The Indian Army and the Air Force are planning to jointly deploy MQ-9B Predator drones at air bases in Sarsawa and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, for upgrading their surveillance capabilities all along the Line of Actual Control with China from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.

The drone deal, expected to be worth around USD 4 billion is being done at tri services level with the Indian Navy leading the negotiations for it with the American side.

"The MQ-9B drones require a significant runway length for take off and landing which are available with the Indian Air Force. That is why, the Army dornes are planned to be deployed with the IAF at airbases in Sarsawa and Gorakhpur," defence officials told ANI.

The attraction of cosmopolitan cities for the ultra-wealthy is clear. These centres are home to big corporations and high-end real estate.

Henley & Partners, an international wealth migration specialist, in collaboration with New World Wealth, a global data intelligence firm, recently published the World’s Wealthiest Cities Report 2024, which highlights the richest cities globally for the year 2024.

The report highlights New York City, which has continued to maintain its position as the world’s wealthiest city, with 11 other US cities joining the top 50 list. In contrast, Tokyo, which held the top spot a decade ago, has fallen to third place due to a decline in its high-net-worth individual population.

Thailand and Sri Lanka have extended the visa-free entry facilities for visitors from India and other select countries.

Thailand has announced the extension of visa-free entry till November 11,
2024. The facility, implemented on November 10, 2023, was initially till May 10, 2024.

The Sri Lanka government has announced the extension of the facility till May 31, 2024. The country started visa-free entry as a pilot project in October last year. In both countries, the facility is valid for 30 days for visitors from India.

Tourism Authority of Thailand officials said there had been a sharp increase in the number of tourists from India since the facility was implemented.

India will formally convey to the governing authority of Antarctica its plans to develop a new research station in the icy continent when the body meets for its annual meeting in Kochi later this month. The 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environment Protection will be held in Kochi from May 20-30 where countries engaged in research in the southern polar region will share the outcome of their scientific pursuits and also their future plans.

"This year, we are going to inform the ATCM that we are planning to go for a revamp of our research station Maitri. Revamp means, Maitri is very old, we have to re-construct," M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, said in an interaction with PTI Editors here.

India has two active research stations - Maitri and Bharti - in Antarctica. The first research station, Dakshin Gangotri, set up in 1983, had to be abandoned after it sank in the snow.

Tech giant Google on Wednesday announced the launch of the Google Wallet app in India, enabling users to save their travel tickets, gift cards and event passes in one place. It however does not support payment features such as saving credit cards or debit cards in the wallet for on-tap payments.

This Wallet app offers fast and secure access to everyday essentials, enabling people to conveniently store and retrieve important digital documents like boarding passes, loyalty cards, movie tickets, and more. Google Wallet complements Google Pay, which will continue to serve the payments needs of users across India.

Nine projects sanctioned from the electronics and communication systems (ECS) cluster of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) were handed over to IIT-Bhubaneswar at a collaboration meeting here on Tuesday.

Seven more projects are in the process of being sanctioned from ECS with a funding of Rs 18 crore. The IIT-Bhubaneswar will work on these sanctioned projects, which would be beneficial in electronics warfare, AI-driven surveillance, power systems and radar systems.

Informing about the projects, head of Electrical Science school of IIT-Bhubaneswar SR Samantaray said the collaboration of IIT-Bhubaneswar and DRDO will contribute to the emerging research and development need of defence applications, creating platform for ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’.

In a significant stride towards strengthening India’s defence capabilities, Kadet Defence Systems (KDS) has emerged as the vanguard in indigenous innovation with the successful development of India’s first Loitering Aerial Munitions (LAM). Under a unique Development cum Production Partner (DCPP) model with the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), KDS has unveiled a game-changing array of cutting-edge technologies aimed at enhancing the operational efficacy of the Indian armed forces.

The LAM Systems, a culmination of relentless innovation and strategic collaboration, encompass a diverse range of advanced technologies. From Canister Aerial Loitering Munition (CALM) to Combat UAVs boasting stand-off capabilities for munition release, and Tactical VTOL UAVs, Kadet’s LAMs represent a paradigm shift in modern warfare.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease makes your body's immune system attack your own tissues and organs due. This inflammation can affect joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs. This wide range of symptoms across the body includes joint pain, headache, rashes, fever, fatigue, mouth sore, confusion, swollen glands, blood clots etc. The condition can also weaken bones and cause osteoporosis and may affect heart causing cardiovascular issues. Genetic factors, hormones, environmental factors, smoking or stress can also raise chances of getting this disease.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday announced the fixtures for the ninth ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 taking place from 3 to 20 October in Bangladesh.

Ten teams will play 23 matches, over 18 action-packed days, at two venues in Bangladesh, the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka and the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Sylhet, said ICC press release.

The schedule was unveiled at an event in Dhaka, attended by Mr. Nazmul Hassan, President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board alongside Geoff Allardice, CEO of the ICC and the Captains of India and Bangladesh women’s team- Harmanpreet Kaur and Nigar Sultana respectively.

In boxing, the Indian contingent wrapped up their electrifying journey at the ASBC Asian U-22 and Youth Boxing Championships with a remarkable haul of 43 medals in Astana, Kazakhstan. This includes 12 gold, 14 silver, and 17 bronze medals from both categories. The Indian U-22 team finished with 21 medals, including seven gold, five silver, and nine bronze medals, yesterday, while the youth section bagged 22 medals, including five gold, nine silver, and eight bronze medals, on Monday. India finished with the second-highest medal count, only behind the hosts, Kazakhstan, who have won 48 medals.