Asked about the reports of the troops on both sides disengaging and moving back to their previous positions, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing in Beijing that both sides are taking steps to ease the situation along the borders.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ladakh MP revealed his reason to quit the BJP and resign from the Lok Sabha ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The Ladakh Scouts of the Army has sought financial assistance from India Inc for re-building the lone Army school in Leh which has been badly damaged by the cloudburst.The Army school, which caters to nearly 200 students, was hit by hundreds of boulders that rolled down the hill along with slush on the night of August 5. The classrooms are now filled with slush and boulders. The hostel too has been severely hit.
"I think we're aware right now of about 135 US citizens affected by the floods. We have no reports of deaths or injuries," State Department spokesman P J Crowley said. "As of Wednesday, I think there were still a handful of American citizens that we had not yet had contact with, so I would assume at this point that we have not accounted for everybody, but at this point we're not aware of anybody that has been killed or injured," Crowley said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said India is a peace-loving nation that never resorts to any kind of aggression but is always prepared to give a befitting reply if provoked or threatened.
The cold wave continued unabated in Jammu and Kashmir where Leh, in Ladakh region, was recorded to be the coldest place in the state, while the night temperature in Srinagar remained below the freezing point for the seventh consecutive night, a meteorological department official said in Srinagar.
Indian Air Force Friday rescued 61 persons who were trapped in a semi-frozen river in cold desert region of Ladakh.
Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, recorded a low of -4.2C, slightly up from the previous night's -4.9C.
The Chinese side has particularly bolstered its presence in the Galwan Valley, erecting around 100 tents in the last two weeks and bringing in heavy equipment for construction of bunkers, notwithstanding the stiff protest by Indian troops. There have been reports of multiple incidents of transgressions by Chinese troops in several areas in Eastern Ladakh.
Sources said the Indian side has prepared very well for responding to the Chinese reaction in view of the action by own troops including a Special Operations unit and Sikh Light Infantry troops there.
The video message that has gone viral on social media, comes within a day after Gandhi tweeted a video of the same man seen narrating a conversation with his son who recounted how he was injured in the clash with Chinese soldiers at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said the recent induction of Rafale jets along with previous acquisitions of C-17 Globemaster aircraft as well as Chinook and Apache helicopters have provided the IAF with substantial tactical and strategic capability enhancement.
China and India have agreed to work to maintain peace along the Line of Actual Control and resolve the border standoff through talks while implementing the consensus reached between the two countries' leadership that 'differences' do not escalate into 'disputes', a top Chinese official said.
As part of moves to speedily build communication infrastructure on the Chinese frontier, the Indian Air Force has finalised plans to set up an another airstrip in Ladakh.
'The one aspect which no Indian military thinker would wish to see emerge is a LoC type of posture at the LAC.' 'The LoC is manned for 750 km and terrorist infiltration has led to the creation of a virtual fortress along its entire length.' 'Something mirroring this at the LAC is going to be expensive although deployment everywhere is not warranted there.' 'However, given the complete trust deficit, there appear few alternatives,' notes Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd).
Official sources said Tuesday's incident at Pangong and ways to maintain peace and tranquility along the Sino-India border in Ladakh were discussed at length at the border personnel meeting.
The action against Zakir Hussain, a councillor from Shakar constituency in Kargil district, followed registration of a first information report against him by police on Friday even as the councillor submitted a public apology over his remarks, the officials said.
At least 103 people were killed and another 370 injured when flash floods triggered by torrential rains struck this Himalayan town in Ladakh region, northeast of Jammu and Kashmir, leaving a trail of death and destruction.
Leh and Kargil towns in Ladakh region recorded the season's coldest night as the cold wave intensified in Jammu and Kashmir after a slight respite for few days.
The sources said both sides held extensive deliberations on modalities for disengagement of troops from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh at the talks.
Ladakh's picturesque Pangong Tso lake is under threat from tourists who care less for the fragile environment and the Ladakhi culture
On Monday, April 10, 2023, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugrated the Z-Morh tunnel on the Srinagar-Leh highway.
"Our country has never bowed down and will never bow down to any world power, and I am able to say this because of braves like you," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday while interacting with the soldiers, who were injured in the June 15 clash with the Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Agnipath scheme is an example of necessary reforms undertaken by the Army and accused the opposition of playing politics over the recruitment process aimed at keeping the average age in armed forces young.
The Parliament had earlier this week given its nod to the legislation for bifurcating the state, a bold and far-reaching decision that seeks to redraw the map and future of a region at the center of a protracted militancy movement.
Both sides have completed creation of a buffer zone of three kilometres in the three friction points of Galwan Valley, Gogra and Hot Springs as part of a temporary measure aimed at reducing the possibility of any confrontation.
Official sources have said that Chinese troops entered nearly 1.5 km into the Indian territory near Mount Gya, recognised as the international border by India and China, and painted the word 'China' in Cantonese on the boulders and rocks there with red spray paint.
'The Pangong Tso lake is frozen from September-October to February-March. The windchill factor is phenomenal. The night temperature goes to minus 40. The area is like a barren desert. You are out in the open with no trees or bushes to take cover.'
The two Union Territories of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh will come into existence on October 31.
The work on a link-road in Demchok in South-eastern Ladakh region has been stopped after objections were raised by the Chinese Army, barely months after repeated incursions by it in that area.
Three army troopers have died and one is wounded after an avalanche hit a convoy in the cold desert region of Ladakh.
The MEA said the two sides shared their perspectives on the matter in the talks held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere.
'It is a constantly evolving situation and will require deft handling at the ground level and at the highest level of military, diplomatic and political leadership,' observes Colonel S Dinny (retd), who served as Commanding Officer of an infantry battalion deployed in the Pangong Tso area.
As Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane inducted the last of the 100 K-9 Vajra guns ordered, three of these howitzers have been deployed for trials in high altitude mountainous area of Ladakh.
This year, she plans to visit him in New Delhi for Raksha Bandhan.
Delhiites woke up to a chilly morning with the mercury dipping to 6.8 degree Celsius, a drop of nearly five notches from Saturday when the minimum settled at 11.5 degree.
The Indian Army on Friday strongly insisted on early disengagement of troops by China from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh at the eighth round of corps commander-level talks between the two sides that primarily focused on a roadmap for restoration of peace and tranquillity in the region, according to people familiar with the developments.
'...or go to jail.' 'The government is getting them silenced.'
The cold conditions returned in Kashmir division as the night temperature in most places, including Leh, plunged further below the freezing point followed with clear skies and unusual sunny days.
A significant 69% respondents indicated keen interest to travel in 2021 post ease in restrictions with 18% ready to travel immediately post unlock and 51% within 3-6 months.
