Day: July 29, 2012

Chandipur-on-Sea (Odisha), July 29 (ANI): India on Sunday test fired BrahMos supersonic cruise missile as part of a user trial by the Army from a test range at Chandipur off Odisha coast.
The missile, which has a flight range of up to 290 km, is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg. “The cruise missile was test fired from a ground mobile launcher from the launch complex-3 at about 1030 hours and all data is being retrieved for analysis,” defence sources said. The cruise missile, a surface-to-surface Army version, was test fired as part of user trial by the Army, they said.
The two-stage missile, the first one being solid and the second one ramjet liquid propellant, has already been inducted into the Army and Navy, and the Air-Force version is in final stage of trial, a defence official said.
While induction of the first version of Brahmos missile system in the Indian Navy commenced from 2005 with INS Rajput, it is now fully operational with two regiments of the Army. The air launch version and the submarine launch version of the missile system are in progress, he said.
The Army has so far placed orders for the Brahmos missile to be deployed by three regiments of the Army and two of them have already been inducted operationally. The Defence Ministry has also given a go-ahead to Army to induct a third regiment equipped with the missile system to be deployed in Arunachal Pradesh along the China border.
Brahmos Aerospace, an Indo-Russian joint venture company headed by a distinguished Indian defence scientist, is also working to develop the air as well as the submarine launch version of the missile system and work on the project is in progress.
The last trial was conducted on March 28, 2012.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/brahmos-test-fired/

NEW DELHI: Ignoring an appeal from his close aides, Anna Hazare on Sunday joined three of his team members in their indefinite fast here after his four-day ultimatum to the government to concede to his demands on Lokpal Bill found no response.
Hazare, who had been sitting on a dharna along with his three fasting colleagues for the past four days, reached Jantar Mantar here in the morning to slogans of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Inquilab Zindabad’.
“My team had told me not to fast citing health reasons. When over 400 people are on fast, I cannot ignore them and not be on fast. Yesterday also my team appealed to me not to fast but I am sitting on fast from now. I consider I have your permission,” Hazare said addressing the gathering at the venue.
Even after Hazare announced his decision, some of those who were fasting appealed to him not to fast again, saying his life is valuable and his leadership is needed. Hazare then picked up the microphone and said, “Till we get Jan Lokpal, the countrymen will not allow me to die.”
The 74-year-old activist had asked the government to concede to his demands on Lokpal Bill by Saturday or else he would go on fast.
His close aide Arvind Kejriwal had on Saturday made a public appeal to Hazare not to fast citing his health.
This is the fourth indefinite fast by Hazare since April last year. The April fast was followed by one in Ramlila Maidan here in August and in Mumbai in December.
In between, he had single-day fasts in Delhi thrice — in June and December last year and March this year.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/fast/