The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. File
| Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

Seamstress Tove Lycke works on NATO flags, at the flag manufacturer Flagghuset, in Akersberga, outside Stockholm, Sweden, March 7, 2024.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

INS Kolkata assists two merchant vessels hit in Gulf of Aden

Indian Naval destroyer INS Kolkata responded to two instances of missile/drone attacks on merchant vessels in the last few days. On March 6, the warship rescued 21 crew members, including one Indian, from Barbados-flagged bulk carrier MV True Confidence after it was hit in the Gulf of Aden and the crew forced to abandon ship. In another incident, on March 4, INS Kolkata responded to a request from MSC Sky II, a Liberian-flagged container vessel, which was hit at about 7 p.m. approximately 90 nautical miles south-east of Aden.

CJI asks if Speaker did not contradict Supreme Court to bank on legislative majority to decide Shinde camp as ‘real’ Shiv Sena

The Supreme Court on March 7 asked whether Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar “contradicted” a Constitution Bench judgment to bank on ‘legislative majority’ as a criterion to declare Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction as the “real” Shiv Sena.

Sandeshkhali reports misleading, Bengal safest for women, says Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that the reports of atrocities on women at Sandeshkhali were misleading and Bengal was the safest State for women.

Almost 60% of the funds received by national political parties are from ‘unknown’ sources

Almost 60% of the funds received by political parties cannot be traced and come from “unknown” sources, including electoral bonds, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

CCS approves development of AMCA, India’s fifth-gen fighter

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has approved the project for the design and development of India’s fifth-generation fighter jet, Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), to be undertaken by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), defence sources confirmed on March 7.

India sending unemployed poor to Israel: Arundhati Roy

The unemployed poor of India are being sent to Israel to fill up the vacancies created by Palestinians leaving jobs due to the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict, noted writer and activist Arundhati Roy stated. A message from Ms. Roy was read at an event by Indians for Palestine on March 7 at the Press Club of India where the organisers said that more than 30,000 Palestinians have died so far under Israeli attacks and called for “immediate and urgent action” to help civilians trapped in Gaza.

Tribal Affairs Ministry, ISRO to collaborate on use of V-SAT centres for Internet in 80 tribal villages in pilot project

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is planning to collaborate with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to deploy V-SAT stations on a pilot basis for around 80 tribal villages in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Maharashtra to bring Internet services there, according to a proposal unveiled on Thursday at a ministry event meant to brainstorm innovative projects for tribal development.

Centre releases additional DA to employees, pensioners

The Union Cabinet, which met in New Delhi on March 7, decided to release an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from January 1, 2024. The increase will be four percentage points over the existing rate of 46% of the basic pay/ pension, to compensate against price rise, the government said. Other allowances, including house rent allowance, canteen allowance and deputation allowance, will also be increased subsequently.

Sweden officially joins NATO after completing its accession process, ending decades of neutrality

Sweden on March 7 formally joined NATO as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality as concerns about Russian aggression in Europe have spiked following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Days after PM Modi congratulated him, Pakistan PM Sharif thanks him for the greeting

Pakistan’s newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his greetings on social media on Thursday, even as the two countries showed no signs of any thaw in ties at present.

Rahul Gandhi likely to seek re-election from Wayanad

The Congress’ top election body is said to have cleared the candidature of party leader Rahul Gandhi for the Wayanad constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Sources also said that Shashi Tharoor will be again fielded from Thiruvananthapuram, where he has won three consecutive Lok Sabha elections. There is, however, no official announcement from the party.

Every citizen has a right to criticise abrogation of Article 370: SC

The Supreme Court on March 7 quashed an FIR accusing a college professor in Maharashtra of spreading enmity and disharmony by terming the abrogation of Article 370 a “black day” and wishing “happy independence” to the people of Pakistan in a WhatsApp group of faculty and parents.

New Delhi:

The Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata successfully rescued 21 crew members, including one Indian national, from the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier MV True Confidence after a maritime incident in the Gulf of Aden. The vessel was reportedly hit by a missile from Yemen’s Houthi militants, resulting in three deaths and several people injured. 

The incident happened on Wednesday, approximately 55 nautical miles (101 km) southwest of Yemen’s port city Aden. The crew, facing imminent danger, sought refuge in a life raft as the INS Kolkata, deployed for maritime security operations in the Gulf of Aden, sped to the scene.

#IndianNavy‘s swift response to Maritime Incident in #GulfofAden.

Barbados Flagged Bulk Carrier MV #TrueConfidence reported on fire after a drone/missile hit on #06Mar, approx 54 nm South West of Aden, resulting in critical injuries to crew, forcing them to abandon ship.… pic.twitter.com/FZQRBeGcKp

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) March 7, 2024

Commander Vivek Madhwal, a Navy spokesperson, provided details of the operation, stating that the INS Kolkata arrived at 4:45 pm and swiftly executed the rescue using its integral helicopter and boats. The crew, including the critically injured, received essential medical aid from the ship’s medical team.

Following the successful rescue, all 21 crew members, along with the injured personnel, were evacuated to Djibouti on the same day. 

The incident comes amidst growing global concerns regarding attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, particularly by Houthi militants. 

Over the past few weeks, the Indian Navy has been actively involved in extending assistance to various merchant vessels in the Western Indian Ocean following similar attacks.