Seven-year-old Ishank Singh has become the youngest swimmer to cross the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka, completing the 29-km stretch in 9 hours and 50 minutes after months of rigorous training.
Two young swimmers from Thane, Vanshika Girish Iyer and Swaraj Sneha Gaurav Phadnis, have successfully completed a 21-kilometre open water swim in the Arabian Sea, setting a new record for the route.
Sri Lanka has released 14 Indian fishermen as a special gesture, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for resolving the issue with a "humane approach." The fishermen issue figured prominently during talks between Prime Minister Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Saturday. The fishermen issue is a contentious matter in India-Sri Lanka ties, with several alleged incidents of Sri Lankan Navy personnel using force against Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait. Modi stressed the need for a humane approach and the immediate release of the fishermen and their boats.
Ten Indian fishermen, arrested for allegedly engaged in illegal fishing in the Sri Lankan waters on Monday, will be charged with the death of a Navy sailor, who was killed in an operation to seize their trawler, authorities in Colombo said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Pamban sea bridge, providing rail link between Rameswaram island and the mainland and flagged off the new Rameswaram-Tambaram (Chennai) train service. The bridge is India's first vertical sea-lift bridge, spanning 2.08 kilometers, and includes a 72.5-meter-long vertical lift span that can be raised up to 17 meters, allowing the smooth passage of large ships while ensuring seamless train operations. Built at a cost of over Rs 550 crore, the bridge features stainless steel reinforcement, high-grade paint, and fully welded joints, enhancing durability while reducing maintenance requirements. The bridge is a remarkable blend of tradition and technology.
The Sri Lankan Navy on Thursday arrested 32 Indian fishermen for alleged illegal fishing off the east coast, taking the total number of fishermen arrested during the last two days to nearly 70.
The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 32 Indian fishermen and seized five fishing boats for allegedly venturing into the island nation's territorial waters. This incident is the latest in a series of arrests of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy for alleged illegal fishing activities. The issue of fishermen is a contentious one in the relationship between India and Sri Lanka, with past incidents involving firing at fishermen and seizures of boats. This latest incident follows an earlier arrest of 10 Indian fishermen earlier this month and an incident in January where five Indian fishermen were injured after the Sri Lankan Navy fired on them. India has expressed its displeasure regarding the use of force by Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan authorities will hand over the fishermen to the Indian consulate after which they will be repatriated to India after completing all the necessary COVID-19 protocols.
The Sri Lankan navy on Wednesday detained as many as 327 Indian fishermen when they were fishing in the Palk Strait, and later released 227 of them, officials said.
A research scholar says why the Sethusamudram canal project must be stopped and why the Ramar Sethu must be declared a world heritage site.
Sri Lankan Naval personnel allegedly attacked some fishing boats and arrested 23 Tamil Nadu fishermen when they were fishing near Katchatheevu in the Palk Straits on Sunday, said officials of the fisheries department.
At least 60 fishermen from Tamil Nadu were arrested by Sri Lankan Navy personnel while fishing near Katchatheevu on Thursday, an official from fishermen association said.
Four fishermen were injured on Thursday when they were attacked, allegedly by Sri Lankan naval personnel, while they were fishing near Katchatheevu in the Palk Straits. Sticks, bottles and stones were allegedly hurled by the Lankan naval personnel at the fishermen and their boats also suffered damage in the attack.
The Sri Lankan navy on Sunday allegedly took away forcibly the catch netted by fishermen who put to sea from Rameswaram, when they were fishing near Katchatheevu in the Palk Straits, fisheries department officials said.
Sri Lankan fishermen hurled allegedly petrol bombs at some fishing boats in the presence of Lankan naval personnel, sinking one of them while another narrowly escaped at Katchatheevu in the Palk straits, a fisherman's body said in Rameswaram on Thursday.
In yet another incident over a week, a fisherman was injured on Tuesday when Sri Lankan naval personnel allegedly attacked three fishing boats from Rameshwaram in the Palk straits, officials said.
Six Tamil Nadu fishermen were injured on Tuesday when they were allegedly attacked by the Sri Lankan navy which briefly detained 13 others near Katchatheevu in the Palk Straits.
Twenty three fishermen from Tamil Nadu, arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on July 22 when they were fishing near Katchatheevu in the Palk Straits, have been released, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said on Friday.
The Sri Lankan government on Friday reached out to fishermen community of Tamil Nadu as President Mahinda Rajapaksa's brother and economic development minister Basil met their delegation here with a promise of addressing their concerns.
During a virtual meeting of the joint working group on fisheries on Friday, both countries agreed that the use of force could not be justified under any circumstances.
A Sri Lankan court on Tuesday ordered the release of 56 Indian fishermen who were detained for allegedly fishing in the island nation's territorial waters.
India has taken up with authorities in Colombo the issue of arrest of 23 Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy when they were fishing near Katchatheevu in the Palk Straits on Sunday, Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi on Monday.
Sixteen fishermen from Rameswaram were injured in an alleged mid-sea attack by Sri Lankan naval personnel while fishing near the International Maritime Boundary Line in Palk Strait, the police said on Sunday.
Twenty-two Tamil Nadu fishermen were injured in two separate attacks allegedly by the Sri Lankan navy which also briefly detained 16 of them while fishing near Katchatheevu in the Palk Straits, in the second such incident in as many days.
In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Karunanidhi said, "There is no requirement of joint patrolling at this juncture. The issue of joint patrolling was once discussed and did not find favour with our government due to a number of reasons."
The radar, manufactured in Britain, is capable of detecting even a small rowing boat, commander of the Naval Detachment Rathode Mukherjee said.
Baalu took copies of the Valmiki Ramayan, Tulasi Ramayan, Adhyathma Ramayan, Kamba Ramayan and many other books, as also copies of maps on Ramar Sethu.
The DMK memorandum pointed out that three fishermen had been killed in February and seven grievously injured. The boats and the fishermen's catch were 'unlawfully' seized and a few of them 'illegally' arrested, it said.
Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu would monitor the project to ensure that physical and financial targets were met and a separate mechanism was being set up in the Shipping Ministry to monitor the project.
The number of naval ships patrolling the area had been increased from two to four while an unmanned aerial vehicle was also keeping vigil.
Antony said the government would take all 'humanly possible' steps to protect the rights of fishermen.
Thirty-eight Tamil Nadu fishermen were on Thursday arrested by Sri Lankan navy for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary line, three days after fishermen representatives of India and Sri Lanka met to discuss the vexed fishing issue.
The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project, aimed at deepening the waters in Palk Straits, is a 'viable' one but will not be useful for the navigation of the big ships, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Suresh Mehta said in Chennai on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka hasn't formally objected to the project and an official did not say what prompted the government to set up the experts' group.
The 34-year-old swimmer crossed the 40-km long Palk Strait, on Friday to complete the feat.
Security in coastal areas of Tamil Nadu has been further beefed up following an anonymous telephone call about infiltration of terrorists, days after an intelligence alert that they could sneak in from Sri Lanka and attack Madurai, Mayiladuthurai and Rameswaram in the state.
The 49 Indian fishermen, arrested by Sri Lankan navy recently, have been released and will return home in a couple of days, Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday said in Chennai.
The issue of fishermen continues to be thorny in the relations across the Palk Straits as the Sri Lankan Navy is often accused of harassing the Tamil Nadu fishermen.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances