South Africa refutes Human Rights Watch report

South Africa refutes Human Rights Watch report

The South African government Thursday criticised the Human Rights Watch report on the country. “Our statistics on asylum seekers and registration of refugees indicates that South Africa is fully responsive to human rights obligations,” Xinhua quoted Minister of Home Affairs Naledi Pandor as saying. “We are in the main a country that welcomes those who […]

Modi’s economic vision is copy of UPA’s, says CPI-M

Modi’s economic vision is copy of UPA’s, says CPI-M

The BJP’s vision of “high growth with a mix of social welfare schemes” is only a rephrasing of the UPA’s agenda of “liberalization with inclusive growth”, the CPI-M said Thursday. “The UPA’s efforts have only led to the consolidation of the creation of two Indias started by the (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee-led NDA government earlier,” said […]

Bengal gang rape: 13 remanded to judicial custody

Bengal gang rape: 13 remanded to judicial custody

A West Bengal court Thursday remanded 13 people to 14 days’ judicial custody in connection with the gang rape of a tribal woman in the state’s Birbhum district, police said. “All the 13 accused arrested in this connection were presented before a court which has remanded them to 14 days’ judicial custody,” a Labhpur police […]

Devyani’s husband, kids to join her soon

Devyani’s husband, kids to join her soon

Devyani Khobragade, the Indian diplomat at the centre of an Indo-US diplomatic spat, is to be soon reunited with her family. The 39-year-old Khobragade returned to India Jan 10, leaving behind her Indian American husband and two children. Her children and husband are to join her in India soon, according to sources. Khobragade’s Dec 12 […]

Delhi transport minister defends law minister Bharti

Delhi transport minister defends law minister Bharti

Delhi Transport Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj Wednesday defended his cabinet colleague, Law Minister Somnath Bharti, for trying to bust a sex-and-drug racket after women’s rights groups demanded action against him by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Bhardwaj told reporters that people should be asked and a survey should be done in the area to know the truth. […]

Shimla, Manali get more snowfall

Shimla, Manali get more snowfall

Himachal Pradesh’s picturesque resorts Shimla and Manali woke up Thursday to a white blanket of snow, turning the hill stations even more picturesque. The residents of Shimla shivered as icy winds brought down the minimum temperature to 0.1 degree Celsius. It saw 8 cm of overnight snow. According to the Met Office here, Manali recorded […]

Bills unpaid for Modi’s Goa rally, official says

Bills unpaid for Modi’s Goa rally, official says

The licence and tax bills for the BJP’s prime ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi’s rally Jan 12 near Panaji have not been paid, an official said. Mayor of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) Surendra Furtado told IANS Wednesday that the banners and posters promoting and advertising Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate’s […]

Sensex trades flat during pre-noon session

Sensex trades flat during pre-noon session

A benchmark index of Indian equities markets was trading flat at 30.11 points or 0.14 percent down in the pre-noon trade Thursday. Good buying was observed in capital goods sector, while selling pressure was seen in auto and banking index (bankex) sectors. The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which […]

Halting papaya pest saved over $300 mn for India

Halting papaya pest saved over $300 mn for India

A natural pest-control plan from US-based Virginia Tech that halted the papaya mealybug – that created havoc in southern India causing mold and stunted growth of several crops – has saved up to $309 million in the first year itself. For a relatively modest cost of $200,000 during the first year of the intervention, financial […]

Rakesh Khurana named Harvard College dean

Rakesh Khurana named Harvard College dean

collA distinguished Indian-American scholar and teacher, Rakesh Khurana, the Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership Development at Harvard Business School (HBS), has been named dean of Harvard College, a prestigious Ivy League institution. Khurana, who earned his PhD through a joint programme between HBS and Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1998, is also […]