SOURCE: PTI

India is set to receive the remaining two regiments of S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile systems from Russia by next year under a new timeline that was firmed up following some delays in the supplies in view of the war in Ukraine, authoritative sources said on Tuesday.

Russia has already supplied three units of the long-range missile systems to India under a USD 5.5 billion deal. Russia has already supplied three units of the long-range missile systems to India under a USD 5.5 billion deal.

SOURCE: ANI

In a major capability boost, Indian Air Force has carried out a successful test firing of an air-launched ballistic missile that can hit targets at over 250 Kms. The missile tested by the Indian Air Force in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is the Israeli-origin Crystal Maze 2 air-launched ballistic missile which is also known as ROCKS.

The missile was successfully test-fired by a Su-30 MKI fighter jet last week at a test range in the island’s territory in the Andamans, senior sources in the national security establishment told ANI. The preparations for the testfiring were made in the area which falls under the tri-services Andaman and Nicobar Command headed by an Air Force officer presently.

SOURCE: PTI

The previous UPA government decided “not to do anything” after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks with the justification that “it would cost more to attack Pakistan than not attacking it”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar claimed on Tuesday.

Describing India as a voice of the ‘Global South’ (comprising about 125 countries), he said the countries of the Global South trust India to take up their cause and positions in the world. Addressing a gathering at a talk on ‘Foreign Policy the India Way: From Diffidence to Confidence’, the minister said that the country has a moral obligation towards some of the countries, which were under colonial rule and could not recover, rebuild as quickly as India did.

SOURCE: IANS

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Tuesday termed China as the biggest challenge for India as he blamed the policies of the first Prime Minister of India, the late Jawaharlal Nehru, for many problems on the foreign policy front.

He said while China had been the biggest challenge, India pretended as if it wasn’t. “Not just today but for many years, our biggest challenge has been China. We at times pretended as if it wasn’t. We looked away, we rationalised it, we justified it, but the reality is from the very beginning, it has been the biggest challenge,” the Union Minister said while speaking at an event on the theme ‘Foreign Policy the India Way: From Diffidence to Confidence’, here on Tuesday.

SOURCE: IANS

Punjab Police has averted possible target killing planned by cross-border operatives with the arrest of a man linked to a Pakistan-based terror module, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said here on Tuesday.

The accused has been identified as Lovepreet Singh, alias Picho, of Udho Nangal village in Amritsar. Police teams have also recovered a .30-bore automatic Chinese pistol along with a magazine and four cartridges from his possession.

SOURCE: IANS

India on Tuesday carried out a successful launch of the new variant of a medium-range ballistic missile. The Ministry of Defence in a statement said that the successful launch of the new variant of a medium-range ballistic missile was carried out under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command on Tuesday.

The user launch has proven the operational capability of the Command and validated new technologies, the ministry added. Earlier on April 18, the DRDO conducted a successful flight-test of Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM).

SOURCE: UNI

The Northern Command Army Commander Lieutenant General M V Suchindra Kumar on Tuesday felicitated outstanding achievers amongst the trainees of police undergoing the training since March at the White Knight Corps Battle School in Bhalra in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Army Commander during his address emphasized the significance of the joint training program between the Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police and commended the collective efforts towards enhancing operational synergy and interoperability among the forces.

SOURCE: PIB

The 5th Annual High-Level Meeting between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Royal Oman Police Coast Guard (ROPCG) took place in New Delhi on April 23, 2024, marking a significant milestone in the collaborative efforts to combat transnational illegal activities at sea and promote regional cooperation. The discussions were led by Director General Rakesh Pal from the ICG. The ROPCG delegation was headed by Assistant Officer Commanding Colonel Abdul Aziz Mohammed Ali Al Jabri.

The meeting focused on bolstering bilateral engagements through a capacity-building programme, cross ships’ visit, implementation of Sea Rider programme, establishing professional linkages between pollution reporting centers and other collaborative arrangements. Both sides expressed their commitment to enhancing mutual cooperation in addressing maritime challenges, thereby strengthening the maritime safety and security framework in the region.

SOURCE: ANI

General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), on Tuesday said that the recent geo-political developments have reaffirmed the relevance of a country’s hard power. “The current geo-strategic landscape is characterized by Change, taking place at unprecedented scale and speed. Recent geo-political powerplays have displayed, that where National Interests are concerned, countries will not hesitate to go to war.

These developments have reaffirmed the relevance of Hard Power,” General Manoj Pande said while addressing participants at addressed participants at the National Leadership Conclave of All India Management Association. He mentioned that the overall ‘rise’ of a nation can be said to occur when there is a significant and continuous increase in its Comprehensive National Power.

SOURCE: PTI

India and the United States regularly consult at the highest levels on democracy and human rights issues, a senior US State Department official said on Monday, after an official report claimed that there were significant human rights abuses in Manipur last year.

“The US and India regularly consult at the highest levels on democracy and human rights issues,” Robert S Gilchrist, senior official from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, told reporters after the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices was release by Secretary of State Tony Blinken.

SOURCE: ANI

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum congratulated India and the Department of Space for permitting 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in all three sectors of space manufacturing. “The USISPF congratulates the Government of India and the Department of Space for permitting 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in all three sectors of space manufacturing with 74 per cent in automatic route for manufacturing of satellite, satellite data products, ground segment and user segment,” according to a statement by the Forum.

Moreover, automatic FDI of up to 49 per cent for launch vehicles and associated systems, and subsystems, adding that 100 per cent FDI in automatic route for manufacturing of components and system/subsystems for satellites, ground segment and user segment. “This strategic decision signifies a positive step in the right direction, promising a substantial boost to manufacturing companies operating within the space sector,” it added.

SOURCE: ANI

Iran’s Ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi on the occasion of Iran Army Day stressed that the Indian Ocean has connected two friendly countries (Iran and India) and has provided the basis for mutual cooperation between the two sides on maritime security.

The Iran Army Day was celebrated in the national capital on Monday. “The Indian Ocean has connected two friendly countries together and has provided the basis for mutual cooperation between the two sides to ensure maritime security,” Elahi said during his speech.

SOURCE: PTI

Congress’s South Goa candidate Viriato Fernandes has claimed the Indian Constitution was “forced” on Goa after its liberation from the Portuguese rule in 1961. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant called the comments appalling and said the Congress is a threat to democracy.

Addressing an election meeting on Monday, Mr Fernandes recalled that then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had said Goa, which became a state in 1987, will decide its own destiny, but added “this did not happen”.

SOURCE: ANI

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has appointed Colonel Edison Napyo as its inaugural Defence Advisor to India, PNG’s Office of Chief of Defence Force informed in a press release. In ceremony led by Acting Chief of Defence Force Commodore Philip Polewara, Col Napyo was bid farewell. Napyo’s role as a liaison between the PNG Government and Military in India underscores the deepening cooperation between the two nations.

Col Napyo is the first to be deployed as a defence advisor to India and will serve as a link between the PNG Government and Military in the country, the release added.

SOURCE: PTI

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Gita Sabharwal of India as the United Nations resident coordinator in Indonesia. Sabharwal, who took up her post on Monday, brings close to 30 years of experience in development supporting climate transition, sustainable peace, governance and social policy, while leveraging digital technology and data to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN said in a statement.

Sabharwal has been appointed as the UN resident coordinator in Indonesia with the host government’s approval, it said.