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Indian and Chinese soldiers will disengage at a disputed area along a remote western Himalayan border by Sept. 12, India's foreign ministry said on Friday, after more than two years of a standoff following a deadly clash.

The disengagement, which comes after several rounds of talks between senior military officials, is part of efforts by New Delhi and Beijing to avoid an escalation in tension between the nuclear-armed Asian giants that went to war over their border in 1962.

The pull-out, also confirmed by China, comes ahead of a meeting in Uzbekistan next week that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to attend.

Indian and Chinese soldiers began withdrawing from the Gogra-Hot Springs area in Ladakh in the western Himalayas on Thursday, a process that would be complete by early next week, India's foreign ministry said. 

"The two sides have agreed to cease forward deployments in this area in a phased, coordinated and verified manner, resulting in the return of the troops of both sides to their respective areas," Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a statement.

All temporary structures in the area erected by both militaries will also be dismantled as part of the agreement, he said.

Although details of the latest agreement have not been made public, the two militaries are likely to create a buffer between their troops and stop patrolling in the area, a defence expert said.

"This is a positive step," said Rakesh Sharma, a retired Indian lieutenant general who has served in Ladakh. "Face to face scenario has been obviated."

Following a deadly clash in June 2020 that killed at least 20 Indian and four Chinese troops, similar buffer arrangements have been implemented in other areas in Ladakh where soldiers were deployed in close proximity.

But Sharma said troops from both sides remain in close proximity in at least one location near the Demchok area in Ladakh, something that could be taken up in further talks.

A substantial build-up in border infrastructure by China will also keep thousands of Indian solders deployed along the frontier, Sharma added.

"This is a long haul," he said.

India and China share an un-demarcated 3,800 km (2,360 mile) frontier, where their troops previously adhered to long-standing protocols to avoid the use of any firearms along the de facto border known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC). (Reuters)

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged allies on Friday to supply Kyiv with winter gear such as clothing, tents and generators to enable Ukrainian troops to keep on fighting Russia's invasion in the cold season.

Average winter temperatures are below freezing for much of the country and it is not unusual for temperatures to drop to minus 15 degrees Celsius.

"The winter is coming, it's going to be hard, and therefore we need both to continue to supply weapons and ammunition but also winter clothing, tents, generators and all the specific equipment which is needed for the winter," Stoltenberg told reporters after meeting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels.

"Partly because the size of the Ukrainian army has just increased so much, they need more of this kind of winter equipment, and NATO is particularly focused on how we can provide tens of thousands of, for instance, winter uniforms," Stoltenberg added.

On Friday, swiftly advancing Ukrainian troops were approaching the main railway supplying Russian forces in the east of the country, after the collapse of a section of Russia's front line caused the most dramatic shift in the war's momentum since its early weeks.

It was the first lightning advance of its kind reported by either side for months, in a war mainly characterised by grinding frontline battles since Russia abandoned its ill-fated assault on the capital Kyiv in March.

Stoltenberg called on NATO allies to ramp up defence production, as well to stock up their own inventories so they could deliver more weapons to Kyiv.

"We are now in close contact with the defence industry, with capitals ... to ensure that we are now ramping up production, that we are replenishing the stocks," he said.

"This is also about ensuring that we have the weapons, the ammunitions, the capabilities in place for our own deterrence and defence," he underlined. (Reuters)

China's ruling Communist Party will amend its constitution next month during a leadership reshuffle held over five years, a move that some analysts said could consolidate President Xi Jinping's authority and stature within the party.

State news agency Xinhua said on Friday that the Politburo discussed a draft amendment to the party constitution in a meeting chaired by Xi, without specifying the changes.

Xi is widely expected to break with precedent at the congress that starts on Oct. 16 and secure a third five-year leadership term, cementing his status as China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, founder of the People's Republic.

The party's constitution was last amended in 2017 to enshrine "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics", a move that burnished Xi's standing.

Political watchers say one possibility is an amendment that shortens the ideology to "Xi Jinping Thought", upgrading its stature to that of "Mao Zedong Thought".

Another possible change that would also be seen as an elevation of Xi's power would be to enshrine the "Two Establishes", a recent phrase which means the party establishes Xi as its "core" and his ideas as guiding principles.

Less likely, some pundits have suggested that the constitution could reinstate the paramount position of party chairman, which was abolished in 1982.

The party constitution can only be amended during the once-in-five-years congress. (Reuters)

Britain's King Charles shook hands with dozens of members of the public outside Buckingham Palace on Friday, as emotional well-wishers snapped pictures and greeted the new monarch following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth on Thursday.

Charles and his wife Camilla, Queen Consort, stepped out of the royal car just outside the gates of Buckingham Palace in an unanticipated gesture as they arrived back in London from Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where the queen died.

The couple, dressed in black, were received by huge cheers and applause from a crowd of hundreds gathered outside the palace, television footage showed.

The king proceeded to shake hands with dozens of well-wishers and look at floral tributes to his mother for more than ten minutes. Several members of the public sang "God save the King" and one shouted "Love you Charles!"

One woman kissed Charles' hand, while another leaned over the security barrier to hug him and kiss his cheek. Several told him they were sorry for his loss, and he thanked them.

People gathered outside the palace pointed their phone cameras at Charles as he walked past, flanked by security personnel. One security officer asked people to put their phones down as the king approached and simply enjoy the moment.

Charles and Camilla then walked through the gates of the palace. (Reuters)