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8Dec By source belowNo Comments

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Assad regime’s fall a setback for Iran, Russia. Who’s Muhammad al-Jawlani, architect behind his ouster

New Delhi: Bashar al-Assad, the leader of Syria, reportedly fled Damascus early Sunday, following a rapid assault by the insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham over the last two weeks, upending the regional order in West Asia in a major blow for Iran and Russia. “Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer. There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place. They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where close to 600,000 Russian soldiers lay wounded or dead, in a war that should never have started, and could go on forever…” said Donald J. Trump, US President-elect, in a statement on social media platform Truth Social. Tehran and Moscow have propped up the Assad regi...

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8Dec By source belowNo Comments

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Yuval Noah Harari on India’s role in ensuring ‘just end to Russian invasion’ & AI cooperation

Mumbai: India should use its influence and leverage with Russia to ensure that there is a just end to the Russian invasion, and while Russia may not listen to a country like the US, it may be willing to listen to India, Israeli author Yuval Noah Harari said. In an interview with ThePrint, Harari said that India also has the potential to use its leadership position to create an alliance of smaller countries to cooperate on the development of artificial intelligence (AI). Harari, whose latest book Nexus focuses on the history of the development of information networks and the potential threats of AI, said, “A leader has a responsibility not just towards itself, but also towards others. So, for instance, with regards to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I know that India and Russia have been f...

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8Dec By source belowNo Comments

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Bangladesh reverses plan for crucial bandwidth supply to India’s Northeast, Airtel’s expansion hit

New Delhi: India’s push for faster internet access in the Northeast has faced a setback with the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government reversing a decision by the former Sheikh Hasina administration permitting private telecom operators to use Bangladesh as a transit point for supplying bandwidth to the connectivity-challenged region. This fresh move by the Yunus government is being viewed as one of several steps it is taking to undermine India’s interests while strengthening ties with Pakistan. The proposal involved using the Akhaura border, between India and Bangladesh in Tripura, as a transit route from Singapore to connect the region with Southeast Asia via Bharti Airtel’s network. Show Full Article India’s Northeast is connected to Singapore via submarine ...

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8Dec By source belowNo Comments

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China’s loans worth $48.1 bn to South Asian nations 5 times that of India’s, Pakistan largest recipient

Graphic by Wasif Khan | ThePrint Of this, Pakistan (approximately $130 billion) and Bangladesh ($101.4 billion) alone account for around 71 percent of all debt in the region, the World Bank has found. In some of these countries, the financial amounts loaned by India are comparable to those from China.  ThePrint takes a look at each of the countries in the region and their largest creditors.   Also Read: Nearly 12,000 Indians hired in Israel for work since October 2023, MEA tells Rajya Sabha Afghanistan   According to the World Bank, Afghanistan’s total external debt stock is roughly $3.4 billion, of which the largest creditor country is Russia. Kabul owes Russia roughly 36 percent of its total debt, which is approximately $1.2 billion. Saudi Arabia and Italy are the other large bilateral ...

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7Dec By source belowNo Comments

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‘Disappointing,’ says US on BJP’s accusations of Washington trying to ‘target Modi, destabilise India’

New Delhi: The US Saturday termed “disappointing” the Bharatiya Janata Party’s accusation that the State Department and “deep state” elements in Washington were trying to destabilise India in conjunction with a group of investigative journalists and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. “It’s disappointing that the ruling party in India would make these kinds of accusations,” a US Embassy spokesperson said in Delhi. The response came following a series of posts by the BJP accusing the US State Department for being the force behind investigative reporting portal Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which it has accused of running an agenda to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India. Show Full Article “The U.S. government works with independen...

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7Dec By source belowNo Comments

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A fight to the finish | Anti-Maoist operations

It had been a lazy overcast afternoon in Dantewada in Bastar division, south Chhattisgarh, when sudd­enly the police lines, home to the District Reserve Guard (DRG), buzzes with activity. The local commander asks the troops—formations that have both boys and girls, and which are increasingly called the “tip of the spear” owing to their successes in the fight against Maoism—to get ready for a briefing. And so they do, gathering together their checked weapons, issued ammunition and hurriedly packing rucksacks with ready-to-eat rations, first-aid kits and spare clothes—not to mention body bags. Source link

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7Dec By source belowNo Comments

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SP decides to walk out of ‘communal’ MVA after Sena (UBT)’s celebration of Babri demolition

Mumbai: On the first day of the special session of the Maharashtra Assembly, Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Azmi announced that his party had decided to withdraw from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Speaking to reporters outside Vidhan Bhavan, Azmi stated that the Shiv Sena (UBT) had adopted a “Hindutva agenda” following its recent defeat in the Maharashtra assembly elections, which is why SP needed to reconsider staying with the alliance. “If one alliance partner within the MVA is going to send congratulations over the demolition of Babri Masjid and if they are going to adopt a Hindutva agenda, then the Samajwadi Party needs to think,” Azmi said. Show Full Article This decision follows a recent development where Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s close aide,...

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7Dec By source belowNo Comments

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‘Attempt to destabilise India,’ BJP claims US State Dept targeting country with Adani indictment

New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the State Department and “deep state” elements in the U.S. of trying to destabilise India in conjunction with a group of investigative journalists and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. The accusation comes as a surprise as New Delhi and Washington have forged a strong relationship in the last two decades and both have vowed to further strengthen ties despite some differences and irritants. Gandhi’s Congress party used articles by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) that “singularly focused” on the Adani Group and its alleged closeness to the government to undermine Modi, the ruling party said on Thursday. Show Full Article Group chair Gautam Adani a...

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7Dec By source belowNo Comments

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DMK criticised by TVK’s Vijay, but comment by leader of ally VCK on ‘monarchy politics’ does more damage

Chennai: In his first ever social event, actor-turned politician Vijay, founder of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), hit out at Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for protecting its alliance in the state for its own “selfish interests” and said that the people would overturn the alliance arithmetic in the 2026 assembly elections. The DMK-led alliance in the state includes the Congress, Left parties, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), and a few other parties. On Friday, Vijay released the book Ellarukumana Thalaivar Ambedkar (Everyone’s Leader Ambedkar), a compilation of essays about Ambedker written by Ambedkarites across the state, including VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan. The book was published by Vikatan Publications along...

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6Dec By source belowNo Comments

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MEA slams Pakistan’s ‘duplicity’ over Masood Azhar’s public speech vowing war with India

New Delhi: India has demanded that Pakistan take strict action against Masood Azhar, after the UN-designated terrorist addressed the cadre of the Jaish-e-Mohammed after almost two decades last month. “He is a UN-designated terrorist. We demand that strong action be taken against him, that he is brought to justice. There has been denial that he is not there in Pakistan. If the reports (of his location) are correct then it exposes the duplicity of Pakistan,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press briefing Friday.  “Masood Azhar is involved in cross-border terror attacks against India and we want that strong action be taken against him,” he added.  Show Full Article Azhar has promised renewed terrorist attacks against India and ...

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6Dec By source belowNo Comments

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Navy to commission stealth frigate Tushil next week in Russia, to be part of India’s Western Fleet

New Delhi: The Indian Navy is set to commission the multi-role stealth guided missile frigate Tushil, or ‘shield’ in Sanskrit, at Kaliningrad, Russia, on 9 December with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presiding over the commissioning. India had in 2016 inked an inter-governmental agreement with Russia for four frigates. According to the deal, two ships are to be built in Russia, while the other two are to be built at the Goa Shipyard in India with technical collaboration from Russia. The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine delayed the delivery of the ship. Show Full Article Tushil, part of the $2.5 billion deal, will be inducted into India’s Western Fleet—known as the Sword Arm. The second ship, Tamal, is expected to be delivered by early next year.Tu...

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6Dec By source belowNo Comments

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Drone that fires rockets to anti-fratricide AI system—Army’s in-house innovations shine at Inno Yoddha

New Delhi: Amid a push for indigenisation and in-house problem-solving, the Indian Army showcased 22 innovations that were designed by its personnel to plug gaps in its battlefield capabilities as part of the Inno Yoddha competition. The innovations showcased in the competition conducted by the Army in New Delhi were spread across different domains such as unmanned systems, capability enhancement, and operational logistics. According to the Army, once these solutions are shortlisted by the Army based on their competence, they will be finetuned. They will be taken through several developmental stages such as Research and Development (R&D), Design and Development (D&D), Army Technology Board (ATB) Projects, and Base Workshops. If selected, these projects may be used on the battlefiel...

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6Dec By source belowNo Comments

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Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri to visit Bangladesh next week amid diplomatic chill

New Delhi: Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will be in Bangladesh on 9 December for structured foreign office consultations with his counterpart, acting foreign secretary Riaz Hamidullah, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Friday. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the weekly press briefing that these discussions were a “structured engagement between India and Bangladesh”, adding there would be several other meetings as well. There is, however, no confirmation on whether Misri would call on the chief adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government, Muhammad Yunus. Show Full Article The visit by Misri comes at a time when ties between New Delhi and Dhaka have hit a diplomatic chill over the issue of the safety of Hindus and other minorities in th...

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6Dec By source belowNo Comments

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Back in action, BJP’s Annamalai positions himself as rival to Udhayanidhi & Vijay, eases up on AIADMK

Chennai: After a break of three months, the return of Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party president K. Annamalai from London has revitalised the BJP state unit as he now positions himself as a contender against Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam second-in-command Udhayanidhi Stalin and actor-turned-politician Vijay before the 2026 assembly elections. Annamalai, who returned on 1 December after spending three months in London on a Chevening fellowship, has since attended back-to-back private and BJP events in Chennai and Coimbatore and made field visits to the areas affected by floods after cyclone Fengal. He has already made pointed remarks against Udhayanidhi Stalin and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader Vijay on at least three occasions. Show Full Article While Annamalai ...

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6Dec By source belowNo Comments

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Gelephu Mindfulness City, clean energy, trade: What PM Modi, King of Bhutan discussed in bilateral meet

New Delhi: The Gelephu Special Administrative Region, hydropower and other renewable energy projects, trade and space technology were among the areas that featured in the conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk Thursday. The King and Queen of Bhutan are on a two-day visit to India from 5 to 6 December. Bhutan’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Gem Tshering also travelled as a part of the delegation, indicating the importance placed on the energy sector in ties between the two countries. “They expressed satisfaction that the 1020 MW Punatshangchhu-II hydro power project was nearing completion, and looked forward to its commissioning in the near future. The leaders agreed on the need for early conclusion of the Punatsangc...

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6Dec By source belowNo Comments

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Front row seat for Ayodhya star or differences over Adani? Why Akhilesh is giving short shrift to Congress

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is sulking about Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad being dislodged from the front bench in the Lok Sabha and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi staying silent about it. That is why the party stayed away from the Congress-led Opposition protest in the Parliament complex over the alleged Gautam Adani bribery case for a second day in a row Thursday, ThePrint has learnt. In the last Parliament session, SP had two seats in the front row where Akhilesh Yadav and Awadhesh Prasad used to sit along with other leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). But under the new arrangement, Awadhesh Prasad is now seated in the second row. Akhilesh is upset with the Congress for not doing anything about it. The new session began on 25 Nove...

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5Dec By source belowNo Comments

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Sukhbir Badal’s attacker Narain Singh Chaura was accused in 2004 Burail jailbreak, acquitted 11 yrs later

New Delhi: In 2004, on the intervening night of 21-22 January, four undertrial prisoners, including three who stood accused of killing former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, escaped from the Burail jail in Chandigarh. One of the accused in this case was Narain Singh Chaura, who is currently in police custody for opening fire on Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Wednesday. However, along with several other accused, Chaura was acquitted after the “prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt”. The acquittal order noted that the prosecution’s case rested on Chaura and two of his co-accused staying in touch with the jail escapees but failed to prove that the three of the accused were in constant touch outside the jail. ...

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5Dec By source belowNo Comments

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MEA provided assistance to 1,871 distressed or abandoned Indian women abroad, highest in Dubai

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) provided assistance to 1,871 Indian women abroad who were distraught or abandoned by their Non-Resident Indian (NRI) spouses, Kirti Vardhan Singh, minister of state (MoS) in the MEA, said in the Rajya Sabha Thursday. According to data shared by the MEA, the Indian mission in Dubai extended aid to the maximum number of Indian women—1,044 out of a total of 1,871 women, followed by the High Commission of India in Singapore (256 cases) and the Embassy of India in Doha (118 cases). There was no date given for the period within which the mission provided such support. A total of 34 Indian missions provided help to aggrieved or abandoned Indian women abroad. Show Full Article “The Government of India through its Missi...

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5Dec By source belowNo Comments

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Fadnavis is Maharashtra CM, Shinde & Pawar deputies after 11 days of suspense & an 11th hour surrender

Mumbai: BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the 21st Chief Minister of Maharashtra Thursday, nearly two weeks after a mammoth mandate returned the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance to power on 23 November. Fadnavis’s two alliance partners, Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde and the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Ajit Pawar, were also sworn in as the state’s new Deputy Chief Ministers. The ceremony at Mumbai’s iconic Azad Maidan—a historic protest ground dating back to British rule—was attended by dignitaries, including politicians, business leaders, and celebrities. Show Full Article Among the political attendees were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP Chief J.P. Nadda, Union cabinet ministers, and leaders like N. Chandrababu Naidu, Pramod Saw...

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5Dec By source belowNo Comments

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20 Indian students killed in attacks abroad since 2019, highest in Canada—MEA to Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: The most number of Indian students killed in attacks abroad since 2019 were in Canada, followed by the US, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told the Rajya Sabha Thursday. Kirti Vardhan Singh, minister of state in the Ministry of External Affairs, also told the Upper House that the maximum number of reported attacks were in Russia and the UK in the last five years. According to data submitted by the MEA, 20 Indian students have been killed in attacks between 2019 and 2024, with Canada and the US accounting for 80 percent of all deaths. Show Full Article Nine students have been killed in Canada in nine attacks, while seven students in the US have been killed in seven attacks.Of the 58 attacks against Indian students abroad, Russia topped the lis...

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5Dec By source belowNo Comments

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Indians seeking asylum ‘denigrate’ system for personal gains, MEA says in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: India’s junior foreign minister Thursday slammed citizens seeking asylum abroad as those who “denigrate” the system for “personal gains” despite prevailing democratic norms. In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha by MP Sanjay Raut, Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said India, “being a democratic country”, provided avenues for everyone to redress their grievances lawfully. Singh added Indian missions abroad liaised with local authorities and upon “verification” of national identity, extended necessary support to facilitate their return to India. Show Full Article Singh, however, did not reveal the number of Indians seeking asylum abroad, saying data was not officially shared by foreign governments due to...

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5Dec By source belowNo Comments

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As India & France get ready to sign 7-bn Euro deal for Rafale Marine, 87 TEDBFs emerge in shadow

New Delhi: The deal for 26 Rafale Marine aircraft is likely to cost about 7 billion Euros and this will include weapons, associated ancillary equipment, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training and performance-based logistics support besides certain changes, ThePrint has learnt. Sources in the defence and security establishment also told ThePrint that the deal is likely to be signed ahead or on the sidelines of a possible visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Paris in February next. They added more clarity was currently awaited as French Prime Minister Michel Barnier lost a no-confidence motion early Thursday. Show Full Article Under French law, all government-to-government deals are signed by ministers in charge of respective portfolios.“There could...

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5Dec By source belowNo Comments

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‘Open to peace negotiations but NATO membership non-negotiable,’ says Ukrainian security forum head

New Delhi: Ukraine is open to India hosting the next peace summit, Svitlana Kovalchuk, the head of Ukraine’s top security forum said, adding that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s comments post the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not undermine the symbolic message of the Indian leader’s historic visit to Kyiv in August. Yalta European Strategy (YES) executive director Kovalchuk, who was in India as a part of a visit to multiple countries, added that a “real security guarantee”—membership into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)—is non-negotiable for Kyiv, as Ukraine hopes an end to the war by 2025. “The most important red line is a real security guarantee. For us, we believe only NATO membership can be really effective. We already have the Budapest memorandum when we gav...

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5Dec By source belowNo Comments

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India, Kuwait sign MoU to establish joint commission for cooperation at ministerial level

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al Yahya signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday to establish a Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) at the level of foreign ministers. According to a press statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, the agreement outlines the formation of new Joint Working Groups in sectors including trade, investment, education, technology, agriculture, security, and culture, and these groups will operate under the JCC to review and monitor bilateral relations between the two nations. The JCC would also oversee existing working groups in areas such as hydrocarbons, health, and consular matters. Show Full Article “New Joint Working Groups in areas of Trade,...

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4Dec By source belowNo Comments

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Pakistanis no longer need security clearance for Bangladesh visa as bilateral thaw progresses

New Delhi: The interim government of Bangladesh has removed the requirement for Pakistani citizens to obtain a security clearance before applying for a Bangladeshi visa. The new policy was announced in an official letter from the Security Services Division (SSD) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, dated 2 December. Until now, Pakistani citizens had been required to obtain a ‘no objection’ clearance from the SSD before being granted a visa to enter Bangladesh, a policy implemented in 2019. The clearance requirement was part of broader security measures introduced amid political and diplomatic tensions. However, the latest announcement officially removes this condition.  This shift in policy came a day before Pakistan’s high commissioner to Bangladesh, Syed Ahmed Maroof, met with Khaleda Zia, t...

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4Dec By source belowNo Comments

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Photos taken, GPS logging done, India wraps up first set of patrols in Depsang Plains

New Delhi: Riding on Zanskari horses with rifles slung upside down on their backs, Indian troops Wednesday completed the first set of patrols in the Depsang Plains covering the remaining patrolling point PP13, ThePrint has learnt. Soldiers resumed patrolling in the critical Depsang Plains on 5 November, following an agreement reached by both sides on the 21st of the previous month. On that day, troops carried out patrols only to PP 10, but not PP 11, 11A, 12, and 13 in the Depsang Plains as both sides had decided only one or two PPs would be covered at a time. The idea was to take it slow and build confidence in each other. Show Full Article Sources in the defence and security establishment told ThePrint that a group of 15 personnel, including those from the A...

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