National Security

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

NSA Mike Waltz would be good for India-US relationship: Ro Khanna

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

Defence forces seek green nod for ammunition storage expansion in Ladakh

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

MEA slams Canada's allegations against Amit Shah, calls it irresponsible

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

'Battle not finished': Amit Shah remembers fallen police personnel

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

Centre may clear acquisition of US MQ-9B Predator drones for $3.1 billion

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

As fighter aircraft fleet dips below 1965 level, Air Chief vows measures

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

Manipur police recover 80% of firearms looted during Ukhrul violence

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

Amit Shah to meet CMs of 8 Naxal-hit states on Monday, will review security

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

Why did NSA Ajit Doval meet Putin in Russia? S Jaishankar explains

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

Centre to train 5,000 Cyber Commandos over next 5 years: Amit Shah

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

NSA Ajit Doval calls on Sri Lankan Prez, discusses economic collaboration

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.