News for 'British Council'

Aero Awesome: Stunning display over Bengaluru skies

Aero Awesome: Stunning display over Bengaluru skies

Rediff.com17 Feb 2017

One of the most sought after exhibitions in Asia, as many as 549 companies are participating this year with 53 fighter aircraft on display.

'If he moved to India, he could never return to Pakistan'

'If he moved to India, he could never return to Pakistan'

Rediff.com28 Jun 2016

'The biggest advantage for India was its seasoned and experienced political leadership who had spent decades struggling against the Raj and had spent years behind bars.' 'Not a single prominent leader of the Muslim League spent one day in jail.' 'Gandhiji, Nehru and Sardar Patel were intelligent, shrewd men with their hands on the popular pulse.'

India needs to quell the communal demon

India needs to quell the communal demon

Rediff.com16 Dec 2017

'Indian nationhood is indeed at the cusp of alarming redefinition -- hate-filled, and exclusionary.' 'Nations are not built this way, instead these are the ways of liquidating nations.' 'We must pre-empt it.' 'Can we?' asks Mohammad Sajjad.

US launches missile strike against Syria

US launches missile strike against Syria

Rediff.com7 Apr 2017

Two US warships fired at least 50 cruise missiles at the Ash Shai'rat airfield in Homs province in western Syria, from where the US administration believes Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad fired the chemical weapons against his own people, media reports said.

How legalising betting in India could prevent fixing in cricket

How legalising betting in India could prevent fixing in cricket

Rediff.com6 Mar 2016

'Where betting is legalised it is heavily regulated and they work in close conjunction with us, so it does assist us' 'Sometimes these corruptors are like paedophiles and what I mean by that analogy is that they are prepared to spend a long time particularly grooming young players'

7 lessons on innovation from David Bowie

7 lessons on innovation from David Bowie

Rediff.com20 Jan 2016

If "innovation" were a person, he or she would have looked like David Bowie.

Not just rich farmers, even agri cos with Rs 215 cr profit pay no tax

Not just rich farmers, even agri cos with Rs 215 cr profit pay no tax

Rediff.com16 Mar 2016

A large number of rich farmers, who earn more than salaried employees in the cities, get away with paying no tax at all in view of the government's lack of will to consider an agricultural income tax

Sri Lanka: India's CHOGM dilemma

Sri Lanka: India's CHOGM dilemma

Rediff.com25 Oct 2013

If Indian PM boycotts the CHOGM, it is likely to add to Sri Lanka's bitterness. This would not help India's desire to add more depth and content to its relations with Sri Lanka but its ability to influence Sri Lanka's decision making process on the both strategic issues and on Tamil minority issues, says Colonel (retd) R Hariharan.

US rules out putting India, Pakistan in same basket

US rules out putting India, Pakistan in same basket

Rediff.com2 Feb 2016

'The US-India relationship is in a different league altogether,' Obama administration officials tell Aziz Haniffa/Rediff.com in Washington, DC.

Why Bajirao Mastani has upset two families

Why Bajirao Mastani has upset two families

Rediff.com15 Dec 2015

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani has ruffled quite a few feathers among the descendants of the Peshwa and his Muslim wife.

The economics of happiness

The economics of happiness

Rediff.com17 Mar 2014

This does not mean isolating parochialism but of new way of thinking about economic systems, says Rajni Bakshi.

Niyamgiri poised for voting on bauxite mining for Vedanta plant

Niyamgiri poised for voting on bauxite mining for Vedanta plant

Rediff.com11 Jul 2013

The Supreme Court on April 18 ordered the villagers be provided with basic forest rights in form of the land titles

A flight to Pakistan: Old world charm in a modernising State

A flight to Pakistan: Old world charm in a modernising State

Rediff.com22 Feb 2016

'The Pakistan government, we were told, has a plan to renovate several Hindu temples and Buddhist sites, which over the years have fallen into disrepair. The aim is to create a pilgrimage circuit to attract visitors from all over the subcontinent.'

Muktangan empowers poor women to become teachers

Muktangan empowers poor women to become teachers

Rediff.com20 Jul 2015

As the teachers began gaining confidence, it also drew the attention of other women in the community, leading to greater demand for teaching jobs.

Why the Modi hope lives on

Why the Modi hope lives on

Rediff.com26 May 2015

The government is following a path where it will not be irresponsible or profligate with public money but will intervene in the interest of the poor

Why did G K Pillai not object then?

Why did G K Pillai not object then?

Rediff.com3 Mar 2016

'Even though he knew full well that the manipulation went against the facts as he knew them, Pillai nonchalantly contented himself with stating that since the file came from the minister himself, he just passed it on as it was,' says B S Raghavan.

Why Modi's visit to Moscow is so important

Why Modi's visit to Moscow is so important

Rediff.com25 Dec 2015

'What should worry India and which needs to be expressed is Russia's simultaneous proximity to both China and Pakistan from a strategic angle. That hasn't happened ever before,' says Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd).

The tragedy of being Irom Sharmila

The tragedy of being Irom Sharmila

Rediff.com9 Aug 2016

On the occasion of her breaking the world's longest hunger strike, Rediff.com reproduces this 2011 feature on the activist and her life.

EXPOSED! FIFA scandal stinks up the Caribbean

EXPOSED! FIFA scandal stinks up the Caribbean

Rediff.com16 Jun 2015

'There is a Jack Warner or two in every Caribbean parliament today.'

The man who cost Greece billions

The man who cost Greece billions

Rediff.com20 Jul 2015

Syriza lawmakers walked the corridors telling reporters the government might not survive the night.

Saving a legacy: Gaothans and Koliwadas

Saving a legacy: Gaothans and Koliwadas

Rediff.com26 Apr 2015

Categorising the original settlements of gaothans and koliwadas as slums, the authorities in Mumbai are keen to develop them into commercial complexes. The residents are unwilling to cede their rights. Ranjita Ganesan reports

Meet Trump's Cabinet and Inner Circle

Meet Trump's Cabinet and Inner Circle

Rediff.com20 Jan 2017

Incoming US President Donald Trump has assembled a core team that is -- not surprisingly -- overwhelmingly white and male.

A mysterious country that has baffled the world

A mysterious country that has baffled the world

Rediff.com28 Nov 2015

'Ne Win kept good relations with the Nehru family even though he did nothing to do business with India. When Indira Gandhi was assassinated, Ne Win took off to an undisclosed destination, leading to rumours that he had gone to India. But we had no knowledge of his visit and days later, we were told that he was so struck with grief that he went into meditation on an island.' Ambassador T P Sreenivasan delves into Rajiv Bhatia's new book on mysterious Myanmar.

A diplomat who served India well. RIP APV!

A diplomat who served India well. RIP APV!

Rediff.com3 Sep 2014

'A P Venkateswaran left an indelible impression on Indian diplomacy and made an incredible number of friends, who kept remembering him, more than other Indian diplomats, who served at those posts.' Ambassador T P Sreenivasan salutes a legend of the Indian Foreign Service who passed into the ages.

'Common sense is shrinking in India today'

'Common sense is shrinking in India today'

Rediff.com9 Dec 2014

'We saw how vigorous democracy was when it dislodged authoritarianism under Indira Gandhi. We saw its vigour again when it voted Mr Modi out of humble origins as prime minister. It was Nehru who laid that foundation for India and what is worrying today is Modi's rather imperial style of functioning,' says writer Nayantara Sahgal.

What Gandhiji said about Nehru should suffice for history

What Gandhiji said about Nehru should suffice for history

Rediff.com29 May 2014

'How come with Nehru at the helm, India missed so many buses? He had such unchallenged power that he could have taken the country in any direction he wanted. The sad conclusion is inescapable that Nehru let things drift in true Hamletian ambivalence,' says B S Raghavan.

The changing fortunes of Lalit Modi

The changing fortunes of Lalit Modi

Rediff.com23 Jun 2015

Prakash Bhandari chalks the journey of Lalit Modi from his troubled adolescent days to his mid-life crisis, from his grand success at the India Premier League to his dramatic exit from it

The woman who brought Modi and Sharif together in a hug in Pakistan

The woman who brought Modi and Sharif together in a hug in Pakistan

Rediff.com28 Dec 2015

Sushma Swaraj's suave moves helped Narendra Modi pull off a diplomatic coup, helping regain her standing.

'We should not discount the ISIS threat in India'

'We should not discount the ISIS threat in India'

Rediff.com19 Nov 2015

'These ISIS terrorists want to smash Western civilisation, smash India. For the time being though, their main target would be the US and Europe.'

How India's heritage of pluralism is being undone

How India's heritage of pluralism is being undone

Rediff.com19 Sep 2013

The main culprit in vitiating the inter community/caste/class relations has been the so called 'targeted' approach. This is nothing but discrimination on the basis of faith/caste/class. When an equally poor and deprived child is denied scholarship, despite equal merit, resentment begins to brew, says Colonel (retd) Anil Athale.

The idea of ISIS must be challenged

The idea of ISIS must be challenged

Rediff.com22 Sep 2014

'Islamist terror groups have never been challenged ideologically. As long as their ideology survives, like cancer, these groups will sprout somewhere else, says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).

India needs to return to Dharma

India needs to return to Dharma

Rediff.com26 Jan 2014

Without civilisational moorings, India, more a sub-continent than a country, could not exist. Primacy of Dharma has been the cornerstone of Indian civilisation, says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).

Mistry takes tough calls while opting for continuity

Mistry takes tough calls while opting for continuity

Rediff.com27 Dec 2014

TCS still ace in the pack

'In two years, there hasn't been a single case of corruption in the defence ministry'

'In two years, there hasn't been a single case of corruption in the defence ministry'

Rediff.com23 May 2016

'The cost of the Rafale contract will be substantially lower than being talked about.' 'If you throw away the price they demand, our coffers will soon become empty.' 'When it comes to spending the nation's money I am very careful and stingy.'

WTF NEWS: It's Weird, True and Funny!

WTF NEWS: It's Weird, True and Funny!

Rediff.com9 Jan 2015

Here's your weekly digest of the craziest and funniest stories from around the world.

EXCLUSIVE! How the Naga Accord was reached

EXCLUSIVE! How the Naga Accord was reached

Rediff.com12 Aug 2015

'In the first meeting of this new year, we took a joint new year resolution that we will complete it this year. At the time things were not very clear, but the mood was clear that yes, we must resolve it.' 'Yes, details have to come out, but there are some sensitivities, there are some stake-holders not yet on board, especially other Naga undergrounds etc, we would like them to come on board... So at a proper time it has to be revealed to the country, and to the legislature. Perhaps, we may have to wait for some more time.' 'With better understanding of the Indian system, many of them have learnt, realised, appreciated that Naga nationalist aspirations can be accommodated in the Indian system. The Indian system is pretty comprehensive and flexible.' 'A Naga has as much stake, claim over India as any other Indian. There is no distinction. This, Nagas have realised, that yes, Naga nationalist aspirations and Indian nationalism are not mutually exclusive.' Ravindra Narayan Ravi, the Government of India's Special Interlocutor for the Naga talks, explains how the Naga Peace Accord was reached in an exclusive interview to Saisuresh Sivaswamy/Rediff.com

Influential medical group in the US to attend PBD 2014

Influential medical group in the US to attend PBD 2014

Rediff.com6 Jan 2014

The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin will attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Delhi with an agenda to develop a plan to bring together AAPI, NGOs and the government to provide access to affordable and quality health care. Aziz Haniffa reports

Who's who in the Congress's infamous 25

Who's who in the Congress's infamous 25

Rediff.com4 Aug 2015

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan came down heavily on Congress leaders for "persistently and willfully obstructing the House" and suspended them for 5 days. The members who have been punished include a president's son, ex-chief ministers' sons and an ex-CM's grandson. Rediff.com brings you the complete list.

Did the US turn a blind eye to the Taliban till...

Did the US turn a blind eye to the Taliban till...

Rediff.com9 Nov 2014

'It is important to note that American officials were trying their best to use the Taliban for their oil games till December 1997 when Mullah Ghous was invited to America. State Department officials did not show any interest in capturing or killing Osama bin Laden even at that time.'

The great Indian rope trick and other illusions of progress

The great Indian rope trick and other illusions of progress

Rediff.com16 Jul 2013

Rajeev Srinivasan on how Indians are satisfied with illusions, not reality.