With an eye on beefing up maritime security, India is negotiating a deal with 24 countries for exchange of neutral merchant shipping data as it rolls out a national hub to tackle all aspects of coastal security to prevent another 26/11-like attack.
Senior journalist Sandeep Unnithan, author of Black Tornado, a semi-official account of the 26/11 attacks, was on Rediff.com chat on November 26. In what was a frank and instructive interaction Rediff users spoke to the scribe about his views on the status of security and possible upgrades to the same.
Even as the dust settles on one election, glory in Thiruvananthapuram has come with a new question on the horizon: Who will be UDF's candidate in the next Lok Sabha election given Shashi Tharoor has said 2024 would be his last? It isn't a vacancy that can be easily filled, points out Shyam G Menon.
In a move to strengthen coastal security, the Odisha government has asked fishermen to paint their boats and trawlers with a specific colour pattern for their easy identification.
Sea Vigil-22 will cover the country's 7,516 km-long coastline and exclusive economic zone with the twin aim of checking preparedness of various agencies to deal with any eventualities and bolster overall maritime security.
Independence Day was celebrated across states and Union territories on Thursday, as several chief ministers announced job schemes while some others vowed their support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
The migrant worker, namely Ariful Islam, 26, was arrested by Arthunkal police on August 23 for allegedly sexually assaulting the girl after trespassing into her house on the same day.
In days of smart, networked technology and no shame over collateral damage, what will blow up next -- cars, mobile phones, TV sets, refrigerators? And where?, asks Shyam G Menon.
Jayant Naiknavare, deputy inspector general of police (VIP security), will replace Pandey as the Nashik police commissioner.
The boat was spotted off the Mumbai coast during patrolling on Tuesday morning, a police official said.
The recent alleged sabotage of BSNL's network in coastal Andhra Pradesh by a major Chinese telecom equipment maker has once again reminded Indian intelligence agencies that when it comes to hacking, China is India's biggest concern. Vicky Nanjappa explains why.
'Modi knows the people here are opposed to this project, but he is using the might of government to push this port down our throats.'
The college reopened as practical examinations are scheduled to be held for pre-university (PU) students. For the PU section, only students appearing for the examination are being allowed entry into the college premises.
'We have three goals for this war: eliminate Hamas, return all our abductees and ensure that Gaza does not become a threat to the State of Israel again'
Kerala's election discourse operates surreptitiously. Its explicit face focuses on important national and local issues. At the same time, it seeks to secure apt communal equations to ensure votes, notes Shyam G Menon.
A voter turnout of over 40 per cent was recorded till 1 pm on Monday in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections in 96 constituencies spread over 10 states and Union Territories amid incidents of violence in Andhra Pradesh and reports of poll boycott in some villages of Uttar Pradesh.
Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar's report secures the release of 29 Indian fishermen from an Iranian prison.
There is a growing unease among Lok Sabha ticket aspirants in the Shiv Sena amid its decision to drop three sitting MPs and the ongoing seat-sharing talks between the Mahayuti partners, party sources said.
Several reports put out by both the home ministry and also the Intelligence Bureau show that the seas continue to be the biggest cause for concern and that there is a long way to go before they are secure completely.
The 19 Indian fishermen, who were reported missing since May 5 after heading out to sea from Thangachimadam near Rameswaram, have been taken into custody by Sri Lankan naval personnel, according to the coastal security police.
The world needs to wake up to this new dimension of war at sea and be prepared to face the 'unknown enemy' who have the advantage of attacking at their choice of location and time, cautions Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
Want to live in Maharashtra, follow these eight rules or get jailed. Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com on the proposed Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act.
With the reality of coalition politics staring the BJP in its face, this was inevitable, points out Ramesh Menon.
Despite Dharavi being located in the Mumbai North Central constituency and Mahalaxmi Racecourse in South Mumbai, the issues have caught the attention of all parties and their candidates.
Even if the BJP gets 60, 70, or even 100 per cent of the votes in the seats where it scored more than 50 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, these will still add up to only 224 seats, argues Shekhar Gupta.
Once a frequent landing spot for Sri Lankan smugglers who traded opium for beedis and tobacco, the Kodikkarai fishing port in Tamil Nadu is today being used for a deadlier purpose -- arms trade with Chinese help.
Even as the Maharashtra government claims it is implementing in phases the Ram Pradhan committee report, which examined the government's response to the 26/11 terror attacks, gaping holes still exist in the security apparatus.
Voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls will be held on Friday for 88 seats in 13 states with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seeking a second-straight term from Wayanad in Kerala.
Date, a 1990 Indian Police Service officer of the Maharashtra cadre who once sold newspapers in Pune to financially support his family, was honoured with the President's Police medal for gallantry for his role in what has come to be known as the 26/11 attack.
More than 2,800 jobs will be axed as Tata Steel plans to close its blast furnaces at the Port Talbot plant in South Wales in the UK. Of the total job cuts, 2,500 will be in the next 18 months, said Indian conglomerate Tata. A further 300 jobs are to go in three years.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) today discussed acquisition of 10 warships and 80 radars for the Navy aimed at strengthening coastal security, identified as a priority after the Mumbai attacks.
Chavan, along with Deputy Chief Minister Chagan Bhujbal, met the prime minister at his Parliament House office to discuss in detail the security scenario in Maharashtra.
Tata Power saw a big sell-off, with the stock falling almost 8 per cent after declaring disappointing results for the October-December quarter (Q3) of 2023-24 (FY24) on Friday evening. The company reported net consolidated revenue of Rs 14,650 crore, up 4.4 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y), and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (Ebitda) of Rs 2,607 crore, up 2 per cent Y-o-Y, in the quarter, led by higher sales across Odisha distribution companies (discoms) and capacity addition in renewables. This was well below consensus estimates.
The Chinese have been making inroads in Sri Lanka where they recently got a reclaimed port city near Colombo. Prior to that, they gained control over the Hambantota port which was built by them.
In the Union Budget presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, a total of Rs 1,52,369 crore has been set aside for capital expenditure that includes purchasing new weapons, aircraft, warships and other military hardware.
The 35-page agenda notes, which rediff.com is in possession, including annexures, gives a ready ammunition to opposition parties' chief ministers to protest at the Centre sharing nothing -- no information on the Mumbai attack -- with them. All that the agenda mentions about the ghastly terror attack is a sentence in the introduction and another while discussing the coastal security.
In the wake of Mumbai attacks, when terrorists used sea route to strike the city, the government today took a host of measures, including acquisition of ships, installation of radars and setting up of new coast guard stations, to strengthen security of coastal areas.
The government proposes to set up a federal investigation agency to deal with cases of terrorism and other pan-Indian crimes. This has so far not found favour with the states which legitimately fear that they will be kept out of sensitive security investigations. There has to be a co-ordinated mechanism to deal with terrorism but co-ordination needs to bring in the states, says Sitaram Yechury
The CG headquarters and station are coming up at a time when the Indian waters off Lakshadweep Islands chain in the Arabian Sea have witnessed increased pirate activity in recent months.
Year by year, our cities remain defeated in the face of weather conditions, costing us time, money, resources and often lives, observe Amit Kapoor and Bibek Debroy.
