The INTERPOL has issued the first silver notice on India’s request. 

• It was issued to track the global assets of former French Embassy officer Shubham Shokeen, who is wanted in connection with a visa fraud. 

About Silver notice 

• Silver Notice is the newest addition to the INTERPOL’s colour-coded Notices.
  • INTERPOL’s colour-coded notices are international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information(refer to the infographic)
• Purpose: Allows tracing and gathering information on assets of fugitives and key accused, even if the assets are in foreign countries. 
• Global Collaboration: India is one of 51 countries participating in the first phase of this Interpol pilot project, running at least until November 2025.
• First Use: The first Silver Notice was issued in January on behalf of Italy.
• Limit: Each country can request up to 9 Silver Notices during the pilot phase.

About INTERPOL

• Headquarters: Lyon, France.
• Genesis: Established as International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC) during 2^nd International Police Congress in Vienna in 1923 and established as INTERPOL in 1956
• Members: 196 countries (India a founding members). 
• National Central Bureau (NCBs): Established by member countries as a point of access for INTERPOL affairs. 
  • CBI is India’s NCB to the INTERPOL, and it has also developed Bharatpol portal for better coordination 
• Governing Bodies: The General Assembly and Executive Committee.

Hybrid Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Rudrastra demonstrated vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities, extended flight range, real-time surveillance, and accurate target engagement over a range of 50 kilometres.

About Rudrastra

• It is a Hybrid Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) UAV manufactured by Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL).
• Features:
  • Total range (including loitering over the target) is 170 km, with an estimated endurance of 1.5 hours.
  • Equipped with precision-guided anti-personnel warheads with mid-altitude release capability.
  • Can relay back live video and return to the launch position in automated mode.