These incredible photos show some of the spectacular scenes captured by photographers as part of the annual Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. Photographers from across the United Kingdom submitted images from wildlife to stormy waves, as well as cityscapes and 'winter wonderland' style scenes. The overall winner of the 2020 competition, whose photo stands in pride of place on the first page of the book, was Chris Frost, whose early-morning shot of Woolland Woods in Dorset shows a blanket of mist rolling over a bank of white wild garlic.
A host of top Congress leaders wished him on his birthday, with former prime minister Manmohan Singh among the first to send his best wishes through a letter in the morning.
A 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl who spoke out against Taliban atrocities in their former stronghold of Swat was on Tuesday shot in the head and seriously injured, with the banned outfit saying they had targeted her for her "pro-West" views.
Life across Kashmir Valley remained disrupted for the fifth day on Friday due to a strike called by Grand Mufti of the state over gutting of the 200-year-old Dastageer Sahib shrine even as restrictions continued on movement of people in the old city.
Instead of "the dragon and the elephant compete with each other", "the dragon and the elephant dance together, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.
Ten incidents of stone pelting were reported from Srinagar, Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian, Awantipora and Sopore.
Readers send us pictures from the length and breadth of the country.
"We intend to talk to individuals and groups who want peace and normalcy in Kashmir Valley," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said before the departure of delegation comprising 30 members from 20 parties.
The manner in which assembly seats were distirbuted among Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh so far, has ensured that residents of the Valley rule the state forever, says Sanjeev Nayyar.
All educational institutes across the state are closed for the second consecutive day, the officials said.
The 182-metre statue of Vallabhbhai Patel will be dedicated to the nation on his birth anniversary in Narmada District of Gujarat.
Ashish Kurme, an MBBS student studying at a university near Wuhan, tells the grim story of ground zero of the coronavirus outbreak.
A 13.2 MW small hydro project on the Rishiganga river was swept away in the glacier burst in Uttarakhand on Sunday, but there is no danger of floods in the downstream areas as the water level has been contained.
Security forces have been deployed in strength in sensitive and vulnerable areas to maintain law and order.
Investigations into the escape of dreaded Lashker-e-Tayiba terrorist Mohammed Naveed Jhatt from a busy hospital has brought to the fore lapses at different stages, especially the failure of the prosecution wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police as well as the state home department over hurriedly issuing orders for transfer of the accused to a central jail from Kathua in the Jammu region, it has emerged.
Replying to a debate on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in Lok Sabha, Modi also attacked the Congress for its politics in the last seven decades, saying the party's politics of last 70 years has been such that no Congress leader can be self-sufficient.
"Discussions are on; what is going on is something confidential between us and the Chinese," he said when the moderator at the Bloomberg India Economic Forum pressed the minister to give a clear status of the border situation.
'The new generation of teenagers which has taken the forefront is largely an amorphous, leaderless mass.' 'It is extremely difficult to find a representative with whom to negotiate now, unless one turns to a militant leader.'
National Conference on Friday urged the Election Commission to postpone the state assembly polls till March next year, in view of the Valley being cut off by heavy snowfall.In a statement, NC chief Omar Abdullah said, "The vagaries of the weather will not permit the poll process to be conducted smoothly."
Militant outfits based in Pakistan want to disrupt the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls by "desperately" trying to push their cadre into the Indian side to carry out terror activities, an army official has said.
The kin of several of those killed by militants in the late '80s also say they do not have enough resources now to buy back the properties they had left behind after the killings at that time.
The cold wave intensified in most parts of the valley and Ladakh division with Kargil town the coldest recorded place in the state. Kashmir has been going through extremely dry and cold weather conditions this winter, leading to health related problems among the children and elderly. Here's a glimpse of the snowfall.
A comparative feature that reveals the true extent of the damage caused by Saturday's earthquake to Nepal's history.
At a virtual media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said disengagement of troops is a complex process which would require mutually agreed 'reciprocal actions'.
Though the BJP is running too close for comfort, populist schemes and support among Muslims may help Mamata Banerjee overcome the challenge, observes Aditi Phadnis.
The 50.5-metre-high historic tower was reduced to just its base.
'The crisis has strengthened America's resolve to work towards building its relationship with India as a bulwark against Chinese aggression'
The President will visit J&K and Ladakh.
'India will keep trying to avoid conflict.' 'This is the moment when we draw a line in the sand.'
BCCI Apex Council will work on finalising India's revised Future Tours Program and the domestic season.
The sources said the situation in eastern Ladakh remained 'tense' and that around 30-40 soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) are holding up at a position close to an Indian post in the Rezang-La ridgeline in eastern Ladakh.
'The Indian side has realised that not talking to Pakistan has not served any useful purpose.'
Fresh clashes broke out between protesters and security forces in Kashmir, even as Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is set to visit the Valley on Saturday.
'The credibility of the messenger here is highly suspect. This is something which the global community is aware of'
The Centre opposed the plea by telling the apex court that it is a question of national security as militancy still poses a serious threat in Jammu and Kashmir and cited a recent incident where hundreds of people gathered in the valley for a funeral of a militant killed by security forces.
Shops, business establishments and petrol pumps continued to remain shut during the day even on the eve of Eid on Monday.
The decisions were mentioned in a joint statement issued by the two armies late Tuesday, a day after the sixth round of Sino-India Corps commander-level talks that lasted for 14-hours.
Severely critical of China, Pompeo, cited killing of Indian Army personnel in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in a clash with the Chinese military, and asserted that both India and the US are taking steps to strengthen cooperation against all threats and not just those posed by the Chinese Communist Party.
She also hit out at the government for posting retired bureaucrats, who she alleged were its 'yes men', as head of institutions.
