Author: Avikshit Khadri

At least four people were killed and four others hospitalized Monday after a boat ferrying them capsized in a river in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, officials said. Over two dozen people were rescued safely from the water. The boat capsized in the river Ganga in Ballia district, about 400 km southeast of Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh. “Today a boat carrying villagers capsized in river Ganga. The people were on their way to a local fair. Four bodies have been fished out and four others rescued in injured condition were immediately removed to hospital,” an…

Thousands of people rallied on Saturday against a future nuclear-powered submarine base at Port Kembla in eastern Australia as part of the A$368 billion ($244.1 billion) AUKUS defense pact with the United States and Britain. The second-largest coal export port in New South Wales state is the Defence Department’s preferred site for a new east-coast submarine base, according to state broadcaster ABC. Protesters carrying trade union banners and flags marched down the main street to voice their opposition to a base in the town of around 5,000 people 102 kms (63 miles) south of Sydney. “I’m getting the sense of the renewable energy that’s…

The Australian government is looking to speed up the purchase of a new generation of sea mines to protect its ports amid growing concern over China’s military build-up and expanding influence in the Pacific. The Department of Defence said in a statement Monday the “smart” sea mines would be able to discriminate between military targets and other shipping vessels and be “a significant deterrent to potential aggressors.” The news was first reported by Australia’s Nine newspapers on Monday, which said the cost could be as much as A$1 billion ($700 million) although the final total was still considered confidential. The…

The Indian government plans to invite financial bids for the privatisation of Shipping Corp of India Ltd (SCI) next month, as it looks to sell the state-run company after years of delay, two government officials told Reuters. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government had, in 2019, announced plans to privatise a number of state-run companies, including selling its stake in SCI, which was stalled due to regulatory delays. SCI – which owns and operates bulk carriers and crude oil tankers, among others – had to spin off its non-core assets before the government could sell its 63.75% stake, which hit a roadblock over…

At least four persons were killed when a man opened fire indiscriminately inside a military station in India’s northern state of Punjab on Wednesday morning, said the Indian Army. The identities of the assailant and those killed have not been ascertained yet. The incident occurred at around 04:35 a.m. local time inside the Bathinda Military Station in Punjab. The assailant was reportedly not wearing a military uniform. The station’s quick reaction teams were activated and the area was cordoned off and sealed. Search operations were in progress, news agency ANI quoting a military statement as saying. Other media reports said…

The Philippines and the United States are discussing conducting joint coast guard patrols, including in the South China Sea, a Manila official said on Monday. With overlapping sovereign claims in the strategic waterway, the Philippines has ramped up rhetoric against what it describes as China’s “aggressive activities” in the South China Sea, which has also become a flashpoint for Chinese and U.S. tensions around naval operation. Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) spokesperson on South China Sea issues, told CNN Philippines that talks with the United States have advanced beyond the infancy stage and the likelihood of carrying out joint patrols is high. Tarriela did…

Serbians could only forget the aggression unleashed by the U.S.-led NATO in 1999 if their country ceases to exist, President Aleksandar Vucic warned on Friday. He was marking the 24th anniversary of the military bloc’s bombing campaign of the then Yugoslavia. Media reports said: Vucic added that the U.S. and its allies have yet to answer for their attacks, which were conducted in violation of international law. His speech comes at a time when Belgrade is being pressured by Western countries over its ties with Russia. Speaking at a ceremony in the northern city of Sombor to commemorate the victims…

Hungary advocating for the ceasefire in Ukraine does not mean accepting that Russia would keep the territories it currently occupies, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in an interview with Associated Press published on March 26. According to Szijjártó, “stopping the war and sitting around the table does not mean that you accept the status quo.” “When the war stops and the peace talks start, it’s not necessary that the borders would be where the front lines are. We know this from our own history as well… Ceasefire has to come now.” Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, Hungary has…

China’s military says it monitored and drove away a US destroyer that had illegally entered waters around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. In a statement, Beijing said the USS Milius — a guided-missile destroyer — had entered China’s territorial waters without permission on Thursday. But the US was quick to reject the claim as “false”. “The USS Milius is conducting routine operations in the South China Sea and was not expelled,” a statement from the US Navy 7th Fleet said. “The United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows.” Earlier, Chinese government spokesman Tian Junli claimed that Beijing…

NEW DELHI: Amritpal Singh may be projecting himself as a pro-Khalistan leader fighting for Sikh pride, but inputs gathered by intelligence agencies point to his having been “planted” by Pakistan’s ISI, , with the twin objectives of whipping up separatist sentiments in Punjab to open a new front alongside terror-hit Kashmir and also to facilitate trafficking of drugs and arms from Pakistan into India. Amritpal, said an officer, is aligned with several known terrorists and drug dealers smuggling narcotics and arms into India. One of them is Jaswant Singh Rode, whose brother Lakhbir Singh Rode is allegedly involved in trafficking drugs from Pakistan into…