STOP PAYING PENSIONS TO MPs/MLAs WHEN SOLIDERS NOT PAID THEIR LEGITIMATE PENSIONS
Lt Gen SN Sharma, PVSM AVSM (Retd), celebrated his 101st birthday on 3rd October. He was the Engineer in Chief of Indian Army. His father Major General Amar Nath Sharma was an Army Doctor who retired as the DG of Army Medical Corps. His elder brother Major Somnath Sharma was the first recipient of PARAMVIR CHAKRA, the highest gallantry award of India during 1948 war with Pak. His younger brother General Vishwanath Sharma went on to become the Chief of Indian Army during 1988-1990. His younger sister also served as a Major in Army Medical Corps. Look at his military bearing, fitness & spirit even today. The couple are flanked by Lt Gen Arvind Walia, the present Engr in Chief, and Lt Gen Vivek Rohila.
Stay blessed, General!
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New Delhi: As the combat aircraft strength of the Air Force has dipped to a historic low, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh has vowed to fight with “whatever we have”, saying that the focus is on preserving current assets and training personnel to use them in the correct manner.
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30 hospitalised
A spectacular aerial display of the Indian Air Force aircraft over the skies of Marina Beach was a big draw here on Sunday, but at least five persons, who were among thousands of spectators, died due to causes including extreme exhaustion.
A senior city police official said that one person died on the beachfront and four others in the vicinity and all the five were among the thousands who had gathered.
To witness the event, thousands of people stood in the scorching sun for at least 2 to 3 hours and a lot of them held umbrellas to shield themselves. Though the air show was held between 11 am to 1 pm, most people gathered at the venue an hour before.
A stampede-like situation emerged for a while and several persons fainted. Over 30 people were rushed to nearby government hospitals with symptoms of dehydration.
The tank standing in front of the War Memorial in Dharamsala has a history that every tourist coming to the city should be told about. Vijayanta, stationed at the War Memorial, was the first indigenous tank of the Indian Army….
The tank standing in front of the War Memorial in Dharamsala. Tribune photo: Kamaljeet
The tank standing in front of the War Memorial in Dharamsala has a history that every tourist coming to the city should be told about. Vijayanta, stationed at the War Memorial, was the first indigenous tank of the Indian Army. At one time, it was called âBest Known Tank of the Third Worldâ, says Brig (Retd) BS Mehta while talking to The Tribune, while getting nostalgic about his association with the tank.
Vijayanta tanks
Brig Mehta, a resident of Dharamsala, had commanded a unit of Vijayanta tanks. He says that besides it being the first indigenously produced tank of the country, it was operated by the All India All Class unit of the Indian Army. He adds that the tank is an example of how indigenously produced military equipment was downrated and put out of use for weapons imported from other countries.
Brig Mehta says that the present Indian Government is pressing for indigenous weapons. However, at that time, the Vijayanta tanks made in India were not a welcome idea. The prototype of the Vijayanta tank was completed in 1963 and it was commissioner in service on December 29, 1965. The first 90 vehicles were built by Vickers in the UK. Their production continued at the Heavy Vehicles Factory in Avadi (near the then Madras) until 1983 and 2,200 tanks were built. The tank was decommissioned in 1985. It was subsequently used by defensive formation as pillboxes for bunker busting, he adds.
Brig Mehta says that the Vijayanta tank was inducted into the Army after the 1965 war when it went through a long range of upgrades to make it battle worthy. Among the last few regiments to be raised was 13 Armoured Regiment, which was equipped with Vijayanta tanks in 1984. The upgrades had improved the tankâs performance and reliability but the confidence level amongst the tank crews remained low.
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The officers coined a new term: âBest known tank of the third worldâ. When Operation Brasstacks was initiated in early 1987 and the Army mobilised for a fresh crisis on the border, the Vijayanta tanks of 13 Armoured Regiment came out with flying colours, clocking over 600 km, which was comparable to the recently introduced T 72 tanks of the Russian origin. The production of Vijayanta tanks at Avadi had been discontinued closing with it the option of a fresh look at the first indigenous tank. âWe have since developed Arjun and now Zorawar. Hopefully, some day we, too, will produce world-class tanks and not fall back on imports,â Brig Mehta wishes.
He says that the governmentâs policy of raising military units on âAll India All Classâ basis was suspended after the Operation Bluestar in 1984. 13 Armoured Regiment, which operated Vijayanta tanks, had the distinction of being the first in the annals of the Indian military that had Sikh, Rajput and South Indian Classes grouped together in one unit. The Regiment was equipped with indigenous Vijayanta tanks having a 105 mm gun.
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Terming artificial intelligence (AI) to be still in its infancy, Dutch Nobel Laureate Prof Gerardus ât Hooft said AI would take a long time to take over from human military commanders for conducting wartime operations. Speaking on AIâs impact on…
Terming artificial intelligence (AI) to be still in its infancy, Dutch Nobel Laureate Prof Gerardus ât Hooft said AI would take a long time to take over from human military commanders for conducting wartime operations.
Speaking on AIâs impact on various sectors in Mohali today, he said in a war, the side which employs more science would have the upper hand, but it is the ability to think and act differently that would prevail. âIn war, it is the unexpected manoeuvers and unanticipated actions that matter and it could well take AI a thousand years to catch up,â he added. AI may not take over the battlefield in the near future.
AI is being increasingly used in the defence sector, as also other industries, to automate operations, carry out surveillance, predict scenarios and assist decision makers in adopting the appropriate course of action. Prof Hooft is a theoretical physicist and professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He shared the 1999 Nobel Prize in Physics with his thesis advisor, Martinus JG Veltman, for elucidating the quantum structure of electroweak interactions.
Will take 1,000 years
In war, it is the unexpected manoeuvers and unanticipated actions that matter and it could well take AI a thousand years to catch up. âProf Gerardus ât Hooft
AI is also becoming an important element of gray zone warfare and the agencies concerned need to develop tools to protect the citizens from being targeted by cyber-attacks, psychological warfare and disinformation campaigns, he said. The Nobel Laureate added that while AI can be misused, it should be trained to recognise ethical boundaries. It should be like a zoo keeper, who knows everything about every animal and uses this knowledge wisely to protect both the animals as well as himself, he said.
On the possibility of human colonisation of space, Prof Hooft said the first âinhabitantsâ of planetary bodies would be robots rather than humans as different kinds of robots would be able to withstand the extremes of space much better. Later, humans and robots would be able to co-exist in space, but beyond a certain distance, only robots would be able to travel as humans would not be able to cope up with speed and time factors involved.
Prof Hooft said AI is also one of the aspects in aviation, but cannot make operations fully automated till it is trained to foresee the unexpected and deal with any unforeseen situation when things go wrong.
Education, he said, was another arena where AI has immense applications. Though AI may not replace teachers in the near future, it can complement the role human staff and assist in logistical activities. AI tool scan also be developed to assist social scientists in research on human behaviour and societal trends, he said.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has informed the government about sightings of Chinese spy balloons over Indian skies. One such balloon â hovering at an altitude of almost 55,000 ft â was shot down by an IAF jet on the…
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has informed the government about sightings of Chinese spy balloons over Indian skies.
One such balloon â hovering at an altitude of almost 55,000 ft â was shot down by an IAF jet on the eastern front with China recently.
An IAF Rafale fighter jet, based at Hasimara, in the northern part of West Bengal, was used to shoot down the spy balloon which was carrying a payload. The Rafale used one of its onboard missiles.
A standard operating procedure is being devised to tackle similar threats.
Another balloon had been sighted over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in Bay of Bengal. It was not shot down.
The US had also faced such balloons launched by China in 2023. One such balloon had been shot down.
The IAF has held discussion with its US counterpart on the matter. A report of the US Department of Defense titled âMilitary and security developments involving the Peopleâs Republic of China 2023â warned about this threat. âMilitary and commercial entities in China have been researching and developing high-altitude systemsâincluding high-altitude balloonsâsince at least the mid-2000s.â
High-altitude balloons have been tested by China from 2015.
Chinese military publications have highlighted the use of high-altitude systems to support various tracking and targeting missions. âThe high-altitude balloon shot down on February 4, 2023 (in the US) was developed as part of this broader military linked aerial surveillance programme, the US DoD report said.
The US also opines that the balloons are being steered. The US air force U-2 high-altitude surveillance plane even took close-up shots of a balloon over Alaska, the north-western edge of the US.
The Chinese statement called the explosion a “terrorist attack” and said that China is working with Pakistan to handle the aftermath
A massive blast outside Karachi Airport in Pakistan on Sunday killed two workers from China and injured at least eight, officials from both countries said.
Police and the provincial government said a tanker exploded outside the airport, which is Pakistan’s biggest.
A Chinese Embassy statement said that a convoy carrying Chinese staff of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company (Private) Limited had been attacked around 11 pm, killing two Chinese and injuring one other. It said there were Pakistani casualties as well.The provincial home minister, Zia Ul Hassan, told local TV station Geo that the explosion was an attack targeting foreigners.
Thousands of Chinese workers are in Pakistan, most of them involved in Beijing’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative that connects south and central Asia with the Chinese capital.
Videos showed flames engulfing cars and a thick column of smoke rising from the scene. There was a heavy military deployment at the site, which was cordoned off.
The Chinese statement called the explosion a “terrorist attack” and said that China is working with Pakistan to handle the aftermath. It called for a thorough investigation to punish the perpetrators and reminded Chinese citizens in the country to take safety precautions.
“The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan strongly condemn this terrorist attack (and) express deep condolences to the innocent victims of both countries,” the statement said.
Deputy Inspector General East Azfar Mahesar told media that it seemed like it was an oil tanker explosion.
“We are determining the nature and reasons for the blast. It takes time.” Police officers were among the injured, he added.
The home minister and inspector general also visited the blast site, but they did not talk to the media.
Rahat Hussain, who works in the civil aviation department, said the blast was so big that it shook the airport’s buildings.
A year after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, Israel has opened a new front in Lebanon against Hezbollah, which has traded fire with Israel since the war in Gaza began
A new round of airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs late on Sunday as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon in a widening war with Iran-allied militant groups across the region. Palestinian officials said a strike on a mosque killed at least 19 people.
A year after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, Israel has opened a new front in Lebanon against Hezbollah, which has traded fire with Israel since the war in Gaza began.
Israel’s military confirmed a Hezbollah attack on the northern city of Haifa, though it was not immediately clear whether shrapnel from “fallen projectiles” was from rockets or interceptors. Hezbollah said it tried to hit a nearby naval base. The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it treated 10 people, most of them hurt by shrapnel.
Israel also has vowed to strike Iran after a ballistic missile attack on Israel last week. The widening conflict risks further drawing in the United States, which has provided crucial military and diplomatic support to Israel. Iran-allied militant groups in Syria, Iraq and Yemen have joined in with long-distance strikes on Israel.
Israel is on high alert ahead of memorial events for the October 7 attack, while rallies continue around the world marking the anniversary.
Beirut’s skyline lit up again late on Sunday with new airstrikes, a day after Israel’s heaviest bombardment of the southern suburbs known as the Dahiyeh since it escalated its air campaign on September 23. It was not immediately clear if there were casualties.
Israel confirmed the strikes and says it targets Hezbollah. The militant group, the strongest armed force in Lebanon, has called its months of firing rockets into Israel a show of support for the Palestinians.
A separate Israeli strike earlier on Sunday in the town of Qamatiyeh southeast of Beirut killed six people, including three children, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported more than 30 strikes overnight into Sunday, while Israel’s military said about 130 projectiles had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory.
“It was very difficult. All of us in Beirut could hear everything,” resident Haytham Al-Darazi said. Another resident, Maxime Jawad, called it “a night of terror”.
One strike killed three sisters and their aunt in the coastal village of Jiyyeh. “This is a civilian home, and the biggest evidence is those martyred are four women,” said a neighbour, Ali Al Hajj.
Last week, Israel launched what it called a limited ground operation into southern Lebanon after a series of attacks killed longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and most of his top commanders. The fighting is the worst since Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006.
At least 1,400 Lebanese, including civilians, medics and Hezbollah fighters, have been killed and 1.2 million (12 lakh) driven from their homes. Israel says it aims to drive the militant group from its border so tens of thousands of Israeli citizens can return home.
The Israeli military is now setting up a forward operating base close to a UN peacekeeping mission on the border in southern Lebanon, a UN official told The Associated Press. The base puts peacekeepers at risk, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
UNIFIL, created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel’s 1978 invasion, refused the Israeli military’s request to vacate some of its positions ahead of the ground incursion.
An Israeli strike hit a mosque where displaced people sheltered near the main hospital in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah. Another four were killed in a strike on a school-turned-shelter near the town. The military said both strikes targeted militants. An Associated Press journalist counted the bodies at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital morgue.
Israel’s military announced a new air and ground offensive in Jabaliya in northern Gaza, home to a refugee camp dating to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation. Israel has carried out several operations there only to see militants regroup. The military said three soldiers were severely wounded in Sunday’s fighting in northern Gaza.
Israel reiterated its call for the complete evacuation of heavily-destroyed northern Gaza,where up to 300,000 people are estimated to have remained.
“We are in a new phase of the war,” the military said in leaflets dropped over the area. “These areas are considered dangerous combat zones.” A later statement said three projectiles were identified crossing from northern Gaza into Israeli territory, with no injuries reported.
Frantic residents fled again. “Since October 7 to the present day, this is the 12th time that I and my children, eight individuals, have been homeless and thrown into the streets and do not know where to go,” said one, Samia Khader.
The Civil Defence — first responders operating under the Hamas-run government — said it recovered three bodies, including a woman and a child, after a strike hit a home in the Shati refugee camp.
Residents mourned. Imad Alarabid said on Facebook an airstrike on his Jabaliya home killed a dozen family members, including his parents. Hassan Hamd, a freelance TV journalist whose footage had aired on Al Jazeera, was killed in shelling on his home in Jabaliya. Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif confirmed his death.
