Breaking News Live Updates: Pakistani troops violate ceasefire on LoC for 7th straight day; Indian Army responds
01 May 2025 | 07:15:46 AM IST
Breaking News Live Updates: During the night of 30 April-01 May 2025, Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small-arms fire across the Line of Control opposite Kupwara, Uri and Akhnoor in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. These were responded proportionately by the Indian Army: Indian Army. Breaking News Live Updates: During the night of 30 April-01 May 2025, Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small-arms fire across the Line of Control opposite Kupwara, Uri and Akhnoor in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. These were responded proportionately by the Indian Army: Indian Army. A Russian drone strike overnight killed at least two people and wounded five others in a residential area of Odesa, the Ukrainian region's governor said early Thursday."Two people died as a result of the strike, and five others were injured," wrote Odesa governor Oleg Kiper on Telegram.He said the Russian attack also damaged high-rise buildings, houses, a supermarket and a school."Fires broke out in some places, which our rescuers are extinguishing," he added.Explosions were also heard in the city of Sumy and air raid warnings were triggered in several places including Sumy, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia."Emergency and utility services are working on the ground to eliminate the consequences of the attacks and provide the necessary medical assistance to the victims," Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov said on Telegram. In a major push to strengthen on-ground forest protection efforts, the Forest Department of Tripura has distributed 58 motorcycles to its frontline field staff, such as foresters and Forest Range Officers, at a special program at the Tripura State Forest Academy Ground in Hatipara, Agartala.The distribution on Wednesday aims to enhance the mobility and response time of foresters and Range Officers during patrolling, particularly in vulnerable forest areas. The motorbikes are expected to significantly aid field-level operations in curbing illegal activities such as timber smuggling and the exploitation of valuable forest resources.Tripura Forest Minister Animesh Debbarma emphasised the critical need to modernise forest protection mechanisms. "Inspired by the sophisticated tools being used in other departments like BSF, we also plan to introduce four-wheeled vehicles for forest patrolling," he said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has asked Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to condemn the "unconscionable" Pahalgam terror attack and "de-escalate tensions" with India to "maintain peace and security" in South Asia.In his talks, Rubio also encouraged Pakistan to cooperate with investigation efforts and reestablish direct communications with India, according to a statement from US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.Both leaders reaffirmed their continued commitment to holding terrorists accountable for their heinous acts of violence, Bruce said.It comes as there has been a rise in ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (Loc) in Jammu and Kashmir after the April 22 brutal attack in Pahalgam, where Pakistan-sponsored terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists, and injured many others. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday and reaffirmed the United States' commitment to cooperation with India against terrorism.Expressing his sorrow for the lives lost in the "horrific terrorist attack" in Pahalgam, Rubio also encouraged India to work with Pakistan to "de-escalate tensions" and maintain peace and security in South Asia, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.It comes as there has been a rise in ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (Loc) in Jammu and Kashmir after the April 22 brutal attack in Pahalgam, where Pakistan-sponsored terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists, and injured many others.India has taken a raft of measures against Pakistan for its support to cross-border terrorism, including holding the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance and closing the Integrated Check Post at Attari. India has also decided to curtail the strength of High Commissions. President Donald Trump has indicated the possibility of trade agreements with India, South Korea, and Japan. He stated that the United States is currently benefiting from the tariffs imposed on these nations. Trump suggested that there is no immediate pressure to finalize these deals, as the U.S. holds a strong negotiating position. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iran on Wednesday that it will face consequences for supporting the Houthis, a group that controls northern Yemen and has struck shipping in the Red Sea in what it says is solidarity with the Palestinians."Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing," Hegseth wrote on X. "You know very well what the U.S. Military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing."Iran's leader has previously said that Yemen's Houthis act independently. The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of Patriot missile systems equipment and support services to Kuwait for an estimated cost of $425 million, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.The primary contractor for the equipment and services is RTX Corp. During the night of 30 April-01 May 2025, Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small-arms fire across the Line of Control opposite Kupwara, Uri and Akhnoor in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. These were responded proportionately by the Indian Army: Indian Army.
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The Pakistan border is less than 20 kms from the station. The Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan borders are already 'active' where hundreds of drones come across to drop drugs, and often weapons and explosives. Protection begins with the periphery. In 2002, the US inaugurated the Container Security Initiative to enhance maritime security by preventing the use of cargo containers for terrorist activities such as smuggling weapons of mass destruction. The first line of defence for this were foreign ports which loaded cargo for the US where high risk containers were screened prior to departure using X-Ray, gamma ray machines and radiation detectors. As of now CSI is operational in 58 foreign ports covering 85% of the traffic to the US India is not a member of the CSI though it has had discussions with the US on the issue. New Delhi is concerned about its own security since posting of US officials in Indian ports could provide the US a means of tracking India 's sensitive imports . There are also issues with costs associated with the specialised equipment that would have to be set up. In 2004, 10 workers were killed in a private steel company near Delhi when they were handling scrap iron which was mixed with live shells and rockets from an unspecified foreign war zone. In 2005, the authorities in Mumbai found a container shipment containing some 34 revolvers, 1,000 live cartridges, 3 pistols and a silencer in a container which was imported from Bangkok and was supposed to have 27 drums of grease. The shipment was attributed to local gang members in the city. India of course has its own system of port security which does use scanners on a risk-based screening for cargo at JNPT, Mumbai and Chennai. But these are not deployed universally across India 's dozen or so major ports. New Delhi has also proposed this year to create a new state-backed Bharat Container Line to reduce reliance on foreign operators, This is of course a commercial initiatives, but it will also integrate security protocols. After the security of the periphery, India will have to think of protecting its inland sensitive areas. Little is known as yet about the manner in which the Ukrainian drones were guided. In all likelihood some were piloted remotely, others used AI to go along pre-programmed paths. In any case, they penetrated the perimeter defences to reach their targets. In India , some, though not all the bases are walled up along with a layer of barbed wire. They are policed by watch-towers and active patrols. Now it will be important to incorporate a drone-response team to the guard system. This will not be just a guard who will sound the alarm, but given the short time in which the threat is activated, it will require teams aided by sensors and anti-drone guns capable of immediate reaction to neutralise drones. Defences will have to be layered. While at the first level radar provides air bases with the ability to track some drones, smaller ones can still get through. Radio-Frequency (RF) detectors that track autonomous drones may not be sufficient. What will be needed at the second level is integrated over-lapping sensors – optical, thermal, auditory, along with radars to cover threats at all altitudes and paths. Third level counter-drone systems will again have to be a mix of kinetic guns and pellet firing systems, directed energy weapons, as well as electronic jamming and spoofing equipment. In addition there can be drone interceptors that can be launched quickly to fight attacking drones. In Ukraine drone vs drone has become an important means of defence. A final layer of action is to shut down 5G and 4G networks adjacent to the bases which the drones can be riding on to execute their attacks. Given the threat India faces from non-state as well as state actors, the number of vulnerable areas is even greater if you count the various government offices, economic targets, railway stations, power grids and so on. All this requires a changed way in looking at security given the rise of the FPV threat. Manoj Joshi is a distinguished fellow with the Observer Research Foundation in Delhi. This piece was first published on The India Cable – a premium newsletter from The Wire & Galileo Ideas – and has been updated and republished here. To subscribe to The India Cable, click here. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
