CHINA-INDIA border tensions “remain high” despite some force pullbacks this year, the US intelligence community has told Congress, asserting that Beijing seeks to use coordinated, whole-of-government tools to demonstrate its growing strength and compel regional neighbours to acquiesce to its preferences, including its claims over disputed territory. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said in its latest annual threat assessment report to the US Congress that Beijing will continue ..

INDIA has operationalised 75,532 Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centres so far despite the COVID-19 pandemic and is on track to functionalise 1.5 lakh HWCs by December 2022, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Wednesday. Vardhan, who chaired an event virtually to mark the third anniversary of the rollout of Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centre (AB-HWC), said that as on April 13, over 23.8 crore women (53.7 per cent) have accessed care at these centres, which saw a footfall of over ..

ASSERTING that the Government is committed to ensuring adequate availability of COVID-19 vaccines, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called for harnessing the combined power of community groups, political parties and NGOs in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Interacting with Governors and Lieutenant Governors of all States and Union Territories through video conference, Modi urged them to actively engage in ensuring that social institutions collaborate seamlessly with State Governments. ..

THROWING caution to the wind amid rising cases of coronavirus, thousands of seers congregated on Wednesday at Har ki Pauri in Haridwar to take a dip in the Ganga during the third shahi snan of the Kumbh mela. The ‘royal bath’ marked Mesh Sankranti and Baisakhi, and fell two days after a similar convergence of ‘sadhus’ and other devotees for the second shahi snan -- events where following social distancing norms appears almost impossible. By noon between eight and 10 lakh people had take a bath in ..

INVESTIGATORS suspect that suspended cop Sachin Waze had planned a “fake encounter” of two persons to project their link with the explosives-laden SUV found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence, sources said on Wednesday. This way, Waze, an “encounter specialist”, apparently wanted to claim to have solved the case, but it did not work out, they said. During a search of Waze’s house in neighbouring Thane, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is conducting a probe into the case, had ..

FORMER Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh was on Wednesday questioned for eight hours by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducting the Preliminary Enquiry (PE) on orders of the Bombay High Court in connection with the allegations of corruption raised against him by former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh, an official said. Deshmukh denied the allegations raised against him by Singh during questioning and told the officers that they were an attempt to malign the image of the State ..

AS America seeks to counter a rising China, no nation is more important than India, with its vast size, abundance of highly skilled technical professionals, and strong political and cultural ties with the United States. This conclusion has been made by one of the leading science and technology think tanks in the US. The Washington based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), in a significant paper authored by David Moschella and Robert Atkinson, has said that the economic and geopolitical ..

INDIA’S most wanted fugitive Dawood Ibrahim’s younger brother and accused in the Mumbai serial blasts, Anees Ibrahim is under the lens of Indian security agencies for his involvement in smuggling and manufacturing of contraband narcotics. Anees Ibrahim’s close aide Kailash Rajput, a high profile drug operator based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is already on the wanted list of Mumbai Police and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), for smuggling drugs from India, highly placed sources told IANS on ..

AS INDIA and Pakistan adhere to ceasefire agreement after years of cross-border shelling, marriage celebrations have silently returned to villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. Director General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan agreed to uphold ceasefire along the borders in the Union Territory from the night of February 24 and 25, bringing respite to the residents who were reeling under the constant threat of shelling from across the border. The original ..

PHARMA major Dr Reddy’s on Tuesday said it has received regulatory approval for emergency use of Sputnik V, which will be imported from Russia, paving the way for the third COVID vaccine in India. The Russian Direct Investment Fund said, more than 850 million doses of Sputnik V are going to be produced annually in India — the 60th country to approve the vaccine. The company has received permission from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to import the Sputnik vaccine into India for restricted ..

IN A shocking tragedy on Gudhi Padwa, at least 10 COVID-19 patients have died in two private hospital in the Vasai town due to alleged shortage of medical oxygen, here on Tuesday. While confirming the fatalities that occurred at the Vinayak Hospital and Riddhi Vinayak Hospital, the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) refuted allegations about the shortage of medical oxygen supply in the civic body jurisdiction...

FROM a night watchman earning a pittance to graduating from the hallowed portals of IIT and now an Assistant Professor at IIM, Ranchi, it has been a remarkable journey for 28-year-old Ranjith Ramachandran, inspiring many to fight adverse circumstances in their lives. “An IIM professor was born here,” reads his post on Facebook, along with a picture of his dilapidated tiled hut covered with a tarpaulin sheet to prevent rainwater from seeping in...

MOVING ahead in its probe into the allegations of corruption and misuse of office, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh for questioning on April 14. “We have asked Deshmukh to record his statement on April 14 at our office here,” a CBI official related to probe told IANS. This is for the first time that the CBI has summoned Deshmukh for questioning after it registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) on April 6 into allegations of corruption ..

AN expert panel of India’s central drug authority has recommended granting approval to Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V for emergency use in the country with certain conditions, sources said. The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on Monday took up the application of Dr Reddy’s Laboratories seeking emergency use authorisation for Sputnik V. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) will take a final call on the recommendation. If approved, ..

THE Election Commission on Monday barred West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee from campaigning for 24 hours for her remarks against Central forces and a statement which had alleged religious overtones. “Commission hereby condemns such statements potent with serious law and order problems across the State (s) and sternly warns Mamata Banerjee and advises her to desist from using such statements while making public utterances during the period when Model Code of Conduct ..

AMID rising coronavirus cases nationwide, a sea of saffron-clad seers and ash-smeared Nagas converged at Har ki Pauri in Haridwar for a holy dip in the Ganga during the second ‘Shahi Snan’ of the Kumbh Mela on Monday. Led by their ‘mahamandaleshwaras’, the sadhus from different akhadas took out “shobha yatras” through the main thoroughfare of the pilgrimage city to gather at Brahma Kund, Hari ki Pauri for the ‘Shahi Snan’ –- or the royal bath -- on Somvati Amavasya. Marching barefoot to their destinatio..

THE ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra has appealed to the Centre to take a uniform decision on the Board exams of Classes 10 and 12 across the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A unilateral decision by any state would lead to students of that State being at a disadvantage in terms of career and opportunities, Shiv Sena’s chief spokesperson Arvind Sawant said in a letter, dated April 10, addressed to Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’...

SANSKRIT studies are flourishing in China, over 2,000 years after the ancient Indian language was brought to this country along with Buddhism, making a profound impact on Chinese monarchs and scholars over the centuries, according to a distinguished professor here. Wang Bangwei, a well-known Chinese scholar in Sanskrit and Director of Sino-Indian Buddhist Studies, Institute of Oriental and Indian Studies at the Peking University, said Sanskrit which is the root of Indian culture continues to remain ..

HITTING another record daily high of 1,52,879 new coronavirus infections, India’s COVID-19 tally of cases climbed to 1,33,58,805, while the active cases breached the 11-lakh mark for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. The death toll increased to 1,69,275 with 839 daily new fatalities, the highest since October 18, 2020, the data updated at 8 am showed. Registering a steady increase for the 32nd day in row, the active ..

THE CBI on Sunday questioned two personal staffers of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in connection with the allegations of corruption levelled against him by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, officials said. Deshmukh’s Personal Assistant Kundan Shinde and Personal Secretary Sanjeev Palande were asked to appear before the CBI team in connection with its ongoing preliminary enquiry (PE) into the case following directives of the Bombay High Court, they said. Both of them ..

AN APPROPRIATE decision regarding imposing a lockdown in Maharashtra will be taken after April 14, State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Sunday. He was speaking to reporters after a virtual meeting of the COVID-19 task force chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to discuss measures, including imposition of a lockdown in the State, to break the virus chain. “Duration of the lockdown and how to handle its economic fallout was discussed during Sunday’s meeting...

INDIA and China held detailed deliberations on disengagement in remaining areas of eastern Ladakh and agreed to jointly maintain stability on the ground, avoid any new incidents and resolve the outstanding issues in an “expeditious manner”. A day after the 11th round of military talks that lasted for 13 hours, the Indian Army on Saturday said it was highlighted during the parleys that completion of disengagement in other areas would pave the way for considering “de-escalation of forces” and ensure ..

FIVE people were killed, including four in the firing by CISF personnel, during the fourth phase of polling on Saturday for 44 Assembly seats of West Bengal, triggering a political firestorm. Four people were killed as Central forces opened fire allegedly after coming under attack from locals, who “attempted to snatch their rifles”, in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district, police said...

WITH the total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossing 10 crore, the Union Health Ministry on Saturday said that India is the fastest nation to administer 100 million doses in 85 days. The US took 89 days to administer 10 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine, while China took 102 days to cross the same number, it said. In terms of the number of daily doses administered globally, India continues to remain at the top with an average of 38,93,288 doses administered per day, ..

AS THE National Investigation Agency (NIA) probes deep into the extortion racket, fresh evidence is pouring in on the close affiliation between suspended cop Sachin Waze and his mentor, Pradeep Sharma, also known as the ‘encounter king’ of the Mumbai Police. A prominent leader and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA told IANS that Sharma had reportedly approached the BJP Government to reinstate his protege Waze in 2016. The BJP MLA, requesting anonymity, said: “The meeting took place at Hotel Leela Kempinski ..

AFTER having successfully disengaged with China in the Pangong lake area, Armies of India and China are scheduled to hold the 11th round of Corps Commander-level talks on Friday to discuss disengagement from friction points in Gogra, Hot Springs and Depsang plains in Ladakh. “Indian and Chinese Army are scheduled to hold the 11th round of Corps Commander-level talks at Chushul in eastern Ladakh tomorrow at 10:30 am to discuss further disengagement from friction points there,” Indian Army sources ..

RELIANCE Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani will appeal against the fine imposed by market regulator SEBI over alleged irregularities in a two-decade-old share issue in the company, the firm said on Thursday. Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) had issued debentures with convertible warrants in 1994 and allotted equity shares against the warrants in 2000. This was when Dhirubhai Ambani was heading the undivided company...

THE CBI questioned former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh and suspended police officer Sachin Waze on Thursday in connection with its preliminary inquiry into allegations of corruption against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, officials said. The CBI has recorded the statements of former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, suspended API Sachin Waze and two others in this case...

IN A setback to Maharashtra Government and its former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, the Supreme Court Thursday dismissed their pleas challenging the Bombay High Court order directing a CBI probe into allegations of corruption and misconduct levelled against him by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. “Looking at the personas involved and nature of allegations and seriousness of allegations, it requires investigation by an independent agency. It is a matter of public confidence,” a bench ..

INDIAN Army chief General M M Naravane on Thursday met Bangladesh’s Air Force and Navy chiefs, and discussed issues of mutual interest and matters on bilateral defence cooperation. Naravane also paid tributes to the fallen heroes of Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War after arriving in the country on a five-day visit to further strengthen the close and fraternal ties existing between the Armed Forces of the two nations. The visit of Naravane, who is here at the invitation of his Bangladeshi counterpart ..

MAHARASHTRA Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday said the State has requested the Centre for the supply of oxygen for medical use from nearby States. “12 metric tonnes of oxygen is produced and over 7 tonnes of oxygen is consumed daily. We’ve urged that we should be supplied medical oxygen from the nearby States. If a need arises, we’ll close down the industries that use oxygen but won’t let the supply of medical oxygen be affected,” Tope said. “We are working on various technologies for obtaining ..

THE Army handed over a boy to Pakistani authorities at the Titwal crossing point along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Wednesday, a defence spokesperson said here. Mausam, the son of Manzoor Ahmad and a resident of the Lipa area in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), was handed over to the Pakistani authorities at 11.50 am, he added...

CONTROVERSIAL police officer Sachin Waze, now suspended, was reinstated in the Crime Intelligence Unit in June last year on the insistence of then Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh despite the strong objection raised by then Joint CP (crime), as per a report submitted by present Commissioner of Police Hemant Nagrale to Maharashtra Home Department on the circumstances leading to Waze’s reinstatement. The report stated Waze bypassed hierarchy and reported directly to then Commissioner of Police ..

INDIA has the third highest number of billionaires in the world after the US and China, according to a new list by the prestigious Forbes magazine, which said, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani reclaimed his spot as Asia’s richest person, dethroning Chinese business tycoon Jack Ma who was the richest person in the region a year ago. Forbes’ 35th annual list of the world’s billionaires is topped by Amazon CEO and Founder Jeff Bezos for the fourth year in a row. His net worth is USD 177 billion, ..

SUSPENDED cop Sachin Waze on Wednesday claimed former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had demanded Rs 2 crore from him to continue his service in the Mumbai police and alleged another Minister Anil Parab asked him to collect money from contractors. Transport Minister Parab rejected the allegations made by Waze, saying they were incorrect and aimed at maligning his image, and expressed readiness to face any probe. Waze, who was reinstated in the police service last year, made the sensational ..

DREADED Maoist leader Madvi Hidma has emerged as the mastermind of the last weekend’s massacre of 22 security personnel by Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region and the audacious attack has brought him into the limelight once again. His age and looks are still a matter of speculation with security agencies suggesting he is around 45 years old. They just have a bundle of old photos of a young man who they believe is Hidma, who carries a cash reward of Rs 40 lakh for capture in Chhattisgarh. Last Saturday’s ..

THE Centre has said that on-site registration for COVID-19 inoculation for healthcare and frontline workers aged 18 to 44 years will now only be available at Government COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs). They will have to produce original photo identity cards and a copy of their employment certificate, it said. In a communique to States and Union Territories (UTs) on Monday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said on-site registration facility for genuinely leftover healthcare workers (HCWs) and ..

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at the BJP’s rivals on Tuesday as he accused them of spreading “false narratives” over issues ranging from the farm laws to the citizenship law to trigger political instability in the country, and asked party members to caution people about their reality. Addressing party members on its 41st foundation day, he said imaginary fears and rumours are stoked against his Government with claims that people’s citizenship will be revoked, farmers’ land will be seized, ..

PEACEFUL voting was reported in Assembly elections in three States and in Union Territory of Pudducherry that went to polling on Friday, except for West Bengal where clashes erupted between rival political groups. Though stray incidents of clashes between workers of rival parties were also reported in other States, a high voter turnout was recorded in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. In Kerala, where the Left is hoping to beat anti-incumbency to retain power, a feat unseen in four decades, while ..

THE Supreme Court on Monday appointed two judicial officers, Arun Bhardwaj and Sanjay Bansal, as special judges to conduct trials in the coal scam cases pending since 2014 here. Earlier special judge Bharat Parashar was conducting trials in around the 40 coal scam cases and has been replaced by two judges after the apex court recently took note of a letter from the Delhi High Court’s Registrar General that permission be granted to nominate or post another suitable presiding judicial officer as special ..

THE second of the two kidnapped employees of a New Delhi-based private oil exploration firm was released by the ULFA (Independent) on Monday, two days after the first staff was set free from captivity on Saturday. A statement issued by the Assam Rifles stated that Ram Kumar, a resident of Bihar, was released on Myanmar side of Lungwa village after 108 days and he was further intercepted by Assam Rifles border domination patrol at Lungwa village in Mon district early in the day...

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced that his annual interaction with students ‘‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’’ will be held on April 7 in a new virtual format. “A new format, several interesting questions on a wide range of subjects and a memorable discussion with our brave #ExamWarriors, parents and teachers. Watch ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ at 7 PM on 7th April,” the Prime Minister tweeted. Along with his tweet, he also tagged a video on the event in which highlights of this year’s ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ ..

UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the Government will intensify its ongoing fight against the Naxal menace, an assertion coming in the wake of the killing of 22 security personnel in an attack by the rebels in Chhattisgarh. The Home Minister, on a visit to Chhattisgarh, also paid tributes to the security personnel killed by Naxals in the State’s Bastar region on Saturday. Talking to reporters after chairing a high-level meeting at Jagdalpur, the headquarters of Bastar district, on the Left ..

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh resigned on Monday after the Bombay High Court ordered a CBI probe into the allegations of extortion against him by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. Deshmukh submitted his resignation letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, NCP Minister Nawab Malik told reporters. Deshmukh also tweeted a copy of the letter, in which he said the High Court had passed an order for a preliminary probe by the CBI into the petition filed by advocate Jayshri ..

LANDSLIDES and flash floods from torrential rains in eastern Indonesia killed at least 41 people and displaced thousands, the country’s disaster relief agency said Sunday. More than two dozen others were still missing. Mud tumbled down from surrounding hills onto dozens of homes in Lamenele village shortly after midnight on Adonara island in East Nusa Tenggara province. Rescuers recovered 35 bodies and at least five injured, said Lenny Ola, who heads the local disaster agency. Flash flooding killed ..

FEMINA Miss India finalist, Diksha Singh, will add a dash of glamour to the Zila Panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh. Diksha, a finalist in 2015, is contesting the polls from Jaunpur. She told reporters that she would contest from the Baksha ward of the district and would be filing her nomination papers on Sunday. Jaunpur goes to polls on April 15 and the result would be announced on May 2 after four phases of polling...

A GROUP of an estimated 400 Maoists, armed with LMGs, had ambushed security forces deployed for a special operation besides decamping with over a dozen sophisticated arms, officials said on Sunday. The contingent of about 1,500 troops was drawn from CRPF’S specialised jungle warfare unit CoBRA, its regular battalions, a unit of its Bastariya battalion, the Chhattisgarh Police affiliated District Reserve Guard (DRG) and others...

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reviewed the COVID-19 situation and vaccination exercise in the country amid an “alarming rate of growth” in infections and deaths, with 10 States contributing to more than 91 per cent of them. Modi said the five-fold strategy of testing, tracing, treatment, COVID-appropriate behaviour and vaccination if implemented with utmost seriousness and commitment would be effective in curbing the pandemic’s spread, according to an official statement...

THE Maharashtra Government on Sunday announced a weekend lockdown and night curfew during the weekdays from Monday to April 30, in addition to a slew of other restrictions like closure of private offices, theatres and salons to curb the unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases. The weekend lockdown will start from 8 pm on Fridays and last till 7 am on Mondays. Besides, prohibitory orders will be in force during daytime on weekdays, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in a statement. Except the essential ..

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi Saturday alleged the “obstructionist mindset” of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her TMC deprived West Bengal of industries and jobs. He claimed the TMC supremo hurt people’s self-respect by claiming they are attending BJP rallies after taking money. The Prime Minister also mocked Banerjee for her frequent criticism of the Electronic Voting Machines and the Election Commission. “She keeps criticising EVM, the EC...If players keep criticising umpires, you should know ..