'We had not seen any fighting, but we could hear guns and bombs exploding.' A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com and Reuben N V/Rediff.com traveled to Kerala to meet some of the nurses who have returned from civil-war ravaged Libya.
'I don't believe the talk of free will.' 'They are either forced to dress like this, or indoctrinated.'
"Everyone knows me because of that terrible tragedy. My memories of Mosul only bring me sadness. How can I be proud about my fame? I lost everything there," Harjit Masih told Rediff.com's Swarupa Dutt over the phone.
Modi-Shah BJP has resurrected dangers and the enemy from the past and built a scary jingoism. It's a great diversionary tactic but history shows it never ends well, points out Shekhar Gupta.
While some criticise the government, others, despite the inconvenience, hail demonetisation as revolutionary.
'India in 2020 is a lot better prepared than in 1962.' 'It is no longer a pushover; and anything other than a crushing Chinese military victory will be a major loss of face for China,' observes Rajeev Srinivasan in the first of a three part column.
A lot of the terrorism that is affecting Pakistan is really a blowback of the Pakistani state's policy of using jihadist groups as instruments of state policy. And unlike some other countries with similar policies, Pakistan doesn't have the benefit of the political and social space for pulling back from the disastrous course, says Sushant Sareen.
After successful stints in Jamai Raja and Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai, Nia Sharma faces fresh challenges in Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi.
What distinguishes 26/11 from other bombings in big cities, for instance 9/11 in New York or 7/7 in London, is that it remains the best-documented attack in a digitally enhanced world, says Sunil Sethi
Relief writ large on their faces, 44 Indian nurses working in strife-torn Libya arrived in Kochi on Tuesday morning from Dubai even as four others are bound for different destinations in the country.
How far did the existing air of permissiveness may have contributed to those like the Indian Mujahideen targeting Tamil Nadu for setting up base, is a question that the state's law and order machinery would have to ask itself, and stall them on the track and for good, says N Sathiya Moorthy
'Crap cannons' can be an effective mob-control weapon.
Speaking at a rally in poll-bound Bihar, Modi said that the Congress has no right to talk about tolerance after the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Civilian and military security forces deployed in Balochistan have done little to investigate attacks on Hazara or take steps to prevent the next attack, says a Human Rights Watch report.
Pakistan Rangers resorted to ceasefire violations by targeting civilian population in RS Pura sector in Jammu.
'He decided that if the looks did not match, he would not do the film.' 'We did not want a 100 percent match, but we did not want to look completely stupid.'
Words of advice for parents who think it is okay to stalk their children on social media.
Although Lesima JeroseMonisha is relieved that her worst days are over after she alongwith her 45 colleagues returned to India from warn-torn Iraq, she has no idea whether she'll ever get her four-and-half-months' salary that the Iraqi government owes her. Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar reports.
'It is ironic that General Rawat, an infantry officer who the government chose because of his expertise in counter-insurgency, has made his first bold statement in the realm of warfighting and mechanised operations,' points out Colonel Ajai Shukla (retd).
'I am just making a creative film. It has nothing to do with propaganda.'
-- The gunman live-streamed the mass shooting inside the Al Noor Mosque -- Witnesses have said they saw 'blood everywhere' -- Four people are in custody after the shootings, including one woman and three men -- New Zealand Prime Minister said the shootings were 'an unprecedented act of violence, an act that has absolutely no place in New Zealand. This is not who we are'.
'When we saw Saawariya for the first time, I was aghast.' 'If only Bhansali had told me, I would have dissuaded him.
Arun Kumar is at home after his dramatic escape from violence-hit South Sudan. But he is preparing to return to his business, his life, his 'everything'.
Hemal Trivedi, a Hindu filmmaker originally from India, and Mohammed Ali Naqvi, a Muslim from Pakistan have made one of this year's most talked about films.
Images from the Australian Open matches played at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.
'100 Fayazs will bring a change in Kashmir, that's why they don't want a Fayaz.'
'No right thinking student of politics can name one state where the BJP gains in double digits.'
On the actor's 54th birthday on November 2, we write another tome about the boy with big dreams and a regrettable haircut, who defied incredible odds to become one of the most loved actors on the planet.
'You have to respect nature. You won't respect nature unless you see nature's fury.'
'Actors would go to acting schools. Today, they go to the gym first.' 'What has the body got to do with acting?' 'What's the use of flexing muscles if you can't manage the muscles of your face?'
'A collapsing Pakistan may well unleash its nuclear weapons as the last throw of the dice. With a nuclear arsenal of over 50 bombs, even a regional nuclear exchange can devastate the world.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday sought to address concerns of international community over India not signing the non-proliferation treaty by saying that the country's commitment to peace and non-violence is engrained in the "DNA of Indian society" which is above any international treaty or processes.
'Alia is brighter than me. I am extremely happy and proud that without her father's help, she has had a successful journey. People didn't think that a girl who was danced to Radha (a hit song in Student Of The Year) could do such serious acting as well.' Mahesh Bhatt, in a candid chat.
'Pakistan has a big role to play in fomenting trouble, but we need to ask ourselves why ordinary Kashmiris are coming out in large numbers to attend the funerals of terrorists.'
Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan welcomed the apex court's order and urged people to abide by the SC guidelines and 'give green Diwali and our environment a chance'
'The more conversations I have, the more I realise how boringly similar we are -- they love their family, crib about work, and considering the cholbe na attitude and frequent strikes, I could easily be speaking to someone in Kolkata or Kochi.'
'What of Modi? They are willing to take their chances. Maharashtra's Muslims recall how the Congress scared them with the Bal Thackeray bogey for decades, yet, when it came to using all the might of the State to protect them from Shiv Sena goons, be it in 1970, 1984 or 1992-1993, it did nothing. For them, the Congress's secularism is a cruel joke.' 'This argument that we ('seculars') must vote for the 'winning secular candidate' has one more implication: Those who are against Hindutva must forever be stuck with the same corrupt, cynical and tired old parties, who are not even secular,' says Jyoti Punwani.
How do you translate a first love into a profession? How do you become a writer once you set your heart on it? Susmita Bhattacharya, who once worked as a graphic designer in Mumbai, now teaches the basics of English to newcomers to Britain and is also a creative writing tutor. Her first novel The Normal State of Mind was published earlier this year after a grim battle with cancer.
Mekhail hopped off the bench in a hurry and turning his back to Indrani, stood at the window. Indrani ignored him too. Mekhail is getting married later this year. His mother will, of course, not be in attendance. Nor, of course, would he want her to be there, if she could.
'You don't want to admit that it is your wife in the video because she said you were arrested on Wednesday (August 19; Shyamvar Rai states he was arrested on August 21, a Friday).'
