Here's your weekly digest of bizarre moments from around the world.
'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.'
Delhi on Sunday recorded the lowest temperature of the season with the mercury dipping to 2.6 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal, with dense fog affecting 55 flights and about 70 trains.
The world's most-talented young players gave India a memorable show of high quality football on the field as the country showcased its organizational skills in a near-flawless and record-breaking FIFA Under-17 World Cup across six cities, which culminated with England clinching the title in Kolkata on Saturday.
In the hands of skilled photographers, smartphones are capable of producing works of art - as these stunning images show. Now in its twelfth year, the iPhone Photography Awards competition aims to find the best photographs taken using just an iPhone. Every year since it was founded in 2007, the IPPAWARDS has selected the very best shots among thousands submitted by iPhone photographers from more than 140 countries around the world. This year's grand prize went to Gabriella Cigliano for a mesmerising image shot on an iPhone X of two young girls in Tanzania. Scroll down to take a look at the stunning photos that made the cut.
The prime minister took the first-ever flight by such a craft in the country on the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat polls.
A three-year-old girl in the US accidentally shot her two-year-old brother with a rifle, the fourth such incident in the country this month involving children.
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.
You cannot just swing by to say hello to the Dalai Lama when you're in Mcleodganj but there's plenty to experience discovers Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
A group of women traveled 5000 kilometers in India over eight cities in 28 days to spread the message of women's empowerment and safety while on the road.
Of all the other cities in India, Bangalore is one city, where you can actually walk around and take in the crowd and confusion, says Sumit Ganguli.
Tailored luxury experiences with the most minute of details charted out for discerning travellers is the way forward, says Nikita Puri.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Monday
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The main event, which is being held at Capitol Complex, is likely to be attended by around 30,000 people out of the total 1,20,000 who have registered themselves.
Modi also said the people of India felt proud that President Xi has twice received him out of the capital.
Taking exception to Health Minister Harsh Vardhan not mentioning the death of healthcare workers due to Covid-19 in his statement in Parliament, the Indian Medical Association has published a list of 382 doctors who died due to the viral disease and demanded that they be treated as "martyrs".
From Dudhwa to Veppathur and Havelock Island, the Indian tourism market is booming like never before.
Lohani's job was to turn around the MP Tourism Development Corporation.
Since many of Modi's urban policies were initiated in Ahmedabad, the city may act as a template to examine what can be expected in a country that is witnessing the biggest migration from rural to urban areas in the world
Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar journeys through villages and towns, districts and cities for a reality check.
Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar visits Pallikaranai, once a marshland and now a bustling neighbourhood. The effect of Cyclone Verdah is startling on an area that was once a water body and now has been built over.
As Venezuelans continue to flee the starvation, crime and the horrific inflation that continues to mark the worst crisis it has ever faced, Radha Biswas looks back at a devastated country she continues to love deeply.
'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.
India's new soccer league with its cast of celebrity owners, experienced foreign managers and a sprinkling of high-profile players will kick off on Sunday, igniting hopes of waking the country from its football slumber.
If the air pollution is not brought under control, tourism to Kashmir will be affected, warns Colonel Anil A Athale (retd), who has been visiting the valley for 50 years.
Mercury plummeted in Kashmir Valley on Thursdayafter a slight respite for few days, dropping further below the freezing point with Kargil recording a new low of minus 15.8 degrees Celsius this season.
The river I bathed and swam in, has dried up. It's the worst drought in 140 years. First the mango trees died. Then the coconut trees. Finally the hardy palm trees have died.
'Things are far from normal. The roads are still under several feet of water and every time we venture out, it is a nightmare wading through the water that is no longer flowing but stagnant, filthy and foul-smelling. Shops are yet to stock up on supplies. Power supply is erratic and there is constant fear that it might go off again.' S Saraswathi recalls the horrific four days of her life.
The massive blaze in a high rise in Mumbai that killed seven people and injured 18 others was caused apparently by a blast in an air-conditioner.
'When a newspaper says that Karnataka leads in corruption, one must also know it means Karnataka leads in patronising corruption.' 'You can't be corrupt without me succumbing to your corruption.'
With months to go for the Karnataka assembly elections, the man in the hot seat, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah says he'll make billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi and the Punjab National Bank scam an issue in the upcoming Karnataka elections . In an interview to CNN-News18's Deepa Balakrishnan, the CM also says that Hindutva is not a campaign issue in the state.
It is learnt that Bhanot has been recommended by the Athletics Federation of India to contest the AAA elections to be held on June 1 prior to the Asian Athletics Championships at Wuhan in China from June 3 to 7.
For all the blame-game over the flood preparedness in Chennai and elsewhere in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, this is not the first of its kind. Nor would it be the last, given the nature of the north-east monsoon, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
The minimum temperature plunged to 4.2 degrees Celsius in New Delhi on Monday, the coldest December 22 in the last five years and also the lowest this season, even as a thick blanket of fog disrupted normal life in the city and hit flight and train operations.
A woman TV news reporter and a cameraman conducting a live on-air interview were killed on the spot when a "disgruntled station employee" opened fire at a mall in US state of Virginia and fled, shocking viewers who saw the grisly drama on their TVs.
An unnamed German biathlete has tested positive for a stimulant at the Sochi Winter Olympics, making it the first doping case at the Games in Russia, a German ski federation official said on Friday.
The new 'Form 5' has been brought for the benefit of pensioners and it will record all information on the basis of self-attestation by the individual concerned, said Sanjay Kothari, Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms, Public Grievances and Pension.
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