Author: Aakash Prabhu

Several major missile systems are expected to be stationed across Europe and Asia, within concerning ranges to Moscow. The United States is boosting efforts to increase deployment of intermediate and short-range missiles, including basing hypersonic weapons across Europe and Asia, RT reported. Production and deployment of such systems have accelerated within the US in recent years. According to RT, production includes that of Dark Typhon, a multi-rocket launcher, expected to be able to fire Standard-6 missiles with a 500 km range and Tomahawk cruise missiles with a 2,400 km range, alongside a hypersonic missile that is still being developed. The system is expected to…

As Arnold Dix says, this ranks as the “toughest” tunnel rescue operation he’s ever encountered. Mr Dix, an Australian underground expert summoned as a consultant by the Indian government, has been spending days and nights outside an under-construction road tunnel in Uttarakhand, where 41 workers have been trapped for more than a fortnight now. The Silkyara tunnel is part of a $1.5bn (£1.19bn), 890km-long flagship Char Dham project connecting key Hindu pilgrim sites through two-lane paved roads in the Himalayan state. Efforts to clear the 60m blockage and create an exit passage for trapped workers using crawl-out pipes, have faced numerous…

Millions of Indians are nursing broken hearts after the national cricket team lost to Australia in the World Cup final on Sunday. Australia, who have now lifted the World Cup six times, won by six wickets with seven overs left to play. The team beat South Africa in the semi-final while India beat New Zealand to make it to the final. The match was played in the world’s largest stadium in the western state of Gujarat. Cricket is the most popular sport in India and more than 100,000 fans showed up at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad city to…

At least 168,491 people were killed on India’s roads last year, data released by the government shows. The country accounts for just 1% of the global vehicular population, but has the highest number of accident-related deaths in the world. The fatalities recorded in 2022 represent an increase of 9.4% on the previous year, a new report by India’s transport ministry said. Seven out of every 10 lives, or 70%, were lost due to speeding, it added. Road accidents are common in India, often due to poor driving or badly maintained roads and vehicles. The report, which was released on Tuesday, said that the…

Police in India are investigating a series of explosions which killed three people at a Jehovah’s Witnesses meeting in the southern state of Kerala. More than 50 others were injured in the blasts on Sunday at an event held by the Christian-based religious movement near the port city of Kochi (Cochin). A man was detained after he posted a video claiming responsibility for the attacks and surrendered to police. Police said they were still trying to verify his confession. “He is in our custody. He has also presented some pieces of evidence which we are verifying. The investigation is at…

Over three decades of his movie career, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s boyish charm, twinkling eyes and dimpled smile have become synonymous with charming romantic heroes he’s best known for playing. This year, he’s returned to the screen transformed – a rugged, action star. In a scene from his latest film Jawan, a bald-headed, menacing Khan is seen surrounded by terrified passengers as he holds a metro train hostage. He soon bursts into song and dance, much to the confusion of his captives. The film’s trailer had warned audiences: “When I become a villain, no hero stands a chance.” Khan,…

A Pakistani cricket commentator who abruptly left India earlier this week has denied that she was asked to leave the country. Zainab Abbas, who was covering the Cricket World Cup, left on Monday after a backlash over her old social media posts that allegedly mocked India and the Hindu religion. Abbas said she felt “intimidated and scared” by the online reactions. She also apologised to people who were offended by the posts. “I understand and deeply regret the hurt caused by the posts that were circulated. I wish to make clear that they do not represent my values or who I am…

According to the Coordination Headquarters for Dealing with Prisoners of War, Ukraine has successfully repatriated the remains of 51 fallen defenders to a territory under government control. The transfer of these bodies was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Coordination Headquarters for Dealing with Prisoners of War, the Civil-Military Cooperation Directorate of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the Department for Persons Missing under Special Circumstances of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In total, over the course of two years, 1832 Ukrainian military personnel have been repatriated. Return of fallen soldiers’ bodies Russia and Ukraine regularly…

On any given day, strolling down an Indian street, you will encounter billboards featuring Bollywood stars endorsing various products. But over the past year, posters for the G20 summit have cropped up in every corner of the country. They are taped to electricity poles and stuck behind tuk-tuks, and have been showcased on massive LED screens. The posters prominently display India’s official G20 logo, featuring a globe nestled within a blossoming lotus – a design that has drawn comparisons with the symbol of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Accompanying them are photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The message…

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has praised a joint declaration by G20 leaders in Delhi that avoids condemning Moscow for its war against Ukraine. Russia had not expected consensus and agreement on the wording was “a step in the right direction”, said Mr Lavrov. The closing G20 statement denounced using force for territorial gain but made no mention of Russian aggression, prompting criticism from Ukraine. The two-day summit also inducted a new permanent member, the African Union. The 55-member bloc joins at the invitation of hosts India, one of whose key objectives while president has been to make the G20…