Francois Hollande

Former French president Francois Hollande made the first tentative step into what may or may not be a second career this weekend when he trod the boards at one of the world's biggest theatre festivals.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday visited a production facility of French aerospace major Dassault Aviation near Paris where the Rafale jets to be supplied to India are being manufactured, official sources said.

An internal document of Dassault Aviation, the makers of the Rafale fighters that India is buying from France, shows the aerospace major picking Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the offset partner in India was a "trade-off" for the 36 jet deal, according to a report by French investigative journal Mediapart.

Three Left parties Tuesday demanded a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Rafale "scam", alleging that the "needle of suspicion points directly" towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Union defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman Saturday said former French president Francois Hollande's claims on the Rafale deal has come at a time when he himself was facing allegations that his associate had received some funds for some purpose.

The government followed all laid down procedures in sealing the Rafale deal, official sources said Thursday, dismissing a media report that a senior bureaucrat in the defence ministry had raised questions about the aircraft's benchmark price.

For the second time in less than a week, BJP parliamentarian Shatrughan Sinha has asked the government to clear the air on the multi-million dollar Rafale fighter jet deal.

Senior Congress leader Jaipal Reddy Thursday alleged French President Emmanuel Macron did not contradict Francois Hollande's claim on Rafale deal which was tantamount to the confirmation of his predecessor's claim.

Refuting what it termed "deeply shocking" allegations of a quid pro quo in the Rafale deal, Reliance Entertainment today denied it has made any payment to actress-producer Julie Gayet, partner of the former French President Francois Hollande.

Rahul Gandhi's latest barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Rafale jet deal controversy, delivered with the promise that "the fun has just begun", had a furious BJP flinging back a - "shame".

With the NDA government under attack from the Congress on Rafale deal, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said that following "clarifications" from former French president Francois Hollande, there is no room for any doubt in the matter.

Dassault, one of the world's most established and experienced defence manufacturers, picked Anil Ambani's debt-ridden firm as a partner in India, "because it was registered with the MCA (Ministry of Corporate Affairs) and had land in Nagpur which provided access to the runway," said top sources at the French firm, speaking to NDTV on the condition ...

The chief of Dassault -- the company that manufacturers the Rafale fighter -- shared on camera that a deal with Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) to manufacture 108 Rafales in India was almost done, just two weeks before Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a brand new pact excluding the state-run aeronautics and defence giant. Tweeting a video of the ...

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday ridiculed the Narendra Modi government for refusing a probe into the Rafale deal after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley discredited former French President Francois Hollande's revelation on the choice of an offset partner.

The French government said on Sunday it feared damage to its relations with India after former president Francois Hollande stirred a massive controversy with his statements on the multi-billion-dollar Rafale fighter jet deal.

Former French president Francois Hollande made the first tentative step into what may or may not be a second career this weekend when he trod the boards at one of the world's biggest theatre festivals.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday visited a production facility of French aerospace major Dassault Aviation near Paris where the Rafale jets to be supplied to India are being manufactured, official sources said.

An internal document of Dassault Aviation, the makers of the Rafale fighters that India is buying from France, shows the aerospace major picking Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the offset partner in India was a "trade-off" for the 36 jet deal, according to a report by French investigative journal Mediapart.

Three Left parties Tuesday demanded a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Rafale "scam", alleging that the "needle of suspicion points directly" towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Union defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman Saturday said former French president Francois Hollande's claims on the Rafale deal has come at a time when he himself was facing allegations that his associate had received some funds for some purpose.

The government followed all laid down procedures in sealing the Rafale deal, official sources said Thursday, dismissing a media report that a senior bureaucrat in the defence ministry had raised questions about the aircraft's benchmark price.

For the second time in less than a week, BJP parliamentarian Shatrughan Sinha has asked the government to clear the air on the multi-million dollar Rafale fighter jet deal.

Senior Congress leader Jaipal Reddy Thursday alleged French President Emmanuel Macron did not contradict Francois Hollande's claim on Rafale deal which was tantamount to the confirmation of his predecessor's claim.

Refuting what it termed "deeply shocking" allegations of a quid pro quo in the Rafale deal, Reliance Entertainment today denied it has made any payment to actress-producer Julie Gayet, partner of the former French President Francois Hollande.

Rahul Gandhi's latest barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Rafale jet deal controversy, delivered with the promise that "the fun has just begun", had a furious BJP flinging back a - "shame".

With the NDA government under attack from the Congress on Rafale deal, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said that following "clarifications" from former French president Francois Hollande, there is no room for any doubt in the matter.

Dassault, one of the world's most established and experienced defence manufacturers, picked Anil Ambani's debt-ridden firm as a partner in India, "because it was registered with the MCA (Ministry of Corporate Affairs) and had land in Nagpur which provided access to the runway," said top sources at the French firm, speaking to NDTV on the condition ...

The chief of Dassault -- the company that manufacturers the Rafale fighter -- shared on camera that a deal with Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) to manufacture 108 Rafales in India was almost done, just two weeks before Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a brand new pact excluding the state-run aeronautics and defence giant. Tweeting a video of the ...

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday ridiculed the Narendra Modi government for refusing a probe into the Rafale deal after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley discredited former French President Francois Hollande's revelation on the choice of an offset partner.

The French government said on Sunday it feared damage to its relations with India after former president Francois Hollande stirred a massive controversy with his statements on the multi-billion-dollar Rafale fighter jet deal.