18 JULY 2016

Ø  A mild intensity earthquake of 4.7-magnitude jolted parts of Gujarat on Sunday morning. According to the Institute of Seismological Research, Gandhinagar, the temblor was recorded at 9:24 a.m. with its epicentre at 24-km north-northwest of Surat. An aftershock of 2.3-maginitude was also felt at 11:23 a.m. with its epicentre 25 km east south-east of Bhavnagar.

Ø  The Army has also moved in tanks and mechanised units, as well as artillery to some areas of Ladakh. Several fortified bunkers on mountains are visible along the way in key areas. In fact the increased patrols both on land and in water on the Pangong Tso lake have resulted in increased stand offs with the Chinese army, which are resolved through banner drills and the agreed mechanisms. Augmenting rapid airlift capabilities, India operationalised the Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) located at over 16,000 feet. Work is now on to improve road connectivity to this critical area. Work on the 255 km Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi road is progressing at a quick pace. The alignment of the DSDBO road was decided by the China Study Group (CSG) with the cabinet secretary and other senior bureaucrats and representatives from the army and intelligence as members. DBO is about 16 km south of the Karakoram Pass.

Ø  More than a year after a new technological solution used by terrorists began causing headache to the Army in Kashmir, no breakthrough has been made to crack it. Terrorists infiltrating from Pakistan have been using smartphones paired with very high frequency (VHF) radio sets to communicate with one another, resulting in a drop in communication intercepts and adversely affecting military efforts to deal with them.

Ø  China has flown a long-range bomber over the disputed Spratly Islands and commissioned two naval supply ships, reinforcing its intent to deepen its anchorage in the South China Sea, in defiance of Tuesday’s ruling by an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague. The Chinese website mil.huanqui.com reported that that two large supply ships, Honghi and Luomahu, of 20,000 tonnes each, were commissioned on Friday at an unnamed naval port in the Guangdong Province. The same website reported that the Chinese air force has published a picture of its modern H-6K strategic bomber overflying the Scarborough Shoal in the Spratly Islands, which is in the cross-hairs of a dispute between China and the Philippines. The H-6K is a long-range bomber, with a nuclear capability, which has been designed to target U.S. aircraft carrier groups.