#Boston Marathon blasts leave ‘so many people without legs’

President Barack Obama said perpetrators would pay

Two bomb blasts which brought carnage to the Boston marathon with three dead and more than 100 injured was being treated Tuesday as a “potential terrorist” attack.

The two explosions 13 seconds apart threw victims into the air as the famed race came to an end, tearing the limbs off some. An eight-year-old boy was reportedly among the dead.

As cities from New York to Los Angeles went on high alert, Americans with ever-vivid

Security was stepped up in major cities across the United States amid fears of a repeat of the September 11, 2001 attacks. President Barack Obama said those who planted the bombs will “feel the full weight of justice.”

 Runners continue to run towards the finish line of the Boston Marathon as an explosion erupts near the finish line of the race in this photo exclusively licensed to Reuters by photographer Dan Lampariello after he took the photo in Boston, Massachusetts, April 15, 2013. Two simultaneous explosions ripped through the crowd at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing at least two people and injuring dozens on a day when tens of thousands of people pack the streets to watch the world famous race.  REUTERS/Dan Lampariello

Obama went on national television to warn against “jumping to conclusions”, but a senior White House official said such an attack was “clearly an act of terror.”

Special agent Rick DesLauriers, who heads the FBI’s Boston bureau, told reporters: “It is a criminal investigation that is a potential terrorist investigation.”

More than 100 people were injured, Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick said, without giving an exact figure. The Boston Globe said more than 140 were hurt and that one of those killed at the scene was an eight-year-old boy.

Surgeons worked into the night on the wounded from the two powerful blasts, which were about 100 yards (metres) from each other.

Police and doctors quoted by US media said ball bearings had been packed into the bombs causing horrific injuries.

Some people had arms and legs torn off at the scene. Several victims had “traumatic amputations” at the race medical tent or in hospitals, said Alasdair Conn, head of emergency medicine at the city’s Massachusetts General Hospital.

Five other hospitals were also used for the victims.

More than 27,000 runners were in the 26.2 mile (42 kilometer) race that is one of the world’s most prestigious marathons. Tens of thousands of people were packed around the finish. Many of the runners had completed the race when the bombs erupted.

The blast and clouds of smoke tore through crowds on Boston’s Boylston Street and blew out nearby shop windows. Streets around the bomb sites were kept closed as forensic experts moved in.

Video footage on American TV showed the detonation behind a row of national flags. One 78-year-old runner was blown to the ground and many bloodied spectators were pushed by the force of the blast through barriers onto the street.

Bill Iffrig, the runner who fell, said “the shockwave must have hit me. My legs felt like noodles.” But he got up and walked away again and told his story to many US media.

But other witnesses near the bombs told how bodies had been piled up on top of each other.

“We saw people with their legs blown off,” Mark Hagopian, owner of the Charlesmark Hotel, told AFP from the basement of a restaurant where he had sought shelter.

“A person next to me had his legs blown off at the knee — he was still alive.”

“It was very loud. You could feel the ground shake,” added Dan Lamparello, another witness.

NBC News, citing officials, reported that police had found “multiple explosive devices” in Boston, raising the possibility of a coordinated attack.

Boston authorities urged people not to congregate in large crowds and the area around the attacks was sealed off.

Police warned there would be heightened security around the city on Tuesday with random checks of backpacks and bags on buses and commuter trains. Many streets would also remain closed.

Governor Patrick said late Monday “the city of Boston is open and will be open tomorrow, but it will not be business as usual.”

The twin explosions come more than a decade after nearly 3,000 people were killed in airplane strikes on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.

Security was stepped up in New York and Washington — both sites of 9/11 attacks — as well as in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

New York police boosted security at hotels and other city landmarks. The Boston blasts rattled US markets, sending the Dow and the S&P 500 down at the close.

The national flag over the white dome of the US Capitol in Washington was lowered to half-mast in honor of the blast victims.

 

New York City police officers patrol outside the Barclays Center prior to a Brooklyn Nets basketball game on April 15, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Police say they have stepped up security following explosions at the Boston Marathon that resulted in two deaths and more than 100 injuries.  (Getty Images/AFP)

Kerry in China to Seek Help in Korea Crisis

Secretary of State John Kerry flew to China on Saturday and sought to elicit China’s help in dealing with an increasingly recalcitrant nuclear armed North Korea by saying that American missile defenses could be cut back if the North abandoned its nuclear program.

Mr. Kerry’s trip to China, his first since taking office, is part of an intensive three-day push to try to calm tensions on the Korean Peninsula that have threatened to spiral out of control and rattled world leaders.

In a news conference, Mr. Kerry suggested that the United States could remove some newly enhanced missile defenses in the region, though he did not specify which ones. Any eventual cutback would address Chinese concerns about the buildup of American weapons systems in the region.

After back-to-back meetings between Mr. Kerry and China’s top leaders, the two countries announced that they endorsed the principle of ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons, though China did not state publicly what steps it might take to achieve that goal after years of reluctance to crack down on Pyongyang.

“We also joined together in calling on North Korea to refrain from provocations and to abide by international obligations,” Mr. Kerry said.

Worries spiked last week as the South Koreans predicted the North could launch a new missile test any day and after the disclosure that an American intelligence agency concluded for the first time with “moderate confidence” that North Korea learned how to make a nuclear warhead small enough to be delivered by a ballistic missile. The administration has since said that it was premature to conclude that Pyongyang had a fully tested weapons system.

Mr. Kerry’s stance on newly fortified missile defenses appeared to be a selling point to get China, the only country presumed to have any real influence over North Korea, to do what it has long resisted — crack down hard enough that North Korea’s leaders will give up an increasingly sophisticated nuclear program.

In recent weeks, the administration has dispatched two ships outfitted with Aegis antimissile defenses to the region and said it will speed up the positioning of land-based missile defenses on Guam to protect allies in the region after North Korea’s threats to rain missiles on United States troops there and on South Korea.

Many Chinese believe the antimissile systems are part of a containment strategy against them at a time when the United States is pursuing a “pivot” to Asia.

In the past, China has been motivated by a different fear: that any move to destabilize the North would lead to a collapse of the regime and deliver the entire peninsula to the United States’ sphere of influence, possibly bringing American troops in South Korea closer to its border.

China’s cooperation is essential to the Obama administration’s strategy of holding a tough line on Pyongyang in an attempt to achieve the type of long-lasting solution on the nuclear program that has eluded a string of United States presidents. Previous administrations responded to North Korean provocations by eventually offering aid to tamp down tensions, only to see the North’s promises to relinquish its nuclear program evaporate once the aid had been delivered.

Mr. Kerry said he explained to China why the United States felt it needed more missile defenses in the region.

“Obviously if the threat disappears — i.e. North Korea denuclearizes — the same imperative does not exist at that point of time for us to have that kind of robust forward leaning posture of defense,” he said. “And it would be our hope in the long run, or better yet in short run, that we can address that.”

Mr. Kerry’s remarks are likely to stir concern among staunch advocates of missile defense in the United States, who also see antimissile systems as a means of responding to China’s growing military might. His aides say any changes would require the input of the Pentagon.

Even if China were to take a strong position with its longtime ally, possibly cutting back essential aid and fuel, North Korea might not fall into line. Under its new leader, Kim Jong-un, the North has snubbed China several times, including refusing Chinese entreaties to cancel the recent nuclear test that set off the war of words on the Peninsula.

At the core of the issue is the United States’ inability to draw North Korea into a serious round of nuclear talks. North Korea’s apparent determination to expand its nuclear weapons program and the American demand that it commit up front to eventually relinquishing those arms have raised the question of whether there is even any basis for negotiations. “China has an enormous ability to help make a difference here,” Mr. Kerry said on Friday in Seoul.

The Chinese stance on North Korea has never been a simple one. On one hand, the Chinese prize stability and are eager to avoid a crisis that would spawn a flood of refugees or prompt the United States to shift more forces to the Pacific. On the other hand, that same concern for stability has meant that it is reluctant to take steps that would undermine the North Korean government’s hold on power and eliminate a friendly buffer between Chinese territory and South Korean and American forces.

In Beijing, Mr. Kerry met with the new president, Xi Jinping, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Premier Li Keqiang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi.

Mr. Yang said at a dinner with Mr. Kerry on Saturday night that China was committed to “the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula.” But the Chinese state councilor also stressed that the “issue should be handled and resolved peacefully through dialogue and consultation.”

To encourage the Chinese to deal with the North Korean nuclear problem, Mr. Kerry said that he had shared “very in-depth” information illustrating the danger of how a nuclear North Korea could promote the proliferation of nuclear arms in Asia and the Middle East.

Mr. Kerry said his aim was to find a way to revive the goals of the six-party talks on the North’s nuclear program, which have been stalled since 2009 when North Korea withdrew. The talks have included North and South Korea, China, Russia, Japan and the United States.

He also portrayed cooperation on North Korea as just one element of a “model partnership” the United States hoped to build with China on diplomatic, economic and environmental issues.

Mr. Kerry said there would be additional discussions in the weeks ahead with the Chinese that would involve American intelligence experts including Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The two sides also called on North Korea to refrain from provocations, an apparent allusion to a potential missile test the South Koreans said could happen soon.

Bonnie S. Glaser, a senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said China was very frustrated with Mr. Kim and was taking some action, like cracking down on the flow of illicit North Korean funds through Chinese banks. At the same time, she noted, the Chinese fear the United States’ recent actions, including a test flight of B-2 bombers over South Korea, would further incite the North.

The United States “keeps sending more fighter bombers and missile defense ships to the waters of East Asia and carrying out massive military drills with Asian allies in a dramatic display of pre-emptive power,” the state-run news agency Xinhua said Saturday.

 Jane Perlez contributed reporting.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: April 13, 2013

 An earlier version of this article misidentified the Chinese official who stressed that “the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula” should be “handled and resolved peacefully through dialogue and consultation.” It was State Councilor Yang Jiechi, not Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

By MICHAEL R. GORDON

Future Chinese Naval Bases Overseas – What Would They Be Like?

The recently realized but long in its planning, transition of the Pakistani port of Gwadar to the Chinese management company has led to a series of negative reactions from the Indian experts. India is concerned about a gradual increase of the activity of the PLA Navy in the Indian Ocean and the transition to Chinese port authorities in countries such as Pakistan or Sri Lanka and sees it as a move to encircle India within a chain of Chinese military bases. But in reality, the creation of permanent military bases here is unlikely, says the expert of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, Vasily Kashin.

According to the expert, military bases, located in the neighboring countries of India will be almost useless in case of a military confrontation between China and India. Being isolated from its mother country, the bases will be within range of Indian aviation and cruise missiles and therefore be quickly destroyed. On the other hand, the presence of a constant and a large military base in Pakistan would in turn make China a hostage of the unstable Pakistani domestic politics.

At the same time, the growing global presence of Chinese Navy will sooner or later raise the issue of establishing an appropriate global infrastructure. Already Chinese naval ships that are involved in anti -pirate patrolling off the coast of Somalia are actively using the ports of Oman, Yemen and Djibouti for restocking. Each Chinese squad, along the Somalian coast, also includes transport logistics. Usually these cargo ships restock fuel and other supplies at the local ports and then transport these to the warships at sea .The Chinese navy pays a great deal of attention to the detailed procedures involved in the transfer of fuel, food and water in the open sea.

In 2011, the Government of Seychelles directly proposed China to create a permanent military base in the islands. In response, China’s Defense Ministry stressed that the database will not be created so as not to damage the unique ecology of the islands. Although some Chinese military experts, such as Rear Admiral Wu Shengli, directly called for the establishment of foreign military bases to support operations of the fleet, the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry of China have always denied the existence of such plans. At the same time they do not exclude the possibility of overseas supply points, without deployment of troops on the territory of other countries.

So, we can assume that China will adhere to a step by step approach to the creation of an infrastructure of global military presence. For the start, probably, they will follow the tried and tested tactic of the USSR- to start with the development of infrastructure of the bases overseas by creating logistics points.

An example of such an object can be considered the similar Russian point in the Syrian city of Tartous. It consists of a few warehouses and workshops onshore and a pier to which a floating workshop can be docked. Only a few permanent ground staff members are required to maintain this point. The creation of such structures avoids attracting too much attention and also avoids accusations of expansion.

This work can be developed after the implementation of some of the more important programs of the Chinese navy, in particular the formation of battle ready aircraft carrier groups. It is unlikely that for the supply bases, ports in friendly countries in the region that are already under the control of Chinese companies, such as Gwadar, will be used. Already, The Chinese Navy has no obstacles in using these ports. On the other hand, the creation of special infrastructure for the Chinese navy may be more practical in the less developed countries on the eastern coast of Africa.

North Korea tells China of fresh nuclear tests

North Korea has told its key ally, China, that it is prepared to stage one or even two more nuclear tests this year in an effort to force the United States into diplomatic talks with Pyongyang, said a source with direct knowledge of the message.

Further tests could also be accompanied this year by another rocket launch, said the source who has direct access to the top levels of government in both Beijing and Pyongyang.

The isolated regime conducted its third nuclear test on Tuesday, drawing global condemnation and a stern warning from the United States that it was a threat and a provocation.

“It’s all ready. A fourth and fifth nuclear test and a rocket launch could be conducted soon, possibly this year,” the source said, adding that the fourth nuclear test would be much larger than the third at an equivalent of 10 kilotons of TNT.

The tests will be undertaken, the source said, unless Washington holds talks with North Korea and abandons its policy of what Pyongyang sees as attempts at regime change.

North Korea also reiterated its long-standing desire for the United States to sign a final peace agreement with it and establish diplomatic relations, he said. The North remains technically at war with both the United States and South Korea after the Korean war ended in 1953 with a truce.

Initial estimates of this week’s test from South Korea’s military put its yield at the equivalent of 6-7 kilotons, although a final assessment of yield and what material was used in the explosion may be weeks away.

North Korea’s latest test, its third since 2006, prompted warnings from Washington and others that more sanctions would be imposed on the isolated state. The UN Security Council has only just tightened sanctions on Pyongyang after it launched a long-range rocket in December.

The North is banned under UN sanctions from developing missile or nuclear technology after its 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests.

North Korea worked to ready its nuclear test site, about 100 km from its border with China, throughout last year, according to commercially available satellite imagery. The images show that it may have already prepared for at least one more test, beyond Tuesday’s subterranean explosion.

“Based on satellite imagery that showed there were the same activities in two tunnels, they have one tunnel left after the latest test,” said Kune Y Suh, a nuclear engineering professor at Seoul National University in South Korea.

Analysis of satellite imagery released on Friday by specialist North Korea website 38North showed activity at a rocket site that appeared to indicate it was being prepared for an upcoming launch.

NORTH ‘NOT AFRAID’ OF SANCTIONS

President Barack Obama pledged after this week’s nuclear test “to lead the world in taking firm action in response to these threats” and diplomats at the UN Security Council have already started discussing potential new sanctions.

The North has said the test this week was a reaction to what it said was “US hostility” following its December rocket launch. Critics say the rocket launch was aimed at developing technology for an intercontinental ballistic missile.

“(North) Korea is not afraid of (further) sanctions,” the source said. “It is confident agricultural and economic reforms will boost grain harvests this year, reducing its food reliance on China.”

North Korea’s isolated and small economy has few links with the outside world apart from China, its major trading partner and sole influential diplomatic ally.

China signed up for sanctions after the 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests and for a UN Security Council resolution passed in January to condemn the latest rocket launch. However, Beijing has stopped short of abandoning all support for Pyongyang.

Sanctions have so far not discouraged North Korea from pursuing its nuclear ambitions, analysts said.

“It is like watching the same movie over and over again,” said Lee Woo-young, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

“The idea that stronger sanctions make North Korea stop developing nuclear programmes isn’t effective in my view.”

The source with ties to Beijing and Pyongyang said China would again support UN sanctions. He declined to comment on what level of sanctions Beijing would be willing to endorse.

“When China supported UN sanctions … (North) Korea angrily called China a puppet of the United States,” he said. “There will be new sanctions which will be harsh. China is likely to agree to it,” he said, without elaborating.

He said however that Beijing would not cut food and fuel supplies to North Korea, a measure that it reportedly took after a previous nuclear test.

He said North Korea’s actions were a distraction for China’s leadership, which was concerned the escalations could inflame public opinion in China and hasten military build-ups in the region.

The source said that he saw little room for compromise under North Korea’s youthful new leader, Kim Jong-un. The third Kim to rule North Korea is just 30 years old and took over from his father in December 2011.

He appears to have followed his father, Kim Jong-il, in the “military first” strategy that has pushed North Korea ever closer to a workable nuclear missile at the expense of economic development.

“He is much tougher than his father,” the source said.

– Reuters

#Italian #chopper deal: #CBI engages a lawyer in Italy

The CBI has engaged a lawyer in Italy to represent India‘s case with the Italian government and the local courts to find out the role of Indians in the alleged kickbacks in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP helicopter deal.

Official sources said today that the assistance of a lawyer was taken to help understand the Italian law and expedite getting documents from the helicopter company.

The lawyer, if necessary, would be approaching the court in Italy for procurement of documents, they said.

A team of CBI and Defence Ministry officials is leaving for Italy tomorrow to verify allegations of kickbacks in the supply of 12 AgustaWestland helicopters.

The team comprise a CBI DIG, a law officer of the agency, a Joint Secretary-level officer of Defence Ministry and an official of the External Affairs Ministry.

The team’s departure was delayed by a day due to some last-minute formalities which required to be fulfilled before travelling abroad for the purpose of investigation, they said, adding the team would try to meet Italian prosecutors to ascertain the details of the case.

The CBI’s decision came after it virtually drew a blank from the Defence Ministry in getting some official inputs regarding alleged kickbacks of Rs 362 crore in the case.

The CBI was handed over a letter from the Defence Ministry seeking a probe by it in the case which has triggered a storm in the country. Attached with the letter were some Indian and Italian press clippings, which the CBI said, could not form the basis for registering a case.

CBI had sought help of Indian Mission in Rome which too has not been able to provide any authenticated court documents to the agency, the sources said.

This was followed by CBI seeking help of Interpol which also expressed inability to provide any help in the absence of any regular case not having been registered by the agency, they said.

The Defence Ministry had yesterday sent a team led by Joint Secretary and an Air Commodore of Indian Air Force, who gave a presentation to the CBI about the tendering procedures and various stages while finalising the helicopter deal with AgustaWestland.

However, when pressed by the CBI officials about the kickback allegations, the team could not provide any answers to the sleuths, the sources said.

PTI

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#Kamal Haasan to release #Vishwaroopam-2 this year

Actor and director Kamal Haasan said Saturday his next production Vishwaroopam-2 will be launched in a few days and release this year.

Speaking to reporters here at a meet organised by Raj Kamal Enterprises, along with film distributor HD Gangaraj, Kamal Haasan said he would ensure that there will be no delay in the release of the new film as he has been making preparations in right earnestness.

The actor said that many Tamil film personalities advised him to continue making films at least once a year.

Haasan also announced that he has also been involved in another script titled Moo.

The actor’s latest espionage thriller Vishwaroopam ran into trouble after some Muslim groups sought certain modifications. The actor agreed for the changes before its release Feb 7.

The Rs95 crore film narrates the story of a Muslim Indian agent living in the US in disguise, on a secret assignment to stop a probable terror attack. It stars Kamal Haasan, Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah, Shekhar Kapur, Rahul Bose and Jaideep Ahlawat.

“My fans in Tamil Nadu are overwhelmingly supporting my movie and it has already been talked as my biggest carrier hit after it opened with a humongous response for three days,” he said.

“Now, that the Tamil version of Vishwaroopam has been released in Tamil Nadu, I am happy that I will not be questioned by my brother and co-producer Chandra Haasan,” said the actor, indicating that the film may collect nearly Rs100 crore.

India continues to press for extradition of American who masterminded terrorist attack in Mumbai

India said that it would continue to press for the extradition of Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Headley, sentenced by a US court to 35 years in prison for his role in the terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008, and would have sought more punishment had he been tried here, France Press said.

A day after the Chicago court ruling, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said: “Had we tried him we would have sought much more.”

“We are a little disappointed as we wanted that he should have been brought here and tried as the real loss has been of India. It would have been appropriate if he would have been tried here,” Khurshid told reports in Delhi.

The American citizen of Pakistani origin David Headley was found guilty for his links with terrorists and masterminding the attack in Mumbai that killed 166 people. He pleaded guilty and co-operated with the US to avoid the death penalty and extradition to India.

American officials excluded the possibility of imposing death penalty and extradition to India despite appeals made by New Delhi.

China is a threat to global good

As the world watches without being able to bring about a ceasefire, a humanitarian crisis is underway in Sri Lanka with nearly 170,000 civilians displaced and 50,000 trapped in the war zone.

It has become common for rampaging armed forces and also those in cahoots with terrorists the world is battling with, despots and dictators to cock a snook at the UN. Much of the cockiness lies in the covert moral and logistic support lent by China, hungry for resources for widening its reach to get a major slice of business in the troubled regions and make its presence felt.

The Sri Lankan offensive against the LTTE is not faulted as the terrorist organization has used all possible means of violence over the years to foment terror in this beautiful island resembling a tear drop in the Indian Ocean. Lots of blood sweat and tears have flowed for the fight for a separate Tamil homeland in protest for the marginalization of the Sri Lankan Tamils. But the process of terror was always condemnable and has encouraged later day terror groups like the al Qaeda to emulate their suicide attack techniques.

But what happened so suddenly that the Sri Lankan armed forces finally managed to decimate the formidable LTTE?

It was China once again. Having supported despots with blood on their hands in Africa and Myanmar for the sake of resources to feed a surging Chinese economy, Sri Lanka was a natural choice to complete the string of pearls in the Indian Ocean.

Having set about building and ramping up ports in Burma, Bangladesh and Pakistan, which would in be used for docking and refuelling of its navy, China is now building a $1 billion port in the fishing village of Hambantota in Sri Lanka’s north east, very close to the fighting zone. It would also double up as the Chinese Navy’s stop-over point during patrols to guard against piracy of oil imports from the Middle East and establish a base in the Indian Ocean all along the arc.

No wonder the Sri Lankan armed forces are fighting perhaps their last battle to crush the LTTE for ever with an urgency never seen before. Shunned by governments the world over including India when Sri Lanka sought arms for the civil war, China chipped in during the last two decades with arms supplies. Chinese arms supplies increased further when the US suspended all military aid to Sri Lanka citing gross human rights violations. Chinese aid to Sri Lanka jumped to $1billion last year leaving other nations far behind.

Like wise, China beefed up the Myanmar armed forces and stood with them when they were accused of human rights violations last year when monks and civilians rose in protest against rampant corruption, price rise and food shortage. Pakistan can act in self denial of not harbouring terrorists and fuel terror acts in neighbouring countries on the strength of Chinese military aid and support while the US and western powers resign themselves to the reality and cannot do much about it.

According to Jane’s Defence Weekly, Sri Lanka shopped for $37.6 million worth of arms and supplies for its army and navy. China gave 6 F7 fighter jets for free in 2007 as per reports of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. According to media reports, the bulk of arm shipments fro China was handled by Lanka Logistics and Technologies where the Defence Secretary who is the Sri Lankan president’s brother, has a major stake.

And the arms went into killing 75 civilians in a makeshift hospital by the Sri Lankan armed forces which lay very close to the battle zone. It was the only one available for the trapped civilians.

UN reports peg civilian casualties at 6500 since January this year as the Sri Lankan government vehemently denies and keeps the war zone out of bounds for journalists and aid workers.

Sri Lanka is acting with the same nonchalance to global criticism and pressure as Myanmar’s armed forces did last year on the strength of a counter weight like China. Calls for evacuating the civilians have fallen on deaf years.

China’s desperate need for Hambantota had been cautioned by Pentagon’s Air Staff personnel Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher J. Pehrson in a 2006 paper and by the U.S. Joint Forces Command last November.

With a trail of blood from volatile Africa, Myanmar to Sri Lanka, China is a threat to global good and reticent about gross human rights violations and human catastrophes to preserve its own commercial interests.

US have also been accused of partying with despots and affecting civilian casualties, but democracy allows a groundswell of dissent as was evident in the last presidential elections. China has stifled a moral counterweight which makes it more dangerous.

Susenjit Guha

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Russia-India: a new chapter of cooperation

Russia and India have established a relationship that could be described as a “special and privileged partnership”. A statement to this effect was made by President Vladimir Putin during his current official visit to New Delhi. The year 2012 marks the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and India.

The agenda of the talks focused on expanding bilateral trade and economic ties. Trade between Russia and India has increased by nearly six times since 2000. Vladimir Putin commented on prospects for further cooperation.

“Mutual trade amounted to nearly $9 bln in 2011. We expect it to hit $10 bln in 2012 and to increase twofold over the next few years. About 50% of exported and imports goods on both sides are produced on the basis of high technology. This year, the supply of Russian-made cars, equipment and chemicals to India has increased by 40%. Russia and India have agreed to increase mutual investments. A memorandum between the Russian Direct Investment Fund and the State Bank of India which was signed on Monday will create more incentives for ramping up mutually beneficial cooperation, including between small and medium-sized businesses.”

Nuclear energy projects occupy a particular place on the Russia-India cooperation agenda. According to Indian Prime Minister Manmohal Singkh, his country appreciates Russia’s assistance in building the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. President of Russia’s Rosatom Corporation Sergei Kirienko says the Russian side has made a particular breakthrough in the Kudankulam Project.

“The Kudankulam Project meets all ‘post-Fukushima’ requirements and has passed ‘stress tests’. If it had been somewhere near Fukushima at the moment of the disaster, it would have withstood the earthquake and the tsunami, thanks to the high level of its nuclear safety.”

Mutual investments make up yet another important chapter of bilateral cooperation between Russia and India. The Russian Direct Investment Fund and the State Bank of India clinched an important deal to this effect in New Delhi. The Fund’s President Kirill Dmitriev comments.

“Each party will invest up to $1 billion in joint projects. We expect bilateral trade to increase by $10bln – $30bln over the next three years.”

Russian companies are taking part in projects to build metal-working plants in Bhilai, Rourkela and other cities of India. Russia’s Severstal is a partner in a joint project to build a full-cycle metalworking facility in India. Russian insurance companies Ingosstrakh and ROSNO are tapping the Indian market as well. In addition, Russia and India have signed a number of important agreements on cooperation in defense and technology.

Russia and India are also set on bolstering cooperation within the framework of international organizations, including the BRICS group, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the RIC group which comprises Russia, India and China, and the G20.

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Russia, India sign package of agreements

Russia and India have signed a package of cooperation agreements in the framework of Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi, according to the Voice of Russia correspondent.

The two countries have specifically signed a memorandum of understanding between the Russian Direct Investment Fund and the State Bank of India. The two will invest in joint projects one billion dollars each.

The Russian and Indian Ministries of Culture have signed a cultural exchange programme for 2013 through 2015, while the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Science and Technology of India have signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of science, technology and innovations.

An agreement was also concluded on the sidelines of the summit on setting up a joint venture by the Helicopters of Russia Company and India’s Elcom Systems Private Ltd. 

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Moscow, Delhi in Syria dialogue call

Russia and India call on world powers to comply with the Syria resolutions of the UN Security Council and the decisions of the Geneva conference on Syria. They believe there is no way out of the Syrian crisis other than a national political dialogue.

President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said this in a joint statement issued after their talks in New Delhi on Monday.

According to the United Nations, the Syrian conflict has claimed 20,000 to 30,000 lives since first erupting 21 months ago.

The Syrian government says foreign-backed terrorists are at work. 

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Russia, India to foster military ties

Russia and India have made a commitment to foster bilateral military and technical cooperation, Russian President Putin has said in the wake of his Monday meeting with PM Manmohan Singh.

“We have agreed to step up Indian-Russian cooperation in military and technical spheres, to work on new projects through joint ventures and know-hows exchange,” Mr. Putin said.

He cited the fresh deal between a Russian state-run chopper maker and India on exports of helicopter units and equipment.

India has agreed to purchase 71 MiG-17B-5 helicopters worth 1.3 billion dollars. Russia is also to deliver to India 1.6-billion-dollar plane units to organize the licensed assembly of Su-30MKI jet fighters.

WikiLeaks to release over a million new docs in 2013 – Assange

Despite all the difficulties the WikiLeaks faced in 2012, Julian Assange vowed to publish some 1,000,000 new documents in the coming year.

In his Christmas speech he called for people to continue fighting for democracy “from Tahrir to London.”

he cyber world is abuzz with speculation about possible topics of an upcoming speech by the WikiLeaks founder. Julian Assange is due to appear on a low-level balcony of London’s Ecuadorian Embassy at 19:00 Thursday to deliver his Christmas speech.

Not much is known about the subject of Assange’s address, but he recently confirmed intentions to run as a candidate for the Australian Senate in 2013.

Speculation is also rife that he will use the occasion to officially launch a WikiLeaks political party.

WikiLeaks’ Twitter has taken on a festive spirit ahead of the Australian’s public appearance, tweeting, “Julian Assange to give Xmas speech at Ecuador Embassy. Bring candles & come enjoy some mulled wine!”