Take a look at some of the most striking images from the contest, and see a full gallery on Smithsonian's website.

Watch the trailers and predict the winner.

An inspired performance from Douglas Costa helped Brazil to a 3-0 win over Peru on Tuesday and lifted them into third place in the South American qualifying group for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

A play set in India and to be performed at an American university has been cancelled after its Korean-American playwright objected to casting of white actors as Indian characters and sending a "dehumanising" message to minority students.

'Even if the anti-Modi 'Mahagatbandhan' gets a majority there is simply no way that Nitish Kumar can ensure even a stable government, leave alone a good -- clean, development-oriented -- government,' argues T V R Shenoy.

Usain Bolt returns to the site of his first global triumph this week for a world championships showdown with a convicted dope cheat that has ramifications for athletics beyond just establishing who is the fastest man in the world.

It was job well done for Novak Djokovic as he silenced Bernard Tomic and his Australian Fanatics with an emphatic 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory in the Wimbledon third round on Friday.

Raja Sen takes stock of the Oscar 2015 nominations.

Meet Krishna Das, a chant master, whose rock 'n' roll kirtans are a growing rage in India and who is performing in three Indian cities this week.

The Judge formulaic but never mechanical, says Paloma Sharma.

'We are two countries that, as Swami Vivekananda said in Chicago more than a century ago, have sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations on Earth.' 'People are watching to wait and see if this Modi moment is going to be the moment when the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy finally capitalise on the full, inherent potential of this relationship.' Aziz Haniffa/Rediff.com reports from the State Department's lunch for Prime Minister Modi.

India's foremost ad guru, award-winning lyricist, and scriptwriter turns 46 today.

Chaya Babu discovers the musical influences that shape the unique vision of singer Kavita Shah

Read the full transcript of President Obama's State of the Union address on Wednesday at the US Capitol in Washington.

So you weren't rooting for Cate Blanchett and Leonardi DiCaprio? Vote for the actors/ films YOU preferred!

'Just how strong were the ties between the world's largest and oldest democracies that an incident involving a diplomat and a maid led to anger threatening the relationship itself? Or had the relationship been weakening in the past few years, masked by the empty symbolism of State dinners, asks Devesh Kapur.

Aseem Chhabra is heartbroken that India overlooked the acclaimed film, The Lunchbox, as its Oscar nominee.

Ganesh Natarajan answered many IT-related questions during an hour-long rediff chat on Tuesday.

Recipient of 'India's Most Admired Surgeon' award moots 'womb to tomb' insurance model to revolutionise India's healthcare sector

Even if The Artist wasn't 2011's best film, Raja Sen doesn't have too much to complain about the Oscars this year.

Even if The Artist wasn't 2011's best film, Raja Sen doesn't have too much to complain about the Oscars this year.

Must Indians and Pakistanis be bound by the easy classifications of enemies and terrorists, muses Aseem Chhabra

US President Barack Obama on Tuesday delivered his State of the Union speech in the US Congress. Here's the transcript:

'The show -- one friend described it as a desi Lion King -- was stunning to watch. The lights, set design, sound, the selection of songs was simply quite spectacular.'

'If the government cannot provide the best resources to IIT faculty, it has no right to expect the best research either,' says Santosh Ansumali.

Rajeev Varma on D'Arranged Marriage, a play about Sanjay Gupta, an aspiring New Zealand Indian stand-up comic who spends his life working at his father's corner shop and avoiding the issue of an arranged marriage.

Master's student. Activist. Folk music researcher. Foodie. Anoop Desai wears many hats, discovers Arthur J Pais.

The unstoppable Sanjaya Malakar is back -- with a book.

These businesses are setting the bar for corporate social responsibility.

With two of the three Oscar-nominated songs being in Hindi and performed with colourful and vigorous Bollywood dances, and with Rahman invoking in Tamil a saying about divine greatness, the proceedings at times looked like a Bollywood event held in Los Angeles.

Innovative companies the world over are discovering the research and development advantages to be found in India

What must India do, strategically and procedurally, to ensure that the nation does not ever again endure a brutality like the terrorism Mumbai encountered last fortnight? Readers suggest solutions

Can butter production help you predict the market's next move? Find out here.

The best places to celebrate Navratri across America

Padma Viswanathan discusses her semi-biographical novel The Toss of a Lemon with rediff India Abroad's Arthur J Pais.

Today Shanghai is recognised as China's smartest city as well as its financial capital, its industrial heartland, its fashion centre.

Jillian Rechi, mother to American Idol favourite Sanjaya Malakar, talks about her children and their spiritual roots.

Find out all about overseas Indians in alternate professions with huge fan followings.

Mira Nair's new film gets good reviews and good box office collections.

Sylvester Stallone comes back and gives his gloved legacy a great finale.