On Thursday, November 6, the Washington Post newspaper reported that controversial American diplomat, Ambassador Robin Raphel, had her office and home searched by the FBI. This most unusual development likely raised much cheer at India's ministry of external affairs, in whose flesh Raphel had been a thorn through much of her tenure in the first Bill Clinton administration in the early and mid-1990s by her anti-India and pro-Pakistan stand. Seventeen years ago, as she was about to step down as Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, Raphel granted an exclusive interview to Aziz Haniffa and India Abroad, the leading Indian-American weekly newspaper, which is now owned by Rediff.com The July 1997 interview, which provoked a raging controversy in both capitals, Washington, DC and New Delhi, is reproduced here...
Model Pia Trivedi tells Rediff.com's Tista Sengupta about the issues closest to her heart.
From the Syrian civil war to the Ukrainian crisis to the terror unleashed by the dreaded Islamic State, there was no lack of news in 2014. In this five-part series,rediff.com presents a selection of the year's most enduring moments year from around the world.
Saltwater crocodiles are the world's largest reptiles, and these had already disappeared from the coasts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh by the 1970s. In all of Bhitarkanika, there were only 96 of them left. The census this January noted their count at 1,682.
Students will have more H1Bs to count on after they graduate.
West Indies registered a controversial two-run victory against Zimbabwe to enter the quarter-finals of the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Chittagong, on Tuesday.
Indian American Democrat Ro Khanna is still trailing against seven term incumbent Democrat Congressman Mike Honda in California's 17th Congressional District in the November 4 general election.
Design thinking is not designing as traditionally understood.
Upstaged by the swanky malls in town, both M G Road and Brigade Road have lost their "happening" status
It is becoming more and more apparent that Shyamvar Rai is like an onion. And a pretty pungent one at that. As layer after layer of his life gets peeled off, in full view of the court, new layers of his character are exposed.
Football news from Ligue 1, Bundesliga and La liga.
This week's digest of stories that are weird and crazy!
And no, the list doesn't start and stop with Boman Irani!
Here's a fresh collection of the truly weird, true and funny news from around the world.
Former India cricketer and the national team director, Ravi Shastri said it would be his endeavour to get left-handed batsman Suresh Raina back in the Test side in Mumbai on Monday.
'Indrani gave a mirthless laugh on spying The Suitcase, from the accused enclosure and, in sign language, gestured the impossibility of anyone fitting in such a small bag.'
Armed with a warm smile, the Swede shares his thoughts about Federer, Becker and modern-day tennis. Norma Godinho/Rediff.com speaks to the legend, who made the art of serve and volley a potent weapon, reckons Federer should skip French Open to focus on winning Wimbledon and that technology in the sport is here to stay.
Aseem Chhabra lists the top 10 films at the recent Toronto International Film Festival.
Udta Punjab truly soars when being its own madcap beast, profane and powerful and preening.
'Maharawal Ratan Singh's situation in Padmaavat is very similar to Shahid's situation in Padmaavat, as an actor. I was pitted against very high odds, in a very unlikely situation and I had to somehow come out with flying colours.'
Renault says that one of the reasons why its sales look muted when compared to its peers is its limited reach.
And it's written with tears, blood and unspoken lines.
Lalit Sathyarthi, an aspiring actor, left his home in Agra to follow his lifelong dream of becoming a Bollywood hero. He is still struggling to succeed but he's not giving up yet.
'Having a voice at the table means the other side has to show up to listen. It became clear that wouldn't happen,' says actor Maulik Pancholy, one of the 10 members who resigned from the US president's advisory commission on Asian Americans.
More than 60 years ago, a bicycle thief in Louisville, Kentucky, unknowingly set in motion one of the most amazing sports careers in history.
Shikhar Dhawan hammered a record 248 to help India 'A' outclass South Africa 'A' by 39 runs and storm into the final of the 'A' teams' tri-series, in Pretoria, on Monday.
'It should be considered one of the primary cuisines on Earth,' Zorawar Kalra tells Avantika Bhuyan.
'From the beginning (I have told her) "Whatever it may be -- you are losing or winning -- on the ground you're not going to cry!" She never cried.' '"I don't want you to project that you are a loser. You are a winner".' Vaihayasi Pande Daniel/Rediff.com speaks to Leela Raj about her famous daughter, now in the West Indies for the women's T20 World Cup.
Devakanta from Manipur shows the way in conserving and protecting the biodiversity of the state.
The attempts to unearth the document started getting more and more frantic. The clerks began to flip pages of files full of documents, some hand written, some bearing thick seals or multiple stamps, some in Hindi, some in Marathi. Several junior lawyers joined in, perusing different files and dockets. But in spite of the best of efforts the document was not to be found.
Bikash Mohapatra salutes boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
'We have been getting e-mails for assignments and events. People from random islands, like Seychelles, called us to perform for India's independence day. It's crazy to see how the internet affects the world. We feel blessed that so many people recognise us. We have even got mails from low-budget feature film makers in the South -- like they want us to be the heroines!' Twins Poonam and Priyanka Shah give us a jhalak into their lives!
Yuvraj has switched focus to business.
A buoyant economic mood and tempting discounts, both online and offline, are fuelling a shopping frenzy this Diwali.
Civil rights activist Deepa Iyer, former executive director, South Asian Americans Leading Together, a social justice organisation thought after a visit to the minority businesses hit in recent weeks that the tragic story in Ferguson, Missouri, offers Indian Americans an opportunity to stand up and decry police brutality and show sympathy and support for African Americans in the beleaguered city
No one in his right senses will expect Ajinkya Rahane to bat like Sachin Tendulkar or make thousands of runs and own a plethora of records. But the right-hander guarantees to carry forward the rich legacy of the fabled Mumbai school of batting.
Driving a Tata Nano covered with banners about his son's killing by the Mumbai Police, Kundan Prasad Singh is fighting his first election to get justice for a dead son.
'I always used to say ignore the trolls and move on and focus on your fans and friends,' Sreenath Sreenivasan tells Rediff.com's Monali Sarkar. 'That was easy for me to say. But now when I say it, I really mean it.'
Chelsea struck the woodwork twice but could not find a breakthrough in an entertaining 0-0 Champions League draw at Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday that left everything to play for in Group G.
'There is no way you can view the movie from a distance, from a moral high ground, and get to its core.' 'To truly appreciate what Anurag Kashyap is trying to do here, you may have to lose a part of yourself to it, first,' says Sreehari Nair.
