National Security

Chinese President Xi Jinping has directed officials to enhance the governance and high-quality development in the country's border areas prioritising national security and social stability. It is essential to prioritise national security and social stability as the bottom-line requirement for governance in border areas, Xi said while presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China on Monday. He said it is essential to uphold the party's overall leadership in all aspects and throughout the entire governance process in border areas. "No border area shall be left behind in advancing Chinese modernisation," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency Tuesday. In recent years, China has been focussing on the development of border areas in Tibet along India and Bhutan borders by establishing hundreds of well-developed villages. Tibet had built more than 600 well-off, high-standard border villages, with accessible roads, accord

Former Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai testified he met with then-Vice President Mike Pence and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during Hong Kong's anti-government protests in 2019 but told the court at his landmark national security trial on Wednesday that he did not ask the US officials to take action. Lai, founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily pro-democracy newspaper, was arrested in 2020 in the crackdown that followed the protests. He is accused of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to issue seditious publications. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison. He testified about his meetings with US officials and gave details about his alleged overseas political connections with people in the US, Britain and Taiwan, including ex-Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen and Hong Kong's last British governor, Chris Patten. But the media tycoon who also describes himself as a businessman and social activist said he never tried to ...

A meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence was held in Chennai yesterday to review the working of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in ensuring coastal security along India

Congressman Mike Waltz, who was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump as his National Security Advisor, would be good" for the India-US relationship, Indian-American Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna has said. Khanna, 48, and Waltz, 50, are respectively the Democratic and Republican Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, which is the largest country-specific caucus in the House of Representatives. I am confident he will be very good for the US-India relationship, Khanna told PTI soon after the news broke that Walz was tapped by Trump as his National Security Advisor. Waltz was tapped by Trump on Monday. He would replace Jake Sullivan as the National Security Advisor after Trump is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025. I have a great relationship with Mike Waltz, and he was always good to work with. We travelled to India together when we led a delegation in 2023 for India's Independence Day, Khanna told PTI. Both Kha

The security force's proposals, moved between April and July, also include strengthening security at Lukung, a village near Pangong Tso, and in Durbuk

India-Canada row: Such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties, said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs

The memorial provides a sense of national identity, pride, unity of purpose, and common history for police forces, reinforcing their commitment to protect the nation even at the cost of their lives

In a boost to India's defence capabilities, the Cabinet Committee on Security, led by PM Modi, is expected to approve the acquisition of 31 MQ-9B Predator drones from the US for $3.1 billion

The Indian Air Force is currently operating with 31 squadrons, the lowest count since 1965, when India was engaged in war with Pakistan

Sixteen firearms looted by a mob from the Ukhrul police station in Manipur were recovered, police said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference, Inspector General (Operations) IK Muivah said during the clash between two villages on October 2, an agitated mob stormed into the police station and looted 20 firearms. "With the cooperation of the security forces, Civil Society Organisations, and community leaders, 80 per cent of the weapons have now been recovered," he said. Efforts are underway to retrieve the remaining weapons, he said. Among the arms recovered were 9mm pistols, INSAS rifles and AK-47 rifles, he added. Muivah said the situation in the district was under control, and security forces, including the Manipur Rifles, Assam Rifles and BSF, were keeping a close watch with the cooperation of leaders of the two villages. "This is something unprecedented, noteworthy and praiseworthy for all those who have played a very positive role in restoring normalcy," he said. Assam R

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will review on Monday the security situation of the Naxal-affected states with the chief ministers of eight states hit by the menace. The chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Odisha, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh will attend the meeting to be held here, according to an official statement. Due to the strategy of the Narendra Modi government, the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) violence has come down by 72 per cent while there is 86 per cent decline in deaths in 2023 as compared to year 2010. The Naxals are fighting its last battle now, it said. Five Union ministers of the ministries closely involved with providing development support to the LWE-affected states will also attend the meeting. The deputy national security adviser and senior officers from the Centre, states and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) will also participate in the deliberations. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and guidance

EAM S Jaishankar said that India does not have a peace plan for the Ukraine conflict but explained the reason behind PM Modi and NSA Ajit Doval's recent meetings with Putin and Zelensky

Under the 'Cyber Commandos' program, the Centre will establish a specialised unit of trained 'Cyber Commandos' across States and Union territories

India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Friday called on Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and discussed the ongoing bilateral economic collaboration. Doval arrived here on Thursday to attend the Colombo Security Conclave to be held on Friday. Doval called on President Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Secretariat this morning, the President's Media Division (PMD) said. They discussed the ongoing economic collaboration between Sri Lanka and India. Senior Advisor to the President on National Security, Sagala Ratnayake, also attended the meeting, the PMD said. The Colombo Security Conclave brings together National Security Advisors and Deputy NSAs from India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Mauritius. Bangladesh and the Seychelles have observer status at the conclave. The conclave deals with maritime security counter-terrorism and cyber security with India bringing to the fore its own strategic concerns in the Indian Ocean.

Telecom operators expect internet calling and messaging apps like WhatsApp, Google Meet, and Telegram to comply with rules in the same manner as all service providers do, industry body COAI said on Monday. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) -- whose members include Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, among others -- said it is misleading to demand to exclude over-the-top (OTT) communication apps from the Telecommunications Act 2023 as they are subject to other regulations because various non-sectoral rules apply on telecom operators as well. "COAI would like to state that the 'Security of the Country' is of utmost importance and in this regard, all communication service providers, including OTT-based communication services, should adhere to the requisite directives of the country as done by the Telecom Service Providers," COAI Director General SP Kochhar said. He said that telecom operators have invested heavily in setting up the infrastructure for lawful

Defence Minister Rajanth Singh on Monday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was misleading the nation on the sensitive issue of national security and the Agnipath initiative and added that he was ready to make a statement in this regard in Parliament. Speaking in the Lok Sabha shortly after Gandhi's remarks on the Union budget, the defence minister said the opposition leader had tried to spread a lot of misconceptions about the budget and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would provide clarification when she replied to the debate. Singh said Gandhi was trying to mislead the nation about the sensitive issue of national security and the Agnipath initiative. "Our jawans protect the country's borders, it is such a sensitive issue of our national security. There are attempts to mislead the nation on the Agniveer issue, I am ready to make a statement whenever you permit," Singh said. Gandhi said the defence minister had told the House that the family of an Agniveer martyr was paid

NSA Ajit Doval met his Myanmarese counterpart Admiral Moe Aung and is understood to have conveyed New Delhi's concerns over the impact of violence and instability in Myanmar on its border with India. Doval is in Myanmarese capital Naypyidaw to attend a meeting of security chiefs of member nations of BIMSTEC grouping, according to the Indian embassy in Yangon. Myanmar has been witnessing wide-spread violent protests demanding restoration of democracy since the military seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021. Several parts of Myanmar have been witnessing intense fighting between the military junta and resistance forces. The resistance forces have already captured several towns. "NSA Shri Ajit Doval is leading the Indian delegation at the 4th Annual Meeting of #BIMSTEC Security Chiefs being held in Naypyitaw today. He met with the Myanmar NSA Admiral Moe Aung yesterday, and BIMSTEC Security Chiefs called on Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing," the Indian embassy said in

Since May, North Korea has dropped more than 2,000 balloons filled with wastepaper, scraps of cloth, cigarette butts, and manure on South Korea

He contends that the District Magistrate of Amritsar overstepped authority by issuing the detention order and that only the Central or State Government could do so

The move comes after the Centre faced a setback in its initial auction of critical mineral blocks earlier this year