China builds unmanned weather station near border with India
Beijing, July 17 : China has installed an unmanned automatic weather observation station near its border with India in Tibet to support its Army in the event of a live fire conflict with New Delhi.
Beijing plans to set up more such facilities in future in the plateau bordering India.
The station along the Indian border is situated at Yumai township under Lhunze county of Shannan Prefecture in Tibet and could provide data to help with transportation and communication in national defence, the state-run Global Times reported.
It could also offer support during regional live-fire conflicts.
The station will provide strong meteorological support for national defence and further promote border development as well as military-civilian integration, according to a statement on the official website of the Tibet weather bureau.
Regional weather is an important factor that could influence the take-off and landing of aircraft and the launch of missiles during a battle. A small weather observation station could provide such information, military expert Song Zhongping told the daily on Monday.
India and China, who fought in 1962 over their disputed border, were locked in over a two-month military stand-off last year near their border with Sikkim, which straddles Tibet.
"The station can observe six factors - air temperature, air pressure, wind speed, wind direction, humidity and precipitation - with more accuracy than before," said Tashi Norbu, a technician in charge of the station.
With nine households and 32 residents, Yumai is China's smallest township in terms of population. It is located in the southern foothills of the Himalayas and affected by the monsoon climate of the Indian Ocean.
The only road linking Yumai and the outside world has been under construction since 2017. More weather stations will be set up when the road is completed, said Dawa, the secretary of the Communist Party of China's Yumai committee.
He said the station would help a lot in local pasture and road construction.
"Residents will enjoy better meteorological services to better safeguard every blade of grass and tree on the territory of the motherland," Dawa said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Putin in close contact with Gulf leaders to facilitate de-escalation: Kremlin
Moscow (PTI): Russian President Vladimir Putin is making all possible efforts to de-escalate the crisis in the Gulf and is in close contact with the regional leaders as Iran is retaliating with massive strikes on the US facilities and infrastructure on their territories, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
The US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran on Saturday, assassinating 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alongside family members, including his daughter and grandchildren. Since then, Iran has targeted multiple US bases in the surrounding Gulf States.
"Putin will certainly make every effort to facilitate at least a minor easing of tensions. In this regard, we discussed with virtually all of our interlocutors yesterday," the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"Taking advantage of the dialogue we maintain with the Iranian leadership, (President) Putin will convey his deep concern regarding the strikes on their infrastructure to our colleagues in Iran," he added.
According to the Kremlin, Putin spoke by telephone with leaders of Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
In his telephonic conversation with Crown Prince and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, Putin discussed the escalating situation in the region as a result of the American-Israeli armed aggression against Iran.
“Both sides expressed serious concern over the real risks of escalation of the conflict, which has already affected several Arab countries and is fraught with catastrophic consequences. In this context, Vladimir Putin underscored the urgent need to resolve the current extremely dangerous situation through political and diplomatic means,” the Kremlin said.
On Monday, Putin also had telephonic contacts with the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who currently chairs the Gulf Cooperation Council, Emir of the State of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“Exchange of views was held regarding the unprecedented escalation around Iran as a result of US and Israeli aggression, which is bringing the entire region to the brink of a full-scale war with unpredictable consequences. Sides underscored the need for a swift cessation of hostilities to prevent the situation from spiralling completely out of control and to return it to a political and diplomatic framework,” the Kremlin said.
The current developments, in particular, threaten the security of many Arab states with which Russia maintains friendly relations.
Given this, President Putin reaffirmed Russia's readiness to use all available means to actively contribute to stabilising the situation in the region, the Kremlin said, adding that contacts with the Gulf leaders will continue.
