Glimpses from India and around the world that will make you smile and cry.
The Congress party has criticized the Modi government's approach to China following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, questioning whether the government is legitimizing Chinese aggression.
Trump's method are more destabilising than his policy. So, a good idea these couple of years is to sip Kool-Aid, and savour the joys of Trumplomacy, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
In a viral video uploaded to a YouTube channel on Tuesday, JeM commander Ilyas Kashmiri can be heard fuming over the Indian attack that killed the family members of Azhar and also bragging about fighting in neighbouring countries for Pakistan.
"I was born in this city and graduated from here. Constantly we were told that this city was freed by the British till somebody from the Historical Society knocked at my door one day and said that they have done a thorough research and found that it wasn't the British but the Indians who freed this city (from the Ottomans)," said the mayor of Haifa, Yona Yahav.
Sections in the US State Department and Pentagon have always felt more comfortable dealing with all powerful Pakistani generals instead of elected civilians, points out Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
Nepal turmoil: Kathmandu dropped as neutral venue for Blind T20 CWC for women
Indian airlines are resuming normal services to Kathmandu after the airport reopened following unrest in Nepal. Air India and IndiGo will operate additional flights to bring back stranded passengers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a gathering in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, praising Indian soldiers and promoting the use of 'Swadeshi' goods. He also launched health and nutrition campaigns aimed at women and children.
'With tears in his eyes, he told me in Gujarati, "What have they done to this country? It has so much potential." That feeling for the country -- it was striking.'
The Army on Monday showcased a demonstration of how Indian Air Defence systems, including AKASH missile system, L-70 Air Defence Guns, saved the Golden Temple in Amritsar and cities of Punjab from Pakistani missile and drone attacks.
Akhtar criticised vested interest groups in Pakistan, particularly the army, the political establishment and the extreme right wing, for blocking peace efforts between the two nations.
Pakistan's record on terrorism is "very clear" and the Pahalgam attack is only the recent example of cross-border terrorism, the ministry of external affairs said on Thursday.
The closed-door luncheon meeting came amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran with Trump exploring Washington's possible involvement.
Pakistan and China have submitted a joint bid at the UN Security Council to designate the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its suicide wing - Majeed Brigade - as a terrorist entity under the Council's 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee.
'But that was not our aim. Our objective was already achieved.'
China and Pakistan are in a tight strategic alliance. India must deal with them one at a time, but be prepared in case they decide to collude, points out Shekhar Gupta.
Wing Commander Singh asserted that while all hostile actions have been effectively countered with proportionate responses, India has reiterated its commitment to de-escalation, conditional on reciprocal restraint from Pakistan.
The Indian armed forces will conduct an exercise to test the capabilities of its drones and counter-drone systems. The exercise, named 'Cold Start', will involve all three services and will take place in Madhya Pradesh.
'It can be two months, a year, or even five years. We need to be prepared.'
Indian women's team has been relegated to the Nations Cup - a step down from the elite level they've been competing at. For Ireland, however, this is a breakthrough moment.
The Centre on Monday decided to extend the ban imposed on the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang [NSCN-K)] along with all its factions, wings and front organisations for five more years due to its involvement in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India.
Even as the years roll on, I know this: Whenever the history of the Indian Air Force is written, my name will always soar.
India recognised acts of gallantry by armed forces personnel and senior military officers involved in Operation Sindoor, along with other distinguished service awards, on the eve of the 79th Independence Day.
'India is too important to the United States for there to be any kind of a permanent bump in the relationship.'
The foremost lesson for India today is to beef up its air defence to cater for multiple drone attacks. As seen in Operation Sindoor, we have come a long way, but there's room for getting better. We must develop a robust and almost impregnable air cover over ourselves, asserts IAF veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).
Graphic designers, writers, testers, draftsmen and editors are seeing their traditional roles replaced by AI, warns Dr Anshuka Kulkarni, associate professor and head, School of Creative Studies, DYPU.
At the end of the discussion, the older Monpa said that if today the Chinese were to come inside India, "I will fight and kill them", prudently adding, "if they are of my age, if they are younger soldiers, I will not be able to fight". The entire village had a good laugh.
In what was perhaps the most critical meeting before full-scale war broke out, Shastri defined India's immediate war objectives to his defence minister, army, and air force chiefs: 'To defend against Pakistan's attempts to grab Kashmir by force and to make it abundantly clear that Pakistan would never be allowed to wrest Kashmir from India; To destroy the offensive power of Pakistan's armed forces...' A fascinating excerpt from Shiv Kunal Verma's must-read 1965: A Western Sunrise India's War With Pakistan.
Acharya Jonas Masetti, a Vedanta scholar from Brazil, was awarded the Padma Shri for teaching the Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita, Sanskrit, Yoga, Meditation and Indian spiritualism abroad.
'Operation Sindoor had three objectives.' 'One, destroy the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters at Muridke and the Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters at Bahawalpur.' 'Second, deter and defend any counterstrike by Pakistan.' 'And third, if they persist, demonstrably deliver counterforce punishment.' 'All of the three boxes, the IAF checked,' points out Shekhar Gupta.
Chandragupta Maurya was the first king to establish an empire in India. He died a monk.
The Mahars have a historical connection with this victory pillar.
'If China shows greater concerns for Indian interests, ties could improve. Otherwise, the thaw could be short-lived.'
China showcased its latest military hardware, including hypersonic and ballistic missiles, during a parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of its victory against Japanese aggression in World War II. President Xi Jinping called for world peace and national rejuvenation.
'The defence forces have come up with certain problems they face in the drone space.' 'Recently we had a meeting at which they presented the problems to many of our start-ups and faculty.' 'Some of the start-ups have started working on the problems.'
'Will this near-war, India's strongest military response so far, buy India another seven years of deterrence?' asks Shekhar Gupta.
'Within 30 minutes of when Asim Munir made those comments, he should have been taken to Tampa airport and flown out of the United States.'
Air India has confirmed that 241 people on board its London-bound flight were killed when the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday.
Jyotindranath Mukherjee, popularly known as Bagha Jatin, attained martyrdom while fighting the British in Balasore district on September 9, 1915. It is unfortunate that the supreme sacrifice made by Bagha Jatin and his associates is little known outside Bengal and Odisha.
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