India's concerns over a planned naval exercise between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the strategically important waters of Trincomalee led to the shelving of the drills weeks ago. The exercise was planned as part of regular engagements between the two navies, but India expressed its apprehensions to the Sri Lankan government. Trincomalee, situated on Sri Lanka's northeastern coast, is considered a significant hub in the Indian Ocean region, particularly for India's maritime security interests. The Pakistani Navy's close cooperation with China's PLA Navy has raised concerns in New Delhi about any Pakistani warship presence in Trincomalee. This incident follows previous diplomatic rows between India and Sri Lanka over the docking of Chinese vessels at Sri Lankan ports. India has been actively supporting Sri Lanka's development of Trincomalee's energy infrastructure and has recently signed a defense pact with the country to boost military cooperation.
Locals said there was a "chemical-like" smell at the site and thick white smoke everywhere as panic gripped the Paschim Vihar area after the blast happened near a CRPF school.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has accused Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi of raising questions on sensitive defence matters in Parliament after his marriage to a British citizen. Sarma alleged that Gogoi's wife, Elizabeth Colburn, has links with the Pakistani establishment, including working for an organisation allegedly a front for the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Gogoi has rejected the allegations as "baseless" and said the BJP is trying to divert attention from its own failures.
The West Bengal government has decided to upgrade the security cover of former Indian captain aSourav Ganguly to Z category
The border forces of India and Bangladesh will hold their bi-annual talks next week in New Delhi, with issues such as border fence construction and attacks on BSF personnel and civilians by Bangladeshi miscreants figuring among the discussion points. The 55th Director General-Level Border Coordination Conference between BSF and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will be organised at the Border Security Force (BSF) headquarters in New Delhi between February 17-20. The conference will be the first top-level meeting between the two sides after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August last year. Discussions will be held on prevention of attacks on BSF personnel and Indian civilians by Bangladesh-based miscreants/nationals, how to prevent trans-border crimes, construction of a single-row fence, action against Indian Insurgent Groups in Bangladesh, issues related to border infrastructure, joint efforts for effective implementation of the Coordinated Border Management Plan, Confidence Building Measures and other issues.
India needs to be technologically and militarily prepared to defend itself from both Pakistan and China, alerts Ramesh Menon.
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to examine a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a judicial probe into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.
The Indian Coast Guard has evacuated a Chinese national from a Panama-flagged research vessel on the Arabian Sea after he suffered a heart attack, the maritime security agency said in a statement on Thursday.
Islam was among nine persons arrested by Morigaon police on May 24 in a crackdown on illegal immigrants declared by the Foreigners' Tribunal, but who had been evading deportation.
'The Election Commission's involvement in the avoidable SIR controversy has carried a message down to the last voter -- who just does not like it,' observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been awarded the highest number of police gallantry medals, 21, including two Shaurya Chakras, on the eve of Republic Day. A total of 95 bravery medals were awarded to personnel from state and central police forces, fire service, home guard, civil defence, and correctional services. The CRPF's medals included 11 for operations in Jammu and Kashmir, seven for anti-Maoist operations, and one for an operation in the northeast. The second-highest number of medals went to Uttar Pradesh (17), followed by Jammu and Kashmir (15), Chhattisgarh (11), and the Border Security Force (5).
The 36-member all-women Special Weapons And Tactics team has been trained by the National Security Guard for anti-terrorism duty under the Delhi Police's Special Cell.
US President Donald Trump has 'America First' as his priorities and this includes making America safe again, making the country affordable, achieving energy dominance, draining the swamp and bringing back American values, the White House said on Monday.
Fans raise questions over USA's ability to control crowds after the chaos at Copa America final and hoped that the organisers of the 2026 World Cup, being co-hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada, would take steps to prevent a repeat of the same.
Meanwhile, a precautionary blackout has been enforfced in the multiple areas amid the esclating tensions between India and Pakistan.
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi revealed that 300 to 400 drones were deployed across 36 locations, with several being shot down by Indian forces using both kinetic and non-kinetic methods.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah strongly criticized linking Jammu and Kashmir's political future to acts of terror, asserting that Pakistan cannot influence decisions on the region's statehood through terrorism. He announced a signature campaign to press for the restoration of statehood.
Here is an explainer on the functioning of the seven-year-old body.
'One good outcome of Operation Sindoor -- perhaps, its best outcome -- could be that India has resumed meaningful contact directly with Pakistan at the military-to-military level,' observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Anti-sabotage checks are being carried out and patrolling has been intensified across the city, including on the Yamuna river where patrolling is being conducted on motor boats by the Delhi Police. Anti-terrorist measures are being carried out in view of threat perception and intelligence inputs, they said.
The Delhi High Court has dismissed petitions from the Ministry of Defence challenging disability pension orders for armed forces personnel, emphasizing that such pensions are a right, not an act of generosity, and should not be denied based solely on the location of disability onset or claims of lifestyle diseases.
The Shiv Sena, a ruling party in Maharashtra, has demanded the removal of the protected monument status from Aurangzeb's tomb in Khultabad. This demand comes after protests and calls for the tomb's demolition from organizations like the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protects the tomb as a monument of national importance. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has stated that the state government will protect the tomb but will not allow the glorification of Aurangzeb.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) condemned the Pahalgam terror attack, calling it a direct assault on the values of the republic. The party accused the BJP of exploiting the tragedy to promote discord and polarization, while urging for unity and solidarity in the face of adversity. The CWC also demanded a comprehensive analysis of the intelligence failures and security lapses that led to the attack.
According to official sources, images of the suspect's movement have been captured by the CCTV cameras at the Rameshwaram cafe in Brookefield area and those nearby.
Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday paid floral tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives while fighting terrorists who attacked the metropolis on this day 15 years ago.
A massive search operation is underway to flush out the terrorists, who are believed to have recently infiltrated from Pakistan, they said.
An official of the home ministry has been questioned by the police and other agencies in connection with an espionage case in Rajasthan. The official, who works with the foreigners division of the home ninistry, has been questioned for his alleged links with a suspected ISI agent arrested in Pokhran in February, sources said.
A low-intensity blast occurred near a multiplex in Delhi's Rohini on Thursday, injuring one person and sparking panic. The explosion took place near a park in the same area where a previous blast occurred in October. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi accused the BJP-led central government of failing to maintain law and order in the national capital.
Spain won the match 2-0, but it was the young intruder who won hearts of the players, spectators and the security.
A merchant vessel, with around 20 Indian crew, was hit by a suspected drone about 217 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast in the Arabian Sea on Saturday but there was no report of any casualties in the incident, Indian military sources and a maritime security agency said.
Ahead of Republic Day, the Delhi-National Capital Region has been put under a 'very high-security' cover after police received inputs from Intelligence agencies about a possible terror attack, officials said on Tuesday.
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the key mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is being interrogated for eight to ten hours daily by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to unravel a larger conspiracy behind the strikes. Rana, who was extradited from the US, is being grilled by NIA investigators to probe a larger conspiracy behind the attacks, in which 166 people were killed and over 238 injured. He is being allowed to meet his lawyer and is being provided with basic necessities. The investigators hope to find some important leads on his travels in parts of northern and southern India days before the carnage in Mumbai on November 26, 2008.
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pakistani-born Canadian national accused of playing a role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has been extradited from the United States to India. Rana was arrested in the US in 2009 and convicted in 2011 for providing material support to the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group, which carried out the Mumbai attacks. He had been fighting extradition since 2012, but the US Supreme Court ultimately denied his review petition, paving the way for his transfer to India. Rana will now face trial in India for his alleged role in the attacks, which killed 166 people.
The Supreme Court of India has ordered a progressive reduction in the deputation of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) over the next two years, citing concerns over the delayed promotions of cadre officers. The court's decision aims to address the long-standing grievances of CAPF officers who feel their promotional prospects are hampered by the presence of IPS officers in higher ranks. The ruling also mandates a cadre review of the CAPFs to be completed within six months, addressing the issue of stagnation in the service hierarchy. The court's decision acknowledges the valuable contributions of CAPF officers while also recognizing the need to balance their promotional prospects with the operational requirements of the forces.
The counsel appearing for the state said it was aggrieved by some comments made in the high court order.
The rally was not allowed to proceed towards the South Calcutta Law College, where the 24-year-old student was allegedly gang-raped by three men, including an alumnus of the institute, on June 25.
The Squad seeks to counter China's power assertions in the South China Sea region.
Opposing a special court's summons to three National Security Guard commandos who took part in the anti-terror operation during the 26/11 attacks, the Centre said on Wednesday that secrecy was "fundamental" to their duty.
The Central Reserve Police Force paid tribute to 40 of its personnel who were killed in the horrific Pulwama terror attack on this day six years ago.
