SOURCE: PTI

Terrorists active in Jammu and Kashmir will either land in jail or be sent to ‘jahannum’ (hell), Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday while asserting that the Modi government has zero tolerance for terrorism.

Nityanand Rai was replying to a supplementary question from Congress MP Pramod Tiwari. Terrorist activities witnessed recently will soon end, the minister said. “They (terrorists) will not succeed in their design,” he added.

SOURCE: IANS

Braving challenging weather conditions, the Indian Navy on Wednesday successfully evacuated a critically injured Chinese mariner from Bulk Carrier Zhong Shan Men, 200 nm (approximately 370 km) from Mumbai.

The Indian Navy said that its Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mumbai received a distress call on Tuesday night from the bulk carrier, requesting immediate evacuation of a critically injured 51-year-old mariner who had suffered heavy blood loss.

SOURCE: PTI

The body of Leading Seaman Sitendra Singh, who went missing following a major fire onboard India’s frontline warship INS Brahmaputra at the naval dockyard in Mumbai three days ago, was found on Wednesday, officials said.

The warship was severely damaged and tilted heavily to one side following the fire on Sunday evening. The warship is now resting on her left side. Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi visited the naval dockyard on Tuesday and reviewed the sequence of events leading to the accident.

SOURCE: PTI

The US has asked its nationals not to travel to Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, the India-Pakistan border, and parts of central and eastern parts of the country where Naxalites are active. In a revised travel advisory for India, the State Department said it has updated to reflect information on the northeastern states.

“Exercise increased caution in India due to crime and terrorism. Some areas have increased risk,” it said. Overall India has been placed at Level 2. But several parts of the country have been placed on Level 4: Jammu and Kashmir, India-Pak border, Manipur and parts of Central and East India.

SOURCE: BLOOMBERG

India said the shipping industry needs to review the training being provided to armed guards because of an increased threat to commercial vessels from seaborne drones in the Red Sea. 

After the Houthis sank a vessel with a waterborne explosive device last month, several other ships have faced similar threats. In two instances when armed guards fired at unmanned explosive-laden ships last week, the drone-boats ultimately exploded.

SOURCE: PTI

Odisha’s Balasore district administration has temporarily shifted over 10,000 people from 10 villages to another place ahead of Wednesday’s scheduled missile test, an official said. The DRDO also completed the required range preparation for the missile test at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, a defence source said here on Tuesday.

The test will be conducted from launch pad number 3 of the ITR. Meanwhile, the Balasore district administration has made arrangements to temporarily evacuate 10,581 people belonging to 10 villages residing within 3.5 km radius of the launch pad prior to the test launch of the missile, said a revenue officer.

SOURCE: ANI

Noting the aggressive posture of China, Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, said that India and the United States are aligned because of the growing threat of China, adding that both countries need each other to deal with Chinese aggression. While speaking to ANI, the USISPF President said that India’s relationship with the US is multifold. “It’s geopolitical, it’s economic, it’s technological, and it’s people-to-people. Regardless of whether it is Democratic or Republican, the relationship will continue to grow substantially and strengthen itself,” he said. “Geopolitically, both countries are aligned because of the growing threat of China, the growing posture of China and the aggressive posture of China itself.

And so both countries need each other to deal with China itself,” Aghi told ANI. He further said that as India’s economy rises, it provides market opportunities for US companies. “More important, as India’s economy grows from USD 4 to USD 5 trillion, India provides market opportunity to US companies. And as the threat from China gets stronger and stronger, what we are seeing is that US companies are getting harassed in China in order to derisk the supply chain.

SOURCE: UNI

“If helpless people come and knock on the door, I will help”, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee about the turbulent situation in Bangladesh. The Center has contested this comment. This time, Bangladesh also reacted to the Chief Minister’s comment on providing shelter to refugees. This remark of the Chief Minister was strongly opposed by the governments of the neighboring countries. It is said that a letter has also been sent to the Government of India in this regard.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said on Tuesday, “We have a very close relationship with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. I am saying this with respect to her. This comment can create a lot of confusion. So we have sent a note to the Government of India in this regard.”

SOURCE: ANI

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrived in the national capital on Wednesday morning (July 24) in the first high-level visit by the newly-elected Labour government in the UK. Lammy is on a two-day tour to highlight the importance of a new partnership between the UK and India that focuses on economic, domestic and global security. In his first visit to India, Lammy will hold meetings with external affairs minister Jaishankar and commerce minister Piyush Goyal. He will also meet climate and business leaders to unlock the full potential of the UK-India partnership, per the statement from the British High Commission.

The statement from the British High Commission also states that Lammy will push for a reset of the UK-India partnership, including by reinforcing the UK’s commitment to securing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) for greater growth in both countries. Earlier, during his campaign, Lammy had said, “India is the emerging superpower of the 21st century, the largest country in the world with 1.4 billion people and one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

SOURCE: PTI

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday dismissed from service four employees, including two cops, for their “deep involvement” in anti-national activities.

The activities of these employees had come to the adverse notice of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, as they found them thickly involved in activities prejudicial to the interests of the State evidencing their involvement in terror-related activities, an official spokesman here said.

SOURCE: PTI

An unidentified terrorist was killed and a soldier injured in an overnight encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district, the Army said on Wednesday.

“Based on specific input regarding presence of terrorists in general area Kowut, Kupwara, a Joint Search Operation was launched by #IndianArmy and @JmuKmrPolice on days leading up to 23 July 24,” the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps posted on X.

SOURCE: ANI

In a significant milestone, Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) successfully launched the first indigenous P1135.6 Frigate on Tuesday. According to an official statement, the vessel is the first of the two Frigates of the P1135.6 Class being constructed at GSL. It is the first time these vessels are being constructed indigenously. With the launch of this frigate Triput, the Indian Navy and GSL continue their march towards self-reliance, making ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ a reality.

This strategic move adds another Defence Shipyard to the league of yards capable of building weapon-intensive platforms. The ship was launched by Adv. Rita Sreedharan, in the presence of PS Sreedharan Pillai, Governor of Goa, the Chief Guest for the occasion. The launching ceremony was attended by Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Vice Chief of Naval Staff, and Brajesh Kumar Upadhyay, Chairman and Managing Director of GSL, along with officials from the Ministry of Defence, senior flag officials of the Indian Navy, and GSL employees.

SOURCE: ANI

In a latest collaboration, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus Helicopters have formalised a contract to establish the H125 Final Assembly Line (FAL) in India.

The FAL will be the first instance of the private sector setting up a helicopter assembly facility here in India, which will be responsible for the production of Airbus’ best-selling H125 helicopter from its civil range for India and the neighbouring countries, according to an official press release from Airbus.

SOURCE: PTI

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday proposed roping in the private sector to boost the share of nuclear power in India’s energy basket, as it aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2070.

Presenting the Union Budget, Sitharaman announced that the government will partner with the private sector to set up Bharat Small Reactors and in the research and development of small modular reactors.

SOURCE: ANI

Taking a strong view into the accident involving INS Brahmaputra warship, the Naval headquarters has ordered a detailed probe led by a Rear Admiral to determine the exact causes and establish accountability based on the inquiry report. The warship is resting on one side in the Naval Dockyard after a fire incident on board on Sunday night.

Indian Navy chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi has given strict instructions to the officials concerned to be very careful in handling of vital national assets during his visit to Mumbai to review the cause of the accident, Defence Sources told ANI.