Defence minister Rajnath Singh witnesses para dropping skills of Armed Forces at Stakna, Leh

Rajnath Singh attends Combined Commanders' Conference

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended Combined Commanders' Conference in Kevadia on March 05. He also visited the Statue of Unity today along with COAS General MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh, CDS General Bipin Rawat and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria.

Watch: PM Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh at BJP’s CEC meet ahead of polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired BJP’s central election committee meeting in Delhi. BJP’s CEC met to finalise party candidates ahead of elections. PM Modi, Home minister Amit Shah, Defence minister Rajnath Singh were present in the meeting. Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan was also seen in the meeting. The meeting was held at BJP headquarters in the national capital. This comes ahead of polls in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. Elections in the four states and Puducherry will be held between March 27 and April 29. Watch the full video for more.

Activists in Nepal stage protest against Military crackdown

Following the recent military crackdown on pro-democracy supporters in Southeast Asian country, some activists of civil society members held a demonstration in front of Myanmar Embassy in Nepal. Protestors were seen demanding in front of embassy calling for incumbent military- government of Myanmar to stop brutal killing of its people. No less than 38 people were killed in Myanmar on Thursday as the military tried to control demonstrations by pro-democracy campaigners against last month's coup.

Clashes in Yangon as Facebook bans all Myanmar military accounts

Pro-military demonstrators attack bystanders after people in the area bang pots and pans to show their disapproval.

Myanmar coup: Military pushes punitive cybersecurity bill

Myanmar's military rulers are to give themselves more powers as they face intensifying anger over last week's coup.

Objective is to restore peace and tranquillity along LAC: Rajnath Singh

"India and China have maintained communication with each other through military and diplomatic channels. Our objective was to effect disengagement and maintain status quo along the LAC so as to restore peace and tranquillity," said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Lok Sabha on February 11. Praising the Armed forces, Rajnath Singh said that Armed Forces have responded to challenges by unilateral Chinese action and have shown valour and courage on both South and North bank of Pangong Tso.

'Nobody wants unsettled border': Army chief Naravane on India-China LAC row

Army Chief General MM Naravane spoke about India's position on the standoff with China in Ladakh and said that the resolve of safeguarding the country's interest was shown. The Army chief added that India's engagements with China should continue as they have in the past. “Whatever we did has shown the resolve that we have in maintaining our interest foremost. With this approach our relations with China would develop along the path we wish. As two neighbours, who would like to have peace and tranquility on their borders. Engagements with China must continue as they have in the past, nobody wants an unsettled border,” he said. A border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries began in May last year. In June, it resulted in a clash in Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. After nearly nine months, both armies withdrew artillery and camps, marking disengagement.

‘Congress insulting our forces’: Rajnath Singh on LAC disengagement politics

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lashed out at the Congress for alleging that India ceded territory to the Chinese. The defence minister said that India would not tolerate any country trying to unilaterally change the status-quo at the borders. Rajnath Singh said that nobody can occupy India territory till he is alive. He also accused the Congress of insulting the bravery of our forces. This comes after Rahul Gandhi and several other Congress leaders had questioned the disengagement at the LAC and said that India has now lost territory to the Chinese. Watch the full video for all the details.

Ind-Pak ceasefire agreement: Border residents in Baramulla feeling relieved

The agreement between India and Pakistan to cease firing along the Line of Control (LoC) has brought happiness among residents of border areas in the Uri sector in JandK's Baramulla as they can now lead their normal lives. "We are very happy that the Commanders from both sides have agreed to observe the ceasefire in a meeting. Cross-border firings cause big problems in the lives of people living along the border. We used to face all kinds of troubles and difficulties. We are thankful to the government for this step. Now, we can live in peace," said Abdul Razzak, a border resident. The residents in the border areas of Nabila village, along the LoC, in Uri sector are hoping for peace after India and Pakistan reiterated commitment for a ceasefire on borders. Another resident of the border area, Farid Khan said, "I am a resident of Nabila. The ceasefire observance decision has brought great relief to all of us living along the border. Our children could not go to school earlier. We had to face difficulties in our daily life. I want to thank both Indian and Pakistani the government for the move." Ceasefire violations, cross-LoC firings and shelling are the biggest hurdle in the lives of people living near border areas of the Uri sector in Baramulla. Firing and shelling only bring pain for civilians living along LoC. Now, they are hoping that their problems will be solved after the ceasefire agreement. The Uri sector witnessed a spurt in ceasefire violations during the last year. More than 12 people, including soldiers, were killed in more than 36 ceasefire violations while hundreds of structures suffered damage. The most deadly ceasefire violation took place on November 13 last year in Kamalkote, when four civilians and two soldiers were killed while a civilian had lost both his legs. The incident caused massive damage to the property as well, forcing locals to flee temporarily from the area. Speaking to ANI, the Sarpanch of Nabila Village, Shahid-ul-Islam said, "Earlier due to mortar shelling, we had to face many problems. Our children also had difficulties going to school. We couldn't even take out our cattle to pastures. First of all I especially want to thank the Indian government for taking the initiative for this great step," he added. Border residents of Nabila Village of Uri thanked prime ministers of both the countries for taking this step. Earlier on February 25, after discussions between the Director Generals of Military Operations of India and Pakistan, the two sides have to cease firing along the LoC and all other sectors with effect from midnight of February 24 to 25.

69th Senior National Volleyball Championships kicks off in Bhubaneswar

The '69th Senior National Volleyball (Men and Women) Championships' started at Biju Patnaik Indoor Stadium in Bhubaneswar on March 05. Over 1200 volleyball players (both men and women) are participating in the tournament from 28 states and 8 Union Territories. For the first time, players from Union Territory Ladakh also participated in the championships. The Championships are being held under the aegis of the parent body Volleyball Federation of India (VFI). The tournament started on Mar 05 and will end on Mar 11.

Hopeful of NSD branch opening in JandK soon: Chairman Paresh Rawal

National School of Drama (NSD) Chairman Paresh Rawal on March 06 expressed hopes of the prestigious drama school's branch opening soon in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that the region offers rich culture, and if an NSD starts functioning there, the Kashmiri youths, both boys and girls, will get a motive in their lives. The BJP MP, while praising the NSD, said had he been an alumnus, he would have been a better actor.

Watch: Terrorist caught, grenades, other weapons found at terror hideout in J&K

A terrorist was reportedly apprehended by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. A joint team of police and Army also uncovered a terror hideout in Reasi. The development occurred on March 5. Forces recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the terror lair. Soldiers were seen delicately extricating grenades and other explosives from a bag at the hideout. Watch the full video for more.