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HAL to display is prowess at Aero India

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Nasheman News :  Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) would showcase its prowess at the five-day 12th edition of ‘Aero India 2019’ expo, starting here on February 20, to hard sell its military aircraft and helicopters, a top official said on Thursday.

“HAL will explore opportunities at the Aero India by showcasing its fixed-wing and rotary-wing platforms and technologies as an industry player in the domestic and global defence market,” said HAL Chairman and Managing Director R. Madhavan in a statement.

The statement was issued ahead of the biennial air show at the Yelahanka base of the Indian Air Force on the city’s northern outskirts near the Bengaluru International Airport.

The aerospace major is also organising the present edition of the air show, where 31 aircraft will be part of the flying display and 22, static display.

HAL’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, HTT-40 (Basic Trainer Aircraft), upgraded Hawk Mk132 named Hawk-i, Civil Do-228 (civil version of Dornier 228 aircraft), Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Rudra, Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) will also be part of the flying display.

The fixed and rotary wing aerobatic teams Suryakiran (Hawk aircraft) and Sarang (ALH-Dhruv) will enthrall about six lakh visitors likley to attend the carnival of aircraft.

The defence behemoth will also showcase its LUH (PT-1), LCH (TD-2), ALH Rudra and ALH Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) as part of static display, HAL said.

At the expo, 360 exhibitors — 196 from India and 164 from foreign countries — will showcase their products.

HAL’s pavilion will include technological demonstration of the tail boom folding and main rotor folding of the Naval Utility Helicopter (NUH), which is ALH customised for the Navy.

“For the first time, HAL’s Supersonic Omni Role Trainer Aircraft (SPORT) simulator will be at the pavilion,” the statement added.

The SPORT aircraft will be used for fighter training after advanced jet training stage and before the induction of pilots into the frontline fighter squadron.

The exhibition space will also have a Jaguar aircraft simulator, HAL said.

As part of the air show’s ‘Innovate’ theme, the aerospace major will also display the technologies of Hindustan Turbo Fan Engine (HTFE-25) and Hindustan Turbo Shaft Engine (HTSE-1200) along with rotary unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), models of avionics and mechanical system line replacement units and complex manufacturing capabilities.

Global aerospace majors, including Boeing (US), Lockheed Martin Corp (US), Dassault (France), Russian Aircraft Corp MiG, Saab (Sweden) and European aerospace firm Airbus, will also take part in the exhibition.

J&K attack worst mistake by terrorists, those responsible will pay: Modi

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New Delhi, Feb 15 (IANS) In a stern message to Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the terrorists have committed their “worst mistake” by killing 45 CRPF troopers in Jammu and Kashmir and said their backers will pay “a very big price”.

Modi’s remarks a day after the Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) claimed responsibility for the Thursday attack in Pulwama.

“We have given complete freedom to the security forces. We have full faith in their bravery and valour,” Modi said while addressing a programme to flag off the first indigenous engine-less Train 18, renamed as Vande Bharat Express, at the New Delhi Railway Station. 

He said: “The terrorist groups and those who are giving them shelter are responsible and have committed their worst mistake. They have to pay a very big price.” 

Modi also assured the nation that “those powers who are behind the attack will be punished for their deeds”. 

Hitting out at Pakistan but without naming it, Modi said: “If our neighbour which is totally isolated in the world thinks it can destabilize India through its tactics and conspiracies, it is making a huge mistake.”

“If our neighbour which is facing the worst ever economical crisis thinks that it can make India unstable, then their dreams will not be fulfiled.” 

The Prime Minister’s remarks came minutes after the Cabinet Committee on Security decided to withdraw the “Most Favoured Nation” (MFN) status given to Pakistan. The MFN status to Pakistan was given by India in 1996. 

Modi urged the political parties to stay away from politicizing the issue.

“This moment is very important and emotional. All of us should stay away from politics and we should unite together against them,” he said. 

The Prime Minister thanked the countries which have supported India and condemned this incident in the strongest of terms. “A strong reply will be given to this attack,” he said.

“When all the countries will fight together against terror, terrorism will be eliminated. The soldiers have sacrificed their lives for the country. I assure everyone that we will take every step to bring the perpetrators of the crime to book,” he said.

Modi then inspected the engine-less Vande Bharat Express along with Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and flagged it off at 11.20 a.m.

Manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, it left from New Delhi at 10 a.m. for Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Modi. 

Trump to declare emergency, sign spending bill: White House

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President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address, with Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, at the Capitol [File: Doug Mills/Reuters]

President Donald Trump of the United States will sign a border security bill to avert another government shutdown, but will also declare a national emergency to obtain funds for his promised US-Mexico border wall, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement on Thursday. 

In an attempt to bypass Congress to get money that politicians have denied him for his wall, Trump on Thursday appeared headed towards triggering a swift court challenge from Democrats on constitutional grounds.

“President Trump will sign the government funding bill, and as he has stated before, he will also take other executive action – including a national emergency – to ensure we stop the national security and humanitarian crisis at the border,” Sanders said.

“The president is once again delivering on his promise to build the wall, protect the border, and secure our great country,” she added. 

‘End run around Congress’

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi responded to the announcement, saying she was prepared to respond appropriately to a national emergency declaration. 

Pelosi said there was not a crisis at the border with Mexico that required a national emergency order. 

She has not said if House Democrats would legally challenge the president. But Pelosi did say if Trump invoked an emergency declaration it should be met with “great unease and dismay” as an overreach of executive authority. READ MORE

The US gov’t may be open again, but fears remain for contractors

She added that such a declaration would mean Trump was making an “end run around Congress”. 

The top Democrat in the Senate echoed Pelosi’s harsh comments. 

Senator Chuck Schumer said if Trump declared a national emergency to build the wall, he would be committing a “lawless act”. He also warned that Congress would take steps to stop the president. 

He added that Trump would be committing “naked contempt for the rule of law and congressional authority”. 

Bill goes to House

Thursday’s White House announcement came as Congress prepared to vote on bipartisan legislation that would provide more than $300bn to fund the Department of Homeland Security and a range of other federal agencies through September 30, the end of the current fiscal year. Funding is due to expire for those agencies on Friday. 

Later on Thursday, the Republican-controlled Senate passed the bill 83-16. It then went to the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, which also passed it, 300 to 128, sending it to Trump. READ MORE

US Senate, House pass bill to avert government shutdown

The bill does not provide the $5.7bn Trump requested for his border wall – a demand that triggered the previous shutdown, which lasted for 35 days. Democrats oppose the wall, calling it ineffective, immoral and expensive. 

The bill does allocate $1.37bn in new money to help build 88.5km of new physical barriers on the border. It is the same level of funding Congress appropriated for border security measures last year, including barriers but not concrete walls. 

A border wall was a central 2016 campaign promise by Trump. He originally said Mexico would pay for the wall along the 3,200km border, an idea Mexico dismissed.

“Just so you know – we’re building the wall anyway,” Trump said at a rally in the border city of El Paso, Texas, earlier this week. 

Agencies

Who is Jaish-e-Muhammad?

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Azhar's current whereabouts remain unknown, having not been formally charged by Pakistan with a crime [Divyakant Solanki/EPA]

Formed in 2000, Jaish-e-Muhammad (Army of Muhammad) is a Pakistan-based armed group that aims to undermine and overthrow Indian control over Indian-administered Kashmir through attacks on security and government targets.

The group was founded by Masood Azhar, who previously fought under the banner of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and has been linked to al-Qaeda.

Azhar founded JeM after he was released from Indian custody in 1999, in exchange for more than 150 hostages held on an Indian Airlines flight that had been hijacked and diverted to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

Azhar is said to have formed JeM with the support of then al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and the Afghan Taliban, according to the United Nations.

The group is said to have actively supported the Afghan Taliban’s fight against US-led NATO forces since 2001.

JeM has carried out several high-profile suicide and other attacks against Indian targets since its formation.

Notably, in 2001 it was implicated in attacks on the legislative assembly building in Indian-administered Kashmir and on the Indian parliament in New Delhi, killing at least 39 people.

Azhar was arrested by Pakistani authorities for his alleged involvement in the parliament attack, but was released a year later after a court ruled authorities had presented inadequate evidence against him.

Pakistan outlawed the JeM as a “terrorist organisation” in 2002, prompting the group to target Pakistan, twice unsuccessfully attempting to assassinate then Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in 2003.

In 2016, Pakistan once again detained Azhar, after India alleged JeM was responsible for an attack on an Indian airbase in the town of Pathankot, killing at least six people.

Later that year, JeM was linked to an attack on an Indian security forces base at Uri, killing 19 people.

On Thursday, JeM claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that killed at least 42 Indian soldiers in the Indian-administered Kashmir town of Pulwama, the worst such attack on Kashmiri soil.

Azhar’s current whereabouts remain unknown, having not been formally charged by Pakistan with a crime nor making public appearances since his detention.

China, a key Pakistani ally, continues to block his listing on a United Nations sanctions list, a long-standing Indian request.

Agencies

‘Every bottle of spirits has a tale to tell’

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Nasheman News : Every bottle of alcohol has a tale to tell and to celebrate this, over 20 international masters, distillers, mixologists and story tellers will gather in Mumbai over the weekend on a platform that celebrates the craft of distillers and distilleries. It will also be a rite of passage for the new consumer who is open to experiencing luxury beverages that are a product of passion and commitment and are produced in small batches, without any compromise on quality.

“Every bottle has a tale, waiting to be shared – of its founder, of the distiller, of the wood in which it lay, of the people who built the spirit, of the mixologist who decided to `play’ with it and more. Listen, learn and celebrate the people behind the spirits,” Keshav Prakash, who began his career as an advertising filmmaker and then travelled the world to discover the world of fine spirts, told IANS of The Vault Biennale at the Mahalakshmi Race Course.

“The craft of distilling is very ancient and recipes have been handed down generations. To me, food and spirits are very culture-centric and each dish or drink is an experience of this culture and have a lot of story to it.

“For example, making whiskey is a tradition native to Scotland, much like rum to the Caribbean, Mezcal to the Mexico and so on. These are parts of their values and teachings handed over from generation to generation, with much love and celebration, making it an intrinsic part of a living culture,” Prakash explained.

The event is open to only 400 aficionados each day.

“We envision two kinds of visitors at the Biennale – one who are newly immersing themselves in fine spirits and others who know their single malt, gin, whiskey etc. The aim is for the curated audience to meet curated brands and learn about their stories. We consciously wanted to create a small, well-curated festival that encourages such conversations amongst the visitors,” Prakash elaborated.

What will be on offer?

Over 50 handpicked fine beverage brands like Kilchoman Machir Bay, Rémy Martin, Cotswolds Gin, and Amrut Peated Port Pipe. Leading the audience will be mixologists from World’s 50 Best Bars, among them Hiroyasu Kayama of Tokyo, Alex Simonidis & Georgia Georgakopoulou of Athens and Jose Luis Leon of Mexico City.

BJP to firm up alliance for LS polls soon in TN: Ravishankar Prasad

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Nasheman News : Union Minister Ravishankar Prasad on Friday said soon the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will announce a strong electoral alliance in Tamil Nadu for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.

Speaking to reporters in Madurai he said: “Very soon a strong coalition will be announced in Tamil Nadu. There will be an effective and powerful NDA (National Democratic Alliance)”.

According to him, the BJP on its own would cross 300 Lok Sabha seats and the NDA about 350 seats in the general elections.

He said the Central government has provided various assistance and projects for Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, the first official round of electoral alliance talks between AIADMK and BJP in Chennai ended on Thursday night amicably, said officials of the two parties.

Union Minister and BJP’s Tamil Nadu election in-charge Piyush Goyal and leaders of the state’s ruling AIADMK on Thursday met to discuss an alliance for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Goyal, accompanied by state BJP leaders, met the AIADMK leaders at an industrialist’s house here.

On Thursday BJP President Amit Shah, speaking in the state’s Erode, also said the party would soon form a strong electoral alliance in the state.

Putin strongly condemns Pakistan-backed terror attack in J&K

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Nasheman News :Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday strongly condemned Thursday’s terror attack by the Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammed in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of at least 45 CRPF personnel and said that the perpetrators behind the act should be “duly punished”.

In a message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Putin said: “Please accept the most sincere condolences in connection with the loss of Indian law enforcement officers in the terrorist act in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

“We strongly condemn this brutal crime. The perpetrators and sponsors of this attack, undoubtedly, should be duly punished.”

Putin reiterated Russia’s “readiness for further strengthening counter-terrorist cooperation with Indian partners”.

“In Russia, we share the grief of friendly people of India and hope for speedy recovery of the injured,” he said.

In the worst ever terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir since militancy erupted in 1989, a suicide bomber rammed his SUV packed with explosives into a CRPF bus on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Pulwama district, killing at least 45 troopers and leaving the security establishment stunned.

JeM claimed responsibility for the horror and released a video clip of the suicide bomber, a ‘commander’ identified as Adil Ahmad Dar, which it claimed was shot before the young man carried out the strike in Lethpora.

Putin’s message on Friday came separately after the Russian Embassy here issued a statement on Thursday saying it “condemns in the strongest terms the horrific terrorist attack”.

“We denounce terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterate the need to combat these inhuman acts with decisive and collective response without any double standards,” the Embassy statement said.

Eliminate perpetrators, raise fidayeen against Pakistan: Army ex-chief

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Nasheman News : Former army chief, Gen. Shankar Roychowdhury (retd) on Thursday blamed intelligence failure for the Pulwama terror attack and suggested some non-governmental Indian agency raise a “fidayeen” (suicide squad) against Pakistan to avenge such incidents.

“Obviously, there was an intelligence failure. They (the Indian military authorities) should not have sent such a big convoy of 70 trucks. They should not have done so many things.

“But now, they have to get this gang, or group, find out those who have perpetrated it, and eliminate them. That is what is to be done,” Roychowdhury, who headed the Indian Army 1994-97, said.

He said like terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad is also an old outfit, and intelligence agencies have lot of information about them.

“The terrorists have to be tracked down, for which the intelligence agencies have to start working. It may be difficult to eliminate them at one go. They have to be hunted down one by one and killed,” he said.

However, he said there might be complications if the terrorists have infiltrated from Pakistan.

“But I think, the perpetrators must have gone to some local hideouts,” he said.

Asked whether he saw a Pakistan hand in the militant strike, he said: “I have always maintained that Pakistan has a role (in such incidents).. They have to be punished.”

Roychowdhury said he has for long been advocating that India must raise a fidayeen squad.

“I have been saying we must also have our own fidayeen. But the government or the army can’t do it. That’s not their job. We have to devise some other way…

“We need a third party… a third group… some non-governmental agency which can take up the job. Unless we retaliate, respond in kind for every person we lose, these things will go on and on.

He said there were problems both in Kashmir and across the border. “So many groups can’t come from across the border. Where did they make the weapons and bombs and transported them to the spot?”

But he discounted the theory that terrorism and talks cannot go together. “That is wrong. Terrorism and talks can go together. But for that, first we need to respond in kind, and then carry on the talks.”

In the worst ever terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir since militancy erupted in 1989, a suicide bomber on Thursday rammed his SUV packed with explosives into a CRPF bus on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Pulwama district, killing at least 43 troopers and leaving the security established stunned.


Congress betrayed Karnataka’s farmers, says Amit Shah

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Nasheman News :  BJP President Amit Shah on Thursday accused Congress President Rahul Gandhi of betraying Karnataka’s farmers.

“Gandhi promised to waive loans of all farmers across Karnataka. But his coalition government waived only Rs 1,000 crore out of Rs 41,000 crore promised by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy months ago,” said Shah at a party meeting in the state’s northern region, 400 km from Bengaluru.

“The BJP is progressing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government announced Rs 6,000 per annum in the interim Union Budget for fiscal 2019-20 to farmers having 5 acres of land across the country,” he said in his address to the members of the Shakti Kendra Pramukh Samavesh.

He also dared Gandhi to name the leader of ‘mahaghatbadhan’ (the opposition grand alliance).

Noting Kumaraswamy had said he became Chief Minister due to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and not because of the people, Shah also mocked him for saying recently that he was working like a clerk owing to the Congress.

Shah is on a two-day visit to the state for pre-poll campaign ahead of the general elections.


Pakistan no longer ‘Most Favoured Nation’: India

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Nasheman News : Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday announced that the “Most Favoured Nation” status which was granted to Pakistan stands withdrawn.

The decision was taken in the Cabinet Committee on Security meeting held a day after the worst-ever terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir since militancy erupted in 1989, when a suicide bomber on Thursday rammed his SUV packed with explosives into a Central Reserve Police Force bus on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Pulwama district, killing at least 45 troopers, injuring 38 and leaving the security establishment stunned.

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