Barely a month after India and China ended a tense border stand-off between their armies, Indian military officials have confirmed that Chinese troops continue to remain in the vicinity of Doklam, where the deadlock occurred.
At a press conference on Thursday, BS Dhanoa, India’s air force chief, said a Chinese military presence persisted in the Chumbi Valley, fewer than a dozen kilometres from Doklam.
The troops are engaged in widening a road in the Chumbi Valley, which lies in Chinese-controlled southern Tibet, Mr Dhanoa said. Doklam, which was the site of the 73-day stand-off between India and China this past summer, is in an area contested by China and Bhutan, and borders the Indian state of Sikkim.
This summer's stand-off began when Beijing claimed Indian troops had stepped in to prevent China from extending a road from its territory into Doklam. In turn, New Delhi claimed China had violated an existing border agreement, and that its new road would impose security concerns upon India's strategic land corridor, which lies nearby.
The frictions abated on August 28, after the armies decided to "disengage", with each side withdrawing its troops by 150 metres.
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Mr Dhanoa did not say how many Chinese soldiers were in the Chumbi Valley, only that the two sides were "not in a physical face-off as we speak". However, he added: "Their forces in Chumbi Valley are still deployed and I expect them to withdraw as their exercise in the area gets over.”
Separately, a report in the Indian Express newspaper claimed that at least 1,000 Chinese troops were still in Doklam, positioned roughly 800 metres from the location of the stand-off, and that the temporary tents and sheds they erected earlier this summer were still in place.
The Chinese government defended its retention of troops in Doklam, saying the area “has always belonged to China and has been under the effective jurisdiction of China".
"There is no dispute. The Chinese border forces have been patrolling in the area of [Doklam], exercising their sovereign rights and safeguarding territorial sovereignty,” a foreign ministry statement added.
Raveesh Kumar, spokesman at India's foreign ministry, said on Friday that the “status quo” established on August 28, still prevails. “There are no new developments at the face-off site and its vicinity since the … disengagement,” he said.
Mr Dhanoa, however, stressed the Indian air force was “ready for any contingency which may or may not take place”.
His statements, along with the lack of specific detail in the foreign ministry statement, have raised concerns about tension rising yet again between India and China — a worrying prospect, given the size of both their armies and the fact that both have nuclear weapons.
Although the stand-off over the summer never erupted into outright violence, the simmering tension abated only with adroit diplomacy from both sides. In particular, negotiators used the then-impending Brics summit in Xiamen on September 4 as a deadline, since India’s prime minister Narendra Modi and China’s president Xi Jinping were expected to meet on the sidelines of the conference.
Despite the peaceful resolution of that deadlock and the assurances that emerged during the disengagement negotiations in August, India continues to be wary of China’s intentions, said one retired senior military officer, who asked not to be quoted by name.
Although India’s soldiers returned their posts nearby, their numbers have increased as a contingency.
“The tension has reduced since the summer, but now there’s always the expectation that it will go back up again,” the officer said.
Security experts have meanwhile warned that such frictions along the India-China border would become commonplace.
An analysis paper from the defence think tank Centre for Joint Warfare Studies warned early last month that "Doklam is likely to be the new normal".
Written by Vinod Bhatia, a former lieutenant-general in the Indian army and now the director of the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies, the paper says the Line of Actual Control, the India-China border that is disputed in several sections, “will be constantly and continuously under stress, with [an] increase in frequency, intensity and depth of [Chinese] transgressions, leading to more and more stand-offs".
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Watch live
The National will broadcast live from the IMF on Friday October 13 at 7pm UAE time (3pm GMT) as our Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi moderates a panel on how technology can help growth in MENA.
You can find out more here
UJDA CHAMAN
Produced: Panorama Studios International
Directed: Abhishek Pathak
Cast: Sunny Singh, Maanvi Gagroo, Grusha Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla
Rating: 3.5 /5 stars
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
NO OTHER LAND
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
