ET Defence Bulletin: Stories you should not miss (November 4, 2016)

NEW DELHI: Below is a list of the top defence stories of today.

India
1) India and China are likely to sign a major security cooperation agreement, which would enhance their efforts to jointly fight terrorism and international crime.

2) National Security Advisor Ajit Doval today met his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi here to discuss measures to improve bilateral ties.

3) The stand-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh’s Demchok area, which began on Wednesday morning over the construction of a water canal ended on Thursday evening.

4) China today said actions should not be taken by either side that may "unilaterally change" the status quo of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as it refuted reports that its troops crossed over to the Indian side in Demchok area in Ladakh region to stop the work of a canal.

5) Pakistan and India may temporarily recall their high commissioners and scale down the size of diplomatic staff in each other's missions in the wake of the latest diplomatic spat over the spying episode.

6) The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is taking a close look at defence offsets as a route for illegal payments to middlemen, officials familiar with the matter said.

7) There will be no "immediate or material direct impact" of Brexit on business with India, BAE Systems Chairman Roger Carr has said, highlighting interest in "Make in India'.

8) Former defence minister AK Antony in an interview to ET has said "even as the Modi government, along with BJP, is praising the sacrifices of our soldiers", it has "not only gone back on its promises" on OROP but also "diluted" the previous UPA government’s order on it.

9) Citing differences over the basic concept of a new procurement body, the head of a high-powered defence expert panel has quit.

10) Pakistani troops have violated the ceasefire 99 times along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, targeting Indian posts and civilian areas, after the surgical strike by the army on PoK-based terrorist launching pads.

Regional
11) Pakistan's polity does not have the capacity to sustain a normal relationship with India, former foreign secretary and national security advisor Shivshankar Menon has said.

12) Terrorist groups have hijacked Islam and Saudi Arabia will make all efforts to "combat terrorism and extremism and drain terrorist and extremist groups of resources", according to Saudi Ambassador to India, Saud Mohammed Al-Sati.

International
13) The United States will deploy an advanced missile defense system in South Korea in eight to 10 months despite strong objections from China and Russia, a US military chief said today.