India
SOURCE: ANI

Assam Rifles and the Indian Army caught two cadres of the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Progressive) and four active cadres of the banned Kangleipak Communist Party (People’s War Group) on Wednesday in two separate operations in Manipur, officials said on Thursday.
The crackdown is part of ongoing efforts to curb militant activities in the region, said Assam Rifles. In the first operation, Assam Rifles and Manipur Police launched a search in the general area of Dingku Road, Imphal East district, based on intelligence about the presence of the cadres. The operation resulted in the detention of two cadres, who claimed allegiance to the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Progressive) or PREPAK (PRO).
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The Centre has provided a Z-category armed protection cover to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in view of potential security threats to him, official sources said on Thursday.
The Union home ministry has directed the VIP security wing of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to take charge of the 89-year-old leader. The sources said the Dalai Lama would be secured by a Z-category protection cover of CRPF commandos in all parts of the country.
Continue readingSOURCE: ANI
In a significant announcement, US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that the United States will be increasing its military sales to India by billions of dollars and his administration is paving the way to provide India with F35 Stealth fighters.
“Starting this year, we will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F35, Stealth fighters,” Trump said in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after their bilateral talks.
Continue readingSOURCE: Reuters

India has expanded its Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission to include building and operating a national space station, planning two crewed and six uncrewed missions by 2028, a minister said on Thursday.
Gaganyaan, meaning “sky craft” in Hindi, is India’s first human spaceflight mission. It aims to launch a habitable space capsule into a 400 km (250-mile) orbit and safely return it with a splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
Continue readingSOURCE: REUTERS

India expects to sell short-range missiles to the Philippines this year in a deal worth more than US$200 million (S$269.8 million), Indian sources told Reuters, for New Delhi’s second major defence export contract with Manila as tension grows with China.
The Akash missile system developed by India’s defence research body has drawn interest from the Philippines, which has told New Delhi it would make an order in the fiscal year that begins in April, said three sources.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
The government has begun the process to procure nearly 1,000 surveillance helicopters with accessories capable of operating up to an altitude of 5,500 metres above sea level and both during day and night time, as a Request for Information (RFI) was issued on Wednesday.
The RFI says the surveillance helicopters, along with the accessories, are planned to be procured in the spirit of the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ programmes. “The preferred categorisation for the project as per provisions of Chapter-II of DAP-2020 may be indicated by the vendors with due justification,” it adds.
Continue readingSOURCE: REUTERS

India has talked for decades about making nuclear power a centrepiece of its energy strategy but has made little real progress. This year’s federal budget tackled some of the thorniest issues standing in nuclear’s way. Is nuclear power finally getting its moment in the world’s most populous nation? That’s our focus this week.
Modi’s party wins local elections that put it in charge of India’s national capital region for the first time in 27 years. Scroll down for more on that.
Continue readingSOURCE: BEML

BEML Ltd., a leading Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) under the Ministry of Defence, has signed a strategic partnership with STX Engine, a renowned South Korean company, to co-develop, manufacture, and market Battle Tank engines, marine engines, spares, and engine aggregates. The agreement also includes servicing and maintenance of engine components to cater to Indian defence needs while exploring export opportunities to friendly nations.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was exchanged between Shri Shantanu Roy, CMD, BEML Ltd., and Mr. Sangsu Lee, President & CEO, STX Engine, in the presence of senior officials from both organizations. Shri Shantanu Roy, CMD, BEML Ltd., stated: “This collaboration is a testament to BEML’s commitment to strengthening India’s indigenous defence and maritime capabilities, in line with the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat.’ By integrating our engineering excellence with STX Engine’s advanced technology, we aim to drive innovation, reduce import dependency, and build a robust domestic manufacturing ecosystem.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI

US President Donald Trump has announced that his administration has approved the extradition of “very evil” Tahawwur Rana, wanted by Indian probe agencies for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, “to face justice in India”.
Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is currently lodged at a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles. He is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks.
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI

President’s rule was imposed in strife-torn Manipur on Thursday and the state assembly put under suspended animation, days after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned from his post that led to political uncertainty in the northeastern state.
The Manipur assembly, which has a tenure till 2027, has been put under suspended animation, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Singh, who was heading the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Manipur, resigned as chief minister after nearly 21 months of ethnic violence that has claimed over 250 lives so far.
Continue readingSOURCE: REUTERS
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US President Donald Trump and visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a press conference on Thursday when they meet in Washington, the White House said, a rare press briefing by the Indian leader.
Modi held a press conference with former President Joe Biden during a 2023 visit, but it is unusual for him to take questions from the media beyond occasional interviews, mostly around the time of elections. He has not held a single press conference in India since becoming prime minister in 2014. In May 2019 he attended a press conference but took no questions.
Continue readingSOURCE: ANI
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Amid the ongoing Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh held discussions with delegations from leading aerospace companies such as GE Aerospace, Safran, Leonardo S.p.A., Dassault Aviation, and BAE Systems.
These meetings focused on advancing strategic partnerships, technology transfer, and future opportunities in the aerospace and defence sectors. In a series of posts, the Ministry of Defence posted about Rajesh Kumar Singh’s engagements during the show, the country’s India’s premier aerospace and defence exhibition.
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Richard Rossow, the Chair of India and Emerging Asia Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, pointed out that both India and the US realise that China is the “biggest threat” in the Indo-Pacific region and are concerned about over-reliance on China for critical and emerging technologies.
He was speaking ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with US President Donald Trump in the US. He pointed out that India and the US differ regarding the focus area, as for India the focus is in its border, while for the US, it is in the Indo-Pacific region.
Continue readingSOURCE: IANS

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya took a sortie on the HTT-40, India’s fully indigenous Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA), at the Aero Show on Thursday. Soon after his sortie, he reflected on the journey of the making of the HTT-40, saying that India has now moved on from scams under the UPA to self-reliance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi by developing its own fully indigenous BTA.
He added, “Flying the HTT-40 was an incredible experience. This aircraft is a testament to India’s engineering excellence and a shining example of how, with the right policy and support, our scientists and engineers can achieve anything.”
Continue readingSOURCE: PTI
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Pakistani troops on Wednesday violated ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked firing on Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting a befitting response by the Indian Army, security officials said.
The extent of damage on the Pakistan side was not known immediately but the officials said the enemy forces suffered heavy casualties. The Indian Army neither confirmed nor denied the information. The ceasefire violation by Pakistan in the Krishna Ghati sector came a day after two Indian Army personnel including a captain were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion triggered by suspected terrorists near the LoC in the Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.
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