AFSPA can be safely lifted from almost 90 per cent of Nagaland, argues Shekhar Gupta.
With the One Rank One Pension scheme for military veterans set to be notified soon, officials of central paramilitary forces, too, may be in for good news soon as the government is to take a final decision on granting of "organised services" status to them.
'The simultaneous fire from so many guns rained down on the enemy and pulverised them, a sight I can never forget till my last breath.'
Pakistan still has to acquire the patience you need in a democracy. The patience to accept that even if I do not like the government I have, I must wait till the next election to change it, explains Shekhar Gupta.
A grenade-dropping drone, 3D fly-on-the-wall radar to see through a 20-m-thick wall and a 'dogo robot' armed with remote pistol are some of the latest weaponry provided to the National Security Guard to undertake lethal counter-terror operations with a punch of stealth.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant's personnel are continuing to service the facilities and monitor the radiation situation at the station as usual, a top Russian official claimed on Friday, a day after Russian forces took over the decommissioned facility after a fierce fight with Ukrainian soldiers guarding it.
The Agni-V can reach beyond Tibet to high-value targets in the Chinese heartland, even its northern-most provinces.
'Windows shook and rattled, and the thunderous growl of the engines doused even the sound of our noisy helicopter till such time the plane had lifted itself into the skies and disappeared from view.'
Jairam Ramesh said the Congress has to be the "fulcrum" of any Opposition alliance to take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections as it is the only political force with a pan-India presence.
An insecure political class, with little knowledge of the military, has unquestioningly internalised the fear that a powerful tri-service chief would threaten democracy, says Ajai Shukla.
Major Adhikari was a man par excellence and had won our hearts. His supreme sacrifice for the nation shook us till the roots. A fascinating excerpt from Param Vir Chakra Captain (Honorary) Yogendra Singh Yadav's book, The Hero of Tiger Hill.
'There was plenty of pushing, pulling and jostling going on as everyone wanted to see what was going on at the table.'
India on Tuesday successfully test-fired the nuclear-capable strategic ballistic missile Agni-IV from a test range off the Odisha coast.
Despite dependence on the ISI for years of sustenance, Taliban leaders may harbour resentment over the ISI's excessive control, notes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing.
They said the IED blast took place in the Chintalnar forest area of the district around 9 pm on Saturday and the injured personnel were evacuated by a Mi-17 V5 helicopter of the Indian Air Force around midnight.
'Pakistan was very mature in the way it dealt with the incident.' 'India too owned up to the accident.' 'The whole incident was resolved quite amicably.' 'Both countries should be proud of how they have handled this situation.'
Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami met a hero's end battling Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists in the jungles of Kashmir. His valour earned him the nation's highest gallantry award in peacetime this Republic Day. Archana Masih/Rediff.com travelled to Lal Kuan, Haldwani, to find out who this hero was.
Observers say China should re-address its policies towards India or else it will continue to face flare-ups increasing the tensions between the two countries at a time China's increasing tension with the US over Taiwan and the South China Sea besides the downturn in the Chinese economy which is hit hard by the zero-covid policy.
'Hatred increases with every killing.' 'It sets one family against another.' 'The sooner it is stopped, the better.'
At one location, seven bodies of the troops were recovered and the tree trunks bore bullet shots, indicating that a fierce gun battle took place in the area.
Six members, including three women, of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) were killed in an alleged exchange of fire with the elite Greyhounds of Andhra Pradesh Police in Visakhapatnam district on Wednesday, while a fierce gunbattle took place between security forces and Maoists in neighbouring Odisha's Malkangiri district.
The sleek missile having 4000 km strike range is a two stage missile. It is 20 metre-long weighing 17 tonnes.
'His (the Pakistani terrorist's) aim was to enter the mosque, engage with the security forces, stir religious sentiments of the people and create a law and order problem. But we will not let them to succeed in that.'
For both India and China, the most likely option -- and the most challenging -- appears to be a freezing of the status quo.
Sukanya Verma lists everything you can look forward to on OTT this week.
'The bigger challenge and dilemma for Pakistan would be if the US and Saudi Arabia go full throttle against Iran and enforce regime change in Tehran.' 'That would be bad news for Pakistan, especially with the current instability in Balochistan,' notes Brigadier Narender Kumar (retd).
Kovind, aged 76, was sworn in as the 14th President of India on 25 July, 2017.
'I propose to finish it soon, but till then you all will ensure that we strike hard at our enemy.' 'I will not accept any shortcomings or cowardice.'
Air Commodore Nitin Sathe discovers how the IAF trained Pakistani air force pilots, during the 1971 War, which led to the birth of the Bangladesh air force.
'As we grew up in service and became seniors ourselves, our commanders advised us to graduate to whiskey since rum did not suit the stature and 'shaan' of a senior officer.' Nitin Sathe recalls his encounters with whiskey on World Whiskey Day.
Visiting the Rezang La Memorial, one has a feeling of super-humans defending the Indian territory against the Chinese onslaught, says Claude Arpi on the 60th anniversary of the heroic battle of the 1962 War.
After the guard of honour, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, military and other officials paid floral tributes to the decorated air warrior.
'We decided that we would fire our rockets and dive into the valley and get away, making it difficult for the missiles to be fired.'
'Imagine hanging from a thin steel cable under a helicopter with certain death staring at you below, being pulled up slowly in the din and downwash of the helicopter.' IAF Veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe, a helicopter pilot himself, reports on how the air force rescued those trapped in the Deoghar cable cars disaster last fortnight.
IMAGES from Day 1 of all the action from the Wimbledon Championships played at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, on Monday.
Siachen 1987 reveals for the first time the Northern Army's 'intent' to use Siachen as an excuse to capture the strategic town of Skardu in PoK, notes military historian Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, who will head the IAF from October 1, will keep our fighting capabilities sharpened and operationally ready for conflict at all times, notes Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).
'Once positions are hardened and troops start building defences, it is difficult for soldiers to step back.'
The UN Security Council Resolution 2309 calls governments to meet their responsibility to keep citizens secure while travelling by air.
The West Bengal Crime Investigation Department (CID) has summoned six Central Industrial Security Force personnel who were on duty at booth number 126 in Jorpatki in Sitalkuchi assembly constituency where four persons were killed in a firing by the central forces personnel during voting, an official said.
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