The city of Kolkata will soon be displaying images that capture how celestial objects look from the viewpoint of a skywatcher. The city is set to host its first exclusive photography exhibition on astronomy from Feb 24. The exhibition, showcasing the still frames of an Indian astrophotographer Ajay Talwar and two French photographers Thierry Legault […]
At a time when the Cambodia’s strongman prime minister, Hun Sen, is overseeing a brutal crackdown on dissent in one of south-east Asia’s poorest nations, the Abbott government wants to send some asylum seekers to Cambodia. A request on Saturday by Australia’s foreign minister, Julie Bishop, for Australia to initially send a small group of […]
Anjali Damania, Aam Aadmi Party leader on Sunday alleged that NCP chief and union minister Sharad Pawar and spokesperson Nawab Malik were responsible for the attack on the AAP state party office in Mumbai Saturday. Damania told media,the AAP had exposed an alleged scam in the power department headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar in Nagpur that barely three days ago, “We exposed their power scam. They (Sharad Pawar and Malik) seem to have got angry and instigated the attack on our office,” Damania said. However, refuting the allegation, Malik said in Mumbai that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has already issued show cause notice to party activists for the attack on the AAP office and necessary action would be initiated against those responsible for it. “Regarding the AAP’s agitation to sweep the NCP offices in the state, I appeal to them to sweep clean their respective homes instead so that their domestic help can get a day off,” Malik said. Malik referred to AAP leader Mayank Gandhi’s statement Saturday that party activists would adopt a Gandhian form of retaliation and “sweep clean” all NCP offices in Maharashtra with brooms, the AAP’s poll symbol. On Saturday, police stopped AAP activists from proceeding to an NCP office and detained them for several hours. On Sunday, there was a heated exchange and a minor scuffle between AAP and NCP activists when the former trooped down with brooms to sweep the NCP office in Aurangabad.
Noting that Diwali has been gaining increasing recognition in the US, six US lawmakers have urged New York City’s education department to include the Indian festival of lights among new public school holidays. The plea was made in a letter Thursday by Joe Crowley, Democratic co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, […]
When President Barack Obama meets the Dalai Lama in the White House on Friday morning, a jaded diplomatic dance will play out. The meeting is being hosted in the Map Room of the White House instead of the Oval Office in a somewhat laughably symbolic scaling down of its perceived importance. It is a meaningless […]
China’s capital Beijing Friday relaxed its birth control policy allowing couples to have a second child if either parent is an only child. An amendment to the Beijing Population and Family Planning Regulations was approved at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress, Xinhua reported. The city government would provide […]
A Libyan military rescue plane crashed Friday in Grombalia city in Tunisia killing all 11 people on board, according to Tunisian officials. Tunisia’s defence ministry spokesman Tawfiq Al Rahmouni said that, according to the last call from the plane to the control tower in Tunis-Corthage airport, a fire had broken out in the aircraft. Grombalia […]
Two prominent Sikh organisations in Britain have demanded a full inquiry into the extent of the country’s involvement in the Indian army assault on the Golden Temple in Amritsar, in 1984. Sikh Federation UK and the British Sikh Council, in an open letter, argued that there were “too many serious questions that remain unanswered”, BBC […]
The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Friday said the Taliban were ready for talks despite recent bombardment of their hideouts in North Waziristan region, which they said was a proof of the government’s insincerity. Speaking to journalists from an undisclosed location, TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said the war has been started by the government and it should […]
A court in the Maldives Thursday sentenced a member of parliament (MP) to one year in prison for refusing to provide police with a urine sample after he was arrested for allegedly consuming alcohol. The criminal court sentenced Kaashidhoo MP Abdulla Jabir to a year in prison for refusing to provide his urine sample required […]