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.

SOURCE: ANI

Border Security Force (BSF) troops have apprehended a Pakistani national near the India-Pakistan border fence in Punjab’s Amritsar district, the officials said on Monday. The BSF said that it observed the suspected movement of a person in the area ahead of the border fence on April 22 in the morning. “The troops on duty immediately challenged and caught hold of him as he tried to escape towards the IB,” it added.

SOURCE: AFI

In a recent address, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (Retd.), underscored India’s steadfast commitment to a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism. Speaking at an event, Bhadauria emphasized the decisive actions taken by the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership to combat terrorism, particularly in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.

Reflecting on India’s response to terrorist incidents, Bhadauria highlighted the surgical strikes conducted across the Line of Control (LoC) in response to cross-border terrorism. He noted that these strikes targeted terrorist launchpads, sending a clear message of India’s resolve to safeguard its sovereignty and national security.

SOURCE: IANS

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Monday thwarted Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s attempt to raise the Kashmir issue as he kicked off his crucial three-day visit to Islamabad. While making his opening statement during the joint presser, Sharif thanked the Iranian President for taking Pakistan’s side on the Kashmir dispute between Islamabad and New Delhi.

”We are thankful to Iran for its support for the Kashmir cause,” said Sharif adding that the both sides have identified and agreed to cooperate on matters of mutual interest and regional concern.However, he failed to get any word of support from the Iranian President as he refrained from giving any comment on the issue and remained focused on addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict.

SOURCE: ANI

The satellite imagery has shown significant expansion in glacial lakes in the Himalayas, especially in India, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Monday. The satellite data archives spanning the past 3 to 4 decades provide valuable insights into changes occurring in glaciated environments.

Long-term satellite imagery covering the catchments of Indian Himalayan river basins from 1984 to 2023 indicates significant changes in glacial lakes. Of the 2,431 lakes larger than 10 hectares identified during 2016-17, 676 glacial lakes have notably expanded since 1984. Specifically, 130 of these lakes are situated within India, with 65, 7, and 58 lakes located in the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra River basins, respectively, the statement read.

SOURCE: PTI

Two Indian students’ teams from the New Delhi area and Mumbai have won awards from the NASA for the Human Exploration Rover Challenge. The KIET Group of Institutions, Delhi-NCR has won the award in the “Crash and Burn” category of the annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) award, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on Monday.

The Kanakia International School from Mumbai was given the “Rookie of the Year” award.

SOURCE: IANS

A government employee was shot by terrorists in J&K’s Rajouri district on Monday evening and succumbed to his injuries in a hospital, officials said. Officials said that terrorists fired at Mohd Razaq of Kunda Tope village in the Shahdhara Sharif area of Rajouri.

“He was shifted to hospital where he succumbed to critical injuries. Terrorists had fired four pistol shots at the victim from close range,” an official said.

SOURCE: PTI

The IAF on Monday rejected reports that a fire had broken out at the Air Headquarters in Delhi and said no such incident had taken place at Vayu Bhavan or its immediate vicinity.

Reports by some publications suggested that the claimed incident occurred on Sunday. “#Fakenews. Multiple social media posts have reported about a fire incident at Air Headquarters, Vayu Bhavan, in New Delhi. It is hereby informed that no such fire incident has taken place in Air Headquarters, Vayu Bhavan, or its immediate vicinity,” the Indian Air Force (IAF) said in a post on X.

SOURCE: IANS

At the height of the Lok Sabha elections, the Maharashtra Police have apprehended a dreaded Maoist, who carried a bounty of Rs 1.5 lakh on his head, officials said on Monday. The rebel is identified as Dilip Motiram Pendam, 34, who was caught in the Bhamragad region after he was found moving around suspiciously near the villages and the forests there.

Among other crimes, Pendam is accused of planting a deadly claymore mine and 2 pressure cooker bombs in the Nelgunda-Gongwada and Laheri in March 2023, intending to kill security forces personnel and loot their arms and ammunition.