The first lecture was delivered by Shashi Tharoor, whose selection had surprised many and disliked by some. Tharoor spoke, inter alia, on the need for greater transparency in the work of the R&AW.
A 290-page book, due to hit bookshelves next week, could set the cat among the pigeons of India's intelligence and political communities.
Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has filed a civil lawsuit against the Government of India and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, with a US court issuing summons in the case.
At a time when intelligence from India's eastern and western borders is of paramount importance, the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency, seems to be a divided house, a reliable source told rediff.com
Between tons of sexual innuendo and Kapil Sharma brand of slapstick gags characterised in loud caricatures, moronic behaviour, flimsy wigs and cartoonish rhythm, Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video's jarring notions of exuberance have nothing novel to offer, groans Sukanya Verma.
Just as the atom and the byte needed careful societal control to prevent damage to society, perhaps, so does the gene, particularly in debates like 'genes vs merit', explains Ajit Balakrishnan.
Freedom At Midnight is a bold attempt to revisit the whole discourse about Partition, its causes, and the predicament under which the Congress leaders accepted it. It perfectly captures the extremely confused and complicated situation to which it seemed the only viable solution, observes Utkarsh Mishra.
Coco Gauff says she wasn't mad after calling 'foul' on USTA cartoon
'If you are old enough to rape, you are old enough to be punished.'
'Trump will absolutely back New Delhi on its position that Pakistan must do more to crack down on terrorists that threaten India.'
Sector 36 goes for the gruesomeness and shock; watching it needs a tough heart or a quick averting of the eyes, warns Deepa Gahlot.
'To everyone voting for Trump, I have only this simple question: Would you let him have lunch with your daughter or sister or wife or mother?' 'Then why would you let him have our lunch (and so much more) for four more years?', asks Sree Sreenivasan.
Winner of the gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago, Avani Lekhara shot a remarkable 249.7, breaking her own Paralympic record of 249.6 set in Tokyo.
How can a film that has a character declare that secularism is an illness be taken seriously, asks Deepa Gahlot.
All the action from football matches played in Europe on Wednesday
'Mansoor Ijaz is a smooth operator. I am not surprised he has fooled us or anybody, says former R&AW chief A S Dulat in conversation with Sheela Bhatt.
Ravi Sinha is described as "highly tech-savvy", and credited with infusing modern technology in the field of intelligence collection.
Jobs requiring AI skills carry a significant wage premium, with some roles offering up to a 25 per cent increase in wages, notes Manoj Nagpal, vice president, professional services, OpenText, an information management company.
'Everything about farming is enjoyable and relaxing.'
Three Pakistani men, alleged to be 'spies' of India's external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing, have been acquitted by an anti-terrorism court in Karachi citing lack of evidence in five cases relating to carrying explosives and illegal weapons, media reported on Sunday.
'Russia is aiming at demoralising Ukraine as a nation.' 'They want to bomb the infrastructure, the electric stations so that regular citizens will not to be able to live, to cook, to give comfort to their kids.'
Fantasy and road trips rule OTT this week. Sukanya Verma gives you options to take your pick from.
In a joint statement, they noted that while the incident highlights the prevailing "apathy, misgovernance and lack of accountability" in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, the state government's "apparent inclination" to shield perpetrators rather than protect victims is a "grave miscarriage of justice".
Apart from partly meeting the resentment which may have built among 80th PMA officers, the appointments would seem to be based on sound professional considerations, notes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at R&AW, India's external intelligence agency.
Since Kakuda is made for OTT, the film might find its audience of horror fans but it is not particularly scary, and not the least bit funny, observes Deepa Gahlot.
He is expected to be produced before a federal court in New York on Monday.
In an embarrassment, the Central Bureau of Investigation has informed a Delhi court that it was yet to go through the book written by former a R&AW official.
They try to hide behind the smokescreen that these are works of fiction inspired by real events. So, you can pick and choose from facts and fictionalise to push the right triggers with your audience or appease the powers that be, observes Shekhar Gupta.
Captain Sharan and Flight Engineer Anil Jaggia both confirm that the hijackers seemed to know a lot about flying an aircraft. Without help from the ISI or the Pakistan army, it was impossible, points out Utkarsh Mishra.
It is 'when someone uses their emotional problems to hook an audience on the Internet.'
It essentially amounts to 'performing sadness online for sympathy and/or attention,' explains Sandeep Goyal.
'This is the era of images; no speech that Mukherjee could have given could counter the sight of a senior Congressman, elevated by the party to Rashtrapati Bhavan, standing rigidly next to the RSS gerontocracy as those worthies delivered the organisation's faux-fascist salute,' says Mihir Sharma.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal slammed the British media on Thursday for 'awful and horrible' stories about his future and said the club's support, while welcome, had put more pressure on him.
Join A S Dulat on the Rediff Chat on July 8, 2015, at 11.30 am IST!
Successive R&AW chiefs and other senior officers have been living in an ivory tower of their own, inaccessible to junior officers and unsympathetic to their problems and grievances. Junior officers of the R&AW call this the 11th floor mentality.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a corruption case against unknown officials of the Cabinet Secretariat, a specialised covert unit of Research and Analysis Wing and private businessmen for alleged irregularities in the purchase of tents worth Rs 22 crore, official sources said in New Delhi.
"The government of India did not do anything to secure my release. But for my elder brother Anand Vir, advocate Arvind Kumar Singh and the honourable Supreme court of India, I would have still be rotting in Pakistani jails. The agencies, which hire you, disown you the moment you are arrested. The Indian high commission in Pakistan did not help either. They took their own sweet time for giving me temporary travel documents," he said.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in 'extremely serious' condition following a shooting attack on Wednesday, according to Slovak Defence Minister Robert Kalinak.
It introduces random characters, goes on several wild goose chases and is incapable of holding onto any thread of the plot, sighs Deepa Gahlot.
IMAGES from UEFA Champions League matches played on Tuesday
