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Sunday, January 1, 2012

Russia hands over Nerpa nuclear sub to India


Russia has handed over the nuclear-powered attack submarine Nerpa to India following more than two years of delays, a senior naval official was quoted as saying Friday. "The signing ceremony happened yesterday at the Bolshoi Kamen ship building facility in the (Far East) Primorye region where the Nerpa is now based," the official in the naval chief of staff told ITAR-TASS. Russian reports said an Indian crew would sail the Akula II class craft to its home base at the end of January after receiving it on a 10-year lease that has angered India s arch-rival Pakistan and resulted in retaliation threats. The craft is due to reach its Bay of Bengal base of Visakhapatnam under the Indian flag in February and be commissioned by the navy in March. "All of the naval tests and performance checks have been completed," the Russian official said. "The crew will begin making themselves feel at home on board the craft after New Year and start sailing it to India in the latter half of January." An unnamed Russian official at the Amur district facility where the Nerpa was built added that the "Indian side is fully satisfied by the volume and quality of the tests" completed on the Nerpa at sea. The Nerpa will be the first nuclear-powered submarine to be operated by India in nearly two decades after it decommissioned its last such Soviet-built vessel in 1991. India is currently completing the development of its own Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic submarines and the Nerpa s delivery is expected to help crews train for the domestic boat s introduction into service next year. The Russian Pacific port ceremony was held on the same day that a shipyard fire engulfed the Northern Fleet s Yekaterinburg nuclear-powered strategic submarine in the Murmansk region on the opposite side of the country. The Nerpa had initially been due to be handed over to India in 2009 but experienced various problems during testing. It suffered a mishap during trials in the Sea of Japan in November 2008 that killed 20 sailors when a fire extinguisher released a deadly chemical that was accidentally loaded into the system. Media reports said that some of the ship s equipment malfunctioned during testing and that the weapons navigation system did not work to India s specifications. The 8,140-tonne vessel can fire a range of torpedoes as well as Granat cruise missiles that can be nuclear-tipped. India has promised not to arm the submarine with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles under its obligations to international treaties it adopted after conducting a series of atomic tests in the 1990s. But the craft s delivery has still upset Pakistan. "Rest assured, there will be no compromise in terms of maintaining the credibility of our deterrence," Pakistan foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit was quoted as saying by The Asian Age newspaper this week. The submarine is due to be commissioned as the INS Chakra in India under a 2004 agreement that has seen the South Asian giant pay $650 million in construction costs. Newspaper reports in India said New Delhi may end up paying as much as $900 million under the terms of the deal. Russia s RIA Novosti news agencies valued the contract at $920 million. Russia supplies 70 percent of India s military hardware but New Delhi has been unhappy about delays to arms orders from Moscow and has looked to other suppliers including Israel and the United States in recent years.

Welcome 2012


Zaviews welcome you in ma world 2012, this year in ma view change the world lets c what happen. Glittering fireworks exploded on Sunday as revelers in Australia and Asia welcomed 2012 and others around the world looked forward to bidding a weary adieu to a year marred by natural disasters and economic turmoil. Some in Europe were already tamping down their hopes for a year that promises more financial pain. German Chancellor Angela Merkel set the tone for a Continent hammered by an unprecedented economic crisis: She warned in her New Year s message that despite her country s comparatively stable economic situation, next year will be more difficult than 2011. Women used sparklers to draw  2012  for photographers at a New Year s party in Manila Saturday night. In Spain, which on Friday unveiled a brand new batch of austerity measures that include surprise income and property tax hikes, 53-year-old Joaquin Cabina, was going to celebrate at home with his wife and sons—but otherwise didn t feel he had much to look forward to. "The government has just hit us with higher taxes and says it s going to cut spending," the Madrid car mechanic said. "What I see is that prices are going up and all I hope for is to keep working and for my family to enjoy good health." Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin s New Year s greetings came mixed with sarcasm toward those protesting his 12 years in power and his plans to return to the presidency for at least six more years. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who starts his second term on New Year s Day, said he wants to help ensure and sustain the moves toward democracy that protesters sought in the Arab Spring. For Japan, 2011 was the year the nation was struck by a giant tsunami and earthquake that left an entire coastline destroyed, nearly 20,000 people dead or missing and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in meltdown. New York s Times Square was awash in hopeful sentiments as it prepared to welcome hordes of New Year s Eve revelers. Authorities in Berlin expected a million revelers to gather around the city s landmark Brandenburg Gate for a massive party complete with live performances from the Scorpions and other bands, as well as a 10-minute-long firework display. Across France, 60,000 police, firemen and other emergency personnel were on standby to assure the New Year s celebrations went off safely, the Interior Minister said. Thousands of revelers are expected to descend on Scotland s capital to attend the world-famous Hogmanay street party, where around 80,000 party goers will welcome 2012 at the stroke of midnight, before erupting into a mass rendition of Auld Lang Syne. In London, round 250,000 people are expected to gather to listen to Big Ben strike at midnight during London s scaled-back New Year s celebrations. Fireworks are set off from the London Eye, the giant wheel on the south bank of the river. Revelers in Spain will greet 2012 by eating 12 grapes in time with Madrid s central Puerta del Sol clock, a national tradition observed by millions who stop parties to follow the chimes on television. Raymond Lo, a master of feng shui—the Chinese art of arranging objects and choosing dates to improve luck—said he wasn t surprised that 2011 was such a tumultuous year because it was associated with the natural elements of metal and wood. The year s natural disasters were foreshadowed, Mr. Lo said, because wood—which represents trees and nature—was attacked by metal. He said 2012 could be better because it s associated with ocean water, which represents energy and drive and the washing away of old habits.