NEW DELHI, October 21 (Reuters): Australia will join three-way naval exercises involving the United States, Japan and India, in a move that could provoke concern from China, which has criticised similar joint drills in the past. Here are some of the most common questions on the Malabar exercise: WHAT IS THE MALABAR EXERCISE? The Malabar naval exercise began in 1992 as a training event between the United States and India. Japan joined it in 2015, but Australia has not

BEIJING, October 21 (Reuters): A Chinese soldier who had strayed across a contested de facto border with India in the Himalayas has been handed back by the Indian side, according to a report by China's official military newspaper, the PLA Daily. The soldier was handed over early Wednesday morning, according to the report. Both countries have amassed thousands of troops in the region after a deadly clash in June. The nuclear-armed neighbours have been locked in a month

New Delhi, October 21 (IANS):  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded the efforts of policemen on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, saying "we are proud of their diligence and readiness to assist citizens". Modi paid tribute to police personnel killed in the line of duty on Police Commemoration Day. "Police Commemoration Day is about expressing gratitude to our police personnel and their families all across India. We pay tributes to all the p

Jaipur, October 21 (IANS): After Punjab, Rajasthan's Chief MInister Ashok Gehlot too has decided to convene a special session of the Assembly to discuss the farm laws. On Tuesday, Gehlot called a cabinet meeting and announced that Rajasthan will also call a special session of the Legislative Assembly 'to preserve farmers' interest'. He tweeted after the cabinet meeting: "The Council of Ministers have decided that a special session of the Legislative Assembly

New Delhi, October 21 (IANS): With a fresh spike of 54,044 coronavirus infections and 717 deaths in 24 hours, India's tally on Wednesday stood at 76,51,107. Out of these, 7,40,090 are currently active, 67,95,103 have been discharged, while 1,15,914 lost the battle against the pandemic. The country saw 7,254 more than Tuesday's fresh infections, after witnessing slight decline in new cases. While the recovery rate stands at 88.81 per cent, the fatality rate is 1.51 per

Chandigarh, October 20 (IANS): In a first in the country, the legislative Assembly in Punjab led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday unanimously passed three legislations and formally rejected the Centre's 'black' agricultural laws brought by the BJP-led Union government. The Bills provide for imprisonment of not less than three years and a fine for sale or purchase of wheat or paddy under a farming agreement below the MSP, exemption of farmers from attachm

New Delhi, October 20 (IANS): Patients who have recovered from Covid-19 can again get infected by the virus once the antibodies of the viral disease starts depleting, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Tuesday. "According to the Centre for Disease Control (USA), you call it a reinfection (of Covid-19) if the person is reinfected after 90 days from turning negative to the Sars-CoV-2 after testing positive to it. "However, there are multiple studies whi

LOLAB VALLEY, October 20 (IANS): "I want to be a doctor and I am sure I will crack the entrance examination," says Mubashir, a Class 11 student at the Army Goodwill School, Chandigam, in Jammu and Kashmir's Lolab Valley, located just kilometres away from the Line of Control. Studies and continuous cross-border shelling are the only constants in the life of Mubashir and his fellow students, who live, play and study amid incessant firing from the Pakistan side. A year af

MUMBAI, October 20 (Reuters): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the government was working rapidly to ensure the supply of COVID-19 vaccines to all citizens once they are available. In his address to the nation, Modi urged Indians to continue wearing masks and uphold social distancing rules to prevent further spread of the pandemic ahead of India's festive season. "Whenever the corona vaccine comes, how it reaches to every Indian as soon as possible, the

New Delhi/Wayanad, October 20 (IANS): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that he "did not appreciate" the 'item' remark used by senior party leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath for the state's Dalit woman Minister Imarti Devi. "Kamal Nathji is from my party, but personally I don't like the type of language that he used; I don't appreciate it, regardless of who he is. It is unfortunate," Rahul Gandhi told the me

New Delhi, October 20 (IANS): Stressing that he still misses the thrill of reporting on crime, but considering the era where even tweets from a celebrity can become front page news, one of India's best known crime writers and former journalist S. Hussain Zaidi, is sure, "It would have been against my principles to be a part of such a media-circus." Zaidi, whose first book 'Black Friday', chronicling the Mumbai blasts hit the stands while he was still in the pro

New Delhi, October 20 (IANS): Since the launch of the 'National Deworming Day' in 2015, 14 states have shown a reduction in worm infections prevalent among children while nine states showed a substantial decline, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday. The National Deworming Day (NDD), advised by the World Health Organization, is meant to eliminate worm infestation among children and adolescents living in areas with a high soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) burden. In the

Bhopal, October 20 (IANS): BJP Rajya Sabha member Jyotiraditya Scindia has launched a scathing attack on Kamal Nath and said that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's five months in power outweighed the 15-month rule of his Congress predecessor who he claimed headed a "disruptive" government in the state. Scindia alleged that Congress leader Kamal Nath did not even come out of the Vallabh Bhavan during the 15 months he was the Chief Minister and did no

AMARAVATI, OCTOBER 20 (IANS): There seems to be no respite from rain as deep depression over Andhra Pradesh has already caused flooding in several places in the state, with the Met department predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in coastal Andhra and Yanam. Heavy rainfall has also been forecast at isolated places in Rayalaseema. Several places in West Godavari district have been witnessing rainfall since Monday evening. Tuesday began with showers and drizzle

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 20 (IANS): Concerned about the education of poor children, Delhi Police constable Than Singh has set up a school in a temple behind the Red Fort. He starts his classes at 5 in the evening after he finishes his duty. He started the school in 2016 with four children but now has almost 50-60 students from nearby slums. The students between 5-15 years of age greet him when they come to the school in the evening. Constable Singh also provides books, copies, penci

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 20 (IANS): The Jindal School of Banking & Finance of O.P. Jindal Global University has launched a unique, industry-relevant undergraduate programme B.A. (Hons.) Finance and Entrepreneurship. As the first of its kind in India, this programme combines coursework, which instils entrepreneurial spirit in the students with a sound theoretical understanding of, and practical exposure to, finance. The programme aims to train a new generation of Indian entrepreneur

New Delhi, October 20 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he will be sharing a message with the country at 6 p.m. on Tuesday where he is expected to make an important announcement. There is a possibility that he might inform the people about the ongoing war against the corona pandemic. Modi tweeted, "I will address the nation with a message at 6 pm today. I will share a message with my countrymen and urge the people to join me." The PM might speak to the people o

New Delhi, October 20 (IANS) With a spike of 46,790 coronavirus cases and 587 deaths in 24 hours, India's tally on Tuesday was 75,97,063 cases. This is one of the lowest spikes in a single day in the last two and half months. Out of these, 7,48,538 are currently active; 67,33,328 have been discharged, while 1,15,197 lost the battle against the pandemic. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), India's active cases have fallen below eight lakh aft

New Delhi, October 19 (IANS): India is now at the forefront of vaccine development for Covid-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday while virtually addressing the 'Grand Challenges' annual meeting. The assertion came just 48 hours after the Prime Minister chaired a meeting to review India's vaccine delivery, distribution and administration process. Earlier, the Centre had said that three vaccines are in advanced stages of development in India, out of which 2

New Delhi, October 19 (IANS): In a bid to safeguard the LGBTQ+ community and ensure that the basic human rights of this community are not compromised due to the COVID-19 crisis, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday issued fresh guidelines in this regard. The human rights body has suggested a separate 24x7 toll free helpline number for the LGBTQI+ community. "A separate helpline number may be set up to provide support in different regional languages for cop