Former Republican senator Chuck Hagel was on Wednesday sworn-in as the new United States defence secretary, in the midst of a controversy over his remarks that India "financed problems" for Pakistan in Afghanistan.
United States President Barack Obama has signed into law the annual defence policy bill, authorising $633 billion (Rs 34,40,355 crore) in defence spending for 2013.
United States Defence Secretary Robert Gates is expected to undertake a visit to India later in January, during which the two sides will discuss ways to push their defence cooperation, and take stock of the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Dates for the visit are being worked out, defence ministry sources said on Monday.Gates will hold talks with Defence Minister A K Antony and meet top officials of the armed forces.
Wales' 33-year-old all-time top scorer came to the rescue, using all his drive and experience to win a penalty against a tiring US defence and then converting it brilliantly.
Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta will become the new United States defence secretary, replacing Robert Gates, in a major shake-up of President Barack Obama's security team, according to a media report.The top US military commander in Afghanistan General David Petraeus is set to take over as the new CIA Director. The television network said Petraeus will be replaced as the US commander in Afghanistan by Lieutenant General John Allen.
"India's historic leadership of the non-alignment movement and desire to maintain strategic autonomy somewhat constrain cooperation at a level USPACOM (US Pacific Command) desires," the US Pacific Command Commander Admiral Robert Willard said in his testimony before House Armed Services Committee.
In Group B matches in Margao, Germany beat Nigeria 2-1 and Chile beat New Zealand 3-1.
The US military has confirmed that they will not return to the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan either to destroy or to retrieve the equipment.
India has emphasised on defence technology transfer, co-development and co-production with the United States in the expanding defence ties between the two countries. "The secretary (of state) and I support the growing emphasis on defense technology transfer and co-development and co-production in our expanding defense relationship," External Affairs Minister SM Krishna told reporters at a joint news conference with Hillary Clinton.
Indo-United States defence ties will not be impacted due to the issue relating to Indian diplomat Devayani Khobragade, Defence Minister AK Antony on Tuesday said.
'We have a common way of looking at the world, a common way of thinking, and a common set of values that predispose us to be partners. And our interests overlap greatly,' Dr Ashton B Carter, America's next defence secretary, told Aziz Haniffa/Rediff.com in an exclusive interview.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States is calling on all nations not to have major weapons transactions with Russia. He made these marks after the conclusion of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the defence and foreign ministers of India and the United States.
The extradition case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, wanted in the US over the alleged leak of classified documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, was sent to UK Home Secretary Priti Patel on Wednesday.
The senior defence official, however, refrained from describing the kind of responses that the two countries would respond to their common challenges.
Responding to a question, Jaishankar said while the issue of human rights was not discussed during the current meeting, it has come up in the past.
The sources said the talks are focused on sorting out certain issues relating to cost component, weapons package and technology sharing.
GSOMIA does not cover the exchange of classified information with Indian private industry. Washington wanted this covered too, given New Delhi's emphasis on the proposed 'strategic partnership' model of procurement.
Japan also reported that five of those missiles landed in its exclusive economic zone, understandably causing grave concern.
It would essentially showcase American excellence in technology superiority, reliability, and long-term partnership at the prestigious show, which would be organised between February 4 and February 11, 2007.
The United States has not received reliable intelligence on the whereabouts of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden for years and does not know where the world's most wanted terrorist is hiding, Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said. "Well, we don't know for a fact where Osama bin Laden is. If we did, we'd go get him," Gates told ABC News when asked whether the Pakistan government was doing enough to catch the terrorist mastermind.
China said on Monday that no 'exclusive cliques' should be formed as it accused some countries of trying to 'drive a wedge' among regional nations citing the 'China threat' and asserted that they will 'end up nowhere'.
The Indian Navy has inducted two more Poseidon 8I maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft, in a boost to its surveillance capabilities in the Indian Ocean in the face of China's increasing forays into the region.
Ahead of his first visit to India, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has said the United States is looking for new partners and relationships in Asia Pacific region which represents both opportunities and challenges.
An explosion was reported in the capital city of Afghanistan. Sputnik reported citing local sources that the blast was the result of a rocket landing on a residential building near the Kabul airport and that it had killed a child,
The Biden administration has reaffirmed its commitment to support India's permanent membership in a reformed UN Security Council and New Delhi's entry to the Nuclear Suppliers' Group.
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Donald Lu, was speaking to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, just after India had abstained from a vote on the United Nations General Assembly resolution.
Moris, dressed in a wedding gown designed by British designer and Assange supporter Dame Vivienne Westwood, arrived at the prison with her sons and Assange's father Richard and brother Gabriel.
The 50-year-old's lawyers had argued that he should not be taken to the US because of a real and 'oppressive' risk of suicide and won the right to appeal in Britain's highest court.
The joint military exercise between the Indian and US Army -- 'Exercise Yudh Abhyas-20' -- held at Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan has ended. This was the 16th edition of the joint exercise and it began on February 8. The aim of the exercise was to focus on counter terrorism operations under the mandate of the United Nations.
The Indian Navy plans to acquire a sizeable number of unmanned aerial and underwater platforms in the next few years to significantly ramp up its surveillance capability in the backdrop of China's increasing forays into the Indian Ocean region, people familiar with the development said on Sunday.
The elephant in the room will permeate the conversations, predicts Rup Narayan Das.
In the meeting, Ngodup Dongchung, an official in the Tibetan government-in-exile and representative of the Dalai Lama, thanked Blinken for the continued support by the US to the Tibetan movement.
On Tuesday, Pompeo and Esper will hold the 2+2 talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, covering the entire expanse of defence and security ties as well as key regional and global issues.
India and the United States have signed an agreement for cooperation in the development of Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (ALUAV), in yet another step to further expand bilateral defence and military cooperation.
The virtual meeting comes in the midst of some disquiet in Washington over India's position on the Ukraine crisis as well as its decision to procure discounted Russian oil.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Joe Biden are expected to deliberate on ways to bolster bilateral ties in trade, investment and defence and security in their in-person talks in Washington, DC, on September 24, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Tuesday.
President Joe Biden is prepared to engage with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in any format at any place and time to prevent a war, top United States diplomat said on Sunday as he asserted that everything leading up to the actual invasion of Ukraine appears to be taking place.
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