Breaking News Live Updates: Defence, trade and technology discussed during Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's visit to US
Breaking News Live Updates: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Washington DC from May 27 to 29, where he held a series of high-level engagements with senior officials of the US Administration. Breaking News Live Updates: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Washington DC from May 27 to 29, where he held a series of high-level engagements with senior officials of the US Administration.Foreign Secretary Misri held wide-ranging discussions with counterparts across the Department of State, National Security Council, Department of Defence, Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Commerce, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.The visit was a follow-up to the Prime Minister's visit to the United States on February 13, during which both sides launched the India-U.S. COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century.Deputy National Security Advisor Pavan Kapoor was also part of the Indian delegation.According to MEA, at a luncheon meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, both sides reviewed the full spectrum of the bilateral agenda. They underscored that Technology, Trade, and Talent would be the key pillars shaping the India-U.S. partnership in the 21st century. Show more A passenger train derailed in western Russia late Saturday after a bridge collapsed because of what local officials described as 'illegal interference,' killing at least seven people and injuring 30.The bridge in Russia's Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, was damaged 'as a result of illegal interference in transport operations,' Moscow Railways said in a statement, without elaborating.Russia's federal road transportation agency, Rosavtodor, said the destroyed bridge passed above the railway tracks where the train was traveling.Photos posted by government agencies from the scene appeared to show passenger cars from the train ripped apart and lying amid fallen concrete from the collapsed bridge. Other footage on social media appeared to be taken from inside other vehicles that narrowly avoided driving onto the bridge before it collapsed. Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday sought clarification from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over US President Donald Trump's recent statement, in which he claimed that trade diplomacy helped de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.Speaking to ANI in Delhi, Khera said, "Prime Minister Modi is going around the country, doing a fancy dress competition. He hasn't brought up Donald Trump even once."He insisted that only the Prime Minister could provide clarity on the matter, saying, "Now, only our Prime Minister can respond for Donald Trump, you and I certainly cannot. What is this pressure to respond, what is this fear about?"He added, "We are repeatedly asking: Did you make a deal over Sindoor (Operation Sindoor) out of fear of losing trade? That has been our question from day one." Ukraine's air defence units were trying to repel a Russian air attack on the capital Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said early on Sunday on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Baijayant Panda, who is leading an all-party delegation to Algeria, slammed Pakistan on Saturday (local time), highlighting that the neighbouring country is using its nuclear power to shield its terrorist activities.Addressing the Algerian media, members of think tanks and the Indian diaspora, Baijayant Panda said, "Pakistan has used its nuclear power to shield its terrorist training, funding and arming program. When I say that they have been doing this with terrorists openly, it is not just me saying it. You can look it up on the internet. Everybody knows Pakistan has done this many times in the past."Referring to Pakistan's support in hiding Osama Bin Laden in the country, Panda said, "Remember Osama bin Laden, for years, they used to lie until the Americans intervened and took him out. They are doing the same thing, except there are 52 Osama bin Ladens.""The United Nations Security Council, of which Algeria is a member today, has sanctioned and banned a number of terrorist organisations and individuals, among them 52 terror organisations and terrorists are openly operating in Pakistan today," he added. Group 6 of the all-party parliamentary delegation from India arrived in Madrid on the final leg of its multi-nation outreach. Led by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, the delegation was received by Dinesh K Patnaik, India's Ambassador to Spain.Speaking in Madrid, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Dr Ashok Kumar Mittal outlined the purpose of the visit."Our final stop on this journey is Madrid, Spain, and first of all, we are meeting with the Indian diaspora here. We want to understand their sentiments and also make them aware of the sentiments of the Government of India and our Prime Minister," he said.The delegation aims to engage with local government representatives, policy think tanks and Spanish parliamentarians during its visit. Thousands of Paris Saint-Germain supporters took to the streets of the French capital on Saturday to celebrate their club's victory in the Champions League final, but nearly 300 arrests were made after some clashes with police.The majority of fans celebrated peacefully, but Paris police said scuffles broke out near the city's Champs-Elysees avenue and PSG's Parc des Princes stadium, where 48,000 had watched the 5-0 win against Inter Milan in Munich on big screens.Most of the nearly 300 people detained were suspected of possessing fireworks and causing disorder, Paris police said.AFP journalists saw police use a water cannon to stop a crowd reaching the Arc de Triomphe."Troublemakers on the Champs-Elysees were looking to create incidents and repeatedly came into contact with police by throwing large fireworks and other objects," police said in a statement.Outside Paris, police said a car careered into fans celebrating PSG's win in Grenoble in southeastern France, leaving four people injured, two of them seriously. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Washington DC from May 27 to 29, where he held a series of high-level engagements with senior officials of the US Administration.Foreign Secretary Misri held wide-ranging discussions with counterparts across the Department of State, National Security Council, Department of Defence, Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Commerce, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.The visit was a follow-up to the Prime Minister's visit to the United States on February 13, during which both sides launched the India-U.S. COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century.Deputy National Security Advisor Pavan Kapoor was also part of the Indian delegation.According to MEA, at a luncheon meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, both sides reviewed the full spectrum of the bilateral agenda. They underscored that Technology, Trade, and Talent would be the key pillars shaping the India-U.S. partnership in the 21st century.
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Hindustan Times
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Mint
28 minutes ago
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Passenger threat forces emergency landing at Glasgow; shouts made against Trump
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Indus Water Treaty Favoured Pakistan, Left India With Little Share: Lt Gen Vinod Khandare
Nagpur: Retired Lieutenant General Vinod Khandare, former Principal Advisor to the Union Ministry of Defence during Operation Sindoor , has termed the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 as "unfair and biased towards Pakistan ." Speaking at a Jansamvaad event organised by Janmanch NGO, Khandare stated that the political leadership of the time gave away significant control over India's river resources, leaving the country with a disproportionately small share of the Indus waters. "The Indus River, originating from the Himalayas, carries a large amount of silt and sludge that used to accumulate in our dams," he said. "We wanted to de-silt it for efficiency, but were told the treaty doesn't permit us. Despite this, we cleaned the river." Khandare pointed out that the river flows from Indian states like Punjab and Haryana into Pakistan's Punjab, significantly boosting their agriculture. "They reaped harvests, earned revenue, and used that very money to fund terrorism against us," he said, underscoring the strategic imbalance the treaty has created. He added that all that changed in 2016, after a team of experts were appointed to asses and review the pact. General Khandare also raised alarms over China's covert meteorological manipulation program. According to him, China's Department of Weather Modification, with over 37,000 personnel, has been closely studying Indian monsoon patterns. "We discovered one of their meteorological sensors in the Bay of Bengal," he revealed, adding that China intends to redirect rain clouds meant for the Indian subcontinent towards Tibet and Sichuan. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Search & compare rates from major search-engines, along with local, reputable engines. Hotel Deals | Search Ads Browse Now Undo The motive, he said, is to support Beijing's industrial shift from its eastern coastal belt to inland provinces. Touching upon India's evolving defence posture, Khandare highlighted Operation Sindoor as a turning point. "The military had full operational control without political interference, which enabled decisive surgical strikes and air operations like the one at Jabbar Top," he said. The operation targeted terrorist launchpads and training facilities in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, sending a strong message that no safe havens would be tolerated. Cyber warfare, he warned, is the new front. "Smartphones can now be weaponised. Cyberattacks, like the one that paralysed Estonia in 2008, can happen here too." He called for urgent investment in cyber resilience and civil defence, citing India's inadequate infrastructure—no public sirens in cities like Nagpur, and lack of shelters in urban areas, unlike Europe or Israel. "India's civil defence infrastructure remains alarmingly inadequate in the face of growing conventional and unconventional threats. Unlike countries like Israel, where every building has a shelter, or Europe, where metros are built underground for protection, Indian cities are ill-equipped. Nagpur, for example, lacks even basic sirens," Khandare said. General Vinod Khandare pointed out that while our armed forces may be battle-ready, the country lacks systems to protect its citizens in times of crisis or war. He further stressed the need for reforms in India's defence production. "With 41 ordnance factories underperforming, joint ventures and privatisation are no longer optional—they are essential," Khandare concluded by stating that only a self-reliant, strategically alert, and technologically equipped India can deter the evolving threats in a turbulent global order.
