Military

South Korea's Prez apologises, vows accountability for martial law attempt

South Korea's president apologised on Saturday for public anxiety caused by his short-lived attempt to impose martial law earlier this week, and said he would leave it to his conservative political party to chart a course through the turmoil left in its aftermath including matters related to my term in office", hours ahead of a parliamentary vote on impeaching him. Yoon said in a brief televised address on Saturday morning he won't shirk legal or political responsibility for the declaration and promised not to make another attempt to impose it, adding that he's truly sorry for causing public anxiety and inconvenience with his declaration of martial law earlier this week. South Korean lawmakers are set to vote later Saturday on impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law, as protests grew nationwide calling for his removal. It wasn't immediately clear whether the motion submitted by opposition lawmakers would get the two-thirds majority ...

Burkina Faso's ruling military junta sacks prime minister, dissolves govt

Burkina Faso's ruling military junta issued a decree on Friday dismissing Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela and announcing the dissolution of the national government. The military's leader, Ibrahim Traore, said officials in the dissolved government will continue to perform their duties until a new government is formed. No reason was given for the move. The junta in Burkina Faso seized power in September 2022 by ousting the military rule of Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba about eight months after it staged a coup to remove democratically elected President Roch Marc Kabor. The country is one of several West African nations where the military has recently taken over, capitalising on popular discontent with previous democratically elected governments over security issues. However, since its inception, the junta has struggled to end Burkina Faso's security challenges the very reason that it claimed had prompted it to take power. Growing attacks by extremists lin

China's defence minister Dong Jun under probe in PLA corruption crackdown

Dong Jun, former PLA Navy chief, has joined a growing list of decorated military officials in China under investigation for corruption

Japan launches defence satellite aimed at speedier military operations

Japan launched a defence satellite aimed at speedier communication and military operations on a new flagship H3 rocket on Monday and successfully placed it into orbit, as the country seeks to build up its military capability amid growing tension in the region. The H3 No. 4 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Centre on a southwestern Japanese island. Everything went as planned and the satellite was successfully put into a targeted orbit, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, announced. The rocket was carrying a Defense Ministry satellite, Kirameki No. 3, which uses X-band communication for information and data sharing, as well as military operations and command. X-band satellite is less affected by weather conditions and is capable of supporting stable communication. Kirameki No. 3 follows two earlier X-band satellites already in operation to meet Japan's growing communication demands and enhance its satellite operations. Maj. Gen. Yasuhiro Kato, the Joint Staff .

US sounds alarm; says China's military expansion in space is mind-boggling

Head of the US Space Force underscored the escalating dangers from both China and Russia in the space domain

Sudan's forces escalating attacks, outsiders fuelling fire: UN chief

Sudan's warring military and paramilitary forces are escalating attacks with outside powers fuelling the fire, which is intensifying the nightmare of hunger and disease for millions, the United Nations chief said on Monday. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the UN Security Council that the 18-month war faces the serious possibility of igniting regional instability from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa to the Red Sea. In a grim report, Guterres said the Sudanese people are living through numerous nightmares from killings and unspeakable atrocities including widespread rapes to fast-spreading diseases, mass ethnic violence, and 750,000 people facing catastrophic food insecurity and famine conditions in North Darfur displacement sites. He singled out shocking reports of mass killings and sexual violence in villages in east-central Gezira province in recent days. The UN and a doctors' group said paramilitary fighters ran riot in the region in a multi-day attack that killed more

Myanmar's civil war reshaped with coordinated offensive by powerful groups

Three well-armed militias launched a surprise joint offensive in northeastern Myanmar a year ago, breaking a strategic stalemate with the regime's military with rapid gains of huge swaths of territory and inspiring others to attack around the country. Before the offensive, the military's control had seemed firmly ensconced with its vast superiority in troops and firepower, and aided with material support from Russia and China. But today it is increasingly on the back foot, with the loss of dozens of outposts, bases and strategic cities that even its leaders concede will be challenging to regain. How did the offensive unfold? The military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, giving rise to intensified fighting with long-established armed groups associated with Myanmar's ethnic minority groups, and sparking the formation of new pro-democracy militias. But until the launch of Operation 1027, eponymously named for its October 27 start, the ...

Defence ministry signs contract to procure 6 air cushion vehicles

The defence ministry on Thursday signed a contract with a private firm to procure six Air Cushion Vehicles for the Indian Coast Guard at a total cost of Rs 387.44 crore. These amphibious vessels, also called 'Hovercrafts', will be procured under the Buy (Indian) category, the ministry said in a statement. The Ministry of Defence "signed a contract with Chowgule & Company Pvt. Ltd., Goa for procurement of six Air Cushion Vehicles (ACVs) for the Indian Coast Guard at a total cost of Rs 387.44 crore," it said. These ACVs will be manufactured in India for the "first time in line with the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' vision of the government, representing a pivotal step in the nation's shipping landscape," it said. The project will also significantly enhance the technical expertise and growth of indigenous ancillary, especially the MSME sector. "The procurement is aimed at boosting the Indian Coast Guard's capability and reinforces the increased focus towards maritime security," the statement

N Korea blows up parts of inter roads as tensions with S Korea rise

South Korea said North Korea blew up the northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use on Tuesday, as the rivals are locked in rising animosities over North Korea's claim that South Korea flew drones over its capital, Pyongyang. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief statement that North Korea blew up parts of the roads on Tuesday. It said South Korea's military is bolstering its readiness and surveillance posture but gave no further details. The explosions came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called a meeting with his top military and security officials. During the meeting, Kim described the alleged South Korean drone flights as the enemy's serious provocation and laid out unspecified tasks related to immediate military action and the operation of his war deterrent for defending the country's sovereignty, the North's state media reported earlier Tuesday. North Korea earlier put frontline artillery and other army units on standby to launch strikes o

How Pak Army 'coerced' five power companies to end contracts prematurely

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office stated that the companies had 'voluntarily agreed' to prioritise national interest over their business concerns

Health workers in Lebanon describe deadly Israeli attacks, fear more

Israel's military struck outside the gates of a hospital in southern Lebanon without warning on Friday, killing seven paramedics and forcing the facility to close, the hospital director told The Associated Press a day after one of the most deadly attacks on health workers in the weeks since fighting escalated between Israel and Hezbollah. The account of the Friday airstrikes that flung hospital doors off their hinges and shattered glass was the latest to detail attacks that Lebanon's health ministry says have killed dozens of health workers. Marjayoun hospital director Mounes Kalakesh said that even before Friday's attack, ambulance crews in the area were so reluctant to operate that the facility had not received anyone wounded for days. "We have not been able to work. There was fear and panic among the staff," he said. Kalakesh said the government hospital did not receive any warning from Israeli forces before the attack, even though nearby villages have received such warnings to

Project 33: US Navy unveils plan to counter China's military aggression

US Navy is shifting its focus towards maximising efficiency and leveraging cutting-edge technologies

India-US conduct joint military exercise under Yudh Abhyas in Rajasthan

Spokesperson of Defence said on Wednesday that Over 1,200 Indian and US troops are currently pushing their limits in Rajasthan's rugged terrain, honing firepower and endurance in real-time counter-terrorism drills.India and US army personnel are training together to bolster interoperability and enhance synergy between forces of both nations in the 20th edition of the Joint Military Exercise 'Yudh Abhyas 2024.'In a post on X, the Ministry of Defence said, "Over 1200 Indian and U.S. troops are currently pushing their limits in Rajasthan's rugged terrain, honing firepower and endurance in real-time counter-terrorism drills. This isn't just training--it's a powerful display of trust and strengthened bilateral bonds."In another post, the spokesperson stated, "Troops of India & US hone their skills during Joint Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2024 underway in Rajasthan. Tactical drills, including quick response, planning, & combined field training, are strengthening the interoperability ..

US, Chinese officials to conclude talks on Taiwan, military communication

Sullivan is expected to press for enhanced working-level military to military communications

102-year-old woman, a military veteran, celebrates birthday by skydiving

Oldest skydiver in Britain: A 102-year-old woman celebrated her birthday by skydiving from a height of 7000 feet. The video of the incredible feat has gone viral over social media

Jake Sullivan, China officials to hold discussions on Taiwan, military

US also wants China to take more action at home to prevent the development of chemicals that can be made into fentanyl

BSF seeks more manpower to keep check on drone-affected Punjab border

The BSF has sought the deployment of an additional battalion to check the onslaught of cross-border drones carrying drugs and ammunition and curb infiltration along the Punjab front of the India-Pakistan border. The force currently has about 20 battalions to guard the more than 500-kilometre-long front, out of which 18 are "actively deployed" at the border while the rest are mobilised in view of the requirements at the Attari integrated check post in Amritsar and the Kartarpur corridor at Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district. The drone menace that started around 2019-20 along this front is dominant in the border districts of Amritsar and Tarn Taran. One more Border Security Force (BSF) battalion has been sought to better secure the Punjab border, a senior officer told PTI. The request is under "active consideration" of the Union home ministry, he said. Atul Fulzele, inspector general for the BSF's Punjab Frontier, had recently said that all the drugs from across the Pakistan borde

Drone strike in Syria kills Saudi militant from an al-Qaida-linked group

A drone strike in northwestern Syria on Friday killed a Saudi militant from an al-Qaida-linked group as he was riding on a motorcycle, a war monitor and local residents said. The strike in the Jabal al-Zawiya area of the opposition-held Idlib province was believed to have been carried out by a US-led coalition that was established years ago to fight the militant Islamic State group. There was no immediate comment from the US military, which has carried out a series of attacks over the past several years targeting al-Qaida-linked militants in northwestern Syria. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group, said the killed man was identified as Abu Abdul Rahman Makki, a Saudi citizen and former leader of the now-defunct extremist Jund al-Aqsa militant group. Local media activist Kenana Hindawi said the motorcycle Makki was riding was hit by two missiles. The US National Counterterrorism Centre currently lists Makki as a leader in the Horas al-Din, o

India, US military-to-military relationship strong, says Pentagon

The military-to-military relationship between India and the United States is strong, the Pentagon said Thursday on the eve of the meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Defense Secretary Austin Lloyd. Rajnath Singh arrived in Washington Thursday morning as part of a four-day visit to further boost the comprehensive global strategic partnership between the two countries. He is scheduled to meet Austin at the Pentagon on Friday. The mil-to-mil relationships between the United States and India are strong, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at a news conference here. You've seen that cooperation deepen, and not just from a DOD perspective, but from an administration perspective. Our close coordination and working together remains strong. The (Defense) secretary when he visited India, you know, announced some of those deliverables, Sabrina Singh said in response to a question. I'm not going to go through all of what he announced then, but it remains

Ex-Army Chief Gen Sundararajan Padmanabhan dies in Chennai on Monday

Former Chief of Army Staff General Sundararajan Padmanabhan, affectionately known as Paddy in army circles, passed away in Chennai due to old age, a source close to him said on Monday. He was 83. He served as the Chief of Army Staff from September 30, 2000 to 31 December 31, 2002. He commanded an Independent Artillery Brigade and a Mountain Brigade before attending the prestigious NDC course at Delhi. He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) for his services as the 15 Corps Commander. Born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on December 5, 1940, General Padmanabhan was an alumnus of the prestigious Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehra Dun, and the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla in Pune. He was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery after graduating from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) on December 13, 1959. His illustrious career included several prestigious command, staff and instructional postings, besides having participated in numerous operat