India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
New Delhi: Inside hotel rooms, military bases and secret compounds across Iran, top officers were jolted by phone calls they never expected. On the line - a calm voice in flawless Persian, warning them their lives were ticking down. "You have 12 hours. Take your wife. Take your children. Get out." Some hung up in disbelief. Others vanished. And a few, as Israel claims, did not survive the warning. This was not just war with missiles. It was psychological warfare. A parallel operation. A whisper campaign backed by precision airstrikes and names checked off a death list. The Other War While Israeli drones and stealth jets were hitting Iranian missile sites and nuclear bunkers, another operation was underway - one with no coordinates on a map. Code-named 'Rising Lion', the covert campaign targeted Iran's nerves. One phone at a time. Three operatives involved in the mission - along with a leaked recording - confirmed the plan's scope to The Washington Post. Around 20 senior Iranian officials received direct calls. The message was blunt. Stop backing Ayatollah Khamenei or join the dead. A chilling audio clip, now circulating among intelligence watchers, captures one such call. An Israeli operative speaks softly but firmly, "You are on our list. We are closer than your carotid artery. Remember that." The target was a high-ranking general. He reportedly escaped. Others did not. From Threat to Aftershock Israeli sources claim some of the men warned by phone were killed soon after. The calls were not bluffs. They were preludes. The strikes that followed wiped out important names - Major General Hossein Salami of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corpse (IRGC), Major General Mohammad Bagheri of Iran's armed forces and others. Subsequent calls invoked their deaths. One officer recalled a voice saying, "I am calling from the country that, two hours ago, sent Bagheri and Salami straight to hell. You are next if you do not wake up." Letters at the Door The pressure was not only through phones. Some officers found anonymous letters on their doorstep. Others were contacted through their spouses. It was personal, deliberate and meant to rattle men deep inside the regime's ranks. No bombs. No gunshots. Just fear. The campaign's goal? To paralyse succession planning. To ensure that after the decapitation strikes on top brass, those next in line would hesitate. Ayatollah Khamenei, reportedly hiding in a bunker during the height of the war, struggled to replace fallen commanders. One Israeli security official put it simply, "We wanted those left behind to doubt everything. Their safety. Their futures. Their leader." Despite the psychological pressure, no large-scale defection surfaced from the IRGC or Iran's armed forces. But insiders say the fear ran deep. At mid-levels, command chains frayed. Paranoia was growing. And that was always the point. This was not only about breaking bunkers but breaking resolve and killing silence whisper by whisper.
A top NATO chief has urged business leaders to begin preparing for a 'wartime scenario' following rising tensions across the world. The warning comes as Germany announced it was drawing up a list of bunkers and other underground facilities that could provide shelter for civilians in the event of an attack. Speaking in Brussels yesterday, Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer (pictured) warned that NATO members needed to adjust their production and distribution lines in order to be less vulnerable to blackmail from countries such as Russia and China. The chair of NATO's military committee said: 'If we can m ...Read More >
New Delhi: There is a lot of activity happening in the Middle East/West Asia right now. Israel is keeping an eye on the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the United States regarding the nuclear deal. Israel has assured the United States that it will not attack Iran's nuclear sites unless the nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran completely fail. This information has emerged from the U.S. news website 'Axios.' According to reports, citing two Israeli officials, Israel provided this assurance during a meeting that took place last week in Washington, which included Israel's Minister of Str ...Read More >
KV Singh Deo (centre) and other officials during the inauguration of the DNN lab on Thursday Sourced by the Telegraph A state-of-the-art Deep Neural Network (DNN) Laboratory has come up on the premises of Krystellar Defence and Aerospace in Nayapally, Bhubaneswar. The lab would work in the area of artificial intelligence and next-generation defence technologies. It is designed to promote research in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), artificial intelligence (AI), electronic warfare, cognitive communications, AI-powered space surveillance, hypersonic threat detection, tracking and situational aw ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla, were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. The newly launched spacecraft -- the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace -- successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean."At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics ...Read More >
Patna (Bihar) [India], July 6 (ANI): The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) campaign of the electoral rolls in Bihar is progressing rapidly and recognizing the efforts of the Polling station officials, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar has announced a special incentive of Rs 6,000 for each. This additional honorarium is aimed at acknowledging their hard work and commitment during the intensive revision process. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi, Argentine President Javier Milei Agree to Diversify India-Argentina Trade Basket, Vows to Expand Cooperation in Defence, Security and Mine ...Read More >
New Delhi: A quiet splash. A dark current. And then, chaos. Concrete cracking. Steel shattering. Russia's mighty Crimean Bridge, once a symbol of unbreakable control, was torn. Not by fighter jets. Not by missiles. But by bombs, sleeping silently beneath the waves. On June 3 morning, Ukraine's security service SBU claimed responsibility for a jaw-dropping underwater strike on the Kerch Bridge, an important supply line between Russia and the occupied Crimean Peninsula. The attack, which reportedly used 1,100 kg of explosives, targeted the bridge's underwater pillars - crippling its foundation ...Read More >
Donald Trump claims he prevented a war between India and Pakistan. He says he used the threat of halting trade deals to de-escalate tensions. Trump mentions phone calls with leaders from both nations. He also notes a meeting with Pakistan's Army Chief. India maintains that the ceasefire understanding came from direct talks between military officials.US President Donald Trump on Wednesday repeated his claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan and told the two countries that America ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The government on Saturday extended the term of the chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Ravi Agrawal by one year, an official notification said.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the re-appointment of Agrawal, an IRS officer of the 1988 batch, as CBDT chairman for one year from July 1 this year to June 30, 2026, on contract basis.Agrawal took over as the CBDT chairman from Nitin Gupta in June 2024 after Gupta's extended tenure ended. Agrawal has been a member of CBDT. He was member administration and had served as DG investigation in Delhi. The gover ...Read More >
A Russian strike on a nine-story building in the city of Sumy in northern Ukraine killed eight people and wounded dozens, an official said Sunday (November 17, 2024), as Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack described by officials as the largest in recent months. "Among the eight killed in Sumy, 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the border with Russia, were two children," said Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko. More than 400 people were evacuated from the building. Ukraine's Zelenskyy urges allies to take steps before North Korean troops reach the front The rescu ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 29: Ukraine has confirmed the loss of an F-16 fighter jet and its pilot during efforts to repel a large-scale Russian air assault, amid continued heavy fighting in the fourth year of war reports Al Jazeera and International media. The country's air force said the aircraft was engaged in defending against a barrage of missiles and drones when it was damaged and lost altitude. Ukrainian air defences reportedly shot down seven targets before the fighter crashed overnight. The pilot, identified as a first-class officer, was killed in the incident. The loss comes as Ukraine faces o ...Read More >
Bikaner, May 22: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday, asserted that the country's enemies have learnt what happens when "sindoor" becomes gunpowder and lauded India's armed forces for creating such a trap that Pakistan was "forced to go down on its knees". In a public address in Rajasthan, the prime minister slammed Pakistan, and said in response to the attack on April 22, "we destroyed nine biggest terror hideouts in 22 minutes". "The world and the enemies of the country have seen what happens when sindoor (vermillion) turns into barood (gunpowder)," he said. He said India is not goi ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Jun 7 (PTI) A 26-year-old man allegedly beheaded his wife following a heated argument on the outskirts of Bengaluru after he suspected her of having an extra-marital affair, police said on Saturday. After killing Manasa, Shankar travelled with her severed head on his scooter to the nearest police station and confessed to the crime, they said. The man was later arrested, police said, adding that the incident occurred at Heelalige village, near Chandapura, Anekal taluk late on Friday. According to the police, the couple were married for over five years and have a four-year-old daug ...Read More >
Srinagar, June 7: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, on Saturday, congratulated the University of Kashmir for getting an A++ grade in the NAAC inspection. The Lt Governor extended his heartiest congratulations to the Vice Chancellor, faculty, staff, and students of the University of Kashmir for attaining the prestigious A++ Grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), and securing an outstanding Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.68 on a seven-point scale. Calling it a proud moment for J&K UT, the Lt Governor said, "The A++ Grade places the Un ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): The 17th edition of the joint military exercise 'Nomadic Elephant 2025' between India and Mongolia is currently underway at the Special Forces Training Centre in Ulaanbaatar, the Indian Army said. According to the Indian Army, the training focuses on conducting non-conventional operations in semi-urban and mountainous terrain under a United Nations mandate. The objective is to enhance the operational capabilities of both forces. Participating contingents are actively exchanging best practices in counter-terrorism operations and precision sniping, thereby impro ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 8 (PTI) Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday visited the demolition site of the Madrasi Camp slum cluster, where they met with displaced residents, and intensified their attack on the BJP over the recent eviction drive. They alleged that Prime Minister Modi's promise to slum dwellers of 'jahan jhuggi wahan makan' - house at the site of their hutment - has "proved to be hollow like many others". There was no immediate response available from the BJP or the Delhi government over the accusations. The Madrasi Camp -- a jhu ...Read More >
New Delhi: Alleging "blatant misuse" of agencies to defame its leaders, AAP on Thursday questioned why the first information report filed against former Delhi ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain was being kept under wraps and "selective" press notes were being leaked to the media.Bharadwaj, who is Delhi AAP convener, alleged that only two former ministers were named in the case without any reasonable cause while all the officers of the health and public works departments, who were actually responsible for executing the hospital projects, were spared. "Is the FIR so baseless that BJP ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: India pushed for a permanent solution of border demarcation with China and underlined the need to solve complex issues through a structured roadmap of engagement and de-escalation, during talks between defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun on Thursday. Singh "stressed on border management and to have a permanent solution of border demarcation by rejuvenating the established mechanism on the issue," the defence ministry said on Friday, a day after two ministers held talks at Qingdao in China on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisat ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 4 (ANI): Keeping the door open for diplomacy, Iran has stated that any negotiation process with the US is meaningless until Washington provides a 'credible guarantee' to prevent future acts of aggression by Israel and the US. In an email interview with ANI, Iran's Ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi emphasised Tehran's conditions for resuming dialogue with Washington. 'As for negotiations with the United States, considering their betrayal of diplomacy and complicity with the Zionist regime in launching illegal attacks on Iran -- while a diplomatic process was still ongoin ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: India's army deputy chief on Friday claimed that China provided Pakistan "live inputs" on Indian military positions during the deadly conflict in May, urging swift upgrades to India's air defence systems in response to the evolving threat. The nuclear-armed rivals used missiles, drones, and artillery fire during the four-day fighting -- their worst in decades -- triggered by an attack in April on Hindu tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, before agreeing to a ceasefire. Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack. In ...Read More >
Sambhal (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 6 (ANI): With Muharram processions and the ongoing Kanwar Yatra taking place across several districts in Uttar Pradesh, including Sambhal, Lucknow and Moradabad, the state administration has stepped up security measures to ensure peace and prevent any untoward incidents. A large number of people participated in the Muharram processions in various parts of the state. In view of the Kanwar Yatra happening at the same time, police forces have been deployed in sensitive areas, with drones and CCTV cameras monitoring the situation. Also Read | DA Hike July 20 ...Read More >
India's Indigenous Light Tank: A Key Weapon System For High-Altitude Combat Friday, December 13, 2024 by Indian Defence News India's indigenous light tank, Zorawar, represents a significant advancement in the country's defence capabilities, particularly for operations in high-altitude regions. Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and supported by various Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the Zorawar is designed to meet the operational demands highlighted during the 2020 standoff with China in Eastern Lada ...Read More >
Nagpur, May 23 (PTI) India's indigenously developed 'Akashteer' air defence system performed "exceedingly well" during 'Operation Sindoor', said Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief Samir V Kamat, who expressed confidence that its success will draw international interest. India had deployed the indigenously developed and fully automated 'Akashteer' air defence control and reporting system, which emerged as the invisible force of new war capabilities during Operation Sindoor, launched against nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. "Definitely, our a ...Read More >
Silchar: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday visited the flood-ravaged districts of Hailakandi and Sribhumi in the Barak Valley. He assured affected residents of providing timely disbursement of rehabilitation grants and swift repair of damaged infrastructure.This marks Sarma's second visit to the flood-hit region within four days, underscoring the gravity of the situation. Speaking to the media in Sribhumi after inspecting multiple relief camps, the CM said, "Flood-related problems may persist till July. I will return before Durga Puja to ensure that roads and infrastructure ar ...Read More >
New Delhi: In the last few years, China has emerged as the biggest profiteer of war. When neighbouring countries fight, China becomes their dealer. From the Russia-Ukraine war to the India-Pakistan conflict, and civil wars from Yemen to Africa, Chinese weapons are visible on every front. A recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has revealed that China has sent military equipment to more than 44 countries in the last few years. China has supplied various weapons ranging from fighter jets to 44 countries, of which the maximum weapons have been sold to Paki ...Read More >
Russia's nuclear doctrine has been updated to affirm its nuclear umbrella for primarily the six member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), including an explicit focus on Belarus. The announcement followed a joint meeting of the CSTO's Council of Foreign Ministers, Council of Defense Ministers, and Committee of Security Council Secretaries held in Astana. According to the state news agency TASS, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu highlighted the revisions, emphasizing Moscow's commitment to protecting its allies under the CSTO. The CSTO, formed in 2002 ...Read More >
Imphal, Dec 3 (VOICE) Amidst the hectic search operation by the Army and other security forces and continued agitation by various organisations, the 56-year-old man of the Meitei community remained untraced for the ninth day on Tuesday.A police official said that the Army has deployed over 2,000 soldiers including Assam Rifles personnel and is conducting hectic searches in Kangpokpi and adjoining districts to locate Laishram Kamalbabu Singh, who has been missing since November 25. The Army as part of their search operation deployed tracker dogs, drones and other devices. Several Civil Societ ...Read More >
Jaisalmer, Jun 7 (PTI) To honour the armed forces following Operation Sindoor, a special tribute is taking shape in the border state of Rajasthan - rare Great Indian Bustard (GIB) chicks born under a conservation project in Jaisalmer have been named after key officers and significant milestones linked to the operation. Names like 'Sindoor', 'Atom', 'Mishri', 'Vyom', and 'Sophia' now resonate through the conservation centres at Sudasari and Sam, where science, strategy and national pride are working together to revive one of India's most endangered bird species. "By giving these chicks these ...Read More >
New Delhi: India's manufacturing sector activity rose to a 14-month high in June on the back of expansions in output, new orders, and job creation, a private survey showed on Monday. The HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), compiled by S&P Global, rose to 58.4 in June, up from 57.6 in May from 58.2 in April and 58.1 in March. India's manufacturing PMI was 56.3 in February and 57.7 in January. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. To be sure, the headline figure was above its long-run average of 54.1, which suggests a substantial improvement in the sector's health. " ...Read More >
NAGPUR: The Maharashtra government has pledged strict action against illegal sand mining along the Wardha River. Speaking during the monsoon session of the state legislature on Tuesday, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule assured that officials showing laxity in curbing illegal excavation would face immediate suspension. To ensure accountability, drone surveys have been ordered to monitor sand mining sites. Bawankule said the state introduced a new sand policy on April 1, abolishing the earlier depot system and replacing it with an auction-based model, which has already begun generating ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: India will launch a $234 million incentive programme for civil and military drone makers to reduce their reliance on imported components and counter rival Pakistan's programme built on support from China and Turkiye, three sources told Reuters. India's push to build more home-grown drones stems from its assessment of the four-day clash with Pakistan in May that marked the first time New Delhi and Islamabad utilised unmanned aerial vehicles at scale against each other. New Delhi will launch a 20 billion Indian rupees ($234 million) programme for three years that will cover manufact ...Read More >