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India, China reach pact to resolve border conflict, Indian foreign minister says

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Indian soldiers disembark from a military transport plane at a forward airbase in Leh, in the Ladakh region, September 15, 2020. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui/File Photo © Thomson Reuters
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By Krishn Kaushik, Fayaz Bukhari and Shilpa Jamkhandikar

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India and China have reached a deal on patrolling their disputed frontier to end a four-year military stand-off, the Indian foreign minister said on Monday, paving the way for improved political and business ties between the Asian giants.

The news came on the eve of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia for an Oct. 22-24 summit of the BRICS regional grouping, during which he could hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian officials said.

Relations between the world’s two most populous nations – both nuclear powers – have been strained since clashes between their troops on the largely undemarcated frontier in the western Himalayas left 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead in 2020.

The two sides had since stopped patrolling several points along the border in the Ladakh region to avoid new confrontations, while moving tens of thousands of new troops and military equipment closer to the freezing highlands.

“We reached an agreement on patrolling, and with that we have gone back to where the situation was in 2020 and we can say … the disengagement process with China has been completed,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said at a NDTV media conclave.

The “understanding was reached only today,” he said, adding: “We always said that if you disturb the peace and tranquillity how can the rest of the relationship go forward?”

To avoid clashes, the two militaries will patrol contested points along the border according to an agreed schedule, a senior Indian military officer aware of the details told Reuters.

Both sides will monitor the area in Ladakh to ensure that there are no violations, the officer added.

Authorities in Beijing offered no immediate response to India’s remarks.

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Officials in New Delhi said the pact clears the path for a likely bilateral meeting between Modi and Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, which will be their first since 2020.

The senior military officer said that both sides would pull back their troops a little from current positions to avoid face-offs, but would be allowed to patrol these areas according to a schedule that is being worked out.

Monthly review meetings and regular monitoring of the contested areas by both sides would ensure there are no violations, he added.

Deependra Singh Hooda, a retired senior Indian army officer who was a commander for a part of the China frontier, said that while the two sides would need fresh confidence-building measures, “at least the impasse has been broken”.

Slow progress during talks over the last four years to end the stand-off damaged business ties between the two large economies, with New Delhi tightening scrutiny of investment by Chinese firms and halting major projects.

India’s tougher vetting of all Chinese investment after the clashes effectively turned away billions of dollars from the likes of carmakers BYD and Great Wall Motor, and added more red tape in Indian firms’ interactions with Chinese stakeholders.

However, Indian imports from China have surged 56% since the 2020 border clash, nearly doubling New Delhi’s trade deficit with Beijing to $85 billion. China remains India’s biggest source of goods and was its largest supplier of industrial products last year.

Asked about the impact of Monday’s pact on trade with and investment from China, Jaishankar said: “It has just happened. There will be meetings to see what the next steps will be. I wouldn’t go so fast.”

(Reporting by Krishn Kaushik, Fayaz Bukhari, Aftab Ahmed and Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Writing by Tanvi Mehta and YP Rajesh; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Mark Heinrich)

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The Indigenous People of Biafra has asked South-East residents to ignore any declaration of sit-at-home on October 21 and 22, insisting that the order did not emanate from the group.

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A video and voice notes have been circulating on social media for over two weeks, warning residents of the South-East to remain indoors on October 21 and 22, saying that those days have been declared sit-at-home.

The voice note also threatened to deal with anyone who fails to comply with the directive saying it remains sacrosanct.

This development has generated panic and chaos, particularly in Anambra as some official and non-official engagements fixed for those days have been rescheduled.

For instance, our correspondent gathered that cases coming up at the law courts on those days were rescheduled for another day while school activities were also called off.

When asked, one of the court clerks at the High Court in Onitsha(name withheld), simply told our correspondent, “We heard they have declared October 21 and 22 as a sit-at-home and that necessitated the rescheduling of every engagement on those days. It was rescheduled since last week.

“The reason for the rescheduling of the cases coming up on those days is to avoid a situation where hoodlums will hijack the vehicle that may be conveying suspects to the court from the prisons.”

Our correspondent also observed that, apart from the official engagement, there was panic buying in major markets across the cities as customers were seen engaging in last-minute transactions to avoid being stranded.

The notice read, “Announcement: Good evening Dear Parents and guardians. Based on the circulating threats from IPOB, be notified that there will be no school on Monday and Tuesday, 21st and 22nd October 2024. This is strictly for security reasons. In essence, it is a precautionary measure.

“Mid-term Break begins on Wednesday, 23rd October, 2024. Therefore, students are expected to resume school on Monday, 28th October, 2024. Thanks and Remain Blessed. Signed: Management.”

But while reacting to the development, the pro-Biafran group urged the people to go about their normal business, saying the “illegal” sit-at-home declaration order did not emanate from IPOB, but rather from criminal elements and infiltrators, who are not members of IPOB.

In a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday, IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, said, “IPOB did not declare any sit-at-home order on October 21 and 22. The illegal order is from criminal elements and Finland-based infiltrators who are not our members.

“We urged our people to ignore the order and go about their normal business on those days. IPOB does not want to talk about it because we don’t want to create panic over the matter.

“Biafrans must understand that IPOB does not declare unnecessary sit-at-home. We have since suspended it and anybody declaring it is a criminal element that should be ignored.

“We didn’t want to talk about it again in order to avoid giving undue popularity to the inconsequential order from Finland-based infiltrators.”

The Daily Dispatch

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TikTok Sensation Peller Receives Heartwarming Surprise from Davido in Unforgettable Video Call

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Social media star Peller was left starstruck and ecstatic when international music sensation Davido unexpectedly reached out to him with a surprise video call.

Peller took to social media to share the electrifying encounter, recounting how he received a missed call from an associate, only to be astonished when Davido personally answered his return call.

In a remarkable display of kindness, Davido offered to partner with Peller on an upcoming TikTok Live session, aiming to amplify his online presence and catapult him to new heights within the streaming community.

Photo source: X

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Bobrisky Arrested While Trying to Flee Nigeria Mom

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Bobrisky’s attempted escape to Benin Republic has taken a dramatic turn. The popular crossdresser was reportedly arrested at the Seme border while trying to sneak out of Nigeria. Photos have surfaced online showing Bobrisky sandwiched between two security agents, looking rather disheveled.

According to social critic Very Dark Man, Bobrisky tried to bypass immigration procedures by having someone else verify and stamp his passport. However, immigration officers caught wind of this plan and took him into custody.

It’s worth noting that efforts to confirm this incident with the Nigerian Immigration Service have been unsuccessful, as spokesperson Kenneth Udo hasn’t responded to calls or texts.

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