Modi govt's honeymoon period is over: Congress

 Tue, 16 September 2014
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23:44

NASA to make announcement on US human spaceflights

US space agency NASA has said that a major announcement is coming later today regarding the return of human spaceflight launches to the United States. NASA, which has been unable to send people to space since the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011, said the announcement would be made at a...
22:24

If ISIS is allowed to continue, it will be a threat to 'our homeland': Hagel

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned the Congress about the looming threat that ISIS poses. The Islamic State has been brutalising people in that region. It has murdered on video two American journalists and a British aid...
21:25

Le Yucheng is China's new ambassador to India

China today appointed Le Yucheng as its ambassador to India, a day ahead of President Xi Jinping's maiden visit to the country. The President appointed Le as the country's envoy, replacing Wei Wei, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted a statement from the Standing Committee of the National...
20:55

London to host its first ever regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas next month

London will host its first-ever Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas next month for over three days between October 16 and 18. This smaller-scale version of the mega PBD held every January in India, is expected to be inaugurated by External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on October 17 at Queen...
20:46

'People have rejected the politics of polarisation'

The Congress today termed the results of the assembly by-polls, in which the BJP suffered major reverses, as good omen for the secular forces and said it should ring alarm bells in the saffron party as people have rejected the politics of polarisation. Saying that Modi (government's) honeymoon...
20:43

BJP-Sena seat-sharing talks outcome likely soon: Rudy

Amid the stalemate between BJP and Shiv Sena over seat-sharing for Maharashtra assembly poll, BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy today said the negotiations were on between the two parties and an outcome is expected very soon. He said the party would move ahead with the old ally Shiv Sena in the assembly...
20:25
Narendra Modi made his first visit to Gujarat today after he took over as prime minister in May. But his party's losses in by-elections today took some sheen off his homecoming, reports NDTV. He was last in Ahmedabad to thank the people of his state for the spectacular victory in the Lok Sabha...
20:18

Would Scotland be richer outside UK?

Scotland may be richer per capita than the rest of the UK, but what will happen to business (not to mention its currency) if they vote to leave? Read the full report here
18:59

IS jihadists down Syria warplane

Jihadists shot down a Syrian warplane conducting strikes on the Islamic State group stronghold of Raqa today, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. IS fighters fired on a military aircraft which crashed, the Britain-based group said.
18:51

Isil want to assassinate the Pope, says Iraq's ambassador to Vatican

Habeeb Al Sadr warns that Isil's band of criminals could have Pope Francis in its sights, ahead of the pontiff's visits to Albania and Turkey. Read
18:27

Cats 'are stressed because we treat them like dogs'

Cats 'do not enjoy 21st century living' and are stressed out by owners who expect them to behave like 'a less demanding dog'. Read
18:27

Cats 'are stressed because we treat them like dogs'

Cats 'do not enjoy 21st century living' and are stressed out by owners who expect them to behave like 'a less demanding dog'. Read
17:58

Kashmir floods: The army gains where media fails

The stage on which the Jammu and Kashmir flood disaster played out is littered with protagonists, most of whom did not receive the attention they deserve, says Ajai Shukla. Read
17:46
Must read: For James Foley's family, US policy offered no hope. Read
17:45

Mulayam's family continues hold on Mainpuri seat

Samajwadi Party candidate Tej Pratap Singh today won the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll by a margin of more than 3.21 lakh votes, continuing the party's two-decade-long dominance on the traditional turf of party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav. Tej Pratap, grand nephew of the SP supremo, defeated his...
17:38

Can Modi change India's foreign policy beyond recognition?

What gives hope is that Modi's own leadership is vitally linked to his capacity to deliver on the economic front. Indeed, if he succeeds, India's foreign policies will have changed beyond recognition, says former Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar. Read
17:31

UP star campaigner Adityanath on BJP rout: Wasn't allowed to campaign in all seats

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First reactions from Yogi Adityanath, the man in-charge of the BJP's bypoll campaign in UP. He says: I haven't seen the results, but results are dependent on a lot of factors, I wasn't allowed to campaign on all seats.The contest in UP was directly between the Samajwadi Party and the BJP, with...
16:44
Meanwhile, a court in Lahore has issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Hamid Mir for his this June 2, 2014, Jang Column.
16:36

Cong on BJP bypoll rout: Anti-incumbency began within 100 days

Congress has its first moment in the sun after the Lok Sabha decimation. Senior leader Shakeel Ahmad on the bypolls, Probably this is the first govt whose anti-incumbency began within 100 days of it coming to power.
16:20

Results should serve as an 'eye opener' for BJP, says Vaghela

Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Gujarat Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela welcomed the bypoll result from Gujarat today and termed it as an eye-opener for the BJP. The bypoll results reflect the mood of voters, who were once misled by BJP's false propaganda. Through this...
16:16
PM Narendra Modi addresses BJP workers in Ahmedabad for the 1st time after taking oath as the Prime Minister.
15:59

Modi arrives in Ahmedabad a day before Chinese PM's visit to city

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PM Narendra Modi arrives in Ahmedabad. Modi was felicitated by Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel after he reached the city. This comes a day before Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to arrive in the state. The Gujarat government as well as BJP state unit are leaving no stone unturned to make...
15:53
Sensex drops about 324 pts to end at 26,492.51; Nifty slips 109 pts to end below 8,000 mark.
15:36

'There is a lot of bitterness in the Sangh Parivar'

Congress leader Sachin Pilot is trying to revive a party that was decimated in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Rajasthan. In an interview, Pilot, who was recently appointed the Pradesh Congress Committee chief, says people are disenchanted with the Vasundhara Raje government.This interview...
15:25

Sachin Pilot shares credit for Rajasthan win with 'leadership of Gandhis'

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The Congress was in a celebration mode in Rajasthan as the party won three out of four seats in the state in the recently held bypolls. Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot thanked people and said that it was the result of the party's hard work in the past few months. It took a lot of hard...
15:14

What Scotland can learn from Indian independence

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The world is watching Scotland like it's never watched Scotland before. There will be a certain set of expectations upon an independent Scotland as there will be upon a Scotland that decides to remain in a union.Read Gopalkrishna Gandhi's interview on the Scottish referendum.
14:53

Auschwitz guard charged with being accessory to 300,000 murders

Prosecutors in Germany have charged a 93-year-old man with 300,000 counts of accessory to murder for serving as an SS guard at the Nazis' Auschwitz death camp. Read
14:49

The black Victorians: astonishing portraits unseen for 120 years

From the African Choir posing like Vogue models to an Abyssinian prince adopted by an explorer, a new exhibition spotlights the first black people ever photographed in Britain. Read
14:42

Why NYT editors have started calling Islamic State instead of ISIS or ISIL

Times editors have decided to adjust how we refer to the Islamic extremist group that controls territory in Syria and Iraq and has recently killed several hostages. Readers have encountered a confusing array of terms from journalists and public officials. Read
14:40
Milind Deora gives Sachin Pilot his due: Big shout-out to my friend Sachin Pilot who deserves much of the credit for @INCIndia's remarkable performance in Rajasthan.
14:06
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And that's President Pranab Mukherjee planting the Mahabodhi sapling in Vietnam, a gift from India. 
14:05

Raj bypoll results: BJP says it will review its performance

With the BJP suffering reverses in Rajasthan, the party today said it will review its performance and fix responsibility. Rajasthan BJP President Ashok Parnami said the party accepts the public mandate.We welcome public mandate and accept our defeat on three seats of Weir, Surajgarh, and...
14:01
What gets former Congress MP Milind Deora's goat: Oft overheard (ignorant & deluded) cocktail party jabber: Boss, BJP is invincible until 2024. Yeah, yeah, yeah :-)
13:58

Modi to Chinese journos: When India, China gain, the world gains

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a conversation today with Chinese journalists based in New Delhi said, India and China are bound by history, connected by culture, and inspired by rich traditions. Together they can create a bright future for the entire mankind.Modi summarized the possibilities of...
13:54

Love-jihad Adityanath gets a promotion

If you're wondering at the fortunes of Adityanath, the man who scripted love-jihad, here's what happened on Sunday. BJP MP Yogi Adityanath was anointed the Peethadheeshwar (head seer) of Gorakshnath Peeth in Gorakhpur as sants from different parts of the country, including Haryana and Rajasthan,...
13:49

Down boys!

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To jolt you out of your post-lunch lethargy... read/see this.If one goal of the uniforms for a women's cycling team from Colombia is to attract attention, they're a smashing success.Some observers are calling the outfits -- which in photos seem to feature a swatch of flesh-tone-colored fabric in...
13:34
Modi wave is over, inflation and corruption has not finished, declares Arvind Kejriwal.
13:30

BJP gets a jolt in Raj, losing ground in UP

BJP suffered a jolt in Rajasthan winning just one of the four seats and was losing ground in Uttar Pradesh where Samajwadi Party was ahead during counting of votes in the bypolls today exactly four months after it swept the two states in Lok Sabha elections. In Gujarat, ruling BJP could...
13:27

Decision to use Yogi Adityanath as star campaigner backfires in UP?

Probable lesson to be learnt by the BJP is that it cannot take the Indian voter for granted and that divisive forces do not work. Its decision to have Yogi Adityanath as the party's star campaigner in UP may have been a mistake. On September 9, the EC issued a showcause notice to Adityanath...
13:25

Cong: BJP govt has failed to live up to peope's expectations

Congress spokes making an appearance after the bypoll surprise results. Ajay Maken tweets: Bypoll results only proves that the BJP government has failed to live up to the expectations/dreams created before the elections.
13:21
Digvijaya Singh tweets: Achhe Din for BJP over? Losing sitting seats for BJP should be a matter of concern. Congrats for all the Congress Winners. Keep it up.
13:19

Congress wins Lakhipur in Assam

Ruling Congress retained Lakhipur Assembly constituency of Assam as its candidate Rajdeep Goala defeated his nearest BJP rival Sanjay Thakur by 9172 votes. Rajdeep garnered 40,090 votes, while Thakur got 30918 votes, election office said. The seat was held by Rajdeep Goala's father Dinesh...
13:17

Relief distribution in flood-affected areas hit by chaos

Update on the Kashmir floods: 'Might is right' seems to be the rule of the game as relief distribution in flood-affected areas of Kashmir has been hit by chaos due to lack of civil administration on ground. Scuffles between various groups of flood victims have been witnessed in Mehjoor Nagar,...
13:08

Cong:BJP neck-and-neck in Gujarat

BJP's Shahnawaz Hussain attempts to contextualise the bypoll losses in UP, Rajasthan and yes, even, Gujarat. These polls were contested on local issues, shouldn't be seen in the national context, says the BJP spokesperson.BJP wins third assembly seat Khambhalia in Gujarat. A massive setback for...
12:54

No tickets for PM's Madison Square Garden tryst

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This is the response to the PM's visit to New York... The website PMVisit.org says... Thank you for your interest in being part of the Community Reception for the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi on September 28th.We had an overwhelming response for this historic event. Unfortunately,...
12:38

Madison Square Garden awaits Modi on Sept 28

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to nearly 20,000 Indian-Americans in New York during his US visit will be beamed live on the giant screens of the iconic Times Square. His speech at the Madison Square Garden in midtown Manhattan, New York, on September 28 will be shown at Times Square with...
12:20

Narendra Modi website turns red on the eve of Chinese prez visit

On the eve of Chinese president Xi Jinping's visit to Gujarat, a significant feature in a bright red backdrop -- the signature colour of communist China - has been posted on Prime Minister Narendra Modi website in English and Mandarin, on Monday,  talking at length about the Buddhist Heritage in...
12:16
Pritish Nandy makes a point: So, hopefully, this will be the end of the #lovejihad campaign in UP. And we will hear less of the communal pitch in the coming elections.
12:13

Grateful to people: Akhilesh

UP CM, Akhilesh Yadav, on the UP bypolls: Communal elements have been rejected. We are grateful to the people and the SP will work towards development.
12:02

Anandiben passes litmus test in Gujarat

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The Gujarat bypolls are considered to be the litmus test of the new Chief Minister Anandiben Patel's leadership. The BJP had sought votes in the name of Modi and Patel has asked voters to gift 10 seats to him ahead of his 64th birthday. Modi will reach Ahmedabad this evening and will be present...
11:58

BJP wins one seat in Bengal

BJP scrapes through with 1200 votes in Basirhat in West Bengal. It's first win in the state. In UP, the Samajwadi party is so far leading in nine of 11 assembly seats vacated by the BJP.Cause for worry for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a state where the party scripted its biggest success story...
11:53
Cong on poll trend: Phenomenal success of Cong, salute Rajasthan voters, result of hard work of party workers, says Sachin Pilot.
11:45
SP on UP poll trends: Shows policies of SP have been well accepted by people, it's a victory of ideology of secularism.
11:43

BJP wins in Gujarat

As expected, BJP wins eight out of nine seats in Gujarat. But a huge setback for BJP in UP and Rajasthan. In Rajasthan, ruling BJP has won just one seat, while in UP SP leads in nine seats and BJP holds on to just two seats. Earlier BJP had held all nine seats.
11:28

Bypoll results...

Bypoll updates...BJP wins Anand and Limkheda. Rajasthan's Nasirabad seat won by Congress.Congress bags Weir seat of Bharatpur in Rajasthan.BJP wins Kota South seat in Rajasthan.TDP candidate T Sowmya wins Nandigama seat in Andhra Pradesh. Congress leading in three seats and BJP in one in...
11:17

Modi wave wanes in UP, Rajasthan, NO dent in Bengal

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Bypoll results coming in slowly...BJP's Ranjanaben Bhatt wins the Vadodara seat. SP leads in nine seats in UP and BJP in two seats. Advantage TMC in West Bengal, BJP fails to make a dent. TMC leads in the Chowringhee Assembly seat. Chandrasekhar Rao's TRS leads in the Medak in Telangana....
10:57

Vadra breathes easy, HC dismisses PIL seeking CBI probe

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The Delhi High Court has dismissed a plea seeking a probe into Robert Vadra's land deals. The PIL sought a court-monitored CBI probe into various land deals allegedly entered into by firms owned by Vadra, who is the son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
10:05

Strong quake hits Japan

Buildings in Tokyo shook today as a strong quake hit Japan, reports said, but there was no immediate risk of a tsunami and no damage was reported. Seismologists said the epicentre was around 44 kilometres north-northeast of the Japanese capital and was located around 50 kilometres below the...
10:04

Kerry: US open to talks with Iran on Islamic State

As more than two dozen nations pledged to help Iraq fight the Islamic State militants, the United States said it was open to talking to Iran about a role in resolving the crisis, despite Washington's earlier opposition to Tehran even attending the conference. US Secretary of State John Kerry...
10:03

What the Union Ministry of Surface Transport has been up to

What is keeping Vijay Chhibber Secretary, Union Ministry of Surface Transport, so busy these days? It certainly is not the state of the country's highways.     Instead, Chhibber is busy hosting lavish dinners in a bid to retain his seat as the President of the Delhi Gymkhana Club. Normally a...
09:38

US bombs IS near Baghdad for first time

US warplanes carried out their first air strike on the Islamic State near Baghdad, as world diplomats pledged to support Iraq in its fight against the militants. The United States early last month began air strikes against IS positions in northern Iraq, but yesterday's announcement that the...
09:38

Obama identifies 22 drug-producing or transit countries

US President Barack Obama has identified 22 countries, including India and Pakistan, as major illicit drug-producing or drug-transit countries. While identifying the 22 countries, Obama also determined that three of them -- Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela -- as nations which have failed...
08:46

Typhoon shuts down Hong Kong with strong winds, rain

Hong Kong was shuttered today as a powerful typhoon swept past the city, bringing strong winds and rain that caused flight disruptions and forced the closure of the stock market and container ports. Typhoon Kalmaegi, packing gusts of 125 kilometres (77 miles) per hour, was centred 400 kilometres...
08:21

Microsoft to hold Windows 9 event in San Francisco

Software giant Microsoft is expected to provide a technical preview of its new Windows 9 operating system at an event in San Francisco later this month.  The event, billed as a chance to hear about what's next for Windows and the enterprise, will be held on September 30.
08:13

Counting begins for bypolls in 3 Lok Sabha, 33 assembly seats

Counting of votes will be held on Tuesday in three Lok Sabha and 33 assembly constituencies spread across 10 states where bypolls were held on September 13, with stakes high for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).The three Lok Sabha seats are in Vadodara (Gujarat), vacated by Prime Minister Narendra...
03:04

Apple sells 4 million iPhones in 24 hours

Apple had more than 4 million advance orders of its new iPhones in the first 24 hours, exceeding its initial supply, the company said today.The company said the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be delivered to customers starting Friday and throughout September, but many won't be delivered until...
03:02

The mystery of the White House coffee

A recipe for beer brewed by the White House? The Obama administration happily shares it. A list of wines served at state dinners? No problem. But what about the First Family’s coffee habits?Security concerns are initially cited. Then e-mails go unreturned. Caffeine consumption in the West Wing...
02:58

Gujarati thali for Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his delegates will be spoilt for choice at the dinner Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting for them at the Sabarmati riverfront on Wednesday. Modi's guests on his birthday will have 50 'suddh sattvik' ethnic items, all prepared by a chef from top hotel chain,...
02:57

Islamic State issues new curriculum in Iraq

The extremist-held Iraqi city of Mosul is set to usher in a new school year. But unlike years past, there will be no art or music. Classes about history, literature and Christianity have been permanently annulled. The Islamic State group has declared patriotic songs blasphemous and ordered that...
02:56

'We love you, don't go', London rally tells Scotland

Thousands today gathered in London to urge Scottish voters to reject independence and stay in the United Kingdom in a landmark referendum in three days' time. Demonstrators in the rally in central Trafalgar Square waved Union Jack flags and held up signs reading Let's stay together and Scotland...
02:55

Top headlines at this hour:

Don't need a noun before my name to air my views: Tewari on Congress gag orderMassive dewatering operations in Srinagar, 2.26 lakh people rescuedBoundary issue will be discussed during Chinese President's visit: IndiaPark Street rape survivor denied entry into restaurantApple receives record...