SOURCE: ANI

 The lumberjacks of Skardu in Gilgit Baltistan on Thursday staged a protest against regular power cuts in the area. The protestors claimed that their business is being heavily affected because of these cuts. Hence, they are now forced to protest in front of the district collector’s office, Skardu TV reported.

A local leader Shiekh Hassan Durabi said that the businesses of these people have been destoyed. “The people who can afford motorised lumber machines also have not paid the fees of their kids. As their only way of earning their income is not functioning. They however are not demanding a regular supply of electricity but a mere 12 to 14 hours so that they can operate during the daylight,” Durabi said.

SOURCE: IANS

At least two jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) deployed on poll duty in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district were reported injured after a shell of Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) exploded, a police official said.

The incident occurred in Galgam village under the Usoor police station area when a team of security personnel was out on an area domination operation on Friday.

SOURCE: IANS

A 25-year-old man was arrested in Tripura while attempting to cross into Bangladesh illegally, officials said here on Friday, adding that he claimed to be a Pakistani-born Bangladeshi national who had travelled across India.

The official said the youth, named Ayan Alam was detained by border villagers at Jalefa in South Tripura district on Thursday night and was handed over to the police later. Alam’s mobile phone, a few thousand rupees and some Indian documents, including an Aadhaar card, were recovered from his possession. The documents were being examined to corroborate the truth of his confession and his Pakistan connection, the official told the media.

SOURCE: PTI

The US is not sending any election observers to India but is eager to continue to deepen and strengthen its cooperation with partners in India, the State Department has said.

“I’m not aware of the United States sending any observers. We generally don’t, in the case of advanced democracies like in the case of India,” Vedant Patel, Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department told reporters at his daily news conference on Thursday.

SOURCE: IANS

Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, V.K. Birdi on Thursday chaired a meeting to review the security arrangements put in place for the smooth and successful conduct of upcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir, a statement said.

The meeting delved into strategies aimed at safeguarding the safety and security of the general public while maintaining the integrity of the electoral process.

SOURCE: ANI

External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar on Thursday lauded the efforts of the Indian Embassy in Iran for the safe return of one of the 17 Indians onboard the vessel seized by Iran and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guarantee always delivers both at home and abroad.

“Great work, @India_in_Iran. Glad that Ms. Ann Tessa Joseph has reached home. #ModiKiGuarantee always delivers, at home or abroad,” EAM Jaishankar posted on X.

SOURCE: PTI

At least 80 Maoists have been killed and more than 125 arrested while 150 have surrendered in this year so far in Chhattisgarh, where 29 ultras were gunned down two days ago in a fierce encounter with security forces, officials said today.

Left-Wing Extremism-related violence has declined in the country by 52 per cent and the number of deaths by 69 per cent from 6,035 to 1,868 in 2014-23 compared to 2004-14, according to Union home ministry data.

SOURCE: IANS

The 16 remaining Indian crew members on board a cargo ship seized by Iran have not been detained and are allowed to leave the country easily, Iran’s Ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi, said on Thursday.

“The 16 Indian crew members on board the cargo ship have not been detained and are free to leave the country easily,” Elahi told NDTV over the phone on Thursday. The Iranian Ambassador’s comment came a few hours after deck cadet Ann Tessa Joseph, one of the 17 Indian crew members on board vessel MSC Aries, landed safely at the Cochin International Airport.

SOURCE: ANI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed pleasure at welcoming Special Representative Roza Otunbayeva, head of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), here on Thursday morning.

In an official post on X, Jaishankar said they discussed the present situation in Afghanistan and exchanged viewpoints. “Glad to receive Special Representative Roza Otunbayeva, Head of UNAMA this morning. Exchanged views on the current situation in Afghanistan,” stated Jaishankar in his post on X.

SOURCE: ANI

The government has appointed Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi as the next Chief of the Indian Navy. Mr Tripathi is presently the Vice Chief of Navy Staff after having done multiple important assignments in his around 40-year-long vast career and he will assume his new office on April 30.

Prior to taking over as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, VAdm Dinesh K Tripathi served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command. An alumnus of Sainik School Rewa and National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, he was commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1985. A Communication and Electronic Warfare specialist, he served on frontline warships of the Navy as Signal Communication Officer and Electronic Warfare Officer, and later as the Executive Officer and Principal Warfare Officer of Guided Missile Destroyer INS Mumbai. He commanded the Indian naval ships Vinash, Kirch and Trishul.

SOURCE: IANS

The Karnataka Police on Friday arrested four Bangladeshi nationals, who had entered into the country and stayed illegally in the outskirts of Bengaluru city, the police said. According to the police, the accused were staying in Bengaluru for a long time and forged documents to show that they were Indian citizens.

The accused had managed to obtain a passport by producing fake documents. While acting on a tip-off, the police conducted raids and arrested all the four Bangladeshi nationals. The police have seized an Aadhaar card, caste certificate, ration card, Ayushman card, labour card and voter identity card from the accused persons.

SOURCE: PTI

The India-US deal to jointly produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force is revolutionary, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told lawmakers on Wednesday.

The landmark deal was announced last June during the historic Official State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US. The General Electric signed a memorandum of understanding with Hindustan Aeronautics to make fighter jet engines for the IAF.

SOURCE: IANS

One of the many adventures in the Pakistan-India series of conflicts ‘Operation Koh Paima’, also known as the Kargil operation — that was hailed as a success story by its architect and Pakistani military dictator Late General (retd) Pervez Musharraf — is now being labelled as a “strategic blunder” and a “political disaster” by a majority of experts, including former military officers who were serving during the 1999 operation.

“The plan was a blunder and a massive failure. It not only turned out to be a disaster, it also violated the Lahore Summit agreement between India and Pakistan. Also, because the Pakistan Army denied its involvement, even refused to accept the dead bodies of its own soldiers who were later buried by the Indian Armed forces, turned out to be more embarrassing and attracted more dishonour to the institution,” says Colonel (retd) Ashfaq Hussain.

SOURCE: REUTERS

The Indian government will take a policy decision to mitigate any effect on its trade from the conflict between Iran and Israel after it has fully understood the impact, the country’s trade secretary said on Monday.

“Policy interventions will only come after we understand the issues traders are facing. Based on that exercise, whatever is needed definitely government will address that,” India’s Trade Secretary Sunil Barthwal told reporters.

SOURCE: ANI

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Thursday said the day is not far when India will emerge as one of the major service providers in the world. Addressing the Indian Defspace Symposium 2024 here, General Chauhan said that space is called the final frontier. “India has been the recipient of services in the space sector besides the data related to space situational awareness. I believe that the day is not far when India will become a net provider of services to other nations,” he said. “Space is called as a final frontier.

All other frontiers are difficult to define its edges. Space is also referred to as avoiding the domain of warfare. I believe there is already an established domain of warfare. My belief is premised on the fast-paced development occurring in this particular domain.