SOURCE: PTI

India firmly supports the Philippines in upholding its national sovereignty and wants to explore new areas of cooperation, including in defence and security, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday, amid the Southeast Asian nation’s maritime dispute with China in the South China Sea.

S Jaishankar’s remarks came as he held a very good discussion with his counterpart Enrique Manalo in Manila.

SOURCE: PTI

Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir are “harassing” the family members of separatists to “peddle propaganda” by making them disown their families, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti alleged on Tuesday. Her remarks came after jailed separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah’s daughter Sama Shabir and deceased Pakistan supporter Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s granddaughter Ruwa Shah dissociated themselves from the separatist ideology and pledged their loyalty to the sovereignty of the Union of India.

“Kashmir witnessed a time when gun toting militants threatened and forced political workers to disassociate themselves from the mainstream or face dire consequences. Today that pattern is being repeated and what makes it even more disturbing is that the role is being played by the state itself. They are harassing families of separatists.

SOURCE: REUTERS

More than 250,000 barrels per day of US crude is set to arrive in India next month, the highest in more than a year, ship tracking data showed, amid tighter enforcement of sanctions on Russian crude.

India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer, is looking to diversify its oil supplies as fresh US sanctions on Moscow threaten to dent Russian oil sales to India, the biggest buyer of Russian seaborne crude.

SOURCE: ANI

The Western Seaboard witnessed eight submarines operating together in a recently concluded exercise in the Arabian Sea, demonstrating their high levels of operation readiness, officials said on Monday.

In a post on X, Western Naval Command said, Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh embarked the units at sea and reviewed the conduct of the exercise. He complimented the pack for their professionalism and splendid conduct.

SOURCE: HSL

 HSL achieved yet another milestone as the Belgian dredger,”TSHD Bonny River” of DEME Group, was undocked two days ahead of schedule on 21 Mar 24. This vessel, with an overall length of 158 meters and a width of 30 meters, and a hopper volume of 15,000 cubic meters, with a dead weight of 21,092 tons, is a full DP2 trailing suction hopper dredger.

Notably, it is the first of its kind, equipped with advanced maneuverability features for precise navigation. The flawless execution of the repairs, conducted with utmost professionalism and strict adherence to safety protocols, has earned commendation from the ship owners, further showcasing HSL’s commitment to establishing a strong presence in the international market

SOURCE: ANI

 Following Exercise Tiger Triumph, the Surface Warfare Officer on the USS Somerset, Brnjic, expressed his happiness to spend time in Visakhapatnam with Indian Navy personnel, adding that they learned a lot from them.

Somerset is one of three San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships named in honour of the lives lost during the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.

SOURCE: ANI

Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged for the first time that “radical Islamists” were responsible for last week’s attack on a concert hall outside Moscow. However, he suggested that Ukraine was also somehow involved, Al Jazeera reported.

Russian authorities have detained 11 people in connection with the March 22 attack on Crocus City Hall. In a televised meeting on Monday, Putin said, “We know that the crime was committed by the hands of radical Islamists, whose ideology the Islamic world itself has been fighting for centuries.”

SOURCE: ANI

Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba on Monday extended his Holi wishes and announced that he will be visiting India this week, adding that the visit will further strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries.

In a post on X, Dmystro said, “Today, India celebrates Holi, the most beautiful and colorful spring holiday. I wish everyone a happy Holi! Standing here in Kyiv, in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s monument, I am also pleased to announce that this week I will pay my first ever visit to India.”

SOURCE: PIB

Indian Coast Guard ship Samudra Paheredar, a specialized Pollution Control Vessel, arrived at Manila Bay, Philippines on 25 March 2024 on a three-day visit. The visit of specialized Pollution Control Vessels is part of a broader initiative aimed at demonstration of ICG Marine Pollution Response capabilities and shared concern & resolve towards Marine Pollution in the ASEAN region, besides bolstering bilateral cooperation with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The ICG ship is on an overseas deployment to ASEAN countries namely the Philippines, Vietnam, and Brunei from 25 March to 12 April 2024. The deployment is the third in a row by the Indian Coast Guard to ASEAN countries. Earlier in the year 2023, ICG Pollution Control Vessels visited Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia as part of the initiative.

SOURCE: U.S. Navy

Indian and U.S. combined armed forces began Exercise Tiger TRIUMPH 2024 with the arrival of amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset (LPD 25), March 18 and an opening ceremony March 19. This is the third time U.S. and Indian forces have come together for Tiger TRIUMPH, which stands for Tri-Services India U.S. Amphibious Exercise. The combined exercise will take place March 18-31 near Visakhapatnam and Kakinada, India.

The opening ceremony was held aboard Austin-class amphibious transport dock INS Jalashwa (L41), the former USS Trenton, where key leaders held a press conference with media to discuss the importance of Exercise Tiger TRIUMPH.

SOURCE: AFI

The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) indigenous fighter jet program, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, has taken a significant step forward with the unveiling of the first LCA-Tejas Mk1A variant, LA-5033. Sporting a bright yellow primer, LA-5033 marks the beginning of the delivery of 73 upgraded Mk1A jets ordered by the IAF from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in 2021.

Fresh off completing successful low-speed taxi trials, LA-5033 is expected to progress to high-speed taxi trials soon before being cleared for its maiden flight. A slight delay in the first flight stemmed from software validation for the new high-powered Digital Fly-By-Wire Flight Control Computer (DFCC) onboard LA-5033. However, this critical technology has already been successfully flight-tested on the Tejas Mk1A prototype LSP7 on February 19, 2024, paving the way for LA-5033’s imminent first flight.