SOURCE: IANS

Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, on Thursday, highlighted the growing concern regarding China’s massive 137 billion dollar hydroelectric dam project, which is set to produce 60,000 MW of electricity over the Yarlung Tsangpo river, in the upper reaches of Siang river in the neighbouring country China.

During his two-day visit to Siang and Upper Siang district, the Deputy Chief Minister addressed the people about the importance of the Upper Siang Multipurpose Project (USMP), being constructed by India.

SOURCE: IANS

India is all set to welcome its own web browser, taking another big step toward building an indigenous internet ecosystem, said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways and Electronics and IT on Thursday.

Vaishnaw made the announcement while awarding the winners of the Indian Web Browser Development Challenge (IWBDC). The top prize in the competition was won by Zoho Corporation, a software company founded by Sridhar Vembu.

SOURCE: PTI

Social media giant ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), owned by US billionaire Elon Musk, has filed a lawsuit in the Karnataka High Court against the Indian government, challenging what it calls unlawful content regulation and arbitrary censorship.

It raised concerns over the Centre’s interpretation of the Information Technology (IT) Act, particularly its use of Section 79(3)(b), which ‘X’ argues violates Supreme Court rulings and undermines free expression online.

SOURCE: PTI

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Navy Chief Rear Admiral Garin Golding on Thursday visited the latest indigenously built destroyer of the Indian Navy INS Surat at the Naval Dockyard here.

Luxon was welcomed aboard by Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command. The visiting dignitories were given an in-depth briefing on the warship’s intricate design, cutting-edge technologies and formidable capabilities, a Navy release said here.

SOURCE: PTI

The top body of the Meitei community in Manipur’s Jiribam district on Thursday charged an MLA with supplying weapons to miscreants.

There was no immediate reaction from the MLA and all attempts to get his comment on the allegation failed. “The MLA organised many meetings… supporting (miscreants) with monetary help, war gears and accessories. But the Muslims want to live peacefully with the Meiteis. So his plan failed,” Jiri Apunba Lup said in a statement.

SOURCE: UNI

In a major milestone for India’s defence modernization and self-reliance goals, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has cleared a long-awaited ?7,000 crore deal for the procurement of 307 Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems (ATAGS). The ultra-modern 155mm/52-calibre guns, developed indigenously by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), are set to significantly bolster the Indian Army’s long-range artillery firepower.

The contract distribution , officials said, saw Bharat Forge, which emerged as the lowest bidder, receiving 60% of the deal, while Tata Advanced Systems receiving the remaining 40%.

SOURCE: IANS

The central intelligence agencies have arrested an Indian national, a Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) staffer, for spying for Pakistan in Bengaluru, sources said on Thursday. The operation was carried out jointly by the state, Central and Military Intelligence Agencies. The arrested person has been identified as Deep Raj Chandra, who worked in the Product Development and Innovation Centre Division at Bharat Electronics Limited. The accused resided at Mattikere locality in Bengaluru. Accused Deep Raj Chandra hailed from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. More information is yet to come out and the official statement by the Central agencies is awaited.

Bharat Electronics Limited is an Indian public sector aerospace and defence electronics company, headquartered in Bengaluru. It primarily manufactures advanced electronic products for ground and aerospace applications. BEL is one of 16 PSUs under the administration of the Ministry of Defence of India. It has been granted Navratna status by the Government of India.

SOURCE: PTI

An Indian national enrolled as a postdoctoral fellow in the US has been detained by immigration authorities, said a media report, less than a week after a Columbia student from India self-deported following allegations of activities supporting Hamas. Badar Khan Suri’s lawyer claimed that he is being punished “because of the Palestinian heritage of his wife — who is a US citizen — and because the government suspects that he and his wife oppose US foreign policy toward Israel.” He is a former student of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

Suri is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington DC. A report in Politico said that Suri, who was studying and teaching on a student visa, has been “detained by federal immigration authorities amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on student activists whom the government accuses of opposing American foreign policy.”

SOURCE: REUTERS

US President Donald Trump told Breitbart News in an interview on Wednesday that he believes India will probably be lowering the tariffs it imposes on American goods.

“I believe they’re going to be lowering those tariffs substantially, but on April 2, we will be charging them the same tariffs they charge us,” he was quoted as saying.

SOURCE: PTI

22 Naxals, cop killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh In a fresh offensive against Naxals, at least 22 members of the banned CPI (Maoists) were killed in two separate encounters in Chhattisgarh, officials said on Thursday.

While 18 Naxals were killed in Bijapur district, four Maoists were gunned down in Kanker areas by a joint team of the BSF and DRG personnel of the state police. Intermittent firing was still going on in Kanker as reports last came in, the officials said.

SOURCE: PIB

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has called upon the people to always put the nation first, remain united, discharge the duties with honesty, and move fearlessly towards achieving their goals, which were the core principles of Major Bob Khathing, an extraordinary figure who made invaluable contributions to the North-East region and national security. Raksha Mantri was addressing the fifth edition of Major Bob Khathing Memorial Event jointly organised by the Indian Army, Assam Rifles and United Services Institution of India (USI) at Delhi Cantt on March 19, 2025 to honour the life and legacy of the legendary figure. 

Paying glowing tributes to Major Bob Khathing, Shri Rajnath Singh asserted that India has been fortunate that it is home to such prominent personalities for whom security, integrity and sovereignty of the nation is paramount. He termed Major Khathing as a great son of India, who left an indelible mark in the history of the country through his bravery in the battlefield and skill in the field of diplomacy. It is the responsibility of the people to adopt the ideals and principles of such great personalities, he said. 

SOURCE: IANS

 Seven aides of jailed Sikh radical preacher Amritpal Singh will be taken to Punjab from Assam’s Dibrugarh Central Jail on Thursday under tight security, officials said. Seven NSA detainees associated with Amritpal Singh will be taken to Punjab by a special police team by flight under tight security.

A senior official said, “Punjab Police have secured their transit remand, completing the legal transfer process from Dibrugarh Central Jail.” According to the official, they will be taken on two different flights. Three of the seven aides of Amritpal will be taken on a flight and four others will be sent in a different aircraft from Dibrugarh to Punjab.

SOURCE: IANS

Senior BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya on Thursday said there was a major Bangladeshi birth certificate scam going on in Maharashtra. He claimed that 52 infiltrators from the neighbouring country had fraudulently obtained birth certificates. Somaiya said six FIRs have been filed against these 52 in the state. The Bangladeshi nationals were living in various cities in the Akola district, Maharashtra, and had obtained birth certificates by submitting fake documents.

The FIRs have been filed in Akot, Telhara, Barshitakali, Ramdaspeth (Akola city), Murtijapur, and Patur police stations under sections 3(5), 229, 236, 237, 318(4), 336(3), 340(2) of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). The BJP leader said, “It was a case of Bangladeshi birth certificate scam. Six FIRs have been filed against 52 infiltrators from Bangladesh.” He gave a list of the infiltrators who had obtained the birth certificates fraudulently. The list of 52 has around 12 women who have also secured birth certificates.

SOURCE: REUTERS

The Philippines and its allies are trying to expand the Squad grouping of nations to include India and South Korea to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region, the Philippines’ Armed Forces chief General Romeo S. Brawner said on Wednesday.

The Squad is an informal multilateral grouping made up of Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States, whose defence forces have conducted joint maritime activities in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea since last year.

SOURCE: PTI

A Boeing company has signed a memorandum of understanding with a leading Indian unmanned systems start-up to co-develop and co-produce autonomous surface vessels, according to an official statement. 

The agreement between Boeing’s Liquid Robotics and Sagar Defence Engineering builds on the joint US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation, it said on Wednesday.  “This partnership aims to enhance undersea domain awareness through manufacturing, system interoperability, ocean testing, and the establishment of a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capacity for the Wave Glider ASV platform,” the statement said.