blast, the official spokesperson said:
"There have been reports in the Pakistani media that several Indian nationals have been arrested over the last two days in Lahore and Multan, and are being accused of being terrorists.
Since it was also reported in the Pakistani media yesterday that the senior police officer in Lahore was unaware of the arrest in his city, it seems that this is the work of other agencies in Pakistan that operate outside the law and civilian control.
Indian citizens are therefore advised that it would be unsafe for them to travel or be in Pakistan."
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Pilots not trained to land in Delhi's fog
Winter is here and so is the fog situation that adds to every traveller's worries year after year. Delhi is the worst-hit, despite crores of rupees spent on installing state-of-the-art CAT 3 system. Ironically Delhi is the only city in India with CAT 3 compliant systems that allow pilots to land in near zero visibility.
But it's not the fog alone that is to be blamed. Airlines facing a severe cash crunch can't afford to spend lakhs on pilots training on the new CAT 3 system.
Flights are being delayed, connections missed and airlines are even cancelling their destinations.
"This is completely wrong. The airlines should at least inform us," said Madhur, a passenger.
So, why is the same story repeated year after year?
It costs between Rs 8 to 10 lakhs to train each pilot on CAT 3. It's no surprise then that despite directives from the civil aviation ministry, airlines are resisting the move. With only 1,163 trained pilots in the country the numbers are simply not enough.
"The aviation sector has collapsed. Private airlines are in a catch-22 situation. They are in deep trouble and training of pilots means more money. They are already in loss," said Rajiv Pratap Rudy, former civil aviation minister.
But not all airlines are willing to take responsibility.
"We have 58 crews which are equipped for landing in CAT 3 conditions. Unfortunately everything slows up because of the weather," said
Captain Jack Eckle, operations head, SpiceJet.
The government has now decided to put its foot down. All airlines have been ordered to have pilots trained on CAT 3 during low hours in Delhi. It's something that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will personally oversee.
"What is needed is that all the players should act more cohesively. Airlines have to keep their passengers informed and everyone should coordinate more," said K Gohain, former Director General, Ministry of Civil Aviation.
But will it be enough? And will change finally come through?
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Purchase of Spyder Quick-Reaction Anti-Aircraft Missile SystemIndian Government
Transfer of Technology for series upgrade of MiG-29 aircraft and their Repair and Overhaul (ROH) is part of the upgrade contract. However, transfer of technology was not considered viable in case of Low Level Quick Reaction Missile system.
An expenditure of 964.082 million USD (approx Rs. 3875.61 crores) would be towards upgrade of MiG-29 aircraft, and USD 260,050,000 (approx Rs. 1137.71875 crores) for purchase of Low Level Quick Reaction Missile Systems.
This information was given by the Defence Minister Shri A K Antony in a written reply to Shri Vijay Jawaharlal Darda in Rajya Sabha today.
Full Reservations at Taj and Trident
Agra: Almost a month since they were attacked by the terrorists, Taj Mahal Palace and Tower and Trident, which plan to reopen on 21st December, say that they are flooded with requests for reservations at theirrestaurants.On 21st December, at 7:30 in the evening, Taj Tower wing will open The Zodiac Grill, Souk, Masala Kraft, Aquarius, Shamiana, Starboard and La Patisserie. On the other hand, Trident and Oberoi hotels will openFrangipani, India Jones, Opium Den and Verandah.For added customer comfort, Taj hotel is making excellent transport arrangements for the guests to arrive and depart from the hotel with the addition of two Jaguars to its fleet for guest transfers.
Second ground-test F-35 Lightning II rolls out on schedule
The new F-35, called AG-1, is the full-scale static test article for the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant, which will be flown by the US Air Force and eight of the nine F-35 partner countries.
The static test aircraft for the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant was delivered earlier this year and has successfully completed a third of its planned test programme in Fort Worth, Texas.
'AG-1 will be placed in a state-of-the-art test rig where twisting, bending and pulling forces are applied to validate that the CTOL variant's structure can sustain the tremendous forces and loads exerted during flight,' said Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and F-35 programme general manager.
'This test article enables F-35 to retire technical risk as quickly as possible so flight testing can progress toward the CTOL's full nine-G performance envelope on schedule,' he added.
In late March, AG-1 will depart Fort Worth by truck and will be transferred to a cargo ship for the final voyage to the BAE Systems Structures Laboratory in Brough, England. Arrival is expected in late April.
Prior to shipping, AG-1 will undergo pressure testing of the canopy and fuel tanks, and will be outfitted with final instrumentation and load-application pads and fittings.
Upon the completion of the full-scale static testing programme, AG-1 will be shipped back to the United States.
Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Two separate, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development: the Pratt & Whitney F135 and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team F136.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.
Ceat again slashes truck tyre prices
Tyre maker Ceat Ltd Saturday said it would slash prices of its truck tyres by 3-4 percent.
The latest price revision is the second in 10 days, and will come into immediate effect.
Earlier, the company had announced a price reduction on its tyres by about 3.6 percent. The fresh revision in prices will see these reduced by 6.6-7.6 percent.
"Ceat's decision to further reduce the cost of its tyres is part of the company's belief of giving optimum benefit to its consumers. The cost-effectiveness gained by the best practices adopted by Ceat in cost cutting and the benefits we have gained by the reduction in raw prices have been passed on to our customers," Ceat vice president of sales and marketing Arnab Banerjee said.
"This is the second round of price cuts we have announced in less than two weeks. With this price cut our customers stand to gain 6.6 per cent-7.6 per cent,"
Gaza militant killed in Israeli air strike
An Israeli air strike has killed a Palestinian militant in the Gaza Strip, a day after the end of a six-month-old ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas rulers of the enclave, the army and Palestinians said.
An Israeli military official said the air strike targeted a group of militants firing rockets towards Israel.
Palestinian medics said one militant was killed and another was wounded when a missile exploded in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.
The attack came hours after two rockets fired from Gaza landed in Israel, causing no damage or injuries, the army said.
Hamas declared the end of the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with the Jewish state in the Gaza Strip on Thursday (local time), raising the prospect of an escalation in cross-border fighting.
Armed Islamist factions in Gaza went on alert on Friday (local time) and warned Israel not to attack the coastal enclave.
Under the truce, brokered by Egypt in June, Palestinian militants would halt rocket fire in return for Israel gradually easing its blockade of the Gaza Strip to allow in more aid.
But the ceasefire has been eroded almost daily since early November after a deadly Israeli army raid into Gaza prompted showers of largely ineffective rockets into Israel.
Egypt said on Friday it had not been asked to repair the truce.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Pakistan to get Chinese airborne surveillance system
Under the $278-million deal, the unmanned surveillance aircraft will be delivered to Pakistan during the next four years on a deferred payment basis, The News reported.
Pakistani Minister for Defence Production Abdul Qayyum Khan Jatoi presented the details of the agreement to the country's lower house of parliament Wednesday.
The report came as tensions between Pakistan and India are intensifying following last month's Mumbai terrorist attacks, which New Delhi believes were carried out by Pakistan-based Islamic terrorists.
Islamabad has claimed that two Indian jet fighters violated its airspace last week. The Foreign Office Thursday summoned the Indian deputy high commissioner to convey concerns over the "technical and air space violations by Indian aircraft" on December 12 and 13.
India has denied any violation of Pakistan's airspace.
India tests Brahmos cruise missile, says no link to 26/11
The launch comes at a time of heightened tension between India and Pakistan over last month's Mumbai attacks.
Indian defence officials said the launch had been planned well before the Mumbai attacks.
The Brahmos missile, named after India's Brahmaputra river and Russia's Moscow river, can travel at up to 2.8 times the speed of sound and has a range of 290 kmhan, according to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
"The launch from a moving frontline naval platform in the Bay of Bengal was very successful and we are thrilled as this is very significant," DRDO official Suranjan Pal told Reuters, adding that the launch took months of planning.
India, which has the world's fourth-largest military, plans to fit the missile in several ships, the DRDO said in a statement.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
No cheer in Orissa this Christmas?
There won't be any Christmas cheer in Orissa this year. A pall of gloom has descended on the Christian community as Hindutva groups have called for a bandh on December 25.The stage is set for a confrontation with Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik saying the bandh will not be allowed and Hindutva groups determined to go ahead.The mood in the Christian community in Orissa is gloomy, not only because of what happened in Kandhmal during Christmas in 2007 and between August and October 2008, but also because of a statewide bandh called by Hindutva groups to protest the state government's failure in catching the killers of Swami Laxmananand Saraswati."There's a great fear in the minds of the people that anything may happen on that day. The people feel they are not safe to celebrate the feat of the birth of Christ. Besides, people have been coming from outside of Kandhmal and they are going around with arms and ammunition. We don't know who they are," said Raphael Cheenath, Archbishop, Bhubaneshwar-Cuttack.The Union Home Ministry has sent an advisory to the state government to ensure a peaceful Christmas and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has also assured the state assembly that no bandh will be allowed on the Christmas day."No bandh will be permitted on December 25, the Christmas day. We should not let violence mar the day," said Patnaik.However, the sangh parivaar is defiant."We don't need anybody's permission for the bandh. Is it enough to arrest five to seven people? Why has the government not been able to apprehend the conspirators behind Swami ji's killing?" said Gouri Prasad Rath, secretary, VHP, Orissa.However, the bandh call has little support from the ordinary man."We Hindus celebrate our festivals. Likewise Christmas is the biggest festival for them. So what's the point behind such a move?" said a local resident.This Christmas will be a testing time for the Orissa government because it has to live up to the promises made by the chief minister to the Christian community and also because the Bharatiya Janata Party, a partner in the government, is unwilling to oppose the bandh.
Drillers looking for geothermal energy in Hawaii have inadvertently put a well right into a magma chamber.
Molten rock pushed back up the borehole several metres before solidifying, making it perfectly safe to study.
Magma specialist Bruce Marsh says it will allow scientists to observe directly how granites are made.
"This is unprecedented; this is the first time a magma has been found in its natural habitat," the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, professor told BBC News.
"Before, all we had to deal with were lava flows; but they are the end of a magma's life. They're lying there on the surface, they've de-gassed. It's not the natural habitat.
"It's the difference between looking at dinosaur bones in a museum and seeing a real, living dinosaur roaming out in the field."
Professor Marsh has been discussing the discovery here at the American Geophysical Union's Fall Meeting 2008.
In control
This is not the first time drillers have encountered magma; the depth of the hit and the setting are, however, thought to be unique.
The exploratory well was being put down in the east of Hawaii's Big Island, through the basalt lava fields formed by Kilauea Volcano
But the drillers were shocked - not only to hit magma but to also hit such a big heat source at the relatively shallow depth of 2.5km.
"It's hotter than hell; it's over a thousand degrees centigrade," said Professor Marsh.
Bill Teplow, a consulting geologist with US Geothermal Inc, who oversaw the drilling, stressed there was no risk of an explosion or of a volcanic eruption at the site.
"It was easily controlled in the well bore because of the magma's highly viscous nature. It flowed up the well bore 5-10m but then the cool drilling fluid caused it to solidify and stop flowing," said Mr Teplow.
"At no time were we in danger of losing control of the well."
They are not sure how large the magma chamber is, but some initial testing suggests it may have been put in place by activity from Kilauea in the 1950s, perhaps even the 1920s.
Professor Marsh said the chamber was docile and slowly cooling. The consistency of the magma was like chilled pancake syrup, he said.
It is hoped the site can now become a laboratory, with a series of cores drilled around the chamber to better characterise the crystallisation changes occurring in the rock as it loses temperature.
The magma is a dacite, making it chemically distinct from the basalt which forms nearly the entire mass of the Hawaiian Islands and the surrounding oceanic crust. It has a much higher silica content
"Granites are about 75% SiO2 and basalts are about 50%. Average continental material is probably in between, at about 60%," explained Professor Marsh.
"Here's one that turns out to be 67% silica. It's up there; it's a very respectable silicic magma. And it's in the middle of the ocean, and it could be this is how continents could have been started to be built on the planet."
Geothermal experts are also fascinated by the event. The Kilauea encounter is by far the shallowest and the hottest encounter of rock in a commercial operation, and it will be studied to see if there are lessons that can be applied to electrical generation project elsewhere in the world.
"We were at about 2.5km which is pretty routine drilling depth," explained Mr Teplow.
"But that is half the depth of experimental projects in Europe and Australia where they are drilling very deep into hot granite - some 5-5.5km down - and getting 260C rock; and here we're getting 1,050C rock."
Chrysler plants close for a month
Chrysler needs to save money as it waits for the US government to find a way to help the car industry.
A $14bn (£9.4bn) bail-out deal for the industry failed in the Senate last week, raising fears of job cuts and a possible industry collapse.
Chrysler also needs to reduce production to reflect falling demand as the economy stumbles.
Dealers have been unable to sell cars even to people with the confidence to buy them, because they have been unable to take out car-loans.
"As a result of the financial crisis, the automotive market remains depressed due to the continued lack of consumer credit for potential buyers," Chrysler said in a statement.
Job losses
It left open the possibility that the plants would be closed for more than a month.
"Impacted employees will not return to work any sooner than Monday 19 January," it said.
Also on Wednesday, Ford announced it was to extend the normal two-week Christmas shut-down at 10 of its North American plants for an extra week.
Last week, General Motors announced it was shutting down 30% of its North American production.
Chrysler, Ford and General Motors have warned that millions of jobs could be lost if the government does not agree to a package of loans to support the industry.
While 46,000 Chrysler employees will be directly affected by the plants closure, many more Americans whose jobs depend on the big car makers will be watching with great concern, says the BBC's North America editor, Justin Webb.
The Bush administration has said it will act to prevent a disorderly collapse of the car industry, and loans to keep the big three companies in business could be arranged within days, our correspondent adds.
The White House warned on Tuesday that the carmakers would have to make "concessions" to secure the bail-out.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Asian giants agree economic plan
Japan and China's prime ministers and the South Korean president - meeting in Japan - agreed to boost trade and greatly increase currency swaps.
China's Wen Jiabao called the summit, the first of its kind, a "milestone".
He said such co-operation would "have real significance" as the crisis impacted on economies around the world.
The North Asian nations, former enemies, have held talks on the sidelines of international meetings, but this is their first independent trilateral summit.
"It is quite a milestone to hold a stand-alone China-Japan-South Korea summit," Mr Wen said as he opened talks with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in the southern city of Fukuoka.
Swap facilities
The BBC's Duncan Bartlett in Tokyo says China, Japan and South Korea are closely intertwined economically and their leaders regard co-operation with their neighbours as a vital means of lifting the East Asian region out of its current financial malaise.
In a joint statement, the leaders said that Asia was "expected to play a role as the centre of world economic growth in order to reverse the downward trend of the world economy".
Our correspondent says the nations believe the swaps will prevent a repeat of the situation 11 years ago when sudden slides in currency values triggered a major financial crisis in Asia.
The three men also called for an urgent injection of capital into the Asian Development Bank.
Ahead of the talks, the South Korean central bank announced in a statement that it had increased its bilateral swap facility with the Bank of Japan to $20bn (£13bn), and a similar facility with the People's Bank of China to $26bn.
Japan is also trying to put aside its past differences with China, partly because it was trade between them that helped pull Japan out of its last prolonged recession during the 1990s, our correspondent says.
On Friday, the Japanese government increased by 23 trillion yen ($255bn) its stimulus plan, more than half of which will be used to bring stability to the financial markets. It follows a 27 trillion-yen package in October.
"This is a great global recession which comes once in a hundred years," Mr Aso said. "But by taking appropriate measures without any delay, we can minimise the impact."
Earlier this week, China revealed that its exports had fallen for the first time in seven years. However, it still reported a record monthly trade surplus.
Beijing launched a four trillion yuan ($586bn) stimulus plan last month, and on Wednesday pledged to boost public spending and cut taxes.
South Korea, the hardest hit by the financial crisis, meanwhile offered $130bn of guarantees on foreign-currency borrowing and liquidity to its banks.
At a separate meeting on Saturday, the South Korean and Japanese leaders condemned North Korea for showing an "unco-operative attitude" in the latest round of six-party talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear disarmament programme in Beijing this week.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Two Banks in Georgia and Texas Close
Two more banks, one in Georgia and another in Texas, closed Friday.
Haven Trust Bank was closed by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance and
Sanderson State Bank was closed by the Texas Department of Banking.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was named receiver of both.
Branch Banking & Trust of Winston-Salem, N.C., will assume Haven Trust's $515 million in deposits for $112,000, according to an agreement with the FDIC.
Haven Trust's four branches reopen on Monday as branches of BB&T, and its depositors will automatically become depositors of BB&T. The FDIC says they can access all their money over the weekend by writing checks or using ATMs or debit cards.
The Pecos County State Bank will assume all of Sanderson State Bank's deposits, including those that exceeded the deposit insurance limit, according to a company press release.
Over the weekend, depositors of Sanderson State Bank will have access to all of their money by writing checks or using ATMs or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.
North Korea Warns Nuclear Dismantling Could Be Slow
BEIJING — North Korea's envoy to nuclear talks warned Saturday that Pyongyang will slow work on dismantling its nuclear program if energy aid by Washington and others is delayed.
Four days of disarmament talks ended in a stalemate last week after North Korea refused to make written commitments on inspection of its nuclear program. That blocked progress on an aid-for-disarmament agreement reached last year.
"Let's watch whether economic and energy compensation projects stop or move forward," the North Korean envoy, Kim Kye Gwan, said as he prepared to return to Pyongyang. "We'll adjust the speed of our disablement work if it (energy aid) doesn't come in."
South Korea's foreign minister said Thursday the North might be trying to extract more aid by resisting verification of the dismantling of its nuclear program.
Pyongyang complained Wednesday about a delay in energy aid, saying it has slowed disabling the Yongbyon reactor in response. It refused to allow outside inspectors to take samples from its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon.
North Korea has agreed to give up nuclear weapons but has resisted Washington's attempts to put in place strict measures to ensure it is not hiding any active atomic programs
U.S. officials said last month North Korea agreed to let atomic experts take samples and conduct forensic tests at all of its declared nuclear facilities and undeclared sites. That is believed to be a key means of nuclear verification.
The North agreed in February 2007 to disable Yongbyon and declare all its nuclear programs as a step toward their ultimate dismantlement. In exchange, the impoverished communist nation was promised energy aid worth 1 million tons of fuel oil and other concessions, including removal from the U.S. list of terrorist sponsors.
India-China Defence Dialogue To Be Held On December 15
The second Annual Defence Dialogue (ADD) between India and China will take place in New Delhi on Monday (December 15). Defence Secretary Vijay Singh will lead the Indian side while the Chinese side will be led by Lt. General Ma Xiaotian, Deputy Chief of General Staff, People's Liberation Army (PLA). Currently the Chinese delegation is in India from December 10.
The upcoming ADD is likely to hold discussion on issues like terrorism, bilateral defence cooperation and security issues. Both the sides will also exchange views on regional and security issues. The ADD offers a viable platform for both the neighbouring nations to consolidate defence cooperation. Apart from these, the defence polices of both the countries are likely to discussed at the meeting. Annual exchange visit programmes between the defence forces of both the nations will also be discussed.
India and China had oragnised their fist ADD in Beijing in November 2007. During that meeting, Defence Minister AK Antony and Lt. General Ma Xiaotian discussed various matters pertaining to security scenario, terrorism and bilateral defence cooperation. The Chinese delegation later made a visit to Belgaum in India from December11-12. India and China also organised a joint military exercise during that time.
General Motors To Temporarily Close Plants And Cut Production
World's largest automobile manufacturer, General Motors Corp (GM) has decided to temporarily shut down its plants and reduce production. The recent move is taken owing to decline in the car sales. Apart from it, the US Senate has also rejected the bail-out package for the automotive industry. GM will cease the production of the 30 percent of its North American plants for the first quarter of 2009. The company has experienced a 36-per-cent drop in sales in November and a 41-per-cent decline in 2008 from the previous year.
For the last couple of weeks, the US auto market has been badly hit by the economic slump and consumers are suffering to get credit for vehicle financing. Almost all the major auto companies are experiencing plunging sales. Most of them are forced to cut production costs to sustain in the market. The recent decision of GM to shut down its plants will result in a cut of 250,000 in the production of cars.
In order to revive the auto industry, US has planned to implement a 14-billion dollar rescue plan. Although The House of Representatives approved the rescue plan, but the measure failed in the Senate, where Republican prevented Democrats from getting the 60 votes needed to end debate and go to a final vote. The failure of the 14-billion dollar rescue plan came as a setback for all the companies. The recent decision of GM is supposed to be the effect of rejection of bail-out package
India, U.S. Official Discuss Mumbai Attack Probe
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte on Friday (12th December) discussed with Indian officials investigations into last month's attack on Mumbai and urged Pakistan and other countries to help.
The attack, which India blames on militant groups in Pakistan, has jeopardized improving relations between the two neighbors and threatened to divert Pakistan's military from a U.S.-led anti-militant campaign on its Afghan border.
Negroponte met Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the National Security Advisor M. K. Narayanan to discuss security and what India says is evidence of Pakistan's complicity in the Mumbai attack that killed 179 people.
In a statement in New Delhi Negroponte said that the total concentration at this moment is on investigating those attacks and to bring those responsible for this attack to account. He also said that Indian Government is taking lead in this matter but US and its diplomatic partners actively cooperating to fight terror.
Negroponte's visit came days after his boss Condoleezza Rice told Indian leaders she saw evidence of involvement from Pakistani soil, possibly of non-state actors, in the three-day rampage in India's financial capital by 10 heavily armed gunmen.
The United States has pressured Pakistan to take action against those responsible for the attack and dismantle militant networks it has used in the past to fight India.
White House considers auto rescue
A $14bn (£9.4bn) bail-out deal for the US car industry failed to get Senate support, raising fears of job cuts.
Meanwhile General Motors said it was temporarily stopping some production.
And Honda is also to cut back output in North America.
GM, which has been pleading for an emergency government loan to avert collapse, said it would halt 30% of its North American production "in response to rapidly deteriorating market conditions".
It saw vehicle sales fall 41% in November, when overall US car sales fell 26% industry wide.
The temporary shutdowns will affect 14 US factories as well as three in Canada and three in Mexico, reducing output by 250,000 vehicles in the first three months of 2009.
"The speed and severity of the US auto market's decline has been unprecedented in recent weeks as consumers reel from the collapse of the financial markets and the resulting lack of credit for vehicle financing," it added.
'Irresponsible'
Earlier this year, the US approved a $700bn (£467bn) bail-out for the finance industry, known as the TARP programme.
It had previously been reluctant to use this money for other industries but White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said it would consider other options, including the use of the TARP program, to prevent a collapse of troubled automakers.
She added that it would be "irresponsible" to further damage the economy by allowing the Detroit car companies to fail.
"The current weakened state of the economy is such that it could not withstand a body blow like a disorderly bankruptcy in the auto industry," she added.
President-elect Barack Obama said he was disappointed that the Senate failed to act, adding that "millions of jobs rely directly or indirectly on a viable auto industry".
'Devastating'
The Big Three - Chrysler, General Motors and Ford - employ 250,000 people directly, and many more indirectly, in companies making auto parts and car dealerships.
The United Automobile Workers (UAW) union on Friday warned that if a bail-out was not forthcoming, the result would be "devastating."
The union's president, Ron Gettelfinger said he was confident that there were "enough sane" people in Washington to find a solution despite the Senate's defeat of the bail out bill.
Tense and emotional
The White House had said the plan was American carmakers' "best chance to avoid a disorderly bankruptcy".
Shares fell sharply around the world after the bail-out was rejected - with carmakers among the hardest hit.
However the glimmer of hope that the government would step in to help carmakers helped the Dow Jones index pull back early losses to finish ahead.
In Asia, stocks in Toyota, Honda and Nissan all lost at least 10%.
The Republicans refused to back the bail-out after the UAW union refused to cut wages next year to bring them into line with their Japanese counterparts. UAW's current contract with the car makers expires in 2011.
"We were about three words away from a deal," said Republican Senator Bob Corker.
"We solved everything substantively and about three words keep us from reaching a conclusion."
The BBC's Andy Gallacher in Washington said it was always going to be a battle to get the US Senate to approve the $14bn bridging loan.
With a majority of just one in the Senate, the Democrats needed some Republicans to back the bill as some in their own party were expected to vote against it.
The atmosphere in the Senate was tense and at times emotional, our correspondent says, as the Democrats made last-minute pleas to get their Republican counterparts to vote in favour of helping America's biggest car domestic makers, Ford, Chrysler and General Motors.
Millions affected
The failure of the bail-out raises the prospect of huge job losses.
The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, said he was "terribly disappointed" when it became clear the vote had collapsed, calling it "a loss for the country".
"Millions of Americans, not only the auto workers but people who sell cars, car dealerships, people who work on cars are going to be directly impacted and affected."
The deal would have given the Big Three carmakers access to emergency funding to help them cope with the sharp downturn in sales because of the global financial crisis.
General Motors and Chrysler have said they risk ruin without immediate aid. Ford says it may need funds in the future.
The bosses of the three firms had previously asked for $34bn from Congress.
They have all seen sales fall sharply this year in the US, partly reflecting an industry-wide fall, and partly because their large gas-guzzling vehicles are no longer what customers want.
Tiny Channel island wins democracy, loses jobs
Two wealthy brothers abruptly closed their businesses on the island after their candidates for its first elected parliament were largely rejected by voters — job losses that hit Sark's 600 residents hard.
Sir David Barclay had warned that he and his twin brother, Sir Frederick Barclay, would be tempted to walk away from their investment in Sark, a 1,350-acre island 25 miles off the French coast, after their opponents prospered in Wednesday's election.
"They've taken their ball and taken it to another playing field," Paul Armorgie, who won a seat in the new legislature, told BBC radio. "(The Barclays) wanted democracy at their own pace, rather than at the pace of the island."
'Life goes on'The Barclays, whose assets include London's Ritz Hotel and Britain's Telegraph newspapers, have agitated for change since establishing a castle home on Brecqhou, an 87-acre islet just 80 yards west of Sark, in 1993. They already have won a change in the law of primogeniture — inheritance to the first-born son — to allow land to pass to a female heir or a younger child.
Most of their 140 employees at two hotels, a cafe, shops and other ventures were laid off Thursday, but Gordon Dawes, a lawyer for the Barclays, said Friday he expected the businesses to reopen in the spring.
"The difference is that there will be no new investment, which had been running at 5 million pounds ($7.5 million) per annum," he said.
Sark's hereditary owner, 80-year-old Michael Beaumont, didn't seem worried by the layoffs. "We've managed for 400 years," Beaumont said in a telephone interview. "Life goes on."
But some who lost their jobs were not so confident.
Amandine Boquet, a 23-year-old from France who had been working in Web site design and marketing for the Barclays, said she and her boyfriend were both fired Friday.
"We are in a bad situation," she said. "It's the winter, and there aren't any jobs here, and with the economy the way it is we don't know if we can find a job anywhere."
Boquet said many of her friends, including some parents with toddlers, found themselves suddenly out of a job in the election aftermath.
Life after the BarclaysThe first elected parliament marked a significant break with the island's feudal system. The legislature, known as the Chief Pleas, had been controlled by leaseholders on the 40 tenements — the parcels of land granted to the original settlers in the 16th century.
Only two of the nine candidates backed by the brothers won seats in the legislature. Nine of the 12 candidates they had denounced as "dangerous to Sark's future" were elected.
Dawes said the final straw was the defeat of Kevin Delaney, manager of the Barclays' estate, who finished 36th in a field of 56.
Two of the Barclays' investments, the Aval du Creux Hotel and the Dixcart Bay Hotel — two of the island's five hotels — were closed on Friday, along with a cafe.
"I don't see it as a problem," said Beaumont, the seigneur or chief executive of the island. "It will take us back to a year and half before the Barclays came, and we were managing perfectly well then."
Beaumont is the latest in a line of hereditary owners of Sark dating back to Helier de Carteret, who was granted a fief by Queen Elizabeth I in 1565.
The seigneur of Sark each year pays one-20th of a knight's fee — now about 1.72 pounds ($2.55) — to Queen Elizabeth II, and has the sole right to keep pigeons and unspayed female dogs on the island.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
India to give ultimatum to UN Security Council on Pakistan
Not satisfied by Pakistan clamping down on the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) – blamed for the Mumbai blasts, including shutting down of their training camps in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and alleged detention of senior LeT leaders – India is bracing to haul Pakistan over coal at the UN Security Council.
It is an ultimatum of sorts by India, and it is expected to underscore that in case the international community fails to take urgent action, “India will take action that it deems fit to safeguard its citizens”.
This is the strongest ever indictment of Pakistan by India. And moving away from the semantics, India is expected to tell the world body to put pressure on Pakistan to hand over those behind the Mumbai terror attacks, besides fugitives like Dawood Ibrahim, which it is seeking from Pakistan. Besides, it is expected to mention the clinching evidence it has about the involvement of Pakistan based terror groups behind the Mumbai terror attacks, including the fact that they were Pakistani nationals and were trained in Pakistan also by some Pakistani army officials as disclosed by the arrested terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab.
South Block sources say that Indian envoy to the UN, Nirupam Sen, is expected to make a strong pitch for international measures against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and India will raise the demand for strong action at a debate scheduled before the 15-member key body of the UN on December 9.
The UN Security Council that has five permanent members (US, Russia, UK, France and China) besides the ten non-permanent members already has two resolutions 1373 and 1566 that binds member states to clamp down on terrorist groups and their leaders and snap their source of funding, but New Delhi will argue that Pakistan has violated them.
Even though the Pakistani leaders have taken measures to detain some LeT leaders, sources see little possibility that they will hand them over to India. In fact, in response to India’s demarche, Pakistan has proposed a joint probe into the attacks to release pressure on the Zardari government, but sources here see it as a diversionary tactic. “These are only measures taken to fool the international community, if they are serious then they should hand over these terrorist and global terrorists like Dawood Ibrahim to us,” remarked a senior foreign official.
Officials believe that in case Pakistan is serious, it can hand over some of these fugitives that India has sought to the US, but the action has to be taken soon, maintain sources.
While Islamabad may dub its crackdown on LeT as strong action against terrorist groups, these are largely cosmetic measures, as earlier too the Pakistani government detained leaders of Jaish-e-Mohammed and LeT, but they were soon released and allowed to go scot-free. Not only that, they continued to run their terror operations under the garb of charities.
While Pakistan does not seem to realise the gravity of the situation, the indications seem to be clear that this time in case it does not take strong and transparent steps, India will not shy away from using tough measures at its disposal.
India’s Intelligence Failure
As India reels from the bloody aftermath of last month’s attacks in Mumbai, the stunned country is asking how a handful of terrorists were able to kill nearly 200, injure scores of others, and pull off what is increasingly being called “India’s 9/11.”
Last week, for instance, tens of thousands of angry Indians took to the streets in demonstrations – not against Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Pakistan-based, Islamic terrorist organization responsible for the attacks, but against their own politicians for not preventing yet another atrocity. In their sorrow and outrage, many Indians are asking how their government failed, yet again, in its responsibility to protect its people, especially when members of the political class were a target themselves in India’s most serious, previous terrorist attack, a 2001 assault on Parliament in New Delhi.
Driving the public furor are revelations that, like in the New Delhi attack, intelligence received before the Mumbai attacks indicated that the city was being targeted and the terrorists would come by sea. According to one Pakistani observer, several “low-profile attacks” were even carried out in different parts of India as rehearsals for the Mumbai assault. Somehow, this critical information, “lost in the system,” was never acted upon.
Several theories have been put forward to account for these political and intelligence failures. One is that the Intelligence Bureau, the agency responsible for India’s internal security, simply is not large enough to protect a country of 1.1 billion people. Moreover, of the agency’s 20,000 employees, only 2,000 are actually engaged in the all-important field work that can be used to uncover terrorist plots before they are carried out. Understaffed and unfocused, India’s intelligence services simply lack the capacity to infiltrate terrorist organizations.
Intelligence sharing is another problem. India’s approximately one dozen intelligence agencies refuse to share information with each other and do not answer to a “central command.” Wilson John, a Senior Fellow with Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi and the author of Karachi: A Terror Capital in the Making, said that even in the Mumbai attack, all emergency response units were operating in isolation. “There was no one guy in charge, which is why 10 guys were able to hold off hundreds of men deployed from the security forces,” said John.
Further hindering the country’s counterterrorist efforts is that intelligence lapses are compounded by equipment failures. Consider that the Mumbai terrorists were killed only after the intervention of India’s National Security Guards (NSG), a special counter-terrorism unit. Tragically, it took the NSG nine hours to get to Mumbai from New Delhi because its airplane was unavailable. The NSG’s equipment, meanwhile, was outdated or simply lacking.
India’s police might be expected to step in where its intelligence agencies have fallen short. Instead, there is evidence that the police contribute to India’s terrorism problems. In their zeal to arrest Islamic terrorists, they often brutalize innocent, young Muslim men, who then join domestic Muslim terrorist and extremist organizations. A better-trained police, experts say, is vital to India’s long-term success against terrorism threats.
The political class is by no means exempt from blame. For instance, the government failed to overhaul the country’s domestic security operations after the 2001 New Delhi attack. The main reason, it seems, was cowardice: The Congress Party, whose ruling coalition enjoys support among India’s Muslim voters, did not want to alienate a key voting block by enacting tough, anti-terrorism measures. If anything, the Congress Party weakened India’s counterterrorism apparatus, abolishing the 2001 Protection of Terrorism Ordinance backed by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindu nationalist party.
The BJP is not much better. It protects Hindu extremists and terrorists who have staged attacks against Indian Muslims, thereby aiding the goal of extremists on both sides, and of Islamic terrorists in Pakistan, who hope to reignite communal riots in India that match, or exceed, those that erupted in 1947. To this end, mosques and Hindu temples are being targeted for bombings, as extremists on both sides hope to capitalize on sectarian violence. The BJP is still judged stronger on national security – observers of India’s political scene are expecting voters to swing to the BJP in next year’s elections as a backlash from the Mumbai attacks. But its reputation has come at the cost of a national consensus that would serve as a bulwark against terrorism, foreign and domestic.
Not all is bleak in India. While the country still has a way to go toward improving its intelligence structure, a crucial first step was made with the recent proposal of a national intelligence oversight committee to gain control of its disjointed network of agencies. India is also considering launching a covert war against the terrorists’ camps in Pakistan. Both measures would move the country to an unusual position against terrorism: on the offensive.
In staging the Mumbai attacks, the terrorists had hoped “to stop the heart of India from beating.” Not only did they fail in their fanatical ambition, but in spurring much-needed changes in India’s security forces, they may have ensured their failure for years to come.
Pakistan calls for peace with India
Asif Ali Zardari also vowed to crack down on anyone involved in the attacks who was residing in Pakistan, saying a raid Sunday on a training camp run by the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba group was evidence of his resolve.
"Pakistan is committed to the pursuit, arrest, trial and punishment of anyone involved in these heinous attacks," he wrote in an opinion piece for The New York Times.
Sunday's raid in Pakistani Kashmir was Islamabad's first reported response to intense Indian and U.S demands for it to act against alleged perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks on its soil.
Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, who India has said was a mastermind of the assaults, and several other members of the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba were arrested, an intelligence official and a senior government official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
The government has not officially released the names of those it is holding.
Late Monday, the military said it has begun "intelligence-led" operations against banned groups like Lashkar, but gave no more details.
Analysts say Lashkar-e-Taiba was created in the 1980s by Pakistan's intelligence agencies to act as a proxy fighting force in Indian Kashmir. India accuses it in the Mumbai attacks.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since 1947, but ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors had been improving in recent years and a slow-moving peace process was under way.
U.S. officials fear a serious disruption in relations would dent its hopes for regional stability needed to better fight al-Qaida along the Afghan border.
"To foil the designs of the terrorists, the two great nations of Pakistan and India ... must continue to move forward with the peace process," Zardari wrote.
Analysts have said the peace process would likely be halted for several months or longer due to tensions triggered by the attacks, but no one on either side had formally suggested abandoning the negotiations.
Many experts suspect elements within Pakistan's intelligence agencies keep some links with Lashkar and other militants, either to use them against India or in neighboring Afghanistan, but U.S. counterterrorism officials say there is no evidence linking Pakistan state agencies to the Mumbai attacks.
Indian officials say the sole Mumbai attacker captured alive has told them that Lakhvi recruited him for the mission and that Lakhvi and another militant, Yusuf Muzammil, planned the operation.
India has not commented on his reported arrest. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack did not confirm it, but said raid was a "positive step."
The United States says Lashkar is linked to al-Qaida. In May, the U.S. blocked the assets of Lakhvi and three other alleged members of the group, including its leader, Hafiz Mohammed Saeed.
Pakistan banned the group in 2002 following U.S. pressure, but there have been few if any convictions of its members. An Islamist charity called Jemaat-ud-Dawa sprang up after the ban, which U.S. officials say is a front for the group.
Jemaat-ud-Dawa — which denies any link to Lashkar — runs a chain of schools and clinics throughout the country and has helped survivors of two deadly earthquakes in recent years.
Moving against that network amid pressure from the U.S. and traditional rival India risks igniting Muslim anger that could destabilize the county's shaky, secular government at a time of surging extremist violence elsewhere.
On Tuesday, a suicide bomber blew himself up, apparently prematurely, killing a child and wounding four others in northwestern Pakistan, said police official Mohammed Hanif. The blast occurred in Swat, a valley close to the Afghan border where militants are fighting troops to pressure the government to enforce a hard-line version of Islam
