Satellite analysis can assess vegetation cover down to field level.
Rajeev Srinivasan on why there is the strong possibility that this whole thing is an elaborate charade and how the mainstream might have just played into Trump's showman hands.
'...incarcerated in jails, ruining their entire families.' 'You would see that Dalits who displayed so much agitation over the Bhima-Koregaon issue are effectively silenced by the arrests of their activists by the police.' 'What can be a more pitiable state than this for a people who had just seen a ray of hope after darkness of millennia?'
Tista Sengupta tells you where you have been going wrong in your love life.
Here are the things we know about Osama and his terror group from the documents.
'In his 2014 election campaign, Mr Modi had boasted that he would apply the Gujarat model to the rest of India. We just have to ensure he doesn't start with Parliament,' says Shashi Tharoor in this fascinating excerpt from his new book, The Paradoxical Prime Minister: Narendra Modi And His India.
Neeraj Pandey's Aiyaary is the sort of spy fantasy story that drunks narrate in bars, says Sreehari Nair.
Casting director Manoj Ramola's book Audition Room offers interesting insights and useful tips for aspiring actors. We bring you an excerpt.
'What is forgotten but is actually as important for a society's long run success is morality.' 'Morals and trust are the nuts and bolts of an economy.' 'Without those you can get short run success, but not long-run development.'
'Omerta is a work of true moral force; it is, at the risk of sounding fancy, a motion picture for our times,' says Sreehari Nair.
The government vowed to track down the main beneficiaries of the kickbacks so that "we can do" what "we could not do in Bofors
Prime Minister Narendra Modi set a historic moment for Andhra Pradesh, as he laid the foundation stone of capital Amaravati at the Uddandarayuni Palem on Thursday. More than 10,000 police personnels were deployed for the even in the city.
All successful persons exhibit strong personal power, whether in the material world or in the spiritual one, leading to amazing results and shining in all fields of life.
"Terrorists use religion, but inflict harm on people of all faiths," said Swaraj, who arrived in Manama on Saturday on a two-day visit.
All mankind looks for good news on a daily basis. It is only a natural human desire. Corporate managements, government spokespersons, political loyalists, merchants and salespersons, all work overtime to create good news. And governments, too, keep trying this with inane pronouncements all the time, says Raj Liberhan.
'Our defence system starts with our first four and that's why we have a solid defence. People look to Brazil and always try to find players who score or dribble but we have many other qualities. With our goalkeeper and defenders, we have a solid defence' 'It's pretty exciting for us and we are looking to do something great here'
What exactly is technical analysis and is it completely non-subjective?
There were many who had reposed faith in the Narendra Modi government for expeditious action but are today beginning to feel disillusioned, notes Jitender Bhargava.
Is North Korea really dismantling its nuclear programme? Rajaram Panda explains the many challenges to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula.
'Why assail the Tibetan leader at a time when many in China realise that the Buddhist monk is the best bet if Beijing is seriously trying to find a solution to the Tibetan issue?' asks Claude Arpi.
Some of the letters exchanged between the arrested activists spoke of planning 'some big action' which would attract attention, Singh said.
'It is clear that Britain is a country with a limited future,' says Rajeev Srinivasan.
Investors are sceptical that the economy could have picked up so much steam.
Dr Raghuram Rajan's departure holds lessons for all, be it sections of the media, politicians or the people themselves. We need to learn how to value and retain talent. At the same time the talented must realise that talent alone does not ensure the top job, says Sanjeev Nayyar.
National Geographic has announced the winners of its prestigious Travel Photographer of the Year photo contest for 2017. And the images are just breathtaking.
These are some of Rediff.com's favourites from all 80 award-winning photos.
Professor Bhaskar Ramamurthi of IIT-Madras discusses the disparity between academic vision and industry needs with Shobha Warrier/Rediff.com.
The government's initial promise and energy seems to have dissipated.
If the Indian Railways thinks it can get away with this sassy attitude, it is because it is, in a sense, a monopolist in the business of transporting people. The distances one has to cover, say from Thane or Virar to Mumbai is impossible by road provides railways the arrogance, says Mahesh Vijapurkar.
Rediff.com's Rajesh Karkera shares his impressions from the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, India's landmark artistic extravaganza.
'When I started off the process for Kaabil, we were making the character sympathetic as he is blind.' 'Just looking at him and his environment, you would say, 'Arrey bechara'.' 'But meeting blind people, I realised there is no essence of helplessness in them.'
'Pakistan's negativism should be seen as the reason for India losing interest in SAARC.'
The Opposition is putting up a symbolic fight for the presidential polls as it knows that the BJP has the numbers to get its candidate elected to the top post.
'Corruption is the tree.' 'Black money is the fruit from the tree.' 'This scheme will expose the unaccounted fruits of the tree.' 'But since the tree will continue to stand, the story will continue,' say Pramod Kumar Srivastava, Sanghamithra and Kravya.
'The BJP suddenly seems vulnerable. This is not entirely surprising. In the past too, governments and leaders who won a thumping Lok Sabha majority lost popularity in a matter of months... The by-polls results shows that a degree of disenchantment with the Modi government is setting in,' says Praful Bidwai.
'The Reserve Bank's independence has remained a work in progress, an enduring challenge that the nation has been grappling with on an ongoing basis,' says RBI Deputy Governor Dr Viral Acharya.
The sexism may well be lost out on mothers who call their daughters 'ghar ka beta' but there is something heartening in seeing middle class mothers encouraging them to pursue non-traditional careers. Sonil Dedhia/Rediff.com meets a few 'model' mums.
Finalists in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition have been revealed and the stunning images have to be seen to be believed.
'The forces of good are on the run.' 'But dark times also challenge people to fight.' 'I believe Indians will rise against these dark times.'
Greeks are split on whether to accept an offer by creditors that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras calls a "humiliation"
