Indian Sub-continent

New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Vaccine maker Bharat Biotech on Wednesday said the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has approved the extension of shelf life of its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin up to 12 months from the date of manufacture.

Bharat Biotech was initially given permission for the sale and distribution of Covaxin with a shelf life of six months, which was later extended to nine months, a company spokesperson told PTI.

Jabalpur, Nov 3 (PTI) A local BJP leader was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district, police said on Wednesday.

Suresh Burman (50), a former BJP SC/ST Morcha Mandal president, was shot in the head by two motorbike-borne men at Khitola, 50 km from the district headquarters, on Tuesday night, police said.

He died on the spot, said local police station in-charge Jagotin Musram.

The two assailants were captured in CCTV footage while taking away Burman's own motorbike and his mobile phone, she said.

Chennai, Nov 3 (PTI) Long cohabitation or living together will not confer upon the parties any legal right to raise a matrimonial dispute before a Family Court, unless their marriage has been solemnized in a manner known to law, the Madras High Court has ruled.

A division bench of Justices S Vaidyanathan and R Vijayakumar gave the ruling, while dismissing an appeal from R Kalaiselvi of Coimbatore, on Tuesday.

Kanpur: Surge in the Zika virus stricken patients has sent the district administration into a dizzying action.

So far the tally has gone to as many as 36, a double-digit figure. The second phase of screening has begun today.

The virus is known to have spread in a 3-km radius around Chakeri Cantonment, with District Magistrate Visakh G Iyer is reported to have been visiting the home of affected.

The 25 people infected, including Air Force personnel have been isolated.

Kanpur: Four persons were killed after a fast speeding truck crushed them on the Lucknow-Kanpur Highway.

The victims had stopped their car to purchase guavas when the truck hit their vehicle from behind.

The incident took place under the Ganga ghat police circle in the nearby Unnao district on Wednesday night.

The impact of the accident was so great that the car reversed due to the collision and cartwheeled for about 50 metres.

Leaving the truck the driver fled from the spot following the accident.

ISLAMABAD, Nov 3 (APP): Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said Pakistan-EU Strategic Engagement Plan (SEP) had ushered into a new phase by laying a solid foundation and framework for multidimensional cooperation.

The foreign minister expressed these views in a meeting with visiting EU Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the Countries of South Asia (DSAS) led by Nicola Procaccini, here at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

NEW DELHI, Nov 3 (NNN-Bernama) — Pakistan has refused permission to India to use its airspace to operate a direct flight between Srinagar and Sharjah, multiple Indian news outlets reported on Wednesday.

The four times per week service between Indian-administered Kashmir and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was launched by Go First airline on October 23.

The alternative route will make the flight about 90 minutes longer, the reports said.

The flight revived direct air links between Srinagar airport and the UAE after 11 years.

NEW DELHI, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday exhorted officials to ensure that the country widens its COVID-19 vaccination coverage by the end of the year and enters the new year with renewed self-belief and confidence.

Modi said COVID-19 vaccines should now be taken door-to-door and there should be equal focus on the second dose.

The prime minister suggested for the campaign religious leaders and youth organizations like National Cadet Corps and National Service Scheme also be roped in.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A roadside bomb struck a Taliban patrol in a stronghold of Islamic State militants in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing two people and wounding three, witnesses said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the attack bore the hallmarks of previous IS strikes against the Taliban. The two groups are bitter rivals, and IS has stepped up attacks since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August.

Wednesday’s bomb went off in the city of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province.

Kanpur: As many as  25 fresh cases of Zika virus have been verified now. There were 11 cases of Zika virus untill yesterday.

"Health teams have been rushed to various places, and contact tracing is underway. We advise people not to panic," said Chief Medical Officer Nepal Singh here.

The health department is testing and taking samples of 400 to 500 people for the Zika virus while door-to-door sampling is also underway.

The new cases have been found in Jajmau's Tiwaripur, Ashrafabad, Pokharpur, Shyam Nagar, and Adarsh Nagar areas.