AAP talks tough after legislator revolts

Delhi’s ruling AAP Thursday battled its first major crisis after disgruntled legislator Vinod Kumar Binny threatened to fast against the new government of Arvind Kejriwal. “I will start an agitation Jan 27 at Jantar Mantar if the government does not fulfil the promises made to the people of Delhi,” Binny told the media. He accused […]

Mary Kom says she also faced sex attack

Olympic medal-winning boxer M.C. Mary Kom Thursday said she had also faced a sex attack when she was 18, but managed to overpower the assaulter. The boxer expressed concern over women’s safety in India and urged them to go for physical training to fend off attackers. “I would urge them to have some kind of […]

PM condoles ‘graceful’ Suchitra Sen’s death

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday condoled the death of noted actress Suchitra Sen, who he said had “carved a special niche” in the hearts of millions of Indians with her “graceful cinematic” performances. “Ms. Sen had carved a special niche in the hearts of millions of Indians through her graceful cinematic presence. Ms. Sen’s versatility […]

Sensex loses 129.50 points in pre-noon session

A benchmark index of Indian equities markets was trading 129.50 points or 0.61 percent down in the pre-noon trade Friday. Selling pressure was seen in the banking index (bankex) and the IT and capital goods sectors. The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 21,236.65 points, was trading […]

Barriers to bilateral trade have to be removed: Pakistan

Pakistan Thursday said barriers to bilateral trade with India have to be removed. Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said other impediments to boosting India-Pakistan trade such as non-tariff barriers, lack of adequate connectivity and transportation, issues of standards, customs harmonisation, communication, visa facilitation, payment mechanisms and dispute resolution need to be addressed. Addressing an […]

12 soldiers killed in Al Qaeda attack in Yemen

Al Qaeda militants killed 12 soldiers in attacks on a police station and two military posts in Yemen’s southeastern province of al-Bayda Thursday, a government official said. “Two military posts and a police centre were attacked by a group of Al Qaeda gunmen who threw explosives into the sites manned by army soldiers and opened […]

Ban on Goans from casinos discriminatory: Casino promoter

A leading casino operator in Goa has said the government’s proposed ban on local people from entering casinos is “discriminatory” and would hit the state’s hospitality industry. In a representation to Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar sent Thursday, Shrinivas Nayak, director of Casino Pride, which operates a string of casinos in the state, also said […]

Tharoor, wife say they are happily married after twitter controversy

Union Minister Shashi Tharoor and his wife Sunanda Pushkar Thursday issued a joint statement saying they are distressed by an “unseemly controversy” over some “unauthorised tweets” posted from their Twitter accounts and that both are “happily married and intend to remain that way”. In a statement, they said that “distorted accounts” of comments “allegedly made […]

Poet Pradeep’s family seeks apology from BJP minister

The family of India’s National Poet Kavi Pradeep – best known for the haunting “Aae Mere Watan Ke Logon” – has demanded “an unconditional, written apology” from a Madhya Pradesh BJP minister for “insulting” their iconic father, and indirectly even Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. The family says what has been offered is […]