Tag: replace

The terrible truth about the sacking of Tucker Carlson: someone just as odious will replace him | Emma Brockes

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It is a truism of the US news industry that no one is bigger than the network itself, an insight that Donald Trump – binned by Rupert Murdoch last year – may still be painfully processing, and which this week became suddenly clear to Tucker Carlson.
The former cable news host, who, it was announced on Monday, had “agreed to part ways” with the network, has hired an aggressive Hollywood lawyer – and in line with the preferred volume of the man generally, seems unlikely to go quietly. Even as the share price at Fox dropped in response to the news, wiping $500m (£400m) off its value in apparent flattery of Carlson, the question remains pertinent as to how much he, and those like him, matter as individuals.
If you are looking to fill a spare five minutes, it is an enjoyable thought experiment to rank in order of sheer flesh-crawling hideousness some of Fox News’s fallen stars. Where does Carlson place, for example, compared with Glenn Beck, the former Fox personality who, prior to his dismissal in 2011, had a shot at the title of America’s most awful man? Or Bill O’Reilly, a man who was given the boot in 2017 after news surfaced that the company had paid up to $13m in settlements to women accusing him of sexual harassment?
For a while, a sense has prevailed that these former giants – add to the list the former Fox News head Roger Ailes, ousted in 2016 in the wake of sexual harassment allegations – have been banished from frontline positions, and the hope prospers that Carlson might be among the last. The fact he has lasted this long, and the likely reasons for his departure, however, point in another direction.
For my money, Carlson – who is presently the subject of his own lawsuit, brought by Abby Grossberg, a senior producer who alleges he was responsible for creating a misogynist and hostile work environment – edges out even O’Reilly for pure anti-charisma. If O’Reilly was gross in a standard Fox News style, in Carlson’s case it was his very blandness, the Tintin hair and look of perpetual confusion, that made him more objectionable than all of his predecessors.
It is always fascinating to consider the tipping point at which behaviour previously tolerated by Fox becomes suddenly intolerable to the company – and for Carlson, it seems unlikely it’s the Grossberg lawsuit. It might not even be his role in fanning the flames of the January 6 riot that has just cost the company $787.5m in settlement money to shut down the lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems.
Had it gone to trial, Carlson would surely have been a liability, given the way he encouraged viewers to regard the presidential election as rigged. At the same time, behind the scenes, he was lambasting Trump’s lawyers for selling a line to the public that Carlson himself seems not to have believed. “You’ve convinced them that Trump will win,” he wrote to an attorney for Trump in November 2020. “If you don’t have conclusive evidence of fraud at that scale, it’s a cruel and reckless thing to keep saying.”
More irksome to his employers, however, might have been his off-the-cuff comments about Trump at a time when Fox officially still backed the former president. In early January 2021, in an exchange with members of his staff, Carlson wrote: “We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can’t wait,” and: “I hate him passionately.”

I dare say Murdoch hated Trump, too, at that point, but for a network like Fox, it is dangerous to show the workings of the sausage machine too closely. There comes a point where the gap between the true feelings of network bosses and the line they are selling to viewers becomes so large that even those at the back who aren’t paying attention may catch a whiff of the true venality of the operation.
The most surprising thing to have come out since Carlson’s departure, however, is the breakdown in viewing figures. At the time of his ousting, Carlson was the highest rated cable news host in the US, pulling in more than 3 million viewers nightly. By contrast, Chris Hayes over on MSNBC attracts around 1.3 million viewers and Anderson Cooper, the most boring man on television, scores around 700,000 on CNN in that time slot.
These are decent figures. But dig down into the details, and among viewers aged between 25 and 54 – the most attractive demographic – Carlson hovered around the 330,000 mark. This is more than his rivals, for sure, but is still a tiny number of people relative to the sheer amount of oxygen this man has taken up over the last five years.
He will write a book. He’ll launch a podcast. He may accept a flippantly offered $25m job opportunity from the far-right news channel OAN. As with his predecessors, the memory of Carlson will fade quickly to irrelevance as we’re reminded it’s the platform that pulls the strings, not the person. Someone equally odious will replace him.
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

April 27, 2023
Joint Chiefs shuffle: Biden’s top contenders to replace Trump’s military leaders

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The vacancies give President Biden a chance to put his stamp on the Joint Chiefs as the administration looks to take big steps to counter Chinese aggression in the Pacific, chart a new course in Europe after the Ukraine invasion and dump old weapons systems to make room for new ones.
“These are legacy moments for the Biden administration, but they are also the guard rails for the republic,” Peter Feaver, a former staffer on the National Security Council and author of “Armed Servants: Agency, Oversight, and Civil-Military Relations.”
It’s also an opportunity for Biden, who named the first Black defense secretary in 2021, to make more historic appointments, including the first female member of the Joint Chiefs. Last year, Biden chose Adm. Linda Fagan to be the first female commandant of the Coast Guard, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security.
POLITICO spoke to 11 current and former Defense Department officials, as well as leaders in academia with knowledge of the discussions to forecast who’s in the running for the jobs. Some were granted anonymity to discuss the subject ahead of the announcements.
Here are the names at the top of the list:
Chair
Current leader: Army Gen. Mark Milley, sworn in Oct. 1, 2019

The frontrunner: Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown
If you ask most people at DoD, the shoo-in for the top job is Gen. C.Q. Brown, the Air Force chief of staff. Brown, a fighter pilot by training, has stellar credentials, serving as commander of the service’s forces both in the Middle East and in the Pacific. He is also the first Black man to serve as Air Force chief of staff, and was nominated for the job the same summer as the Black Lives Matter protests swept the nation.
Brown is not known for making news, and typically sticks closely to the talking points during public appearances and press engagements. But in a rare candid moment, he weighed in on the racial unrest roiling the country in an emotional video describing his experience navigating the issue in the military.
Tapping Brown for the top job would mean plucking him from his current post before his term is up. He was sworn in Aug. 6, 2020, and has another year left as the Air Force’s top officer.

Marine Corps Gen. David Berger
The White House is also considering Gen. David Berger, the Marine Corps Commandant, who has served in the post since July 2019.
Berger “connected” more with the president during his interview for the job, one former DoD official said. Berger’s interview lasted 90 minutes, while Brown’s interview lasted only 40, another former DoD official said.
A career infantry officer, Berger has commanded troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Pacific. Yet he is seen as controversial in some corners of the military. His vision for reshaping the Marines by shedding heavy weaponry in favor of a lighter, faster force has drawn criticism, particularly from retired generals.
The longer interview for Berger doesn’t mean he has the job of course, but one person familiar with both Berger and Brown pointed out that the Marine leader is considered more talkative than the analytical Brown. Plus, Berger’s almost total rethinking of how the Marine Corps will be positioned to fight — particularly in the Pacific — is by far the most ambitious retooling of any of the services in decades, which could have sparked more conversation.
One factor that might weigh against Berger is that the current vice chair, Adm. Christopher Grady, is a Navy officer. Lawmakers frown on having a chair and vice chair from within a department, such as the Department of the Navy, which includes both the Navy and Marine Corps.

Army Gen. Laura Richardson
DoD insiders aren’t ruling out Gen. Laura Richardson, an Army officer serving as the commander of U.S. Southern Command. She is one of only 10 women ever to hold the rank of a four-star general or admiral. A helicopter pilot, Richardson previously served as commanding general of U.S. Army North, and has commanded an assault helicopter battalion in Iraq. She also served as military aide to former Vice President Al Gore, and the Army’s legislative liaison to Congress.
But one unofficial rule of the process is that no two consecutive chairs should be from the same service. Since Milley is also an Army officer, Richardson may be at a disadvantage. However, she is also seen as a candidate to replace Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville.
Army
Current leader: Army Gen. James McConville, sworn in Aug. 9, 2019.

The frontrunner: Army Gen. Randy George
While Richardson is a contender, the top candidate for Army chief of staff is Gen. Randy George, who is serving in the vice chief of staff role. George is an infantry officer who served in the 101st Airborne Division and deployed in support of the Gulf War. He also served as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s senior military assistant from June 2021 to July 2022.

Army Gen. Andrew Poppas
Another possibility is Gen. Andrew Poppas, a former commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division. He’s the head of Army Forces Command, a position Milley also held before becoming the Army’s top officer. Poppas also served as director of operations of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, a post Austin held in 2009.
Navy
Current leader: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, sworn in on Aug. 22, 2019.

The frontrunner: Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti
Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, currently the vice chief of naval operations, is widely seen as a lock for the top job. The second woman to hold the vice CNO job, Franchetti also holds a degree in journalism. A career surface warfare officer, Franchetti served on the Joint Staff, and commanded the destroyer USS Ross.

Navy Adm. Samuel Paparo
There has also been some talk of Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of the Pacific Fleet, as a possible candidate. He is a longshot, however, and is considered the top pick to take over as head of Indo-Pacific Command in two years when Adm. John Aquilino moves on.
Air Force
Current leader: Gen. C.Q. Brown, sworn in on Aug. 6, 2020.

The frontrunner: Gen. Jacqueline Von Ovost
If Brown is tapped to be the next chair, that creates an opening to be the top leader of the Air Force.
There’s a lot of buzz around Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, who as the commander of U.S. Transportation Command has been at the center of all DoD’s most high-profile efforts during the Biden administration. Her forces moved vaccines during the Covid-19 response, flew evacuees from Kabul airport in 2021 and are shipping weapons to Ukraine. She is the first female head of Transportation Command, and would be the first woman to head the Air Force.

Gen. David Allvin
The Air Force’s No. 2 military officer since 2020, Allvin previously served as the director for strategy, plans, and policy on the Joint Staff. He comes from the air mobility community and commanded forces in Afghanistan and Europe.
Marine Corps
Current leader: Gen. David Berger, sworn in on July 11, 2019

The frontrunner: Gen. Eric Smith
Gen. Eric Smith is the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, making him the service’s No. 2 general. He has commanded at every level, including in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a general officer, he commanded the Marine Corps’ forces in U.S. Southern Command, as well as Marine Corps Combat Development Command. He also served in the Pentagon as senior military assistant to the defense secretary in 2016 to 2017.

Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl
While Smith has for months topped the list as a successor to Berger, another candidate in high standing is Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, who leads the Marine Corps’ Combat Development Command. In that job, Heckl has pushed to test and implement Berger’s reforms, and he has in many ways been the service’s public face for modernization in the Berger vein.
Joe Gould, Paul McLeary and Lee Hudson contributed to this report.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 18, 2023
EU turns to Elon Musk to replace stalled French rocket

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The European Commission wants to cut deals with private American space companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch cutting-edge European navigation satellites due to continued delays to Europe’s next generation Ariane rocket system.
In a draft request to EU countries seen by POLITICO, the Commission is planning to ask for a green light to negotiate “an ad-hoc security agreement” with the U.S. for its rocket companies to “exceptionally launch Galileo satellites.”
The Commission reckons only SpaceX’s Falcon 9 heavy launcher and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan system are up to the job of sending the EU’s new geo-navigation Galileo satellites — which weigh around 700 kilograms each — into orbit.
Seeking U.S. help to keep its flagship space program running puts a dent in the EU’s idea of strategic autonomy. Galileo is a point of pride for the EU, as it seeks to become less dependent on other regions for critical infrastructure, services and technology — a quest strongly backed by Paris.
The EU is having to seek assistance to launch new versions of its navigation satellites because the Ariane 5 rocket, developed by France-based ArianeGroup and launched from France’s South American spaceport in French Guiana, is to be retired in the next months.
The deployment of its replacement, Ariane 6, has been delayed; the new system is currently expected to carry out a maiden launch at the end of this year, with full commercial deployment starting next year.
The alternative to the Ariane series would have been launching Galileo satellites with Russian-built Soyuz rockets, a version of which are also used at the French Guiana site. However, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, two Galileo launches using Soyuz rockets have been cancelled, prompting the search for alternatives.
Galileo satellites beam highly accurate navigation and precise time data back to earth — and also provide a top secret encrypted service for use by government agencies. That means launches typically can only be carried out from EU territory under tight security rules.

“In view of the security sensitive information … included in Galileo satellites, an ad-hoc legally binding security agreement with [the] U.S. is necessary, in order to protect the integrity of the satellites and the Galileo constellation,” said part of a draft proposal from the Commission seen by POLITICO.
It will be up to EU countries to approve negotiations for an agreement, which would come under the umbrella of standing deals on the exchange of classified information, the proposal states.
Capacity to launch satellites and humans into space independently of other powers has been a key part of French efforts to develop the concept of strategic autonomy for Europe.
But the need to contract out launches of critical space infrastructure to private companies operating in the U.S. undermines the argument that Europe is able to manage its own alternative to the U.S. GPS, Russia’s Glonass and China’s BeiDou constellations.
“Analyses are … ongoing to ascertain whether or not launching with an alternative launch service provider would be feasible,” said Commission spokesperson Sonya Gospodinova, adding that no decision has yet been taken. Assessments are being made on technical compatibility, launch site security and cost, she said.
While SpaceX’s Falcon rocket is already operational, ULA only plans its first Vulcan mission in May.
The Paris-based European Space Agency, which isn’t an EU institution but helps manage Galileo and runs the French Guiana spaceport, had already been looking at alternative launch options for satellites.

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( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

April 17, 2023
Future ChatGPT models to replace many human tasks: Top AI scientist

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New Delhi: The future versions of ChatGPT have the potential to replace many tasks currently performed by humans, leading AI researcher and cognitive scientist Ben Goertzel has warned.
Known for co-developing Sophia the Robot, Goertzel believes the new large language models that power generative AI will transform the world, reports ZDNet.
“You don’t need to be incredibly creative and innovative or make big leaps to do most people’s jobs, as it turns out,” Goertzel was quoted as saying.

Automated AI tools could lead to industry reshuffling and reassigning job duties.
Drive-through fast-food workers, copy editors and designers are already impacted by AI.
“Tools like Grammarly decrease the need for human copy editors,” Goertzel said.
China-based marketing and public relations agency BlueFocus is replacing third-party copy writers, designers, and short-term contractors to fully embrace generative AI like ChatGPT.
After the ChatGPT success, apps with the term ‘AI Chatbot’ or ‘AI Chat’ in either their app name, subtitle, or description on both Google and Apple app stores have increased a whopping 1,480 per cent (year-over-year) in the first quarter this year.

According to analytics firm Apptopia, just this year (through March), 158 such apps have arrived on the app stores.
However, jobs where the essence is human contact, like preschool teachers, political strategists and artists, “will not become obsolete”.
Today’s generative AIs “are able to impersonate general AIs by just having such a broad variety of training data. They don’t have to go far beyond that training data to do amazing stuff. It’s a testament to the power of computer networks and multi-GPU server farms,” he was quoted as saying.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 16, 2023
Telangana: 200 new ‘108’ ambulances to replace existing ones

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Hyderabad: Telangana government will be replacing the existing old ‘108’ ambulances (that operated for more than three lakh kilometres to date) with 200 new ones.
The 108 Emergency Response Service, primarily designed to attend to patients of critical care, trauma and accident victims is a free service providing integrated medical, police and fire emergency services.
It is a one-stop solution for all three major emergencies and aims to simplify the services by bringing them to one desk.

State health minister T Harish Rao while responding to a request made by Munipally MPP Shailaja said that he had conducted a review meeting in Hyderabad on the ‘108’ ambulance services.
Shailaja had urged the minister to replace the old ambulance in her mandal, during the Zilla Parishad meeting on Tuesday to which Harish Rao responded positively saying that the health department has already ordered 200 new ambulances.
“The ambulances will be deployed into service within 45 days,” said Harish Rao who later on participated in Mahatma Jyotirao Phule’s birth anniversary celebrations in Sangareddy.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 11, 2023
A wartime NATO struggles to replace its chief

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It’s the rumor inflating the Brussels bubble: The EU’s top executive, Ursula von der Leyen, could be crossing town to run NATO.
The rationale makes sense. She has a good working relationship with Washington. She is a former defense minister. And as European Commission president, she has experience working with most NATO heads of government. Plus, if chosen, she would become the alliance’s first-ever female leader.
The conversation has crested in recent weeks, as people eye current NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s pending exit at the end of September.

Yet according to those inside NATO and at the Commission, the murmurings are more wish-casting than hints of a pending job switch. There is no evidence von der Leyen is interested in the role, and those in Brussels don’t expect her to quit before her first presidential term ends in 2024.
The chatter is similar to the rumblings around Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, a long-serving leader who checks every box but insists he doesn’t want the job.
The speculation illustrates how much Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has changed NATO — and who can lead it. The war has put a new spotlight on the alliance, making the job more politically sensitive and high-profile than in the past. And allies are suddenly much more cautious about who they want on the podium speaking for them.
In short, the chatter seems to be people manifesting their ideal candidates and testing ideas rather than engaging in a real negotiation.
“The more names, the clearer there is no candidate,” said one senior European diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal alliance dynamics.
A second senior European diplomat agreed: “There is a lot of backroom gossip,” this person said, “but no clear field at this stage.”
The (very) short list
The next NATO chief, officials say, needs to be a European who can work closely with whoever is in the White House.
But that’s not all. The next NATO chief needs to be someone who backs Ukraine but is not so hawkish that it spooks countries worried about provoking Russia. And the person has to have stature — likely a former head of state or government — who can get unanimous support from 31 capitals and, most importantly, the U.S.
There are several obstacles to Usula von der Leyen’s candidacy | Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images
That’s not a long list.
Von der Leyen is on it, but there are several obstacles to her candidacy.
The first is simply timing. If Stoltenberg leaves office in the fall as scheduled, his replacement would come into the office a year before von der Leyen’s term at the Commission ends in late 2024. She may even seek another five-year term.
“I don’t think she will move anywhere before the end of her mandate,” said one senior Commission official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
Speculation is rife that the current NATO chief may be asked to stay on, at least for a little while longer, to allow for a candidate such as von der Leyen to come in at a later stage.
“If Stoltenberg is prolonged until next summer, Ursula von der Leyen’s candidature would look logical,” said a third senior European diplomat.
But in an interview with POLITICO last week, Stoltenberg appeared keen to go home. The NATO chief has been in the job for over eight years, the second-longest tenure in the alliance’s seven-decade history.
Asked about gossip that he may stay on, the secretary-general shot back sarcastically: “First of all, there are many more questions in the world that are extremely more important than that.”
“My plan is to go back to Norway,” he added, “I have been here for now a long time.”
The alliance is divided on the matter. Some countries — particularly those outside the EU — would prefer a quick decision to avoid running into the EU’s own 2024 elections. The fear, a fourth European diplomat said, is that NATO becomes a “consolation prize in the broader European politics” as leaders haggle over who will run the EU’s main institutions.
Another challenge for von der Leyen would be Germany’s track record on defense spending — and her own record as Germany’s defense minister.
A decade ago, NATO countries pledged to move toward spending 2 percent of their economic output on defense by 2024. But Germany, despite being Europe’s largest economy, has consistently missed the mark, even after announcing a €100 billion fund last year to modernize its military.
From the German government’s perspective, keeping von der Leyen at the helm of the Commission might be a bigger priority than NATO | Kenzo Tribuillard/AFP via Getty Images
Additionally, some observers say von der Leyen bears some responsibility for the relatively poor state of Germany’s defenses.
From the German government’s perspective, keeping von der Leyen at the helm of the Commission might also be a bigger priority than NATO — even if she comes from the current center-right opposition. The EU executive is arguably more powerful than the NATO chief within Europe, pushing policies that affect nearly every corner of life.
Predictably, the Commission is officially dismissive of any speculation.
“The president is not a candidate for the job” of NATO secretary-general, a Commission spokesperson told POLITICO on Monday. “And she has no comment on the speculation.”
Who else can do it?
As with von der Leyen, it is unclear if some other names floated are actually available.
Dutch Prime Minister Rutte has dismissed speculation about a NATO role, telling reporters in January that he wanted to “leave politics altogether and do something completely different.”
A spokesperson for the prime minister reiterated this week that the his view has not changed.
Insiders, however, say the Dutch leader shouldn’t be counted out. In office since 2010, Rutte has significant experience working with leaders across the alliance and promotes a tight transatlantic bond.
The Netherlands is also relatively muscular on defense — it has been one of Europe’s largest donors to Ukraine — but not quite as hawkish as countries on the eastern flank.
“Rutte’s name keeps popping up,” said the second senior European diplomat, “but no movement on this beyond gossip.”
Others occasionally mentioned as possible candidates are Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and to a lesser extent British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová.
But despite the gossip, officials acknowledge many of these names are not politically feasible at this stage.
Kallas, for instance, is perceived as too hawkish. And conversely, Canada and some southern European countries are viewed within the alliance as laggards on defense investment. Then there’s the fact that some capitals would oppose a non-EU candidate, complicating a Wallace candidacy.
As a result, a senior figure from a northern or western EU country appears the most likely profile for a successful candidate. Yet for now, who that person would be remains murky. Officials do have a deadline, though: the annual NATO summit in July.
“Either a new secretary general will be announced,” said a fifth senior European diplomat, “or the mandate of Jens Stoltenberg will be prolonged.”

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( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

April 4, 2023
China aims to replace US as global net security provider, says Army chief Manoj Pande

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Pune: Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande has said transgressions remain the potential trigger for escalations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and asserted India has adequate reserves and was prepared to deal with any contingency.
Speaking at an event here on Monday, he also said China wants to replace the United States as a global net security provider and cited Beijing’s involvement in brokering recent peace talks between arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran and putting forth a peace plan to end the 13-month-long Russia-Ukraine war.
The Army chief said China has accrued significant capacities for force mobilization, application, and sustenance of military operations and maintained the long-pending boundary issue can not be divorced from bilateral relations between the two Asian giants.
General Pande said Chinese attempts to carry out transgressions across the LAC in violations of past agreements/protocols remain a matter of concern for India, but the Army’s preparedness remains of a high order, comments coming in the backdrop of the border standoff in eastern Ladakh since May 2020.
He was speaking at the 2nd Strategic Dialogue on ‘Rise of China and its Implications for the World’, organized by the Savitribai Phule Pune University and the New Delhi-based Centre for China Analysis and Strategy.
“I think the most important aspect of our operational environment remains our legacy challenges of the unsettled and disputed borders. Pockets of dispute and contested claims to the territory continue to exist due to differing perceptions of the alignment of the Line of Actual Control. Transgressions remain the potential trigger for escalations,” the Chief of Army Staff cautioned.
Hence, Sino-Indian border management requires close monitoring as infirmities can lead to a wider conflict, General Pande said.
“As we all knew we have agreements/protocols — (signed in) 1993, 1996, 2005, and 2013 — in the military domain to maintain peace and tranquillity on the LAC. Of concerns remain the violations of these by China — with their attempt to carry out — transgressions across the LAC,” he said.

The decades-old boundary issue cannot be divorced from bilateral relations, General Pande asserted and went on to quote External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who had said, “for (India-China) ties to return to the positive trajectory and remain sustainable, they must be based on three mutual sensitivity respect, and interest.”
New Delhi has repeatedly maintained that its ties with Beijing cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.
General Pande said engagement mechanisms exist at political, diplomatic, and military levels between the two countries which are optimally utilized to ensure stability along the LAC.
Talks are continuing under these establishment mechanisms, he said.
“China has accrued significant capacities for force mobilization, application, and sustenance of military operations. It has built infrastructure of military significance — be it roads, airfields, helipads, and so on,” the Army chief added.
He said the Indian Army’s strategic orientation and long-term capability development have been with a focus on the northern border.
“We have carried out the required rebalancing of the forces to affect the desired response on the northern border,” General Pande said.
The Army chief insisted India has adequate reserves and was prepared to deal with any contingency.
“Our preparedness remains of a high order and troops continued to deal with PLA (China’s People’s Liberation Army) in a firm, resolute, and measured manner while ensuring the sanctity of our claims,” he asserted.
General Pande stated that the Indian Army has ramped up its efforts to fructify the operationally critical logistical requirements, especially roads in the forward areas.
The Indian Army is working in synergy with all agencies in the forward areas to upgrade infrastructure, he added.
General Pande said after becoming an economic powerhouse, China is looking to enhance its global role.
“Brokering peace talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and putting forth the Chinese 12-point peace plan for ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, are reflective of a Chinese urgency to replace the US as a global net security provider,” he said.
Talking about China’s rapid economic rise, General Pande noted that the Communist giant’s growth in the economic domain has been unprecedented.
“Within a few decades of initiating widespread reforms, it transitioned from a largely agrarian economy into a world leader in manufacturing and services sectors. Due to its industrial prowess, it also earned a name for itself as the ‘world’s factory’. Following this success, many developing countries and their leaders have looked to emulate China,” he said.
The Army chief pointed out that China today stands as the world’s largest economy in Purchasing Power Parity terms (based on buying power) and its economic expansion was multifaceted.
“On the one hand, it is building an ‘international network of coercion through predatory economics’, while on the other it claims to pull more than 100 million of its own people out of poverty.
“Its efforts to expand the sphere of influence through economic manoeuvring, weaponization of resource supply chains, financing large infrastructure projects with scant regard for environmental and safety standards and straddling recipient countries with unsustainable debt, are there for the world to see,” he said.
The Chief of Army Staff said issues of concern continue to exist in cases of theft of Intellectual Property Rights, stealing trade secrets and technology from foreign companies as also unfair trade practices.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 28, 2023
Man gets message to replace Tricolour with Khalistan flag; case filed

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New Delhi: The Delhi Police has registered a case against unidentified people for recording and circulating an audio message containing the threat to remove the Indian flag from Pragati Maidan, the venue for the high-profile G-20 meeting in September.
The case was registered as the complaint of a man who received a pre-recorded message on his phone when he arrived at the Delhi airport.
In the message, the alleged Khalistan supporter was talking about taking over Pragati Maidan and removing the Indian flag. Later, the person also allegedly talked about ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh, they said.
A case under sections 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion etc), and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at IGI Airport Police Station, they said.
The case has been transferred to the Special Cell unit of the Delhi Police, they added.
Singh, the radical preacher, is on the run after the Punjab Police arrested several of his supporters in a major crackdown that began weeks after the group stormed the Ajnala Police Station near Amritsar to secure the release of an arrested associate.
The episode raised fears over the possibility of the return of Khalistani militancy to the state that borders Pakistan.
Police said efforts are on to trace Amritpal Singh. A lookout circular and a non-bailable warrant have been issued against the Khalistan sympathizer.

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 25, 2023
Govt to introduce GPS-based toll system in six months to replace toll plazas

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New Delhi: The government will introduce new technologies including GPS-based toll collection systems in the next 6 months to replace existing highway toll plazas in the country, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Friday.
The move is aimed at reducing traffic congestion and charging motorists for the exact distance travelled on the highways, Gadkari said.
Addressing an event organised by industry body CII, Gadkari further said state- owned NHAI’s toll revenue is currently Rs 40,000 crore and it is going to soar to Rs 1.40 lakh crore 2-3 years.
“The government is looking at new technologies including GPS-based toll systems to replace toll plazas in the country…We will bring new technology in six months,” he said.
The ministry of road transport and highways is conducting a pilot project of an automatic number plate recognition system (automatic number plate reader cameras) to enable automated toll collection without stopping the vehicles.
During 2018-19, the average waiting time for vehicles at toll plaza was 8 minutes. With the introduction of FASTags during 2020-21 and 2021-22, the average waiting time of the vehicles has come down to 47 seconds.
Although there is considerable improvement in waiting time at certain locations, especially near cities, the densely populated towns there are still some delays at toll plazas during peak hours.
The road transport and highways minister emphasised on the need of reducing the cost of construction without compromising with the quality.

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 24, 2023
Robots to replace human scavengers in UP’s Prayagraj

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Lucknow: There is some good news for human scavengers. In a first for the region, smart robots will soon begin cleaning clogged sewers and the project will begin from Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj.
The state government has made available three Bandicoot robotic scavengers to Prayagraj Nagar Nigam (PNN) and Jalkal department — the two main bodies entrusted with the task of upkeep of drains and sewers — for the task.
They would be pressed into full-fledged service after Holi, officials said.
Bandicoot is a robotic machine that is engineered for cleaning any type of sewer manholes.
The robot consists of two major units — a stand unit and a robotic drone unit. The drone unit is the one that dives into the manholes for the cleaning operations or unblocking operations. The diving depth of the robotic drone is customisable according to the maximum depth needed for the job, the officials said.
General manager, Jalkal department, Kumar Gaurav said the government had provided three Bandicoot robots costing Rs 1.18 crore that will do the work of workers who were until now engaged to clean drains and sewers.
Fully automatic, the robots will directly enter the deep sewer line through the manhole and clean it, he said.
Civic officials said that the robots will prove to be a game changer as they provide a safe and efficient alternative to manual scavenging, which is not only hazardous but also compromises the dignity of sanitation workers.

Officials said that the move is part of the Swachh Survekshan-2023 and Safai Mitra Suraksha Protocol, which aims to create a clean and healthy environment for sanitation workers and the community as a whole.
Apart from Prayagraj other regions like Kanpur, Aligarh, Greater Noida in the state too have embraced these Bandicoot robotic scavengers.
These robots, developed by the Kerala-based national award-winning startup Genrobotics, are expected to be especially helpful in the light that 20 new wards have been added to the Prayagraj Nagar Nigam recently following increasing of the city limits.
These robots have an add-on feature, Nano coating that enables them to perform operation in any hazardous or corrosive sewerage environments effectively for a longer period.
It has the flexibility to perform more efficient cleaning than humans in terms of time and efficiency of manhole cleaning.
The drone unit is equipped with an extendable robotic arm with four degrees of freedom to perform grabbing, shovelling and unblocking actions inside the manholes.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 6, 2023