Prithvi II missile test-fired in Odisha

India on Tuesday test-fired its indigenously developed Prithvi II missile -- capable of carrying 500kg -1000kg of warheads -- as part of a user trial by the army from a test range at Chandipur. The missile test was carried out from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at about 1000 hours, defence officials said.

With a strike range of 350km, the surface-to-surface Prithvi II is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of warheads and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twin engines. It uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory to hit its target.

Data of the missile trial conducted by the specially-formed Strategic Force Command (SFC) were being analysed, officials said.

The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the launch activities were carried out by the SFC and monitored by scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of training exercise, a defence scientist said.

The missile trajectory was tracked by DRDO radars, electro-optical tracking systems and telemetry stations located along the coast of Odisha.

The downrange teams on board the ship deployed near the designated impact point in the Bay of Bengal monitored terminal events and splashdown, officials added.

Inducted into India’s armed forces in 2003, Prithvi II -- the first missile to be developed by DRDO under the prestigious IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program) -- is now a proven technology, they said.

Such training launches indicate India’s operational readiness to meet any eventuality and establish the reliability of this deterrent component of strategic arsenal, defence officials said. The last user trial of Prithvi II was successfully conducted on November 26, 2015 from the same test range in Odisha. 

Three Indian-Americans could be US Supreme Court judge nominees

Washington: Three Indian-American legal luminaries may be among the possible candidates whom US President Barack Obama could nominate as a Supreme Court judge following the sudden death of conservative icon Justice Antonin Scalia.

Within hours of the death of Scalia at a ranch in Texas, the name of Chandigarh-born Sri Srinivasan popped up as the top contender to the post.

Sri Srinivasan, 48, is currently the US Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit which many call as a stepping stone to the Supreme Court.

He is not only considered as a favourite of Obama, who has called him as a trailblazer, but also his nomination to the Court of Appeals was confirmed by a record 97-0 votes, which is an achievement given the bitter political divide in the US Senate.

The White House on Monday refused to give any indication of the list of persons Obama is looking into to zero in on his nomination for the next Supreme Court judge.

But given his track record - wherein he has appointed a record number of Indian-American judges to various US courts - and him publicly praising some of them, it would not be a big surprise that in addition to Srinivasan a few other individuals from the community too figure up in his list.

Among them could be his home town resident Neal Katyal, who served as Acting Solicitor General of the US from May 2010 until June 2011 and California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who is considered to be very close to Obama.

Harris, who traces her roots to Chennai, is currently running for the US Senate seat in California.

On Monday several media outlets mentioned Harris as among the potential ones who could replace Scalia in the Supreme Court.

Harris, 51, who was among the six people mentioned by New York Times, has not reacted to the speculation so far. In 2011, she became the first African-American, Asian-American, Indian-American and woman to hold the post of California attorney general. 

Many say Katyal, who would turn 46 on March 12, could emerge as a dark horse in the process.

With extensive experience in matters of patent, securities, criminal, employment, and constitutional law, he has orally argued 27 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, with 25 of them in the last six years.

Obama intends to nominate someone as Supreme Court judge who honours constitutional responsibilities, have impeccable credentials and understands how laws affect the daily realities of people's lives, the White House said.

"I would not anticipate an announcement this week, especially given that the Senate is out on recess," White House Press Secretary Eric Schultz told reporters.

Schultz refused to engage in speculation about lists and names.

When asked about what kind of individual Obama is looking to nominate someone to be the next Supreme Court judge, Schultz said President's judicial nominees should adhere to a number of basic principles.

"Number one, I'd say the President's judicial nominees are all eminently qualified with a record of excellence and integrity. The President looks for individuals who have impeccable credentials," he said.

"Number two, the President intends to nominate individuals who honor constitutional responsibilities. These are individuals who have a commitment to impartial justice, respect the integrity of the judicial process, and adhere to precedent. The President seeks judges who will faithfully apply the law to the facts at hand," he said.

"And lastly, the President is also mindful that there are rare cases where the law is not clear, and we acknowledge that those incidents occur most often at the Supreme Court," he said, adding that in those times, a judge will have to bring his or her own ethics and moral bearings into a decision.

US to deploy F-22 stealth jets in South Korea as Park Geun-hye warns of Pyongyang regime collapse

The US is set to deploy four F-22 stealth fighter jets in South Korea as President Park Geun-hye warned of an imminent collapse of the North Korean regime. The sophisticated aircraft are expected to reach the Korean peninsula on 17 February.

Washington's latest deployment of the fifth-generation Raptors is part of efforts to intensify its strategic assets in South Korea, in the wake of any frantic developments in the region. "The US military plans to deploy four F-22s to the Korean Peninsula tomorrow [17 February]," a South Korean official told Seoul's Yonhap news agency.

Ever since the defiant Pyongyang's Kim Jong-un regime conducted its fourth nuclear test on 6 January – followed by its satellite launch on 7 February – tensions have been high in the Korean peninsula. Pyongyang's harsh critics – mainly the US, South Korea, Japan – have been heightening security measures to prepare for provocative acts emerging from the North.

The US's decision has come at a time when the South Korean president issued a strong warning to Pyongyang. Speaking in the Seoul parliament, Park said that if the North does not scale back its nuclear ambitions, it is bound to end up in the "regime collapse".

"We should no longer be deceived or threatened by North Korea, nor offer them unconditional support. Now is the time to seek for fundamental solutions to change the North and to implement the plans with courage," she told lawmakers at the National Assembly.

She added: "The Kim Jong-un regime could deploy nuclear-tipped missiles if time passes without any change."

Park specifically chose to address the South Korean parliament to drum up public support against North Korea. The parliamentary address follows Seoul's decision to shut the jointly-run Kaesong industrial complex. South Korean authorities have accused its rival Koreans of funnelling a majority of money generated from the industrial zone towards it contentious nuclear programmes.