'There is a mafia operating in that area that lends money to these labourers. Loans are paid off with red sandalwood. The actual smugglers don't need to come to the area.'
British royal couple Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton on Thursday visited the Kaziranga National Park in a jeep safari.
At the annual Cobra Gold military exercise, you can find international marines seeking out water in unlikely places, eating spider eggs, and even drinking cobra blood.
Heavy rains pounded south and central Kerala on Saturday wreaking havoc in many parts with some people feared missing in the landslides that occurred in hilly areas bordering Kottayam and Idukki districts prompting the state government to seek the assistance of the Army and Air Force for rescue operations.
'Man-made interventions vastly increased the magnitude of the tragedy.'
Gauba took chargeafter incumbent Rajiv Mehrishi retired from service.
A prominent Right to Information activist, who had filed a public interest litigation against illegal mining in Gir forest region, was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen opposite Gujarat high court in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, police said.
In the second part of this four-part special, Joginder Tuteja lists the new releases of 2021.
A Central Reserve Police Force jawan of the specialised COBRA unit was killed and a Deputy Commandant injured in a fierce encounter with Maoists at Chiklam village in Jharkhand's Naxal-hit Ghatsila sub-division on Wednesday.
From majestic forts to scenic lakes, choose between trips that offer the best of history and culture and tranquility.
The land acquisition, the consolidation process in Kot and a slew of other decisions by the Haryana government to open the hills to privatisation and commercial activity run contrary to court orders, environmentalists' demand, and at times the Union government's measures to protect the Aravalli hills, say Nitin Sethi & Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava.
The Rajasthan Police has also set up a high-level committee to probe the allegations of delay against the Alwar police in taking Khan to a hospital.
Wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers have started flocking to Assam's two principal habitats of one-horned rhinoceros, Kaziranga National Park and Pabitora Wildlife sanctuary, which have been declared open for tourists for the winter till April-end.
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Arunachal Pradesh has urged the union home affairs ministry to pay special attention and expedite 'action-oriented' measures to build defence infrastructure in the state.
With rhino poachers creating havoc in the Kaziranga National Park, the Assam government has sent a proposal to the Union government for raising a Rhino Protection Force with more than 1,200 personnel while National Investigative Agency's help would be sought to bust the international rhino-poaching racket.
A red fox in a derelict schoolroom, a Bengal Tiger in the forests of Bhutan and walruses are just a few of animals featured in the photos shortlisted for this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year. While we wait for the results to be announced, here are some of the contenders in the contest.
As India celebrates its 67th Republic Day, Rediff.com takes a look at some brave men who stood their ground to protect their country from those who sought to bleed it.
A rhino was shot dead by poachers in Kaziranga National Park in Assam but its horn was left intact, park sources said on Friday.
Three persons, including a woman and a child, were killed on the spot and two other children were critically injured when somebody fiddled with a round type of explosive device that was in the house of SPO Haroon at Gurnal-Beel village on Saturday morning, they said. Later, the two injured children also succumbed to their injuries in hospital, they added.
Are the lions tourists see in Gir forest really wild and free? Prasanna D Zore doesn't feel so.
'Above 2,000 metres the gradient of the Himalayas is very steep and if you build any infrastructure (roads, dams, hydro power projects) in these regions, it will not be able to sustain these events (the onslaught of debris that comes down with great speeds).'
The two new Cadbury Celebrations dark chocolate variants will be available in panned flavours like Hazelnut, Cashew and Almond and fine assorted flavours like Mocha Almond, Rum n Raisin, Black Forest and Cashew Cointreau.
The situation is now under control in the area, which is on the border between the Kolasib district of Mizoram and Cachar district of Assam.
'He destroyed many of our tanks, and finally, it was just the two of us left facing each other with our tanks just 200 m apart.' A tale of valour excerpted from Rachna Bisht Rawat's 1971: Charge Of The Gorkhas And Other Stories.
Ritika Bhatia lists some of the best camping spots and adventure trails for a perfect mix of offbeat vacation and precious solitude this summer.
The deadly Maoist ambush, claiming the lives of 14 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, was planned and supervised by local Naxal leaders who were reportedly camping in south Bastar for past few days, a senior police official said on Tuesday.
As the MAMI film festival kicks off, Aseem Chhabra picks the must watch Indian movies.
The views are stunning, the skies are blue, the forests are lush and, wonder of wonders, thanks to the discipline of the tea estate, even man isn't vile, discover Renu Bahal Wadhwa and T C A Srinivasa Raghavan after a trip to Kerala's breathtakingly beautiful hill retreat.
Traditional textile and art forms are being adapted into modern-day garments, ranging from the super-luxurious to the casual.
Arsenal's defence of the trophy ended with something of a whimper as Mikel Arteta's side struggled with repeatedly sloppy defending.
Britain has finalised 1 billion pounds worth of new trade and investment with India, creating over 6,500 jobs in the UK, to be signed off at a virtual summit between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday. The investments confirmed by Downing Street on Monday evening form part of an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP), which will set the ambition to double the value of UK-India trade by 2030 and declare a shared intent to begin work towards a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA). "Like every aspect of the UK-India relationship, the economic links between our countries make our people stronger and safer," Johnson said.
Actor Atul Kulkarni has written the script for the official Forrest Gump remake.
The government keeps an eye on Chinese presence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and has asked China to "cease such activities" there, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley informed Lok Sabha on Friday.
Goswami not only killed two terrorists, but also assisted in neutralising the other two and save the lives of three of his wounded colleagues.
A high alert has been sounded along the Line of Control in Kashmir Valley as infiltration from across the border has seen a sudden spurt with terror groups including banned LeT and JeM believed to have sent nearly 20-25 cadres in the last 10 weeks.
Students are made aware of the relevance of Vedic culture and ancient heritage and imparted Vedic knowledge about all the four Vedas by experts (Vidwans) in the field.
Mehtrotra also said the fresh tiger census at the Sariska was completed last week but the findings are yet to be released by the state government.\n
