Strong quake jolts El Salvador, tsunami warning issued

INS Trikand arrived at Port Louis on March 10 (Tuesday) as part of its ongoing operational deployment to the South West Indian Ocean Region, the Indian Navy said.

Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal said that India sent 500 MT of rice as immediate food assistance, 10 MT of essential relief supplies and other support.

The Pentagon spent USD 5.6 billion on munitions in just two days against Iran, sparking fears over a "scarce supply" of advanced weapons. As the military shifts to cheaper bombs, assets are being rerouted from the Indo-Pacific, raising concerns about US "readiness" for other global threats.

In a post on X, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote, "India-Malawi partnership for food security. To support Malawi's efforts towards food security following the drought caused by the El Nino effect, India has dispatched a humanitarian consignment of 1,000 metric tons of rice from the Nhava Sheva Port to the people of Malawi. A reiteration of India's continued commitment to supporting partners in the Global South and advancing the spirit of South-South cooperation."

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 130km.

"... Together, we will transform Indo-Mediterranean and European trade. Prime Minister Modi and your Commerce Minister, Mr Piyush Goyal, deserve a great deal of credit for making this happen...," he said.

Harsha de Silva, MP, Chair of the Committee on Public Finance of the Parliament in Sri Lanka, while talking to ANI, said regional neighbours have traditionally viewed the Indian Ocean as a zone of peace and connectivity and torpedoing of a warship is seen as a dangerous escalation that brings the West Asian conflict directly into South Asian waters.

Sri Lankan MP Harsha de Silva expressed shock over the US torpedoing an Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, in the Indian Ocean and said that they did what they had to do after getting a distress call.

EAM S. Jaishankar asserted India's rise is self-determined, citing the "humane" decision to dock the Iranian vessel IRIS Lavan in Kochi despite regional tensions. He emphasised safeguarding Indian merchant mariners and building an Indian Ocean "ecosystem" through practical projects, resource commitment, and maritime safety in conflict zones.

Taiwan's National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Vincent Yi-hsiang Chao hailed India as an "oasis of peace" with 350 Taiwanese firms invested. He praised India's semiconductor potential and "strategic autonomy," while thanking New Delhi for speaking out against PRC military exercises to maintain Indo-Pacific stability.