The first plane -- Air India's jumbo B747 aircraft carrying 211 students, 110 working professionals and three minors-- reached Delhi around 7.30 am and another flight of the airline would leave the national capital for the Chinese city in the afternoon.
From ice-capped Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world, to the warships off South Korea, Indian armed forces on Tuesday joined the International Yoga Day celebrations.
We bring you a collection of some of the best photographs taken this week by Reuters photographers.
One priority for Delhi (for the new foreign secretary in particular) is to have an in-depth discussion with Dharamsala as soon as possible, suggests Claude Arpi.
A day after Param Bir Singh was shunted out as Mumbai police commissioner, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday said he was transferred after some of his colleagues committed 'serious and unforgivable mistakes'.
This will also be his first August 15 address after coming back to power with a huge mandate.
Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours.
This is perhaps the first categorical statement by the government on the fate of the 29 people on board the IAF workhorse.
"A high alert has been sounded in Kathua district and entry into the state from neighbouring Punjab at Lakhanpur is being monitored and checked", said a senior police officer in winter capital Jammu.
A third-year student of the Vinnytsia National Medical University, Attar had on February 22 booked a ticket for February 27 to fly back home to India.
In the drive that began from Peer Baba in the Chatta area, police personnel collected details of residents, including their contact numbers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reviewed the preparedness to deal with the situation arising out of the likely formation of Cyclone Jawad that is expected to hit the North Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast and directed officials to take every possible measure to ensure that people are safely evacuated.
Here's a recap of the big events that shaped the nation over the weekend.
US gold medalist Ryan Lochte admitted to Brazil's largest broadcaster Saturday night that he had exaggerated his story about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio -- but insisted he did not lie.
'The entire idea behind the serial bomb blasts was to strike fear in the minds of Indians.' 'I don't think the blasts were targeted to derail the Indian economy; the idea behind the blasts was retribution.'
Chaired by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha and attended by chiefs of the three services, secretaries of home, defence and others, the National Crisis Management Committee took stock of the prevailing situation in Kerala and directed all concerned to ensure continued assistance to the state government to meet the crisis, a home ministry spokesperson said.
Last year too, on the Republic Day, the prime minister walked down the Rajpath to greet people.
Lt Gen Bakshi announced 'full support' to the new chief and made it clear that he won't resign.
'It was felt that the counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist grid is intact in the UT and these additional units that were sent in last year can be de-inducted giving them the much required rest, recuperation and training'
The thanks-giving activities will start with laying of wreaths at the police memorial in Delhi and in several other cities on Sunday morning to honour the police personnel deployed in enforcement of the nationwide lockdown, officials said. It will be followed by fly-pasts by fighter and transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force, covering a sizeable number of cities and towns across the country between 10 am and 11 am, officials said.
Here are highlights of the 68th Republic Day parade.
About 200 additional commandos of the elite National Security Guards were sent on Thursday as reinforcements to deal with the situation arising out of the terror attacks in the metropolis.
This is the first time a woman officer has led the Guard of Honour.
The Indian Armed Forces will express their gratitude to all "corona warriors" by conducting fly-pasts, showering petals on hospitals treating COVID-19 patients and illuminating naval vessels, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said on Friday.
India displayed its military might and vibrant cultural heritage on Rajpath on Wednesday with the grandest flypast with 75 aircraft to mark the 'Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav' celebrations being the highlight of the 73rd Republic Day Parade, which was drastically scaled down in view of the Covid pandemic.
An independent Taiwan under President Tsai Ing-wen's Democratic Progressive Party is anathema to China, observes Rup Narayan Das.
Air Commodore Nitin Sathe discovers how the IAF trained Pakistani air force pilots, during the 1971 War, which led to the birth of the Bangladesh air force.
"The evidence points to Daesh", he said using another name for the Islamic State.
Given the magnitude of the operation of the air base, the operation will continue to be concluded till we are able to fully render the base safe.
The tussle for power between Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and health minister TS Singh Deo appears to have quietened at the top, but the feud is very much visible at the lower level in the ruling Congress.
The US is set for a geographically limited 5G rollout this Christmas, after a bumper $81 billion spectrum auction earlier this year. Just as the rollout date nears, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has sounded alarm bells over potentially fatal consequences of 5G interference on aircraft. Similar consequences could apply in India, where 5G spectrum auction is scheduled in January 2022, with the rollout beginning later next year (though reports suggest impending delays).
In many ways, the 68th Republic Day parade was unique.
Over 300 drones and unidentified flying objects have been sighted along the sensitive border with Pakistan post the 2019 abrogation of Article 370, central security agencies have said, even as they grapple to find a suitable technology to check these lethal sky-floaters.
From climate change protests to democratic uprisings against biased and violent authorities, it is clear that 2019 was a pivotal year for citizens all over the world. Free-to-use mobile app Agora launched its first #Photojournalism photo competition to give photographers a way to shed light on specific issues. The competition gathered more than 12,321 submissions from amateur and professional photographers all over the world. 'Young guns,' a striking picture of a group of Filipino children playing with dumpsite toy guns collected the most votes in the app, awarding its author @renebernal with a $1,000 cash prize. Take a look at the winners' striking work.
Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja was tortured and killed after his MiG-21 was shot down and he ejected across the Line of Control during the Kargil War.
One of the most sought after exhibitions in Asia, as many as 549 companies are participating this year with 53 fighter aircraft on display.
The government, which has expedited rehabilitation efforts, said over 1.28 crore food packets have been distributed and an immediate relief amount of Rs 67.47 crore was disbursed among over 1.11 lakh families.
'India would not like to see Pakistani domination and tutelage of Afghanistan against Indian security and economic interests.'
'There cannot be any compromise on that. After all, all instrumentalities of the State have been made to serve it. Why was the Constitution made? It was made to serve the cause of India.'
Modi called for timely evacuation of those involved in off-shore activities.
