Sunday, June 27, 2010

DTN News: World Leaders Agree To Cut Deficits By 2013 At G20 Summit In Toronto (Presentation # 8

Defense News: DTN News: World Leaders Agree To Cut Deficits By 2013 At G20 Summit In Toronto (Presentation # 8)
Source: DTN News By Roger Smith - Special Feature
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 27, 2010: The leaders of the world's most powerful economies pledged to slash back spiraling debts on Sunday as they sought to rebalance a global economy knocked off its axis by a financial crisis.
The heads of the G20, which groups established world powers and the most dynamic emerging players, vowed to nurture the still shaky recovery with coordinated measures to spur growth and ensure financial stability."The cohesion of the G20 was striking," host Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada said. "We're following different policies but with a single objective; to ensure growth and recovery in a durable and balanced way.
"Fiscal consolidation is not an end in itself," he warned, reflecting concern from the United States and the emerging economies that European spending cuts could stifle domestic demand and dampen growth.
"It is a simple reality that we are in a global economy and the global economy is determining where we are heading and our futures."
But skeptical observers quickly noted the agreements were not binding and the summit statement was filled with caveats and exemptions, pushing many of the tougher decisions on to the next G20 summit in Seoul in November.
DTN News reports, the leaders' joint statement, released at the end of two days of talks in Toronto, warned that "failure to implement consolidation where necessary would undermine confidence and hamper growth."
"Reflecting this balance, advanced economies have committed to fiscal plans that will at least halve deficits by 2013 and stabilize or reduce government debt-to-GDP ratios by 2016," it promised.
Nevertheless, the group exempted Japan and its huge public deficit from the pledge and noted that measures should be "tailored to national circumstances."
The statement called for "greater exchange rate flexibility in some emerging markets" but shied away from specifically fingering China, which is under pressure to allow the yuan to strengthen to ease trade imbalances.
Amid US fears that global growth may once again become overdependent on American consumers, the G20 called for "efforts to rebalance global demand to help ensure global growth continues on a sustainable path."
European leaders -- Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron -- came to the talks calling for fiscal restraint and a new levy on bank profits.
They made some headway on the former, but will be forced to go it alone on the banking tax, as countries like Australia, Canada and India that have experienced no banking failures rejected the proposal out of hand.
"We agreed the financial sector should make a fair and substantial contribution towards paying for any burdens associated with government interventions," the G8 statement said.
"We recognized that there are a range of policy approaches to this end. Some countries are pursuing a financial levy. Other countries are pursuing different approaches."
Observers said the degree of divergence in the countries' policies for dealing with the recovery showed that, now that the initial shock of recession has passed, national agendas are once more crowding out G20 cooperation.
"I think we're seeing the end of the kind of lifeboat ethos here," said Andrew Cooper of the Center for International Governance Innovation.
"If you look back to November 2008, there was a great deal of focus on this sort of near death experience. I think that has loosened considerably. We've seen an allowance for national perspectives," he added.
"Certainly no bank tax; certainly no sort of hard, firm criteria for debt fighting and certainly lots of exceptions, notably Japan."
The Toronto meeting followed on the heels of Friday's G8 summit, which was held just outside of the city, and violence flared on the fringes of protest marches for three days running.
By Sunday, nearly 600 people had been arrested in incidents linked to the summit, and police had resorted to tear gas and rubber bullets to defend local property and the concrete and steel summit perimeter fence from vandals.
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: France Offers To Indian Air Force For Purchasing 40 Rafale Fighters

Defense News: DTN News: France Offers To Indian Air Force For Purchasing 40 Rafale Fighters
Source: DTN News - compiled from reliable sources by Roger Smith
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 27, 2010: A French company offered to sell 40 of its state-of-the-art aircraft Rafale fighter jets to India for a bi-lateral air exercise on Friday. An Indo-French joint exercise is to be held somewhere in India in 2011 – 12. The offer was made by the maker of the Rafale and Mirage fighters, Charles Edelstennie, who is also the scion of the Dassult family. Dassult is a multi-billion French military and civil aerospace company.The chairman and chief executive of Dassult said, “We know the Indian Air Force, with which we have a decade-long close association, is facing force depletion. So we are ready to supply 40 Rafales, the world’s first omni-role fighters to India, in a short span of time.”
The officers of French Air Force discussed the idea with the Indian Air Force team, which is now in France for a tri-lateral air exercise in which the Singapore air force is also involved. According to Edelastennie, Rafale fighters could be an interim sale to India to acquire 126 Multi Role Combat Aircraft at cost of Rs 40,000 crore. He said, “It is fulfilling the needs and tasks of the French air force and navy globally.
An Indian Air Force officer, who is the part of the Indian continent for Garuda-2010 exercise in Istres air base in France, said, “At present, the talks for the next Indo-French exercise are also on and the French officials have expressed their desire to bring the Rafale aircraft for the next joint air exercise likely to be held in 2011-12 in India.” The current exercise also reached its final stage and exercise will be finished tomorrow. K K Nowhar, Air Marshall of Indian Air Force, who visited the Indian contingent said, “Our participation in the exercise has reinforced the manner in which we conduct our operations.”
The origins of the Rafale can be traced to joint discussions between European nations taking place in the early eighties. But in the wake of the tri-national Tornado program which had put the most emphasis on air-to-surface functions, it soon appeared that the prime requirement of participating nations other than France was predominantly on the air-to-air side.
The French Forces wanted a balanced multi-role aircraft that would be able to replace 7 types of aircraft around 2000-2010 :
- air defence missions- reconnaissance missions
- precision strike/interdiction with conventional weapons (air-to-ground attack)
- nuclear strike
These needs were taken into account from the conception; thus it enabled the engineers, using all the new technologies, to conceive an aircraft which goes beyond objectives of each mission. Versatile and better in everything, Rafale is truly effects multiplying.
The Rafale has exhibited a remarkable rate of survivability during latest main French Air Force and Navy operations thank to an optimized airframe and a wide range of smart and discrete sensors. It is slated to be the French armed forces' combat aircraft until 2040 at least.
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: US Drone Strike Kills Six Militants In Pakistan

Defense News: DTN News: US Drone Strike Kills Six Militants In Pakistan
Source: DTN News / By Hasbanullah Khan - AFP
(NSI News Source Info) MIRANSHAH, Pakistan- June 27, 2010: A US drone attack killed six militants Sunday in Pakistan's North Waziristan district, a stronghold of Taliban and Al-Qaeda cohorts on the Afghan border, officials said.
The attack targeted a militant compound in Tabbi Torkhel village about four kilometres (2.5 miles) north of Miranshah, the main town in the lawless tribal district."The death toll has gone up to six," a security official said.
A local administration official confirmed the attack and the casualties.
The missiles hit a compound and also destroyed a vehicle belonging to the militants, he said, adding: "The identity of the militants was not immediately known as the bodies were mutilated." Local officials said there was no immediate report of a "high-value" target among the dead.
The attack was the latest in the surge of drone strikes in North Waziristan, where Pakistani commanders have come under increasing US pressure to carry out a military offensive.
More than 900 people have been killed in nearly 100 drone strikes in Pakistan since August 2008, including a number of senior militants. However the attacks fuel anti-American sentiment in the conservative Muslim country.
A similar drone strike killed two militants and wounded two others on Saturday, security officials said.
The US military does not, as a rule, confirm drone attacks, but its armed forces and the Central Intelligence Agency operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy pilotless drones in the region.
Militants based in the rugged terrain attack US-led forces across the border in Afghanistan, where the Afghan Taliban are waging a nearly nine-year insurgency to evict the estimated 140,000 foreign troops.
On June 1, Al-Qaeda said its number three leader and Osama bin Laden's one-time treasurer Mustafa Abu al-Yazid had been killed in what security officials said was an apparent drone strike in North Waziristan.
Washington has branded the tribal belt a global headquarters of Al-Qaeda and officials say it is home to Islamist extremists.
Waziristan came under renewed scrutiny when Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American charged over an attempted bombing in New York on May 1, allegedly told US interrogators he had been there for bomb training.
Pakistani commanders have not ruled out an offensive in North Waziristan, but argue that gains elsewhere need to be consolidated to prevent their troops being stretched too thin.

DTN News: Indian Air Force IAF Joins France & Singapore In Air Drills

Defense News: DTN News: Indian Air Force IAF Joins France & Singapore In Air Drills
Source: DTN News By Roger Smith
(NSI News Source Info) PARIS, France - June 27, 2010: Fighter aircraft and mid-air tankers of the Indian, French and Singaporean air forces are taking part in Exercise Garuda 2010 over the Istres Air Base in France.
An IAF officer said the aircraft had flown more than 60 missions in the war games that are to conclude on June 25. Six Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30MKI (in picture) along with the Mirage-2000-5 and the Rafale of the French Air Force and the Singaporean Air Force’s F-16 practised air defence manoeuvres like implementation of “no-fly zones” and large force engagements during day and night.
The SU-30 also took part in the high-value air-borne asset protection as well as protection-busting missions.
Air Marshal K.K. Nowhar of the IAF said: “Our participation in the exercise has reinforced the manner in which we conduct our operations. It has also helped us refine our doctrine. In future, there is a slim chance that a country will operate in isolation, especially in a co-operative defence scenario. Thus knowing each others’ best practices... is the main objective of this exercise.”

DTN News: Chinese President Hu Jintao Attends At G20 Summit In Toronto (Presentation # 7)

Defense News: DTN News: Chinese President Hu Jintao Attends At G20 Summit In Toronto (Presentation # 7)
Source: DTN News By Roger Smith - Special Feature
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 27, 2010: Chinese President Hu Jintao and other leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) members gathered in Toronto on Sunday for the group's fourth summit, which will focus on ways to secure the world economic recovery and address the economic challenges and risks.At the summit, the leaders will exchange views on ways to consolidate the recovery from the global economic and financial crisis and implement commitments from previous G20 summits while laying the foundation for sustainable and balanced growth.
They will discuss a wide range of issues, including the world economic situation, the European debt crisis, "the Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth," the reform of the international financial institutions, the global trade and the strengthening of financial regulations, said a senior Chinese official.
At the Pittsburgh summit, leaders of G20 members agreed to take action to address imbalances in the global economy by launching the Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth. The framework committed G20 members to evaluating their national policies to ensure they are collectively consistent with more sustainable and balanced trajectories of growth.
President Hu is expected to deliver a speech at the summit to explain China's propositions on the world's major economic and financial issues, such as financial reforms and balanced economic growth, said Chinese officials.
DTN News reports., as protesters and police geared up for another day of new confrontations outside the gates of the G20 summit Sunday morning, the leaders inside the fence were meeting to find ways to make sure the world is not plunged back into another recession.
"It is incumbent upon us to act with the same unity of purpose, the same sense of urgency, and the same commitment to the enlightened exercise of our national sovereignty as we did at the beginning of the crisis," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said as he opened the Sunday morning meeting of G20 leaders. "The fate of millions of people depends on our actions."
Harper said if the G20 can get it right over the next five years, as many as 54 million new jobs could be created around the world and 90 million people could be lifted out of poverty.
Meanwhile, Harper's office is standing firmly with Toronto police after they came under criticism from both ends, for being too harsh Saturday night with thousands of peaceful protesters and for showing too much restraint with a handful of violent thugs in the middle of the protest.
Some police cars were torched and some downtown businesses were vandalized.
Over 400 people were arrested.
"Our police services did a magnificent job in order to ensure that these thugs don't rampage around the city wreaking more havoc," said Dimitri Soudas, Harper's chief spokesman.
Inside the leaders' summit, there is widespread agreement that the massive government spending programs initiated two years ago helped lift the world out of recession.
"The action deployed up until now in the G20 has given positive results, and all the world is profiting from this, but recovery remains fragile. To be quite frank with you, private demand has not yet picked up enough, or even at all, in all G20 countries," Harper said.
But those spending programs meant the world's governments racked up massive debts and deficits. In some cases, like Greece or Japan, the debt situation is so bad, it could spark another fiscal crisis.
"The recent skittishness of markets is telling us they're awaiting our actions, actions that must be decisive but also co-ordinated and balanced," Harper said.
"Here's the tightrope that we must walk: To sustain recovery it is imperative that we follow through on existing stimulus plans ... but at the same time, advanced countries must send a clear message that as our stimulus plans expire, we will focus on getting our fiscal houses in order."
At the Toronto summit, the G20 leaders should pay more attention to development issues and provide political support to the United Nations' high-level meeting on the Millennium Development Goals in September this year, and oppose trade protectionism and promote the completion of the Doha round of trade talks, he added.
Established in 1999, the G20 consists of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.
Members of the G20, the world's premier forum for international economic cooperation, account for 90 percent of global output, 80 percent of world trade and two-thirds of the world's population.


*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh And His Wife Gursharan Kaur Arrive At G20 Summit In Toronto (Presentation # 6)

Defense News: DTN News: India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh And His Wife Gursharan Kaur Arrive At G20 Summit In Toronto (Presentation # 6)
*Bollywood star Akshay Kumar will attend G-20 Summit in Toronto, Canada
Source: DTN News By Roger Smith - Special Feature
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 26, 2010: DTN News reports, Bollywood star Akshay Kumar will add a hint of glamour to the G-20 Summit being held in Toronto, Canada. The actor will be the guest of honour at an event, where the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will meet Indian PM Manmohan Singh today.Today is a big day for Akshay Kumar. The Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, who landed in Toronto on Saturday for the G-20 Summit, will be attending a formal dinner at 8 pm at Toronto's Westin Harbour Cafe Hotel with the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper.
"Mr Kumar was personally invited by the office of the Canadian Prime Minister," says spokesperson Pauline from Toronto. She refuses to divulge more details about the event "till a formal announcement from the PMO is made", but says that the actor will be making a speech to introduce the heads of state.
The event is being held at the Presidential House, where Akshay will also host the proceedings on four issues that will be addressed, 'Clean energy, India-Canada bilateral trade and economy strategy issues, and the way forward'.
Incidentally, the actor has been holidaying in Canada with his wife Twinkle and son Aarav since he went there to shoot for Anees Bazmee's Thank You, and was more than glad to accept the Canadian PM's invite. Early this year, Harper had asked Akshay to be the torchbearer for the 2010 winter Olympics. A source close to the actor says, "When Harper spoke to Akshay about his involvement in the Olympics, he immediately agreed, and they were very happy with his participation. So he was an obvious choice this time."
While Akshay was unavailable for comment, the source adds, "Akshay is very happy and considers this invite very prestigious."
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh Arrives In Toronto For G-20 Summit - Canada 2010, (Presentation # 5)

Defense News: DTN News: Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh Arrives In Toronto For G-20 Summit - Canada 2010, (Presentation # 5)
Source: DTN News By Roger Smith - Special Feature
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 26, 2010: Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh arrived in the Canadian city of Toronto at 10 15 a.m. local time Saturday, where he will spend the next two days participating in the fourth Group of Twenty Summit.
Dr. Singh, his wife, Gurharan Kaur and the Indian delegation accompanying him were received at the Lester B. Pearson Airport here by officials of the protocol department of the Canadian Government and India's High Commissioner to Canada Shashishekhar Madhukar Gavai, besides others.Four personnel of the Canadian Mounted Police (CMP) marched up to Air India One with the flags of Canada and India to welcome the Indian Prime Minister and officials accompanying him.
Dr. Singh has a hectic schedule ahead of him. This afternoon, he will have bilateral meetings with British Prime Minister David Cameroon and French President Nicholas Sarkozy.
This will be followed by a ceremonial welcome for G-20 leaders.
DTN News reports, tomorrow on Sunday, Dr. Singh will take part in the plenary sessions of the G-20 and other related activities. He will also have bilateral meetings with US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
He also expected to visit the memorial set up for victims of the June 1985 Air India crash, where he will lay a wreath.
The Indian delegation will leave Toronto on Monday for Frankfurt en-route to New Delhi.
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: Navistar Reaches Another Milestone In Its Global Growth Strategy; First Mahindra-Navistar Trucks Roll Off Assembly Line In India

Defense News: DTN News: Navistar Reaches Another Milestone In Its Global Growth Strategy; First Mahindra-Navistar Trucks Roll Off Assembly Line In India
• 25-ton MN25 Rolls Out of Chakan Plant
• Plant Has 50,000-truck Capacity
• Other Mahindra-Navistar Variants to Roll Out in the Months Ahead
Source: DTN News / Navistar
(NSI News Source Info) PUNE, India - June 26, 2010: After unveiling its entire range of high-performance trucks at the Indian Auto Expo in Delhi earlier this year, Mahindra-Navistar Automotives Ltd. (MNAL) today announced the start of production as its first truck offering, the 25-ton capacity MN25,rolled off the assembly line in Chakan, Pune, India.
“The launch of the MN25 truck is a major step in the direction of making us a full range commercial vehicle player and the first step in materializing our vision to become the most trusted commercial vehicle brand in India,” said Rakesh Kalra, MNAL managing director. “In line with our philosophy to deliver outstanding value for our customers, the competitively priced, high-performance MN25 is one of the most powerful, fuel-efficient, rugged and comfortable 25-tonners to launch in India.”
According to Phil Christman, president, Navistar Global Truck Operations, the MNAL trucks are set apart from the competition by their quality, accessibility and heritage—each one designed from the ground up in India with that country’s terrain in mind.
The MN25 comes with a world-class cabin, which is spacious and ergonomically designed to suit Indian drivers for continuous long hauls. Powered by Navistar’s MaxxForce® 7.2-liter diesel engine, the truck delivers high performance and outstanding fuel efficiency.
“We promised that ‘OK will no longer be OK,’ and that the MN25 would revolutionize the industry,” said Nalin Mehta, chief operations officer, MNAL. “Today, with the first MN25 truck rolling off the line, every aspect of the truck symbolizes this philosophy and will help our customers outperform and prosper in their businesses and life. Delivering outstanding value coupled with far superior product performance will help customers to earn higher profits and better returns on their investments.”
“Honk OK Please,” is a phrase often found on the back of Indian trucks to let other motorists know to use the horn before passing the vehicles, as MNAL’s competitors’ trucks lack power and visibility. This inspired the MNAL truck launch campaign headline: “OK is No Longer OK.”
State-of-the-Art Manufacturing Facility
“Rolling out the high performance Mahindra-Navistar trucks is one of the finest manifestations of the state-of-the-art facility in Chakan,” said Dr. Pawan Goenka, president, Automotive and Farm Sector (AFS), Mahindra & Mahindra. “The Chakan plant is one of the most modern manufacturing plants in India, with a capacity of 50,000 trucks per year, and is set to create new benchmarks in automotive excellence.” The Chakan plant has a high-speed, fully automatic press line and is one of the three plants in the world of its kind. Beyond the production of the MN25, the remainder of the MNAL truck line-up will also be produced at the Chakan plant in the months ahead.
Sales and Distribution
With production underway, MNAL continues to secure orders and finalize its sales and service network. “We’re executing on our global strategy,” said Christman. “The launch of the MN25 will set a new benchmark for India by delivering trucks that raise the bar on craftsmanship, performance and power through a world-class dealer channel.” “The company is well on its way in setting up its infrastructure through exclusive dealerships on a massive scale which itself is a unique step for the trucking industry in India,” Kalra added. “Additionally the huge Mahindra network will be deployed for the after sales support of the trucks. Having started the production, we are gearing up for start of sales in the next two to three months and are moving rapidly to the pipelines with our products.”
About Mahindra-Navistar Automotives Ltd. (MNAL)
Mahindra-Navistar Automotives Ltd. (MNAL) is a joint venture between Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) and Navistar, Inc., North America’s largest combined commercial truck, school bus and mid-range diesel engine manufacturer. The joint venture will manufacture the entire spectrum of commercial vehicles (including trucks and buses) from 3.5-ton GVW to 49-ton GVW. The new product range will be engineered to meet Indian requirements with the technological support of Navistar. The new range will be manufactured at M&M's new Greenfield plant at Chakan, near Pune, which is spread across 700 acres.
Contact;
Media Contact (Navistar): Steve Schrier, 630-753-2264
Media Contact (MNAL): Roma Balwani, Phone: (+91-22) 2490 1441
Investor Contact: Heather Kos, 630-753-2406

DTN News: Boeing C-130 Avionics Modernization Program To Enter Production

Defense News: DTN News: Boeing C-130 Avionics Modernization Program To Enter Production
Source: DTN News / Boeing
(NSI News Source Info) LONG BEACH, Calif., - June 26, 2010: The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] June 24., announced that the U.S. Air Force has granted the C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) approval to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) following a successful Defense Acquisition Board Milestone C production review.
The Milestone C review completes several intensive reviews by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Air Force, including engineering and manufacturing reviews, to prepare for LRIP. Boeing also performed an extensive flight-test program to validate the system's design and development.
The first two LRIP aircraft are scheduled for induction in August and October at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Ga., where the Air Force will perform the Lot 1 installations. The first two kits have been delivered. Boeing will upgrade five of the 20 aircraft during LRIP.
"This is a terrific day for our team and our Air Force customer," said Mahesh Reddy, Boeing C-130 AMP program director. "We have worked hard to ensure that this program is a success and will meet warfighter needs for many years. It is now time to move forward with the remaining LRIP installations and quickly return these aircraft to the fleet with comprehensive avionics upgrades for improved situational awareness and mission capabilities."
The C-130 AMP improvements include a fully integrated, night-vision-goggle compatible, digital glass cockpit and new digital avionics that increase situational awareness and enhance safety. The AMP upgrade also brings avionics commonality to the C-130 fleet and flexibility in assigning aircrew, regardless of aircraft model.
The three test aircraft will undergo Periodic Depot Maintenance at Warner Robins prior to being delivered to the Air Force C-130 AMP schoolhouse at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., where Initial Operational Test and Evaluation will be conducted.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.
Contact:
Jennifer Hogan
Boeing Maintenance, Modifications and Upgrades
Mobile: 405-818-7859
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DTN News: G-20 Toronto Summit - Canada 2010, (Presentation # 4) Muskoka 2010 G-8

Defense News: DTN News: G-20 Toronto Summit - Canada 2010, (Presentation # 4) Muskoka 2010 G-8
Source: DTN News By Roger Smith - Special Feature
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 26, 2010: The G-8 leaders are meeting in Canada today. World leaders were searching for common ground on economics, health, security and other issues as three days of summits.Among the issues to be discussed will be fuirther sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme – building on expanded Security Council measures adopted this month.
The US and EU want tough sanctions but China and Russia only reluctantly support sanctions, and have balked at new unilateral steps against Iran, saying any measures should not exceed those called for by the Security Council.According to DTN News, some 12 leaders representing the fast-growing developing economies including China, India and Brazil also arrived to attend the summit. US President Barack Obama has called for more spending to keep world economies from slipping back into recession. He is being rebuffed by leaders in Europe and Japan, who have emphasized cutting government spending and raising taxes to try to keep their deficits in check. Obama is also calling for an overhaul of financial regulations to prevent another global meltdown.
The G-20 group represents 85 percent of the global economy and the United States wants this group to endorse the outlines for global financial reform to eliminate the threat that banks facing tougher regulations in one jurisdiction will move their operations to countries with more lax rules. Unmet pledges getting special attention this year: the G-8′s vow in Scotland five years ago to double international aid to Africa by 2010 and to make significant strides in providing access to AIDs treatment to all who need it. Neither of those goals have been achieved. G8 comprises the US, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Russia.
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: G-20 Toronto Summit - Canada 2010, (Presentation # 3) India

Defense News: DTN News: G-20 Toronto Summit - Canada 2010, (Presentation # 3) India
* G20 summit: Prime minister Manmohan Singh leaves for Toronto
Source: DTN News By Roger Smith - Special Feature
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 26, 2010: Prime minister Manmohan Singh today left for Toronto to attend the G20 Summit this weekend after an overnight transit halt in Frankfurt.
*DTN News reports, Prime minister Manmohan Singh said last week at a meeting of foreign reporters that the country's economy is expected to grow at 8.5% in the current financial year.
*Toronto Star's Haroon Siddiqui claims meeting India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence in New Delhi, India and reports the fragile world economy needs more stimulus spending, not cutbacks, India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told Siddiqui in an exclusive interview.
Wading into the hottest topic of the G20 summit, he sided with Barack Obama against German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Britain’s David Cameron, who have both launched cutbacks and austerity programs to control mounting deficits and debts.
Without naming names, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made it clear where he stands: “My own feeling is that early fiscal retrenchment carries very considerable global risks” of jeopardizing worldwide economic recovery.
“The purpose of G20 should be to ensure that the momentum of recovery is sustained and enhanced in the years to come,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told Siddiqui.
*DTN News elaborate further on the subject, ahead of the G-20 Summit in Toronto, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said it was necessary for the global economy to continue to recover in a stable and predictable manner without succumbing to protectionist tendencies.
“We need investment and capital flows, as well as an open and rule based trading system that does not succumb to protectionist tendencies,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a statement before his departure for the two-day Summit from Saturday during which he will also have talks with US President Barack Obama and other leaders.
Cautioning that the recovery of the global economy was “still fragile and uneven” with new “worrying signs emerging in the Euro zone”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the challenge for the Toronto Summit will be three-fold.
These challenges would be to ensure that global economic recovery is durable, balanced and sustainable; to calibrate exit strategies in the light of growing concerns over expansionary fiscal policies; and to focus on medium and long-term structural issues relating to governance issues, he said. “As the Indian economy grows and further integrates with the international system, we have an increasingly direct stake in all these matters,” he said, adding to meet “our ambitious development targets it is necessary that the global economy continue to recover in a stable and predictable manner.”Singh said the coordinated policy actions taken by the G-20 countries since November 2008 have not only helped to prevent a crisis of the type the world saw in the 1930s but also contributed to global economic recovery. “This is a sign of the G 20s success. At the same time, we have to be conscious that the recovery is still fragile and uneven. New worrying signs have emerged in the Euro zone,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.
*Indian Economy 2010 Overview: Compiled analyzed and researched by Roger Smith (KV) DTN News
It’s almost a decade since we entered into the 2000s. Economic growth in these years wasn’t so impressive for the western economies. It proves to be one of the worst economic period for those economies. Indeed, the so-called fastest growing economies (such as India, Brazil, China, Mexico, Russia, and Indonesia) have seen a unprecedented economic expansion because, the eastern economies were the producers and the western economies were the consumer and the same trend would likely to continue as the companies, nowadays, are more conscious about the cost. Rising input cost (or raw material) are forcing the corporations in the industrialized economies to shift their focus on the cost-effective region to keep up the pricing competitiveness in the specific industry, they are in. Change in consumer trend is also major concern for the companies to invest more in the process of innovation, research and development (R&D).
As the economic pace is picking up, global commodity prices have staged a comeback from lows and global trade has also seen a decent growth over the last two years. Unprecedented Government intervention and exceptionally large interest rate cuts by the central bank in advanced and emerging economies have contributed a lot to pull the global economy up from the deepest recession since the World War II. Several Governments around the world launched the stimulus packages to prop up the economic growth, generate employment opportunities and the overall economic growth with the aim to reduce uncertainty in the economy and increased confidence. In this VMW research, we’ll discuss about the overall economic prospect for the year 2010 and the how the Indian Economy emerge from the ongoing economic repairment.
*Economic Prospect For Year 2010
Global economy is seems to be expanding after a recent shock. Indian Economy, however just felt the blow of the global economic recession and the real economic growth have seen a sharp fall followed by the lower exports, capital outflow and corporate restructuring. It is expected that the global economies continue to stay strong in the short-term as the effect of stimulus is still strong as tax cuts are working their through the system and infrastructure projects will come through in early 2010. Due to strong position of liquidity in the market, large corporations now have access to capital in corporate credit markets.
Year 2009 has started on the gloomy note, however the trend reversed from the first quarter of the year, financial markets posted strong gains fueled by huge amount of capital inflows which was set-aside during the economic downturn in search of a higher yield. Number of companies jumped into the equity markets to raise funds to de-leverage themselves, corporate risk have declined. Before the beginning of the economic recession, several companies betted on the better economic future and blindly raised funds thru various options (largely in a way of debt). Real Estate was the hardest hit industry during the recession. Many companies even offloaded their huge amount of stake, in order to meet the deadline to pay-off the short-term debt. Not only the realty companies which has faced that situation, actually many Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have opted that option to expand themselves aggressively and routed out of the business. As the new year begins, the new wave of optimism has surrounded the economies to expand further from the recent shock, with the expectations of fresh stimulus package, shrink in unemployment rate, expectations of the high inflation, higher interest rates in the emerging economies. Over the next few months, inflation would be a worrisome for the economies. According to the estimates, inflation would likely to reach up to 10%, resulted, the expectations of the monetary policy tightening from the Reserve Bank of India in the second quarter review of monetary policy. Asian economies – Chinese economy in particular, along with India are in the strongest place for a sustained recovery. There are increasing signs of a recovery in a private domestic demand and expected to grow at 8.5% in the current financial year.
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: Is Israel Arming in Saudi Arabia?

Defense News: DTN News: Is Israel Arming in Saudi Arabia?
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 25, 2010: Reports claim Israeli helicopters landed in Saudi Arabia to prep an attack on Iran; But is it true? Israeli Air Force aircraft dropped off large quantities of military gear at a Saudi Arabian military base last week in preparation for a potential attack on Iran, a number of Iranian and Israeli news outlets have reported.
The unconfirmed report, first published by the semi-official Iranian news agency Fars and the Islamic website Islam Times, claimed that on June 18 and 19, Israeli helicopters unloaded military equipment and built a base just over five miles outside the northwestern city of Tabuk, the closest Saudi city to Israel. All civilian flights into and out of the city were said to have been cancelled during the Israeli drop-off, and passengers were reportedly compensated by the Saudi authorities and accommodated in nearby hotels.
The claim follows a report two weeks ago in the London Times Magazine that Saudi Arabia had given Israel permission to fly through a narrow corridor of airspace in northern Saudi Arabia so as to shorten the flight time required for Israeli jets to reach Iran. The Times claimed that Saudi Arabia had adjusted its missile defense systems to ensure that Israeli jets are not shot down while passing through Saudi airspace on the way to an aerial attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Citing an anonymous American defense official, the report claimed that Meir Dagan, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, had been in contact with Saudi officials and briefed Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on the plans.
Saudi Arabia has adamantly denied it will allow Israel to use its airspace to attack Iran. Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf told the London-based Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that it would be “illogical to allow the Israeli occupying force, with whom Saudi Arabia has no relations whatsoever, to use its land and airspace.”
Earlier this week Arab media outlets reported that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had cancelled a series of military cooperation agreements with Israel after Israel’s assault on a flotilla of Gaza-bound Turkish ships, which ended in the death of nine Turkish activists. The military agreements would have allowed Israeli jets to fly through Turkish airspace to Georgia and on to Iran.
Also this week, Egyptian sources told Lond-based Al-Quds Al-‘Arabi that an American fleet consisting of 11 frigates and an aircraft carrier, believed to be the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman, passed through the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. Eyewitnesses told the paper that an Israeli frigate was among the passing ships and that Egyptian authorities had suspended all commercial boat traffic in the canal for several hours to enable the fleet to pass. Thousands of Egyptian soldiers and two helicopters were reportedly deployed to the area during the passage.
“Obviously there is much fear in the Arab world, and a clear understanding in Saudi Arabia as well as in Israel that a nuclear Iran is a great threat,” Dr. Ephraim Inbar, director of Israel’s Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies told The Media Line.
“This brings us together on a strategic level in that we have common interests. Since the Arab world and Saudi Arabia understand that President Obama is a weak person, maybe they decided to facilitate this happening.”
“That said, I don’t think the Saudis want to burden themselves with this type of cooperation with Israel,” he said. “They are afraid of Iran and if the Israeli action is not successful they would be vulnerable to Iranian retaliation.”
“It’s interesting that the news first came from Iran,” Dr. Inbar added. “Maybe it’s a warning [from Iran] to Saudi that we know what you are doing and we are not happy about it. It’s also possible that Saudi Arabia let the news out as a warning to America that if you don’t do something, we will.”
Dr. Eldad Pardo, an expert on Iran at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem’s Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, argued that there was growing support in the Arab world for an Israeli attack on Iran.
“If there is military collaboration between the Israelis and countries that are officially in conflict with Israel, both sides would be sure to keep it secret,” he told The Media Line. “However, as the Iranian nuclear project becomes more dangerous and the regime becomes less tolerant, more and more people across the Middle East are ready to collaborate their efforts to block this project.”
“That makes Israel just one player in a much larger military, economic and political effort,” he continued. “There are clearly an intensifying set of signals towards Iran that it’s not just Israel that means business. We saw it in the sanctions, which the United Arab Emirates just joined, in the quick reaction to the Turkish offer to act as a go-between to resolve the nuclear dispute, in the Russian decision not to sell the S-300 missiles to Iran and the fact that Arab countries have not come out against reports of a new Israeli satellite and new Israeli military equipment.”
But while many regional military and geopolitical analysts believe the reports of secret Israeli-Saudi military cooperation, others view such claims with intense skepticism.
“Everything is a bluff,” Dr. Guy Bechor, head of the Middle East program at Herzliya’s Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy told The Media Line. “What war with Iran? Do you believe every little report you read? It’s all a bluff.”
“These reports are just pure fantasy and have no foundation,” Dr. Mustafa Alani, director of security and defense studies at the Gulf Research Center told The Media Line. “The Saudis will never be part of a military action against Iran, never mind an Israeli attack on Iran.”
“You have to remember that the Saudis made lots of protects when Israel used their airspace to attack the Iraqi reactor,” he said. “Since then the Saudis have enhanced their capabilities to defend their airspace.”
“Furthermore, the Saudis are not needed and there would be no technical military reason for such cooperation,” Dr. Alani claimed. “The Americans can attack Iran without embarrassing all these Gulf states, not just Saudi Arabia.”
Shafeeq Ghabra, an expert on Gulf geopolitics, a professor of political science at Kuwait University and the founding president of the American University of Kuwait, argued that an attack on Iran was not in Saudi interests.
“It would be impossible for the Saudis to allow an Israeli attack on Iran,” he told The Media Line. “For Saudi[s] to cooperate with a regime that is occupying Jerusalem, laying siege to Gaza and building settlements in the West Bank would undermine justice in the way the Saudis see it. It would also basically be allowing one nuclear power to attack another country that wants to be nuclear.”
“Saudi Arabia will not stand for a military showdown because more than anyone else they know that this will bring chaos to the region, increase radicalization and terrorist activity,” Ghabra said. “That is not in Saudi Arabia’s interest and quite frankly it’s not in Israel’s interest either.” Israel’s army and foreign ministry both declined to comment on the reports.
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com
*Source: The MidEast News Source - Written by Benjamin Joffe-Walt, Published June 24, 2010....CLICK HERE
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DTN News: U.S. Marines With Indonesian Marines During Marine Exercise 2010

Defense News: DTN News: U.S. Marines With Indonesian Marines During Marine Exercise 2010
Source: U.S. Department Of Defense
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - June 25, 2010: U.S. Marines from the 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Division return to the amphibious transport dock ship USS Dubuque (LPD 8) in an amphibious assault vehicle after training with Indonesian marines during Marine Exercise 2010 on June 22, 2010.
Marine Exercise is designed to provide training to the Indonesian military and build relationships that help maintain regional stability.

DTN News: G-20 Toronto Summit - Canada 2010 (Presentation # 2)

Defense News: DTN News: G-20 Toronto Summit - Canada 2010 (Presentation # 2)
**Prior to the G20, the members of the G8 — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., the U.S. and Russia — are gathering in Huntsville, Ont.
**The City of Toronto is proud to be the host city for the G20 Summit and welcomes the world to our great city.
Source: DTN News By Roger Smith - Special Feature
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 25, 2010: Our City of Toronto is proud to be the host city for the G20 Summit and welcomes the world to our great city. The theme for the G20 Toronto Summit is “Recovery and New Beginnings”The G20 was established in 1999 in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Leaders from the G20 countries meet regularly to discuss key issues in the global economy.
DTN News reports Toronto's tourism, business and banking, culture, diversity and environmental leadership will be in the world spotlight and lasting international business relationships will be developed.
Prior to the G20, the members of the G8 — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., the U.S. and Russia — are gathering in Huntsville, Ont.
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com