'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.
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'In the last 55 years India and Pakistan have gone to wars, but nobody spoke about scrapping the Indus Waters Treaty.'
Time to pack your bags and pamper the wanderlust in you.
The situation in three Barak Valley districts -- Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj -- was critical with river Barak and its tributaries creating havoc, inundating roads and disrupting communication.
"I can tell you that I understand you, my family must have drank water from the river Jhelum. Kashmiriyat, the culture and thought process must be in me too. When I come here, I feel like I am coming home," he said, while referring to his family ties to Kashmir and added that he had come with a message of love and respect.
'Once accession to Pakistan appeared unlikely, the British instituted Operations Gulmarg and Datta Khel respectively to foil possible accession to India.'
Jammu and Kashmir continues to remain on a flood alert as most of the rivers in the state are flowing above the danger mark.
No major clash was reported on Thursday from anywhere in Kashmir.
The good times are back, in a measured way, in fun spots across the globe.
We bring you the best travel pics shared by you, dear readers.
'The Pakistan army feels it can inflict a similar defeat on India in Kashmir and make it "India's Bangladesh".' 'But comparing Bangladesh of 1971 with the Kashmir valley of 2017 is like equating chalk and cheese!'
'China is mindful of the fact that it is not confronting the Indian Army of 1962. But the sabre rattling will continue.'
'As the night wore on, we could hear insects, see fireflies and slowly, the stars took over the naked sky.' 'For those of us who spend the largest part of our lives in a cement jungle and wake up to machine sounds, this was music.'
'Nehru's hegemonic politics has been responsible for many ills, which undoubtedly includes Kashmir'
The flood threat in Kashmir eased on Friday as overnight rainfall, which had led to slight rise in water level of River Jhelum, stopped.
An eerie silence prevails with concertina wire barricades laid on deserted streets and police and armed forces personnel allowing civilians to move only after thorough checking.
She also advised people not to watch debates on television channels which only foment hatred between the two warring nations as well as the Muslims of Kashmir and the rest of the country.
'China wants to change the status quo of India's Northern Border and proves that it can do whatever it wants in what it perceives as its own territory,' states Claude Arpi.
'It is high time that we act instead of just talking about how and why the climate is changing.'
'Geological processes occur at time scales that are beyond human imagination, but we need to understand these events.'
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Readers send us pictures from the length and breadth of the country.
A new book reproduces original Chinese maps that contradict Chinese propaganda. The book reveals Chinese intelligence admissions that Beijing never maintained any army base, customs office or other government function in the disputed area until 1983.
Forgot what happened in the week gone by? Here's a quick recap of what took place in 10 images.
The Supreme Court and its committees, the two states and the central government must become objective and take the present and not just the past in mind.
It is critical to engage politicians in the US and India to recognize the achievements of the three million strong Indian-American community says M R Rangaswami, founder of Indiaspora
A team of six trekkers from New Delhi and Shimla is missing in Kinnaur district, officials said. A rescue operation will be launched.
Aseem Chhabra watched some great films and some huge disappointments in 2021.
The high hills of Himachal Pradesh received snowfall leaving tourists delighted.
In any conflict with China, the unmanned BrahMos could be advantageously used in the opening stages for pinpoint strikes on heavily defended targets -- such as air bases, headquarters, key roads and railways or logistics dumps -- which are too dangerous for manned fighter aircraft to attack.
On skeletons being seen by the Navy team, the sources said the water inside the mines has high Sulphur content which can decompose the bodies very fast.
China has not limited the 'battle' to the diplomatic field alone; the People's Liberation Army has become aggressive on the ground too. The recent 'fights' in Northern Sikkim and Ladakh are part of the pattern, asserts Claude Arpi.
In September 2014, the Jammu and Kashmir region suffered disastrous floods caused by heavy rainfall. Nearly 300 people died in the floods and many more lost their homes and livelihood. Mukhtar Ahmad/Rediff.com reports.
The world's first high-altitude marathon will be held on August 16.
The Travel Photographer of The Year Awards winners have been chosen and they're a stunning selection celebrating the beauty of our planet and all its inhabitants. Photographers from 142 countries submitted over 20,000 jaw-dropping pictures that were shot on everything from high-end professional cameras to mobile phones, in categories including 'faces, people, cultures'; the natural world and the beauty of light. The winning images can be seen at the TPOTY exhibition, which is free, and will be on show at LondonBridgeCity next Spring. Rediff.com was kindly granted permission to publish 25 of the 150 winning and shortlisted images. Scroll down to see our picks of the bunch.
New Delhi should resist any temptation to act as spoiler and instead should cooperate with its SCO partners in reaching a regional consensus behind the formation of an interim government in Kabul, argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'This is for the first time that a strong, solid evidence-based investigation has happened.' 'It can meet international standards and put the onus on the Pakistanis.'
