End arbitrary arrests in Bangladesh: rights group

Bangladesh authorities should immediately end arbitrary arrests of opposition party members and others, Human Rights Watch said Thursday. Arrests have continued even after the ruling Awami League party and its allies won the largely uncontested elections held Jan 5, it said. The US, the European Union and others refused to send observers to Bangladesh’s divisive […]

Are Delhi colleges only for locals? Not all agree

The new Delhi government’s proposal to reserve 90 percent seats in Delhi University (DU) colleges for locals has undoubtedly cheered city students, but has not found favour with others from across India, including students from the northeast who flock to Delhi for quality education. “The proposed reservation does not keep up with the spirit of […]

Government planning higher diesel price

The government is planning a higher dose of diesel prices to cut the fuel subsidy bill, Petroleum Secretary Vivek Rae said here Thursday. “We are circulating the Kirit Parikh report for inter-ministerial consultation. The suggestions for higher dose of diesel price would be part of it,” Rae told reporters on the sidelines of a business […]

Surrendered Maoist was disillusioned with ideology

A senior Maoist leader and his wife, who surrendered to police in Andhra Pradesh, were disillusioned with Maoist ideology and fed up with the “mindless violence”, police said Thursday. Gumudavelli Venkatakrishna Prasad alias Gudsa Usendi, official spokesperson of the Communist Party of India-Maoist Dandakaranya special zonal committee (DKSZC), and his wife Santoshi Markam, also a […]

Indian diplomat’s poem spurs search for SAARC anthem

 by Indian diplomat Abhay K, whose “Earth Anthem” could be taken around the globe by Unesco, set off a discussion at a recent meeting at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) secretariat here about an anthem for the eight-nation grouping. The heads of different divisions of SAARC, as well as the foreign ministers […]

Good times are coming – in a few months, says Modi

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Thursday said the prime minister’s statement that there is no need to despair and good times lie ahead would certainly come true in the next few months – referring to the general elections. Modi, during his speech at the 12 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the largest gathering of Indian […]

Uttar Pradesh bans telecast of Madhuri-Salman Saifai event

The Etawah district administration in Uttar Pradesh Wednesday banned the entry of mediapersons and camera crews into the Saifai Mahotsav and telecast of the event where film stars Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit are to perform. Officials said this was done as performances of these stars were under a contractual obligation and could not be […]

15 killed in Pakistan road crash

At least 15 people were killed and 26 injured when two passenger vans collided and plunged into a ravine in Pakistan’s Punjab province Wednesday evening, officials said. The two ill-fated buses collided in Salgiran area, near Muree,a resort, before plunging into the ravine, Geo News quoted police as saying. Rescue workers recovered 15 bodies from […]