News for 'UN Special Representatives'

Why Jahangir banned animal slaughter

Why Jahangir banned animal slaughter

Rediff.com24 Nov 2018

A fascinating glimpse of the Mughal emperor, courtesy Parvati Sharma's new book Jahangir: An Intimate Portrait Of A Great Mughal.

France has the Blues

France has the Blues

Rediff.com18 Apr 2017

'Who would have thought that Brexit would take place or Donald Trump would become US president or Kim Jong-un's madness could bring the prospect of nuclear war over Asia?' 'It is the time of the unexpected; the French elections should perhaps be seen in this perspective,' says Claude Arpi.

Brooks Report: Four failures that led to the 1962 debacle

Brooks Report: Four failures that led to the 1962 debacle

Rediff.com21 Mar 2014

It is well-known, and the Brooks-Bhagat report vouches for it, that the real failure for the 1962 debacle against China was not military, but political, says Ram Madhav.

Obama, Biden will host dinner/lunch, but NaMo will eat nothing

Obama, Biden will host dinner/lunch, but NaMo will eat nothing

Rediff.com23 Sep 2014

For the last 40 years, Modi fasts during Navratras devoted to Ma Amba. He drinks lukewarm water and sometime he eats a fruit a day.

Ruchira Gupta: The icon we called 'Kiddy'

Ruchira Gupta: The icon we called 'Kiddy'

Rediff.com14 Feb 2017

When Subir Roy met Ruchira Gupta at The Telegraph 35 years ago she was not quite 20 and not a graduate. Today she is the indomitable founder of Apne Aap, which has touched the lives of over 21,000 women who were victims of sex trafficking.

'Rest of India needs to listen to what the Kashmiris have to say'

'Rest of India needs to listen to what the Kashmiris have to say'

Rediff.com14 Jul 2016

'The Kashmiri wants freedom, the dignity that comes from it and the intellectual versatility that flows from the combination of the two,' says political historian Siddiq Wahid.

8 crucial takeaways from Singh-Putin summit

8 crucial takeaways from Singh-Putin summit

Rediff.com22 Oct 2013

The 13-page joint statement issued after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's annual summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin shows the breadth and depth of relations between the two countries and the trust factor that has been constant element behind it.

Trump's dinner for Modi, a first for a visiting leader

Trump's dinner for Modi, a first for a visiting leader

Rediff.com24 Jun 2017

"This will be the first dinner for a foreign dignitary at the White House under this administration. So, we think that's very significant," a senior administration official told reporters at the White House on the eve of Modi's arrival.

Do Indian stand-up comics make money?

Do Indian stand-up comics make money?

Rediff.com13 Dec 2017

It turns out that there is serious money in funny business these days!

General Jacob masterminded Pakistan's surrender in 1971

General Jacob masterminded Pakistan's surrender in 1971

Rediff.com13 Jan 2016

Lieutenant General J F R Jacob, Chief of Staff, Eastern Army Command during the 1971 war, revealed how, armed with only a draft surrender document and an aide, he made the Pakistani army led by Lieutenant General A A K Niazi surrender.

Lt Gen JFR Jacob: The man who masterminded Pakistan's surrender in 1971

Lt Gen JFR Jacob: The man who masterminded Pakistan's surrender in 1971

Rediff.com13 Jan 2016

Lieutenant General J F R Jacob, Chief of Staff, Eastern Army Command during the 1971 war, revealed how, armed with only a draft surrender document and an aide, he made the Pakistani army led by Lieutenant General A A K Niazi surrender.

Lt Gen JFR Jacob: The man who masterminded Pakistan's surrender in 1971

Lt Gen JFR Jacob: The man who masterminded Pakistan's surrender in 1971

Rediff.com13 Jan 2016

Lieutenant General J F R Jacob, Chief of Staff, Eastern Army Command during the 1971 war, revealed how, armed with only a draft surrender document and an aide, he made the Pakistani army led by Lieutenant General A A K Niazi surrender.

Lt Gen JFR Jacob: The man who masterminded Pakistan's surrender in 1971

Lt Gen JFR Jacob: The man who masterminded Pakistan's surrender in 1971

Rediff.com13 Jan 2016

Lieutenant General J F R Jacob, Chief of Staff, Eastern Army Command during the 1971 war, revealed how, armed with only a draft surrender document and an aide, he made the Pakistani army led by Lieutenant General A A K Niazi surrender.

'Zaira Wasim episode is taking Islam backward'

'Zaira Wasim episode is taking Islam backward'

Rediff.com2 Jul 2019

'Why should she involve Islam in it?' 'We are living in a secular democracy and she has the right to do what she wants. but why bring Islam into it?'

How Pakistan surrendered in 1971

How Pakistan surrendered in 1971

Rediff.com16 Dec 2015

Lieutenant General J F R Jacob, Chief of Staff, Eastern Army Command during the 1971 war, reveals how, armed with only a draft surrender document and an aide, he made the Pakistani army led by Lieutenant General A A K Niazi surrender.

Exclusive! How India reached out to the Afghan Mujahideen

Exclusive! How India reached out to the Afghan Mujahideen

Rediff.com14 Sep 2016

'It was a mission undertaken in darkness in every sense -- literally, because Afghanistan had no electricity at that time; and, metaphorically because Delhi historically dealt only with the Pashtuns of Afghanistan and the foreign ministry's vast archives had nothing to offer on the culture and politics of the northern tribes in the Hindu Kush.'

Here are the best photos from the World Press Photo Awards

Here are the best photos from the World Press Photo Awards

Rediff.com15 Feb 2017

The winners of the 60th annual World Press Photo Contest have been announced. The winning shot was taken by Turkish Associated Press photographer called Burhan Ozbilici, with an image he has simply titled An Assassination in Turkey. Showing Mevlut Mert Altintas shouting after shooting Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, at an art gallery in Ankara, Turkey, on December 19 2016.

1986 moment: Will the seculars play it right this time?

1986 moment: Will the seculars play it right this time?

Rediff.com15 Mar 2018

'In the name of pluralism-secularism, the kind of politics that was pursued revealed to many that it was basically a favour to Muslim conservatism and communalism -- a politics of minority-ism, rather than of secularism.' 'This is how significant sections of Hindus have been made to loathe the very idea of Indian secularism by now,' says Mohammad Sajjad.

'Why are we handing over our territory to Pakistan?

'Why are we handing over our territory to Pakistan?

Rediff.com13 Jun 2016

'Our policy seems to be to give away part of J&K, even though we are entitled to the entire state.' 'The Congress has done so, and the BJP is following the same policy.' 'No one is applying their mind to the legal position.' 'Kashmir is not a part of Pakistan under its own constitution.'

Be prepared for China's Electronic Warfare

Be prepared for China's Electronic Warfare

Rediff.com27 Jun 2017

'In India, China's capacities to conduct new types of warfare is critically underestimated,' says Claude Arpi.

125-member Indian delegation heads for Davos

125-member Indian delegation heads for Davos

Rediff.com19 Jan 2014

The annual talk-fest of rich and powerful from across the world in snow-laden Alpine resort town of Davos will be attended by nearly 40 heads of government among more than 2,500 global leaders from over 100 countries.

India, Russia ink key pact for 2 nuclear power units

India, Russia ink key pact for 2 nuclear power units

Rediff.com1 Jun 2017

The two countries also asked all nations to stop cross-border movement of terrorists and asserted that a decisive collective response from the international community without 'double standards and selectivity' was required to combat the threat of terrorism.

How Modi can resolve the China problem

How Modi can resolve the China problem

Rediff.com22 Jan 2018

'China any day would prefer to team up with India and dump Pakistan once the resolution of the border dispute becomes an accomplished fact.'

Naga peace accord: If it's historic, why the secrecy?

Naga peace accord: If it's historic, why the secrecy?

Rediff.com11 Aug 2015

To expect that these past decades of grief, inter-group killings, anxiety and fear will be brushed aside because of the Naga peace accord is being unrealistic. Memories are built on old wounds and they heal slowly. So, it is important to be cautiously optimistic, says Sanjoy Hazarika.

The Hollywood awards season starring Trump

The Hollywood awards season starring Trump

Rediff.com17 Feb 2017

Every major awards ceremony in the West this year has seen celebrities talk about diversity, inclusion and politics, sometimes even mentioning US President Donald Trump and his policies by name.

Why is this designer painting taxis?

Why is this designer painting taxis?

Rediff.com3 Nov 2015

Sanket Avlani started Taxi Fabric to provide a platform for young and upcoming designers who deserve a stage.

20 years after Pokhran: PMs and India's nuclear ambitions

20 years after Pokhran: PMs and India's nuclear ambitions

Rediff.com11 May 2018

20 years ago this day, May 11, 1998, India conducted its second nuclear test at Pokharan in Rajasthan. In a fascinating interview on Rediff.com, K Subrahmanyam revealed how Indian PMs reacted to nuclear ambitions.

'Wayanad will be Rahul's Waterloo'

'Wayanad will be Rahul's Waterloo'

Rediff.com15 Apr 2019

Unlike the LDF and NDA nominees who are at ground zero and campaigning hard every day, the Congress candidate's campaign is undertaken in absentia, dependent on an army of local and imported from the rest of Kerala Congresswomen and men.

Did India gain anything from Modi-Xi meeting?

Did India gain anything from Modi-Xi meeting?

Rediff.com18 Jul 2014

All the three issues raised by China at the Modi-Xi meeting are either intractable or peripheral to the bilateral relations and suggest conventional methods to placate the other side without yielding much, says Srikanth Kondapalli.

The man who will run the 2019 election

The man who will run the 2019 election

Rediff.com22 Nov 2017

'Do you think Indian voters are so immature that they can be impressed or won over by such freebies before the elections?' Election Commissioner Sunil Arora asks A K Bhattacharya.

Modi wants to move rapidly to make things happen in India: John Kerry

Modi wants to move rapidly to make things happen in India: John Kerry

Rediff.com12 Jan 2015

Elaborating on America and India's scope of engagement, Kerry said he has seen first-hand the transformation in Indo-US relationship as well as the ups and downs in the relationship. Kerry says the world's oldest and largest democracy were "finally beginning to captalise on our connections to each other." Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com reports after the media interaction with the US secretary of state.

'I hate these Pakistanis'

'I hate these Pakistanis'

Rediff.com22 Sep 2015

Glimpses of the final days of the 1965 War, as seen from the diary then defence minister Y B Chavan maintained during the war.

Sheena Bora Trial: Indrani, Peter discuss their divorce

Sheena Bora Trial: Indrani, Peter discuss their divorce

Rediff.com23 Oct 2018

Indrani's words were quick, her hand gestures quicker. She kept pointing to certain paragraphs in their consent terms.

'Entrepreneurs not only shape but create the future'

'Entrepreneurs not only shape but create the future'

Rediff.com23 Dec 2017

Five inspiring women who travelled thousands of miles to Hyderabad recently to grow their business and skills share their tales of global entrepreneurship. Vaihayasi Pande Daniel listened in.

Why 9 Manipuri mothers refuse to bury their sons

Why 9 Manipuri mothers refuse to bury their sons

Rediff.com26 Apr 2016

Nine young men killed in police firing last August have become symbols of oppression of the tribals of Manipur.

What Modi told Xi in Ahmedabad

What Modi told Xi in Ahmedabad

Rediff.com7 Jul 2017

'Xi Jinping got a dose of Modi's medicine inside the tent where he was being hosted on the banks of the Sabarmati river.' 'Modi reportedly told him, looking deep into his eyes: "This was not expected of your country. Can you tell me when the troops are withdrawing?".'

'Sonia is a better politician than Rajiv'

'Sonia is a better politician than Rajiv'

Rediff.com11 Aug 2014

'She is tough. She can be stern. She can be unpleasant. Rajiv was none of these things.' 'The Congress cannot survive without the Gandhi family. If Sonia were to quit, their Lok Sabha seats would drop from 44 to four.' K Natwar Singh shares his bitterness about the Nehru family with Rashme Sehgal.

Ram Madhav: From RSS pracharak to Modi's 'ambassador at large'

Ram Madhav: From RSS pracharak to Modi's 'ambassador at large'

Rediff.com29 Nov 2014

From planning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign trips to playing a key role in the Jammu and Kashmir elections, former RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav is become increasingly important in the BJP

Time for reshaping India's neighbourhood policy

Time for reshaping India's neighbourhood policy

Rediff.com28 Mar 2014

Abstaining from voting on a UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka was dictated as much by necessity and self-preservation as by a desire to place bilateralism at the front and centre of New Delhi's ties with Colombo, says Ramesh Ramachandran.

Decoding China's game play against India

Decoding China's game play against India

Rediff.com30 Aug 2016

'With the recent challenging of the notion of the Indian Ocean Region being India's strategic backyard, China is gradually upping the ante in the maritime realm around India.'