MPs from across the G7 call on their leaders

Saturday 29th April 2023 at12:49 PM

Take action on nuclear disarmament at upcoming Hiroshima summit

Hiroshima: 29 April 2023: (The Eagle Eye News Bureau)::

Parliamentarians from the G7 countries have urged their leaders to take concrete action on nuclear disarmament at their summit in Hiroshima in three weeks’ time. The MPs have been attending the G7 Parliamentarians’ Forum for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons in Tokyo and Hiroshima, where they met survivors of the world’s first nuclear attack that killed 140,000 people and obliterated the city in 1945. The forum was organised by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and concluded with a collective statement.

Quote Hon. Laura Boldrini (Italy):

“Visiting the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima gives a clear idea of what war and peace mean. It is more powerful than a 1000 speeches. Everybody, especially Youths, should once in a lifetime take the opportunity to come here and listen to Hibakusha’s stories, the impact the atomic bombing had on their existence, and their suffering. This leaves no doubt on the importance of promoting the abolition of nuclear weapons. This is why we have to urge the G7 leaders to increase their efforts towards a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons and to adhere to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”

Quote Hon. Heather McPherson (Canada):

“There is no better place than Hiroshima to recognize that the use of nuclear weapons would have catastrophic consequences for humanity and the planet. Visiting these memorial sites, particularly in light of the recent nuclear threats by countries like Russia and North Korea, highlights the urgent need to eliminate these weapons of mass destruction. The upcoming G7 summit in Hiroshima is the perfect opportunity for Canada to join the growing international consensus and announce a delegation to observe the next meeting of states parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. We have heard a lot of empty rhetorics by Prime Minister Trudeau, now is the time for action. ”  

In the collective statement the participants urged the G7 leaders to listen to the survivors they will be meeting in Hiroshima– known as Hibakusha – and to acknowledge the devastating harm to people and the environment caused by nuclear weapons. The statement calls on the G7 leaders to unequivocally condemn any and all threats to use nuclear weapons and to recognise the significance of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which came into force in 2021 and has broad and growing international support, in advancing global nuclear disarmament efforts.

It continues: “We maintain that all countries should engage in sincere and constructive negotiations to achieve the total elimination of nuclear weapons so that never again will any person be subjected to the fate endured by the Hibakusha.”

Their statement condemned North Korea’s missile tests and nuclear weapons programme for “dangerously and irresponsibly” increasing the risk of nuclear war. It also condemned Russia for its illegal war in Ukraine which has exposed the “unacceptable risks associated with nuclear weapons” that Russia has brandished to intimidate other countries from intervening to stop its invasion.

Nuclear threats are explicitly banned under the TPNW and the statement says: “In order to strengthen the norm of not using and not threatening to use nuclear weapons, we condemn any and all nuclear threats and reiterate that the only guarantee of non-use is the total elimination of nuclear weapons.”

The MPs called for an end to the nuclear arms race in which all nuclear weapon states are involved because it increases the risk of the use of these weapons either by accident or design and “must therefore be stopped as a matter of international urgency”.  In this light, they called on their governments to engage constructively with the TPNW and highlighted how the TPNW complements the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). They made personal commitments to strengthening both treaties that “together provide the crucial, mutually-reinforcing framework for achieving a world free of nuclear weapons”.

The MPs were hosted by their Japanese counterparts at the Diet’s House of Councillors in Tokyo on April 28 where they made official statements and were addressed by Kuniko Inoguchi, LDP MP and Japan’s former Disarmament Ambassador. They then travelled to Hiroshima where they visited the Peace Memorial Museum and attended an official remembrance event at the Hiroshima Cenotaph. Following this they took part in a workshop with Hibakusha to learn more about what happens to people when they are attacked with nuclear weapons.

Rs.166.255 lakhs spent for Yoga training

 07-April-2017 16:03 IST

11428 Physical Education Teachers Trained during 2016-17

New Delhi: 06th December 2022: (The Eagle Eye News Desk)::

The Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development has spent Rs.166.255 lakhs during 2016-17 under Rashriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) for Yoga training of 11428 Physical Education Teachers of Government Secondary Schools.

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) 2005 recommended Yoga as an Integral Part of Health and Physical Education as part of National Curriculum Framework (NCF). Health and Physical Education is a compulsory subject from Class I to Class X and optional from Classes XI to XII. According to National Curriculum Framework 2005, “the entire group Health and Physical Education and Yoga must be taken together as a comprehensive Health and Physical Education Curriculum, replacing the fragmentary approach current in schools today. As a core part of the curriculum, time allocated for games and for yoga must not be reduced or taken away under any circumstances”. Further, they have already developed integrated syllabi on Health and Physical Education from Class I to Class X. The content of Yoga has been included from Class VI onward. It also prepared separate syllabus on Yoga from Upper Primary to Secondary Stage.

NCERT has brought out the following two textual materials for Upper Primary (VI to VIII) and Secondary Stages (IX & X):

(i) Yoga: A Healthy Way of Living (Upper Primary stage) and

(ii) Yoga: A Healthy Way of Living (Secondary Stage)

NCERT organised Yoga Olympiad from school to National Level from 18th to 20thJune, 2016.

CCRYN under Ministry of AYUSH has been conducting one hour Yoga Classes for Government employees in few Government Offices/Ministries n Delhi

MDNIY is creating awareness about healthy food habits and concept of Yogic Diet through its courses /programmes.

There are 9 universities offering Higher education in Yoga; and 2 universities offering higher education in ‘Yoga and Naturopathy’ in the country.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Shri ShripadYesso Naik in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

***** NB/SK

MHA gives a boost to “Make in India” in the field of manufacturing of arms

30-October-2017 at 15:05 IST

The liberalisation of the Arms Rules will encourage investment

New Delhi: 30th October 2023: (The Eagle Eye News Desk)::

The Ministry of Home Affairs has liberalised the Arms Rules to boost “Make in India” manufacturing policy of the Government as also to promote employment generation in the field of manufacturing of arms and ammunition.

The liberalisation of the Arms Rules will encourage investment in the manufacturing of arms and ammunition and weapon systems as part of the “Make in India” programme. The liberalised rules are expected to encourage the manufacturing activity and facilitate availability of world class weapons to meet the requirement of Armed Forces and Police Forces in sync with country’s defence indigenization programme. The liberalised rules will apply to licences granted by MHA for small arms & ammunition and licences granted by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), under powers delegated to them, for tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, defence aircrafts, space crafts, warships of all kinds, arms and ammunition and allied items of defence equipment other than small arms.

The salient features of the liberalised rules are:

(i) The licence granted for manufacturing shall now be valid for the life-time of the licensee
company. The requirement of renewal of the license after every 5 years has been done away with.

(ii)  Similarly, condition that the small arms and light weapons produced by manufacturer shall be sold to the Central Government or the State Governments with the prior approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs has been done away with.

(iii) Further, enhancement of capacity up to 15% of the quantity approved under licence will not require any further approval by the Government. The manufacturer will be required to give only prior intimation to the licensing authority in this regard.

(iv) The licence fee has been reduced significantly. Earlier the licence fee was Rs. 500/- per firearm which added up to very large sums and was a deterrent to seeking manufacturing licenses. The licence fee will now range from Rs. 5,000/- to the maximum of Rs. 50,000/-.

(v) The fee for manufacturing licence shall be payable at the time of grant of license rather than at the time of application.

(vi) Single manufacturing licence will be allowed for a multi-unit facility within the same State or in different States within the country. 

A notification for the Arms (Amendment) Rules, 2017 has been issued by MHA on October 27, 2017.

Click here for notification:

http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2017/179873.pdf

*** KSD/NK/PK

A Click Camera Report of Desert Training

 US Soldiers Succesfully become the victorious 

Calif., July 23, 2022: (The Eagle Eye News)

Desert Training is very tough but essential. Brave Soldiers of US Army perform all tests and training successfully. This training make the strong and more strong. After This Training They become victorious.

Marines advance towards their support by fire position during a training exercise at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., July 23, 2022.

Photo was clicked By  Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Intriago during this training.

Photo Courtesy: US Department of Defense

There Will Be 'High Price to Pay'--NATO Chief Warns

16th March 2022 at 6:27 AM

Russia is lying again on Russian Use of Chemical Weapons

March 15, 2022 | By C. TODD LOPEZ  

"They are making absurd claims about biological labs and chemical weapons in Ukraine," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who spoke today during a press conference in advance of tomorrow's meeting of NATO countries' defense ministers. "This is just another lie. And we are concerned that Moscow could stage a false flag operation, possibly including chemical weapons." 

Stoltenberg said Russia has already staged "false flag" operations within Ukraine to justify its actions there. A false flag operation is a hostile action made to appear as if it were perpetrated by another party, then used to justify other aggressive actions. 

"We have seen that they, throughout this crisis, have tried to create different kinds of false flag operations to try to provide excuses for use of force," Stoltenberg said. "We saw that in the lead-up to the intervention. And now we are seeing them accusing Ukraine and also NATO allies of producing and developing chemical weapons, and that's an absolute lie." 

The secretary general said Russia's false claims that Ukraine and NATO operate chemical and biological weapons labs raise the specter that Russia itself may be planning to use such weapons. 

"The president of the United States and other allies also made very clear that if they use chemical weapons, there will be a high price to pay," he said. 

Russia is one of the nations that signed on to the Chemical Weapons Convention prohibiting the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons, but it has not held true to the commitments it made there, Stoltenberg said. 

"Russia has used chemical agents before to attack and actually kill political opponents," he said. "We have also seen that Russia has supported the Assad regime in Syria and helped to facilitate the use of chemical weapons several times in Syria." 

Any use of chemical weapons is absolutely unacceptable, Stoltenberg said. 

"It is also extremely important that Russia understands that it is unacceptable if they consider any use of chemical weapons, and we are also very vigilant about the possibility of them trying to stage some kind of pretext, false flag operation to provide the excuse for any type of use of chemical weapons," he said. 

While Russian aggression continues in Ukraine, Stoltenberg said NATO will do what it's designed to do: defend the alliance. 

"NATO's core task is to protect and defend all allies," he said. "We have responded to this crisis quickly, activating our defense plans, raising our readiness, and deploying the NATO Response Force for the first time for collective defense." 

Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of NATO forces on heightened alert. Already, Stoltenberg  said, there are 100,000 U.S. troops in Europe and around 40,000 troops under direct NATO command, as well. Many of those are deployed in the eastern part of the alliance and are backed by major air and naval power, as well as air defenses. 

"The U.S. is currently deploying Patriot batteries to Poland and Germany, and the Netherlands are also deploying Patriots to Slovakia," he said. "All of this sends an unmistakable message: An attack on one ally will be met with a decisive response from the whole alliance." 

Tomorrow's meeting of defense ministers, Stoltenberg said, will focus in part on a reset of NATO's military posture in the face of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. 

"Ministers will start an important discussion on concrete measures to reinforce our security for the longer term in all domains," he said. "On land, this could include substantially more forces in the eastern part of the alliance, at higher readiness and with more pre-positioned equipment." 

lso to be considered are increases to air and naval deployments, the strengthening of integrated air and missile defense, the reinforcement of cyber defenses, and more military exercises for NATO partners. 

Stoltenberg also commended NATO nations that are increasing their own commitment to defense — something he said is now truly necessary in the face of Russian aggression. 

"Major reinforcements of defense will require major increases in investment," he said. "I welcome that Germany and other allies have already announced they're stepping up, and I encourage all allies to spend the minimum 2% of GDP on defense. We must do more, so we must also invest more to protect peace and freedom and uphold our values at this critical time." 

Continued strengthening of the alliance, he said, will involve continued strengthening of air and missile defense — which is ongoing, as well as investments in more advanced conventional capabilities, including fifth-generation aircraft, Stoltenberg said. 

Spotlight: NATO

"I welcome the German decision to invest in fifth-generation aircraft," he said. "We need also to increase readiness and our ability to monitor and detect. And, of course, we also need to make sure that NATO's nuclear deterrent remains safe and secure and effective." 

When it comes to Ukraine, Stoltenberg said that for many years now NATO allies have been training Ukrainian soldiers — many who are now fighting on the front lines in Ukraine. 

And now allies of Ukraine are providing to that country critical equipment — including anti-tank and air defense weapons, drones, ammunition and fuel — to help them in their fight. 

"This training and equipment is helping Ukraine to defend itself," he said. "Ukraine has a fundamental right to self-defense enshrined in the U.N. charter, and NATO allies and partners will continue to help Ukraine uphold that right by providing military equipment and financial and humanitarian assistance." Source Courtesy

Russian Strategic Forces Reportedly on High Alert

As Fighting in Ukraine Intensifies

27th February 2022 | By David Vergun DOD News

U.S. officials don't doubt reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed Russia's nuclear deterrence forces on high alert, a senior defense official said at a press briefing today.

"We have no reason to doubt the validity of these reports," the official said.

Two soldiers look out from a large military vehicle.

This is an unnecessary step for Putin to take because Russia has never been under threat from NATO and certainly not from Ukraine, the official said.

It is escalatory because it's potentially putting at play forces that could, if there's a miscalculation, make things much more dangerous, the official said.

"We remain confident in our ability to defend ourselves and our allies and our partners, and that includes in the strategic deterrent realm," the official said.

Regarding the situation in Ukraine, the official said that roughly two-thirds of Russian forces arrayed along the border are now inside Ukraine, an increase over the last 24 hours when roughly half of those forces were inside Ukraine.

Ukrainians are putting up stiff resistance in the face of invading Russian forces, the official said, adding that no major cities inside Ukraine have yet been captured.

Four soldiers walk around two tactical vehicles.

"We believe that their advance was slowed both by resistance from the Ukrainians, who have been quite creative in finding ways to attack columns, and, number two, by the fuel shortages and the sustainment issues that they have had," the official said.

Logistics shortages have been particularly acute in their advanced on Kharkiv," which is in northeast Ukraine, the official said.

Some Russian reconnaissance elements have been in Kyiv over the last two days, and there are reports that they are wearing Ukrainian military uniforms to disguise themselves, the official said. In some cases, they have been identified by locals and by the Ukrainian military.

Russian forces, which are converging from the northeast and northwest, remain about 30 kilometers from the city center of Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, the official said.

In the south of Ukraine, Russian forces are moving northeast toward Mariupol and are now about 50 kilometers from the center of that city, the official said. They are also moving northwest toward the city of Kherson.

"Our assessment is that Mariupol is defended, and the Ukrainians will put up stiff resistance there," the official said.

The airspace over Ukraine is still contested, and that means that Ukrainians are still using their own aircraft and air and missile defense systems, which are believed to be still intact and still viable, although somewhat degraded, the official said.

In flight, a long tube extends from one plane to a jet flying below it.

Russians continue launching missiles against targets in Ukraine, mostly short-range, ballistic missiles, the official said. There are indications that some of the missiles launched have experienced failures.

There are indications that Russian forces are adopting siege tactics around the city of Chernihiv, which is northeast of Kyiv. This is particularly troubling as it could result in civilian casualties, the official said.

The U.S. and NATO continue providing Ukraine with lethal and nonlethal assistance, the official said.

An increased number of people, including some Americans, are leaving Ukraine, with many going to Poland, the official said. The 82nd Airborne Division is poised near the border and prepared to assist should the need arise.

"Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is still governing his country, still viable, still active," the official said. "He still has command and control over his armed forces."

Russian Armed Forces hit 821 military objects of Ukraine

 Updated-26th February 2022

Updates from the Russian Defence Ministry-February 26, 2022

Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson: Groupings of troops of Donetsk and Luhansk, with the fire support from the Russian Armed Forces, expanded the areas of the breakthrough in the enemy's defence during the day and continue to develop the success of the offensive.

The grouping of troops of the Luhansk People's Republic advanced to a depth of 30 kilometers and captured the settlements of Bakhmutovka and Grechishkino.

Formations and military units of the Donetsk People's Republic, advancing in the direction of Novomayskoye, covered another 6 kilometers. Nationalist battalions, retreating, blow up power substations and bridges across rivers behind them.

The units of the Russian Armed Forces have established full control over the city of Melitopol. Russian servicemen are taking all measures to ensure the safety of civilians and exclude provocations by Ukrainian special services and nationalists.

During the night, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation struck with high-precision long-range weapons using air- and sea-based cruise missiles at the objects of the military infrastructure of Ukraine.

I would like to emphasize once again that the fire is conducted only on the objects of the military infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, excluding damage to residential and social infrastructure.

In total, the Russian Armed Forces hit 821 objects of the military infrastructure of Ukraine.

Among them: 14 military airfields, 19 control points and communication centers, 24 S-300 and Osa anti-aircraft missile systems, 48 radar stations. Downed: 7 combat aircraft, 7 helicopters, 9 unmanned aerial vehicles.

87 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 28 multiple rocket launchers, 118 units of special military vehicles were destroyed.

The forces of the Russian Navy destroyed 8 military boats of the Ukrainian Navy.