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<br /> Being a train lover is nothing new. People fancy travelling to unnamed stations on deserted express trains. If you <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword>, the results would fetch almost hundred plus railway fan pages in this country.<br />
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And if you are among them, you must have fancied your own cozy space designed on a railway coach. Like a bar at the entrance gate, a library in on the middle coupe and windows full of happiness. Look no further, for that imagination of yours may soon be a reality.<br />
With the official logo of railways intact, the authority is planning to sell the phased out railway coaches on auction. These coaches can be used to convert into desired structures.<br />
<br /> Six metre-gauge trains from Lucknow Division of the <keyword id="68004" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="North-Eastern-Railways">North Eastern Railways</keyword> plying on the <keyword id="3866440" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="aishbagh-mailani">Aishbagh-Mailani</keyword> section have just been phased out as the lines have been converted to broad gauge. Now these six rakes would be out for sale as soon as a committee declares them ‘condemned’.<br />
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<br /> As per a news report by The Times of India, Lucknow division has 12 metre-gauge rakes (trains) running on the <keyword id="3870273" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="pilibhit-mailani-bah">Pilibhit-Mailani-Bah</keyword> raich stretch and <keyword id="3866439" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="pilibhit-shahjahanpur">Pilibhit-Shahjahanpur</keyword> stretch.<br />
<br /> The plan is to first ask each division of railways if they have any need of the metre gauge coaches. <keyword id="6361126" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Western-Railway">Western Railway</keyword> might be in need of a few for their metre gauge section. The next procedure is to get the coaches checked by coach manufacturing units, if they can recycle any parts. If all these measures don’t succeed, <keyword id="64969" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="North-Eastern-Railway">North Eastern Railway</keyword> would eventually auction them as scrap, which is when you can get one for you.<br /> Also the gradual phasing out of currently operation <keyword id="158209" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICF">ICF</keyword> coaches that are fitted to normal passenger and a few express trains would also result in ‘condemned’ coaches.<br />
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Scrap dealers who buy these coaches in general dismantle them and resell the iron. However you can buy the coaches from these dealers as well. The price of coaches is based on how much iron it contains. For the last coach of metre gauge track sold by the Lucknow division some 30 years backs was Rs 1,10,000.<br />
<br /> (Image: <keyword id="939877" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pinterest">Pinterest</keyword>)<br />

Now you can buy old train
coaches in India and turn them into your room. One such deal is now available in
Lucknow

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The Festival of Light had come and gone, and we certainly hope you enjoyed your Diwali with lights and bangs. But now that it’s over, many of us are already busy on the Web, trying to chalk out some never-before holiday plans. Before you finalise destinations and dates, here’s a look at the most mesmerising train journeys across an incredible India that will keep you spellbound even before you reach the vacation spot.<br />
<br /> Last month, we brought our readers a list of most <keyword id="1943444" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Scenic-train-rides">scenic train rides</keyword> through the mountains. And this time around, we take you on a <keyword id="6374782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="journey">journey</keyword> through India’s heartland as the sweeping plains, emerald forests, golden deserts and hilly terrains chug past you at a relaxed pace. Whether you are travelling in 5-star cabins or a rickety carriage, nothing can beat the unique experience these rail rides offer to soak up the atmosphere, enjoy the views and be a part of the untravelled India you have never seen before.<br />
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<b>Image: </b> Wikipedia

<b>Chugging Along: 9 Picturesque
Train Rides Into The Heartland Of India</b>

New Delhi, Apr 27 () E-commerce giant Amazon India on Monday said it has strengthened its partnership with the Indian Railways and has ramped up its operations to 55 lanes in a bid to enable faster deliveries to customers amid the nationwide lockdown.<p> Last year, Amazon India had partnered with Indian Railways for inter-city transportation of e-commerce packages on 13 lanes, and had also set up pickup kiosks for customers in Kolkata and Mumbai.</p><p> Amazon India will transport consignments via rail across the country and is leveraging the 'COVID-19 Parcel Special Trains' introduced by the Indian Railways to ramp up its operations to 55 lanes during the lockdown period, it said in a statement.</p><p> Indian Railways with the support of the Railway Board and the zones across Western, Central, Northern, Eastern, South Central, Southern, South Eastern, North East Frontier, North Western and South Western have created a proactive solution to provide support for transportation during lockdown.  </p><p> "This enhanced network will enable sellers in Amazon India's network to ship their products across the country and keep their businesses running, thereby, allowing people to access a more diverse selection of essential products," the statement said.</p><p> Amazon India Director (Amazon Transportation Services) Abhinav Singh said with the support of COVID-19 Parcel Special trains introduced by the Indian Railways, the company is confident it can further fulfil customer orders with enhanced speed and capacity.</p><p> "We are grateful for this timely decision by the Indian Railways to offer freight movement solutions during these challenging times," he added.</p><p> Under the lockdown - scheduled to end on May 3, e-commerce companies have been allowed to sell only essential items like grocery, healthcare and pharmaceutical products. </p> The players and industry associations have been urging the government to expand the list of essentials to include 'work from home' and 'study from home' products.  SR  SHWSHW

Amazon India strengthens partnership with Railways for faster deliveries amid lockdown

Berlin, Jul 15 (AP) Germany's national railway operator is ordering 30 new high-speed trains from industrial conglomerate Siemens for some 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion). <p>State-owned Deutsche Bahn said Wednesday that the new ICE trains will go into service from 2022, initially between the populous western North Rhine-Westphalia region and Munich. </p><p>The company said the order means that its long-distance fleet will expand by 20% in the coming years. </p><p>It also has an option to buy 60 more high-speed trains. </p><p>"Even though demand declined strongly because of the coronavirus pandemic, in the longer term everything speaks for climate-friendly railways," Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz said in a statement. "So we are staying on a course of growth and investment." </p><p>Deutsche Bahn cut long-distance ticket prices at the beginning of this year when the German government reduced value-added tax on train tickets as part of a package of measures aimed at combating climate change. </p>The government cut all VAT rates on July 1 for six months as part of a stimulus package to boost the economy after the coronavirus shutdown, which resulted in another reduction in ticket prices.(AP) RUP RUP

German railway orders 30 high-speed trains for $1.1 billion

New Delhi, Nov 28 () Passengers at 25 more railway stations such as Ajmer, Jaipur and Jodhpur would be served tea and other food items in environment friendly materials like Kulhad as the North-Western Railway has directed zonal officers to take steps for ensuring the use of green catering products at these places.
<p> These 25 stations include Bikaner, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Hanumangarh, Shri Ganganagar, Hisar, Churu, Suratgarh, Jodhpur, Pali, Barmer, Nagpur, Jaisalmer, Bhagat Ki Kothi, Luni, Jaipur, Jhunjhuna, Dausa, Gandhi Nagar, Durgapura, Sikar, Ajmer, Udaipur, Sirohi Road and Abu Road.
</p><p> Earlier at the request of Union MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal directed railway board to issue the directions accordingly.
</p><p> Consequently, the Railway Board on September 9 directed all principal chief commercial managers of the zonal railways across the country and IRCTC CMD.
</p><p> "In view of above, zonal railways and IRCTC are advised to take necessary action to ensure use of locally produced, environmentally savvy terracotta products like kulhad, glasses and plates for serving catering items to passengers through all static catering units at the identified railway stations with immediate effect".
</p> Varanasi and Rae Bareli stations are already using terracotta products for catering. Now, the railways has decided to use them at 400 stations across the country.   RSN SHW
SHW

Visitors at 25 more railway stations can savour 'Kulhad Chai' soon

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Ahn Young-oon/AP</span></p><p class="caption">A South Korean man watches a TV news program showing an image published in North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper of North Korea's ballistic missile believed to have been launched from underwater, at Seoul Railway station in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, May 9, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the US. It won't happen!" <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/816057920223846400" target="_blank">tweeted</a> President-elect Donald Trump on January 2.</p><p>However, the terrifying truth is that North Korea, the only country to test nuclear weapons in the 21st century, has just as much say over whether or not its potential nuclear arms can or will reach the US as Trump and the whole US do. </p><p>"It can be difficult to make assessments about North Korea's nuclear capabilities given that we have very little access to North Korea's missile facilities," <a href="https://twitter.com/KelseyDav" target="_blank">Kelsey Davenport</a>, director for nonproliferation policy and a North Korea expert at the <a href="https://www.armscontrol.org/about/kelsey_davenport" target="_blank">Arms Control Association</a>, told Business Insider.</p><p>"But it's clear that North Korea has made significant advances both with nuclear warheads and with ballistic missiles," said Davenport. </p><p>North Korea's nuclear arsenal still stands in its early phases, but Kim Jong Un commands about 100 missile launchers with several missiles for each, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/ArmsControlWonk" target="_blank">Jeffrey Lewis</a>, founding publisher of <a href="http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/author/jeffrey/" target="_blank">ArmsControlWonk.com</a>.</p><p>While there's some debate about North Korea's stockpile of nuclear materials, "you're looking at a few tens of warheads, but that number's going to keep going up every year," Lewis told Business Insider.</p><p>In comparison, the US has 1,796 nuclear missiles deployed, another 4,500 stockpiled, and 2,800 retired and waiting to be dismantled, <a href="http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/timeline/fast_facts.htm" target="_blank">according to the Arms Control Association</a>.</p><p>Furthermore, North Korea presently has no way of reaching any part of the US with a missile of any sort, but Pyongyang is "likely at the point now where it could mount a nuclear warhead on a medium range missile and that would put South Korea, Japan, and US military installations in range of the NK nuclear threat," said Davenport.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) provides field guidance at the newly built National Space Development General Satellite Control and Command Centre in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang May 3, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Despite the fact that North Korea is a tiny, poor, backwards nation with limited missile capabilities and a small nuclear stockpile, it poses a very serious threat to the US and its allies. Ultimately, the US can do extremely little to stop the rogue nation should it chose to strike.</p><h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Missile <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Agency</span></p><p class="caption">A THAAD battery fires an interceptor.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Can the US stop a North Korean nuclear attack?</h2><p>It's complicated.</p><p>The US and its allies have three major forms of missile defense against North Korea. </p><p>"Missiles come in a variety of ranges. Every missile defense system is set to deal with a small subset of missiles in a particular range and at one stage in flight," said Lewis. </p><p>For the short and medium range missiles that North Korea could look to strike a nearby foe with, or the 25,000 US troops stationed in South Korea, the US has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/top-missile-defense-systems-2016-8" target="_blank">Aegis radar-equipped Navy destroyers</a>.</p><p>"That's good for medium range missiles," said Lewis.</p><p>Next up, <a href="http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/PAC-3.html" target="_blank">Patriot Advanced Capability 3</a> (PAC 3) interceptors provide defense against missiles at their final, or terminal stage. These are "mostly good at short and medium range ballistic missiles," said Lewis. The PAC 3 "would cover a city or an airfield."</p><p>Finally, the biggest and perhaps best system is the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. "THAAD could cover all of South Korea, including everything up to a No Dong missile (North Korea's medium range system)."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2015/06/south-korea-needs-thaad-missile-defense">The Heritage Foundation</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>On maps and graphics, you can see the overlapping areas of protection provided by these three systems, but looks can deceive. With missile defense, all systems deal in probability, not certainties. </p><p>"You actually have to see the thing get launched, understand where it's heading, and pass the information along to battlefield management software, the brain that makes all of this work," said Lewis. </p><p>Of all the steps in the process, not one has immunity to distortion. "Radars can be defeated by chaff or clutter. North Korea could launch a radar blackout attack, where a nuke detonates in the atmosphere and can black out a radar for a few seconds. Those could be the few seconds you need," Lewis told Business Insider. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Agence France Presse</span></p><p class="caption">"Missile defense is not a surefire way to negate the threat posed by another country's nuclear capable ballistic missiles." - Kelsey Davenport.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>"It's important to note that this THAAD system will only cover North Korea, but North Korea could evade that by launching a nuke from a submarine from outside of THAAD radar," said Davenport. Additionally, North Korea may "try to confuse the THAAD system by launching multiple missiles at once, or launching decoys."</p><p>But can North Korean missiles overwhelm the US's defenses of its own homeland? Experts say we have every reason to believe Kim when he says he's working towards an ICBM, and unfortunately, the US's own defenses suffer the same uncertainties as systems abroad.</p><p>The US protects its Western coast from a fixed site in Alaska, where interceptor missiles would theoretically strike an incoming ICBM "mid-trajectory, while it's traveling through space," said Lewis.</p><p>However, as a recent <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-01-10/stopping-a-n-korean-missile-no-sure-thing-u-s-tester-says-ixr2dcu3" target="_blank">Bloomberg post noted</a>, the office that tests this system concluded it had only "limited capability to defend the US homeland from small numbers of simple" ICBMS, according to its last report.</p><p>Lewis echoed this claim, saying "it's got a spotty test record," and there are multiple "questions about how well it would perform." According to Lewis, the fact that unlike THAAD, the Alaska site fires salvos, a series of interceptor missiles for each incoming threat, serves as an admission that the system falls short of perfection.</p><p>"The system in Alaska needs to be redesigned," said Lewis. "They plan to salvo fire it, so every interceptor has a 50-50 chance of hitting ...  if they fire five, they're gonna be up in the high confidence territory" for intercepts. But this high ratio of interceptors to threats means that a North Korean salvo could possibly exhaust the US's supply of interceptors with decoys, leaving the US defenseless.</p><p>So for now the only guarantee the US has against North Korean ICBMs is that such a threat doesn't exist.</p><h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table center float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US Air Force</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>So why doesn't the US just go and destroy North Korea's nuclear capabilities?</h2><p>Each day North Korea gets closer to issuing a real threat to the US homeland, and it already significantly endangers the lives of millions within its range, yet the US can't exactly swoop in and stop them. </p><p>"A preemptive strike on NK would carry an enormous risk of retaliation on SK or US assets in the area," said Davenport.</p><p>"The big dynamic that's a problem is that I think North Korea plans to use those missiles armed with nuclear weapons at the early part of the conflict to destroy US forces in the region and those coming in," said Lewis, adding that Kim's strategy would most likely be to "impede an invasion and shock us."</p><p>"The problem the US and South Korea faces is that the options for defense are not all that appealing," said Lewis. </p><p>US pilots <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjew6foxb3RAhWPnJAKHV95CAsQFggaMAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Ff35-dogfighting-knife-fight-telephone-booth-2016-10&amp;usg=AFQjCNEURpjxTtqzjjMz8evR5RMCvfIKpQ&amp;bvm=bv.144210762,d.eWE" target="_blank">currently train in mock North Korean air space</a> with stealth planes like the F-22 and F-35 to destroy surface-to-air-missile (SAM) and nuclear sites. While the fifth-generation aircraft would <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/f-22-f-35-in-a-war-against-china-2016-7" target="_blank">likely succeed and overwhelm North Korean forces</a>, the nuclear sites are just too spread out and mysterious to knock out before Pyongyang had a chance to strike back.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/usairforce/8405368535/in/photolist-dNKHea-gRybD3-BkWCah-ar8Q18-F1SQPn-BJW8wn-B7CGnZ-DQykDm-9iJGGP-zQp7JY-FQdR5A-DQyh4f-BZB5YQ-DSFGFC-B3pCzr-CoBDUr-CMz2KS-z2DNX9-ANpZNH-z2DNpL-yapLou-yUxkiT-sEdfdN-F1SQFr-ytaaTJ-xxdEii-qZamab-yu724H-wYfVZU-ycA6PV-xA69QQ-dNKGs4-cXZKQQ-9pAH1y-8GmJaJ-9pxERT-deR2V3-9pxE84-9pxDsK-9pAGey-9pxEfP-9iJDbB-8QgwYs-9iMR45-8DCQ95-9pAEPC-9pAHgJ-7t5PC6-8Qdt36-9pxF4D">US Air Force</a></span></p><p class="caption">F-22 Raptors from Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. fly in formation behind a KC-135 Stratotanker from Altus Air Force Base, Okla. after air refueling over New York, Aug. 21, 2012.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>"There are so many unknowns about the number of warheads North Korea has, where it stores them ... It would be incredibly difficult to ensure that a preemptive strike would neutralize the North Korean threat, or even the conventional threat posed to Seoul," said Davenport, referring to the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/military-equipment-of-the-north-korean-military-2016-12" target="_blank">huge artillery installations North Korea has fixed on</a> the South Korean capital that are ready to blast away. </p><p>When it comes to using jets to hunt down SAM and nuclear sites, "the US tried this in Iraq in 1991 and it was a total failure," said Lewis. The US's <a href="http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/timeline/fast_facts.htm" target="_blank">considerable losses of aircraft</a> to anti-aircraft batteries during the Gulf War proved a "searing experience for the US Air Force," said Lewis. </p><p>While there's plenty of reason to think that today's F-22s and the coming F-35s far outmatch North Korea's technology and air defenses, the terrain of North Korea plays well for Kim. Iraq's countryside is defined by flat desert expanses, where road-mobile anti-aircraft batteries can easily navigate but have nowhere to hide. </p><p>North Korea, on the other hand, has mountains and forests, though it's smaller. Therefore the road-mobile missile launchers and anti-aircraft batteries have more opportunity to hide, but less space to do so. In any case, the landscape presents difficulties in hunting down sensitive sites, even with the best jets the US has to offer.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Wikimedia Commons</span></p><p class="caption">The landscape of Iraq and North Korea couldn't be much more different.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Additionally, unlike the US, North Korea has road-mobile launchers for its missiles, which can hide anywhere. </p><p>"One hundred launchers so it would be a pretty big lift, and you have to do it pretty fast," to avoid a North Korean counter attack, said Lewis. So instead of disarming North Korea with a lighting quick blitz from the air, many  have suggested decapitating the regime by striking Kim Jong Un himself.</p><p>In fact, South Korea recently announced plans to form a small "decapitation brigade" that would surgically destroy the leader Un and his top leadership, but that's a best case scenario.</p><p>The terrifying truth about North Korea's nuclear threat is that it can't be stopped by one, or even multiple systems. It can't be blitzed from the sky. It can't be effectively debilitated by sanctions, as time has proven, and it ony grows stronger over time.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP Images / Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Several possible solutions circulate in the national security arena, all with strengths and weaknesses, all risking innocent lives. Additionally, each side appears set on striking first and ending the conflict before it begins.</p><p>"The US and North Korean war plans are to go first. South Korea plans to go first. All three independent parties plan to go first, and two of them are wrong. It's a dangerous situation people haven't thought through," said Lewis.  </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hyeonseo-lee-escaping-north-korea-defector-2016-12">A North Korean defector tells us how she escaped and survived</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="E2MXQyMDE6TvX1_JgWz0ECGPWSjaGFKc" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The terrifying truth about North Korea's nuclear weapons

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>KCNA</span></p><p class="caption">A KCNA photo of a North Korean missile test.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The defiant ballistic-missile tests from the Hermit Kingdom continue.</span></p><p>On Wednesday at approximately 5:30 a.m. local time, North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) near the coastal city of Sinpo.</p><p><span>US <span>Strategic Command (</span><span>STRATCOM) detected and tracked the presumed KN-11 missile over the Sea of Japan.</span></span></p><p><span><span>"The North American Aerospace <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America," STRATCOM said in a statement.</span></span></p><p><span><span>This is the first time a North Korean missile reached Japan's </span></span><span><span><span>air defence identification zone (ADIZ), Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said during a briefing.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">People watch a TV news program showing a file footage of North Korea's ballistic missile that the North claimed to have launched from underwater, at Seoul Railway station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></span>According to Jeffrey Lewis of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies and founder of <a href="http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/" target="_blank">Arms Control Wonk</a>, the rogue nation's latest test appears to be a success.</p><p>"We don't know the full range, but 500 km is either full range or a full range on a lofted trajectory. Either way, that missile works," Lewis told Reuters. </p><p><span>The North first attempted a submarine-based missile launch last year and </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/south-korea-says-north-korea-fired-a-submarine-launched-missile-2016-4">again at the end of April</a><span> this year. A South Korean military official told Reuters that North Korea's </span><span><span>"SLBM technology appears to have progressed."</span></span></p><p><span>South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launch appears to be an apparent protest against the annual</span><span> </span><a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/22/490921432/u-s-south-korea-war-games-begin-despite-threats-from-north-korea" target="_blank">Ulchi Freedom Guardian</a><span> </span><span>military drill </span><span>between Seoul and Washington.</span></p><p>Earlier this month, Pyongyang <span>simultaneously <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-ballistic-missiles-test-japan-2016-8">launched two "No Dong" intermediate-range ballistic missiles</a> near the western city of Hwangju.</span></p><p><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">North Korea's first missile that landed in or near Japanese-controlled waters.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span><span><span><span>According to </span><span>STRATCOM, one of the missiles exploded immediately after launch, while the other was tracked over North Korea before ultimately landing in the Sea of Japan. Notably, that was the first time that the rogue nation had ever targeted Japan.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described the launch as a "grave threat" to Japan and said that Tokyo "strongly protested." Japan also said that its self-defense force would remain on alert in case of further defiant launches from the North.</span></span></span></p><p>According to Oh Joon, South Korea's UN ambassador, North Korea has conducted 13 rounds of ballistic-missile tests and has fired 29 various rockets.</p><p>Meanwhile, China, Pyongyang's closest ally, said that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/thaad-north-korea-missile-test-japan-2016-8">North Korean missile tests have expanded</a> since the bilateral decision between Seoul and Washington to deploy THAAD.</p><h2><span>Mad about THAAD</span></h2><p><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAIS3HUdJ8M">USMDA/Amanda Macias/Business Insider</a></span></p><p class="caption">This is THAAD.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p><p>In July, the South Korean defense ministry <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/south-korea-revealed-thaad-location-2016-7">announced</a> that the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/thaad-missile-defense-south-korea-north-2016" target="_blank">Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)</a> missile-defense system would be deployed to Seongju in order to counter North Korean threats.</p><p>Following that announcement, the Hermit Kingdom <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-is-acting-up-and-it-has-its-eye-on-all-of-south-korea-2016-7">fired three ballistic missiles</a> that had a range - between 300 and 360 miles - capable of reaching all of South Korea.</p><p>As one of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/thaad-missile-defense-system-2016">most advanced missile-defense systems</a> in the world, THAAD interceptors are able to identify and obliterate incoming enemy threats inside and outside of the atmosphere.</p><p>In conjunction <span>with the approximately 28,500 US forces in South Korea, Seoul plans to have the unique air-defense system operational by the end of 2017.</span></p><p>Pressure to deploy THAAD was spurred after Pyongyang tested its fourth <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea-not-clear-if-nuke-test-2016-1">nuclear bomb</a> on January 6 and then launched a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-has-fired-a-long-range-rocket-2016-2">long-range rocket</a> on February 7.</p><p>US Army Gen. Charles Jacoby, former commander of NORAD stressed the importance of deploying THAAD to protect the Korean Peninsula and US interests during a <a href="http://www.hudson.org/events/1354-space-and-the-right-to-self-defense72016" target="_blank">Hudson Institute discussion</a>.<span></span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches an exercise in this undated photo released by KCNA.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"The truth of the matter is THAAD was really the logical choice, and after intense debate and trying to assess what the complexities of the environment might hold ... we really can't get in a world where we refuse to defend ourselves," Jacoby said.</span></p><p><span>"T<span>here is still US forces there, they are playing a defense role, and they are at risk every day to a host of threats that now include the potential for ballistic-missile-carried weapons of mass destruction ... We cannot not act," Jacoby added.</span></span></p><p><span>Similarly, during a<span> </span><a href="http://www.brookings.edu/events/2016/07/13-brennan-cia-strategy">discussion at the Brookings Institution</a>, CIA Director John Brennan said that the deployment of THAAD to the region was an "obligation" on behalf of the US.</span></p><p><span>"We have certain obligations to our partners and the region so that the appropriate steps are taken to reassure our friends, partners, and allies of US commitment to the security of that area," Brennan told Business Insider.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/america-answer-north-korean-threats-south-korea-thaad-defense-missile-bomb-lockheed-martin-2016-2">Meet THAAD: America's answer to North Korean threats</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9wOHVyMDE6hAGvGg83idQrRdjT0_QzVs" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch reveals its alarming progress

<ul><li><keyword id="2573" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="air-india" source="Orion">Air India</keyword> passengers can book on-ground train and bus connections to over 100 cities and towns with their air ticket.</li><li>Baggage allowance will remain the same even for other forms of transportation.</li><li>Travel to smaller cities will become much easier and cheaper with this agreement. <br /></li></ul><br />The next time you want to visit quaint cities in Europe without airports, you may want to book a ticket on Air India to get a comprehensive itinerary. The airline, now controlled by the <keyword id="6355725" type="General" weightage="40" keywordseo="Tata-Group" source="Orion">Tata group</keyword>, has entered an intermodal interline agreement with <keyword id="18493586" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="accesrail" source="Orion">AccesRail</keyword> to boost connectivity options for Air India passengers across Europe, including smaller cities without airports. Air India offers non-stop flights to major cities around the world, especially Europe, and this agreement will help passengers travel seamlessly across Europe on a single ticket.<br /><br />As per the agreement, Air India guests can travel on a single intermodal ticket and take seamless, on-ground train and bus connections to more than 100 cities and towns in Austria, Belgium, Germany, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, and the United Kingdom via its European gateways of Amsterdam, Birmingham, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Milan, and Vienna. Passengers can enjoy the benefit of the same baggage allowance on these rail or bus operator services as offered by Air India on its own flights.<br /><br />Currently, intermodal tickets with Air India are available for booking through travel agents globally. The airline also plans to extend the facility to its own sales channels progressively.<br /><br />Explaining the benefit of this agreement, Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial &amp; Transformation Officer at Air India, said: “The expansion of our global network is one of our key priorities in the ongoing, comprehensive transformation of Air India. This partnership with AccesRail not only helps us to provide our guests easy access to an extended network of destinations across Europe, but also to bridge the gaps in connectivity between India and Europe. Augmenting our network with an intermodal approach also underlines our commitment to environmental sustainability.”<br /><br />AccesRail is an IATA travel partner with its own designator code (9B), thus making intermodal journeys on a single ticket possible. AccesRail’s extensive network of rail and bus operators for Air India include Avanti West Coast (UK), Great Western Railways (UK), London North Eastern Railways (UK), National Express (UK), Trenitalia (Italy), ÖBB Austrian Railways (Austria), SNCB Belgian Railways, and Thalys (Netherlands/Belgium).<br /><br />Andrew Popescu, Vice President Business Development, AccesRail, said, “We are excited to be launching our Air India-AccesRail cooperation and look forward to continuing with Air India on a global scale with so many of our intermodal rail and coach partners. Through this enhanced AccesRail partnership, Air India will be able, now and in the future, to offer its customers more destinations and more possibilities in a more seamless fashion.”<br /><br />Air India is navigating through a major five-year transformation roadmap under the aegis of Vihaan.AI, with an ambition to become a world class airline with an Indian heart. The first phase of this transformation, the taxi phase was recently concluded, and focused on fixing the basics. These included bringing back to service many long grounded aircraft, addition of talent across flying and ground functions, rapid upgradation of technology and strengthening of customer care initiatives amongst others. A member of Star Alliance, the largest global airline consortium of leading international airlines, Air India offers seamless connectivity and facilities to passengers all over the world.<br />

Now Air India can help you fly to quaint European cities without an airport even

<ul class="summary-list"><li>US intelligence believes Ukraine won't reach the key city of Melitopol, The Washington Post reported.</li><li>Melitopol is a strategic hub that allows Russia to control occupied areas of southern Ukraine. </li></ul><p>US intelligence officials don't think Ukrainian forces can reach the strategic southeastern city of Melitopol, believing that one of the key goals of the counteroffensive is going to fail, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/08/17/ukraine-counteroffensive-melitopol/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post reported</a>. </p><p>This is according to unnamed people from within the intelligence community who were familiar with a classified forecast, who spoke to the Post. Insider was unable to independently verify the report.</p><p>The assessment, per the paper, is based on Russia's massive defensive preparations, which involve hundreds of miles of minefields and trench networks to thwart Ukraine's advances.</p><p>Republicans and Democrats have been briefed on the contents of the assessment, prompting recriminations from both those who have criticized the extent of US military support and those who called for more, the paper reported.</p><p>Patrick Bury, a senior lecturer in security at the UK's Bath University, told Insider that the reported assessment is one he shares.</p><p>A breakthrough, albeit with changed tactics, is not out of the realms of possibility, Bury said. "But the longer we stay in this kind of thing, the chances of a knockout blow become more remote."</p><p>"It doesn't mean they're not going to get somewhere, but obviously time is ticking away," he added. "And at what point does it just become clear that it's not working?"</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-melitopol-russia-installed-mayor-says-start-broadcasting-russian-tv-2022-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Melitopol was one of the first cities to fall under Russian control</a> during the full-scale invasion that started in February 2022, and it is now a key objective in the counteroffensive.</p><p>The city sits almost at the center of a wide swathe of land in occupied southern Ukraine, much of which is bordered by the Azov Sea to the south and the Dnipro River to the north.</p><p>Melitopol is also the meeting place for a web of captured roads and railway lines through which Russia transports troops and supplies to the front lines from Crimea, which in turn is connected to Russia via the Kerch Bridge.</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/crimea-shaping-up-to-be-battleground-that-will-decide-russia-ukraine-war-2023-1?r=US&amp;IR=T">Reaching and even retaking Crimea</a> is a hallowed objective in Ukraine's counteroffensive, with the peninsula under Russian occupation since 2014.</p><p>But <a href="https://www.wsj.com/story/the-strategic-importance-of-the-russia-controlled-land-bridge-in-ukraine-832d0728" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Wall Street Journal analysis</a> in early August mapped a dense, overlapping series of Russian fortifications between the Dnipro and Melitopol, and lining the main route to the city from the north. Ukrainian troops are trying to push through these deadly lines from the town of Robotyne, 50 miles to the north, per The Washington Post.</p><p>The density of Russian minefields <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/density-russia-minefields-insane-says-ukraine-official-counteroffensive-2023-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">has been described as "insane"</a> by Ukrainian defense official Oleksiy Danilov, who said in a televised address that as many as five mines per square meter have been laid across the 600-mile front line.</p><p>The situation has prompted a change in tactics from Ukraine since the outset of the counteroffensive, which initially saw it lose key Western-supplied equipment, including <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/western-tanks-ineffective-against-russian-minefields-ukrainian-general-2023-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">battle tanks</a> and a sizable proportion of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-nearly-third-of-bradley-armored-vehicles-lost-or-damaged-2023-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">Bradley infantry fighting vehicles</a> sent from the US.</p><p>Ukraine has switched to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-changes-counteroffensive-strategy-artillery-infantry-tanks-2023-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">pummelling the Russian lines with artillery fire,</a> before painstakingly attempting to move forward with infantry and sappers. The approach aims, in part, to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/minefields-force-ukraine-to-change-counteroffensive-strategy-russia-2023-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">preserve heavy vehicles</a>, but has proved much slower than Ukraine and its allies hoped.</p>

US intel believes Ukraine's counteroffensive will fail to reach Melitopol, one of its key goals: report

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russian soldiers who previously occupied Ukrainian territory left it littered with land mines. </li><li>Ukrainian military engineers told Insider that Russia also set deadly booby traps in people's homes.</li></ul><p>Ukraine has been battling Russia's invasion for more than 17 months, but it's held it's own and even managed to liberate massive swaths of land that it lost early in the fighting. By some Western estimates, around 50 percent of what was initially seized has already been reclaimed by Kyiv's troops. </p><p>But expelling the Russians from towns, cities, and rural areas doesn't mean eliminating the threat altogether. Occupying soldiers have left behind a deadly and vicious problem for Ukraine — one that will cause it headaches for years and years to come: the widespread deployment of land mines and traps. </p><p>Russia has practically mined everything, Ukrainian military engineers told Insider in a recent interview. And they often do so for no obvious tactical advantage. For instance, they cruelly hide explosives in everyday household items like refrigerators, toys, and even children's books. The goal is simply to inflict as much damage as possible. </p><p>Mines are, of course, also a huge problem on the front lines. During the months leading up to the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russia built layers of elaborate defenses, with one of those fortifications being sprawling <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/minefields-force-ukraine-to-change-counteroffensive-strategy-russia-2023-7">minefields</a> along the front in the eastern and southern regions. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said last month that this the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraines-biggest-threat-russian-minefields-airpower-us-general-2023-7">biggest problem</a> for Ukraine to solve, and the leading cause of casualties among Kyiv's troops.  </p><div type="image" title="A sapper checks an area as rescuers work at a residential building damaged by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's invasion on Ukraine, in the town of Izium, recently liberated by Ukrainian Armed Forces, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine September 16, 2022." height="4000" width="5603" msid="102450155" hostid="261" sizebytes="1861980"></div><p>Between Russia's current defensive lines and the mines left behind from earlier phases of the war, Ukraine has effectively become the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-land-mines-757-years-reversal-russian-military-counteroffensive-deminer-2023-7">most mined country</a> in the world — with some officials <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-largest-minefield-shmyhal/32214163.html#:~:text=The%20mined%20area,%20according%20to,main%20industries,%22%20he%20said">suggesting</a> that over 40 percent of the country's territory may be contaminated. It could take centuries to clean up all the explosives at a cost of tens of <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/07/1138477#:~:text=The%20World%20Bank%20estimates%20that,mine%20action%20in%20the%20country.">billions</a> of dollars. Some observers have even suggested it may <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/former-special-forces-engineer-says-russian-land-mines-are-exhausting-2023-7">never be completely demined</a>.</p><p>Removing these mines is a painstaking and deadly process, often carried out by sappers, combat engineers tasked with everything from building bridges to clearing minefields.</p><p>One of these individuals is Oleksandr, who leads a small team of young sappers engaged in humanitarian demining efforts around Kyiv and other regions in northern Ukraine. This area had been under Russian occupation during the early weeks and months of the war, but even after it was liberated, it was left riddled with mines, unexploded ordnance, and booby traps. </p><div type="image" title="Military sappers inspect an area for mines and non-exploded shells left after Russia's invasion in Kyiv Region, Ukraine April 21, 2022." height="4034" width="6051" msid="102450157" hostid="261" sizebytes="904140"></div><p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-kyiv-europe-8482e237420a33a17bfb4e613e75bb66">warned</a> in April 2022 that Russian soldiers retreating in the north at the time had left mines everywhere, creating a "complete disaster."</p><p>"They are mining the whole territory. They are mining homes, mining equipment, even the bodies of people who were killed," he said in an address to the nation. "There are a lot of trip wires, a lot of other dangers."</p><h2>'As much damage as they can'</h2><p>Oleksandr, whose last name is intentionally being withheld for security reasons, joined Ukraine's State Special Transport Service, a unit under the command of the country's defense ministry, last fall and only had a few months of training before he started demining activities earlier this year — a quick turnaround given the scale of the problem.</p><p>Humanitarian demining means clearing explosives from areas where active combat has ceased — like areas in northern Ukraine — so that the local population can sooner return to their normal lives, or as close to normal as possible under the circumstances. This includes demining of critical transportation infrastructure, like railways, bridges, highways, and roads, and even nuclear facilities. </p><div type="image" title="A sapper of the State Emergency Service inspects an area for mines and unexploded shells, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine March 21, 2023." height="3354" width="4788" msid="102450405" hostid="261" sizebytes="1928972"></div><p>Speaking through a translator, Oleksandr detailed to Insider how his team carries out demining and the life-threatening challenges of his job. </p><p>The demining process begins with the sappers talking to locals to understand the extent of the contamination and if they're dealing with Russian land mines or unexploded artillery shells.</p><p>Once the sappers have this information, they move to a more technical step, which is flying drones to map unexploded ordnance on the surface. After this, the sappers start manually clearing the area with metal detectors and other equipment. Oleksandr said the crucial element in this process is to not be in a hurry and always be mindful of what's happening.</p><p>Mines come in all different shapes, sizes, and lethality. Some <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/UKRAINE-CRISIS/LANDMINES/myvmgnqbavr/index.html">explosives</a> are placed in the ground and are designed to be triggered by armored vehicles or infantry soldiers, either by a pressure plate or trip wire, while others can be deployed from a distance through aircraft or artillery and may detonate without actually being touched. </p><div type="image" title="A sapper of the State Emergency Service carries an anti-tank mine as he inspects an area for mines and unexploded shells, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine March 21, 2023." height="3841" width="5500" msid="102450409" hostid="261" sizebytes="850882"></div><p>One particularly deadly Russian mining tactic in northern Ukraine was the use of booby traps by Moscow's troops.</p><p>First Lieutenant Maksym Trykur, who serves in the State Special Transport Service and translated Oleksandr's comments, told Insider that Russia would plant these around everyday items, including toys, furniture, kitchen utensils, and plates. In some cases, refrigerators were rigged to blow when opened. Oleksandr also witnessed the Russians place explosives in children's books. </p><p>"It doesn't provide any tactical advantage," Trykur said. "That's just trying to cause as much damage as they can."</p><p>Oleksandr returned from his latest mission just under two weeks ago, where he was helping to clear the area around a railroad bridge so it was safe for civilian construction workers to rebuild parts that were destroyed during active combat. This type of work underscores why the extensive mining is such a big challenge.</p><p>Mining prevents the community from resuming their lives long after active combat is over, Trykur said. Mines in a field might detonate with children playing near them, and explosives left on the road could pose a supply or logistics issue, delaying stuff like medication, food, and postal service deliveries. </p><div type="image" title="A police sapper sorts unexploded mine shells and weapons after return from the village of Udy, after it was liberated by Ukrainian Armed Forces, in the Kharkiv region on September 12, 2022." height="3602" width="5065" msid="102450412" hostid="261" sizebytes="1575944"></div><p>But the issue has global implications as well, he added. Ukraine, often referred to as Europe's breadbasket, is a crucial <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-russia-reach-deal-allow-grain-exports-avoid-food-catastrophe-2022-7">supplier of grain</a> to the rest of the world, including countries in Africa and the Middle East. Mine contamination threatens the ability for farmers to actually grow their food, threatening to create a far-reaching crises. </p><p>It's a problem that will stay with Ukraine for years because Russia has contaminated the country on such a massive scale, Oleksandr said. And Kyiv's sappers also lack some of the equipment necessary to be able to tackle such an immense problem, meaning they are more reliant on physical manpower.</p><p>Much of the support Ukraine is receiving is focused on front-line combat. The US has provided upwards of $43 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion last year, including mine-clearing equipment and mine-resistant armored vehicles. But more is needed both on the lines and behind them.</p><p>Milley, the top US general, said last month in the context of Ukraine's counteroffensive that the country's Western military backers still need to provide more support to help get rid of these <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-land-mines-booby-traps-trip-wires-maiming-ukrainian-troops-2023-7">death traps</a>.</p><p>"So the key thing is to focus on air defense, focus on the blocking-and-tackling sort of offensive combined arms maneuver, which is artillery, as both long-range and short-range artillery, and then get in your engineers and your mine-breaching equipment," he said. "That's the kind of stuff they need. That's what they want. That's what they're asking for."</p>

Russia's planting mines everywhere, even cruelly hiding explosives in everyday items like fridges, toys, and children's books, Ukrainian military engineers say

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