Indian diaspora seeks strong steps against rapists

The Indian diaspora was shaken by the brutal gangrape of a young woman on Dec 16, 2012, and upset over the continuing rapes taking place in the national capital and elsewhere but made the country appear unsafe for women, said members of the Indian diaspora here. It wants the government to take the strictest action […]

Policeman dead, three injured in Kashmir gunfight

A police officer was killed and three policemen were injured in a fierce gunbattle between security forces and guerrillas in Kashmir’s Baramulla district Tuesday, an official said. A senior police officer said that an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) who was injured along with three policemen in the gunbattle in Chankhan locality of Sopore town, 55 km […]

No wrongdoing in Adarsh Society matter: Shinde

Breaking his silence on the Adarsh Society scam, union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Monday dismissed allegations of corruption in the allotment of flats in the controversial building. “There have been no wrongdoings in the Adarsh case. The land belongs to Maharashtra government and it was not reserved for Kargil (war heroes),” he told media persons […]

Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat group heading for split?

After the Hurriyat’s 2002 split into the “hardliners” and “moderates” factions led by Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq respectively, the section led by the Mirwaiz Monday appeared headed for another split. Facing flak from the faction led by hardline separatist leader Geelani who Monday accused its former chairman, Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat of […]

Pitching for overseas Indians’ support, BJP seeks 2014 postal ballots

Pitching for support of overseas Indians, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday said it would move the Election Commission in the next three days to allow eligible non-resident Indians (NRIs) to vote through postal ballots in the 2014 elections. A resolution was adopted at the “global meeting” organised by the Overseas Friends of Bharatiya Janata […]

‘Jihad Jane’ sentenced to 10 years in prison

Colleen R. LaRose, a Pennsylvania housewife who called herself “Jihad Jane” in online postings, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for participating in a failed Al Qaeda-linked plot to murder a Swedish artist who drew a cartoon of the Muslim prophet Mohammed. LaRose, a 50-year-old convert to Islam, pled guilty to following the […]

South Sudan talks to focus on cessation of hostilities

Mediation talks aimed at ending the three-week old conflict in South Sudan are expected to focus on the cessation of hostilities and the status of the detainees Tuesday, said the East African bloc IGAD. The talks being held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa between representatives of South Sudan’s government and rebels have endorsed modalities […]

‘AAP’s anti-graft promise a difficult goal to achieve’

The Aam Aadmi Party’s(AAP) promise to sweep away corruption from the Indian political system is a “difficult” goal to achieve, says a visiting American political scientist. Fighting corruption needs stronger legislative tools, and just by forming a government AAP is not likely to reduce corruption, said he. John Echeverri-Gent, associate professor at University of Virginia, […]

Syrian troops kill 27 rebels

The Syrian troops Monday killed 27 rebels in the northwestern province of Idlib, as part of a series of “precise” operations by the army against rebel positions in Idlib and Aleppo provinces, media reported. Arab fighters, including Qatari, Saudi, and Tunisians, were among those killed in the town of Binnish in Idlib, Xinhua quoted the […]