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BJP chief JP Nadda on Monday interacted with foreign envoys, including from the US, Australia and Israel, during which it was suggested that BJP should increase party-to-party interaction with other countries.

As part of the ‘Know BJP’ initiative, Nadda held discussions with diplomats from 14 countries for more than three hours. Envoys from Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Canada, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Indonesia, Kenya, New Zealand, the Philippines and Suriname were among those who attended the interaction where external affairs minister S Jaishankar was also present.

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said the order passed by a local court in Varanasi to seal a pond after a ‘Shivling’ was reportedly found in the complex is a violation of Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act,1991.

Owaisi, who is also the chief of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), further asked how a lower court can give an order based solely on a petitioner's claim when the commissioner it had appointed is yet to submit its survey report.

A video shared by news agency ANI showed Owaisi citing a reference the Supreme Court had made to the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act ,1991 while delivering the Babri Masjid verdict to back his claims.

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has set up a 5G telecom unit, among other facilities, on the eastern frontier as it goes about constantly augmenting infrastructure along the notional Line of Actual Control symbolising the international border with Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, GoC-in-C Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita of the Army's Eastern Command said on Monday.

"Basically, all activities the Chinese PLA is undertaking to develop infrastructure is to ensure they are in a better position to respond to any emerging situation and mobilise forces in a short time," Lt Gen Kalita said.

In a major push to scale up collaborations between Indian and foreign institutions in higher education, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has reached out to nearly 500 foreign universities, located across the US, UK, Europe and East Asia.

The commission now plans to hold a meeting with the heads of foreign missions in India to discuss the possibilities of tie-ups in step with the recently notified regulations on twinning programmes, joint degree and dual degree programmes that will be applicable from the academic year 2022-23.

The University Grants Commission (Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Higher Education Institutions to offer Joint Degree, Dual Degree, and Twinning Programmes) Regulations, 2022 were notified in April.

Following the widespread debate over the 22 locked rooms in the basement of the Taj Mahal, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has tried to diffuse the tension by releasing pictures of the restoration work done inside these rooms.

Agra ASI chief R K Patel told India Today that the pictures are live on the ASI website as a part of the January 2022 newsletter and anyone can view them by visiting their website.

Tourism industry sources claim that these pictures have been released into the public domain to quell the spread of misinformation about the contents of these rooms in the country.