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.
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 make sure that all crucial services and goods can be delivered no matter what, then that is a key part of our deterrence.' Speaking at an event of the European Policy Centre think tank, he described deterrence as going far beyond military capability alone, since all available instruments could and would be used in war. 'We're seeing that with the growing number of sabotage acts, and Europe has seen that with energy supply,' Bauer said. Meanwhile, Germany is exploring methods of keeping their civilian population safe in the event of a conflict. This would involve reopening Germany's 579 World War Two and Cold War bunkers and repurposing underground car parks and metro stations as shelters. Germany is also planning to release an app to help the public find emergency shelters in the event of an attack. The Guardian reported that a digital directory of bunkers and emergency shelters will be drawn up so people can find them quickly using a planned phone app. The new plans have been drawn up during escalating tensions between the West and Russia over the ongoing Ukraine war. In October, German intelligence chiefs warned that Russia would probably be capable of launching an attack on the military alliance by 2030. Bauer has also warned of the dangers facing the West from China. He said: 'We thought we had a deal with Gazprom, but we actually had a deal with Mr Putin. And the same goes for Chinese-owned infrastructure and goods. We actually have a deal with (Chinese President) Xi (Jinping).' Highlighting western dependencies on supplies from China, with 60 per cent of all rare earth materials produced and 90 per cent processed there, Bauer claimed it was 'naive' to think China might not use this dependency to its advantage. 'We are naive if we think the Communist Party will never use that power. Business leaders in Europe and America need to realise that the commercial decisions they make have strategic consequences for the security of their nation,' Bauer stressed. 'Businesses need to be prepared for a wartime scenario and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly. Because while it may be the military who wins battles, it's the economies that win wars.' The rising global tensions come after Ukraine began using American and British missiles to hit targets within the Kursk region of Russia. During a strike on November 20, where British Storm Shadow missiles were allegedly used, top Russian general Lt-Gen Valery Solodchuk and 500 North Korean soldiers were killed. Russia's ambassador to the UK declared that Ukraine's use of Storm Shadow missiles on Russian territory meant Britain 'is now directly involved in this war'. His comments came as British and European leaders decried a 'clear and deeply concerning escalation' in the Ukraine conflict by Vladimir Putin after Russia's forces struck the city of Dnipro with a never-before seen hypersonic ballistic missile last Thursday. Want more stories like this from the Daily Mail? Hit the follow button above for more of the news you need.
Air India launched a Black Friday Sale with discounts up to 20% on domestic flights and up to 12% on international flights to various destinations. The sale is available through the airline's website and mobile apps. Additional savings are possible with waived convenience fees and specific payment methods. The airline continues offering student and senior citizen discounts.Air India on Friday launched a limited-time Black Friday Sale offering discounts of up to 20 per cent off base fares for domestic flights within India. The Tata-owned airlines will also offer up to 12 per cent off base fares ...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 >
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to embark on a five-nation tour next week to attend the BRICS summit in Brazil and to enhance India's ties with four other nations, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Besides Brazil, Modi is set to visit Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina and Namibia, they said. There is no official announcement yet on Modi's planned trip. The main focus of the trip will be his visit to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro to participate in the BRICS summit on July 6 and 7. BRICS brings together 11 major emerging economies of ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) YouTuber Samay Raina appeared before the National Commission for Women (NCW) in Delhi on Tuesday, months after he was summoned in connection with allegedly offensive and sexist content aired during his show "India's Got Latent", officials said. Raina was also among the five social media influencers who appeared before the Supreme Court in a case seeking action against them for ridiculing persons suffering from disabilities. Raina submitted his statement in response to the allegations to NCW officials. Officials said further steps will be considered after reviewing his ...Read More >
Hyderabad: In a significant boost for 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbharta' in the aerospace and defence sector, and Hyderabad's growing stature as a global aerospace hub, the complete fuselage of the Rafale fighter jet will now be made in India at Hyderabad. This move marks the first time that these Rafale components will be manufactured outside France for the Indian as well as global markets.French aerospace major Dassault Aviation has signed four production transfer agreements with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) for manufacturing key sections of the Rafale fighter jet, including the lateral ...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 >
New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will undertake an official visit to France, the European Union (EU), and Belgium from June 8 to 14, 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs announced in a press release on Sunday. The visit marks a significant step in further strengthening India's strategic partnerships with Europe. The EAM will first travel to Paris and Marseille, France, where he will hold bilateral discussions with the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Jean Noel Barrot. Also Read | Indian Citizen Dies in UAE: Civil Engineer Issac Paul ...Read More >
CHENNAI: The recently concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China has brought to the fore the contradictions and dilemmas of India's foreign policy. They relate to the growing affinity between China and Pakistan, which could upset the delicate balance of power in South Asia and India's balancing act with regard to the conflict between Israel and Iran. Whatever the political rhetoric of new regimes, continuity in foreign policy is almost unchangeable, while there will be room for making some changes or shifts. India, under successive NDA governments, has been making some ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing from all angles, including sabotage, in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that killed 274 people on board and on the ground last month, Minister of State (MoS) For Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said. Mohol said the black box of the Air India flight AI 171 that has been recovered is in AAIB's custody and will not be outside the country for a thorough assessment. The MoS was speaking at the Pune chapter of the Emerging Business Conclave. "It (plane crash) was an unfortunate incident. The AAIB has begun a full investig ...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 >
The incoming US president has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia's war - leaving Kyiv scrambling to position itself ahead of his January inauguration Nato foreign ministers looked set to rebuff Tuesday a push from Ukraine for progress on joining their alliance ahead of Donald Trump taking power in the United States. The incoming US president has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia's war - leaving Kyiv scrambling to position itself ahead of his January inauguration. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said getting security guarantees from the Western alliance and ...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 >
Jamshedpur, July 2: Tata Steel held its 118th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on July 2, where the company's Chairman addressed shareholders with a comprehensive overview of the company's performance, challenges, and strategic direction. The meeting opened on a solemn note, acknowledging recent losses within the Tata Group and paying tribute to significant figures whose contributions shaped the company. "There is a lot to talk about today," said the Chairman. "But I must begin by acknowledging the heavy loss we have felt in recent months. Across the entire Tata Group, we honour those who lost th ...Read More >
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his international tour, questioning the effectiveness of India's diplomatic efforts in isolating Pakistan globally. Moitra commented on Modi's extensive traveling and expressed concerns about Pakistan's support from international organizations. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a multi-nation tour, he faced critical remarks from Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, who questioned why India's diplomatic act ...Read More >
Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has refuted US President Donald Trump's assertion of using trade as leverage to negotiate a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during a military showdown in May. Trump has repeatedly said that the US mediated between the South Asian neighbors when they were involved in a 4-day confrontation and offered more trade with both countries if they ceased hostilities. "I think the trade people are doing what the trade people should be doing, which is negotiate wi ...Read More >
New Delhi: In a major development, NATO chief Mark Rutte has made a shocking statement expressing fears of a third world war. Rutte said that a coordinated attack by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin could trigger World War III. He said the Chinese military may begin its attempt to seize Taiwan, while simultaneously, Russia could launch an attack on NATO territories. Mark Rutte said, "Chinese President Xi Jinping may launch an invasion of Taiwan while assigning Russian leader Vladimir Putin to attack NATO countries in order to keep them distracted from the Paci ...Read More >
Hyderabad, July 13 (Maxim News): In a significant diplomatic development, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will embark on a three-day visit to China beginning Sunday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Tianjin. This marks his first visit to China since the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, which led to a severe deterioration in India-China relations. Although Jaishankar has engaged with his Chinese counterpart at multilateral forums in the past, this visit underscores a positive shift in bilateral engagement, building on recent high-level ...Read More >
New Delhi: Indian Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Sunday (Dec 15) left on a four-day official visit to Indonesia to further consolidate the bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries. His visit, which will conclude on December 18, is in line with the deepening Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with a focus on enhancing Naval Cooperation. During the visit, Admiral Tripathi will engage in bilateral discussions with top Indonesian Government and defence officials, including Lt Gen Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin (retd), Defence Minister of Indonesia, General Agus Subiyanto, Commander ...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, June 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has briefed his Belarusian, Tajik, Kazakh and Chinese counterparts on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. He met them on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting in Qingdao, China, on Thursday. The Ministers agreed to continue cooperation to enhance capacity building, training, military technical cooperation, and military education, amongst other areas of common interest. According to a Ministry of Defence (MoD) press release issued on Friday, Rajnath Singh briefed ...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: Signalling the government's intent to move ahead with the impeachment motion of Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said that main opposition parties have given their in-principle approval to support the motion in the upcoming monsoon session scheduled for July21-August 21. Rijiju said that the government is yet to decide whether the motion would be brought in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha. For the Lok Sabha, signatures of a minimum 100 MPs is required. The requirement is the support of at least 50 MPs in the Rajya Sabha. H ...Read More >
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar will be on a three day visit to China starting July 13, sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) revealed on Friday. They stated that EAM Jaishankar will begin his China visit from Beijing and then visit Tianjin for the Foreign Minister's Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries. China is the current Chair of the grouping. While the External Affairs Minister has met his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of multilateral events, this would be his first trip to China since bilateral relations wer ...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 >
NEW DELHI -- President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that the Russian people were "united as never before," as he sought to project confidence in the wake of a short-lived revolt, at a meeting of a rare international organization where he can find a sympathetic audience. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting, hosted via videoconference by India, was Putin's first multilateral summit since an armed rebellion rattled Russia and comes as he is eager to show that the West has failed to isolate Moscow over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Asian security grouping, founded by Russia and Chin ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) Shashi Tharoor was a part of a government delegation that was sent abroad, and being a member, one has to defend the government, said Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan amid a row over the MP's recent remarks that have irked the party leadership. He, however, sounded cautious about "what happens to Mr Shashi Tharoor in future", saying, "I don't know and would not like to comment on that." Both Chavan and Tharoor were part of the now-defunct 'group of 23' that had written to then Congress president Sonia Gandhi in 2020 for the overhaul of the party organisation. Followin ...Read More >
New Delhi (ABC Live): BRICS Rio 2025 Summit: The 16th BRICS Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro, has turned into a high-stakes test for the bloc's future, with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin absent from the stage. In their place, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are stepping into the vacuum, leading efforts to institutionalize BRICS+ and reshape the bloc's global relevance. Under the theme "Institutionalizing Multipolarity: Reform, Cooperation, and Sustainability," this year's summit features expanded participa ...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 >
European nations are investigating a Chinese cargo ship for underwater sabotage in the Baltic Sea, according to a report. Earlier this month, two undersea fibre-optic data cables were cut in the Baltic Sea. The first cable was damaged between Sweden and Lithuania and the second cable was damaged between Germany and Finland. Shortly after the damage was discovered, Sweden took the lead in investigations and European nations -- all members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) -- began pursuing a Chinese cargo ship in the region. The Chinese ship, Yi Peng 3, is currently anchored in ...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 >