SOURCE: ET

India and Malaysia held top defence-level talks on Monday, with a focus on the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) offer as well as sustenance of the Russian origin Su30 MKM fleet of the Malaysian Air Force. The talks took place via video conferencing between defence minister Rajnath Singh and Malaysia’s senior defence minister YB Dato ‘Seri HishammuddinTun Hussein.

It is learnt that the Indian offer for 18 of the Tejas fighter jets to meet a Malaysian requirement was discussed at length. As reported, India has offered a dual package for the indigenous fighter jets as well as maintenance of the Su30 MKM aircraft being operated by Malaysia.

SOURCE: IANS

Just three years ago not many people could have even thought that Jammu and Kashmir would host the G-20 summit. However, the time has changed and has changed for the good. J&K known as “terror capital” of India till August 5, 2019 — when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate the so-called special status of the Himalayan region and bifurcated it into two Union Territories — has emerged as the tourism capital of India.

Tourists from across the world have visited J&K during the past two and a half years and their number is swelling with each passing day. Peace returning to the erstwhile princely state has done wonders. The Centre’s decision to “bite the bullet” and merge J&K completely with the Union of India broke the ice.

SOURCE: THE BUSSINESS LINE

In its push to the  Make-in-India drive, the government is going all out to support domestic enterprises by tweaking its policies and regulations so that more and more products are manufactured within the country.

One such sector which is getting a lot of support and thrust from the government is the manufacturing of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). From its applications in agriculture, defence, law enforcement, surveillance, delivery services, worksite efficiency, private occasions and so on, the possibilities for the use of drones are endless. With the government showing its clear intent to make India a global hub for manufacturing of drones by 2030, the prospects for the growth of this sector are immensely strong.

SOURCE: Statesman News Service

Dr. Chandrika Kaushik, an outstanding scientist and Director General (PC & SI), Defence Research Development Officer (DRDO), on Monday in an interaction with officers at Army’s Northern Command at Udhampur briefed them about the upgrades in missile systems, torpedoes and various types of ammunition.

She visited Udhampur to interact with Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, GOC-in-C, Northern Command and other Officers of the Command and gave a holistic view on DRDO to include role, organisation, charter, interface of DRDO with academia and industry, R&D contribution and major initiatives of technology infusion undertaken by DRDO.

SOURCE: PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined at the G7 summit that energy security has become a very challenging issue in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and asserted that India would continue to do what it thinks is best in the interest of its own energy security when it comes to the question of global oil trade.

Prime Minister Modi in both his interventions at the G7 sessions made India’s position very clear on the Russia-Ukraine situation, calling for an immediate or as early as a possible end to the hostilities and advocating the path of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the situation, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said at a media briefing.

SOURCE: FIRST POST

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh embarked on a three-day visit to Hanoi, Vietnam, from 8-10 June 2022 with an aim to further strengthen the defence and maritime security cooperation between India and Vietnam. Vietnam is an important player in India’s Act East policy and also its Indo-Pacific vision. The defence minister handed over 12 high-speed guard boats to Vietnam. Five of those were built in India, and the rest in a Vietnamese shipyard under India’s $100 million Defence Line of Credit.

The Defence Minister held extensive talks with his Vietnamese counterpart, General Phan Van Giang, with a focus on exploring new initiatives to further strengthen the defence engagements, besides exchanging views on regional and global issues of shared interest. During his Vietnam tour, he also visited training institutions of the country at Nha Trang, including the Telecommunication University where an Army Software Park is being established with a $5 million grant from India. India and Vietnam signed an MoU on mutual logistics support, the first such major agreement Hanoi has inked with any country for simplifying procedures for mutually-beneficial logistic support to allow militaries of the two sides to use each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.

SOURCE: THE PRINT

The reopening of the Indian embassy in Afghanistan last week marks the formal return of India in the great game that is being played anew in North Asia, nearly ten months after then ambassador Rudrendra Tandon and his staff evacuated the chancery soon after the Taliban walked into the Afghan capital without firing a shot.

A mid-level career diplomat in India’s Ministry of External Affairs has reopened the embassy in Kabul, having been guided into his new job by senior diplomat JP Singh in charge of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. The two met senior Taliban leaders, acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and his deputy, Mohammed Abbas Stanikzai, during their trip to Kabul and gifted Mr Muttaqi a plaque with a quote from the Holy Quran.

SOURCE: BOL NEWS

Pakistan on Monday expressed its concerns over the blocking of access in India to the Twitter handles of its missions abroad by the Indian government. In a statement, the Foreign Office spokesperson said that India had withheld access to the twitter handles of Pakistan’s embassies in Iran, Turkiye, Egypt and the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

“These are in addition to many others for which access has been blocked,” he commented.

SOURCE: HT

The Indian Coast Guard on Tuesday said it had commissioned a squadron (its third) of made-in-India Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv Mark III at Porbandar in Gujarat. The helicopters were commissioned by ICG director-general VS Pathania, news ageancy ANI said.

Coast Guard officials told ANI the choppers could fulfill both reconnaissance and offensive roles as they have heavy machine guns. The induction boosts the Coast Guard’s maritime surveillance and recon capabilities and the country’s ‘aatmanirbhar defence’ philosophy as the ALH Dhruv Mark III is fully made-in-India by Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

SOURCE: REUTERS

Iran, which holds the world’s second largest gas reserves, has applied to join the BRICS group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa that Beijing and Moscow cast as a powerful emerging market alternative to the West.

The term BRIC was coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill in 2001 to describe the startling rise of Brazil, Russia, India, China. The BRIC powers had their first summit in 2009 in Russia. South Africa joined in 2010.

SOURCE: INDIA TV

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made India’s position clear on the Ukraine conflict. According to Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, at the G7 summit, Prime Minister Modi reiterated that there must be an immediate end to the hostilities and a resolution should be reached by choosing the path of dialogue and diplomacy. 

“On Russia-Ukraine, PM made India’s position clear including an immediate end to hostilities; dialogue & diplomacy to resolve the situation,” Kwatra said during a press conference while responding to a question on India’s stand on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

SOURCE: PTI

India has said it is regrettable that there is still no agreement on the Constitutional basis for holding elections in Libya, saying that the priority right now is to ensure that elections are held at the earliest in a free, fair, inclusive, and credible manner.

Counsellor in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN R. Madhu Sudan said Monday at the Security Council briefing and consultations on Libya that New Delhi notes with concern that the progress seen after the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement is not only in danger of coming to a halt, but there are also indications of risk of backsliding.

SOURCE: TRIBUNE INDIA

A Pakistani drone has been recovered from near the international border in the Jhangar border outpost area of Fazilka. Sources said personnel of 55 Battalion of the BSF spotted the drone that entered into the Indian territory last night. Two packets of suspected heroin weighing 1.6 kg was also recovered.

In another case, a Pakistani drone once again managed to escape after dropping two packets of heroin weighing one kg each in Sriganganagar on Sunday.

SOURCE: PTI

India said its security agencies annually seize thousands of illicit firearms, attributable to illegal trafficking from across our borders, despite a strong law-based framework in the country for controlling small arms and light weapons.

The continuing prevalence of illicit small arms and light weapons and their availability to terrorists, armed groups and other unauthorised recipients is a clear indicator that the implementation of the UN Programme of Action (UNPOA) requires further and more effective efforts, Sandeep Arya, Additional Secretary, Disarmament & International Security Affairs division (D&ISA), Ministry of External Affairs said.

SOURCE: PTI

Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit was behind the recent series of explosions in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, police said on Tuesday, claiming to have solved the case with the arrest of two of its operatives while the search is on for the main accused.

A huge cache of explosive material, including five improvised explosive devices (IEDs), was recovered at the disclosure of the arrested accused, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Jammu, Mukesh Singh said.