SOURCE: PTI

India on Wednesday said it is and will remain Colombo’s most reliable friend and dependable partner as it underlined that New Delhi was willing to offer modern defence equipment to friendly partner countries like Sri Lanka.

Addressing the Second India-Sri Lanka Defence Seminar here, India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, said that like in other areas, India and Sri Lanka were cooperating closely on security and defence matters. “Because of our geography, our security is interlinked and intertwined. And when we speak of security, we must remember that it has acquired a wider meaning than we have traditionally associated with it,” Jha said and added, after the Covid19 pandemic and impact of Russia-Ukraine conflict, it has come to include energy, health, food and even economic security.

SOURCE: ANI

The ‘Steel Cutting’ ceremony of the first of five Fleet Support Ships (FSS) was held at Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.

The ceremony was presided over by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane. Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, CMD, HSL Cmde Hemant Khatri (Retd) and other senior officials from the Indian Navy and HSL were present for the occasion.

SOURCE: ANI

Drone manufacturer Garuda Aerospace has announced a significant collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), as it marks its debut in the space-tech domain. This partnership signifies a milestone moment, with ISRO set to procure Garuda Aerospace’s cutting-edge quadcopter drones, heralding a new era of innovation in the space sector.

Renowned for its state-of-the-art drone technology, Garuda Aerospace’s quadcopter drones boast integration with machine learning and artificial intelligence, promising to revolutionise efficiency across various ISRO operations. The journey towards this pivotal moment commenced in 2021 when ISRO initiated trials of Garuda Aerospace’s drones for tasks including medicine and food delivery, as well as building sanitisation efforts amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

SOURCE: ANI

Indian Army Vice Chief Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi visited IIT Madras on Thursday, where he was briefed about ongoing research in the defence technology field & partnerships with Indian Army, an official release stated.

He interacted with and felicitated Veer Naari Aditi, Wife of late Major MV Pranjal, Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous) and commended her for her spirit. Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi commended the Institute for enthusiastic participation and pathbreaking initiatives being pursued in consonance with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat in Defence.

SOURCE: PTI

Asserting that stable and peaceful relations between India and China are important for the entire region and the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed hope that through positive and constructive bilateral engagement at the diplomatic and military levels, the two countries will be able to restore and sustain peace and tranquillity at their borders.

In an interview with Newsweek magazine of the US, Modi said for India, the relationship with China is important and significant.

SOURCE: ANI

Nearly 60,000 Israelis were evacuated from 43 towns that are under attack by Hezbollah missiles, amid fears that the militant group could execute its offensive plan to occupy the Galilee region of northern Israel, an Israeli researcher said on Wednesday.

“The war started here on October 8 and since then, we are under fire from Hezbollah every day with anti-tank missiles, which are accurate missiles that are launched against everybody. They killed an Indian foreign worker as well. 60,000 Israelis were evacuated in 43 towns; 43 towns have become ghost towns since this war started. The situation also affects those who were not evacuated that are living like myself,” the president and founder of Alma Research and Education Centre and former researcher in the Israel Defence Forces Intelligence Corps, Sarit Zehavi told ANI.

SOURCE: ANI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday reaffirmed India’s unwavering stance against cross-border terrorism, particularly highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership in handling security challenges.

Reflecting on past experiences, Mr Jaishankar drew attention to India’s stance on cross-border terrorism before PM Modi’s era, and underscored a notable shift since the Mumbai attacks in 2008, stating, “That era is now behind us. Since the Mumbai attacks on 26/11, we haven’t witnessed any major terrorist incidents in our country. In today’s India, be it any terrorist incident, Uri is our reply.”

SOURCE: PTI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Tuesday that India under Narendra Modi focused on national interest and has successfully resisted attempts to put pressure on it on issues like Russia-Ukraine war, scrapping of Article 370 and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

At a meeting with intellectuals and a press conference earlier in Bikaner in Rajasthan, the minister talked about an India that faced the world with confidence. Answering a question, he also recalled the controversy over then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s apparent reluctance to grab an opportunity to claim a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that went to China.

SOURCE: PTI

The Odisha Police have asked its special security battalion personnel to remove tattoos on their body within 15 days as these skin markings are easily noticeable with uniform and considered “obscene and derogatory”.

The deputy commissioner of police (security), Bhubaneswar issued an order to this effect on Tuesday and asked all officials concerned to prepare a list of SSB men having “easily noticeable tattoos” on their bodies.