Britain's deputy chief medical officer said on Saturday he was confident the coronavirus "R" number, a measure of the rate of contagion, was below 1 across the United Kingdom.

A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles.

A hot water spring, also known as a thermal spring, is a natural discharge of hot water from the earth.

In football, a banana kick causes the ball to curve or bend in flight. When hit, the ball curves away from the kicker and then bends back in.

The Merlin award is the highest award given, internationally, in the field of magic and illusion. The award is presented by the International Magician Society.

The festival has its origins in the combination of two different medieval events. Commercial secular fairs were held at the beginning of the summer.

A hippie, especially one advocating universal peace and love as antidotes to social or political ills, is called a flower child.

Gross spread refers to the difference between the underwriting price received by a stocks-issuing company, and the real price at which the stock is placed on the market.

Many Asian martial arts trace their origins to the fifth century and the supposed arrival of an Indian Buddhist monk, Bodhidarma, at the Shoalin temple in southern China.

There exists no evidence to support the popular view that pirates wore a black patch over one eye.

Singlism is a term used to describe discrimination against employees who are single.

Simply known as Paleo, the Paleo Festival de Nyon started out small in 1976. It was known as the Nyon Folk Festival then.

Syndicalism is a form of trade unionism and has its origins in France. It aims at the abolition of the capitalist owners and the appropriation - by the workers - of all the methods used in an industry, and the products resulting therefrom.

A non-profit, open source initiative, FOSS stands for Free and Open Source Software. It is an alternative model of software development, one the non-profit sector is beginning to embrace.

The helicopter shot is an unorthodox cricket shot, reportedly invented by Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

A gene gun or a biolistic particle delivery system, originally designed for plant transformation, is a device used to inject cells with genetic information.

The SoHo effect is a term used to describe artist-led gentrification. Homes occupied by artists turn an area into a safe residential neighbourhood for affluent people to move into.

Covid-19 lockdown: Migrant workers, family walk back from Ahmedabad to their native place in UP's Lalitpur

Desi jugad: How to pluck mangoes without letting them fall

Google celebrates Mother's Day with a Doodle

Forces have to get rid of their dependence on foreign weapon systems: General Bipin Rawat

After slamming door on Air India crews, Noida Authority takes back order

Scuffle breaks out between Indian and Chinese army near Naku La in Sikkim

When 'Beta', the movie, was released in 1992, it catapulted Madhuri Dixit to fame as the 'dhak-dhak' girl. But it also raised an old and important question about why men appear to be blind to the fact that their mothers can ever be wrong.

Women in India are expected to look like Miss India and behave like Mother India. That is serious business for sure. But could it be that a 'lightness of being' is just not in their DNA?

Blame it on the British. When India names its children, the mother's side of the family is all but forgotten. The children are given the father's surname.

Women at war is part of Indian history, from Jhansi Ki Rani to Rani Durgawati to Razia Sultan. But they weren’t part of modern India's war strategy till very recently. Independent India’s Army restricted women to the medical corps, dental corps and the nursing service.

Israel believes it is constantly at war, facing an existential crisis in a sea of hatred. The national narrative is clear and society's expectations of the young are rigid.

"Cause we are living in a material world and I am a material girl" crooned Madonna in the Eighties. Fast forward to the 21st century, and we all know there is more to a marriage than love. Today's woman has become assertive about more than her rights. She also makes known her likes and dislikes with the result that society labels her as materialistic.

Parliament recently amended the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act to give it more teeth and enable the ASI to effectively protect and develop the 4000 monuments it looks after. Conservationists have raised a cheer. But more is required to enforce the law.

Photographs get morphed; contact numbers from stolen mobiles are used to stalk; confidential emails and text messages become grounds for bullying.

The typical family drama in the TV soap or the Bollywood flick revolves around weddings and property disputes.

Oncologists say the awareness of breast cancer is limited to cities. And when women are aware, the stigma attached to it prevents them from speaking out openly.

It’s not just us. Women in every country are defined by stereotype

It all started with an honest Facebook post.

In 1994-95, as part of a national campaign, I travelled through hundreds of Indian villages, mofussil towns and cities, explaining how miracle-mongers make sly use of chemicals and herbs and exploit the ignorance of common people about certain natural phenomena to fool the gullible and win their unquestioning devotion.

All over the country, bookshops are closing down. And all over the country, litfests are springing up. So there is a paradox for you.

Along the TN and Kerala coast, fishermen turned surf instructors are helping local boys stay in school and off drugs.

In every other store on the streets leading to the beach in Mamallapuram sit a row or two of Ganeshas, tiny turtles, elephants, reclining Buddhas and scattered stone figurines, all carved by the locals.

She is fair, light-eyed and the perfect clothes horse. But on days when regular modelling assignments dry up, she doesn't mind changing 50 outfits and being photographed in a small studio against a plain white backdrop. Front, side, and back and you are done, says Anushree, 24, a Mumbai model.