Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is hosting his Bangladeshi counterpart, Hasan Mahmud, during the latter’s official visit to India from 7-9 February. In their meeting, the two ministers discussed cross-border connectivity, economic and development partnerships, defence and security cooperation, power, energy, water resources, and people-to-people exchanges, among other issues. They also explored avenues for future collaboration, aligning with their respective national development goals such as “Viksit Bharat 2047” and “Smart Bangladesh 2041.”
Union Minister Jitendra Singh, overseeing Science & Technology, PMO, revealed that India is actively conceptualising its roadmap for future moon exploration missions. Feasibility studies are in progress, encompassing plans for robotic moon exploration involving orbiters, landers, and rovers. The agenda also includes lunar sample collection and return, culminating in a historic human landing on the moon.
A US drone strike blew up a car in Iraq’s capital Wednesday night, killing a high-ranking commander of the Kataib Hezbollah militia responsible for “directly planning and participating in attacks” on American forces in the region. Iran-backed militias in Iraq said that three people were killed, including Wissam Muhammad Sabir Al-Saadi, also known as Abu Baqir Al-Saadi, the head of Kataib Hezbollah’s operations in Syria. However, the US Central Command claimed in its statement that “there are no indications of collateral damage or civilian casualties at this time.”
During a press conference on Wednesday, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that he told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that President Joe Biden’s executive order targeting Israeli settlers involved in violent attacks on Palestinians was “inappropriate” and “highly problematic.” “Biden’s order is a very serious matter. It is inappropriate and harms a big group of law-abiding settlers,” Netanyahu remarked. “If the US wanted to use it in an equal manner it would have imposed sanctions on hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. I told Blinken it is a highly problematic thing,” he added.