SOURCE: PTI

India and New Zealand on Monday inked an ambitious pact to institutionalise defence ties and vowed to boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged concerns to his Kiwi counterpart Christopher Luxon over certain pro-Khalistani elements indulging in anti-India activities in the island nation.

Following talks between PM Modi and Luxon, the two sides signed six agreements to ramp up cooperation in several areas including education, sports, agriculture and climate change, and decided to prepare a roadmap for cooperation in the defence industry sector.

SOURCE: PTI

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants India and Pakistan to work together on their concerns over international terrorism, according to his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq. “It’s important for all of the countries, including India and Pakistan, to work together to deal with any of the concerns that they face regarding international terrorism”, he said on Monday.

Haq was responding to a question from a Palestinian journalist who had turned Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Munir Akram’s oblique mention of a “principal adversary” into a reference to India.

SOURCE: PTI

India has a significant role to play in the Indo-Pacific as its size and geo-strategic heft is crucial in an increasingly multi-polar world, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Monday while backing New Delhi’s bid to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

In an address at the Raisina Dialogue, Luxon underlined the need to ensure a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific and asserted that the “might makes right” approach was unacceptable, remarks that came amid China’s increasing muscle-flexing in the region.

SOURCE: IANS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, expanding trade, deepening defence cooperation, and maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific region.

Addressing media after holding talks at New Delhi’s Hyderabad House, the two leaders also took a firm stance against terrorism and agreed to enhance people-to-people ties. Luxon, who arrived in Delhi on Sunday on his first official visit to India, is the first New Zealand Prime Minister to visit the country in nine years.

SOURCE: PTI

Two persons were arrested in Gujarat’s Surat city with “high quality” Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) with a face value of Rs 9,000, allegedly supplied from Bangladesh, police said Monday. One of the arrested accused, Suresh Lathidadiya, is booked in three cases related to FICN, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is investigating, they said.

Lathidadiya bought FICN with a face value of Rs 6 lakh from a wanted accused from West Bengal for Rs 2 lakh, and the latter had procured the notes from Bangladesh, the Surat Special Operations Group (SOG) said in a statement.

SOURCE: IANS

A Pakistani terrorist was killed in an operation against terrorists by a joint security forces team in J&K’s Kupwara district on Monday, officials said. SSP Handwara, Mushtaq Ahmad Choudhary said that the operation was launched early in the morning based on specific intelligence inputs.

“During the operation, contact was established with the terrorist leading to the neutralisation of the terrorist. The terrorist was identified as Safiullah, a resident of Pakistan, who was active for a long time. He said that security forces, which comprised the Handwara police, 21 Rashtriya Rifles, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), recovered an AK-47 rifle, four magazines, a grenade, and other incriminating materials from the site.

SOURCE: PTI

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Sunday held bilateral talks with US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and chaired a conclave of top global intelligence czars focusing on boosting cooperation in confronting various security challenges including terrorism and threats posed by emerging technologies.

In their one-on-one meeting, Mr Doval and Ms Gabbard mainly discussed ways to strengthen intelligence sharing and working closely in the security domain in sync with the India-US global strategic partnership, it is learnt.

SOURCE: PTI

A suspect in the blast incident outside a temple in Amritsar was killed in an exchange of fire with police, a top officer said on Monday.

Another suspect managed to flee, he said, adding that efforts were on to nab him. A blast had occurred outside the Thakur Dwara Temple on March 15 when a person hurled an explosive device towards it, damaging a portion of its wall and shattering window panes.

SOURCE: ANI

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi on Sunday highlighted the importance of emerging technologies in national security, saying that technological prowess has become the new currency of deterrence and data has become the new capital of trade and security. Speaking at the fourth General Bipin Rawat Memorial Lecture in Delhi, Gen Dwivedi said that national security is about wholesome capability to wage war and deter war. “Security is about wholesome capability to wage war and deter war.

Healthy military-civil fusion, Aatm Nirbhar defence industrial base, dual-use assets at the national level, well-informed and empowered decision-makers of time framework, and inclusive approach for citizen warriors play a pivotal role,” Dwivedi said. “Technology prowess has become the new currency of deterrence. Data has become the new capital of trade and security,” he added.

SOURCE: ANI

Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Sunday said that the world has been “cooling down” from major conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, with the turmoil “interspersed” with “subnational conflicts” and common threats to global peace like terrorism, radicalisation, and mass cyber-attacks. He also pointed out a “subtle” shift from democracy to “authoritarianism,” which feeds into the turmoil in the world. “The world is just cooling down from two major conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, wherein the majority of nations took sides based on realism, idealism or religion.

The turmoil is also interspersed with ongoing subnational conflicts and common threats to global peace like terrorism, radicalisation, mass cyber-attacks, and a subtle shift from democracy to authoritarianism,” Dwivedi said while speaking at the fourth General Bipin Rawat Memorial Lecture here.

SOURCE: IANS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, expanding trade, deepening defence cooperation, and maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific region.

Addressing media after holding talks at New Delhi’s Hyderabad House, the two leaders also took a firm stance against terrorism and agreed to enhance people-to-people ties.

SOURCE: ANI

An updated list of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) names a group of 67 terrorist organisations and unlawful associations facing a ban under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for their role in terrorist activities against India, threatening the country’s security.

The list released by the Ministry of Home Affairs names 45 organizations that are officially categorized as terrorist organizations under Section 35 of the UAPA and are included in the First Schedule of the Act. The remaining 22 groups are classified as unlawful associations under Section 3(1) of the UAPA.
Many of these organizations have been involved in militancy, separatism, and violent activities across India. The MHA keeps on updating such list. The declaration of these banned organisations is part of India’s ongoing efforts to curb terrorism and extremist activities within its borders.

SOURCE: UNI

Security forces averted a major tragedy when they recovered and destroyed an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Sunday. Army in a post on X said that “the IED was recovered in the general area Narikut Forest Kupwara”.

“ChinarWarriors and @BSF_Kashmir averted a terror incident today by recovering and destroying an IED in general area Narikut Forest, Kupwara. #IndianArmy remains resolute in its commitment to keep Kashmir terror-free”, Army posted on X

SOURCE: PTI

An encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, officials said here.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Krumhoora village of Zachaldara following information about the presence of terrorists in the area, they said.The search operation turned into an encounter after the terrorists opened fire at the security forces.

SOURCE: PTI

The Centre has recently accorded approval for the ambitious Chandrayaan-5 mission to study the Moon, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said on Sunday. At an event to felicitate him for taking over as the Chairman of the Bengaluru-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation, Narayanan said that unlike the Chandrayaan-3 mission which carried the 25-kg rover ‘Prayagyaan’, the Chandrayaan-5 mission would carry a 250 kg rover to study the Moon’s surface.

The Chandrayaan mission consists of studying the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-1 successfully launched in 2008 took chemical, mineralogical and photo-geologic mapping of the Moon. The Chandrayaan-2 mission (2019) was 98 per cent success but just two per cent of the Mission could not be achieved in the final stages.