SOURCE: ThePrint

The Indian Air Force signed a contract worth about Rs 300 crore with a French private firm on 31 August for the purchase of phased-out Mirage 2000 aircraft to be used as ‘Christmas trees’ for spares. The French Air Force has fully phased out Mirage 2000s in favour of the Rafale, but India currently has a fleet of 50 Mirages still in service. This is the second deal the country has signed in the last one year to ensure spares for them — sources said the IAF had last year also signed an agreement with the French Air Force for supplying 16 phased-out Mirages, whose delivery was completed this year.

Nearly half the Mirage fleet in India has gone through an extensive upgrade, increasing the aircraft’s life-cycle. But the upgrade process is slow. Upgrades mean that India’s Mirages will fly for at least another decade. And hence, a need was felt to ensure that there are enough spares in supply for the aircraft.

SOURCE: TNN

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expectedly had a message in his UN General Assembly address for Pakistan, as he slammed use of terrorism as a political tool, but equally significantly for China as he said the “reliability’’ of global institutions of governance, built over decades, had been hit by their handling of issues like Covid-19 origin and ‘ease of doing business’ rankings.

China has been accused of manipulating World Bank data to improve its rankings and WHO’s attempt to trace the origin of the novel coronavirus remains inconclusive. Another important element of his address was his focus at the outset on India’s democratic traditions, describing India as “mother of democracy’’, a day after President Joe Biden emphasised on democratic values, tolerance and diversity as characteristics of India-US bilateral ties. Modi said India’s strong democracy is known for its diversity.

SOURCE: TNN

An attempt by Labour party members in the constituency of Pakistan-origin Labour MP Naz Shah, who called Prime Minister Modi a “butcher” last week, to get a Kashmir motion debated and voted on at the Labour party annual conference has spectacularly failed.

The Kashmir motion put forward by Bradford West CLP (constituency Labour party) garnered just 20,413 votes from CLP members in the priority ballet carried out on Saturday and no votes from affiliate members. Motions on mental health, social care, and the green new deal got the highest number of votes, with social care getting a little over a million votes in the ballot.

SOURCE: TNN

Despite not being military allies by way of a treaty or pact, the United States and India pushed ahead with strengthening defence ties in talks between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, describing their broad-based relationship as a “partnership for global good.”

Unmistakable signs that defence cooperation between the two countries is being upgraded notwithstanding traditional US disquiet over New Delhi’s broad array of military hardware acquisition from other countries came in a statement in which President Biden pledged “unwavering commitment to India as a Major Defence Partner” including strengthening cooperation in advanced military technologies.

SOURCE: SUNDAY GUARDIAN LIVE 

Pakistan is reaching out “urgently” to retired bureaucrats, ambassadors and politicians in the West so that they can create goodwill for Pakistan in these democracies, especially in the United States, specific information accessed by The Sunday Guardian has revealed.

This particular action by Pakistan, sources aware of the development, including a western diplomat serving in India, was necessitated in view of the criticism it has faced and increased scrutiny that it has come under from various quarters following the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban and the subsequent events.

SOURCE: THE PRINT

Last week, a full-page advertisement appeared in several newspapers with the following deal — buy an apartment in an upcoming Trump Towers property in Gurugram and you could get to win a chance to fly in a MiG-29 jet fighter aircraft in Russia, drive a Lamborghini sports car or avail a free golf lesson.

The matter came to light when Soutik Biswas, India correspondent, and Features & Analysis Editor at BBC News, recently tweeted a picture of the advertisement which promised potential buyers an “enthralling flying experience” in a MiG-29 at the “edge of space” in Russia.

SOURCE: sUAS News

Johnnette Technologies, an Indian Drone manufacturer and the parent company of Indian Institute of Drones, the no. 1 Drone pilot training school in India signs a MoU with a Ghanian company to setup a Drone Pilot training and Manufacturing company in Ghana.

Drones have been the latest buzz around the globe because of its ever-increasing usage in different industries and its immense potential to be leveraged to create jobs and impact the economy of any country that adopts this technology. Drones have been widely used in India ranging from Aerial Mapping of the entire country under the “SWAMITVA” scheme introduced by the honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi to delivering medicines to Rural areas in Telangana under the “Medicines from the Sky” project which has been given the nod by Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, The Minister of Civil Aviation in India.

SOURCE: IANS

 India’s actions in Balakot and Galwan are clear signals to all aggressors, that any attempt to threaten sovereignty will be given a swift and befitting response, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday.

Speaking at National Defence College Convocation ceremony, Singh said, “We are faced with belligerence on our land borders challenging the status-quo, cross border support to terrorism, and increasing efforts to counter our goodwill and outreach in our neighbourhood.”

SOURCE: THE HINDU

Friday’s Quad summit of the leaders of India, Australia, Japan and the U.S. in Washington saw the four countries for the first time outline joint principles on technology, underlining their ambition to work more closely together in developing common standards in particularly critical technologies of the future.

While China did not find explicit mention in any of the Quad statements, its presence still loomed large in many of the outcomes, including in the first Quad “Principles on Technology Design, Development, Governance, and Use” document which said the four countries would ensure that technology “should be shaped by our shared democratic values and respect for universal human rights”.

SOURCE: INDIA TODAY

After week-long search operations in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir for terrorists who infiltrated from across the Line of Control, there was an exchange of fire on Saturday evening, confirming their presence in the dense forests.

Sources said an exchange of fire took place at around 5.30 pm and continued for the next three hours with intervals. One Indian soldier was injured but was out of danger, sources said. There was information of armed terrorists in the Uri sector on September 18, which was followed by cordon and search operations fearing a massive infiltration bid.

SOURCE: PTI

Taking a firm stand against the coup in Myanmar, the US and India have called for a swift return to democracy in the country, an end to the use of violence and release of all political detainees.

In a Joint Statement issued following the first face-to-face bilateral meeting between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Friday, the two leaders also called for the urgent implementation of the ASEAN Five Point consensus on Myanmar.

SOURCE: PTI

A 21-year-old cadet of the National Defense Academy (NDA) in Pune district died on Saturday after collapsing during a training activity, police said. Mohd Sultan Ibrahim, the deceased, was from Maldives. He was undergoing training at the NDA for the last six months, said Pornima Gaikwad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 3).

During a “josh run” of 12 km the cadet reportedly collapsed and was declared brought dead at the hospital on the NDA premises, she added. She had asked the inspector of Uttam Nagar police station, under which jurisdiction the NDA falls, to conduct an inquiry into the death, the DCP said.

SOURCE: PTI

A former terrorist of Hizbul Mujahideen was arrested after a long hunt of 19 years in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Saturday. Dulla alias Jameel, a resident of Arnas village in Reasi, was the third former militant turned absconder arrested by police in Kishtwar in the past 11 days, they said.

A police spokesman said a special police party, on specific information, carried out raids at various suspected locations and arrested Dulla who was presently putting up at Kundwar village in Chatroo area. Dulla was wanted in a militancy-related case registered against him at police station Chatroo in 2002 but was evading arrest, he said.