'Joko's re-election bid has been as tough as Modi's.' 'But in a curious reversal of roles, what Joko faced was a platform somewhat akin to Modi has chosen for himself to woo voters,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
A curfew was on Sunday clamped in three more districts of Udhampur, Samba and Kathua in Jammu region and army staged flag marches as tension prevailed following outbreak of communal violence in Kishtwar on Friday that left two persons dead and scores of others injured.
'There's no real rebellion, just a consuming love for fashion and faux feminism where every zinger flying out of their mouth sounds like something you've heard on a sitcom or favourited on your Pinterest wall,' notes Sukanya Verma.
A number of smaller players are said to be gasping for breath.
The death toll in twin shallow earthquakes in northwest China's Gansu province rose to 94 on Tuesday. Over 1,000 injured in the 6.6-magnitude earthquake jolted the juncture area of Minxian and Zhangxian counties in the city of Dingxi on Monday, official media reported.
The choking of natural drainage brings monsoonal Mumbai to its knees year after year.
Amid snow-capped mountains and on board warships, India's armed forces demonstrated their impressive yoga skills. Let's take a bow!
Sailors and rowers were not worried about getting sick during the Rio Olympics next year despite reports that waters to be used for events have pollution levels equivalent to raw sewage, competitors said on Thursday.
In little over 24 hours, the wildfires, which erupted on Sunday and forced the evacuation of about 80,000 people from Fort McMurray in the Canadian province of Alberta, have grown tenfold.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Janakpur, the revered Hindu religious site in Nepal, has not yet been officially cancelled despite reports about the trip being called off due to opposition by some political parties, the government said.
The Chinese have just one commander for all the forces confronting India. Commanders of all these forces answer to one man, and one headquarter. India, on the other hand, offers a diversity of options that is a military embarrassment in the 21st century. In Arunachal and Sikkim-Bhutan, the Eastern Army Commander is in charge. In the Uttarakhand (central) sector, it will be the Central Army Commander. The Himachal-Tibet border is the domain of the Western Army Commander. And all of Kashmir and Ladakh further on, the Northern Army's. Effectively, an array of at least eight 'three-star' commanders will be arrayed against one Chinese, says Shekhar Gupta.
'A lot of unauthorised encroachments have taken place in our forest area.' 'The landslides are partly because of such encroachments.' 'The other factor is deforestation.' 'Protection of forest resources is not on the agenda of any government.' 'The damage caused by the rain in Kerala is a man-made factor.'
These natural wonders are all under threat.
BJP MP Satish Gautam demanded the expulsion of Uttar Pradesh Labour Minister Swami Prasad Maurya from the party for calling Jinnah a 'mahapurush'
'Despite its noble attempts, tight editing, terrific sound design, good performances and a compelling story, Hotel Mumbai tells a big lie.'
Rediff.com takes you into the one part terrifying, one part thrilling heart of the annual Pamplona bull run.
The 23-year-old winner is on her way to becoming a dental surgeon and is extremely fond of cats. Imagine having this beauty peering at your teeth?
An exhibition in Bengaluru showcases some of the best photographs by legendary photojournalists, such as James Nachtwey, Sebastiao Salgado and Steve McCurry
The SBI auction will be the biggest nationwide online sale.
Japan marks the fourth anniversary of a quake-tsunami disaster that swept away thousands of people.
In this series, Rediff.com presents a selection of the year's most enduring moments year from around the world.
How did a young girl with no formal education become one of India's most inspiring teachers and social reformers?
Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala on Tuesday said that the death toll in Saturday's devastating 7.9 earthquake could reach 10,000 even as he said that his government was carrying out rescue operations on a war-footing.
Brazil has long been known as a country that can throw a great party as long as the guests do not mind a location that still has the builders in it.
Rediff.com's Rajesh Karkera made an 11-day road voyage across some of South Asia's most deserted, challenging, terrain, always under the gaze of the sacred, dazzling Himalaya.
A plane carrying 72 people, including football players from Brazil, has reportedly crashed in Colombia. Authorities are responding to an emergency after an airplane with 72 people on board has crashed on its way to Medellin's international airport.
Aseem Chhabra tell us how he watched 302 films in 365 days on airplanes, on Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, Google, Hulu, DVDs and even on YouTube.
According to reports, a Germanwings Airbus A320 has crashed in French Alps near the Digne region in France.
Stunning images celebrate the best in wedding photography From intimate portraits to breathtaking landscapes, these stunning images represent the very best in wedding photography from around the world. With kind permission from International Wedding Photographer of the Year, these are some of the best in the contest.
RC390 is the perfect city bike for India says Kunal Kelkar
Additional Chief Secretary K P Bakshi told reporters at a hurriedly-called press conference that all the cases against 55-year old Rajan, who has been deported from Indonesia, are being transferred to CBI because of its expertise in "handling transnational crimes".
'For lakhs of people in the flood-afflicted state, battling against the elements is taking a huge toll. This is the time of the year that apples ripen, rice starts being harvested and preparations start in full swing to put aside some of the food stocks for the long winter months ahead. At this moment, though, people there believe if they can succeed in coming out of this calamity in one piece they will have won the war,' says Rashme Sehgal.
Life in most parts of Kashmir started limping back to normalcy after remaining paralysed for five days due to strikes and protests.
Mumbai-based designer Nachiket Barve talks about his favourite things.
Two men said by Islamist militants to have carried out suicide attacks in south Russia appeared in a video donning explosive belts and warning Vladimir Putin to expect a "present" at the Sochi Winter Olympics from fighters following after them.
'The answer is no, the entire country's is.' 'So why such obsession with Delhi?' 'But the most powerful people in India live here: The prime minister, civil servants, Supreme Court judges, MPs, diplomats, dadas of the media...' 'If they can't deal with their own problem, what chance does the rest of the country have, with its foul air, dying rivers, frothing lakes, and crumbling mountains?' says Shekhar Gupta.
Catch up on all the events that shaped the world last week.
Most tour operators offer accommodation to suit different budgets.
Newcastle United's Papiss Cisse struck twice in a 2-1 victory against English Premier League leaders Chelsea.
Recounting their ordeals, evacuees from Yemen have narrated their tales of horror during their stay in that war-torn country.
