15 JULY 2015: Iran deal reached

Ø  Major powers clinched a historic deal on Tuesday aimed at ensuring Iran does not obtain the nuclear bomb, opening up Tehran’s stricken economy and potentially ending decades of bad blood with the West. Reached on day 18 of marathon talks in Vienna, the accord is aimed at resolving a 13-year standoff over Iran’s nuclear ambitions after repeated diplomatic failures and threats of military action. It was hailed by Iran, the U.S., the European Union and others but branded a “historic mistake” by Israel. The deal puts strict limits on Iran’s nuclear activities for at least a decade and calls for stringent U.N. oversight. In return, Iran will get sanctions relief although the measures can “snap back” if there are any violations. Tehran will slash by around two-thirds the number of centrifuges from around 19,000 to 6,104, an Iranian “fact sheet” confirmed. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif acknowledged that the agreement was “not perfect for anybody” but described it as “an important achievement.” Painful international sanctions that have slashed Tehran’s oil exports by a quarter and choked its economy will be lifted and billions of dollars in frozen assets unblocked.

Ø  The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday cleared deals worth about Rs. 30,000 crore for new platforms and several upgrades mostly for the Army and the Navy. Additional P-8I maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft for the Navy and new air defence guns for the army were the major deals cleared. The Navy earlier contracted eight aircraft from Boeing to keep track of the vast coastline. It is now exercising the optional clause for four P-8Is worth Rs. 4,380 crore. Weapon and sensor upgrades for six ships of Delhi and Talwar class worth Rs. 2,900 crore were cleared to be implemented as and when the ships go for midlife upgrades. DAC also extended Acceptance of Necessity (AON) for four large survey ships worth Rs. 2,324 crore in place of the old one which lapsed. Other deals for Navy include replacement of radars on Kora class ships, Gigabit Ethernet Ships Data Network (GbeSDN) on Delhi class ships for high speed data connectivity, 23 Combat Management Systems, BrahMos training facility at INS Valsura in Gujarat and Air Combat Menuvouring systems for Mig-29 fighters and Advanced Jet Trainers. The Army will now issue tenders for the long pending replacement of the vintage L-70 and ZU-23mm air defence guns.

Ø  U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday the world was headed for a “generation free of AIDS”, after UNAIDS reported a 35-per cent drop in new HIV infections from 15 years ago. The positive news was also coupled with calls for more funding, with the objective of eliminating the virus by 2030. The United Nations also warned that continuing stigmatisation of sex workers, drug users and homosexuals were barriers to progress. According to the UNAIDS report released on Tuesday in Geneva, there have been remarkable strides since the advent in 1996 of anti-retroviral drugs, which suppress the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Though not a cure, the therapy creates a virtuous circle. The less the virus is in circulation, the less likely it is that people become infected.