Top news of the day: Incessant rain in Uttarakhand, Nainital cut off from rest of State; IMD forecasts more rain in Odisha and rivers in northern region in spate, and more

The major news headlines of the day, and more.

A status of Lord Shiva is pictured amid the raising water levels of River Ganga after incessant rains in Uttarakhand, on October 19, 2021.

Incessant rain claims 11 more lives in Uttarakhand; Nainital cut off from rest of State

Eleven more deaths were reported in Uttarakhand on Tuesday as incessant rains continued to lash various parts of the state, especially the Kumaon region, razing houses to the ground and leaving many trapped in the debris. Nainital was cut off from the rest of the state with three roads leading to the popular tourist spot blocked due to a series of landslides.

Covaxin development has proved India is more than pharmacy of world: ICMR chief

Development of Covaxin has instilled self-confidence in us that India is now much more than the pharmacy of the world. It is also a vaccine superpower, said Balram Bhargava, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in an interview with The Hindu . He noted that studies have also shown the vaccine’s efficacy against the emerging virus variants- Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta.

Marginal increase in Chinese patrolling in eastern sector across LAC: Army Commander

Both India and China were attempting to develop infrastructure closer to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) while there had been a marginal increase in Chinese patrols in

the eastern sector since the standoff in eastern Ladakh as well as increase in scale and scope of exercises in the depth on their side, said Eastern Army Commander Lt. Gen. Manoj Pande on Tuesday.

Jaishankar visits Israel's Ovda Airbase to meet IAF contingent taking part in Blue Flag exercise

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday visited Israel's Ovda Airbase to meet the Indian contingent participating in the biennial Blue Flag exercise involving Air Force missions from eight countries, that aims to share knowledge and combat experience to improve operational capabilities.

‘India-Israel-UAE-U.S. quad to focus on economic cooperation’ says Israeli envoy

The newly announced quadrilateral meeting between India-Israel-UAE-U.S. is a forum for economic cooperation for the moment, said Israel’s acting Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission Rony Yedidia-Clein, adding that more cooperation and high-level visits would follow as Israel and India mark 30 years of full diplomatic ties in 2022.

Zomato lands in a row after customer care agent says ‘Hindi is our national language’

Food delivery platform and restaurant aggregator Zomato on Tuesday landed in a controversy after a customer care agent of the company said “everyone should know Hindi a little bit” and adding that it is “our national language.” Hindi in Devanagari script and English are the official languages of India, while 22 languages have been included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

Upcoming Bihar bypolls leave allies RJD, Congress deeply divided

The upcoming bypolls to two Assembly seats in Bihar have deeply divided allies Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress , with each sniping at the other after they decided to contest the elections on their own. The Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur Assembly seats fell vacant due to the death of the incumbent legislators.

Sri Lankan Navy commences search operation to find missing Indian fisherman: official

The Sri Lankan Navy has begun a search operation to find an Indian fisherman who went missing after the boat he was in along with two others was hit by a naval vessel of the island nation, an official statement said on Tuesday. The incident occurred near Neduntheevu late Monday night when the Lankan naval vessel rammed into the fishermen’s boat, throwing three of the occupants into the sea in the impact.

IMD forecasts more rain in Odisha; rivers in northern region in spate

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast more rain on Tuesday and Wednesday in Odisha, which has already been battered by low-pressure area-induced downpour for the last three days. Fishermen were advised not to venture into the Bay of Bengal for the next 48 hours, while water levels in Subarnarekha, Budhabalang and Jalaka rivers in northern Odisha were on the rise, the weatherman said.

PM Modi to interact with CEOs, experts of global oil and gas sector

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with CEOs and experts of the global oil and gas sector on Wednesday via video conferencing, his office said. This is the sixth such annual interaction which began in 2016 and marks the participation of global leaders in the oil and gas sector, who deliberate upon key issues of the sector and explore potential areas of collaboration and investment with India, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement.

Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath awarded MCC life membership

India’s Harbhajan Singh and Javagal Srinath were on Tuesday among 18 cricketers who where awarded life membership of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The MCC, based at Lord’s, is the custodian of cricket laws.

Axis Bank to waive 12 EMIs on select home loans under its festive offer

Private sector lender Axis Bank on Tuesday announced the waiver of 12 EMIs on select home loan products, and discounts on various online purchases as part of its festival offer. Axis Bank is offering waivers of 12 EMIs on select home loan products and providing on-road finance without any processing fee for two-wheeler customers, it said in a release.

T20 World Cup warm-up | India looks to fix batting order against Australia

Their preparations for the T20 World Cup off to a smooth start, India would look to finalise their batting order for the tournament-proper when they take on Australia in their second and final warm-up game here on Wednesday. India will clash against Pakistan in their main event lung-opener on Sunday. The tournament will be Virat Kohli’s last as skipper in the format besides being the swan-song for head coach Ravi Shastri.

Coronavirus | Prospect of no jab, no visa for Australian Open tennis players

Tennis players who haven’t received a COVID-19 vaccination are unlikely to get a visa to enter the country for the Australian Open in Melbourne in January, according to the political leader of the state which hosts the season-opening major. Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews has already introduced a vaccine mandate for professional athletes competing in domestic sports leagues and people working in some industries including health. On Tuesday, he increased the pressure on tennis players traveling from abroad.

Fred Goodall, umpire in stormy West Indies series, dies at 83

New Zealand cricket umpire Fred Goodall, who was at the center of a famously ill-tempered Test series between New Zealand and the West Indies in 1980, has died. He was 83. His death was announced Tuesday by New Zealand Cricket, which did not specify a cause.