The procedure for purchasing 126 multi-role combat jets for the Indian Air Force is in the final stage and will be completed shortly, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Wednesday.
China on Monday said cooperation between countries should not undermine regional peace and stability and target any third party, as it reacted to a host of defence and commercial pacts recently signed between India and the US including joint production of jet engines in India to power military aircraft and a deal on armed drones.
A worried army chief, General Deepak Kapoor, has protested to Defence Minister A K Antony about the derailing of vital defence purchases by allegations of corruption. On June 10, General Kapoor complained about the cancellation of army trials on the Pegasus ultra-light howitzer, after the manufacturer, Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK), was suspended on suspicion of links with a discredited Ministry of Defence official.
Ridiculing the claim by Pakistan navy chief Admiral Noman Bashir that there was no evidence to show that Mumbai attackers had taken the sea route, India on Saturday said its investigation has conclusively proved that they came from the neighbouring country through the maritime route. Commenting on his counterpart's claim, Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, also said that the 'full and complete' probe by the investigating agencies have proved that the attackers came via sea.
In India, the Indian-American diplomat will also meet with senior government officials to discuss the deepening US-India partnership, the state department said in a release on Friday.
On a mission to cool soaring bilateral tensions, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday held extensive talks with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on a range of issues, including the Taiwan issue and the Ukraine war.
However, the IDF strongly criticised the Hamas terror group for continuing to hold approximately 200 other hostages.
The first summit in South Asia, it will host the largest delegation of 43 heads of State and government as well as the heads of international organisations.
"Don't expect miracles in resolving the issue. What we are trying is that till a satisfactory solution on boundary issue is found, whenever incidents take place on border, through discussions and official mechanism, resolve those issues. Of late, we have been able to resolve the issues without much delay. That is an improvement," Defence Minister AK Antony said.
Former Defence Minister A K Antony has "admitted" that then Army Chief Gen V K Singh had informed him about alleged bribe offer by Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh for clearing the file for purchase of 1,676 Tatra trucks at a cost of Rs 1193.04 crores, the Central Bureau of Investigation has told a court in New Delhi.
A case has been registered against Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar for allegedly making statements that promote enmity between different groups, police said on Tuesday.
Chelsea have completed the transfer of defender Wesley Fofana from Leicester City, both Premier League sides said on Wednesday, with the Frenchman signing a seven-year contract with the west London club.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has met United States Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and held a productive conversation with him on deepening bilateral defence cooperation, including in the co-production of defence articles, and exchanged perspectives on a variety of security issues.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday sought "clarification" from Defence Minister A K Antony as to why the "Family" mentioned in middleman Guido Haschke's statement before an Italian court in the VVIP chopper deal case is being given "another meaning".
Biden said his administration is making sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself and respond to these attacks.
Defence Minister A K Antony appears to be backing the army which is unwilling to review the clean chit it has given to five of its personnel in the alleged fake encounter in Pathribal, a decision that has generated outrage in Jammu and Kashmir.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's comment to the Security Council that attacks by Hamas 'did not happen in a vacuum' angered Israel, which called for the UN chief's resignation and apology.
Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus' second-half goals gave West Ham a 2-0 win over Manchester United in the Premier League's early game on Saturday, as the Hammers briefly moved into the top six.
United States President Joe Biden Tuesday said the Hamas' attack on Israel is an 'unadulterated evil unleashed on the world', and added that at least 14 American citizens were killed in the incident.
"I am totally opposed to army being moved against Naxal elements," Defence Minister AK Antony said, adding, "Army cannot be used against everything... the forces are already coming in aid of civil authorities."
The DG said that the previous government was wary of constructing roads near the Line of Actual Control.
United States President Joe Biden and his top advisors have warned Israel that it will become increasingly difficult for it to pursue its military goals in Gaza as global outcry intensifies about the scale of humanitarian suffering in the crisis-stricken region, CNN reported.
The Border Defence Cooperation Agreement with China needs closer scrutiny, says Rup Narayan Das.
Siddaramaiah's anti-urban bias, which he does not bother to hide, may become the Congress government's biggest weakness unless it is corrected.
Speaking about the issue in India in March 2012 at a media conclave, Kissinger defended his use of unparliamentary language while referring to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Was the defence minister kept in the dark with the PMO directly dealing with the then defence secretary in the matter of General V K Singh's birth date? Was the trust deficit between the government and the then army chief so wide that instead of communicating directly with General Singh and the defence minister, the PMO and other arms of the government were depending on half-baked inputs from the Intelligence Bureau?
'We failed as a country because those who should have been there to say goodbye did not show up.'
Admitting for the first time, a top United States diplomat has confirmed that there was 'shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners' that had prompted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's offensive allegation about Indian agents' involvement in the killing of a Khalistani extremist on Canadian soil, according to a media report on Saturday.
Asserting that it exercises a choice which it believes is in its national interest, India on Tuesday said it has no difficulties with Russia on servicing of military equipment and spare parts in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine.
That is not our policy, but at the same time we can't close out eyes to what is happening in the surroundings," said Antony, who apologised to the troops for not speaking in Hindi.
In Amman, Biden will meet with King Abdullah of Jordan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The top diplomats of Quad nations on Friday denounced as "inadmissible" any use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war and strongly opposed any "unilateral actions" that seek to change the status quo in the South and East China Seas, a region that has witnessed increasing Chinese military offensive.
Released by secretary of state Antony Blinken, the annual human rights reports of the state department is a mandatory requirement of the US Congress giving details of human rights status in countries across the world.
Facing the prospect of cancellation of its Rs 3,600 crore deal to supply 12 VVIP choppers to the IAF, AgustaWestland has sought a meeting with the defence ministry to explain its stand on the issue.
Blinken was expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart, and potentially with President Xi Jinping.
The discussions are mostly one-on-one, party insiders said on Thursday, a day of many meetings.
The bishop, in his order, alleged that though Puthiyaparambil was appointed as vicar of a local church, he didn't accept the appointment and suddenly left after publishing a note on social media.
The United States has urged India to cooperate with Canada in its investigations.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said Canada has shared with India evidence of "credible allegations" about the involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar many weeks ago.
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