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Border Tension
North Korea accused South Korea of a serious provocation Saturday after South Korean troops fired warning shots at North Korean soldiers setting up barriers along their tense border. Ko Jong Chol, vice chief of the North Korean People's Army's General Staff, noted that Tuesday's warning shots coincided with the South Korea-US summertime military drills and accused Seoul of deliberately trying to raise tensions. Shortly after Ko's statement, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed it had fired warning shots Tuesday afternoon at North Korean soldiers who briefly crossed the military demarcation line in the central border region while carrying out unspecified construction work. The South's military said the soldiers returned to North Korean territory without incident and that the North didn't return fire. In recent months, South Korea's military has occasionally used loudspeaker warnings and fired warning shots to repel North Korean soldiers crossing the military demarcation ...
Animosities between North and South Korea are rising sharply again over an unusual cause: The North's rubbish-carrying balloons. In the past week, North Korea floated hundreds of huge balloons dumping manure, cigarette butts, scraps of cloth, waste batteries and even reportedly dirty diapers across South Korea. In response, South Korea vowed unbearable retaliatory steps and moved to suspend a fragile military deal meant to ease tensions with its northern neighbor. Experts say if South Korea resumes live-fire drills or anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts via loudspeakers in border areas, that's certain to infuriate North Korea and may prompt it to take its own provocative countermeasures along the border. Here's a look at North Korea's balloon launches: WHAT DID NORTH KOREA DO? Since May 28, North Korea has sent about 1,000 balloons carrying all kinds of trash across the border. No hazardous materials were found, but South Korean social media was still abuzz with worries that Nort
The Army on Tuesday said it was prepared to give an appropriate response to any adverse aggressive designs of China in the Ladakh sector, maintaining that the integrity of the country was being ensured through physical patrolling and technical means. "On the LAC, our response to Chinese attempts to unilaterally change the status quo was a swift, undaunted and synergised action by the Indian Armed Forces," General officer Commanding in Chief of Army's Northern Command Lt General Upendra Dwivedi said at an investiture ceremony at Badami Bagh Cantonment area here. "Any adverse aggressive designs or attempts will definitely be met with appropriate posturing of Forces and a strong intent with complete synergy among the three services," he said. He said measures to resolve Line of Actual Control (LAC) situation at diplomatic and operational levels are also simultaneously underway. "I assure you that the LAC in Eastern Ladakh is being dominated by physical patrolling and through technical
Maharashtra minister Shamburaj Desai on Friday said the state government will next week bring a resolution on the border dispute with Karnataka, which will be "10 times more effective" than the one passed by the neighbouring state. The Excise Minister said the resolution will be passed by the state legislature on Monday. Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution on the border row with Maharashtra, resolving to protect the state's interests and not to cede an inch of land to its neighbour. The resolution which also condemned the border dispute "created" by Maharashtra and moved by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, was adopted by a voice vote. Talking to reporters at the legislature complex in Nagpur, Desai said, "The state government will bring a detailed resolution on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border issue, which will be 10 times more effective than the one passed by Karnataka. It will be passed in the legislature on Monday." "I only want to say that
A drone entering India from Pakistan through the international border in Punjab was shot down by the Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday, a spokesperson of the force said. The unmanned aerial vehicle was detected at around 7:45 am near the Pulmoran border post in the Amritsar sector. "BSF troops fired at the drone and brought it down. The drone has been seized. A search of the area is in progress to find out if it has dropped any consignment," the spokesperson said. This is the third straight day that the border-guarding force has shot down a drone in Punjab.
The third round of regional committee-level border talks between Arunachal Pradesh and Assam succeeded in resolving certain issues along the interstate boundary, ministers of the two states said. Addressing a press meet on Wednesday, Assam Agriculture Minister Atul Bora and Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein said a "threadbare discussion was held in a cordial atmosphere" to find a solution to disputes involving three districts along the boundary. Mein said the committee members had visited the disputed areas in Namsai and Lohit districts of Arunachal Pradesh and Tinsukia in Assam, and interacted with various stakeholders before attending the meetings. "We have come to the conclusion that there are no longer any issues in these areas," he said. Bora said the committee will submit the report of the meeting to the chief ministers of both the states, and they in turn will hand it over to the Centre. "People of both the states want to live in peace. It is usually some
The Karnataka-Maharashtra border region, which has been witnessing a series of agitations since the first day of legislature session here is now peaceful, police said on Wednesday. "There's absolutely peace in the border district of Belagavi. Vehicular movement between the two states is normal and there is nothing to worry," a senior police official told PTI. As a precautionary measure, barricades have been put up on the bridge connecting Belagavi in Karnataka with Maharashtra. Police personnel have also been deployed at the vaccine depot ground in Tilakwadi, where the Madhyavarti Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MMES) was planning to stage a demonstration on December 19. "The MMES movement has stopped but as a precaution we are deploying forces there," the official added. The MMES wanted the leaders from Maharashtra to attend their event aimed at building pressure on Karnataka government to merge Belagavi with Maharashtra. The district administration denied the leaders permission to
Mizoram and Assam will on November 17 hold the third round of talks to resolve the long-standing interstate border dispute, a senior home department official said on Friday. The talks were originally scheduled to be held on November 4, but were postponed owing to the visit of President Droupadi Murmu to Mizoram. Mizoram additional home secretary Lalhriatpuia told PTI that the border talks would be held in Guwahati on November 17, as proposed by the Assam government. A five-member Mizoram delegation, led by ministers Lalchamliana and Lalruatkim, will be visiting the neighbouring state for the talks, he said. Another home department official said that the Mizoram delegation will leave for Guwahati on November 16, and preparatory meetings will be held among officials on that day. The actual border talks would take place on the next day, he said. Mizoram and Assam share a 164.6-km-long border. Skirmishes and clashes between border residents of the two states were reported on severa