News for 'Western Europe'

Pussy Riot criticise Sochi Winter Games in new video

Pussy Riot criticise Sochi Winter Games in new video

Rediff.com20 Feb 2014

Members of the all-women protest group Pussy Riot released a new music video on Thursday criticising Russia's staging of the Winter Olympics and its human rights record, in a rare show of dissent during the Games.

Pussy Riot protest members detained by Sochi police

Pussy Riot protest members detained by Sochi police

Rediff.com18 Feb 2014

Pussy Riot protest band members Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova said they were detained on suspicion of theft in the Winter Olympics host city of Sochi on Tuesday, less than two months after their release from prison under an amnesty.

What has Arctic weather got to do with Indian monsoon? A lot, actually

What has Arctic weather got to do with Indian monsoon? A lot, actually

Rediff.com26 May 2018

Data spanning the years 1951 to 2014 show that temperature and pressure conditions at specific locations in the Arctic region during the pre-monsoon period correlate with the Indian summer monsoon rainfall, points out Charu Bahri.

Russian hooligans see themselves as Kremlin foot soldiers

Russian hooligans see themselves as Kremlin foot soldiers

Rediff.com13 Jun 2016

Ultra-nationalist and schooled in their country's historical grievances, Russian soccer hooligans see themselves as fighting the Kremlin's geopolitical battles in miniature when they clash with foreign fans at the Euro 2016 tournament.

What China learned from Lee Kuan Yew... and India didn't

What China learned from Lee Kuan Yew... and India didn't

Rediff.com28 Mar 2015

China's obsession with exports and electronics assembly can also be attributed to having learned from the Singaporean textbook.

On strike, at play: The two faces of France

On strike, at play: The two faces of France

Rediff.com15 Jun 2016

As football fans arrive to watch Euro 2016, France's trade unions have undertaken a series of strikes to provoke a make-or-break situation. Claude Arpi encounters both Gallic beauty and ugliness in the country of his birth.

Gaitonde to Raza: The 10 costliest Indian paintings

Gaitonde to Raza: The 10 costliest Indian paintings

Rediff.com3 Feb 2017

The 'Artery Top 500 Works' list features the most expensive Indian works of art that have been sold so far. Their collective realised price? $367.9 million! As the demand and value of Indian artists grows internationally, we look at the record setters.

The burden of expectation on Mrs Swaraj

The burden of expectation on Mrs Swaraj

Rediff.com9 Dec 2015

'The public has unfair expectations from Mrs Swaraj who is in Islamabad primarily for the Heart of Asia Conference. To restore India's position among stakeholders on Afghanistan is a fair one but to expect her to do more on the Indo-Pak front without requisite preparatory work is unrealistic.'

India among world's 20 LEAST peaceful nations

India among world's 20 LEAST peaceful nations

Rediff.com19 Jun 2015

According to a report by the Institute for Economics and Peace, an independent, think tank dedicated to shifting the world's focus to peace as a positive and tangible measure of progress, India ranks 143rd

Why India needs more well-managed and viable states

Why India needs more well-managed and viable states

Rediff.com12 Aug 2013

India's fear of small states derives from memories of Partition and the paranoid view that it will break up under 'too many' states. It's time to shed such fears and bite the 'states' reorganisation' bullet. India won't crumble under a few more Telanganas, Vidarbhas or Gorkhalands, says Praful Bidwai.

Infosys sees future in new tech; investors cheer strategy shift

Infosys sees future in new tech; investors cheer strategy shift

Rediff.com10 Oct 2014

Annualised staff attrition rate at Infosys rose to a record 20.1 per cent in the September quarter.

The Indian braveheart

The Indian braveheart

Rediff.com30 Nov 2015

The subcontinental man has a better record of fighting than Arabs, and what the Indian soldier has always needed is good leadership, says Aakar Patel.

'People abroad were surprised to know that we tattoo in India'

'People abroad were surprised to know that we tattoo in India'

Rediff.com27 Nov 2015

India's Abhinandan Basu is among the 100 top tattoo artists in the world list.

India's billionaires' success mantras

India's billionaires' success mantras

Rediff.com24 Mar 2017

Three businessmen disclose their success mantras: One belongs to an old Marwari family, another is a second generation industrialist whose father scripted an amazing rags-to-riches story and the third was a professional till one day he succumbed to the charms of entrepreneurship.

Formula One teams rule out Russian race boycott

Formula One teams rule out Russian race boycott

Rediff.com26 Jul 2014

Formula One teams say they will race in Russia, despite the crisis in Ukraine and downing of a Malaysian airliner, unless the country's debut Grand Prix in October is called off or they are ordered not to go.

31 images you won't believe were taken only on an iPhone

31 images you won't believe were taken only on an iPhone

Rediff.com6 Jul 2017

The tenth annual iPhone Photography Awards received thousands of entries -- all submitted by amateur photographers from more than 140 countries around the world.

Why is India silent on US military strike against Syria?

Why is India silent on US military strike against Syria?

Rediff.com1 Sep 2013

Has New Delhi internalised the truth that it does not matter, asks Saeed Naqvi. Such deafening silence from the government, principal opposition, even the pundits!

'The need to look outward is common to both India and China'

'The need to look outward is common to both India and China'

Rediff.com1 Sep 2014

No Indian auto brand (including Tata or Mahindra) is well-known globally.

Falling oil prices may lead to regime change in Saudi, Russia

Falling oil prices may lead to regime change in Saudi, Russia

Rediff.com19 Jan 2016

'As matters stand, Russia and Saudi Arabia, two of the world's biggest oil producers, are set for a hard landing as they didn't diversify their economies as much as they should have when the oil prices were booming.'

Indian designer wins International Woolmark Prize

Indian designer wins International Woolmark Prize

Rediff.com15 Jan 2016

Fashion designer Suket Dhir has bagged the International Woolmark Prize for menswear, becoming the second from India in four years to win the Rs 48.5 lakh worth prestigious prize.

Don't judge China with a fossilised mindset

Don't judge China with a fossilised mindset

Rediff.com22 Jan 2018

'There is no Buddha or Gandhi among countries, existing for the service of others; they all exist for the good of themselves.' 'For each country, its own interests should be paramount, and it is futile and churlish to expect China to be an exception to this rule,' says B S Raghavan, the distinguished civil servant and long-time China-watcher.

The maharaja who gave his people museums

The maharaja who gave his people museums

Rediff.com3 Mar 2017

The collector king Sayajirao Gaekwad III, who lived a century ago, put together a fantastic world of Indian and European art for his subjects.

Champions League PHOTOS: United play-offs hopes hang in balance; Real win

Champions League PHOTOS: United play-offs hopes hang in balance; Real win

Rediff.com26 Nov 2015

Photos from the UEFA Champions League matches played across Europe on Wednesday

Has India lost Kashmir?

Has India lost Kashmir?

Rediff.com10 May 2017

India isn't Israel, nor can it, or should be, says Shekhar Gupta.

Why questions raised by Gunter Grass need to be debated

Why questions raised by Gunter Grass need to be debated

Rediff.com19 Apr 2015

He was ready even to take on Germany's collective guilt over the Holocaust

Why did the British suck up to the Chinese?

Why did the British suck up to the Chinese?

Rediff.com26 Oct 2015

'The "Hollandisation" of British policy may not bring the expected gains as the future may show,' says Claude Arpi.

Caught between worship and blame

Caught between worship and blame

Rediff.com28 Oct 2017

The man behind Aligarh Muslim University 200 years on.

Abundant supply keeps oil prices low

Abundant supply keeps oil prices low

Rediff.com26 Aug 2014

India is the world's fourth-largest importer of natural gas, accounting for six per cent of the global market.

We are striving hard to deliver consistent growth: TCS chief

We are striving hard to deliver consistent growth: TCS chief

Rediff.com19 Jul 2014

The third quarter generally has more holidays.

'We have a huge crisis in higher education in India'

'We have a huge crisis in higher education in India'

Rediff.com12 Aug 2015

There is too much focus on building, infrastructure, the number of teachers (as opposed to quality), number of laboratories and so on, says Vineet Gupta.

Brazil didn't mess up Olympics, nor did it make most of them

Brazil didn't mess up Olympics, nor did it make most of them

Rediff.com24 Aug 2016

The enduring images of the Games will be not just the great sporting achievements - from US swimmer Michael Phelps' 28th Olympic medal to Usain Bolt's historic sprint 'triple triple' - but also the organizational problems, empty seats and crime.

'Isi' Siddiqui joins Center for Strategic and International Studies

'Isi' Siddiqui joins Center for Strategic and International Studies

Rediff.com4 Jun 2014

Ambassador Islam A'Isi' Siddiqui -- who recently resigned from his position as chief agricultural negotiator in the office of the United States trade representative -- has joined the Center for Strategic and International Studies as senior adviser on Global Food Security.

'Manida has left us a lot to celebrate with'

'Manida has left us a lot to celebrate with'

Rediff.com11 Jul 2016

A meeting to pay homage to K G Subramanyam, one of India's most interesting painters and thinkers.

The diplomat's arrest: The Tuticorin connection

The diplomat's arrest: The Tuticorin connection

Rediff.com26 Dec 2013

Is Devyani Khobragade's arrest connected to India detaining an anti-piracy ship owned by a US security firm, asks Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).

What the monsoon winds bring

What the monsoon winds bring

Rediff.com2 Jun 2015

We are all 'Chasing the Monsoon', notes Ajit Balakishnan.

'Hinduism has been failed by seculars and the right-wing'

'Hinduism has been failed by seculars and the right-wing'

Rediff.com22 Apr 2015

'The real danger in India right now is that identity politics is being stoked in extremely dangerous ways.' 'The narrative you get about churches in the mainstream Indian media and the narrative you get in the social media is very different.' 'Many Americans today want to appropriate Indian culture. They want yoga, but they say yoga has nothing to do with Hinduism. They want Ayurveda, but they say it's got nothing to do with Hinduism.' 'Hinduism has been failed by political constituencies in India -- seculars and the right-wing.'

Mr Modi, be wary of the Chinese!

Mr Modi, be wary of the Chinese!

Rediff.com12 May 2015

'Chinese leaders rarely receive their foreign guests in cities other than Beijing. Such respect for India!' 'Does it mean that Modi could replicate "the warmth and unconventional way" by sending Indian troops into Tibet, as Xi did in Chumur (Ladakh) when he arrived in India? Of course, Indians are far too polite to do so,' says Claude Arpi.

Zombie wheat case: GM food safety debate far from settled

Zombie wheat case: GM food safety debate far from settled

Rediff.com3 Jul 2013

Efforts by Indian activists to challenge the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill, now pending in Parliament, may get a boost from a controversy that has broken out in the US

China and Pakistan just did something that will anger India

China and Pakistan just did something that will anger India

Rediff.com20 Apr 2015

Brushing aside India's concerns, China on Monday cemented its "all-weather ties" with Pakistan by agreeing to build a strategic $46 billion (Rs 2.9 lakh crore) economic corridor through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as part of 51 deals signed, expanding the communist giant's influence in the region.

How Paris fell in love with coffee grown by Andhra tribals

How Paris fell in love with coffee grown by Andhra tribals

Rediff.com22 Mar 2017

Retracing the journey that brought coffee from Araku Valley in Andhra Pradesh to an upscale caf in the aristocratic district of Le Marais in Paris.