NEW DELHI — India on April 19 successfully test-fired a long-range missile capable of targeting parts of northern China and eastern Europe, bringing the emerging South Asian power into an elite club of nations with intercontinental defense capability. The Agni-V, an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to hit a target up to 5,000 km (3,100 mi.) away, was launched from Wheeler Island off the coast of the eastern state of Odisha at 8:07 a.m. local time, according to V.K. Saraswat, chief of India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

NEW DELHI — India has ordered its defense forces and all other security agencies to remain prepared to tackle an entire range of challenges along its borders in the wake of the situation in the neighboring Afghanistan/Pakistan region. Taliban militants on April 15 mounted a synchronized attack at key establishments in Kabul. The assault ended after 18 hr. on April 16, by which time all but one attacker had been killed.

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways plans to expand its air cargo services to India to meet high demand to and from the country’s leading information technology cities of Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The airline will launch a twice-weekly freighter service to Hyderabad and add a third weekly freighter flight to Bengaluru, both starting May 17, the carrier says. The new arrangement will present shippers more choice and flexibility in connecting to the airline’s international cargo network through the Hong Kong hub, it says.