India’s defense minister has approved a framework for building the country’s most advanced stealth fighter jet, the defense ministry said on Tuesday, amid a new arms race with Pakistan weeks after a military conflict between the neighbors. Indian state-run Aeronautical Development Agency, which is executing the program, will shortly invite initial interest from defense firms for developing a prototype of the warplane, envisaged as a twin-engine 5th generation fighter, the ministry said. The project is crucial for the Indian Air Force, whose squadrons of mainly Russian and ex-Soviet aircraft have fallen to 31 from an approved strength of 42 at a time when rival China is expanding its air force rapidly. Pakistan has one of China’s most advanced warplanes, the J-10, in its arsenal. Militaries of nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan faced-off in four days of fighting this month, which saw use of fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery by…

India’s financial capital and one of its largest cities has experienced its wettest May in more than a century, with the unusually early arrival of the monsoon season causing a ferocious weekend downpour that turned roads into rivers and flooded a newly inaugurated underground train station. Mumbai, a city of more than 12 million, has recorded more than 400 millimeters of rainfall this month so far, according to data from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), with much of the downpour arriving late last weekend. The deluge caused chaos and delays across transport networks, including at the newly inaugurated Worli Metro Station. Video published by local media outlets showed travelers wading knee-deep in flood water, water gushing down a station staircase, and water leaking heavily from the ceiling onto a train platform. India’s $4 trillion economy is heavily dependent on the monsoon, which brings rains that farmers depend on to support…

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office moved swiftly on Monday to defuse attention around a viral video showing his wife Brigitte pushing his face away as they deplaned in Vietnam for the first leg of a Southeast Asia tour. The short clip shows the aircraft door opening with Macron appearing in the doorway. Seconds later, both of Brigitte Macron’s hands reach from the side and presses against the president’s face in what looks like a sudden shove. Macron appears momentarily surprised but quickly regains his composure and waves to the press outside. As the couple descend the steps, Macron offers Brigitte his arm, which she does not take, opting instead to hold the railing. The Élysée initially denied the incident on the plane, before later moving to downplay its significance. It was a “moment of togetherness,” according to an Élysée source. “No more was needed to feed the mills of the…

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier released during a ceasefire-hostage deal has said one of her biggest fears during captivity were strikes carried out by Israel. Na’ama Levy, one of five IDF female soldiers released in January, made the comments during a weekly rally at Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square on Sunday demanding the return of hostages. “They (strikes) come unexpectedly. At first you hear the whistles, you pray that it won’t fall on us, and then – the explosions, a noise so loud that it paralyzes the body, and the ground shakes,” Levy told a crowd of thousands. “Every time, I was sure that this was the end of me. It was one of the scariest things I experienced there and that’s also what endangered me more than anything,” she continued, describing an incident where a strike caused the house she was in to partially collapse. “That was my reality.…