India in 2 minutes

Chinese soldier handed back

A Chinese soldier apprehended by the Indian army earlier this week after he strayed across a tense de facto border was handed back to China on Tuesday.

The People's Liberation Army soldier had been captured on Monday in the Demchok area of eastern Ladakh, according to a statement from the Indian army.

Modi urges coronavirus caution

In a televised address on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians to tighten their vigilance against Covid-19 as the Hindu festival season approaches.

"Recently, we saw many photos and videos which clearly proved that people have lowered their guard," he said. "This isn't right."

In the next few weeks, more than one billion Indians will celebrate several major holidays, including Dussehra and Deepavali, and authorities are worried about large crowds of revellers ignoring social distancing rules during the festivals.

Creditors back plan to get Jet Airways flying again

Creditors have backed a surprise plan by a consortium to revive Jet Airways 18 months after India's biggest private airline went bankrupt with US$1.2 billion in debt.

London investment fund Kalrock Capital and Dubai-based tycoon Murari Lal Jalan proposed the rescue that was "duly approved" by a creditors' committee, Jet said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Punjab passes Bills to bypass Central farm laws

In a historic move, the Punjab legislature on Tuesday unanimously passed three Bills to counter the contentious farm laws enacted by the Central Government last month.

Among other things, the Bills make buying wheat and paddy below minimum support price a punishable offence. There is also a provision to levy a fee on corporate houses making purchases outside markets. The fee will be used for the welfare of farmers.

Sethupathi pulls out of Muralitharan biopic

Popular actor Vijay Sethupathi, who was set to star as Sri Lanka's legendary cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan in a biopic, withdrew from the project on Monday after Muralitharan warned he could face a backlash from India's Tamils.

Politicians in Tamil Nadu accuse Muralitharan, who retired from Test cricket in 2010, of betraying fellow Tamils in his country during a civil war that ended in 2009.

Sethupathi had been under pressure to drop the role in "800" - named after the world record number of Test wickets Muralitharan took in his career.

Pink Patrol for women in Uttar Pradesh

Amid rising reports of sexual offences against women, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to ramp up efforts to ensure their safety with the creation of a special women police unit that will be operational round the clock.

The force, called Pink Patrol, will have 250 women police personnel, who have been deployed after going through rigorous training.

Outcry after Kashmir Times office sealed

Jammu and Kashmir authorities have sealed the Srinagar office of Kashmir Times, one of the region's oldest and most prominent English-language newspapers, the publication said on Tuesday.

Political parties and journalists criticised the move, but the state's estates department said the premises were not being used as an office, but as a residence by the newspaper's employees.

Mizoram-Assam border row

No breakthrough has been achieved in ground-level talks between Mizoram and Assam to resolve their border dispute in the Barak Valley region, where several people were injured in a clash over the issue last week.

Mizoram has hardened its stand and has said it will get essential supplies from neighbouring countries such as Myanmar and Bangladesh if the blockade of transport trucks in Assam is not eased.

Gyms in Maharashtra to reopen

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said that gyms and fitness centres in the state will be allowed to restart operations after Dusshera but only if they strictly follow the standard operating procedures.

The gyms, which have been shut since March when the nationwide lockdown was announced to combat the spread of Covid-19, are likely to open from Oct 25.

Supreme head of Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church dies

Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan, the supreme head of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, headquartered in Thiruvalla, Kerala, died on Sunday. He was 89.

The Metropolitan was battling cancer and was admitted to a private hospital at Thiruvalla for a few days.

Sanjay Dutt 'victorious' in cancer fight

Sanjay Dutt, one of Bollywood's top stars, said on Wednesday that he has emerged "victorious" after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.

"Today, on the occasion of my kids' birthday, I am happy to come out victorious from this battle and be able to give them the best gift I can - the health and well-being of our family," the 61-year-old star said on Instagram.

He gave no details of his treatment.

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