NEW DELHI — As India prepares to spend nearly $100 billion over the next decade on the modernization of its armed forces, Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony is warning suppliers and vendors of stringent action against corruption in defense deals. “The government will not hesitate to take extreme steps if it detects corruption in an acquisition process, even if the process is at its last stage of completion,” Antony says. The Indian defense industry has been plagued by allegations of corruption and mismanagement for years.

India plans to ease foreign pilots out of the country’s aviation sector within two years, paving the way for the recruiting of more local pilots even though experts feel it will not be feasible in the rapidly growing industry. “The deadline set for the foreign pilots to leave India is December 2013. We hope by then India can do without foreign pilots,” says E.K. Bharat Bhushan, head of the country’s airline regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

NEW DELHI — The U.S. has suspended $800 million in military aid to Pakistan, much to Pakistan’s chagrin and to the relief of neighboring nuclear rival India. President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, William Daley, confirmed in a television interview on July 10 that the U.S. had decided to withhold almost a third of its annual $2.7 billion security assistance to Pakistan.