'Antonio Guterres takes over as the UN secretary-general with tremendous goodwill as the process of his election was without the usual horse trading and compromises.' 'We have every reason to believe that he will be sensitive to Indian positions,' says Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
At least eight MLAs of the opposition Congress in BJP-ruled Gujarat appeared to have voted for Kovind.
'Even if it is difficult to replicate Bangladesh, India can cause sufficient turmoil in Pakistan to keep it off balance,' says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Is second youngest Masters winner after Tiger Woods
'Even if someone other than Trump had become president, the US distancing from Pakistan and coming closer to India was already set in motion.' 'With Trump openly declaring his intent to take on Islamic extremism, the days of US political correctness are over,' says Colonel (Dr) Anil A Athale (retd).
The Perth-born driver has yet to finish higher than seventh in a Formula One career that started in 2011 with now-defunct HRT but he now stands on the cusp of the big time with the dominant team of the last four years.
'Not a single soldier should be left behind in enemy territory.' Nitin A Gokhale's fascinating account on how the Indian Army conducted the daring and successful cross-border operation last September.
The demand for OROP has been projected as an unambiguous issue but a good policy argument must have a sound economic element.
These sequels have failed to match up to their first installments.
'Anything that is anti-growth is demonised because growth is the biggest religion.' 'Growth is synonymous with progress. In fact, it is the opposite.' 'Exponential growth is cancer.'
The government's critics say that the Prime Minister failed to rein in vicious and unprecedented personal attacks on the central bank chief by the likes of Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy.
Raghuram Rajan joked he wasn't expecting to win any votes or Facebook 'likes' in the position.
'Communal tension and violent mobs have been part of our country, whichever government is in power. What has happened since the BJP came into power is that individuals or group activities asserting Hindutva have become louder, more aggressive.' 'Now we are finding ourselves in a country where reasoning and thinking have no place, the power lies with the goons.' 'I find any ban, whether on what we write, what we eat, how we dress etc, absolutely abominable. They have no place in a democracy.' Shashi Deshpande on why she joined the writers' protest against the growing intolerance in India.
'India can rely on him to fight terrorism in all its forms, including Pakistan-sponsored outfits.'
Here's this week's collection of the world's craziest and funniest stories from around the world.
The actress stood out in an off-shoulder shimmery dust blue gown. She teamed her gown with a classic bob, which is similar to the look that she will be seen sporting in her upcoming film Rangoon.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday.
India annually spends Rs 4.5 lakh crore on importing petroleum products, and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari feels methane is a cost-effective import substitution. But is it? Pallava Bagla examines the pros and cons.
'Single life is pretty good. I like the attention. If I feel lonely, I just call my mom and she sleeps in my bed,' Kalki Koechlin tells Rediff.com contributor Paloma Sharma.
Joining hands with his arch rival, Lalu Prasad Yadav, paid off for the Bihar chief minister
One has to wonder what is so wrong with the European Union.
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India's share of 2015 emerging market allocations will be driven by FII perceptions on likely growth and reform.
Dear female friends, beware of lumps, bloody discharge and puckered skin.
That does not change with the much-expected new US announcement, it only reiterates the imbalance.
We are in this mess as the machinery of the government in a market economy is broken. We need technically sound banking regulation, so that capital is not misallocated, and the landscape does not get littered with zombie firms kept alive through evergreening, says Ajay Shah.
At no other time has a single meeting of the leaders of two democracies been so critical and hazardous.
Work-wife balance might be the single most important life challenge for our generation of entrepreneurs.
'There are many people like me who were kept away from Jayalalithaa.' 'There is a coterie who did not allow her to meet people.'
How well did these actors play homosexuals? RATE THEM!
'He can say justice has not been done in accordance with the free will of the MLAs without a secret ballot and also by the issuing of a whip.' 'He can ask for a fresh show of strength.'
Hunterrr is a deeply problematic film, and fails rather miserably, warns Raja Sen.
Democracy is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for rooting out corruption
'Even if the anti-Modi 'Mahagatbandhan' gets a majority there is simply no way that Nitish Kumar can ensure even a stable government, leave alone a good -- clean, development-oriented -- government,' argues T V R Shenoy.
'If ever there was a film that begged to be celebrated on the big-screen -- heck, that begged viewing with 3D glasses -- it is this one, a sensational ride that throws you, the viewer, into the deep-end and drags you along for a chained and scorched and unbelievable ride,' says Raja Sen.
We take a look at the amazing things that Scott Kelly experienced as he hovered 400 kilometres above the earth zipping around it at 17 thousand miles per hour for nearly an year.
The Andhra Pradesh chief minister has just witnessed his state's division and the idea of leaving the Congress to launch a regional party might leave him with nothing, says Aditi Phadnis
'I would like to do a biopic (on) Parveen Babi. She was such a gorgeous woman. She was also my neighbour. It was very sad when she died. It is so tragic when you are young and have fame, fortune, praise and everything and then you are alone.' Shraddha Kapoor discusses her big hits.
The global stigma of discrimination will go only when Asians and Africans have the self-confidence to be themselves, says Sunanda K Datta-Ray
Many in the Bharatiya Janata Party feel that internal democracy in the party is being stifled
