A normal monsoon will augur well for the country's agriculture sector and boost crop yields. However, good rains - and surplus crops - could also depress prices, hurting farm income, unless adequate steps are taken.
Some experts opine that green crackers are yet not practical and question government's move to promote them.
At least 13 people, including 11 security personnel, were killed and more than 20 injured on Thursday when a powerful rickshaw bomb ripped through a bus carrying soldiers in the restive Quetta city of southwest Pakistan. The bomb containing nearly 100 kilos of explosives went off as the bus carrying Balochistan Constabulary personnel was passing through Bhosa Mandi area on the outskirts of the city on Thursday morning, police officials said.
China continues to reel under heavy floods with 277 people dead or missing in rain-triggered disasters since last week, while a key bridge, connecting a national highway, was Tuesday washed away by flood waters.
Crop loss would the highest in Karnataka (where a little more than 75 per cent of the national output comes from), followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
As many as 346 students, including 45 in serious condition, have been hospitalised in southwest China, local officials said on Friday.
The container trucks were set ablaze in Kambiri area of Bolan district by four masked militants on motorbikes, officials of the Levies militia told the media.
Important for India was Xi's meeting with representatives of PLA officers and soldiers stationed in Tibet. The video of the encounter was interesting to watch, especially the large number of lieutenant generals and major generals, observes Claude Arpi.
A bomb blast ripped through a bus carrying security personnel in Quetta city of southwest Pakistan on Thursday, killing 12 people and injuring more than 20, police officials said.
Ben Stokes is back in England's squad for his own well-being but the all-rounder is not an automatic choice for the third Test against India, England coach Trevor Bayliss said on Thursday.
Stokes, 27, was accused of knocking unconscious two men, Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale, in a brawl in Bristol, southwest England, last September just hours after he had played in a one-day international against the West Indies.
At least thirty-four people were killed and about 150 more injured when hundreds of buildings collapsed in Balochistan province of southwest Pakistan today during a massive earthquake that was felt across the region.
Kumar, 73, surrendered before a trial court on December 31, 2018 to serve his sentence in accordance with the Delhi high court's December 17 judgment, which convicted and sent him to prison for the "remainder of his natural life".
Four firefighters were killed and 13 injured while trying to douse a massive fire that broke out at an Indian restaurant and spread to an adjacent motel near a busy highway on Houston.
While global majors like JetBlue, RyanAir, Southwest sell almost 90 per cent of their tickets through their own websites or apps, airlines in India have a minuscule share of around 25 per cent through direct channel booking.
At least 40 people were killed as heavy rains and snowfall wreaked havoc in the northern parts of Pakistan, snapping road links and forcing people to remain indoors at many places.
Roger Federer faces a tough road to another Wimbledon final after Friday's draw threw Rafa Nadal and home favourite Andy Murray into the champion's path and cleared the way for world No 1 Novak Djokovic.
Four paramilitary personnel were killed today in a gun battle between security forces and suspected terrorists in the restive Balochistan province of southwest Pakistan.
Net profit at M&M and Mahindra Vehicle Manufacturing Ltd contracted to Rs 918 crore from Rs 1,238 crore a year ago while revenue and other income decreased to Rs 12,997 crore from Rs 13,551 crore a year ago.
A man accused of brutally attacking an 82-year-old Sikh with a steel rod outside a Gurdwara in a suspected hate crime this month has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and abusing an elderly.
At least 19 people were killed and 25 others injured on Sunday in a car bomb attack that targeted a bus taking Shia pilgrims to Iran in Pakistan's restive southwest, hours after 21 soldiers abducted by Taliban from check posts near Peshawar were gunned down by the militants.
South Korea's Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday that India would be the headquarters for its Southwest Asia operations
A 61-year-old doctor was shot dead at his clinic in south-west Delhi's Palam area by an unidentified assailant, police said on Saturday.
Gathering wild cliff honey in China's Yunnan province is not for the faint-hearted -- honey hunters face swarms of bees and are stung repeatedly while suspended from rope ladders. Kevin Frayer, a photographer with Getty, recently went honey hunting with a group of ethnic Lisu people in China's mountainous Yunnan province.
The forecast has an error margin of four days, which is considered normal
The crucial south-west monsoon is expected to bring its first showers to Kerala on June 3, a slight delay that could be attributed to the cyclone activity over the Bay of Bengal. "Southwest monsoon onset over Kerala is likely to be on June 3," said Chief Monsoon Forecaster, India Meteorological Department D Sivananda Pai.
A well-known Hindu doctor was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the restive Balochistan province of southwest Pakistan on Thursday, police said.
China on Sunday commissioned the world's largest radio telescope which has a 4,450-panel reflector as large as 30 football pitches, boosting the global hunt for extraterrestrial life.
At least three people were killed and nine others injured when a suspected suicide bomber targeted a bus carrying Shia pilgrims in Balochistan province of southwest Pakistan on Tuesday, according to officials.
Sixty-three people, including women and children, were killed and nearly 200 injured when a powerful bomb ripped through a Shia neighbourhood of Quetta city in southwest Pakistan on Saturday, the latest in a string of attacks targeting the minority community.
After making steady progress over the last fortnight, the southwest monsoon is expected to stall over the next few days because of unfavourable conditions. The slowdown is only temporary, yet it could heighten the concerns over the smooth progress of the rain-bringing phenomenon upcountry.
At least 72 people were killed and hundreds of others injured on Saturday, when a powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked southwest China's Sichuan province causing massive destruction.
Many parts of the country have received good rainfall and others, including the capital where the monsoon has not moved in so far, woke up to pre-monsoon showers on Wednesday.
The deadly fire has claimed at least 85 lives.
As the southwest monsoon moves slowly across the southern peninsula, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its latest report said the overall rainfall during the second week of the four-month season was almost 50 per cent less than normal.
A Chinese court on Thursday awarded suspended death sentence to a Tibetan Buddhist monk and a 10-year jail term to his nephew for "inciting" people to commit self-immolations opposing Chinese rule in Tibet.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances