Women Empowerment

Women Empowerment Core Of My Govt’s Schemes: Murmu

As the Budget Session of the Parliament began on Tuesday, President Droupadi Murmu, in her address to the joint sitting of both Houses, said that women empowerment has been at the core of all schemes introduced by the central government.

“Women empowerment has been at the core of all schemes introduced by my governemnt. Today, we are seeing the success of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao,” the President said in her maiden address in Parliament.
The President addresses members of both Houses in the Parliament’s Central Hall on the first day of the budget session every year.

President Murmu further stated that the overall health of women, under the present government, has also improved more than before.

“For the first time in the country, number of women is more than men and the health of women has also improved more than before,” Murmu told the Parliament.

Quoting Kuntala Kumari Sabat, a poetess of Odia langiage about a century ago, President Murmu said that in ‘Utkal Bharti’ the poetess declared about 100 years ago that the woman of the country is not inferior to anybody.

“Basundhara-Tale Bharat-Ramani Nuhe Heen Nuhe Deen Amar Kirti Koti Yuge Kebhen Jagtun Nohib Leen. This she translates to- The woman of India is neither inferior nor humble compared to anyone on earth,” Murmu stated.

“I feel proud to see that today our sisters and daughters are hoisting their laurels at the world level according to the dreams of Utkal Bharti,” she added.

The President said that the recruitment of women has opened up in every sector, from mining to the front lines in the army.

“From Sainik Schools to Military Training Schools, our daughters are now studying and training. It is my government that has increased the maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks.”

She said that her government has chosen to focus on the country’s heritage.

“My government has chosen the path of consolidating heritage and giving priority to development. On one side Ayodhya Dham is being developed and on the other side, a modern Parliament is being constructed. While the redevelopment of Kedarnath Dham and the development of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor and Mahakal Project are completed, simultaneously medical colleges are being made in every district,” the President said in the Parliament, adding “Netaji’s statue stands tall to remind our Kartavya.”

This is President Murmu’s first budget session speech since assuming office in July last year. Before arriving at the Parliament to address the joint session at the start of the Budget session, the President was accorded a ceremonial escort.

The Budget session of Parliament began on January 31, with the customary address by the President to a joint session which will be followed by the tabling of the Economic Survey by the Finance Minister.

The session will have 27 sittings and will continue till April 6 with a month-long recess to examine the budget papers.

The session will take place in two parts with the first part concluding on February 13. The second part will be held from March 13 and will conclude on April 6. (ANI)

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New Zealand 40th Prime Minister

Jacinda Ardern: A Graceful Goodbye

Not every leader quits the political power establishment with grace and dignity. Not every leader would easily leave the addiction of power to yet again become a mum, a beloved, a sister, and a back-bencher. Like Jacinda Ardern, former prime minister of New Zealand.

Apart from grace and elegance, she brought in the warm hug, for everyone, including her colleague in the Labour Party, Chris Hopkins, the new prime minister. She also ushered into the realm of power politics, which the people of New Zealand and the world watched with great respect — the eternally life-affirming principles of hope, humanism, kindness and empathy. Her individual life and times while holding power, became a collective dream of an entire nation-state and its people.

Indeed, that is why her everyday public conduct, despite the vicious post-Covid Rightwing trolls, and her goodbye meeting with children and mothers, including people from the indigenous communities, wishing her a deeply-felt farewell, was covered by the entire world media, especially in the West. Now, how many departing heads of countries which are not big players in international finance, politics and diplomacy, which are not superpowers, have found such a warm, almost tearful farewell to a prime minister? If anything, it proves that those who conduct their politics and ‘way of life’ as egoistic bullies or narcissist dictators, and whose adrenaline are driven by the blind following of a fanatic and negative herd mentality, need to learn a lesson from Jacinda Ardern. Will they?

Look at Donald Trump. Look at the mess he has left behind, even while he is backed fanatically by white supremacists who hate the Blacks and immigrants, trapped in a cesspool of charges, and who continues to deny Joe Biden’s victory. Certainly, now, he will not get to be the sole Republican contender in the next presidential polls.

Like him, another former president who publicly denied the deadly pandemic which led to several people dying in America of Covid, Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, his friend and ally, and who still lives in denial after the victory of Luiz Inacio Lula, allowed thousands to die in his country. Now, having fled to Florida, his fanatic Rightwing followers did a similar public spectacle, as in Ameica, of going violently berserk in the Parliament and Supreme Court of Brazil, with hundreds now cooling their heels in prison.

Even Barack Obama, the first Black president of the USA, who became a global icon of change, optimism and articulation, did not get this kind of mass adulation when he quit, even after two terms. He, of course, did not fulfill the grand vision or the sweet dreams which he had promised, not even for his own community, and he got trapped in the bloody war in Syria which led to large-scale devastation and mass human suffering and migrations. Besides, he left Libya in a mess.

ALSO READ: Naveen Patnaik – The Accidental Chief Minister

Ardern, after all, did not even complete her full term. As she quit, she said: “I’m leaving, because with such a privileged role comes responsibility – the responsibility to know why you are the right person to lead and when you are not. I know what this job takes. And I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It’s that simple.”

How many heads of State can speak this language?

Even an anti-joke in the farewell of Ardern seemed full of warmth where her ‘star power’ was in full display. “It’s like ‘touch her cloak, touch her cloak like Jesus,” a woman laughed to her friend, reported The Guardian of London.

“I would hate for anyone to view my departure as a negative commentary on New Zealand,” she said. “I have experienced such love, compassion, empathy and kindness in the job. That has been my predominant experience. So I leave feeling gratitude for having this wonderful time for so many years… My only words are words of thanks.”

One of the most remarkable ‘national event’ which was conducted by the people of her country, led by her, in a realm where xenophobia, racism, white supremacist ideology and fundamentalism of various hues seems to have spread in the global landscape, was after 50 people were massacred at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Across the country, women chose to wear headscarves, reflecting their collective support and solidarity for their fellow Muslim citizens. “It was a heartwarming signature stamped across the faces of the women of New Zealand, including its Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, who wore a headscarf too, and much earlier, as a leader of a secular nation where all communities are respected and are allowed to live with freedom and dignity,” I wrote in my column then in Lokmarg.

She wore a a black scarf, while hugging the mourning members of the Muslim community, with deep emotion and sadness, spreading a sense of healing across the community, and sending a signal to all concerned who celebrate murder and mayhem in the name of xenophobia. Indeed, women cops wore a head scarf too – holding a gun, while the meeting to mourn the dead was being held.

A doctor in Auckland said (Reuters, March, 2019): “I wanted to say — ‘We are with you, we want you to feel at home on your own streets, we love, support and respect you’”.

Said Bell Sibly in Christchurch: “Why am I wearing a headscarf today? Well, my primary reason was that if anybody else turns up waving a gun, I want to stand between him and anybody he might be pointing it at. And I don’t want him to be able to tell the difference, because there is no difference.”

Compare this with India where Muslim schoolgirls are denied their dream for higher education because they are targeted by banning the Hijab in schools in BJP-ruled Karnataka. Compare this with brilliant, young Muslim scholars, who have stood by the Indian Constitution and have protested non-violently against the communal CAA, are still rotting in jail. Compare this to how mob-lynchers were garlanded by a Union minister, how the call for hate-driven revenge in public  platforms have become routine, how the minorities are being pushed to the wall in a secular democracy as second class citizens.

Compare this with how a BBC documentary is banned in an era of internet and social media where nothing can remain inaccessible, how everything gets cloaked behind the iron curtain of ‘pseudo nationalism’, where dissent and dissenters are punished. The lack of grace is as transparent as the absence of empathy and democracy.

A senior journalist once told me a story about how Jawaharlal Nehru was moving in his ‘convoy’ through Cannaught Place in Delhi when he saw two groups of people fighting on the street. He stopped his car and stopped the fight – such was his moral high ground.

Another journalist has told me a story that once Nehru was crossing a town in Himachal Pradesh and he was ‘greeted’ by crowd of government employees who were protesting. Nehru got down from his car and he did what? He scolded the protesters and told them to go back to work, saying that their demands will be sympathetically heard, and that they should not waste their precious time, which, instead, should be devoted for the welfare of the country. The protesters dispersed.

Similarly, Mahatma Gandhi, in his writings and his politics, has often openly accepted his contradictions and imperfections. Even if a journalist would ask a difficult question, like the links of Congress with big money businessmen, he would accept it, and tell the truth.

Come to think of it, even Donald Trump, despite a hostile press, would routinely answer tough questions in his press conferences in the White House. That is the sign of a robust democracy, despite all the contradictions hidden within the inequalities of advanced capitalism.

Indeed, it is easy to become a dictator. However, it could be much easier to become a true democrat and humanist, with deep love for the masses, a connect with the social conscience, while celebrating the eternal values of empathy and compassion. Jacinda Ardern, in her sudden goodbye, tells us of this sublime realism.  

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Pakistan: Death Toll In Police Lines Mosque Blast Rises To 100

The number of fatalities in a suicide bombing inside a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines has gone up to 100, with over 110 people wounded, Geo News reported citing Radio Pakistan.

The explosion took place in the central hall of the mosque on Monday at around 1 pm after a suicide bomber blew himself up. A rescue operation is being carried out to pull out bodies from the debris of the mosque, Geo News reported citing an official.

The official further said that a search operation is being conducted. According to the official, about 17 bodies have been brought out of the rubble and one injured person.

According to security officials, the suicide attacker was present in the front row during the prayers when he blew himself up. The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Speaking to Geo News, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Peshawar Mohammad Aijaz Khan said that the explosion appears to be a suicide attack and the head of the suspected bomber has also been found at the site.

“It is possible that the attacker was already present in the Police Lines before the blast and that he may have used an official vehicle [to enter],” Geo News quoted Mohammad Aijaz Khan as saying.

“About 1,500 to 2,000 police officers visit the Police Lines daily,” he added.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan announced a day of mourning in the province on Tuesday after the attack, according to a Geo News report. He said that the national flag will be at half-mast in the province.

Muhammad Azam Khan assured the aggrieved families that the provincial government will not leave them alone in the aftermath of the tragedy. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reached Peshawar where he was informed of all aspects of the bombing.

Sharif visited the injured in the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, as per the Geo News report. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari said that “investigations are underway” about how the attack took place and how the terrorist entered the vicinity.

After returning from Peshawar, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif tweeted, “Just returned from Peshawar. The sheer scale of the human tragedy is unimaginable. This is no less than an attack on Pakistan. The nation is overwhelmed by a deep sense of grief. I have no doubt terrorism is our foremost national security challenge.”

In another tweet, he stated, “While the pain of the grieving families cannot be described in words, I express my heartfelt condolences & most sincere sympathies. My message to the perpetrators of today’s despicable incident is that you can’t underestimate the resolve of our people.”

Earlier, an eyewitness said there were at least 120 people at the mosque when the explosion took place. He said that the injured mostly included police personnel. According to Geo News, the eyewitness further said, “It was a suicide blast because the bomber was inside the mosque’s inner courtyard.” (ANI)

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President Droupadi Murmu

The Whole World Has Its Eyes On India’s Budget, Modi

Ahead of the Budget session of Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that India’s Budget will attempt to meet the hopes and aspirations of the common citizens amid the unstable global economic situation.

“Our Finance Minister will present one more Budget before the country tomorrow. In today’s global circumstances, not only India but the entire world is looking at India’s budget,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister firmly exuded confidence that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will make efforts to meet the aspirations.

“Amid the unstable global economic situation, India’s budget will attempt to meet the hopes and aspirations of the common citizens, the ray of hope being seen by the world glows brighter-for this, I firmly believe that Nirmala Sitharaman will make all efforts to meet those aspirations,” PM Modi said while addressing the media.

The Prime Minister cited the “credible voices from the world of the economy” and said that they have brought a positive message ahead of the session.

“Today, the Budget Session is commencing. Credible voices from the world of economy, have brought in a positive message, a ray of hope, and a beginning of enthusiasm. It is an important event today,” he said.

PM Modi said the maiden inaugural address by President Droupadi Murmu to the joint session of both Houses is a matter of pride for the Constitution.

“The President is going to address a joint session for the first time today. The President’s first address to the joint session of Parliament is a matter of pride for our Constitution, and especially for respect of women. The whole world has its eyes on India,” he said.

“Our Finance Minister is a woman too. She will present one more budget before the country tomorrow. In today’s global circumstances, not only India but the entire world is looking at India’s budget,” PM Modi added.

The budget session will take place in 27 sittings till April 6 with a month-long recess to examine the budget papers. The first part of the session will conclude on February 13. Parliament will reconvene on March 12 for the second part of the Budget Session and will conclude on April 6. (ANI)

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Vistara flight

Drunk Italian Woman Runs Half-Naked On Flight, Arrested

Mumbai Police has arrested an Italian woman passenger for allegedly creating a ruckus mid-air on a Vistara Airline flight soon after taking off from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai on January 30.

The passenger identified as Paola Perruccio was arrested by Sahar police early Monday morning after the flight landed in Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). She was later given bail by a court here.
According to the Mumbai police the woman who was reportedly inebriated created a ruckus insisting that she be seated in business class despite being booked in economy. She also took off some of her clothes and walked up and down the aisle in a partially naked state hurling abuses and assaulting crew members.

“We confirm that there was an unruly passenger on Vistara flight UK 256 operating from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai on 30 January 2023. In view of the continued unruly conduct and violent behaviour, the captain issued a warning card and made a decision to restrain the passenger,” a Vistara spokesperson said.

“The pilot made regular announcements to assure the other customers onboard of their safety and security. In accordance with the guidelines and our stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs), the security agencies on-ground were informed about taking immediate action upon arrival. The incident has been reported to the relevant authorities as per the SOPs,” the spokesperson added.

After registering a case against the passenger, the Mumbai Police filed a charge sheet within a day.

“Mumbai Police has filed a chargesheet in record time in a case of misbehavior by an airline passenger mid-air,” police said.

A medical examination was also conducted on the woman before booking her under several sections of the Indian Penal Code. The police said they have completed all formalities of recording statements of co-passengers and crew and others.

“We have completed all the due formalities as per law and filed the chargesheet after recording all the relevant statements and medical and legal procedures,” DCP Dixit Gedam said.

Last year Vistara handed over an unruly passenger to London’s Heathrow airport authorities after he manhandled and abused crew members during the flight. A Vistara spokesperson said the passenger was detained for investigation on arrival at London Heathrow. (ANI)

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Hamas Palestinian Biden

Biden Admin Announces Plan To End COVID Emergency Declarations

United States President Joe Biden’s administration on Monday announced plans to end the twin national emergencies related to COVID-19 on May 11.

The COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) were declared by then-US President Donald Trump’s administration in 2020. The twin emergencies are currently scheduled to expire on March 1 and April 11, respectively.
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in a statement said that the US administration’s plan is to extend the emergency declarations to May 11 and then terminate them. It further said, “This wind-down would align with the Administration’s previous commitments to give at least 60 days’ notice prior to termination of the PHE.”

The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in a statement said, “To be clear, continuation of these emergency declarations until May 11 does not impose any restriction at all on individual conduct with regard to COVID-19. They do not impose mask mandates or vaccine mandates. They do not restrict school or business operations. They do not require the use of any medicines or tests in response to cases of COVID-19.”

The OMB noted that an abrupt end to the PHE would cause “wide-ranging chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system.” During the PHE, the medicaid programs were operated under special rules to provide additional funding to states to ensure that millions of vulnerable Americans retained their medicaid coverage during the global pandemic.

The OMB stated that the end of Title 42 border policy and result in substantial additional inflow of migrants at the Southwest border. The OMB in the statement said, “The number of migrants crossing the border has been cut in half, approximately, since the Administration put in place a plan in early January to deter irregular migration from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti.”

In the statement, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) stressed that the US administration supports an orderly, predictable wind-down of Title 42, with sufficient time to put alternative policies in place. (ANI)

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Temple In Brampton Defaced With Anti-India Graffiti

Temple In Canada Defaced With Anti-India Graffiti

A Hindu Temple in Brampton in Canada has been defaced with anti-India graffiti triggering outrage among the Indian community.

The Indian Consulate General in Toronto on Monday (local time) condemned the vandalism at the Gauri Shankar Mandir stating that the act has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Indian community in Canada.
The consulate office in a statement said “We strongly condemn the defacing of Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton, a symbol of Indian heritage, with anti-India graffiti. The hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Indian community in Canada. We have raised our concerns on the matter with Canadian authorities.”

The Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown has condemned the vandalism and the Canadian authorities are investigating the incident.

“This hateful act of vandalism has no place in our City or Country,” adding that he had raised his concerns over this hate crime with Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah,” the Brampton Mayor tweeted.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their place worship,” the Brampton Mayor said.

This is not the first time that a temple was vandalized in Canada. Earlier in September 2022, BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Canada was defaced by ‘Canadian Khalistani extremists’ with anti-India graffiti.

Chandra Arya, Member of Parliament, Canada tweeted, “Vandalism of Toronto BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir by Canadian Khalistani extremists should be condemned by all. This is not just an isolated event. Canadian Hindu temples have been targeted in the recent past by these kinds of hate crimes. Hindu Canadians are legitimately concerned.

Also, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Vishnu Mandir in Richmond Hill in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) was defaced in July 2022.

In both instances, pro-Khalistan slogans were painted and the vandalization was promoted on social media by pro-Pakistan handles.

Meanwhile on January 29 in men from alleged pro-Khalistani groups attacked Indians carrying the national flag in their hands in Melbourne, Australia.

The Indian group was seen running away from the scene while the Khalistani group continued to hit them. One individual was seen breaking an Indian flag and throwing it on the floor.

Indian High Commissioner to Australia, Manpreet Vohra today visited the Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Melbourne and condemned its “vandalization” by “pro-Khalistani elements.” He also said that the “place of worship has always been revered by all communities and faiths.”

Earlier, Indian envoy Vohra paid his respects at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Melbourne and discussed the community’s concerns over the temple’s recent vandalization. The violence witnessed in Melbourne on Sunday was also discussed.

BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in the Mill park area of Melbourne was allegedly vandalized by anti-India elements with anti-India slogans written on the walls of the temple, located in the suburb of Mill Park, The Australia Today reported. (ANI)

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Pak Abetting Khalistani Movement: Commanding Officer Of Op Blue Star | Lokmarg

Indira Allowed Bhindranwale To Become Frankenstein: Operation Blue Star Commander

Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had “allowed” militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale to grow into a sort of Frankenstein monster and decided to “finish him off” when he reached the pinnacle, claims Lt Gen (retd) Kuldeep Singh Brar who led the 1984 Operation Bluestar to flush out extremists from the Golden Temple.

In the recent episode of ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, the retired 1971 war veteran, Lt Gen (retd) Brar said, “No one wants an operation, but what do you do? Indira Gandhi allowed him to become Frankenstein. You could see every year what was happening. But when he reached the pinnacle, now finish him off, now destroy him. It’s too late.”
He claimed that the then-political leadership had allowed the Bhindranwale cult to flourish.

“They had their own little problem support between Akali and Congress. They allowed this cult of Bhindranwale to continue,” the retired army officer said.

In the episode titled “Never before heard stories from the man who led Operation Blue Star” Lt Gen Kuldip Singh Brar recalled the situation of Punjab in the 1980s at a time when he said Bhindranwale was in full control of the state.

“In the 1980s, let’s say 1982, 83, 84, things were very bad over there. There was no law and order at all. Lot of police were afraid of taking action against anyone because Bhindranwale had become so powerful. He had become like a Frankenstein. His orders were the last orders,” he said.

Lt Gen Brar said that law and order had completely collapsed in Punjab and the “feeling of Khalistan” was building up.

“In the beginning of 1984, the feeling was very strong that they are going to declare Khalistan. The youth were without jobs. They had motorcycles and scooters and they roamed around with little pistols and revolvers. There were many gangsters. Law and order had totally broken down. The feeling of Khalistan was slowly building up. Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was in full control of the state,” he said.

Bhindranwale was the head of the Sikh religious sect Damdami Taksal. He was killed along with his armed followers during Operation Blue Star launched by the Indian Army at the Golden Temple complex.

The Indian Army carried out Operation Blue Star in 1984 between June 1 and June 8. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, had ordered the military operation to flush out Sikh terrorists including Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who were accumulating weapons inside the premises of the Golden Temple. (ANI)

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cruise missiles

China’s Missile Proliferation, Nuclear Breakout Loom Threateningly

China possesses one of the most impressive missile inventories in the world, ranging from cruise missiles all the way up to nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).

Indeed, the US intelligence community has described China’s ballistic and cruise missile development programs as “the most active and diverse … in the world”.
According to the Pentagon, China launched approximately 135 ballistic missiles in 2021 for training and testing purposes. “This was more than the rest of the world combined, excluding ballistic missile employment in conflict zones.” The number launched in 2022 is unlikely to be fewer, especially once its furious antics against Taiwan after the American politician Nancy Pelosi’s visit are taken into consideration.

For the first time, the USA is facing the strategic challenge of two nuclear-armed peer competitors. Washington DC is in a unique position with two potential adversaries, since

Russia and China are on friendly terms with each other.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is investing heavily in nuclear forces, and efforts “exceed previous modernization attempts in both scale and complexity,” according to the Pentagon. Its nuclear triad encompasses land-, sea- and air-based delivery.

In a recent report entitled Missile Technology: Accelerating Challenges, the UK-based International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) stated: “…China is pursuing what is by all accounts the most substantial shift in its nuclear posture in decades.”

Quite apart from the national prestige that nuclear weapons bring to Chairman Xi Jinping, the country’s massive investment includes the pursuit of “a larger and increasingly capable nuclear missile force that is more survivable, more diverse and on higher alert than in the past, including nuclear missile systems designed to manage regional escalation and ensure an intercontinental second-strike capability”.

Beijing’s nuclear weapon stockpile exceeds 400 operational warheads, according to the US Department of Defense (DoD) estimates. By the time it reaches its basic modernization target of 2035, the PLA Rocket Force (PLARF) will own approximately 1,500 warheads.

This is intensely problematic, for China has never explained the growth in its nuclear forces, apart from vague descriptions from the likes of Xi speaking of “accelerating the construction of advanced strategic deterrent” capabilities.

The IISS affirmed, “…In general terms, there is no unified, authoritative explanation for the ongoing nuclear force expansion, and debates as to the cause or causes of this remain unresolved.”

A belligerent state quadrupling its nuclear arsenal within a dozen years is intensely worrying. This is even more so when that country refuses to acknowledge its startling nuclear buildup.

The deterioration in Sino-US relations accelerated in 2017, and this presumably is an an important part of China’s calculus to boost its nuclear forces. The IISS report speculated: “Chinese leaders may have started to perceive a heightened probability of general conflict with the US, and may thus calculate that a more robust nuclear deterrent may be necessary to induce caution in the US and in the way it may choose to escalate. In particular, as the conventional balance of power in the Indo-Pacific, particularly within the Second Island Chain, shifts in China’s favor, Beijing may fear that the US would contemplate offsetting this inferiority with resort either to the actual first use of nuclear weapons or to threats of nuclear first use to coercive ends.”

Then again, the IISS report suggested that defensive logic could also be playing a part.

“For instance, given China’s continuing assertion of a No First Use policy and traditional emphasis on assured retaliation, a larger nuclear force – one less impervious to both conventional and nuclear counterforce attack – could discourage a turn towards contemplating first use. Similarly, contrary to some existing assessments, a larger Chinese nuclear force could actually dissuade the pursuit of a launch-on-warning posture, which is traditionally associated with states that perceive vulnerability at the strategic level.”

China’s historic posture has been one of “effective counterattack” or “counterattack in self defense”. Yet, because of the current total lack of transparency in China’s nuclear forces, some see a far more nefarious intention. If China decided to attack Taiwan, for instance, a beefy nuclear force could help deter intervention by the USA and its allies.

It is going to take China time to boost its nuclear weapon inventory, especially since it needs to create fissile material. Nonetheless, the USA has already observed that Beijing is increasing its capacity to produce and separate plutonium by constructing fast-breeder reactors and reprocessing facilities.

China maintains that its nuclear forces are kept in a “state of moderate readiness” in peacetime, and would only raise alert levels in a crisis. Yet some analysts are convinced that China is adopting a launch-on-warning posture, which would give Chinese commanders the ability to launch a retaliatory nuclear strike based on the detection of an incoming attack.

Since 2017, the PLARF has been conducting exercises involving such a posture. There is a small chance that launch-on-warning is an interim measure until Beijing possesses what it deems is a sufficiently robust assured-retaliation capability. The IISS believes a shift towards launch-on-warning “remains indeterminate”, though it is perhaps becoming more likely as China operationalizes new silo fields.

Referring to the latter, the US DoD noted in a report late last year that China continues to develop three enormous fields of silo-based missiles, and that “these will cumulatively contain at least 300 new ICBM silos”.

These new silos will probably contain DF-31A ICBMs, although DF-41s could appear in the future too. The silo fields are sited near Yumen, Hanggin Banner and Hami, all deep in northwest China. Yet China has never officially acknowledged them, despite there being absolutely no doubt as to their function.

Interestingly, silo fields mark a departure from China’s recent emphasis on road-mobile launchers. The diversification of launch systems and basing modes, especially these new silo fields plus air-launched ballistic missiles, could indicate technological hedging by China. Overreliance on mobile launchers may be viewed as a vulnerability by the PLARF, so it could be keen to diversify its inventory of launch platforms.

The PLARF possesses conventional short-range ballistic missiles (the DF-15 with a 725-850km range; DF-16 with a 700+km range); medium-range ballistic missiles (the DF-21 with a 1,500km range; DF-17 with a hypersonic glide vehicle); and intermediate-range ballistic missiles (DF-26 with a 3,000km range).

China is estimated to have more than 900 medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, along with 450 launchers. This includes a dramatic expansion of DF-26 numbers. The DF-26 is capable of hitting ships at sea, plus its conventional warhead can be replaced with a nuclear one.

Also available to the PLA are CJ-10 ground-launched cruise missiles with a 1,500km range, DF-100 ground-launched missiles with a 2,000km range, and DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles. The latter is designed to hit naval assets like aircraft carriers.

The DF-17 hypersonic missile was first deployed in 2020, and it will probably replace some short-range ballistic missiles. Based on Chinese writings, the DF-17 is designed to hit foreign military bases and naval assets in the Western Pacific. The USA also believes the DF-17 can carry a nuclear warhead.

China is definitely ahead of the USA in operationalizing hypersonic glide vehicles. Such weapons bring benefits: they quickly reach targets and are difficult to intercept. Their maneuverability increases the chance that they can penetrate enemy air defenses, whilst their non-ballistic trajectory differentiates them from a nuclear attack.

Yet hypersonic glide vehicles carry inherent drawbacks too. Because they require especially developed materials to handle extremely high temperatures, this increases their cost, and limits how many can be produced. Furthermore, small production numbers in turn drive up the unit cost.

On 27 July 2021, China conducted its first-ever fractional orbital launch of an ICBM with a hypersonic glide vehicle. Flying more than 40,000km around the world in just over 100 minutes, this was the longest-ever test of any land attack weapon in the world. The Pentagon assessed that it did not strike its target, although it did come close.

China is expected to angle towards deploying long-range hypersonic glide vehicles on ballistic missile boosters. Their attraction is the ability to evade American midcourse exo-atmospheric missile defense systems. China is afraid that such defenses reduce its second-strike capability in case a war breaks out.

The PLARF’s ICBM inventory comprises the 5,500km-range DF-4 (although it may be operationally phased out by now), the 12,000km-range silo-based DF-5A, and the silo-based DF-5B with five multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRV). With an 11,000+km range, the road-mobile DF-31A can reach most parts of the continental USA, while the modernized DF-31AG, and longer-range DF-41 with MIRVs, were unveiled in 2019.

The DF-5A likely carries a 5-megaton warhead, which would make it the largest-yield weapon in the PLARF arsenal. A follow-on DF-5C and DF-31B could be in development, the US DoD thinks. A long-range DF-27 with a range anywhere between 5,000km and 8,000km is also thought to be in development.

Alternative basing for the DF-41 is being considered, including from railcars and, as already mentioned, silos. Apart from regular trains, high-speed rail – moving at velocities of up to 350km/h – is apparently being considered for its potential for nuclear-tipped missiles. Although an ICBM could fit inside a carriage, its weight would be double or quadruple that of a regular high-speed train’s maximum payload. Such technical challenges would have to be overcome first.

The PLA Navy (PLAN) constitutes an important leg of China’s nuclear triad too. In November 2022, Admiral Sam Paparo, head of the US Pacific Fleet, declared that a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) had been fielded. Paparo said the PLAN’s six Type 094 Jin-class submarines were now “equipped with JL-3 intercontinental ballistic missiles”. Each submarine can carry 12 missiles. Jin-class vessels have hitherto been armed with JL-2 SLBMs. However, the JL-3 brings new capabilities, including its likely carriage of MIRVs. The incumbent JL-2 has a range of 7,200km, whereas the JL-3 has an estimated range of more than 10,000km.

It was originally thought the JL-3 would only appear in conjunction with the future Type 096 submarine and it is extremely unlikely that sufficient JL-3s have been produced to outfit every Type 094.

In March 2022, Admiral Charles Richard, head of the US Strategic Command warned that the JL-3 would permit China to target the US mainland “from a protected bastion within the South China Sea”. The Jin-class is not a quiet submarine, meaning they can be more easily tracked by hostile forces. This limits their usefulness in waters far from China, as they are relatively vulnerable.

The third leg of the triad is the PLA Air Force (PLAAF). After decades sitting on the sidelines, the PLAAF is now receiving a more prominent nuclear role. In 2018, the Pentagon declared that the PLAAF had been reassigned a nuclear mission. This is via the CH-AS-X-13 air-launched ballistic missile carried by H-6N bomber aircraft, which can be refuelled in the air to give it a great range.

No country has ever fielded a nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile before, so China seems set to be the first when this missile type is fully fielded in perhaps the mid-2020s.

China is expanding its inventory of conventional, dual-capable and nuclear missiles without any formal arms constraints. Whereas Russia and the USA have limited themselves with mutual agreements such as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, China has progressively grown a large inventory of deadly missiles.

Chinese officials viewed America’s withdrawal from the INF Treaty in August 2019 as a negative development. Even though the PLA hugely overmatches the USA in INF classes of missiles, China will be concerned about the future appearance of new types of American missiles and an overall more uncertain strategic environment.

For example, new American missiles appearing near the Second Island China – for example, on Guam- could blunt PLA military projection power near its shores. Nor can the USA field more than 700 ICBMs, short-range ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers, amounting to 1,550 warheads, under its bilateral Russia-US New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. This New START agreement will expire in 2026.

However, China is adamant that it will not participate in any trilateral arms control agreement with Russia and the USA. It refuses to voluntarily allow controls to be put on its nuclear arsenal, underscoring its paranoia and secrecy.

China’s recent snowballing of its nuclear inventory can be described as a “strategic breakout”. Dangerously, it could result in an even more coercive nuclear policy from China – as if its current behavior with conventional weapons were not bad enough. (ANI)

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Harsh Winters In Afghanistan

168 Dead Due To Harsh Winters In Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Taliban-led Ministry for Disaster Management has said that 168 people have died in the country due to cold and harsh winters in Afghanistan, according to a report published by Afghan-based news agency Khaama Press.

As per Khaama Press, Rahman Zahid, a disaster management official in a video said that 168 individuals have died due to extreme weather conditions and gassing in 24 provinces of the country.
These deaths have been reported in a month.

Zahid said that hundreds of houses in Afghanistan have collapsed and nearly 80,000 livestock has died across the country, leaving severe economic impacts on the living conditions of vulnerable families.

Afghanistan’s weather forecast authorities have warned of snowfall in at least 19 provinces in the coming days.

According to Zahid, this will further complicate the living conditions of the people who are in dire need of humanitarian support.

The country’s weather forecast bureau on Saturday announced there will be heavy snowfalls in the coming days in provinces including, Badakhshan, Nuristan, Kunar, Nangarhar, Laghman, Kapisa, Panjshir, Parwan, Kabul, Logar, Paktika, Zabul, Ghazni, Maidan Wardak, Bamyan, Daikundi and Ghor, Khaama Press reported.

Humanitarian aid organizations had warned of the consequences of the harsh winter.

About 50 per cent of Afghanistan’s 38 million population is in dire need of aid and winterization support. It is also stated that nearly four million children suffer from serious malnutrition in the country.

TOLO news recently reported that a sudden fall in temperature has severely affected people, already hit hard by poverty, and lack of food and fuel, in the trouble-torn country. At least 20 people have been killed.

In Badghis and other provinces, the cold has also killed at least 4,000 cattle.

Husain, a Herat resident, said he was hospitalized after being exposed to freezing temperatures on his way to illegal migration to Iran.

“We were on the way for four hours when snowfall started and we could move forward anymore,” he said, as per TOLO news. (ANI)

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