News for 'Powerful passports'

Sri Lankans on edge ahead of President's promised resignation

Sri Lankans on edge ahead of President's promised resignation

Rediff.com12 Jul 2022

Sri Lankans were on the edge on Tuesday as they waited whether embattled Gotabaya Rajapaksa will honour his offer to resign as president, amid signs that key members of the erstwhile powerful ruling family were attempting to flee in the face of massive public anger against them for mishandling the economy that has bankrupt the country.

'Goa's defectors are pawns on the chess board'

'Goa's defectors are pawns on the chess board'

Rediff.com8 Feb 2022

'Goa is a tiny state, but in terms of its Business of Politics, several powerful lobbies of India are involved in it, be it the mining lobby, hoteliers' lobby, casino lobby, hawala lobby, drugs lobby etc.'

'FinMin's prompt measures helped in Nirav Modi extradition process'

'FinMin's prompt measures helped in Nirav Modi extradition process'

Rediff.com16 Apr 2021

Prompt measures and legal actions taken by the Indian government and PNB helped in securing the extradition of diamantaire Nirav Modi by the UK on Friday, a senior official said. UK Home Secretary Priti Patel on Friday signed off on the order to extradite Nirav Modi, wanted in India on fraud and money laundering charges related to the estimated USD 2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case. According to the government official, a scam of this magnitude had potential to create instability in the financial sector but the deft handling saved the entire public sector banking space from the crisis and litigation.

MEA must apologise for l'affaire Vikas Mishra

MEA must apologise for l'affaire Vikas Mishra

Rediff.com26 Jun 2018

The action against the Lucknow passport officer was a hasty reckless decision taken by an establishment playing to the gallery to appease the pseudo-secular elite of the country, the Lutyens Delhi lobby intent on discrediting the Hindu identity, and an action that blatantly violated the basic tenets of justice, argues Vivek Gumaste.

Would Putin Have Attacked Had Ukraine Kept Its N-Bombs?

Would Putin Have Attacked Had Ukraine Kept Its N-Bombs?

Rediff.com9 Mar 2022

Would Ukraine be such a pushover if it had that nuclear stockpile?' asks Shekhar Gupta.

India on asylum to Myanmar refugees: 'Not signatory to 1951 UN convention'

India on asylum to Myanmar refugees: 'Not signatory to 1951 UN convention'

Rediff.com16 Mar 2021

The ministry of home affairs on Tuesday clarified India's stand of giving Asylum to Myanmar refugees, saying that the country is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol thereon.

Red Fort violence: Actor-activist Deep Sidhu granted bail

Red Fort violence: Actor-activist Deep Sidhu granted bail

Rediff.com17 Apr 2021

Sidhu was arrested on February 9 in connection with the Red Fort violence on January 26 during a farmers' tractor parade against the Centre's three new agriculture laws.

'Would you feel safe if a nuclear power plant was near your house?'

'Would you feel safe if a nuclear power plant was near your house?'

Rediff.com12 Aug 2016

'Not a single person I spoke to there believes that the Kundalkulam plant is safe.'

'Modi's credentials are at stake in UP'

'Modi's credentials are at stake in UP'

Rediff.com22 Dec 2021

'There is a famous saying here that 'the way to Delhi passes through Lucknow'.' 'If the BJP loses UP in 2022, Modi's premiership in 2024 will be in doldrums.'

'If India doesn't give protection to Hindus, who will?'

'If India doesn't give protection to Hindus, who will?'

Rediff.com12 Dec 2019

'With the Citizenship Amendment Bill, Hindus from Pakistan can come to India. They have got a way,' says Gurumukh Jagwani who came to India on his honeymoon, loved the country so much that he stayed back and got Indian citizenship.

Avoid full meals, keep white flag: Dos/don'ts for Indians stuck in Kharkiv

Avoid full meals, keep white flag: Dos/don'ts for Indians stuck in Kharkiv

Rediff.com3 Mar 2022

According to the ministry, "potentially dangerous or difficult situations" that are "to be expected" include use of Molotov cocktails (including by local people or militia), building collapse, falling debris, internet jamming, lack of electricity or food or water, exposure to freezing temperature, psychological trauma, injuries, lack of medical support, lack of transportation and face-to-face situation with armed fighters or military personnel.

Highlights of Union Budget 2022-23

Highlights of Union Budget 2022-23

Rediff.com1 Feb 2022

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents her fourth Budget in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

18 nations in 365 days: Mapping Modi's foreign visits

18 nations in 365 days: Mapping Modi's foreign visits

Rediff.com22 May 2015

As Modi finishes one year in power, here's an interactive map on the PM's foreign tours.

BJP's 'Mehbooba dilemma'

BJP's 'Mehbooba dilemma'

Rediff.com5 Apr 2021

If Mehbooba is 'allowed' to survive unchecked she could transform her campaign into a sentiment typically suited to the ground conditions in Kashmir, observes Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.

Can the ISI keep the Taliban United?

Can the ISI keep the Taliban United?

Rediff.com26 Aug 2021

Despite dependence on the ISI for years of sustenance, Taliban leaders may harbour resentment over the ISI's excessive control, notes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing.

Cong, govt spar in Lok Sabha over sedition cases

Cong, govt spar in Lok Sabha over sedition cases

Rediff.com16 Mar 2021

The Congress and the government engaged in a war of words in Lok Sabha on Tuesday over sedition cases with the opposition party alleging the stringent law is being misused, drawing a sharp retort from Union minister G Kishan Reddy who asked it not to lecture others on democracy.

Phil Neville's novel idea to fight racism in football

Phil Neville's novel idea to fight racism in football

Rediff.com20 Aug 2019

'It's a problem not just in football -- it's a problem in society, but football now is at the forefront of everybody's minds in terms of, we've got the power to do something about it'

So who has the most influential hashtag in NDA?

So who has the most influential hashtag in NDA?

Rediff.com31 Dec 2020

PM has been regularly seeking people's inputs through mygov.in and his app, to assess the mood of the nation.

NBA roundup: Heat start with a bang, blow out Bucks

NBA roundup: Heat start with a bang, blow out Bucks

Rediff.com22 Oct 2021

Boston Celtics' Kanter sparks backlash in China after comments on Tibet, Xi.

US-Taliban Relationship on the cards?

US-Taliban Relationship on the cards?

Rediff.com23 Aug 2021

Biden's lengthy remarks on Afghanistan contained no condemnatory references to the Taliban, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar, who played a stellar role in beginning India's systemic dealings in Afghanistan in 1994.

2 Indians 'illegally confined' to Iranian city, kin seek help

2 Indians 'illegally confined' to Iranian city, kin seek help

Rediff.com21 Jan 2014

Two Indians have been allegedly confined to a guest house in Zanjan city of Iran since over a month by a private engineering firm following a business dispute with their Goa-based company, according to family members of one of them.

What India Inc says about Budget 2022

What India Inc says about Budget 2022

Rediff.com2 Feb 2022

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday unveiled a Rs 39.45 lakh crore Budget with a view to fire up the key engines of the economy to sustain a world-beating recovery from the pandemic. This was Sitharaman's fourth Budget. While the taxpayers were left in the lurch, once again, was she able to cheer Corporate India?

As Work From Home Deepens...

As Work From Home Deepens...

Rediff.com13 Jul 2021

... Are far-reaching social changes coming with it, asks Ajit Balakrishnan.

'The more you alienate Muslims, the more it will have problems for India's internal security'

'The more you alienate Muslims, the more it will have problems for India's internal security'

Rediff.com8 Dec 2021

'Look at the aggressive way in which a campaign against Friday namaz is going on in North Indian cities.' 'Even the Union home minister is part of this vicious campaign.'

Borders are derived realities, not autonomous facts

Borders are derived realities, not autonomous facts

Rediff.com8 Jul 2020

'Manmohan Singh's fond hope of avoiding conflict over territory by 'making borders irrelevant' is increasingly difficult to realise in a world where institutional restraints on aggression are weakening and the new game in town is unalloyed power play,' notes T N Ninan.

Aus Ashes fate could rest with this Pak refugee

Aus Ashes fate could rest with this Pak refugee

Rediff.com11 Apr 2013

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Australia's bid to secure a passport to England for Fawad Ahmed, a 31-year-old Pakistani refugee with just 13 first-class matches under his belt, has underscored the anxiety felt Down Under as the national team prepares to do battle with the 'Old Enemy'.

Is Modi copying Indira's Emergency textbook?

Is Modi copying Indira's Emergency textbook?

Rediff.com26 Jun 2021

'Consider Mrs Gandhi's view of her opponents: Traitors, anti-nationals, rumour-mongers.' Does the spirit of the Emergency-era Indira Gandhi still rule India? asks Vir Sanghvi.

Angola hostage crisis: Parties urge govt to intervene

Angola hostage crisis: Parties urge govt to intervene

Rediff.com14 May 2012

Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Prakash Javadekar has said that the party plans to the issue of Angola in Parliament where the government in power has confisicated the passports of agitating Indians working in various companies and refusing to return them, thereby not allowing them to return to their country of origin.

'Trinamool will get 50% of the votes'

'Trinamool will get 50% of the votes'

Rediff.com1 May 2021

'The BJP will get the lion's share of the Opposition vote. I would give the Congress-Left around 15 per cent.'

CAA doesn't affect any Indian, including Muslims: MHA

CAA doesn't affect any Indian, including Muslims: MHA

Rediff.com17 Dec 2019

The MHA put out a set of FAQs on the Act, seeking to counter a 'misinformation campaign'. It said the Act doesn't have anything to do with the deportation of any foreigner in India.

Banks, end KYC-account freeze nonsense

Banks, end KYC-account freeze nonsense

Rediff.com7 May 2021

While law-abiding customers are harassed for KYC and have to comply with endless paperwork even to open and close accounts, DHFL could easily open nearly 260,000 fake home-loan accounts, reveals Debashis Basu.

Now, foreigners can travel to Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur unrestricted

Now, foreigners can travel to Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur unrestricted

Rediff.com23 Apr 2018

Citizens from Pakistan, China and Afghanistan, however, continue to be banned from all PAP areas, including Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur.

Sushma Swaraj: A politician of many firsts

Sushma Swaraj: A politician of many firsts

Rediff.com7 Aug 2019

She had many firsts to her credit such as being the youngest cabinet minister in the Haryana government, first woman chief minister of Delhi and the first woman spokesperson for a national political party in the country.

Gujarat-based engineer, trapped in Iran for 13 months, returns

Gujarat-based engineer, trapped in Iran for 13 months, returns

Rediff.com19 Jan 2015

Sanket Pandya, an employee of Goa-based firm Power Engineering who was stranded in Iran since December 2013, Monday landed in Mumbai from Tehran and was on his to Vadodara, his hometown.

75th Independence Day: What India should do

75th Independence Day: What India should do

Rediff.com15 Aug 2020

India is too diverse to be governed centrally and with a single system. The way forward is for the central government to keep the monopoly of military power and a share of national resources while the provinces must have greater autonomy, recommends Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).

How would my mother know her father's date of birth?

How would my mother know her father's date of birth?

Rediff.com31 Dec 2019

'How many Indian parents, still alive, really have documents of, their parents's date and place of birth? Not more than 27% of still alive Indians have got birth certificates,' points out Mohammad Sajjad.

Erase our Aadhaar data: Meghalaya residents ask UIDAI

Erase our Aadhaar data: Meghalaya residents ask UIDAI

Rediff.com18 Feb 2018

In emails to the UIDAI, they have also asked for details about the organisations with whom their Aadhaar numbers had been shared.

Is Fahadh Faasil India's Finest Actor?

Is Fahadh Faasil India's Finest Actor?

Rediff.com10 Aug 2021

As Fahadh Faasil turns 39 on August 8, Subhash K Jha looks back at his favourite films featuring the brilliant actor.

'We should be posing tough questions to Pakistan'

'We should be posing tough questions to Pakistan'

Rediff.com26 Apr 2017

'They bluff and lie repeatedly and we swallow their lies.' 'Because we are soft and polite, we get into a mess of our own making.'

Is India becoming a National SUSPICION state?

Is India becoming a National SUSPICION state?

Rediff.com2 Oct 2020

'Suspect all, fix all.' 'It is this mindset that begins at the very top of an establishment and then trickles down and across,' notes Shekhar Gupta.