Achanta Sharath Kamal is hopeful that India will finish on the podium at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
And then came the chief moment of Friday. If the courtroom had a soundtrack, Beethoven's 9th would be playing, providing a triumphant, dramatic prologue to the production of this last clip. A woman reporter was asking Mekhail about Sanjeev Khanna. He says clearly, without mincing words, emphatically: 'Never seen him. First time I am hearing his name.'
The least the leaders who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi could have done was to highlight the plight of the Muslim riot victims, but they happily chose to ignore it, so privileged they must have felt to be in the presence of the prime minister, the most powerful man in the country, says Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
'If questioning and dethroning hierarchies is your primary motive, why not put an end to the practice of announcing your shining star, your box office draw, in big flaming letters and mentioning everyone else's name in small font at the bottom of the screen?' asks Sreehari Nair.
Given the twin embarrassments of a TTV win and party nominee Karu Nagarajan losing his deposit, polling fewer votes than NOTA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP boss Amit Shah would be pushed to rethink their strategy. Tamil Nadu would thus become a part of the BJP's grander strategy for 2019 rather than a stand-alone affair, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
"The fact is that after 106 days of pre-trial incarceration there is not a single charge framed against me as I speak now," said Chidambaram, who is expected to attend the Rajya Sabha proceedings on Thursday.
Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats are those who believed in the philosphy of Basaveshwara, 12th century social reformer
Every vote now counts in the Tamil Nadu assembly, as the ruling party is walking on a wafer-thin majority. The Opposition DMK-led combine has 98 MLAs on their side, and with four others who had won on the AIADMK's 'Two Leaves' symbol in 2016 but do not belong to the party, per se, playing hide-and-seek with the party leadership, Dhinakaran with two or three other MLAs can give sleepless nights for the ruling party than their post-verdict celebrations may seemingly indicate, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
A full panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday denied Gupta's petition for 'panel rehearing, or, in the alternative, for rehearing en banc'.
Munna Michael's hollowness is as striking as Tiger's chiselled torso, one that he freely bares in everything from an unzipped hoodie to a doily masquerading as a shirt, says Sukanya Verma.
Choking back tears, midfielder Arturo Vidal made a public apology for crashing his Ferrari.
Tara Gandhi-Bhattacharya, Mahatma Gandhi's granddaughter, on Monday said she did not find any trace of anguish on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's face when he spoke about the 2002 post-Godhra riots in his state.
Opposition Congress termed the government's decision as 'unilateral' and said it was against the interest of a majority of Ayyappa devotees in and outside the state.
One of the accused in the December 16 gang rape case on Wednesday told a Delhi court that he is innocent and claimed that the other five co-accused had brutally assaulted and gang-raped the 23-year-old girl in a moving bus.
For a party that has adopted the successful social re-engineering model from Gujarat, Rajasthan and across the rest of the 'Hindi belt' over the past decades, Tamil Nadu continues to remain a tricky customer, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
"We did not vote for the BPF (Bodoland People's Front) candidate in Lok Sabha polls, that's why we were attacked," alleged 75-year-old Iman Ali.
'All I am saying is just give me a chance. It is my dream to compete in the Olympics too.'
'I am not saying let me go to the Olympics. I am asking for a fair chance for a trial.'
'All these years I have been training for what? What is the point if I cannot compete?'
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday.
Defaint supporters of Egypt's deposed president Mohammed Morsi of Friday staged defiant protest rallies against his removal, with police firing teargas at demonstrators, amidst raising fears of renewed violence as the interim government authorised police to disperse them.
'The humanity displayed by ordinary, lower middle class residents of north east Delhi -- Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs -- will be remembered perhaps even more than the evil wrought in the riots,' notes Jyoti Punwani.
Pakistan's law minister Zahid Hamid on Monday quit as the government "surrendered" to hardline religious groups, who called off their violent protests in Islamabad that had left six people dead and hundreds injured.
Gupta lost his final bid to avoid reporting to jail after the US Supreme Court last week denied his application to remain free on bail while his insider trading case is reheard.
Vibhishan was a seeker of justice who risked it all to be on the side of truth, says Sudhir Bisht.
A fiery British cleric accused of facilitating violent jihad in Afghanistan and setting up a terrorist training camp in the United States was convicted by a court in New York on 11 terrorism charges and faces a maximum prison sentence of life.
Travel photographers take note! The competition is already fierce in the 2018 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest, now underway. National Geographic editors have pulled together some of their favourite entries so far from all three categories - Nature, People and Cities. Once the competition closes, a panel of judges, selected by National Geographic Travel, will choose a winner in each of the categories and also name an overall winner. A public vote will also see a people's choice winner named. The photographer scooping the top prize will win $10,000 and have their winning image posted on the Nat Geo Travel Instagram account. The contest is now open and entries can be submitted until May 31, 2018.
As the situation went out of control, police first used water cannon and then burst tear gas shells to disperse the unruly crowd.
Pakistan had reportedly launched 'strikes' against militant bases in Afghanistan on Saturday.
If proven guilty by judge Michael d'Cunha, Jayalalithaa and her aides -- Sasikakala Natrajan, Sudhakaran and Ilavarasi -- could face up to six years in jail.
Paul van Ass, who claims he was fired as chief coach of India's men's hockey team following an altercation with Hockey India president Narinder Batra, says he is willing to resume duties provided there is no "interference" in his work.
'It is the moment where compassion and empathy must supersede our identity, politics, or our ambitions.'
One accused was acquitted by the court.
Signal International, its network of recruiters and labour brokers are being sued for trafficking 500 Indian guest workers to the United States and forcing them to work under barbaric conditions. George Joseph reports for Rediff.com from New York
Shot putter Inderjeet Singh finished last in the final round to end his maiden World Athletics Championships appearance in disappointment.
Here is how Headley became an 'international' terrorist from being a nondescript
'A good opportunity has thus been provided for both countries to back away from the brink without loss of dignity.' 'There is every reason why they should strain every nerve, and grab every chance, shedding all thought of belligerence and showing who's the boss, to establish, maintain and preserve all it takes to lift themselves by their bootstraps,' says B S Raghavan, the distinguished civil servant.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Modi should bluntly ask Chinese President Xi Jinping why he was willing to put his neck in the Pakistani noose, ignoring all that is known of Pakistan's perfidy, says B S Raghavan.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav received a jolt on Tuesday when Governor Ram Naik finally rejected his recommendation for the appointment of the state's Lokayukta.
Promoted Alaves dealt champions Barcelona a shock 2-1 defeat at the Nou Camp on Saturday while Cristiano Ronaldo returned from injury to help Real Madrid thrash Osasuna 5-2 and go two points clear at the top of La Liga. With Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta on the bench, Barcelona went behind to the visitors in the 39th minute before Frenchman Jeremy Mathieu equalised in the 46th. Ibai Gomez then scored the winner in the 64th.
'There are communal overtones in the chargesheet.' 'Hindus and Muslims live peacefully in Jammu and by highlighting such facts in the chargesheet they are committing a conspiracy against Jammu.' The reason: A Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the Kathua rape-cum-murder case (see box below) and the deportation of Rohingya immigrants. Speaking to Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf, B S Salathia, Jammu Bar Association explains their call for a bandh and the communal divide it has brought about in Jammu.
