Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set for his second visit to the United Arab Emirates starting Friday as part of his West Asia trip which will also cover Palestine and Oman. Ahead of his visit to the UAE, the prime minister had an offbeat interview with Gulfnews (external link) during which he divulged details about people who inspire him and about his travels. Here are some key takeaways from the interview.
Modi said he saw the election results, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, as the "foundation of the new India".
Seeking to shed its 'anti-Muslim' tag, a Rashtruta Swayamsevak Sangh affiliate is hosting a grand 'Iftar' on July 2.
'Even if the BJP's hope of a Congress-mukt Bharat is realised, it will still have to contend with Mr Gandhi's god-like status in the foreseeable future,' says Amulya Ganguli.
'Qatar has been funding and supporting terrorist organisations.' 'It has used its media to spread lies and create unrest in neighbouring countries.'
Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has invited the Taliban to play a cricket match in a bid to revive a stalled peace process but his remarks were criticised on social media.
United States President Donald Trump is set to sign several executive orders, including one on building a border wall with Mexico, this week to crack down on immigrants -- one of his central campaign promises -- and could suspend immigration from some Muslim nations, media reports have said.
'Will the BJP now replace a Muslim name for a street or a railway junction with Naipaul's name?' 'It is the least the party can do for its sole Nobel Prize-winning admirer,' says Amulya Ganguli.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday condemned the elements who cause communal and sectarian divide and said these 'elements expand their activities as elections draw near'.
The Egyptian government has ordered military special forces to assist the police in securing vital state facilities across the country.
'If anyone is able to understand the importance of Modi's endeavours to revive the economy -- even against opposition from sections of his own saffron brotherhood -- it is the former prime minister,' says Amulya Ganguli.
Gandhi said India has been devastated by demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
'Saudi Arabia's standing internationally and in the West is going to take a big hit even if MBS is dethroned.'
"The question of law and order is directly connected with the state as it is the prime responsibility of the state... if they ask for help we can give, but the Constitution does not permit us to directly intervene in it," the home minister said.
'Nowhere is it written in the Constitution that Ravan's effigy must be burnt.'
During her nearly 17-minute speech, she did not mention Pakistan.
The former Intelligence Bureau director added that no one should jump to conclusions before the process of talks with various stakeholders in Kashmir began.
Hospital authorities said of the deceased at the GTB, at least nine received gun shots. One of the deceased is also a woman, they said.
The Indian National Lok Dal had split following differences between Ajay Singh Chautala and his younger brother Abhay Chautala.
The Congress chief spoke to the students on a host of issues, including demonetisation, job loss and his growth as a political leader.
Rahul Gandhi exhorted local Congress workers to put up a united face to take on the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in the next year's elections to the municipal corporation in Mumbai.
Which is *your* favourite AB film?
The family of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on Monday accused the powerful military of "abducting" the Islamist leader and vowed to take legal action against the army chief.
Paramilitary forces were on Tuesday deployed in four districts of Punjab as a precautionary measure even as another incident of "sacrilege" of a holy book took place at a village in Bathinda.
The Republican Hindu Coalition, which hosted Donald Trump's desi rally in New Jersey last month, has branded Huma Abedin 'pro-terrorist.
Standing atop the roof of Houston's NRG Stadium with drones illuminating an American flag in the night sky behind her, Lady Gaga kicked off her Super Bowl halftime set on Sunday by singing "God Bless America" as a subtle message of inclusion and unity in a deeply divided United States.
BJP's stated position is that Article 370 should be scrapped for total integration of J&K with India.
Rahul referred to the four questions he had raised in his speech in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
French World Cup winner Lilian Thuram has criticised FIFA's decision to dissolve its anti-racism task force, telling Reuters he found the decision "shocking".
'When he was killed, did you ask questions of the Muslim community? When we spoke of 'aar-paar' you are asking questions.'
Ousted Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak's two sons and his last Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq were on Thursday acquitted of corruption charges by a criminal court in Cairo.
'Parents would do well by the nation if they were to persuade their sons and daughters not to become puppets in the hands of the Islamists,' feels Lieutenant General Ashok Joshi (retd).
Lal Singh has alleged that Kashmiri journalists have created "an erroneous atmosphere"
He was billed as the next big thing in Dalit politics in Uttar Pradesh and a challenge for the Bahujan Samaj Party but Mayawati's party is least impressed by the exploits of Chandrasekhar Azad 'Ravan' let alone consider him a threat.
Violence first broke out in Saharanpur about 40 days ago following a procession to mark Ambedkar Jayanti. On May 5, a person was killed and 15 people were injured in clashes in which houses of Dalits in Shabbirpur were torched by Thakurs.
Both the victims -- Rizwan Husain, 31, and Ibne Abbas, 25, -- were taking part in the prayers when they died.
In his annual Vijayadashmi address, the RSS chief also spoke about "urban maoism", the Sabarimala row and the need to strengthen the country's borders.
The recent controversy regarding the national anthem, provoked by Rajasthan's Governor Kalyan Singh, has got many revisiting the lyrics of Rabindranath Tagore's most famous composition.
An Egyptian court on Wednesday ordered the release of ousted President Hosni Mubarak.
"We have given time to the Haryana government to bring and pass the Jat reservation Bill by March 31 (when the ongoing Budget session ends)," Malik told media persons.
