India Appoints New Envoy to Israel Ahead of Likely Visit of Netanyahu
An IFS officer of the 1997 batch, Singla was expected to take up his assignment shortly, the External Affairs Ministry said. He would replace Pavan Kapoor.
Kautilya
Fewer Stone-Pelting Cases in Kashmir Under Central Rule
Governor’s rule was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir on June 18, 2018 after the BJP withdrew support to the PDP, forcing chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to resign. A total of 349 stone-pelting cases were registered in the remaining part of last year. Thus far in 2019 (until July 17), there have been 355 incidents of stone-pelting. The state is currently under President’s rule.
China for Early Settlement of Boundary Dispute with India: Sun Weidong
Talking to Indian journalists here, Sun suggested that Beijing wanted to see some decisive measures from the two sides towards dispute resolution. Such statements are carefully vetted in the Chinese political system before being aired.
Two Strategically Important Bridges Near IB Inaugurated
The bridges, near the International Border, have been built under Project Sampark, braving Pakistani shelling and weather vagaries during the monsoon season, officials said. The 1,000-metre Ujh bridge in Kathua is the longest constructed by the Border Roads Organisation and it uses the precast segment technology, a defence spokesman said.The 617-metre Basantar bridge in Samba has been built at a cost of Rs 41.7 crore on Rajpura–Madwal–Pangadur–Phulpur road over Basantar river.
IAF Contingent Returns After Successful Completion of Garuda Exercise
Garuda VI was the largest international air training exercise of 2019. The IAF contingent consisted of 134 air-warriors. The participating aircraft included four Su-30 MKI fighters besides one IL-78 and two C-17 aircraft that provided logistic support during induction and de-induction, the Defence Ministry said in a release.
India, China to Carry Out Major Military Exercise ‘Hand in Hand’
The military exercise will be based on counter-terrorism and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. The planning conference for the exercise will be held next month. The exercise will take place at Umroi, Meghalaya. It is at the company level, meaning around 100-120 infantry troops from both sides will be participating.
20 Years After Kargil War: How India Readied Nuclear Weapons in IAF’s Mirage
The first official said, “After 1998, we had started working on creating strategic deterrence. It meant having an authentic nuclear weapon, reliable delivery capacity and a foolproof process to actualise any decision taken by the political leadership. Those were early days; since then, we have come a long way in all those aspects. There is hardly any similarity between then and now.”
Jaishankar to Visit China Next Month to Prepare Ground for Modi-Xi Informal Summit
The primary objective of the visit will be to prepare ground for the second informal summit between Modi and Xi which is likely to be held in the second week of October, the sources said.
IAF on Spares Buying Spree for Planes Like Mirage-2000, MiG-21 and Sukhoi Su-30MKI
The IAF has a long inventory of spares as it has aircraft procured from both Russian and European vendors. The large fleet essentially remain of Russian-origin, be it fighters, transporters or helicopters.
IAF to Get Apache Attack Helicopters Next Week
It is likely that there will be three to four helicopters in this consignment. But the deployment of Apache’s first squadron in Pathankot will take another month. India has purchased 22 Apache helicopters from the United States.