China came little farther this time, will resolve diplomatically: Rajnath

Indian and Chinese troops used to come face to face on the LAC many times but this time the situation is different, said the defence minister in a TV interview

As Indian and Chinese troops remain engaged in a tense border standoff, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday asserted that the government will not allow India’s pride to be hurt under any circumstances even as he said bilateral talks were on at military and diplomatic levels to resolve the row. Singh also said that he conveyed to US Defence Secretary Mark T Esper during a telephonic conversation on Friday that India and China have an existing mechanisms to resolve “problems” through talks at diplomatic and military levels.

In the midst of the flare-ups between Indian and Chinese armies, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was “ready, willing and able to mediate” between the two countries. He reiterated the offer on Thursday as well. The Ministry of External Affairs indirectly rejected the offer two days ago, but Singh became the first central minister to speak on India’s position on the issue with clarity.

In an interview to ABP News, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that Indian and Chinese troops used to come face to face on the LAC many times but this time the situation is different. He also said that Chinese troops have come in a little farther than usual this time. In an interview to ABP News, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that Indian and Chinese troops used to come face to face on the LAC many times but this time the situation is different. He also said that Chinese troops have come in a little farther than usual this time…Read More

Senior Indian, Chinese Army commanders in talks to defuse tension in Ladakh

Parallel diplomatic channels in New Delhi and Beijing are also working towards a peaceful resolution.

High-level Indian and Chinese military commanders met at designated points along the LAC (line of actual control) on May 22 and May 23 to defuse the current situation in Eastern Ladakh. Sources told ANI that parallel diplomatic channels in New Delhi and Beijing were also working towards a peaceful resolution. Since the beginning of May, Chinese army has been involved in several incidents in Eastern Ladakh, along the LAC.

While the Indian and Chinese military commanders are talking face-to-face in Ladakh, diplomatic efforts are underway in the national capitals of the two countries to resolve the situation. The Indian Army has been effectively responding by building and deploying its own capabilities in Eastern Ladakh, including the Galwan sector. Sources have told ANI that no compromise will be made with regard to maintaining the sanctity of India’s borders and that while India believes in peace, it is firm and resolute when it comes to the defence of its territory.

This has been reflected in spirit even in the four or more agreements between India and China, which have historically formed the mechanism for border management. The mechanisms are still in place and working at a bilateral level. Two of them are of 1993 and 1996 and there is a CBM (Confidence Building Measures) in place since 2005 and a border agreement since 2013.

3 dead as building collapses in Karnataka’s Dharwad, 56 rescued

Police said rescue operations have been intensified to extricate 30 people believed to be still trapped beneath the debris

Latest News: The death toll in the building collapse at Dharwad in north Karnataka touched three Wednesday with one more body being pulled out of the rubble, police said. Rescuers have so far pulled out 56 people from the debris of the four-storeyed under construction building, which collapsed Tuesday evening at Kumareshwaranagar in the heart of Dharwad, about 400 km from here. Police said rescue operations have been intensified to extricate 30 people believed to be still trapped beneath the debris.

In addition to 10 ambulances and five fire tenders deployed for relief and rescue operations, three teams of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) have been pressed into service, two from Ghaziabad and one from Bengaluru. “Two more teams of #NDRF are being airlifted from Ghaziabad in addition to one team which was moved from Bangalore in connection with Dharwad building collapse,” the NDRF tweeted.

About 150 police, fire and emergency personnel too have joined the rescue operations. No arrests have been made so far. Former Karnataka minister and Congress leader from the region Vinay Kulkarni had said Tuesday that one of the partners in the building was his relative and that whoever was involved should face action. An eye-witness had alleged that the building did not have the capacity to bear four storeys whereas an extra floor was being added. “The builders had used substandard materials,” he told reporters Tuesday. Most of those trapped were migrant labourers from north India who were engaged in laying tiles.