TOP NEWS

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu on Thursday that violation of existing agreements had eroded the entire basis of bilateral ties.

During his talks with Shangfu, the Indian defence minister made it clear that all issues at the Line of Actual Control need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments.

In a statement, the defence ministry said that Rajnath told Shangfu that the development of Sino-India ties premised on the prevalence of peace and tranquillity at borders

The Army on Thursday said it has decided to operationalise command cyber operations and support wings as part of an overall approach to absorb niche technologies and modernise its online networks.

The decision to have dedicated cyber operations wings was taken at the Army Commanders Conference that took place from April 17 to 21.

With rapid migration towards net centricity, which entails an increased reliance on modern communication systems, the Army commanders reviewed the requirement to safeguard the networks and decided to operationalise Command Cyber Operations and Support Wings (CCOSW) in the immediate future, the Army said.

With less than a fortnight for elections, Congress is hoping votes of Dalits, who account for 17. 5% of the total population, will consolidate in their favour, which is crucial for it to win a majority.

Congress is optimistic of this happening following two recent events: The elevation of Mallikarjun Kharge as the party’s national president (he is only the second leader after Jagjivan Ram to be appointed to the top post) and brewing discontent among traditional supporters of BJP over implementation of internal reservation.

Congress’ confidence also stems from the fact that 12 organisations under the banner of Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (DSS) have already extended support to the party.

The AAP on Thursday said it will hold a protest against the central government on April 28 against alleged wastage of taxpayers' money for the construction of a new official residence for the "country's ruler".

Addressing a press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi without naming him and said prices of items like milk and fuel have risen during the "reign of the king" and people are queuing up for "udhaar cards" instead of Aadhaar cards.

The AAP's announcement came on a day when the BJP staged a protest outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence, alleging Rs 45 crore were spent on the renovation of the "palatial bungalow".

Under "Operation Kaveri," the first group of 360 Indians from the crisis-stricken Sudan arrived in New Delhi this evening. "India welcomes back its own. Operation Kaveri brings 360 Indian Nationals to the homeland as first flight reaches New Delhi," Foreign Minister S Jaishakar tweeted, along with pictures of the arrival.

"Indian govt supported us a lot. It's a big thing that we reached here safely as it was very dangerous. I thank PM Modi and Indian Govt," said an Indian national, who returned from Sudan, reported news agency ANI.

"Bharat Mata Ki Jai, Indian Army Zindabad, PM Narendra Modi Zindabad" chanted Indian nationals as they arrive in Delhi from conflict-torn Sudan.