THE SPOKESPERSON

  The head of the central bank, Abdul Qadir Idris, recently met with Bharat Kumar, head of the Indian technical team, to discuss the economic situation, banking issues and joint cooperation. Idris said the bank is committed to good, and improved banking relations with all countries within the framework of laws and that DAB wants to standardize the banking system across the country and develop the sector. General manager of DAB, Siddiqullah Khalid, meanwhile stressed the need for continued cooperation between Afghanistan and India in the banking sector and said that joint cooperation regarding technical support will contribute to the growth and development of the banking system. For his part, Bharat Kumar, the head of India’s technical mission in Afghanistan, assured the DAB officials that India will continue to cooperate and provide technical support to Afghanistan’s banking sector.DAB's general manager Siddiqullah Khalid stressed the need for continuous cooperation between A...

Of the world's nine nuclear-armed countries, India and Pakistan are also among the handful that have been increasing their nuclear warhead stockpiles, according to the Federation of American Scientists. ARSENAL SIZE Both countries possess nuclear arsenals of comparable size. Pakistan holds about 100-120 nuclear weapons, which can be delivered by aircraft and land-based missiles, while India's nuclear arsenal is around 90-110 nuclear weapons, according to estimates by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Of the world's nine nuclear-armed countries, India and Pakistan are also among the handful that have been increasing their nuclear warhead stockpiles, according to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). DELIVERY SYSTEMS Pakistan's nuclear delivery systems include at least four short-range and two medium-range ballistic missiles, according to the U.S.-based Arms Control Association (ACA). Several more missiles, including an intercontinental ...

  Recently, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired indigenously-developed new generation medium-range ballistic missile Agni Prime (Agni-P) from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island at Odisha coast. What is Agni Prime? It is a two-stage canisterised missile. It is the latest and sixth variant of the Agni series missiles (under IGMDP - Integrated Guided Missile Development Program). With multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles, the missile is capable of delivering a number of warheads at separate locations at a distance of 1,000 - 2,000 km. The 10.5 metre tall missile with a diameter of 1.2 metre can carry warheads up to 1.5 tonne. It can perform high maneuvers while homing in on targets. These missiles will be inducted in the armed forced after couple of user associated launches It has a dual redundant navigation and guidance system. The Agni-P missile would further strengthen India's credible deterrence capabilities. What is the Other...

NavIC was developed partly because access to foreign government-controlled global navigation satellite systems is not guaranteed in hostile situations, as happened to the Indian military in 1999 when the US denied the Indian request for Global Positioning System (GPS) data for the Kargil region. NavIC, an acronym of the 'Navigation with Indian Constellation) is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system that provides India with real-time positioning and timing services. NAVIC is the operational name of the Indian Regional National Satellite System (IRNSS), cover India and an area of 1500 kilometres around it, and is under discussion for further expansion. Currently, NAVIC has seven satellite constellations and two satellites on the ground that are kept on stand-by. It would provide two levels of service, 'the standard positioning service' that would be open for civilian use. Still, the local service would only be for authorised users, for instance, the milit...

  British politician Rishi Sunak was Monday elected Conservative leader and will become the next prime minister, after rival Penny Mordaunt failed to secure the necessary 100 nominations from her fellow MPs. "Rishi Sunak is therefore elected as leader of the Conservative Party," senior backbencher Graham Brady said, as Mordaunt vowed her "full support" for the former finance minister.UK PM designate Rishi Sunak has promised that he will make ‘Stability and Unity’ his priority during his first public address as the Prime Minister designate of United Kingdom "UK is a great country but we face a profound economic challenge. We now need stability and unity & I'll make it my utmost priority to bring our party and country together as that's the only way we'll overcome challenges &build a better future for our children & grandchildren', Sunak said.  Rishi Sunak not to take charge today UK PM handover  to Britain's new prime minis...

  Terming the mission 'historic', Somanath, also the Secretary, the Department of Space credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's support for the mission's success. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman Dr S Somanath said Diwali started a day early for the space agency with the successful launch of the heaviest rocket carrying 36 communication satellites. Addressing a press conference on the occasion, Dr Somanath said that the Chandrayaan 3 is “almost ready”. "Chandrayaan-3 is almost ready. Final integration and testing are almost complete. Still, some more tests are pending, so we want to do it a little later. There were two slots available, one in February and another in June. We would like to take June (2023) slot for the launch," he said.  All 36 satellites were injected into the orbits around 75 minutes after the rocket blasted off from the spaceport here. The success put the August anomaly behind when the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle ...

  When leader of Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev visited India in 1955 he famously remarked, "We are so near that if ever you call us from the mountain tops we will appear at your side." This is the spirit that defined Soviet and continue to shape Russian support for India on the Kashmir issue whether at UN or at other for a including bilateral formats.  While the Moscow has formed closer partnership Beijing as part of their global strategy to counter USA, the two do not share similar views on the Kashmir issue. China is in favour of internationalising the matter but Russia has consistently favoured a solution under bilateral format. However, this fact often remains underreported and unrecognised in the current discourse of international relations as Khrushchev’s remarks remain buried in the annals of history. However, Moscow through the decades, has not diluted its position for its strategic partner in South Asia. It is no secret that erstwhile Soviet Union had vetoed ...