National Security
China's mega hydropower project threatens water security: Arunachal CM
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday expressed concern that the neighbouring China's plan to construct the world's largest hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo river will have a devastating effect on the state and Assam. The Yarlung Tsangpo river enters Arunachal Pradesh as Siang and becomes the Brahmaputra in Assam before flowing into Bangladesh. Speaking at the inaugural function of a seminar titled Environment and Security' here, Khandu pointed out that the dam would allow China to control the timing and volume of water flowing downstream, which could have devastating effects during periods of low flow or drought. The mighty Siang or the Brahmaputra river would dry up during winters disrupting life in the Siang belt and the plains of Assam, he cautioned. The chief minister said that sudden releases of water from the dam could also cause severe floods downstream, particularly during monsoon seasons, displacing communities, destroying crops, and damaging ...
From immigration to trade, here's a list of Donald Trump's executive orders
Announcing measures across immigration, trade, energy, and federal workforce policies, Donald Trump positioned these orders as reversals of Joe Biden's administration
Must fix lack of jobs, unsettled borders for Viksit Bharat: Army vice chief
Lack of adequate employment opportunities, unsettled borders, and its position in the human development index are some of the weaknesses India needs to address to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, Vice Chief of the Army Staff Lt General N S Raja Subramani has said. Speaking on the topic of "National Security and Bharat @ 2047 at Surat LitFest 2025 on Friday, Lt Gen Subramani said the India of 2047 should have integrated its response mechanism, resolved its internal problems in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast, as well as left-wing extremism (LWE) to ensure social and communal harmony. "Our strengths are our geographical location, youth, stable economic growth, and service sectors Pharma and IT which are progressing. What are our weaknesses? First, environmental change; second, our manufacturing sector is not strong; third, we do not have that many employment opportunities. Our border, whether with China or Pakistan, is not yet developed. We need to improve the human ...
TikTok ban implementation now responsibility of incoming administration: WH
Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognises that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next administration, a released statement said
Biden administration imposes new China curbs with AI order, smart car ban
The executive order on data centers would "accelerate the speed at which we build the next generation of AI infrastructure here in America, in a way that enhances economic competitiveness
Sovereign artificial intelligence: A strategic imperative for coming wave
AI has seen remarkable growth in recent years: Compared with 2018, when a 340 million-parameter model was considered "big", ChatGPT today has 1.8 trillion parameters, Gemini 1.5 trillion
India, US need to work with partners to build trusted innovation base: WH
India and US now more than ever need to work with their partners to build a trusted and resilient innovation base, the White House said following the meeting between its National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Indian counterpart Ajit K Doval. Our two nations have taken significant steps forward together to integrate our technology and defense supply chains in recognition that, now more than ever, we need to work with our partners to build a trusted and resilient innovation base, the White House said in a fact sheet. Sullivan and Doval in 2022 were instrumental in launching the path-breaking US-India initiative on Critical and -Emerging Technology (iCET) at the direction of President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sullivan travelled to India this week to meet Doval. He also had a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During their capstone meeting, Sullivan and Doval underscored the vital importance of our
VP Dhankhar urges youth to remain vigilant against anti-national forces
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday urged the country's youth to "stay vigilant" against "anti-national forces", saying it alone will secure India's democratic values. In his address at a ceremony at the Delhi Cantonment here to mark the formal inauguration of the NCC Republic Day Camp, he also said "nationalism has to override all other interests, personal or organisational". The vice president said the foundation of "our national transformation" rests on five basic pillars and these include social harmony, environmental protection and adherence to civic duties. "Our Constitution gives us fundamental rights and we are conscious of those fundamental rights but there are fundamental duties also. Nations blossom, nationalism is nurtured, growth is secured, harmony is stabilised when every citizen of the country believes and subscribes to fundamental duties. For civic duties, you as a disciplined members of the force can really be torch-bearers," he added. A total of 2,361 NCC .
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to visit India early next week
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is set to visit India early next week to take stock of the India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET). The iCET represents a landmark initiative between the two countries in areas of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotech, and defence innovation. Sullivan's trip will be the last high-profile visit to New Delhi from the outgoing Biden administration. The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the US will take place on January 20. It is learnt that Sullivan will be in Delhi on January 6 and will hold wide-ranging talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. No official announcement has been made yet on the US NSA's visit to India. Sullivan's trip comes days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar concluded a six-day visit to the US. In their talks, Sullivan and Doval are expected to deliberate on implementation of the iCET, billed as one of the very ...
Israeli police to probe Netanyahu's wife over TV show allegations
The acrimony escalates a lingering clash between Netanyahu and the judiciary
Taiwan's DPP lawmaker proposes tougher rules to tackle TikTok deepfakes
Lin proposed amending Taiwan's Anti-Infiltration Act to compel foreign-based platforms deemed a potential national security threat to establish local offices in Taiwan
UK's shadow minister Priti Patel wants China on national security risk list
Britain's shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel on Sunday called for China to be placed high up on the list of countries that pose a national security risk to the UK. The 52-year-old Indian-origin frontline member of the Opposition Conservative Party led by Kemi Badenoch pointed with concern to the recent scandal engulfing an alleged Chinese spy gaining access to Buckingham Palace circles through Prince Andrew the younger brother of King Charles III. She attacked the Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Cabinet for prioritising trade ties with China over national security. It's clearly complicated legislation, but China should always be up there, Priti Patel told The Sunday Times' in an interview when asked if China should be placed on a proposed Foreign Influence Registration Scheme. The list is designed to compel all those working for overseas powers to declare their lobbying to avert any security risks. We're dealing with an extraordinary regime that for over a decade, qui
India moving forward at unprecedented speed under Modi govt: Rajnath
India was left behind in terms of modern weapons and technology but it moved towards self-reliance in the defence sector at an "unprecedented" pace after the Modi government came to power, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday. In an address at an event, Singh said modern warfare is changing rapidly and there is a need to adopt high-end technology to deal with future and national security challenges. The defence minister exhorted scientists and engineers to gain command over critical technologies, such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing in tune with the changing times, and urged them to never forget India's heritage. Singh was speaking at the Indian National Academy of Engineering's Annual Convention at IIT Delhi. The defence minister emphasised that the niche technologies are going to impact almost every sector in a big way in the coming times. "Right now, we are in the initial phase. Our aim should be to first gain command over these technologies, so that
Elon Musk, SpaceX face federal scrutiny for lax national security reporting
Elon Musk is required to disclose details about his private life, foreign travel, and other personal activities under the continuous vetting process required for security clearance at SpaceX
Doval holds talks with Chinese foreign minister on bilateral ties, border
India, China Special Representatives for the border mechanism, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met here on Wednesday to discuss a range of issues, including management of peace and tranquillity along LAC and restoration of bilateral ties frozen for over four years due to the military standoff in eastern Ladakh. Doval, who is heading the Indian delegation, arrived here on Tuesday to take part in the 23rd round of the Special Representatives' talks being held after a gap of five years. The last meeting was held in 2019 in Delhi. The talks began at 10 am China time. The two officials were expected to discuss a range of issues to rebuild the bilateral ties following the October 21 agreement of disengagement and patrolling in eastern Ladakh between the two countries. On Tuesday, China expressed optimism about the talks saying that it is ready to work with India to implement the commitments based on the common understandings reached between Prime Ministe
UK govt approves $4.6 bn takeover of Royal Mail by Czech billionaire
Britain's government gave the go-ahead Monday for the sale of Royal Mail's parent company to a Czech billionaire, paving the way for the postal service to pass into foreign ownership for the first time in its 500-year history. Authorities confirmed Monday that the 3.6 billion-pound (USD 4.6 billion) takeover of Royal Mail's owner, International Distribution Services, by billionaire Daniel Kretinsky's EP Group, can go ahead. Kretinsky and IDS agreed to the deal in May but had been waiting for official approval under national security laws because of the importance of the postal service in the UK. The service will remain headquartered in the UK and as part of the deal, Britain's government will retain a so-called golden share in the service, meaning it will need to approve any key changes to Royal Mail's ownership, headquarters location and tax residency. The takeover is expected to be completed early in 2025. Royal Mail, one of the UK's oldest institutions, began in the 1500s as a
TikTok's Canada unit seeks judicial review of govt's shutdown orders
Chinese-owned social media app requested the court set aside a government order requiring TikTok to wind-up its business in Canada, a filing dated Dec 5 showed
Xi asks officials to enhance governance, prioritise 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
Ex-Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai starts testimony in nat'l security trial
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 ...
Parliamentary committee reviews Indian Coast Guard's role in security
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
