SOURCE: PTI

Ahead of his historic journey to the International Space Station (ISS), Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has termed the preparations for the Axiom-4 mission as an “amazing journey” and that he was extremely fortunate to be part of something that is “much larger than yourself”.

The 39-year-old Indian Air Force pilot is all set to travel with three other crew members to the ISS onboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket, that will lift off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Tuesday at 5:52 pm IST.

SOURCE: IANS

 In line with the government’s vision to establish a robust defence industrial ecosystem with the participation of both public and private sectors, the Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (VRDE), a DRDO laboratory located in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar, has taken a major step forward by transferring technologies of nine systems to 10 industries, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence on Sunday.

The licensing agreements were handed over in the presence of Secretary, Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman, Dr Samir V. Kamat, during an event organised at the VRDE.

SOURCE: IANS

Former Indian diplomat D.P. Srivastava stated that Pakistan’s Army challenges the concept of sovereignty by acting as a custodian of ideologies and religion, rather than focusing on national frontiers like the military forces of other nations.

Srivastava also slammed the radical Islamist ideology in Pakistan, which pits the nation against its neighbouring countries, including India.

SOURCE: IANS

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Director General (DG) Paramesh Sivamani inaugurated a new dedicated jetty at Vizhinjam Harbour, Kerala, to enhancing mission readiness for coastal surveillance, an official said on Sunday.

The new facility is expected to support faster deployment and turnaround of ICG vessels, adding to the mission readiness for coastal search and rescue, anti-smuggling, and fisheries protection. The new facility is expected to support faster deployment and turnaround of ICG vessels, adding to the mission readiness for coastal search and rescue, anti-smuggling, and fisheries protection.

SOURCE: PTI

Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi on Sunday visited forward posts in Uttarakhand’s Garhwal region and reviewed the operational and administrative readiness of the forces deployed in the region, officials said. During his interaction with members of the troops there, he emphasised the importance of maintaining high standards of operational preparedness and constant vigilance.

“The Army Chief interacted with troops guarding the frontiers and commended them for their unwavering dedication, resilience, and professionalism,” according to a an official statement.

SOURCE: IANS

Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi visited forward posts in the Garhwal region and inaugurated “Ibex Tarana 88.4 FM”, a community radio station based in Jyotirmath. This initiative is designed to serve as a vital platform for local expression, knowledge sharing, and cultural preservation.

The station will broadcast programs covering education, environmental awareness, weather updates, entertainment, employment opportunities, disaster preparedness, tourism, health, and traditional arts. It aims to bridge communication gaps and foster a sense of unity among residents of the Garhwal region.

SOURCE: IANS

Security and intelligence networks, both by Central and state agencies, are on high alert following intelligence inputs about plans of Bangladesh-based fundamentalist group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to set up modules in minority-dominated pockets in seven districts of West Bengal.

Sources said the intelligence inputs about the two-phase module creation plan were collected primarily through interrogation of the three recently arrested JMB associates. Last month, two were nabbed from Birbhum — Aazmal Hossain and Saheb Ali Khan — and one from South 24 Parganas, named Abasuddin Molla.

SOURCE: PTI

Bullish on the business opportunities in India, European aircraft maker ATR is in discussions with scheduled and non-scheduled operators to explore sale of its aircraft. Considering the growth potential of the Indian market, a senior ATR official said it expects the country to have 300 more turboprops in the next 10 years.

A joint venture between Airbus and Leonardo, ATR manufactures turboprops with up to 78 seats as well as freighters.

SOURCE: PTI

India is not in a hurry to ratify the High Seas Treaty, a global agreement for the protection and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in international waters, amid a push from France, the host of the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC-3), for early implementation of the pact.

Ahead of the conference next week, French is keen on the ratification of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, popularly known as the High Seas Treaty, which was signed by India on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last year.

SOURCE: PTI

Asserting that soldiers injured in the attack carried out by Pakistan in response to Operation Sindoor have returned from hospital with high morale, a senior BSF officer on Saturday said they are once again ready to give Pakistan a befitting reply in case of any misadventure.

He said the Border Security Force (BSF) is guarding the borders excellently, and no one needs to worry as long as the Force is standing on the borders. “It has been over one month since Operation Sindoor. The personnel from our forces who were injured have now returned from the hospital. The morale of the Border Security Force is extremely high,” BSF DIG Prabhakar Joshi told reporters here.

SOURCE: IANS

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will undertake an official visit to France, the European Union, and Belgium from June 8 to 14 to deepen India’s strategic partnerships and explore cooperation across a broad spectrum of sectors, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced.

The visit aims to build on existing ties and strengthen India’s engagement with key European partners. In Paris and Marseille, Jaishankar will hold bilateral discussions with Jean-Noel Barrot, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs. His engagements in France will also include meetings with the senior leadership, think tanks, and media representatives.

SOURCE: PTI

A critically-ill army personnel was airlifted from Kargil in an IAF’s An-32 on Saturday, using the transport aircraft at the “edge of its performance envelope”, officials said. High altitude and extreme temperatures make Kargil in Ladakh Union Territory, a formidable challenge for transport operations during summers, they said.

An IAF official said the critically-ill man was airlifted in an An-32 aircraft from Kargil to Command Hospital, Chandimandir in the morning. A military cantonment is located in Chandimandir in Haryana.

SOURCE: IANS

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has sharply criticised Pakistan for its treatment of Dr Shakil Afridi, the physician who helped the US locate and eliminate Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden responding to a post by US Congressman Brad Sherman who urged a visiting Pakistan to press for Dr Afridi’s release.

Taking to socila media platform X, Sherman wrote,”I urged the Pakistani delegation to relay to their government the need to free Dr. Shakil Afridi, who continues to languish in prison for helping the United States kill Osama Bin Laden. Freeing Dr. Afridi represents an important step in bringing closure for victims of 9/11.”

SOURCE: IANS

Radical Meitei outfit, Arambai Tenggol (AT) member Kanan Singh was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from Imphal Airport on Sunday, an agency statement said. The CBI statement said that Singh was involved in various criminal activities related to Manipur violence in 2023. The information related to his arrest has been given to his family members.

The central agency is investigating Manipur violence cases as per the direction of the Supreme Court, and the trials of these cases have been shifted from Manipur to Guwahati in view of the law and order situation in Manipur.

SOURCE: IANS

Amid the continuing border crisis with Bangladesh, the West Bengal government has started the process of handover 356 acres of land to the Border Security Force (BSF) at the earliest so that the border guarding force can immediately start the process of completing the process of installing barbed fencing in those areas where fences have not been yet put up.

Instructions have already been sent from the state secretary of Nabanna to the district magistrates of the districts concerned which have international borders with Bangladesh, a senior official of the state government said.