Rafale row: 'No sovereign guarantee in pacts with US, Russia as well'NEW DELHI: The law ministry had initially red-flagged France’s refusal to provide direct sovereign guarantee for execution of the Rs 59,000 crore deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets but the government went ahead and inked it in September 2016 …

DRI, Army lay trap on Pakistan border, seize heroin and armsNEW DELHI: In a rare joint operation by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Army at the international border in Akhnoor sector in Jammu district on Tuesday, one terrorist was killed while others managed to escape leaving behind huge …

Decoding Chinese submarine ‘sightings’ in South Asia, eroding New Delhi’s strategic primacyBy Abhijit Singh Last month, the Indian navy spotted a People’s Liberation Army navy (PLAN) submarine in the Indian Ocean, the first sighting of a Chinese sub in the region since the Doklam crisis last year, and the eighth …

'Undeclared war' between Afghanistan, Pakistan must end: Ashraf GhaniWASHINGTON: Asserting that Islamabad's support to violence has not benefitted either Pakistan or Afghanistan, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said that the "undeclared war" between the two neighbours must end. Ghani said the spectre of violence needs to be removed and that …

Pakistan certainly needs to do more in its fight against terrorism : USWASHINGTON: Pakistan certainly needs to do more in its fight against terrorism and the Trump administration expects Islamabad to act against terror groups like the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba in same way as it did against al-Qaeda after …

Top India, China officials hold defence, security dialogue, agree to step up military exchangesBEIJING: Top officials of India and China held the ninth Annual Defence and Security Dialogue here after a one-year gap due to the Doklam standoff, as both countries agreed to enhance military exchanges and interactions. The dialogue …

SC admits there’s no sovereign guaranteeThe Supreme Court reserved its order on pleas to order a probe into the Rafale deal after the Centre defended the outright purchase of 36 aircraft from France’s Dassault Aviation as critical for India’s air defence. The government also said it had not flouted rules …

Letter of comfort gives little comfort, no guarantee future govt will honour it: Sudhanshu MohantyOn the ‘letter of comfort’ in place of sovereign guarantee in the Rafale deal… A sovereign guarantee is given by a sovereign government (France) to another sovereign government (India), guaranteeing enforcement of the terms and conditions …

PM Modi urges US Defence industry to set up manufacturing basePM Modi urged the US defence industry to set up manufacturing facilities in the country and make India a hub for exports during his meeting with US Vice-President Mike Pence in Singapore on Wednesday. At his meeting with Pence on …

India led initiative to bring together regional navies turns 10 with big ideas on the tableKOCHI: Big ideas are on the table as an Indian initiated forum of regional navies turns 10, including exploring the possibility of raising a standing force of nations to look after maritime security and moving …