Passage 1
U.S. and British Forces Launch Retaliatory Strikes on Iranian-Backed Houthis in Yemen Following Persistent Attacks on Commercial Ships
The U.S. and British militaries bombed more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on Thursday, in a massive retaliatory strike using warship-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, several U.S. officials told The Associated Press. The military targets included logistical hubs, air defence systems and weapons storage locations, they said.
The strikes marked the first U.S. military response against the Houthis for what has been a persistent campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the war in Israel. And the coordinated military assault comes just a week after the White House and a host of partner nations issued a final warning to the Houthis to cease the attacks or face potential military action. The officials confirmed the strikes on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.
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The warning appeared to have had at least some short-lived impact, as attacks stopped for several days. On Tuesday, however, the Houthi rebels fired their largest-ever barrage of drones and missiles targeting shipping in the Red Sea, with U.S. and British ships and American fighter jets responding by shooting down 18 drones, two cruise missiles and an anti-ship missile. And on Thursday, the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into the Gulf of Aden, which was seen by a commercial ship but did not hit the ship.
Source – https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/us-britain-launch-massive-retaliatory-strike-against-iran-backed-houthis-in-yemen/article67733085.ece
Passage 2
Telecommunication Act 2023: “A Modern Framework for Evolving Technologies, Privacy Concerns Linger Over Government Powers”
The Telecommunication Act 2023, replaces the hoary Telegraph Act 1885 and the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933. Through these years, as technology evolved, service providers entered and exited, and communications changed from voice to data, the Telegraph Act stood tall, albeit through a series of amendments and intermittent policy reforms. The life span of this new Act may not be as long, but it will need to see through the next few generations of communications technology including a multitude of innovations spanning human-human (voice calls, messaging, video calls), human-machine (wearables), and machine-machine (Industry 4.0) communications. The use of computing and other complementary technologies such as artificial intelligence, internet of things, and quantum computing, will become inseparable from communications technology.
The Act has introduced several vital changes, though not without the contested provisions for safety standards and public emergencies which give the government unfettered power that can infringe on citizen privacy with little or no accountability for governing officers.
Source- https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/open-up-the-playing-field-9105807/
