'Is it right and proper for the US authorities to allow people like Subrahmanya Swamy [sic] go round the country preaching murder, violence, overthrow of the duly elected Government of India?' A fascinating excerpt from Sugata Srinivasaraju's The Conscience Network: A Chronicle of Resistance to a Dictatorship.
The real Kathmandu is different from the Kathmandu of the news stories, writes Patrick Ward.
Pakistan's ambassador to Turkmenistan, K K Wagan, was deported from the United States after being denied entry at Los Angeles airport. The incident has sparked concerns about diplomatic protocol and the nature of the US authorities' decision. Wagan, who holds a valid US visa, was forced to return to his last port of departure. The Foreign Office confirmed the envoy had gone to the US on a private visit and is investigating the matter. It remains unclear what specific concerns triggered the deportation, but sources suggest the US immigration system flagged Wagan over controversial visa references. The incident has been communicated to Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Foreign Secretary Aamna Baloch, and the Foreign Ministry has directed its Consulate in Los Angeles to investigate.
There is a "high possibility" of a meeting between Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, a senior official said. The meeting comes amid strained ties between the two countries, marked by India's concerns over violence against Hindus and a rise of hardline Islamist forces in Bangladesh. Yunus's recent comments about India's northeastern states being landlocked and Bangladesh being the "only guardian of the ocean" in the region have drawn sharp reactions from Indian politicians. However, a Bangladesh official insists that Yunus's statement was misinterpreted.
Nepal's leading private airline, Cosmic Air, on Friday launched operations between Kathmandu and Kolkata, making the metropolis its second important destination in India after Delhi.
Nepal has sharply increased permit fees for climbing Mount Everest by 36 per cent and also introduced a slew of measures aimed at controlling garbage pollution on the world's tallest peak, officials said.
At least 27 Indian pilgrims, all from Maharashtra, who arrived in Nepal for a 10-day tour were killed and 16 others injured after their bus veered off the highway and fell into a fast-flowing river in central Nepal on Friday.
Much to the surprise of Beijing, Nepal's Parliament on Sunday ratified the contentious US-funded $500 million Millennium Challenge Corporation compact along with an interpretive declaration a day ahead of the February 28 deadline set by Washington.
IndiGo is only behind Qatar Airways, which grew slightly faster at 10.4 per cent in the same period, according to the latest data from Official Airline Guide (OAG) based on 20 top airlines in the world.
Maoists tried to extort Rs 10 million from a hotelier, who refused and was beaten up.
Jet is the only airline offering four weekly flights on the route.
Shahid's daughter turns 8... Sanjeeda is in Kathmandu...Patralekhaa goes pink...
A 65-year-old Pakistani man, Nadir Munir Khan, has been residing in a room at the Mata Ramabai Ambedkar Marg police station in Mumbai for the past four months, awaiting deportation after serving a sentence for illegal entry into India. He was arrested in April 2024 for being found roaming suspiciously near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus without a visa or necessary documents. Khan claims he was cheated in Nepal, assaulted, and robbed, leading him to enter India illegally. The police have contacted Pakistani authorities and are awaiting their response for Khan's deportation.
Vaani's cute Nimrat goes on holiday...Alaya gets the blues...
Research using NASA satellite images has revealed a concerning retreat of snow cover atop Mount Everest, indicating a lack of snow accumulation during the winter season of 2024-2025. This trend, observed through a 'rising snow line', suggests a warming climate and warmer, drier conditions prevailing in recent winters. Glaciologist Mauri Pelto attributes the snow cover loss to sublimation, where ice directly evaporates, contributing to the retreat of glaciers even above 6,000 meters on Mount Everest.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the passengers onboard the bus that fell 150 metres into a river in central Nepal were from Jalgaon district in the state as per preliminary information, and efforts are on to bring them back.
In addition to that, 68 people still remain missing, with 100 more sustaining injuries in the disaster.
Three Thursdays after Nepalese President Ram Chand Poudel conferred the rank of honorary general of the Nepalese army on General Upendra Dwivedi in Kathmandu, President Droupadi Murmu conferred the honorary rank of general of the Indian Army on General Ashok Raj Sigdel, Nepal's army chief, at a special investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Pakistan has got the message that the Modi regime in New Delhi has brought in a new language of dialogue with Islamabad, sources well informed about the preparation for the Kathmandu meeting tell Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com
At least 65 people, including seven Indian nationals, are believed to be missing after two buses were swept away by a landslide in Nepal and pushed into a swollen river on Friday, according to media reports.
No frills carrier SpiceJet on Monday cut down base fare for its evening flights to Kathmandu to Re 1 for two days starting on Monday.
Local officials said no casualties have been reported due to Wednesday's quake that hit the Madoi County in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai province of northwest China at 3:44 pm (Beijing time), tremors for which were also felt in north-eastern Nepal.
An IA spokesman said that the airline is operating two "standby flights" to Kathmandu, one each from Delhi and Varanasi to fly back the passengers.
A Nepalese private plane crashed and caught fire shortly after taking off from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Wednesday, killing 18 people aboard, including a child, and seriously injuring the pilot -- the only survivor.
A Kathmandu-bound Jet Airways flight with 111 people on board was on Monday halted minutes before take-off from the IGI Airport in New Delhi after a bomb threat.
Waving red flags, 5000 militant cadres forced their way into the Durbar Square city centre where their chief Prachanda declared Kathmandu valley as the Newa Autonomous State.
India on Wednesday said it is focusing on Nepal's capital Kathmandu and the worst-affected Gorkha district for its rescue and relief efforts in the quake-hit country.
Chaos prevailed at Nepal's only international airport with hundreds waiting to be evacuated from the earthquake-ravaged country.
The police suspect Maoist rebels were behind the blast in Kathmandu's largest office-cum shopping complex.
Pooja Kataria, a passenger on the IC-814 flight hijacked in 1999, says viewers should approach the recently released web series based on the incident as entertainment rather than sparking controversy.
"The conclave is part of atmosphere-building without which confidence-building measures like the one proposed by the political leadership of India and Pakistan will not succeed," military analyst General Ashok K Mehta said.
The epicentre was located in Tsogo Township of Dingri County, which has a population of approximately 6,900 people within a 20-km radius. There are 27 villages within this area.
India's Army Chief, General Upendra Dwivedi, emphasized the Indian Army's role as a "melting pot" and cited the harmony between Kuki and Meitei soldiers in the same units as an example of the force's unifying nature. He made the remarks during a lecture in Pune, highlighting the Army's efforts to promote unity and integration within its ranks. General Dwivedi also touched upon the Army's role in internal security in Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeast, and the upcoming Olympics.
The weekend attack was condemned by the United Nations and major political parties, including the Maoists who termed it as an attempt to disrupt the Constituent Assembly polls to be held in November and derail the peace process.
India has lodged a strong protest with Bangladesh over a now-deleted social media post by a key aide of Bangladesh's interim government that claimed certain areas of Indian territory should be part of that country. The post, which included a map showing parts of West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam as belonging to Bangladesh, was made by Mahfuz Alam, a de facto minister in the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government. The post sparked backlash and was subsequently deleted. India's External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reminded all concerned to be "mindful" of their public comments and emphasized the need for responsibility in public articulation.
