Author: Defenceline Webdesk

A ruby weighing in at more than two kilograms has been found in Myanmar, with some estimates valuing the rock at millions of dollars, a testament to a warning by United Nations experts that this country’s gem mining industry is bankrolling the military’s civil war. Unearthed near the town of Mogok, in the heartland of the lucrative gem-mining industry in upper Mandalay Region, the ruby measured 11,000 carats, or 2.2 kilograms, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar, the mouthpiece of the military government. The “antique giant” was inspected by the military’s anointed President Min Aung Hlaing and his…

Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir, has once again provoked India with incendiary remarks, a year after the humiliating setback his forces suffered during Operation Sindoor.In a fresh outburst, Munir dismissed the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the Pulwama suicide bombing as “false flag operations,” attempting to shift blame onto New Delhi while ignoring Pakistan’s own record of sponsoring cross-border terrorism.A year after India’s calibrated military response in May 2025, which destroyed multiple Pakistani terror camps and crippled airbases, Munir’s rhetoric appears aimed at reviving a narrative of victimhood.His statement comes at a time when Pakistan continues to face…

Ching Wah Chin, Strategy Page The Greater Second World War (“Greater”) argues to advance W.W. II scholarship by widening both the time frame (beginning in 1931 and running… Source link

Indonesia is not in a fiscal crisis. Instead, it is facing a different challenge, one that is harder to interpret and potentially more important: a divergence in perception. At a time when parts of the international market are beginning to question Indonesia’s fiscal trajectory, others continue to describe it as one of the more resilient and stable economies in the emerging market universe. More than a marginal disagreement, this represents a fundamental divide in how Indonesia is being assessed. For investors, this creates a familiar but uncomfortable dynamic. When the signals diverge, confidence weakens, not necessarily because the fundamentals have…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a crucial five-nation tour from 15 to 20 May 2026, aimed at securing India’s energy supplies and deepening strategic partnerships amid the global energy crisis triggered by the Strait of Hormuz closure and West Asia conflict.The itinerary spans the UAE, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy, with energy security, trade, defence, and innovation at the core of discussions.The tour begins in Abu Dhabi on 15 May, where Prime Minister Modi will meet UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE’s recent exit from OPEC+ has heightened the importance of direct bilateral energy ties.Discussions…

India’s recent successful test of an advanced Agni missile equipped with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle capability has once again placed its strategic missile program in the global spotlight.The system, tested from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast, demonstrated the ability to launch a single ballistic missile carrying multiple warheads aimed at different targets across a wide geographical area.This capability, possessed by only a handful of major military powers, has sparked debate over whether the missile represents an upgraded Agni-V or an early precursor to the Agni-VI program. DRDO chief Samir V Kamat has confirmed that the…

The UK will allocate £6m to QinetiQ-led Team Elaris for the development of an eLoran system – an alternative navigation system to GNSS. Source link

It has been a year since the Indian and Pakistani militaries engaged in hostilities. Following a brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Kashmir on April 22, 2025, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan, India launched Operation Sindoor, an 88-hour combined military forces attack on terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on the night of May 6-7. With Pakistan striking back, the conflict escalated. Operation Sindoor and Pakistan’s retaliation had triggered alarm across the world, given that the two nations are nuclear-armed. But a year later, while India has been trying to isolate Pakistan for being the perpetrator of…

India’s commemoration of National Technology Day on 11 May 2026 highlights its transformation since the Pokhran nuclear tests of 1998 into a full-fledged nuclear triad power, with 172 warheads under the Strategic Forces Command and delivery systems spanning air, land, and sea.The commissioning of INS Aridhaman last month has secured continuous at-sea deterrence, completing the triad’s most survivable leg.India marks National Technology Day each year to honour Operation Shakti, the nuclear tests conducted at Pokhran in Rajasthan in May 1998. These tests were a turning point, symbolising India’s emergence as a declared nuclear weapons state despite sanctions and global pressure.In…

The UK will allocate £6m to QinetiQ-led Team Elaris for the development of an eLoran system – an alternative navigation system to GNSS. Source link