Latest news with #IndianDefenceMinistry
News18
26-05-2025
- News18
Who Came Up With Operation Sindoor's Logo? Meet Lt Col Harsh Gupta, Hav Surinder Singh
Last Updated: The first visuals from the command centre of 'Operation Sindoor', released by the Indian Army HQ Operations room, also revealed the individuals behind the design of the logo. In early hours of May 7, Indian Defence Forces launched precision strikes at nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under 'Operation Sindoor" in response to the dastardly Pahalgam terror attack which claimed 26 lives. In a late night press statement on May 7, the Indian Defence Ministry said, 'A little while ago, the Indian armed forces launched 'Operation Sindoor' hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed." Who Designed The Logo? The first visuals from the command centre of 'Operation Sindoor', released by the Indian Army HQ Operations room, also revealed the individuals behind the design of Operation Sindoor's logo. The credit for designing the logo goes to Lieutenant Colonel Harsh Gupta and Havaldar Surinder Singh. The logo is a poignant and symbolic image used by the Indian Army. It features the words 'OPERATION SINDOOR" written in block letters. The key symbolic element is that one of the 'O's in 'SINDOOR" is depicted as a bowl of vermilion. Some of the red powder is shown as having spilled over or scattered, resembling spattered blood. Sindoor, or vermillion, traditionally signifies the marital status of Hindu women, and its removal signifies widowhood. Therefore, the spilled sindoor in the logo symbolises the lives lost and the grief of the women who lost their partners, while also conveying the message of 'justice served" and India's resolve in retaliation The letter 'O' in the operation's name, shaped as a bowl of red vermillion, evoked not just tradition, but also the raw emotions of passion, power, and fury. What Is Operation Sindoor? India launched 'precision strikes" under Operation Sindoor on nine terror targets in Pakistan and PoK following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The strikes killed over 100 terrorists including 10 family members of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar and four close aides. Targets included Jaish's Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, Sarjal camp in Tehra Kalan, Markaz Abbas in Kotli, and the Syedna Bilal camp in Muzaffarabad. Lashkar's strongholds — Markaz Taiba in Murdike, Markaz Ahle Hadith in Barnala, and Shwawai Nalla camp in Muzaffarabad — were also hit. Hizbul Mujahideen's facilities at Makaz Raheel Shahid in Kotli and Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot were among those targeted. The strikes, carried out with surgical precision, mark one of the most significant cross-border counter-terror operations since Balakot. Why It Was Named 'Operation Sindoor'? The codename 'Operation Sindoor', under which India responded to the dastardly Pahalgam terror attack carried a message that was both emotionally resonant and symbolically heroic. Approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the name was chosen to symbolically reflect India's response to the Pahalgam attack, keeping in mind the widows of the terror attack. Himanshi Narwal from Haryana, Aishanya Dwivedi from Uttar Pradesh, Shital Kalathiya and Kajalben Parmar from Gujarat, Sohini Adhikari from Kolkata, Pragati Jagdale from Maharashtra, Sheela Ramachandran from Kerala, Jennifer Nathaniel from Madhya Pradesh and Jaya Mishra were the women whose husbands were killed by the terrorists in Pahalgam. It was Himanshi Narwal, married for just six days, kneeling beside the body of her husband, Navy officer Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, who became the face of the tragedy. Days later, Himanshi appeared paying tribute to her husband, but without the sindoor (vermillion) that shines on the forehead of married Hindu women. In the high-level meetings, the Prime Minister emphasised that the recent terror attack had deliberately targeted Indian men, leaving behind widowed women and broken families. Sindoor, or vermillion, traditionally signifies the marital status of Hindu women and serves as a poignant reference to the April 22 Pahalgam massacre, where terrorists targeted and killed men—some newly married—based on their religion. First Published:
Daily Express
26-05-2025
- General
- Daily Express
Ship carrying 640 containers and hazardous chemicals sinks off India
Published on: Monday, May 26, 2025 Published on: Mon, May 26, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: Coast guard patrol ships and the merchant vessels MV Han Yi and MSC Silver 2 were diverted to assist the capsized vessel, which sank due to flooding around 7.50 am on Sunday, according to an Indian Defence Ministry statement. NEW DELHI: A container vessel carrying hundreds of cargo boxes and hazardous chemicals sank off south India on Sunday morning after efforts to salvage it failed. All 24 crew members of the Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3 were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the navy. The 184-metre-long ship was en route to Kochi from Vizhinjam port. It began tilting on Saturday about 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi. Coast guard patrol ships and the merchant vessels MV Han Yi and MSC Silver 2 were diverted to assist the capsized vessel, which sank due to flooding around 7.50 am on Sunday, according to an Indian Defence Ministry statement. The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containing hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide. Advertisement The ship held 84 tonnes of diesel and 367 tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks. It was manned by 20 crew members from the Philippines, two Ukrainians, one Georgian and one Russian national. Given the sensitive marine ecosystem along the Kerala coast, the coast guard has activated full pollution response preparedness, the Defence Ministry said. 'ICG aircraft equipped with advanced oil spill detection systems are conducting aerial surveillance, and ICG ship Saksham, carrying pollution response equipment, remains deployed at the site. So far, no oil spill has been reported,' it said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Sun
26-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Ship carrying 640 containers and hazardous chemicals sinks off India
NEW DELHI: A container vessel carrying hundreds of cargo boxes and hazardous chemicals sank off south India on Sunday morning after efforts to salvage it failed. All 24 crew members of the Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3 were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the navy. The 184-metre-long ship was en route to Kochi from Vizhinjam port. It began tilting on Saturday about 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi. Coast guard patrol ships and the merchant vessels MV Han Yi and MSC Silver 2 were diverted to assist the capsized vessel, which sank due to flooding around 7.50 am on Sunday, according to an Indian Defence Ministry statement. The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containing hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide. The ship held 84 tonnes of diesel and 367 tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks. It was manned by 20 crew members from the Philippines, two Ukrainians, one Georgian and one Russian national. Given the sensitive marine ecosystem along the Kerala coast, the coast guard has activated full pollution response preparedness, the Defence Ministry said. 'ICG aircraft equipped with advanced oil spill detection systems are conducting aerial surveillance, and ICG ship Saksham, carrying pollution response equipment, remains deployed at the site. So far, no oil spill has been reported,' it said.
New Straits Times
26-05-2025
- General
- New Straits Times
Ship carrying 640 containers and hazardous chemicals sinks off India
NEW DELHI: A container vessel carrying hundreds of cargo boxes and hazardous chemicals sank off south India on Sunday morning after efforts to salvage it failed. All 24 crew members of the Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3 were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the navy. The 184-metre-long ship was en route to Kochi from Vizhinjam port. It began tilting on Saturday about 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi. Coast guard patrol ships and the merchant vessels MV Han Yi and MSC Silver 2 were diverted to assist the capsized vessel, which sank due to flooding at 7.50am on Sunday, according to an Indian Defence Ministry statement. The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containing hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide. The ship held 84 tonnes of diesel and 367 tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks. It was manned by 20 crew members from the Philippines, two Ukrainians, one Georgian and one Russian national. Given the sensitive marine ecosystem along the Kerala coast, the coast guard has activated full pollution response preparedness, the Defence Ministry said. "ICG aircraft equipped with advanced oil spill detection systems are conducting aerial surveillance, and ICG ship Saksham, carrying pollution response equipment, remains deployed at the site. So far, no oil spill has been reported," it said. – BERNAMA
CNA
16-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
India asks IMF to reconsider Pakistan programme over 'terror funding'
SRINAGAR, India: Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday (May 16) the International Monetary Fund (IMF) should reconsider a one billion dollar loan to Pakistan alleging it was "funding terror", a move denounced by Islamabad as proof of New Delhi's desperation. India and Pakistan last week clashed in the worst military violence in decades, killing around 70 people before agreeing a ceasefire that began on Saturday. The confrontations were sparked by an attack on tourists by gunmen in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing - a charge it denies. "I believe a big portion of the US$1 billion coming from IMF will be used for funding terror infrastructure," Singh told troops at an air force base in western India. "I believe any economic assistance to Pakistan is nothing less than funding terror." Despite India's objections, the IMF last week approved a loan programme review for Pakistan, unlocking a US$1 billion payment which the state bank said has already been received. A fresh US$1.4 billion loan was also approved under the IMF's climate resilience fund. India - which also represents Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on the IMF board - abstained from the review vote with a statement from its finance ministry stating, "concerns over the efficacy of IMF programmes in case of Pakistan given its poor track record". "India was the lone country which tried to stop it and it failed. It again reflects Indian frustration. Trying to criticise an institution like IMF speaks about this desperation," Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters. Pakistan came to the brink of default in 2023, as a political crisis compounded an economic downturn and drove the nation's debt burden to terminal levels before being saved by a US$7 billion bailout from the IMF which sparked further crucial loans from friendly nations. REMOVED FROM WATCHLIST Pakistan, which has long battled militancy within its borders, has faced scrutiny over its ability to combat illicit financing, including to militant organisations and in 2022 was put on an international money-laundering watchlist. However, the Financial Action Task Force removed Pakistan from it so-called grey-list in 2022 after "significant progress" which included charges being filed against suspected militants accused of being involved in the 2008 attacks in India's Mumbai. Singh claimed it was "clear that in Pakistan, terrorism and their government are hand in glove with each other. "In this situation there is a possibility that their nuclear weapons could get their way into the hands of terrorists. This is a danger not just for Pakistan but the entire world," he said. Singh on Thursday called for Pakistan's nuclear arsenal to be put under the surveillance of the UN's atomic energy agency, with Islamabad firing back that the international community should investigate a nuclear "black market" in India. Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy met with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in Islamabad on Friday, where the two discussed the ceasefire, according to a statement from Pakistan's foreign ministry. It came as the government also held ceremonies across the country to celebrate the military. "Pakistan's Armed Forces remain fully prepared and resolutely committed to defending every inch of our territory. Any aggression will be countered," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said while visiting troops on Thursday. The disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir has been at the heart of several wars between the two neighbours, who administer separate portions of the divided territory. Militants stepped up operations on the Indian side of Kashmir from 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government revoked the region's limited autonomy and imposed direct rule from New Delhi.
