China says US report on its Military Groundless

China on Friday dismissed a US report on its military expansion as "completely groundless" and said it had exaggerated the threat to Taiwan, the self-ruled island Beijing calls a breakaway province. The US defense department said in its annual report to Congress that China was increasingly focused on naval power and had invested in hi-tech weaponry that would extend its reach in the Pacific and beyond. The report, released on Wednesday, also renewed US warnings that China was extending its military edge over Taiwan, citing better artillery that could strike targets within or even across the Taiwan Strait. "The US report is totally and completely groundless," China's defence ministry said in a statement faxed to AFP, adding that it had "exaggerated the so-called mainland military threat to Taiwan". "It's normal for China to develop its army and update its weaponry, a common practice among other countries around the world," ministry spokesman Yang Yujun added. China considers Taiwan, where the mainland's defeated nationalists fled in 1949, to be a province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. The defence ministry's comments came a day after China's state news agency Xinhua said the Pentagon report amounted to US "interference" in its affairs. "The 94-page report, as usual, interferes with the internal issue of China by making wilful comments on the situation across the Taiwan Strait," said Xinhua. "The Pentagon report, submitted to the Congress by the Pentagon annually pursuant to a US law since 2000, has drawn protest from China over its interfering nature, distortion of facts and baseless speculations." The dispute over Taiwan, including US arms sales to Taipei, has remained a stumbling block to Washington's attempts at promoting a security dialogue with the Chinese military. However Xinhua said relations between the US and Chinese militaries had improved over the past year. It cited a visit to China last month by US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen, America's top military officer. Mullen's Chinese counterpart Chen Bingde visited the United States in May. Yang said the US report "doesn't meet... with the current trend of a positive development of military relations between the two countries, nor with the good momentum of the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations". China's People's Liberation Army -- the largest active duty military in the world -- is extremely secretive about its defence programmes, which benefit from a huge and expanding budget boosted by the nation's rapid economic growth. Beijing announced earlier this year that military spending would rise to 601.1 billion yuan ($91.7 billion) in 2011 and also said it was developing its first stealth fighter jet. Chinese military spending, however, is still far below the US defence budget, the world's largest, which was nearly $700 billion in 2010. China's weapons buildup comes as it places a growing emphasis on securing strategic shipping lanes and mineral-rich areas in the South China Sea. Beijing claims sovereign rights to almost all of the South China Sea, although several Southeast Asian countries have competing claims. The criticism by China's state-run media continued on Friday, with an editorial in the English-language edition of the Global Times daily calling the Pentagon a "bastion of mistrust of China". The Pentagon's annual report on China's military "is increasingly perceived as pathetic by Chinese people", it said. "The Pentagon actually needs to answer why US arms sales to Taiwan continue and remain the biggest factor of uncertainty stopping mainland-Taiwan relationship from advancing without a hitch."

Parliament to discuss Jan Lokpal Bill today

New Delhi: The stand-off between government and Anna Hazare today showed no signs of resolution, with Parliament failing to meet the activist`s key demand for a discussion on Jan Lokpal Bill as major political parties sparred on how it should be debated.The Lok Sabha, which was to discuss Jan Lokpal Bill and other civil society drafts, was caught in a political war between the Congress and BJP on procedural issues and now the matter is expected to come up tomorrow in a different form. Differences also cropped up in Team Anna over the 74-year-old Gandhian continuing his fast as his health caused considerable worry to his doctors.


But he refused to end his 11-day hunger strike demanding in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that Parliament pass a resolution, accepting three of his key demands - setting up Lokayuktas in States, covering entire bureaucracy and citizens charter.


Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who ruled out replacing the official Lokpal Bill, is now expected to make a statement in Lok Sabha tomorrow which will form the basis for a discussion.


However, earlier in the day, Opposition members gave notices for a discussion on the Lokpal issue under a Rule that entails voting while Congress members wanted it under a Rule that does not provide for voting. Opposition BJP foiled the ruling side`s attempt to get it discussed without voting that made the government to change its strategy to go for a debate in a different form.

Team Anna, which was expecting a Parliamentary vote today, reacted sharply, saying that he would end his fast only if three of demands are conceded or at least Jan Lokpal Bill be tabled in Parliament.


Congress member Rahul Gandhi also broke his silence and appeared to be critical of Hazare`s hunger strike to get his demands met though he felt the Gandhian has helped people articulate their disillusionment with corruption.


In a brief speech, Gandhi said democratic processes should not be weakened by `individual dictates` which could set dangerous precedent. Though he maintained that Lokpal alone was not enough to eradicate corruption, he favoured the ombudsman to be Constitutional functionary accountable to Parliament, an idea that generated a lot of debate.


As the ruling and Opposition were locked in a confrontation leading to a brief adjournment of Lok Sabha, Speaker Meira Kumar held discussions with leaders of both sides.


The principal Opposition maintained that either the Prime Minister or Leader of the House (Mukherjee) should make a statement on which a discussion could take place or pass a resolution as demanded by Hazare. It was decided at the meeting that Mukherjee will make a statement which will be followed by a discussion under a Rule that does not entail voting.
However, government sources did not rule out voting on a substantive motion if situation demands. Hazare himself wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in which he said `my inner conscience tells me that if there is a consensus on these proposals (three issues), then I will break my fast`.
He was conciliatory to the Prime Minister on the issue of personal attacks on him, saying `if me or my colleagues` words have hurt you or anybody else, I express my regrets. We don`t want to hurt anybody`.
Mukherjee, who is the government`s chief negotiator with the civil society, expressed concern over Hazare`s health and appealed to him to end the fast. However, he ruled out replacing the official bill on Lokpal, saying the Standing Committee, which is considering it, can suggest recommendations and it was for Parliament to either accept or reject them.

Indian Space Research Organisation short of 230 scientists

New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is short of 230 scientists and engineers, the Lok Sabha was told on Wednesday.
Replying to questions in the house, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office V. Narayanasamy said the number of scientists and engineers in ISRO as on June 30 was 6,782, against a sanctioned strength of 7,012.

He said the vacancies will be filled through induction of the first batch of graduates from the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, and ISRO's centralised recruitment process.


Source : htt p://www.sify.  com/news/isro-short-of-230-scientists-news-national-liktktbhdhe.html