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Though desert locust swarms are invading parts of Maharashtra, entomologists feel that the effective measures initiated by the neighbouring State have reduced the threat level for Karnataka. A.R.V. Kumar, retired entomologist from the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru, who attended a meeting convened by Karnataka government on Thursday to review the situation, told that Maharashtra was more effective in tackling desert locust swarms than other States. “This is basically due to the effective insecticides used in time.” Apart from wind direction that is expected to change the course towards north-east, making these swarms to fly back, Karnataka has another advantage. “The…

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to get creative over how to mark the first anniversary of the second successive Modi government with the party deciding to hold a month-long campaign of “digital rallies” in every district in India beginning on June 1. Party general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said this at a video presser, while reiterating that the BJP “stood with the general public in the fight against COVID-19”. “Our party workers have undertaken relentless relief work distributing 19 crore food packets and more than four crore dry ration kits,” he said. Giving details about…

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Centre to ensure free travel to stranded migrants to their home states by trains and buses even as the government contended that it is taking “unprecedented steps” to meet the challenging crisis during the Covid-19 lockdown. A three-judge bench asked the solicitor general Tushar Mehta about the confusion over payment of travel fare of stranded migrant workers and said that they should not made to pay for their journey back home. “Some isolated incidents” were being highlighted to portray the government's efforts in bad light. Migrant workers were stopped from going home in…

WASHINGTON: The US and India must develop a plan to counter a possible effort by China to strengthen its position in the Indian Ocean by deepening ties with Pakistan and Sri Lanka by taking advantage of their economic woes due to the coronavirus pandemic, an American think-tank has said.There have been considerable concerns in India over China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean region. India has been trying to expand maritime cooperation with countries of the region including Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Singapore, primarily with an aim to check the growing Chinese assertiveness. According to the…

Sony India came out with all-new BRAVIA X8000H and X7500H Television series with 4K Ultra HD LED display. For the ultimate premium viewing experience, the new BRAVIA X8000H and X7500H 4K televisions let you see glorious 4K pictures. The new lineup will feature Android 9 Pie, which offers users easy access to content, services and devices via its extensive platform. Sony’s voice-activated TVs work alongside Google Assistant to provide a smarter viewing experience. Apple HomeKit and AirPlay support seamlessly integrates your Apple devices like iPads and iPhones with your Sony TV for effortless content streaming. Share your content on the…

India’s leading telecom services provider Vodafone Idea has introduced a unique service to empower feature phone users and non-digital savvy customers to recharge their Vodafone Idea numbers with just a valid UPI ID. Vodafone Idea has tied up with Paytm to launch this service across the country. The move will help millions of consumers who use feature phones to top up their numbers without having the need to visit physical retail touchpoints. This service is based on the innovative payment service *99# which works on the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) channel. Envisioned as a key facilitator to financial inclusion,…

The customary exchange of Eid sweets between the Border Security Force (BSF) and its Pakistani counterpart, Pakistan Rangers, did not not take place along the India-Pakistan border on Monday, officials said. The event was given a miss as the relations between the two countries are strained at present, they added. However, the force exchanged sweets with its Bangladeshi counterpart, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), all along the eastern front. India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-km-long international border. “BSF and BGB share a very cordial relationship. Both the countries share a similar culture, traditions and festivals. “The warmth and bonding between the…

Rejecting reports on the detention of a joint patrol party detained by Chinese forces in Ladakh, the Indian Army said on Sunday that these were "inaccurate". It was claimed that an Indian patrol party comprising Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel was detained by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) last week after skirmishes in Ladakh. On Friday, Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General M M Naravane visited the headquarters of the 14 Corps based in Leh in the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh amid growing tensions between the Indian and Chinese armies at multiple locations along the Line…