SOURCE: PTI

A short duration hot test of the semicryogenic engine was successfully conducted at the test facility in ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu, the space agency said on Saturday. This ignition test conducted on April 24 is the second milestone after the successful first hot test on March 28, 2025, that was a major breakthrough in the testing of the Semicryogenic engine test programme, the space agency said.

In a statement, ISRO said, this test, the Engine Power Head Test Article, encompassing all engine systems except the thrust chamber, was subjected to a hot test for a duration of 3.5 seconds, that validated the engine start-up sequence.

SOURCE: PTI

The Centre is planning a undertake a study to look into ways to maximise the use of the quantum of water from the three rivers that Pakistan had earlier used under the Indus Water Treaty, now that the agreement has been, officials said.

The proposal was made at a high-level meeting on Friday chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah that discussed the future course of action on the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, which has been kept in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.

SOURCE: ANI

FBI Director Kash Patel on Sunday offered condolences to all the victims of the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam and affirmed the “full support” of the US to the Indian government.

Patel stated that the Pahalgam attack is a reminder of the constant threats that the world faces from the evil of terrorism.In a post on X, Patel stated, “The FBI sends our condolences to all the victims of the recent terrorist attack in Kashmir — and will continue offering our full support to the Indian government. This is a reminder of the constant threats our world faces from the evils of terrorism. Pray for those affected. Thank you to the men and women of law enforcement who answer the call in moments like these.”

SOURCE: PTI

Pakistan army chief General Asim Munir on Saturday highlighted the two-nation theory’, stating that Muslims and Hindus are two different nations. Munir’s remarks came almost a week after he had described Kashmir as Pakistan’s jugular vein during a diaspora event and asked overseas Pakistanis to pass on the country’s story to their children, emphasising that their forefathers believed Hindus and Muslims were different in every possible aspect of life.

On Saturday, Munir was addressing the passing out parade of cadets at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

SOURCE: PTI

Pakistani health authorities have initiated “emergency preparedness” measures to secure pharmaceutical supplies in response to the suspension of trade ties with India, according to a media report on Saturday.

In response to the India’s decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty following the Pahalgam attack, Islamabad on Thursday suspended all trade with New Delhi among other moves. Geo News reported that India trade halt triggered “urgent measures to secure” pharmaceutical needs in Pakistan and health authorities have initiated “emergency preparedness” measures to secure the supplies.

SOURCE: PTI

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday questioned Pakistan’s offer to join any “neutral and transparent” probe into the terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people on April 22.

“The recent tragedy in Pahalgam is yet another example of this perpetual blame game, which must come to a grinding halt. Continuing with its role as a responsible country, Pakistan is open to participating in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation,” Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday.

SOURCE: IANS

The much-awaited Kailash Mansarovar Yatra will take place between June to August 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Saturday.

“This year, five batches, each consisting of 50 Yatris, and 10 batches, each consisting of 50 Yatris, are scheduled to travel through Uttarakhand State crossing over at Lipulekh Pass, and through Sikkim State crossing over at Nathu La Pass, respectively,” read a statement issued by the MEA.

SOURCE: PTI

Maharashtra minister Yogesh Kadam on Saturday said 5,000 Pakistani nationals are residing in the state, including 1,000 on short term visas who have been asked to leave the country as per the Centre’s directives.

Some are residing in India since the last 8-10 years, some are married and some are those who have surrendered their Pakistani passport and applied for Indian citizenship, he said.

SOURCE: PTI

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has threatened that blood would flow in rivers if water is stopped, in a sharp response to India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) after the Pahalgam terror attack.

“The Indus is ours and will remain ours – either our water will flow through it, or their blood,” the former foreign minister was quoted as saying by The News on Friday while addressing a public rally in the Sukkur area of his home Sindh province.

SOURCE: PTI

US President Donald Trump on Friday said there has always been tensions between India and Pakistan and the two countries will figure it out between themselves “one way or the other”. “I am very close to India and I’m very close to Pakistan, as you know. And they’ve had that fight for 1,000 years in Kashmir. Kashmir has been going on for 1,000 years, probably longer than that. And it was a bad one yesterday, though, that was a bad one. Over 30 people,” Trump said during a press gaggle with reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Rome.

The US President was asked about tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed and if he would be talking to the leaders of the two nations.
There have been “tensions on that border for 1,500 years. So you know, the same as it’s been, but they’ll get it figured out one way or the other. I’m sure… I know both leaders. There is great tension between Pakistan and India. But there always has been”, he said.

SOURCE: PTI

Former Chief of Air Staff Arup Raha has advocated for a military offensive against ‘Pakistan-sponsored terrorists’ in the wake of the Pahalgam bloodbath, asserting that India has shattered the ‘myth’ that two nuclear powers cannot engage in conventional warfare, citing strikes after the Uri and Pulwama attacks. 

Referring to the Army’s retaliatory surgical strikes on militant launch pads in Pakistan-administered Kashmir following the Uri attack, and the subsequent Balakot air strike after the Pulwama convoy bombing, the retired Air Chief Marshal said India has “done well in the past in punishing perpetrators of terror.”

SOURCE: PTI

The government asked media outlets on Saturday to refrain from live coverage of defence operations and movement of security forces, contending that such reportage may inadvertently help hostile elements.

The advisory comes in the wake of reporting on defence matters following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.

SOURCE: IANS

In a deeply controversial moment, a senior official from the Pakistan Army inflamed tensions by making a throat-slitting gesture towards a crowd of peaceful demonstrators outside the Pakistan High Commission in London. The protesters had gathered to voice their anger over the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, where 26 people were killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

Adding to the provocation, the official was seen holding a poster of Indian Air Force Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman, using it to mock the Indian protesters.

SOURCE: PTI

More than 1,000 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, including women and children, were detained following combing operations in Ahmedabad and Surat, and efforts were underway for their deportation, Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said on Saturday.

At least 890 Bangladeshis were detained in Ahmedabad and 134 in Surat, in what the minister termed as the biggest operation of its kind by the Gujarat police to date. Sanghavi warned illegal immigrants residing in Gujarat to surrender before the police on their own accord, or else they will be nabbed and deported.

SOURCE: IANS

Tahawwur Rana, the Pakistani-Canadian national accused of involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, has denied any role in the conspiracy during his interrogation by the Mumbai Crime Branch.

According to senior officials, Rana, who is currently in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi, was questioned for over eight hours by a team of Mumbai Police officers. During the interrogation, Rana distanced himself from the attacks that claimed over 166 lives and injured hundreds on November 26, 2008.