Hamid Karzai: Afghanistan in danger of sliding 'under thumb' of Pak

 Tue, 10 March 2015
Refresh  
23:35

Apple products may have been compromised by CIA mass surveillance program

The United States Central Intelligence Agency has been involved in a multi-year effort' to break through Apple's security code, according to a new report from the Intercept.Top secret documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden reveal a CIA-sponsored annual gathering...
23:19

Hamid Karzai: Afghanistan in danger of sliding 'under thumb' of Pakistan

Afghanistan's historic struggles against British imperialism and Soviet invasion will have been in vain if the country succumbs to pressure from neighbouring Pakistan, Hamid Karzai has warned in an interview with the Guardian.The former president of Afghanistan made his...
22:18

Latest solution for women's safety: Selfie-defense stick

image
The latest weapon in the arsenal of devices to keep women safe in India is a collapsible baton that combines a Samurai sword design, stun gun, pepper spray, panic button, pen knife, oh and a sewing kit and mirror. The Samiidha Bhavani ' named after the Indian Hindu goddess of valour is tthe...
21:48

German professor apologises for 'rape problem' rejection

A German professor who rejected a male Indian student's application for an internship because of India's 'rape problem' has apologised. Prof Annette Beck-Sickinger, a professor of biochemistry at Leipzig University in Germany, told an Indian applicant: I don't accept any Indian...
21:46

Star Wars to get its first LGBT character

The Star Wars universe is set to get its first lesbian character.Moff Mors has been named as the sci-fi series first official LGBT character, although her role in the franchise is yet to be explained. Mors is thought to be an Imperial -- working alongside the likes of Darth Vader and...
21:14

Rewind: Who was on NYT's front page today in 1922?

image
Rewind: Gandhi is arrested and charged with sedition on this day in 1922.
20:55

BJP's strong message to PDP: Change your ways or else

image
In the middle of a raging political row over the release of Kashmiri separatist Masarat Alam from jail, the ruling BJP has reportedly warned its Jammu and Kashmir ally Mufti Mohammad Sayeed: Mend your ways or we will end the alliance. BJP president Amit Shah summoned party leader Nirmal Singh,...
20:41

Activist held after screening banned rape film

A social activist said he had been detained by police and had his computer equipment impounded after organising a public screening of the banned BBC documentary about the savage Delhi gang rape. Ketan Dixit, an activist and film-maker who has campaigned extensively against acid attacks on...
20:00

Land bill passed in Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha passed the land bill in a voice vote with 9 amendments even as the Congress and regional parties like the BJD and the TRS walked out as their amendments were not passed. 
19:53

Pakistan lifts death penalty moratorium in all cases

image
Pakistan is to resume executions for all capital offences, after earlier lifting a moratorium on the death penalty for terrorism offences only. All condemned prisoners who have exhausted the appeals process and whose pleas for clemency are rejected, now face execution, officials say. The partial...
19:35

Delhi police launches dedicated Facebook page for Christians

Delhi police has launched a Facebook page to address grievances of Christian institutions and individuals in the wake of a series of attacks on Christian institutions in the city. The new Facebook page 'Delhi Police Minority Brethren' was created on February 22 and it can can be used for posting...
19:15

After Alam, no militants to be released: Jammu and Kashmir Home Secy

image
Jammu and Kashmir Home Secretary Suresh Kumar has said that no further release of militants or political prisoners will take place.This statement comes hot on the heels of the controversial release of separatist Masarat Alam by J-K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. On Tuesday, the state...
19:12

Swine flu toll inches towards 1,500; number of cases crosses 26K

image
The swine flu toll in the country has swelled to 1,482 while the number of affected persons crossed the 26,000-mark today even as a minister in the Rajasthan government tested positive for the disease.             The Union Health...
18:45

BJP chief summons J&K deputy CM over Masarat Alam release

image
Jammu and Kashmir deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh summoned by BJP chief Amit Shah amid row over separatist Masarat Alam's release.The release of the separatist by PDP chief and J&K CM Mufti Mohammed Sayeed has caused tremendous friction between the two parties that are running a coalition...
18:25

Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves on 3-nation tour

image
Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Seychelles today on the first leg of his five-day visit to three key Indian Ocean countries that also includes Mauritius and Sri Lanka, asserting that strong relations with them was vital for India's security and progress.Seeking to ramp up India's influence...
17:59

Pak court issues warrant against Musharraf in Lal Masjid murder case

image
A Pakistani court has reportedly issued a bailable arrest warrant against former military strongman General (retired) Pervez Musharraf in relation to the murder case of Lal Masjid cleric Ghazi Abdul Rasheed.Islamabad's Additional Sessions Judge Wajid Ali Khan presided over the hearing...
17:39

10 NGOs blacklisted for misappropriation of funds

Centre has blacklisted 10 NGOs and issued show-cause notices to 87 in the last two years for misappropriating funds meant for social welfare.     The deficiences found during a review and monitoring process of the NGO's were non-submission of utilisation certicates in...
17:14

Photos claim IS beheadings of homosexuals in northern Iraq

image
The Islamic State group has publicly beheaded three men in northern Iraq, two of them for allegedly engaging in homosexual acts, according to photos shared by sympathisers on social media Tuesday.The jihadist group, which controls swathes of Iraq and neighbouring Syria, has carried out hundreds...
17:01

LeT bomb expert discharged by Delhi court

image
A Delhi court has discharged top Lashkar-e-Tayiba bomb expert Abdul Karim Tunda in a 21-year-old case under TADA and on several other counts.Tunda, 73, was one of the 20 terrorists India had asked Pakistan to hand over after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, had withdrawn his bail...
16:52

PM offered me BRICS bank chief job, but declined it: Swamy

image
In July last year, we had reported that leaders of the BRICS emerging market nations have launched a $100 billion development bank and a currency reserve pool in their first concrete step toward reshaping the Western-dominated international financial system. The bank, aimed at funding...
16:26

Indian restaurant tops Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list

image
The molecular Indian restaurant Gaggan in Bangkok topped the S. Pellegrino Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list for 2015, moving up from the No. 3 spot last year.Gaggan was opened by 37-year-old Indian chef Gaggan Anand in 2010, and it sits inside a two-level white colonial-style house on a quiet...
16:23

German prof email row: Minister says it's a misunderstanding

In the wake of the rejection of an Indian student's internship request by a professor in Germany citing the rape problem in the country, Union Minister Gen (retd) VK Singh today said that differences of opinion exist and issues caused due to misunderstanding would go away.   ...
16:23

MPs behave like hooligans: Angry Deputy chairman tells Rajya Sabha

MPs behave like hooligans. What they do inside Rajya Sabha is hooliganism, said Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha P J Kurien as Andhra MPs, especially Jesudasu Seelam, repeatedly disturbed the House. Angry Kurien told Seelam to resume his seat otherwise action will be taken against him. After...
16:16

Rahul extends leave, to skip crucial vote on land bill today

image
NDTV reports:  Rahul Gandhi, whose Congress party had announced that he would be back in Delhi by today, has extended his leave of absence and will now return only by the end of this week, sources said.He will not even be there to add to his party's numbers when the Lok Sabha...
16:04

Hand over Lakhvi to India or international court: US senator to Pak

image
Criticising Pakistan for failure to contain extremist groups, an influential US sSenator today asked it to either hand over Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi to India or present him to the International criminal court in the Hague for crimes against humanity. Chairman of the powerful...
16:02

Akali MPs debrief Jairam Ramesh about meeting Jaitley

On Tuesday Akali Dal MPs met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to protest against some clauses in the BJP's Land  Acquisition Bill. They were to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi but as he was leaving for Sri Lanka he told them to meet Jaitley instead. Now comes the interesting part....
15:55

Coming soon: Prophet Muhammad museum in India?

image
Senior BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain has proposed that a museum on the life and times of Prophet Muhammad be built in India, home to the second largest Muslim population in the world. Hussain, during a recent official trip to Saudi Arabia, visited an exhibition-cum-museum on the life and times of...
15:47
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee might take action against Mukul Roy for speaking to the press, sources tell CNN-IBN.
15:41

Shiv Sena, Akali Dal, BJD to support govt's land bill

image
Just in: The Shiv Sena, Akali Dal and the BJD have agreed to support the BJP on the land bill, NDTV reports. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vekaiah Naidu spoke to Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray. The NDA allies are unlikely to press for amendments, according to NDTV.     The...
15:34

Pesarattu and upma feature on Parliament's canteen menu

There're a couple of new dishes on the Parliament canteen menu: pesarattu and upma, courtesy TRS member A Jitendhar Reddy who is also chairman of the Parliament canteen committee. Reddy decided to introduce the two dishes to promote Telangana's rich cuisine among MPs. On Tuesday he went...
15:30

Game of Thrones' Daniel Portman to attend ComicCon

image
Scottish actor Daniel Portman, known for playing Podrick Payne on the hit TV show Game of Thrones, will attend the upcoming Bangalore Comic Con 2015. The three-day festival will take place at White Orchid Convention Centre from April 3-5. Portman becomes the second International actor to be...
15:17

BJP top body to meet in Bengaluru next month

The BJP's national executive is to meet in Bengaluru April 2-4, and its slogan, 'Capture Karnataka', says all about its main agenda. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the entire Union Cabinet are expected to attend the meeting, for which party president Amit Shah will send out the invitations by...
15:17

Uber rape case: SC issues notice to Delhi govt, driver

The Supreme Court has stayed Delhi high court order allowing the accused in the Uber cab rape case to recall and re-examine 13 witnesses. It has also issued a notice to the accused and the Delhi government on the victim's plea. Trial proceeding in the case have also been stayed.  
15:12

Bombay HC dismisses Rahul's plea over alleged hate speech against RSS

image
The Bombay high court today dismissed the petition of Congress Rahul Gandhi who sought quashing of a complaint against him in a case of alleged hate speech against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.Rahul had earlier managed to get HC’s reprieve of not personally appearing in the defamation case...
15:07

Prof, held for circulating Mamata cartoon, wins case against Bengal govt

image
Jadavpur University professor, Ambikesh Mahapatra, who was arrested in 2012 for allegedly circulating a social media clip lampooning West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wins a case against the state government in the high court. The court has ordered the government to compensate the...
15:02

Jaitley faces wrath of 5 women ministers

image
Smriti Irani, Uma Bharti, Maneka Gandhi, Najma Heptullah and Harsimrat Kaur are seething with anger over the step-fatherly treatment meted out by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to their ministries. All of them have faced a cut in allocation of funds to  their...
14:58

Jeffrey Archer on Rediff Chat: Expect to be offered Eng cricket captaincy

image
If you are not on the riotously funny Jeffrey Archer chat on Rediff.com, you should. For the bestselling author is on a roll. Here's a sample:    Dilmesh Singh: Sir, you have seen lots of ups and downs in your life. When can we expect you to write an autobiography? Also, how would you...
14:51

UP politician D P Yadav sentenced to life in MLA murder case

image
Former Uttar Pradesh minister D P Yadav, convicted in a murder case, has been sentenced to life. He was earlier convicted in a murder case of Mahendra Singh Bhati, then MLA from Dadri in Ghaziabad district, and one of his associates.Bhati and his close friend Udai Prakash Arya was gunned down by...
14:24

Viv Richards pips Tendulkar as greatest ODI player in online poll

image
West Indian batting great Viv Richards has been voted as the greatest ODI player in the history of the game ahead of India's cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in an online poll. With an astonishing 29 of 50 jurors picking him as the best ODI player of all time, Richards won by a landslide in...
13:33

J&K govt, where BJP is a partner, not our priority: Rajnath amid Alam row

image
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today that he is not satisfied with the report of the Jammu and Kashmir government on the release of separatist Masarat Alam.       We have sought clarification, Rajnath said. The government in Jammu and Kashmir, where BJP is a partner, is not a...
13:21

Obama knew about Clinton's private email address: White House

President United States Barack Obama exchanged emails with Hillary Clinton on her private email address while she was Secretary of State but only recently learned the details of the personal email server she was operating, the White House said today.    Obama had previously said he...
13:05

Now, Mufti govt clears release of 15 Pakistani militants

image
After freeing Hurriyat leader, Masrat Alam from the prison the Jammu and Kashmir government has cleared release of 15 Pakistani nationals including the border crossers and militants of different outfits lodged in various prisons. Sources said the cases of militants and those Pakistani...
12:54

India's ban on gang-rape documentary won't last long, says filmmaker

image
India's ban on the BBC gang-rape documentary will not last very long as the country's courtsare not puppets of the government and civilised values will return, the British filmmaker behind the controversial film has said.    My prediction is that the ban will not last very long a...
12:49

Nagaland lynching: Curfew lifted in Dimapur, Internet, SMS still blocked

Normalcy today returned to Dimapur town with authorities lifting prohibitory orders imposed in the town in the wake of lynching of a rape accused. However, Internet and SMS services continued to be blocked. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been lifted from Dimapur town from 6 am...
12:27

Days after attack, US envoy leaves hospital in Seoul

image
Mark Lippert, the US ambassador to South Korea who was slashed at a breakfast meeting last week, has been discharged from hospital in Seoul, BBC reports.  Lippert suffered gashes to his face and hand when he was attacked by a knife-wielding Korean nationalist. He told reporters...
12:03

A quick guide to avoiding anti-national activities in India

A satire on how to survive the beef ban. Read the story here
12:00

Truth shall prevail: Yogendra Yadav on allegations of anti-party activities

image
Reacting to a statement by the Aam Aadmi Party that accused Yogendra Yadav for anti-party activities, he said, I want to thank my colleagues that they made their views public in a statement. I welcome the statement by 4 colleagues. Begins the possibility of open, transparent dialogue. Truth shall...
11:39

'The Simpson's co-creator Sam Simon dies

image
Philanthropist Sam Simon, one of the creative minds behind the popular animated series 'The Simpsons', has passed away due to terminal colon cancer. He was 59. Simon died yesterday at his home here, his foundation, the Sam Simon Foundation, confirmed the news via Facebook, reported Time. It is...
11:28

Govt not happy with seperatist leader Alam's release: Jaitley in Rajya Sabha

Ruckus continues in Rajya Sabha for the second day in a row over the release of Kashmiri separatist leader Masarat Alam.   Addressing the Upper House, Finance Minister  Arun Jaitley said, The government has sought clarification from Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the Centre was not...
11:11
At Bharatiya Janata Party's parliamentary party meet held this morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked ministers to brief MPs regularly on what each ministry is doing.
11:04

SRK to pay Rs 2 lakh demolition fee for illegal ramp outside his house

image
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has to pay Rs 2 lakh as demolition charge for the illegal ramp outside his house in Mumbai's suburban Bandra. A notice has been sent to the actor to recover the cost of demolition. Khan used the ramp to park his vanity van. According to a MiD DAY report, the fee...
10:30

Was Modi government unaware of Alam decision by Centre?

image
Was the Narendra Modi government unaware that the order to release Kashmiri separatist Masarat Alam from jail was a decision taken when the state was under central rule?On Monday in Parliament, Prime Minister Modi flayed the Jammu and Kashmir government for the decision, said the Centre had not...
10:26

PM pays tribute on Indian soliders who fought World War-I on centenary

image
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti to commemorate World War-I centenary.The commemoration is in memory of the 1.5 million Indian soldiers who fought in the war under British Empire and over 74,000 who made the supreme sacrifice, whose names...
10:12

Govt makes major changes in land bill to graner Opposition support

image
The Modi government has made significant changes in the controversial Land Acquisition Bill as it seeks to garner support from an Opposition which has opposed it as being anti-farmer.It moved nine amendments, including doing away with exemption to social infrastructure projects in...
10:04

'India's Daughter' premiers in US, it needs to be shown, says Freida

image
India's Daughter, the documentary on the December 16 Delhi gang rape, premiered in the United States last night. Slumdog Millionaire's Frieda Pinto and Meryl Streep were among those who attended the event at New York's Baruch College. The screening started with a candlelight vigil honouring the...
09:16

Katju stirs another row, says Mahatma Gandhi was British agent

image
Press Council chairman Justice Markandey Katju stirred another controversy today by calling Mahatma Gandhi a British agent in his latest blog post.Gandhi did great harm to India by injecting religion into politics, he said.By constantly injecting religion into politics continuously for...
08:55

All you need to know about Apple Watch

image
Apple unveiled its first wearable device in San Fransico last night. Here are 13 things to know about the Apple Watch.
08:41

AAP attack: Yogendra Yadav, Bhushan worked against party during Delhi polls

image
The divide within the Aam Aadmi Party continues to widen. A statement released by the party this morning attacks its senior leaders Yogendra Yadav and Shanti and Prashant Bhushan. We have decided to expose Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan to the world. Bhushan told leaders not to campaign for...
04:21

More Iraq sites at risk from ISIL 'cultural cleansing': UNESCO

The destruction by ISIL militants of many of Iraq's archaeological treasures has provoked international outcry.Since summer 2014, the US-led coalition has been targeting jihadist positions in Iraq. But the Iraqi Tourism and Antiquities Minister now seems to have accused the...
04:18

'Simpsons' co-creator, philanthropist Sam Simon dies at 59

Sam Simon, a co-creator of The Simpsons and animal-rights advocate who made a midlife career shift into philanthropy and channelled much of his personal fortune into social causes, has died. Simon died Sunday at his home in Pacific Palisades, California, his agent, Andy Patman said. He was 59.
02:22

White House: Obama traded email with private Clinton account

President Barack Obama knew that Hillary Rodham Clinton conducted business on a nongovernment email account while secretary of state, but only recently learned the details of the privately run system she was operating, the White House said. The White House has drawn scrutiny over Clinton's...
02:22

Gaza war probe requests delay after chief's resignation

UN investigators probing the 2014 Gaza war today requested for a deferral of their report presentation to allow them time to add more information after the head of the team quit under Israeli pressure. The Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza conflict was scheduled to present its report to...
02:00

North Korea 'apologises' to Bangladesh over gold-smuggling diplomat

North Korea apologised to Bangladesh after one of its diplomats was caught trying to smuggle 27 kilograms of gold into the south Asian country, a Dhaka official told AFP. Son Young Nam the first secretary of the North Korean embassy in Dhaka tried to sneak in the bullion, worth around USD...
01:38

Russia stand-off: 3,000 US troops on exercise in Baltic

The United States has begun to deploy 3,000 troops on a three-month exercise to reassure Russia's nervous neighbors in the Baltic, military officials said. Operation Atlantic Resolve will see major NATO forces working alongside their allies in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia former Soviet...
01:38

Iran's Zarif dismisses US senators' nuclear deal warning

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif today dismissed as of no legal value a letter from 47 US senators warning that any nuclear deal will require Congressional approval. In an open letter to the Islamic republic, the 47 Republicans, including Senate leaders and several potential 2016...
00:43

Obama levies sanctions on 7 Venezuelan officials

President Barack Obama slapped sanctions on seven Venezuelan officials , accusing them of perpetrating human rights violations and public corruption in the socialist-governed South American nation. The individuals all come from the top echelon of the state security apparatus that was...
00:33

Intl court: UN must help with the arrest of Sudan's leader

Judges at the International Criminal Court urged the UN Security Council to take the necessary measures to tackle Sudan's persistent refusal to arrest the country's president and send him to The Hague to stand trial on charges of orchestrating genocide in Darfur. It was the Security Council...
00:33

Russia massing sophisticated weapons in Crimea: NATO

Russia has vastly enhanced its military capabilities in Crimea since annexing the peninsula, turning it into a power projection platform, a senior NATO general was reported as saying. What we've seen is easy to describe as the militarisation of Crimea, the alliance's top commander for...
00:31

US offers USD 5 million for return of ex-FBI agent missing in Iran

The United States announced a USD 5 million increased reward for information leading to the return of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, as it marked the eighth anniversary of his mysterious disappearance in Iran. The FBI had previously issued a $1 million reward for Levinson's return in...
00:30

Top headlines in that last 24 hours

Mamata finally meets PM on his ground, on her termsStudent denied internship in Germany because of India's 'rape problem'Indian-American political legend to run for CongressOppn rejects land bill, dubs govt move 'pro-corporate'Stalin, Tamil Nadu's own Prince CharlesJuveniles, accused of heinous...