Galwan clash LIVE: All soldiers undergoing treatment are stable, says ANI

Major General-level talks to be held today over India-China face-off. Petrol and diesel prices have again been hiked

Representative image

8:19 PM

Nation expects befitting response to horrific China clash: Punjab CM

Terming as "horrendous" and "barbaric" the brutality with which 20 Indian soldiers were killed by Chinese troops in Ladakh, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday demanded accountability for the loss of lives in the violent border clash.

He said the whole nation was expecting a befitting response from the government to this horrific attack on its men.

"Our soldiers at the front should be clearly told that if they kill one of ours, you kill three of theirs," said an emotional Amarinder, making it clear that he was not speaking as a politician but as a man who had been part of the Indian Army and still loved the institution.

He pointed out that his stand on such issues has always been the same, and even after the Pulwama attack, he had declared that "if they kill one of ours we should kill two of theirs". Questioning why no orders to fire at the Chinese were given in the face of the brutal attack on the Indian soldiers, the Chief Minister said, "Somebody failed to do his job out there, and we need to find out who that was".

"If the unit was armed, as is being claimed now, the second-in-command should have ordered firing the moment the commanding officer fell to the Chinese treachery," said Amarinder, adding "the nation wants to know why our men did not retaliate in the way they are trained to do, and why they did not open fire if they were carrying arms".

"What were they doing sitting out there while their colleagues were getting killed?" he asked.

8:12 PM

Pakistan will try to infiltrate more terrorists into J&K in view of Ladakh stand-off: DGP

Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbag Singh on Thursday warned that Pakistan will try to infiltrate more terrorists and also give impetus to violence in the Kashmir Valley and elsewhere in view of the standoff between the armies of India and China in Ladakh. The Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir, Thursday chaired a high-level meeting of officers to review the security scenario of the union territory particularly on the borders.

Cross border infiltration attempts are being made continuously from Pakistan even during the pandemic and we have to be extra alert to thwart such attempts, he said. There are over 300 terrorists at launching pads along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir ready to infiltrate into the union territory to increase the pitch of violence in the Valley, according to reports.

"In view of the Ladakh standoff, Pakistan will try to infiltrate more terrorists and also give impetus to violence in Kashmir Valley and elsewhere", Singh told the meeting. He said the border alongside Pakistan needs extra attention in view of the Ladakh developments.

The DGP said there are reports that terrorist outfits in Pakistan -- Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and others -- are joining hands to create mischief in Jammu and Kashmir.

7:57 PM

LIVE: Anti-China protests erupt in various parts of West Bengal

Anti-China protests erupted in various parts of West Bengal on Thursday against the killing of 20 Indian soldiers, including two from the state, in a clash with Chinese troops in Ladakh's Galwan Valley. People came out on the streets in large numbers calling for boycott of Chinese products.

Chinese flags and posters of Chinese President Xi Jinping were burnt in various parts of the state, amid slogans hailing the sacrifice of the Indian soldiers. The state unit of Shiv Sena took out a protest march outside the Chinese consulate in the Salt Lake area here and destroyed Chinese products including mobile phones.

"We want the Indian government to put a complete ban on Chinese goods in the country. Using products made by China is an insult to the martyrdom of our jawans," Shiv Sena state president Ashok Sarkar said.

Carrying posters and placards reading Boycott Made in China goods, and hailing the Indian armed forces, Youth Congress workers took out a protest rally in central Kolkata and raised anti-China slogans. Hundreds of people, irrespective of their political affiliations, staged protests in various parts of the state on against the killing of the jawans.

7:34 PM

Latest News LIVE: India, China Major General-level talks held for over six hours

Major General-level talks between India and China, held to resolve the issues related to the violent face-off in Ladakh's Galwan area on June 15-16, lasted for more than six hours on Thursday, ANI reported quoting the sources said.

The talks between the Major Generals of the two countries had remained inconclusive on Wednesday. Sources also said that all Indian Army personnel who were involved in Galwan valley violent face-off on June 15-16 are accounted for and no soldier is missing in action.

At least 20 Indian Army personnel, including a Colonel rank officer, had lost their lives in the violent face-off which happened in the Galwan valley as a result of an attempt by the Chinese troops to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation in eastern Ladakh.

Indian intercepts have revealed that the Chinese side suffered 43 casualties including dead and seriously injured in the violent clash. The commanding officer of the Chinese unit is among those killed, sources confirmed to ANI. India wants restoration of old status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) prevailing before May 2020 when the first reports of Chinese incursions started appearing.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had on Wednesday conveyed a clear and tough message to his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi that what happened in Galwan was a "pre-mediated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties.

7:32 PM

Pakistan will try to infiltrate more terrorists and also give impetus to violence in Kashmir Valley: Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbag Singh

Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbag Singh says Pakistan will try to infiltrate more terrorists and also give impetus to violence in Kashmir Valley and elsewhere in view of the standoff between armies of India and China in Ladakh, news agency PTI reported.

7:19 PM

India-China face-off LIVE: 'Boycott China' trending online but little impact on consumer products sales

Calls for boycott of Chinese products amid Sino-India border tension may be trending on social media but these are yet to impact sales of smartphone and consumer durables products from the stables of companies like Xiaomi, Realme and Haier, according to industry executives.

While companies declined to comment on the issue, senior executives at many of these Chinese firms said there has been no impact on sales yet.

One of the senior leaders at a smartphone company, who did not wish to be named, said there is pent up demand for phones because people are working and studying from home amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and many firms have had to resort to expensive imports to meet the spurt in demand. Another executive said Chinese firms are keeping a close watch on the developments, and monitoring the situation on the ground as well as on social media. On Twitter, topics like 'Boycott China', 'Go China' and 'Go Chinese Go' were trending.

Industry body Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) said sentiments are being shaped in consumers' minds through various social media platforms and other channels over recent developments that could reflect in the purchase behaviour.

6:57 PM

Latest News LIVE: No Indian troops missing in action in Galwan, says Army

The Indian Army on Thursday said that there are no soldiers "missing in action" following a violent clash with troops of the Chinese People's Liberation Army at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh.

There were reports that 10 Indian soldiers were missing from Monday night onwards after the clash in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. The Chinese too suffered a few casualties, but the numbers are said to be in single digits. The Indian Army troops who were attacked and suffered fatal casualties on Monday night were carrying weapons, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar clarified. However, they did not fire on their adversaries..

In the meantime, the Major General-level dialogue is taking place at the site of attack at patrolling point 14 in Galwan valley on Thursday to ease out the tense situation.

On Wednesday also, top Indian and Chinese military commanders talked at Galwan Valley over the violent clash along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh but the three-hour dialogue remained inconclusive at the end of the day. The clash, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, occurred at the south bank of Galwan river, which flows in an east-west direction before its confluence with Shyok river.

The dialogue was to ensure that Chinese People's Liberation Army pulls back all its troops from the Galwan Valley and removed all the military-grade tents which house them. Both the forces have redeployed troops at the site of the clash. Sources said that India Army officials have made clear to Chinese counterparts that they have to move back.

6:39 PM

West Bengal CM Mamata to attend all-party meet on India-China conflict

West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will attend the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the cross-border conflict between India and China in Galwan Valley of Ladakh.

The virtual meeting is scheduled to be held via video conferencing at 5 p.m. on Friday.

Sources at the state secretariat Nabanno said, the West Bengal chief minister will attend the Friday's meeting via video conferencing along with other political party chiefs. As many as 20 Indian Army jawans were killed in violent clashes with China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Ladakh. Two of the martyrs Rajesh Oraon and Bipul Roy belonged to West Bengal's Birbhum and Alipurduar district.

Earlier on Wednesday, Banerjee had skipped the second round of video conference meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that was convened to review the Covid-19 pandemic across the country.

6:36 PM

Latest News LIVE: India says to join June 23 trilateral meeting with Russia, China

India will take part in a trilateral meeting with Russia and China next week, India's foreign ministry said on Thursday, days after Indian and Chinese troops clashed on a remote Himalayan border, leaving at least 20 people dead.

India's foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, will join the June 23 meeting, which will be held virtually, ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava told reporters in New Delhi.

India and China have each blamed the other for the border clash, the deadliest in several decades, which came even as both sides were attempting to resolve their weeks-long standoff in the Ladakh region.

6:29 PM

Rupee closes almost flat at 76.16 amid border tension with China

The rupee on Thursday settled almost flat at 76.14 against the US currency as forex outflows and firming oil prices continue to weigh on investor sentiment amid the ongoing border tension with China.

Forex traders said the rupee traded in a narrow range as positive domestic equities and weak US currency supported the local unit, while rising coronavirus cases, border tension with China and foreign fund outflows capped the gains. The rupee opened at 76.17 against the US dollar, and saw an intra-day high of 76.08 and a low of 76.19 against the US dollar. It finally settled at 76.14 against the US dollar, up 2 paise over its previous close.

It had settled at 76.16 against the greenback on Wednesday. The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.05 per cent to 97.10. The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex rallied 700.13 points or 2.09 per cent to settle at 34,208.05. The broader NSE Nifty jumped 210.50 points or 2.13 per cent to 10,091.65.

6:22 PM

Latest News LIVE: Reliance says Saudi's PIF to invest $1.49 billion in Jio

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) will buy a 2.32% stake in Reliance Industries' digital unit Jio Platforms for 113.67 billion rupees ($1.49 billion), the Indian conglomerate said on Thursday, Reuters reported.

The deal with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund means Reliance has now sold 24.7% of Jio Platforms and raised just over $15 billion from investors including Facebook. The investment gives Jio Platforms -- which comprises telecoms venture Jio Infocomm and music, movie apps -- an enterprise value of 5.16 trillion rupees, Reliance said in a statement.

"We believe that the potential of the Indian digital economy is very exciting and that Jio Platforms provides us with an excellent opportunity to gain access to that growth," PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan said in the statement.

PIF, which manages more than $300 billion in assets, invested $7.7 billion in global equities in the first quarter. PIF has been interested in technology and has stakes in Uber Technologies and a $45 billion allocation to SoftBank's Vision Fund. The Jio Platforms deals, along with a $7 billion share sale, will help Reliance meet its target of paying off $21.4 billion of net debt by the end of the year, according to the company.

6:19 PM