'With the Election Commission wisening up to the practice, which strikes at the very root of electoral democracy, the practitioners of cash for votes have been getting more and more ingenious,' points out Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
'No one knows whether exposure to the Nobel process would be to her liking, or would benefit her symbolic position above the fray,' says Sunanda K Datta-Ray.
Raja Sen deciphers the Captain America: Civil War trailer.
Aseem Chhabra lists his 10 favourite non-Indian shows streaming in India -- classics as well as recent shows.
Tens of thousands of people, including Indian-Americans, took to streets in several United States cities to protest against controversial immigration policies of US President Donald Trump which has resulted in separation of children of illegal immigrants.
Constantijn Jonker slammed a hat-trick to help the Netherlands spank New Zealand 7-2 in a lop-sided summit clash and lift the inaugural Hero Hockey World League Final title in New Delhi on Saturday.
New Zealand's pacemen struck back with two late wickets under the floodlights at Adelaide Oval but Australia's bowlers basked in the sun as the inaugural day-night Test opened on Friday.
Captain Brendon McCullum's blazing century gave New Zealand a brisk start on the second day of the third and final Test against Pakistan in Sharjah as the death of Australian Phillip Hughes continued to cast a gloomy shadow over the match.
The top posts on social media from your favourite Bollywood celebrities.
Unbeaten in seven Test series since 2013, New Zealand are widely viewed to have their best chance in a good while to secure a second series victory on Australian soil to go with the Richard Hadlee-inspired 1985 triumph.
In our special series re-visiting great Hindi film classics, Sukanya Verma looks back at Raj Kapoor's Boot Polish (1954), starring Baby Naaz and Ratan Kumar.
Being trendy was never this simple!
With this win, Australia have now gained a 12-2 lead in the series. The team had already secured the Ashes in the first T20I.
A Harry Potter walking tour in Edinburgh takes Veenu Sandhu to places that may have inspired the characters.
Amit Mishra produced a magical spell to send New Zealand crashing for a lowly 79 as India won by a massive margin of 190 runs to clinch the five-match series 3-2, in the fifth and final One-Day International in Visakhapatnam, on Saturday.
Rediscovering himself in the twilight of his career, a rejuvenated Mahendra Singh Dhoni would look to continue his regained form and guide India to a series-clinching win when the hosts take on New Zealand in the fourth One-Day International, in Ranchi, on Wednesday.
At the face of it, there is apparently no danger to Dhoni's captaincy since the team is still winning matches. But if one digs deeper, Kohli has slowly and surely been the man everyone is looking forward to as the leader, across all formats for India.
India positioned themselves for a massive win in their 500th Test match by polishing off the New Zealand top-order after setting them a colossal 434-run target, on Day 4 in Kanpur.
Which designer will Meghan fancy on May 19?
New Zealand's 2-0 series defeat on home pitches by Australia was a disappointing end to the Brendon McCullum era and showed the Black Caps have work to do if they hope to consistently challenge the top test nations.
Centurion Colin Munro credited New Zealand's "outstanding" bowling attack for the 40-run victory in the second T20 International, in Rajkot, on Saturday, saying dismissing the in-form India openers early was "massive".
Picking up where he left off in the first Test in Brisbane, the opener scored 244 not out for his third century in three innings as the hosts dominated New Zealand's bowlers as ruthlessly as they had in the 208-run victory at the Gabba.
Sukanya Verma revisits Chaalbaaz where Sridevi was such a pleasure to watch, twice over!
India pulled off a brilliant all-round performance to trounce New Zealand by 178 runs in the second Test and clinch the series with an unassailable 2-0 lead, a win that propelled the team to the top of the ICC rankings, dethroning arch-rivals Pakistan.
There's a lot happening in Bollywood, Hollywood and world cinema this year.
Canada's Parliament came under attack on Wednesday with a barrage of gunshots fired both inside and outside the building as a soldier was killed in the assault and a man with a rifle was gunned down by security forces.
Opposition on Monday picked holes in various government decisions like demonetisation and surgical strikes as well as allocation of funds for MNREGA, agriculture sector and Scheduled Castes, saying it has failed on all fronts despite which it is trying to "fool" the people.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership as well as finishing skills will be put through a stern test when an inconsistent India take on a rejuvenated New Zealand in the series-deciding fifth and final cricket ODI in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. With the series locked at 2-2, Dhoni and his men will be eager to clinch the issue while history beckons Kane Williamson's men as they have a glorious opportunity to taste their maiden success in a bilateral ODI rubber. The only thing that can play spoilsport is the cyclone threat which can lead to complete washout.
A look at the hopefuls this year!
Neerja Pandey's Baby, one must say, wouldn't have been as interesting without the lead troika.
Wrestling komodo dragons, ethereal egrets and thirsty squirrels are amongst some of the incredible images captured for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
Was Flight MH370 diverted en route Beijing? What exactly caused the fatal crash? Even as Malaysia confirms that the wing part washed ashore Reunion Island was from the missing jet, crucial questions remain unanswered
Virat Kohli held centrestage with a delightful unbeaten 85 after a collective bowling effort as India cruised to an easy six-wicket victory over New Zealand taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series in Dharamsala on Sunday. After bowling out New Zealand for 190 in 43.5 overs, India reached the target in a mere 33.1 overs in a match that turned out to be thoroughly one-sided.
The 71th Annual Golden Globe awards have been announced. There have been quite a few surprises and some expected nods.
On his first visit to India, former three-time NBA champion Brian Shaw talks of potential that Indian youngsters possess to make the cut in the NBA and shares his views on the sensational Stephen Curry and his partnership with Shaqueille O'Neal.Norma Godinho/Rediff.com listens in.
Captain Kane Williamson led from the front with a superb century before his bowlers held their nerves in a close finish to help New Zealand edge past India by six runs in the second One-Day International in New Delhi, on Thursday.
'In Rajiv Gandhi's time, out of every Re 1 spent by the government only 15 paisa reached the public.' 'At this moment, I cannot say that the entire Re 1 reaches the common man's pocket, but yes, two-thirds of that money definitely reaches the common man.' 'And the rest of the money will also reach soon.'
'The digital age has forced diplomats to be less formal and more accessible, reaching out to ordinary people both within and outside their countries, combining statecraft with streetcraft,' says former foreign secretary Ambassador Shyam Saran.
