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Source:- How Chinese spare sneaked into Indian Bofors via Germany by Shishir Arya NAGPUR:  The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had last month filed a case into the fraudulent supply of a Chinese spare — dubbed as made-in-Germany parts — for Dhanush, the indigenous 155mm artillery gun developed on the lines of the Swedish Bofors. However, sources said even the original manufacturer, Germany’s M/s CRB Antiebstechnick, had asked that orders for the part be placed through the Indian firm named by it, which supplied the Chinese part. The CBI has booked promoters of Delhi-based M/s Sidh Sales Syndicate, and unknown officials of Gun Carriage Factory (GCF), Jabalpur, where Dhanush is being made. Information gathered from sources linked to the probe shows that even Germany’s M/s CRB Antiebstechnick, whose brand was embossed on the Chinese spare, insisted that GCF should only deal through M/s Sidh Sales, rather than coming directly. GCF had purchased four wire race roller bearings for

Source:- Indian elephant getting bigger’ In 20 years, India will be one of the major geopolitical players in Asia, providing some balance to the existing power equations in the region, an Australian envoy has said.Barry O’Farrell, the special envoy of New South Wales, the southeastern Australian state, to India, said that India’s rise is good news for Australia as well as the Indian Ocean region. Asked if the slowdown in the Indian economy would affect the potential for enhanced trade relationship between the two countries, Mr. O’Farrell said: “I don’t think so. We all are in danger. But if you take a long-term view, India is moving towards only one direction. The Indian elephant is getting bigger. It’s good for defence contracts, it’s good for Australia, it’s good for the Indian Ocean region,” Mr. O’Farrell, who was the former chief minister of NSW, told The Hindu here. According to Mr. O’Farrell, both India and Australia are committed to tap this potential. “Given India’s strength

Source:- Indian Navy to buy underwater systems for its submarines The Indian Navy on Wednesday floated a global request for information to buy 12 anti-torpedo defense systems and associated equipment for its submarines.“The ATDS is an important program, and it will acquired on a fast-track basis,“ a senior Indian Navy official said.Global defense companies from Germany, Russia and the U.S. are likely to respond to this request for information, or RFI, and the service wants to induct them within the next two years, he added. The foreign defense companies have also been asked to furnish details of transfer of production and transfer of technology of ATDS. Currently, no Indian defense company manufactures submarine-launched ATDS.The global defense companies have been asked to furnish details of the basic design of the submarine ATDS, their experience in design, manufacturing and fitment on board submarines. None of the Indian Navy’s submarines are equipped with ATDS; only its warships

Source:- Not more Rafales, Air Force may choose Gripens or F-16s The Indian Air Force (IAF) has shortlisted American F-16 and Swedish Gripen fighter aircraft for induction into its fleet to make up the shortfall of fighter squadrons. The selection between these two single-engine fighter jets will be done using the Strategic Partnership (SP) model while there are no immediate plans to induct more twin-engine Rafale aircraft. “We are currently focused single-mindedly on the issue of procurement of single-engine fighters following the SP route,” a defence ministry official told The Indian Express. “Procurement of a twin-engine fighter is not on priority right now as the focus today is on procurement of single-engine fighters.” The Defence Ministry had signed an order for 36 Rafale fighters with the French government last September, which will be inducted by 2023. There is a follow-up clause for buying another 36 fighters as part of the deal, which may be exercised at a later date. The

Source:- India’s Boeing F/a-18E/F Super Hornet Deal Close To Becoming A Reality The notion of India buying and even producing American-designed jet fighters for its Air Force has been floating around for a few years already. Recent developments in the borders with China and Pakistan and the dwindling numbers of available combat aircraft have made this matter even more crucial. At the same time, New Delhi is also expanding the capabilities of its Navy, including the development and deployment of modern aircraft carriers. However, older and newer aircraft have failed to meet all of the existing demands, which means that additional fighters may be in order for the Navy too. New Delhi has been looking for a wide array of solutions aimed at addressing these issues. According to  Flight Global , Boeing has been offering such solutions to the Indian government by using the battle-proven F/A-18E/F Super Hornet as its flagship. This type is the main combat aircraft of the U.S. Navy and has

C4ISR Air Force 3-star: “algorithmic warfare” needed for future ISR, combat ops By Kris Osborn Aug 31, 2017 Air Force leaders anticipate that fast increasing amounts of AI and human-machine interface will be needed to successfully wage “algorithmic warfare” and process ISR data to stay ahead of technologically advanced adversaries.  There is a growing need to identify combat-relevant information amidst quickly growing volumes of data, drone video feeds and sensor information. Citing a significant need for faster and more efficient processing, exploitation and dissemination (PED) of Full-Motion Video (FMV) technology, the Air Force 3-star in charge of ISR operations said human-machine interface can help identify and process information at the speed and scale necessary to keep pace with emerging threats and digital age technological progress. “It is not sustainable to throw more widgets, platforms and sensors at problems. We have to look at human-machine teaming so that compute

On Aug. 29, the Treasury Department announced that a senior Islamic State official, Salim Mustafa Muhammad al-Mansur, had been added to the US government’s list of specially designated global terrorists. The move was carried out in conjunction with the Iraqi government, which seeks “to bar Mansur from the Iraqi financial system and freeze any assets he may have subject to Iraq’s jurisdiction.” Mansur was identified as the Islamic State’s “finance emir for Mosul,” Iraq earlier this year. But according to Treasury he is not located in Iraq, as he “moved to Turkey.” The US listed three locations inside Turkey — Mersin, Istanbul, and Adana — where he has been based. The US did not explain how Mansur has been able to operate inside Turkey without being arrested by local authorities. But Treasury’s announcement makes it clear that American officials will continue to seek to disrupt the Islamic State’s “financial networks regardless of geographic location.” That is, Mansur could not avo

A map of Tal Afar posted on Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) websites. Iraqi prime minister Haider Al-Abadi announced earlier today that Tal Afar has been “liberated” from the Islamic State. “Our brave Armed Forces have liberated Tal Afar and the Iraqi flag is once again flying high in Nineveh province,” Al-Abadi tweeted . “I salute our martyrs, our injured and their families whose sacrifices have made this and other victories possible,” he added . “Nineveh is liberated.” The US echoed Al-Abadi’s announcement, trumpeting the quick progress made by Iraqi forces. “The global Coalition to defeat ISIS congratulates Prime Minister Al-Abadi and all Iraqi Security Forces on their stunning victory in Tal Afar and Northern [Nineveh] Province,” Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) said in a statement. But CJTF-OIR added a cautionary note: “While the city and critical infrastructure are under ISF [Iraqi Security Forces] control, dangerous work remains to complet

The Taliban claimed to shoot down a US helicopter during an operation in the eastern Afghan province of Logar today. However, Resolute Support – NATO’s mission in Afghanistan – claimed the aircraft made “a precautionary landing for a maintenance issue.” The Taliban made the claim on its propaganda website, Voice of Jihad. Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate shot down U.S invaders’ helicopter gunship over Logar province of Afghanistan last night, killing all those aboard the chopper, Al-Emarah News said Wednesday. The initial reports from the scene said the helicopter was on a mission to raid and bomb out Mujahideen positions on the outskirts of Pol-e-Alam city, the capital of Logar province and it was shot down while it was attempting to drop off military personnel. This came after the combined U.S invaders and their puppets tried to break through Mujahideen positions in Dasht-e-Bari area on the outskirts of Pol-i-Alam city. Over 20 crew and military personnel were killed in the s

Sky has decided to stop broadcasting Fox News in the UK .  Impartial BBC reporters have, naturally, tweeted about it... ...including the BBC's World Affairs Editor John Simpson.  He, characteristically, kept his own views very firmly to himself.  Reading his tweets I for one would never know if he approved or disapproved of the decision, so impartial is he (Nurse! Nurse!):

One of these is long overdue.  Thank you for your support and your comments.  And here's yet another ITBB picture of Morecambe's magnificent Eric Morecambe statue (with some random bloke posing for the cameras next to it) - a statue that surely puts Michelangelo and Rodin to shame.

Andrew Norfolk Well, the Tower Hamlets story has got a whole lot more complicated and the question 'Who to believe?' has become even murkier.  Andrew Norfolk, the Times journalist who bravely exposed the Rotherham grooming scandal and who first broke the Tower Hamlets story on Monday morning, is coming under severe fire and facing accusations of 'sensationalism' and 'misreporting' from various quarters, especially the left-leaning media and Muslim organisations.  His latest update does suggest that the story is a good deal less simple than it first appeared. The 'white Christian girl' comes from a troubled family background, involving drugs. It appears that she comes from a family with a non-practising Muslim background - though the Muslim heritage of parts of the family is (curiously) disputed. The grandmother into whose care the poor girl is now being entrusted doesn't speak perfect English either (apparently) and may take her o

Vancouver Art Gallery  June 24 to October 1, 2017 Claude Monet’s Secret Garden presents thirty-eight paintings spanning the career of one of the most important figures in Western art, focusing on the phenomenal body of work produced in Giverny, a small village in northern France where Monet resided from 1883 to the end of his life in 1926. A   creative endeavor in their own right, the gardens that Monet designed and cultivated in Giverny became the central inspiration of his art. Its waterlilies — populated with exotic strains from as far as South America and the Middle East — weeping willows and the famed Japanese bridge endure as some of the   most iconic imagery in art. These audaciously expressive works represent the summation of Monet’s lifelong dialogue with nature that guided him into radically new territories of   painting. “Monet’s  unique vision, remarkable output and reputation as an intrepid documenter of nature gave   full expression to modern life in France. We are

By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans The Islamic State's rise to the status of one of the most sophisticated designated terrorist groups ever to exist has been accompanied by an unprecedented level of ingenuity, adaption and brutality on the battlefields it engages in across Syria, Iraq and abroad. Exploiting the lack of security after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011 and making smart use of the power vacuum in Syria it effectively hijacked the revolution's original goals. The Islamic State would quickly present itself as a threat like no other – not only to Syria and Iraq, but to the entire world. At the forefront of the Islamic State's sudden metamorphosis from a militant group in Iraq to a self-proclaimed caliphate controlling large swaths of land in Iraq, Syria and across the globe is its ability to quickly adapt to the various situations encountered on the battlefield, its ingenuity in coming up with appropriate adaptations and their enthusiastic