NATIONAL
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Defence ministry to sign Rs 21,000 cr deal for 230 Sukhoi jet engines
- The defence ministry is set to ink an estimated ₹21,000 crore deal to acquire jet engines for its Su 30MKI fighter fleet. The engines will be made in India from the raw material stage by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and will replace older engines that are coming to the end of their service life.
- The order for about 230 engines will be placed in the coming days, with deliveries to take place over the next few years, said people familiar with the matter.. The total requirement of the AL 31 FP engines is close to 950 as they power the entire fleet of the twin-engine Su 30MKI fighter, they said.
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Colonel Manpreet Singh, three others conferred Kirti Chakra
- Colonel Manpreet Singh, who was killed in action while leading from the front in an anti-terror operation in Jammu Kashmir's Anantnag last September has been posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra, the second-highest peacetime gallantry award. Three other security forces personnel -- Rifleman Ravi Kumar (posthumous), Major Malla Rama Gopal Naidu, Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Himayun Muzzammil Bhat (posthumous) -- were also awarded Kirti Chakra.
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With an eye on China and Pakistan, India fast tracks deal for 31 hunter-killer drones from the US
- With both China and Pakistan bolstering their fleets of armed drones, India is fast-tracking negotiations for the acquisition of 31 weaponised MQ-9B hunter-killer’ remotely-piloted aircraft from the US, with the somewhat ambitious aim to ink the mega deal by November-December this year.
- Techno-commercial discussions for the inter-governmental contract for the 31 armed high-altitude, long endurance drones “are in an advanced stage now”, with 15 Sea Guardians earmarked for Navy and 8 Sky Guardians each for Army and IAF, defence ministry sources said.
INTERNATIONAL
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WHO declares mpox outbreaks in Africa a global health emergency
- The World Health Organization has declared the mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global emergency, with cases confirmed among children and adults in more than a dozen countries and a new form of the virus spreading. Few vaccine doses are available on the continent.
- Earlier this week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the mpox outbreaks were a public health emergency, with more than 500 deaths, and called for international help to stop the virus’ spread.
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Britain says Ukraine can use the donated weapons inside Russia
- British weapons can be used by Ukrainian forces in operations on Russian territory, Britain's Ministry of Defence said but restrictions on the use of long-range Storm Shadow missiles remain.
- In the last two weeks, Ukraine has carried out the biggest foreign attack on sovereign Russian territory since World War Two, which one Ukrainian official has said is designed to create a buffer zone to protect its population against attack.
SPORTS
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India men’s bowling coach
- Morne Morkel, former South Africa speedster, has been appointed as India’s men’s cricket team’s bowling coach. Morkel’s appointment completes trio suggested by the new head coach Gautam Gambhir.
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Hockey India retires Sreejesh's No. 16 jersey
- Hockey India decided to retire the jersey number of goalkeeping stalwart P.R. Sreejesh, who retired after playing a pivotal role in the country's second consecutive Olympic bronze medal at the just-concluded Paris Games.
