Pressing for early conclusion of the civil nuclear deal, the US on Wednesday said, "The clock is ticking" and hoped the United Progressive Alliance government would be able to end the domestic deadlock on the issue in time.
To date none of the companies that Defence Minister A K Antony publicly named have been told the charges against them, nor has any CBI charge sheet been filed. Ajai Shukla reports
The Centre is contemplating raising an Arunachal regiment of the Indian Army, on the lines of the Ladakh Scouts formed in 1963, to protect the northeastern state from Chinese incursions.The proposal, initiated by the Arunachal Pradesh government, has reportedly been approved by both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister A K Antony; the latter is now drawing up a proposal to present it before the Union Cabinet.
Some terror camps in Pakistan have reinitiated operations against India which has conveyed its worries over United States military aid to Pakistan finding its way to terrorists, Army Chief Deepak Kapoor has told top American official, according to diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday underwent surgery in a United States hospital for an undisclosed ailment which will keep her out of India for a month. The Congress party's announcement in New Delhi that its 64-year-old leader has been diagnosed for surgery and that general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Defence Minister A K Antony, her political aide Ahmed Patel and general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi will run the affairs of the party caught the country by total surprise
The armed forces had decided not to implement the revised pay scales from October 1.
It was after a gap of two decades that saw such an occasion where MPs of the upper house enthralled their fellow colleagues at a dinner hosted by Chairman and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu for 72 retiring members.
For the first time ever, the government has announced the number of Indian soldiers who have laid down their lives in the Siachen sector, ever since the Indian army made its first headlong rush to secure that strategic area in the summer of 1984.
Admitting delay in construction of the navy's indigenous aircraft carrier, the government on Wednesday told the Rajya Sabha that the launch of the ship is now expected to take place next year.
"Approximately 85,000 MT of ammunition pertaining to Army is lying in open plinth or temporary accommodation," Defence Minister A K Antony said in the Rajya Sabha.
Under the new deal signed in New Delhi on Friday by top officials of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Russia's state owned arms agency Rosenbroexport, Russia has agreed to supply 40 Sukois in semi-knocked down kits at a cost of $1.6 billion. By agreeing to new annual cost escalation of five per cent, India would now be paying whopping $5 billion for 230 Sukhois fighters, which currently are IAF's mainstay.
India on Thursday asked the global community to 'persuade and compel' Pakistan to destroy all terror camps on its territory by taking 'serious note' of former President Pervez Musharraf's remarks on the country supporting these outfits. Defence Minister A K Antony told reporters that it was 'not a secret' that Pakistan was fanning terror attacks on India and that it had been 'repeatedly reminded' to dismantle the 44 terror outfits operating from their territory.
Deepak Babaria, the All India Congress Committee secretary from Gujarat, was one of the many people on the stage before Defence Minister A K Antony's election address in Cheranalloor, Kochi.
The Hardline Hurriyat Conference on Tuesday alleged that the statements made by Union Defence Minister A K Antony and a senior army commander in the Kashmir Valley were an indication that the Centre was planning to settle the armed forces permanently in Jammu and Kashmir.
The United Progressive Alliance-Left parties may have averted a showdown at the key meeting on Wednesday, but the hours preceding the meet were dramatic, and full of suspense.
According to top sources in the government, Maran's return cannot be ruled out.
Scheduled to be launched by Defence Minister A K Antony's wife Elizabeth Antony, the carrier will be named after Vikrant, India's first aircraft carrier, Naval Staff vice chief Vice-Admiral R K Dhowan said.
Congress lawmakers from Telangana met senior party leader and Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday demanding disciplinary action against Y S Jaganmohan Reddy for joining a Telugu Desam Party protest in Lok Sabha against the decision to carve out a separate state from Andhra Pradesh.
Modi, who arrived in Cairo on Saturday after concluding a high-profile state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden, was received at the airport by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.
Indian Air Force has incurred an expenditure of Rs 28.83 crore since 2009-12 in the form of air-travel of various dignitaries and an amount of Rs 11.80 crore remain outstanding, government told the Lok Sabha on Monday.
In diplomacy, like in politics, there are no permanent friends or foes. Only interests guide policy. The same principle must true for India-Russia relations in the coming Putin era, says Tarun Vijay.
Of the 872 MiG series fighter aircraft purchased by the government till 1980, a total of 482 planes have crashed till now, killing 171 pilots and 39 civilians, government told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
United States Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer on Saturday said that induction of C-130J 'Super Hercules' aircraft in the Indian Air Force on time is a win-win situation for both the countries.
Army Chief General V K Singh on Tuesday sent his complaint to the Central Bureau of Investigation regarding Rs 14 crore alleged bribery offer made to him by a retired officer to clear the supply of a tranche of 600 vehicles.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday rejected his cabinet colleague and Union Railway minister Mamata Banerjee's demand for deployment of army in Maoist-affected areas of West Bengal, saying use of armed forces for internal security was the 'last resort.'
China's massive military lead over India has never been starker. On Tuesday, amidst fanfare, Defence Minister A K Antony travelled to Bengaluru for a milestone in the development of India's 'Tejas' Light Combat Aircraft, a fourth-generation fighter that is still two years away from full service. The same day, an advanced, fifth-generation stealth fighter -- so far only speculated about, as the J-20 -- made its first flight in China.
'India faces a very peculiar situation where the two most honest men in the Union Cabinet are suddenly facing the charge that massive scams took place in their own departments. Is that just coincidence?'
Accusing Pakistan of not making any serious attempt to dismantle terror infrastructure, India on Wednesday said that this was a cause for 'major worry' and it will examine 'all the available, possible options'. Sending a tough message a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke of the involvement of Pakistan's state agencies in the Mumbai terror attack, Defence Minister A K Antony said, "We will do everything to prevent such attacks".
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh continues to be in the hot soup. The crisis regarding the Indo-Pakistan joint statement simply refuses to blow over with the party now giving charge to Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Defence Minister A K Antony to diffuse the situation, retrieve the issue with the least damage to the government.
MiG 21s, which have been involved in frequent crashes, will start getting phased out from 2014, setting the stage for giving the Indian Air Force a 'new look' with the induction of modern next generation aircraft. "MiG 21s which constitute around 40 per cent of the IAF fleet will start getting phased out from 2014. With the induction of modern next generation aircraft such as the FGFA and MMRCA, the IAF will be a new look force," Defence Minister AK Antony said.
Pakistan has violated Indian airspace 23 times in the last three years, Lok Sabha was informed on Monday. "Indian air space has been violated 29 times by foreign aircraft during the period between December 2007 and November 2010. These include 23 occasions by Pakistan, thrice by China, twice by the United States and once by Bangladesh," Defence Minister A K Antony said in written reply to a query.
In a bid to help India meet an acute shortage of spares for its armaments, Russia has offered to set up a depot in the country, the first of its kind, to cater to the requirements of the three defence services. The proposal of the Russian government was being examined by the government.
Indian Army Chief Gen V K Singh seems to have won the first round in the legal battle on the age row with the Supreme Court on Friday saying the manner in which his statutory complaint was rejected by the government "appears to be vitiated".
General James Jones (retired), President Barack Obama's national security adviser, announced his decision to step down from his position, which would be taken over by his deputy Tom Donilon.
Modi's visit to the US will commence in New York, where he will lead the celebrations of the International Day of Yoga at the headquarters of the United Nations on June 21.
The figures, placed in Parliament, do not reveal if such a large number have been injured in conflicts the country has had to face since Independence or otherwise.
As India goes ahead with its plan to modernise the armed forces, US has pitched for India to buy defense equipments from American companies. "We think we have the finest military hardware in the world, and if India is upgrading its defense capabilities, they should buy American," State Department spokesman, P J Crowley told reporters.
"I did not know that the Australian police is so stupid and are charging on something so senseless," she said in an emotionally-choked voice.
The only business that the House could transact was laying of official papers on the table of the House.
"The situation in Pakistan is very serious and terrorism is spreading," Defence Minister A K Antony told media-persons in New Delhi when asked to comment on developments in the neighbouring country and Taliban's threat to India and the attack on Iran.
