NewsBytes

India enters top 100 in global SDG rankings for first time

India has for the first time secured a place among the top 100 out of 167 countries ranked for their progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a report published on Tuesday. According to the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network's 10th and latest Sustainable Development Report (SDR), India ranks 99th on the 2025 SDG Index with a score of 67, while China ranks 49th with 74.4 and the US 44th with 75.2 points. India ranked 109th in 2024, 112th in 2023, 121st in 2022, 120th in 2021, 117th in 2020, 115th in 2019, 112th in 2018 and 116th in 2017. Among India's neighbours, Bhutan takes 74th place with 70.5 points, Nepal ranks 85th with 68.6, Bangladesh 114th with 63.9 and Pakistan 140th with 57 points. India's maritime neighbours, Maldives and Sri Lanka, stood at 53rd and 93rd places, respectively.

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Submarine cooperation: India, South Africa exchange agreements

India and South Africa have exchanged two agreements in the domain of submarine cooperation during a key meeting in Johannesburg as both sides sought to further strengthen bilateral defence ties, according to the defence ministry. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh led an Indian delegation to South Africa for the 9th Joint Defence Committee (JDC) meeting held in Johannesburg on June 23 and 24, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The delegation from South Africa was headed by Acting Secretary for Defence, South Africa, Thobekile Gamede.

Defence ministry seals 13 procurement contracts to boost Army’s anti-terror grid

The defence ministry has concluded 13 contracts worth Rs 1,980 crore under the emergency procurement mechanism to boost the Indian Army's operational readiness in countering cross-border terrorism. Under the acquisition programme, the Army's integrated drone detection and interdiction systems are being significantly enhanced, officials said. India has been ramping up the counter-terror grid of the Indian Army to strongly combat Pakistan-backed terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi carried out precision strikes on nine terror infrastructures in Pakistani territories on May 7 in response to the horrific Pahalgam terror attack.

Deterring China? Japan conducts first missile test on its territory

Japan's army announced Tuesday that it conducted a missile test for the first time on Japanese territory, as the country accelerates its military buildup to deter increasingly assertive China. The test-firing of the Type 88 surface-to-ship, short-range missile was conducted Tuesday at the Shizunai Anti-Air Firing Range on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido. About 300 soldiers participated in Tuesday's exercise by the Ground Self-Defence Force's 1st Artillery Brigade, using a training missile targeting an unmanned boat about 40 kilometres off the southern coast of Hokkaido, officials said. Officials were still examining the results of the test, the GSDF said. Due to space limitations and safety concerns, Japan has previously conducted missile tests in the territories of the United States, a treaty ally, and Australia, a top Japanese defence partner where vast training grounds are available.