Delhi

New Delhi, Feb 5 (PTI) Troops from the Indian and the US armies will carry out war-fighting drills in a combined operational environment and exchange expertise on conventional, unconventional and hybrid threats at a two-week exercise in Rajasthan beginning Monday.

The 'Yudh Abhyas' exercise is taking place at a time both the countries have renewed their resolve to further expand strategic and defence cooperation to effectively deal with common challenges including China's aggressive military posturing in the Indo-Pacific region.

Ghazipur, Feb 5 (PTI) Young men served and relished community meals while the older folks huddled in groups sharing hookah, all of them soaking in the afternoon sun on Friday at the Ghazipur site on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh highway, where they have been protesting the Centre's new agri laws.

Small groups of women too were in attendance at the demonstration, predominantly a show of strength by men pitched here since November, demanding the repeal of the Centre repeal new agri laws enacted last September.

New Delhi, Feb 6 (PTI) The Delhi Police intensified security at all border points of the city as thousands of personnel including paramilitary forces have been deployed to deal with any situation emerging out of the nationwide 'chakka jam' being held on Saturday by the farmers protesting the Centre's new agri laws, officials said

New Delhi, Feb 5 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to comedian Munawar Faruqui in a case lodged at Indore in Madhya Pradesh for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

A bench headed by Justice R F Nariman also issued a notice to the Madhya Pradesh Government on Munawar's plea challenging the high court order refusing to grant regular bail to him.

New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) Days after Myanmar's powerful military seized power in a coup, India on Thursday said it was "closely" monitoring developments in the neighbouring country.

"India and Myanmar are neighbours with close cultural and people-to-people ties, bolstered by trade, economic, security and defence related exchanges. We are, therefore, monitoring developments in that country closely," external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

New Delhi, Feb 5 (PTI) The ruling BJP on Friday defended the three new farm laws in Rajya Sabha, while the opposition Congress sought their repeal and a probe by a Supreme Court judge into the violence during the Republic Day tractor rally by protesting farmers.

Speaking on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament, BJP member Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe said the government is committed to the welfare of farmers and has taken a slew of steps in the last six years in that direction.

New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) Senior IPS officer Praveen Sinha has been given the additional charge of the CBI director, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry on Wednesday stated.

Sinha, a 1988 batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, is the Additional Director in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved that Sinha shall look after the duties of CBI director with immediate effect, the order said.

CBI chief Rishi Kumar Shukla completed his two-year term on Wednesday.

New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) As protesting farmers face legal challenges emerging out of the tractor parade violence on Republic Day, some lawyer groups have come forward to offer legal assistance to them and have started helpline numbers.

Simranjeet Kaur Gill, an advocate at the Punjab and Haryana High Court, said they are helping those who are in jail or have gone "missing" since the violent protests on Janury 26.

New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) Global airlines' grouping IATA on Wednesday said that 2020 was the worst year for air cargo demand which declined by 10.6 per cent even though the segment is "surviving the crisis in better shape than the passenger side of the business".

"This was the largest drop in year-on-year demand since IATA started to monitor cargo performance in 1990, outpacing the 6 per cent fall in global trade in goods," the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a release.

New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) The AAP on Wednesday filed an official complaint with the Delhi Police against BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra for allegedly posting a doctored video of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

In the complaint, AAP demanded action against Patra under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).