Flight Carrying Indian Students Lands In Delhi After Iran Opens Its Airspace

A flight carrying 290 Indian students, mostly from Jammu and Kashmir, landed in Delhi late Friday night after Iran lifted its airspace restrictions today for India's 'Operation Sindhu'. The country opened its airspace, in a special gesture, for three flights to evacuate about 1,000 Indians. This was the first of the three flights.

The Indians were moved to Mashhad from Tehran following Israeli attacks. The evacuation flights were being operated by Iranian airline Mahan and were arranged by New Delhi.

"Heartfelt thanks to the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs, and all concerned authorities for their timely intervention and support. A great relief for families who had been anxiously awaiting their return, said the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association.

Thousands of Indian students, most of them from Jammu and Kashmir, are stranded in Iran. 

Another flight from Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat is scheduled to arrive in Delhi around 3 am followed by a third one later in the day.

'Operation Sindhu' was launched on Wednesday to bring back its nationals from Iran and Israel amid the rising hostilities between the longtime enemies. Yesterday, a group of 110 Indian students were transited via Armenia and Doha before they boarded a flight to Delhi. 

Mohammad Javad Hosseini, the deputy chief of mission at the Iranian embassy, said more evacuation flights could be operated in the coming days to bring back Indians if required. "We consider Indians as our own people. Iran's airspace is closed, but because of this issue, we are making arrangements to open it for the safe passage of Indian nationals," he said at a media briefing.

Mr Hosseini said about 10,000 Indians are living in Iran and those wishing to return home are being evacuated.

Israel launched "Operation Rising Lion" with a surprise attack on the morning of June 13 that wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and damaged its nuclear sites. Iran retaliated with air strikes, with both countries launching hundreds of missiles at each other in the last four days.

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'Flying On A Dreamliner? I'm On': Ex Aviation Minister After Air India Crash

There is no cause for worry after the Air India crash in Ahmedabad and if he was asked to fly on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner today, he would say yes immediately because the airline has a sound technical grounding and the country's aviation regulatory framework is strong, former civil aviation minister Praful Patel has said. 

Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Friday, the NCP MP also said, however, that there is a need for better communication from airlines as well as the aviation watchdog and all vacancies should be filled up because, when it comes to flying, "it's either 100% safe or zero, there's nothing like 99.9%".

On the pace of the investigation after last week's Dreamliner crash in which at least 270 people were killed, including over 30 on the ground, Mr Patel said it has been satisfactory because a team from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) team in the US, teams from Boeing and GE, which manufactured the engines of the plane, and India's own Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) visited the site almost immediately and took charge. 

Based on his experience as the civil aviation minister between 2004 and 2011, the investigation, he said, should be completed within three months but could take longer because all possible scenarios should be ruled out.

Mr Patel said the AAIB is very competent and the damaged black box of the AI 171 could be decoded in India itself, but there is no harm if this happens in the US either. "It doesn't really matter whether it's being opened in the US or it's being decoded in India. At the end of the day, what we really want to know is what went wrong," he said. 

Air India Safety

Mr Patel pointed out that instances of flights being cancelled or having a technical issue happen every day, and are being amplified now because of the crash.

"Air India, irrespective of the ownership today or in the past, has always been completely safety driven, protocol driven. They follow every single process which has been prescribed either by the manufacturer or by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation," he said. 

"I would like to say that India does follow very good safety protocols. Air India has also had very tragic incidents, accidents in the past and they have been able to learn from them and overcome those kinds of issues. And I am sure even in the current context, Air India will be able to ride out of this crisis," the minister added.

Describing the current crisis as a "crisis of confidence", Mr Patel said he has been getting calls about whether it is safe to fly Air India and whether its safety protocols and maintenance are up to the mark. 

"I can tell you, and I have no hesitation in saying this, that if I were to fly a 787 Dreamliner today, I would be the first person to say, fine, I'm on. There's no real issue, I wouldn't worry even for a second... only time will tell whether it's some kind of a failure of a machine or man or whatever. But these are all hypothetical things, we should not really be talking too much about them until we actually have the full report," he stressed.

"Air India itself has got very, very, very good technical people over the years. The legacy has been very strong in Air India," he added. 

Passenger Confidence

Asked how the government could boost the confidence of flyers after the crash, Mr Patel said passenger confidence has been shaken badly, but it can also be easily restored. 

Suggesting measures to do this, he said, "I feel that there needs to be better communication, both by Air India and by all the airlines of the country put together, even by the DGCA. And I can also sense that this is a time when any vacancies in the DGCA or even in airlines in terms of their engineering or safety departments should be filled up immediately... You see, in aviation parlance, either it's 100% safe or zero, there's nothing like 99.9%."

Pointing out that several helicopter crashes have occurred in the Char Dham area in the past few weeks, he said checks and balances should be put in place and "shortcuts" should be avoided. 

"The operators take chances, the pilots also sometimes are confident or overconfident, they think that they can navigate through the mountains or the clouds and they know their way... And sometimes, I'm not blaming anybody, but there could be shortcuts which need to be avoided. That also shakes up confidence. After all, anything falling off the sky does rattle people.

Safety Focus

On whether India has too few players in terms of airlines, Mr Patel said the emphasis should be on quality, not quantity. India's track record, he said, has not been worse than advanced countries like the US or countries in Europe.

"And we also have very, very good overall safety standards and monitoring. But my last word to people would be, please do not be scared of flying. It's still the safest mode of public transportation, even in India or anywhere in the world. (Once) you sit on a plane, your chances of having something going wrong are really very rare. You are one of the real unlucky ones if you really encounter some major problem," he said.

"Otherwise, it is the safest and probably the best-managed public transportation (system) anywhere in the world," the former aviation minister emphasised.

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Watch: Ranthambore's Iconic Tigress' Final Walk Captured On Camera

Tigress Arrowhead (T-84), one of Ranthambore's most celebrated big cats, passed away at the age of 14, forest officials confirmed on Thursday. Her death came just hours after her daughter was relocated to another tiger reserve, marking an emotional end to a storied legacy in Indian wildlife history. The death of this beloved animal has devastated wildlife enthusiasts. Noted photographer Sachin Rai, who had closely followed her life since she was a cub, paid tribute with a poignant video capturing her final moments.

He shared a heart-wrenching account of Arrowhead's final moments. In an emotional Instagram post, he described watching her struggle to walk near Padam Talab on June 17, taking a few weak steps before collapsing under a tree, knowing instinctively that the end was near.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sachin Rai (@sachin_rai_photography)

"On the evening of June 17th, I witnessed what would likely be the last walk of the legendary tigress 'Arrowhead' at the banks of Padam Talab, a place she had ruled with grace and strength for many years. It was heartbreaking to see her struggle, attempting to rise and take a few feeble steps before collapsing again," he wrote.

"Each movement was a visible effort; even walking ten steps seemed an enormous task. Eventually, she reached a tree and lay beneath it. In that quiet moment, I knew in my heart that the end was near, just a matter of a day or two," he further mentioned.

"I have followed Arrowhead's journey since she was a tiny cub. From those early days to watching her grow into a powerful tigress who claimed her mother's territory, every chapter of her life was a testament to resilience."

Born to tigress Krishna (T-19) and the granddaughter of the legendary Machhli (T-16), Arrowhead was part of a famed tiger bloodline. She had been suffering from advanced bone cancer and had been under observation for weeks. Her passing symbolizes the end of an era for Ranthambore, where her lineage had long been a symbol of strength, beauty, and survival.

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Telegram CEO Says He'll Leave Fortune To 100 Kids Born Via Sperm Donation

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has revealed plans to divide his nearly $20 billion fortune among 100 children he fathered through sperm donations. According to Durov, this arrangement is detailed in his will, which also includes provisions for his six children with three partners.

Durov, known for his conflicts with the Kremlin over free speech issues, was charged last year by French authorities for allegedly allowing illegal activities like sex abuse and drug trafficking on his encrypted messaging platform, charges he denies.

The billionaire shared these details in an interview with France's Le Point magazine, explaining that the 100 children were born across 12 countries over the past 15 years through sperm donations.

When asked about the role of family in his life, Pavel Durov emphasised its great importance. He recently wrote his will, deciding that his children will not have access to his fortune for 30 years. He wants them to live independently, build their paths, and not rely on inheritance. Durov made it clear that he treats all his children equally-both those conceived naturally and those born via sperm donation-and hopes they will remain united after his passing.

Regarding the number of his children, Durov told the news outlet that he is the official father of six children from three different partners. Additionally, through anonymous sperm donations, he began fifteen years ago to help a friend, and more than 100 babies have been conceived across 12 countries, according to the clinic.

When asked why he wrote his will at just 40, Durov explained that his work defending freedoms involves risks and creates many enemies, including powerful states. He wants to protect both his children and the company he founded, Telegram, ensuring it always remains true to the values he stands for.

On Telegram's future, Durov said a non-profit foundation will take over after him. His goal is to ensure the platform continues independently while upholding privacy and freedom of expression.

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'India's Hypersonic Glide Missile Is In Advanced Stage': DRDO Chief To NDTV

Indian weapons systems were a success during Operation Sindoor when India struck Pakistan during its 100-hour aerial battle, damaging enemy airfields, drones, and air defence systems.

BrahMos, Akash surface-to-air missile, the D4 anti-drone system, and other systems designed and developed by the country's premier defence research and development body, DRDO, performed exceptionally well. The chief of DRDO, Dr Samir V Kamat, spoke to NDTV about the future of BrahMos, India's quest to develop a hypersonic missile and the lessons learnt during Operation Sindoor.

The Future of BrahMos

The world's fastest supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, was developed in partnership with Russia and struck Pakistani airfields during the conflict. BrahMos is universal - It can be launched from land, sea and air platforms. Dr Kamat shared an update on the developments in the BrahMos programme and said the scientists are looking at extending its range and having a smaller version capable of attaching to other fighter jets apart from the Su-30MKI.

The BrahMos air version can be launched only from Su-30MKI, which is already a smaller version of land and sea variants.

"We are increasing the range of the BrahMos missile. We are also looking at making it smaller so it can be mounted on all our air platforms. Today's BrahMos can be mounted only on the Sukhoi 30. But we are working on making a smaller version of BrahMos, which we are calling BrahMos-NG, and then it can be mounted on any of our platforms," Dr Kamat said.

India's Hypersonic Missiles

The ongoing Iran-Israel aerial battle started with drones, long-range ballistic missiles, followed by Tehran using hypersonic missiles (capable of flying at speeds five times more than the speed of sound) that are manoeuvrable and evade enemy air defences.

India is not behind in its development of hypersonic. Last year, the DRDO test-fired a long-range hypersonic missile from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.

The @DRDO_India has successfully conducted a flight trial of its long range hypersonic missile on 16th Nov 2024 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off-the-coast of Odisha.

Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh has congratulated DRDO, Armed Forces and the Industry for successful flight… pic.twitter.com/wq7yM2YS9f

— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) November 17, 2024

Dr Kamat spoke about the hypersonic missile system and said the agency is developing Hypersonic Cruise Missiles, meaning missiles that can travel consistently at hypersonic speeds and Hypersonic Glide Missiles or Vehicles (HGVs).

"The hypersonic glide missile is in a much more advanced stage. We have done one development trial, and we expect that in the next two to three years, we will complete all the development trials, and then it will be inducted," the DRDO chief said.

"In hypersonic cruise missiles, we have recently proven scramjet propulsion for more than 1000 seconds, which is a major breakthrough. We hope the government will sanction a program to convert this scramjet propulsion into a hypersonic cruise missile weapon system. I estimate that it will take about five to seven years before it can be inducted," he added.

Iran recently used the Fattah-1 hypersonic missile against Israel in the ongoing conflict. These warheads can glide, with a booster, at hypersonic speeds at low altitude toward the target, making it difficult for air defences to neutralise them because of their manoeuvrability.

The DRDO chief further spoke about India's other weapon systems that are in development.

Dr Samir V Kamat took over as the chief of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in August 2022.

"We are working on a variety of air-to-air missiles. We are going for higher ranges than our present Astra, which we now call Astra Mark 2 and Astra Mark 3. We are looking at air-to-ground missiles, which are known as Rudram 2, Rudram 3 and Rudram 4, which will have increasing ranges. These are air-to-ground missiles. Then we are looking at a variety of surface-to-air missiles for air defence applications. You are aware of our program KUSHA. We are also working on a directed energy weapon for anti-drones. So, this will be based on both lasers and high-power microwaves," he said.

Dr Kamat shared an update on the Zorawar light tank, which was developed in record time by the DRDO. These tanks, intended for deployment in the rugged terrain of Ladakh, Sikkim and other high-altitude areas, completed their development trials, and user trials will start soon. The need for light tanks arose when India was engaged in a direct military engagement with the Chinese PLA in Ladakh in 2020, and the latter deployed its ZQ-15 Light Tanks to counter India's T-72 Ajeya and T-90 Bhishma tanks.

The 25-tonne combat platform, Zorawar, was developed in record time by DRDO.

"Our pipeline is quite strong and in the next two to three years, several of our weapon systems and sensors will get inducted into our services," Dr Kamat said.

Stealth Fighter Programme And Lessons Learnt During Op Sindoor

India recently took a step forward in the direction of building an indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter jet. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the "execution model" for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) that will be developed by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in cooperation with industry partners.

"We have started work on it...Earlier, all our platforms, such as LCA Tejas Mark 1, LCA Mark 1A and LCA Mark 2, were done together, partnering with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as our production partner. But in the AMCA's case, we are looking at an expression of interest to identify a partner. This partner can be HAL, can be a private sector, or it could be a joint venture between HAL and a private sector or between two private sector companies," he said.

To a question about what lessons DRDO learnt from Operation Sindoor, the agency's chief said, "It is very clear to us now that all our weapon systems have to work in an electronically denied environment. The systems will be denied GPS and will be denied their communication. We have to develop fully autonomous weapon systems, which can work in any electronically denied environment."

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Air India To Cut Flights On 16 International Routes, Suspend Ops To 3 Cities

Air India on Thursday said flights will be reduced on 16 international routes and suspended on 3 overseas destinations between June 21 and July 15.

The Tata Group-owned airline, grappling with disruptions following the fatal plane crash on June 12 in Ahmedabad, said the objective is to restore schedule stability and minimise last-minute inconvenience to passengers.

The detailed announcement comes a day after the carrier said it would temporarily reduce flights operated with wide-body planes by 15 per cent.

"These reductions will be effective from June 21, 2025, and last until at least 15 July 2025," the airline said in a statement.

Services will be suspended on Delhi-Nairobi, Amritsar-London (Gatwick) and Goa (Mopa)-London (Gatwick) till July 15.

While the Delhi-Nairobi route has four flights per week, the Amritsar-London (Gatwick) and Goa (Mopa)-London (Gatwick) routes each have three flights a week, according to the airline.

Besides, flights will be reduced on 16 international routes connecting cities in North America, Europe, Australia and the Far East.

The routes in North America, which will see reduced frequencies, are Delhi-Toronto, Delhi-Vancouver, Delhi-San Francisco, Delhi-Chicago and Delhi-Washington.

"The reductions arise from the decision to voluntarily undertake enhanced pre-flight safety checks, as well as accommodate additional flight durations arising from airspace closures in the Middle East," the statement said.

Earlier in the day, Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson in a message to flyers said that as a confidence-building measure, the airline has elected to continue enhanced pre-flight safety checks on its Boeing 787 fleet and, as an added measure, its Boeing 777 aircraft for the time being.

Given the time these additional checks will consume and the potential impact on schedules, Air India has decided to reduce its international wide-body flights by around 15 per cent starting June 20, through to at least mid-July, Wilson said.

The routes in Europe with reduced flight services include Delhi-London Heathrow, Bengaluru-London Heathrow, Amristsar-Birmingham and Delhi-Birmingham, Delhi-Paris, Delhi-Milan, Delhi-Copenhagen, Delhi-Vienna and Delhi-Amsterdam.

Similarly, services on Delhi-Melbourne, Delhi-Sydney, Delhi-Tokyo Haneda and Delhi-Seoul (Incheon) have also been reduced as part of the revised schedule.

On Thursday, Air India again apologised to the passengers affected by these curtailments.

"Regrettably, the time required to perform these enhanced safety checks, along with the application of extra caution, external factors like airspace closures in Iran and the Middle East as well as night-time restrictions at some international airports, along with normal airline technical issues, has led to a higher-than-usual number of cancellations on our long-haul network in the past few days," the Air India chief said in his message.

"This (reduction in services) will also allow us to have more backup aircraft ready to handle any unexpected issues. We understand that this temporary reduction to our schedule may affect your travel plans, and we're deeply sorry for any inconvenience," he said in the message.

The airline said it is proactively contacting affected passengers to offer re-accommodation on alternative flights, complimentary rescheduling or full refunds as per their preference.

"We understand that this temporary reduction to our schedule may affect your travel plans, and we're deeply sorry for any inconvenience," Wilson said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Take Him Seriously, But Not Literally": Expert On Trump's India Approach

It's a question that's going to be asked repeatedly this year, especially in the context of what's been happening between India and US President Donald Trump over the last few days and the last few weeks. Mr Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all of it throwing up a big question - can India trust Mr Trump? The India-US relationship is a very strong one, and has always enjoyed a great deal of continuity.

But now there are questions over whether India needs to recalibrate and prepare for the next steps in the world of Mr Trump.

Dr Ashley J Tellis, the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, is a voice that anyone who's important listens to in the world of international security, defence, and Asian strategic issues, a voice that is heard above all others by lawmakers, the leadership on issues of US-India relations, and zooming in to the whole Trump-PM Modi dynamic.

Mr Trump hosting Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir for lunch had become a huge talking point.

"I think it was the President's personal decision to host the lunch. I'm not quite sure there was a universal consensus within his own administration on the wisdom of doing this. But President Trump is, as we know, an eclectic personality. He fancies himself a peacemaker. He genuinely believes that during the most recent India-Pakistan crisis, his administration and he himself personally had a very important role to play in the making of the ceasefire. And so I think he saw the lunch with Field Marshal Munir as an opportunity to sort of build on what he believes he achieved," Dr Tellis told NDTV.

"And the reason why I think he invited the Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] was this hope, this fanciful hope that they could all three be at a table together. They could hash out all the outstanding issues and that he would come out at the end of it, burnishing his reputation as a peacemaker," he added.

Before the lunch, in a 35-minute phone call between Mr Trump and PM Modi, the Prime Minister is said to have very clearly stated that the ceasefire after Operation Sindoor was something that India had achieved by virtue of its military actions and it had nothing to do with trade deals or mediation and that India didn't need any mediation.

However, a short while thereafter, Mr Trump asserted again that the ceasefire was all because of him. On this matter, Dr Tellis told NDTV, "I think this is in many ways vintage President Trump. I think the Prime Minister made a very compelling argument and I think the diplomatic record will bear that out that a substantial element of the success of the ceasefire were the backchannel conversations between the Indian government through its military officials and the Pakistani government through Pakistani military officials. The US did play a role. Certainly, I think Secretary Rubio was a very, very useful interlocutor to both sides. But for us to claim credit that this was somehow magically our contribution, I think exaggerates our role."

"But you can't keep a good man down and you can't keep President Trump from his very strongly held beliefs about his own role in the matter. So I think even though the Prime Minister really attempted to walk him through the sequence of events, I'm not sure it is going to have a lasting impact," said Dr Tellis, who while on assignment to the US State Department was intimately involved in negotiating the civil nuclear agreement with India.

On how India should interpret Mr Trump's signalling, Dr Tellis said the US-India relationship is generally in a very good place and both should "avoid doing anything that makes the current scratchiness into a permanent feature of the relationship. I think that is not helpful either to India or the United States."

"Two, we have to recognise the eccentricities of President Trump's personality and his worldview. Take him seriously as they say, but not literally. Recognise that he does want to play the role of a peacemaker, even though the United States as a country at this moment is singularly not suited for playing that role," Dr Tellis said.

"And so I think it is useful for India to continue to emphasise that a third-party mediation is not required. That the two countries, India and Pakistan, are entirely capable of handling these matters on their own. And continue to engage the administration more widely beyond the President on a range of issues that currently are very important to both sides.

And I would focus on economics and in particular the trade negotiations, which have been going actually reasonably well. I would focus on putting together the building blocks for enhanced defence cooperation. And I would focus on how the two countries can work together in other parts of the world. Those are things that are of common interest, that's really the way forward, especially in these tumultuous times, when you cannot really rely on political personalities in a sense to deliver what is necessary for both sides," Dr Tellis told NDTV.

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