&w=3840&q=100)
Pakistani troops violate ceasefire for 11th night, Indian Army retaliates
On the intervening night of May 4 and May 5, Pakistani troops continued their ceasefire violations for the 11th consecutive day along the Line of Control (LoC). The latest round of firing comes amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, following the downgrading of diplomatic ties after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Pakistani troops engaged in unprovoked small arms firing in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajauri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani and Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Army responded promptly and proportionately, according to an official statement.
Ceasefire violations along the LoC and the International Border (IB) have been rare since the two countries renewed the ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021.
Pakistan violates ceasefire again
On April 24, Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked small arms firing along the LoC. This followed India's decision to downgrade diplomatic ties, suspend the Indus Waters Treaty agreement and shut down the Attari border for key movement.
India-Pakistan tensions escalate
The April 22 terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people — mostly tourists — in Pahalgam's Baisaran Valley, triggered a strong response from the Indian government. Condemning the attack, the Centre announced a series of measures against Pakistan. These included the cancellation of visas for all Pakistani nationals under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and instructions for all Pakistani citizens residing in India to leave.
Since then, tensions have escalated further. The Indian government has blocked access to Instagram accounts of several Pakistani celebrities, including Hania Amir and Mahira Khan. It has also taken down over 15 Pakistani YouTube channels accused of spreading false, communal content and misinformation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
25 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Modi accepts Canadian PM Carney's invitation to G-7, promises 'renewed vigour' in ties
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will represent India at the upcoming G-7 summit in Canada next week, he confirmed on Friday (June 6, 2025), after he was invited by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during a telephone call. The visit to Canada, Mr. Modi's first since 2015, could mark a reset in ties after years of tensions over Khalistani separatists targeting Indian diplomats and the killing of Canadian and Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which the previous Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had blamed Indian government agents for. The invitation for India as a guest invitee for the G-7 summit to be held in Kananaskis, Alberta province of Canada could also herald the restoration of India and Canada's diplomatic presence in each other's capitals, where both sides expelled High Commissioners, stopped visas temporarily and cut staff strength drastically in 2023 and 2024. In October 2024, India and Canada also expelled each other's deputy High commissioners, over further charges in the Nijjar case, and spying respectively. This month also marks two anniversaries - 40 years since the bombing of the Air India 'Kanishka' flight on June 23, 1985 by Khalistani separatists in Canada, and two years since the killing of Nijjar on June 18, 2023 near Toronto, and both governments would have to work around each other's sensitivities during the visit. Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 6, 2025 Announcing the visit, Mr. Modi said his meeting with Mr. Carney would give ties 'renewed vigour'. 'As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit,' said PM Modi in social media post, adding that he had thanked Mr. Carney for the invitation to the G-7 and congratulated him on his recent victory in Canadian elections. Mr. Modi's attendance at the G-7, that he has been to every year as a special invitee since 2019, will also give him the opportunity to meet other Western leaders from member countries such as the U.S., U.K., France, Italy, Japan and Germany, for the first time since Operation Sindoor. In particular, Mr. Modi will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, after a strain in ties over Mr. Trump's repeated assertion that he mediated to end the four-day conflict between India and Pakistan, a claim the Ministry of External Affairs has denied consistently. Ahead of a possible meeting of Mr. Modi with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Canada, which would be their first since India and U.K. finalised a Free Trade Agreement, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy is due in Delhi for a one-day visit on Saturday, and will meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. Quad partner Australia as well as leaders of BRICS countries Brazil and South Africa are also expected to be special invitees at the summit. Mr. Modi is likely to travel to Brazil next month, where he will share the stage with leaders of Russia and China and other members at the BRICS summit in Rio. At the G-7, all eyes in India will be on the meeting with the Canadian PM, and whether ties can be restored after the bitterness, particularly of the last two year between them. In 2024, Mr. Trudeau's government had suggested restoring High Commissioners, and the Canada's Foreign Ministry, called 'Global Canada', had forwarded the name of Canadian diplomat Christopher Cooter for the post. However, New Delhi had given Ottawa no response. This year, the Ministry has named India's Ambassador to Spain Dinesh Patnaik for the High Commissioner's post in Ottawa, and it remains to be seen whether both sides will now agree to exchange diplomats at the High Commissioner and other levels. The invitation to Mr. Modi comes after some speculation that Canada would not invite the Indian PM given the relationship at present, and the very short notice, with just over a week to go for the Summit added to the surprise of the announcement. However, officials explained that Mr. Carney took over as PM only on April 29 this year after winning polls where he defeated the conservative party considered the frontrunner in elections. The Ministry declined to comment on whether the upcoming G-7 had been discussed during a call between the new Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Mr. Jaishankar on May 29. It is understood that while the governments had discussed the issue through interlocuters in recent weeks, a formal invitation for special invitees was only sent on Friday.
The Hindu
33 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Medium of instruction in higher education to prioritise Indian languages: Pradhan
Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday (June 6, 2025) said that the medium of instruction in the coming years would primarily be in Indian and local languages. Mr. Pradhan was chairing a meeting of the Consultative Committee of Parliament for the Ministry of Education on the theme of 'Promotion of Education in Bharatiya Bhasha in Higher Education' in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. While addressing the meeting, Mr. Pradhan highlighted the Ministry's efforts in promoting mother tongue education and stressed the importance of integrating 'Bharatiya Bhashas' or Indian languages in both school and higher education. He appreciated the initiatives taken by higher education institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), for introducing courses in regional languages, including technical subjects such as engineering. 'The priority remains to provide books in Indian languages,' he said. Emphasising the role of technology, Mr. Pradhan noted the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in translating content to help students, particularly those from rural or economically weaker backgrounds, understand academic material in their preferred languages. He also mentioned that the Ministry has prepared an educational resource — Bhasha Sangam — which enables students to learn 100 sentences in 22 languages. School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar informed the committee that 1,369 mother tongues have been identified in the country, which have been classified into 121 languages. Of these, 22 are listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, while 99 other languages, though unrecognised, are spoken by more than 10,000 people. Mr. Kumar also highlighted the emphasis on multilingualism in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and noted that the recently formulated National Curriculum Framework for School Education has been developed with multilingualism at its core. University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Dr. Vineet Joshi briefed the committee on recent policy decisions and initiatives of the Department of Higher Education. He provided updates on AI-based translation tools such as Anuvadini and UDAAN, and shared information regarding the constitution of the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti and the implementation of the Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Pariyojna as announced in the Union Budget 2025.
The Print
33 minutes ago
- The Print
Starlink gets licence to start India services
Starlink is the third company after Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications to get a licence from the Department of Telecommunications to provide satellite internet services in the country. New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) Elon Musk's Starlink has received a licence from the telecom department for providing satellite internet services in India, a key milestone that will take it closer towards launching commercial operations in the country. DoT sources confirmed on Friday that Starlink has indeed received the licence, and said the company will be granted trial spectrum in 15-20 days of applying for it. Starlink will now have to comply with the security norms such as providing access for lawful interception, before starting services. The licence came hours after a huge public spat between Musk and US President Donald Trump. The falling-out between the world's richest man and the world's most powerful person began when Musk, who left his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency a week ago, denounced Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill. On Thursday, it erupted in the verbal duel after Trump criticised Musk in the Oval Office. Musk responded saying 'Trump would have lost' without his help, prompting the US President to end US contracts. The licence from DoT came nearly a month after the Starlink was issued a letter of intent (LoI) by the telecom department. The companies that have received the licence would, however, have to a wait a tad longer for commercial satcom spectrum as the Trai just recently sent its recommendations on pricing, and terms and conditions, to the government for its consideration. The players will be able to start their services after the allocation of radio wave frequencies. Typically, even before the commercial spectrum, the trial spectrum is required to test, and verify the systems and processes on security parameters to demonstrate that all norms and requirements, are being complied with. The status of the Starlink's final nod from the Indian space regulator, In-SPACe could not be immediately ascertained. Starlink is a satellite internet service developed by SpaceX — the American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company founded in 2002 by the world's richest man Musk. It provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet worldwide using satellite technology and is aptly described by some as broadband beamed from the skies. Unlike conventional satellite services that rely on distant geostationary satellites, Starlink utilises the world's largest low Earth orbit or LEO constellation (550 km above Earth). This constellation of LEO satellites (7,000 now but eventually set to grow to over 40,000) and its mesh delivers broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, and video calls. Starlink, which had been vying for an India licence for some time now, recently signed pacts with Ambani's Reliance Jio and Mittal's Bharti Airtel, which together control more than 70 per cent of the country's telecom market, to bring the US satellite internet giant's services to India. The nod for the satcom offering — known for its resilience in harsh conditions and conflict zones — coincides with escalation of Donald Trump-Elon Musk feud in the US. Early last month, the government had issued stringent security norms mandating legal interception of satellite communication services and barred companies from linking connection of users in any form with any terminal or facility located outside the country's border as well as processing of their data overseas. The tighter security rules also mandate service providers to indigenise at least 20 per cent of their ground segment of the satellite network within years of their establishment in the country. The satcom service licence holders will require security clearances for specific gateway and hub locations in India and compliance to monitoring, interception facilities and equipment requirements. India's rules mandate satcom firms to demonstrate system capabilities with respect to security aspects, including monitoring, to the Department of Telecom (DoT) or its authorised representatives before starting operations in India. It is pertinent to mention that Telecom regulator TRAI last month recommended that satellite communication companies like Starlink pay 4 per cent of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) as spectrum charges to the government — a rate steeper than what these firms had been lobbying for. Operators offering satellite-based broadband internet services in urban areas would have to shell out an additional Rs 500 per subscribers annually, TRAI recommended. No additional levy would be applicable for services in rural areas. COAI, whose members include Reliance Jio and Airtel, recently approached the telecom department to raise concerns over TRAI recommendations on the satcom spectrum. The industry body argued that 'incorrect assumptions' have led to unjustifiably low spectrum charges for satellite services relative to terrestrial networks — a claim strongly rejected by Trai, which has ruled out any review of recommendations at this stage, based on industry body COAI's charges. PTI MBI TRB This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
