Author: Anil Shrivastava

The brazen assassination of a former Indian lawmaker and his brother in front of live television cameras while under police custody has sparked renewed anger over the blurred lines between politics and crime in the country’s most populous state. With more than 240 million people, Uttar Pradesh’s population is larger than most countries, yet the state has long been one of India’s poorest, held back by a reputation for corruption and organized crime. But what took place on Saturday was especially shocking and has transfixed much of India. Atiq Ahmed, a former lawmaker and convicted criminal, was gunned down alongside…

Singapore 23/10 (28.57). Ten fake websites have been blocked by the Singapore authorities over concerns that they could potentially be used to lay the groundwork for disinformation campaigns here. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said the websites masquerade as Singapore websites by spoofing or using terms associated with Singapore in their domain names and incorporating familiar local features and visuals. Singapore biggest newspaper the Straits Times takes a closer look at the banned websites. Alamak.io The site’s name uses the colloquial expression of shock often used by Singaporeans. It presents itself as a local news…

The 41 Indian workers rescued from a tunnel in Uttarakhand state after being trapped inside for 17 days are safe and recuperating in hospital. In a video released to the media, they can be seen eating on their hospital beds and appear to be in good spirits. The workers got trapped inside the tunnel on 12 November after a portion of it collapsed due to a landslide. They were freed on Tuesday evening after a mammoth rescue operation that overcame many obstacles. There was a sense of national relief after rescuers pulled out the last of the 41 men from…

Emphasising the Navy’s role in protecting, preserving, promoting and pursuing national interests, Admiral Kumar outlined plans for the force’s growth, projecting around 165-170 ships and submarines by 2035 from the current 130, and around 220 aircraft. “We have adequate resources and are reasonably well funded… We have 67 ships and submarines under construction of all sizes. By 2035, we should have about 165-170 ships and submarines, along with an increase in the number of air assets. An acceptance of necessity has been given for another 45 ships and submarines,” he said. He said complete takeover of artificial intelligence by 2045…

From the indigenously man-portable loitering munitions that can hover and hit targets silently, to swarm drones capable of both carrying load and strike capability, and new and swanky armoured personnel carriers, the Indian Army has introduced many new weapons in its arsenal in over a year. It is now showcasing their operational integration with their strike formations, according to information shared in a series of social media posts. Induction of drones has been an important part of force modernisation for the Indian armed forces, and the validation exercise of the Army Strike Corps in the desert saw the army conducting…

Two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers joined up with a Japanese helicopter-destroyer for an exercise in the Philippine Sea over the weekend, a gathering meant to show the two allies’ ability to quickly mass forces during crises. The meeting of some of world’s largest warships involved the Carl Vinson and Japan-based Ronald Reagan, joined by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter-destroyer JS Hyuga. The drill, dubbed a Multi-Large Deck Event in naval lingo, took place in the Philippine Sea between Nov. 4 and Nov. 8. It marked the second occasion over the span of a few days that a pair of US Navy…

Ukraine must go on the defensive, since the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ counter-offensive was incorrectly planned and carried out with numerous errors. This opinion was expressed in an interview with the Western press by the former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Army Reserve General Viktor Muzhenko, who held this position in 2014-2019. According to the retired military commander, the counteroffensive was carried out despite the lack of a numerical advantage in personnel and an adequate concentration of troops. Offensive operations require significant superiority in forces over the enemy. The Armed Forces of Ukraine did not have it, Muzhenko…

The forces are conducting firing drills and undergoing tactical training in the joint exercise to bring synergy and interoperability among the armies. A major joint exercise between Indian and Malaysian armies is underway in Meghalaya to increase inter-operability between personnel of both forces. Exercise HARIMAU, a joint exercise between Indian and Malaysian armies is being conducted at the Foreign Training Node at the Umroi Cantonment in Meghalaya and will conclude on November 5. The joint exercise started on October 23. The contingents are conducting “battle hardening” work sessions by putting personnel in combat conditions to cover a multi-domain operation in…

How many hours should a person work in a week? That’s the question being asked in India over the past few days after software billionaire NR Narayana Murthy – the father-in-law of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – said that young people should be ready to work 70 hours a week to help the country’s development. “India’s work productivity is one of the lowest in the world,” he said on a podcast recently. “Unless we improve our work productivity… we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress.” “So, therefore, my request is that…

A contestant in a popular Indian version of Big Brother has been arrested for wearing a pendant made of a tiger claw to the sets of the show. Businessman Varthur Santhosh, a participant in the Kannada-language edition of reality TV programme Big Boss, was arrested on 22 October. He has been charged for wearing and displaying an animal part, which is a punishable offence under Indian law. Police said that Mr Santhosh told them the pendant was a family heirloom. The forest department in the southern Indian state of Karnataka said they received a complaint after Mr Santhosh appeared on…