India

New Delhi, Jul 25: The Delhi court verdict in the Batla House case today led to a political war of words, with BJP slamming Congress leaders who had questioned the genuiness of the encounter while the ruling party hit back. Contending that the BJP has the habit of criticising it, Congress said all sections should accept the verdict and guard against speaking "irresponsibly" or politicising the

New Delhi, Jul 25: A major slugfest erupted today over BJP MP Chandan Mitra's demand for stripping nobel laureate Amartya Sen of the Bharat Ratna award and the economist offering to return it if Atal Bihari Vajpayee asks him to do so. While BJP steered clear of the controversy, Congress waded into it with an attack saying it reflected the "fascist mentality" of BJP. "Mr Chandan Mitra may not know

New Delhi, Jul 25: A juvenile court has delayed its verdict until August 5 in the December 16 Delhi gangrape, a defence lawyer said on Thursday. The court had earlier said it would deliver its verdict on Thursday. The verdict would have been the first handed down in the rape case, which led to nationwide street protests and sparked major reforms to the nation’s antiquated sexual assault laws

Washington, Jul 25: BJP president Rajnath Singh has ruled out any fundamental shift in India’s foreign policy, if his party is voted to power. “As far as changes in the foreign policy is concerned, there is not likely to be a basic change in its fundamental principles. But whenever the other party comes, we are having our own perspective and we decide accordingly,” Mr. Singh told a group of Indian

Bangalore, Jul 24: India's 'Moon Man' has contested ISRO's contention that the upcoming 'desi' Mars orbiter mission would undertake meaningful research, and dubbed the Rs 450 crore venture as a "publicity stunt". "ISRO is embarking on an extravagant mission which at best can serve as a publicity stunt", G Madhavan Nair, a former chief of the Bangalore-headquartered Indian Space Research

New Delhi, Jul 24: The absconding principal of the school in Saran district where 23 children died after taking poisoned food was on Wednesday taken into custody by police, eight days after the midday meal tragedy that rocked Bihar. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the principal is being questioned and the incident will be probed from all possible angles. “The investigation is on. The

New Delhi, Jul 24: Political parties, including UPA constituent NCP, today rubbished the Planning Commission's claim that the number of poor people had declined to 21.9 per cent and said the criteria for identifying them should be updated. BJP slammed the figures as a "political gimmick" and a "conspiracy" of the Congress to deprive the poor of the benefits of government schemes while CPI(M) said

Mumbai, Jul 24: Heavy rains today lashed Mumbai, Konkan and other areas of Maharashtra, prompting the civic agency in the financial capital to advise people to stay at home and schools to shut as a precautionary measure. Rail and road traffic was also disrupted due to the heavy rains which have disrupted normal life in the metropolis. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today advised

New Delhi, Jul 24: Senior CPM leader Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday denied having signed any letter seeking denial of US visa for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, saying it suggested a "cut and paste" job. "I deny having signed any such letter. It is neither in my character nor in the principles of my party - the CPM - to petition any sovereign country on matters that fall strictly within the

Mumbai, Jul 24: Heavy rains today lashed Mumbai, Konkan and other areas of Maharashtra, prompting the civic agency in the financial capital to advise people to stay at home and schools to shut as a precautionary measure. Rail and road traffic was also disrupted due to the heavy rains which have disrupted normal life in the metropolis. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today advised