India

Mumbai, November 18: The mortal remains of Bal Thackeray, a Hindutva mascot and flagbearer of Marathi pride, were consigned to flames as lakhs of mourners joined the Shiv Sena founder’s grieving family to bid him a tearful farewell, with the city observing a virtual shutdown. In a spontaneous outpouring of grief, a sea of humanity, unprecedented in recent memory, descended on the streets leading

Mumbai, November 18: The final journey of Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray began with his body being taken out for funeral procession from his residence in suburban Bandra on Sunday morning amid presence of thousands of grief-stricken Shiv Sainiks, who have come from across Maharashtra. People were also seen showering flowers on their beloved leader, who breathed his last on Saturday, after

Mumbai, November 18: The mantle to head Shiv Sena was handed over by party patriarch Bal Thackeray to his son Uddhav much before he became bed-ridden; but the inner strains and stresses in the party continued with senior party workers trying to bring Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) back into the fold. Soon after the announcement of Thackeray’s demise, Shiv Sena top leaders

Papasanipalli (A.P.), November 18: “People are more powerful than governments,” said Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Turning anxiously to her translator, the Nobel laureate added: “Please explain this to them.” These were Ms. Suu Kyi’s words to workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme with whom she interacted at Govindapuram village, standing on

New Delhi, November 17: BJP leaders will not be meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over dinner Saturday following the death of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackery in Mumbai. Soon after news came of Thackery having breathed his last following cardiac arrest in the afternoon, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj tweeted that the party leaders had cancelled the dinner the prime minister was

New Delhi, November 17: Controversial liquor baron Ponty Chadha and his brother were killed when both sides opened fire at each other during a meeting to find a resolution to their ongoing property dispute in a farmhouse in south Delhi today. 55-year-old Ponty and his brother Hardeep, with whom he had a strained relationship due to property dispute, were shot at in their chests during the meeting

Mumbai, November 17: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up Balasaheb Thackeray's son Uddhav even as he appealed to people to maintain calm and sobriety. He said the interests of Maharashtra were “particulary important” for Thackeray and “he always strived to inculcate a sense of pride in its people.” Interestingly, notwithstanding his strong anti-Congress stand, Thackeray extended his party’s

Mumbai, November 17: The body of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, who breathed his last here Saturday afternoon, will be kept at Shivaji Park to enable millions of party activists and Mumbaikars to pay their last respects to the leader from 7 a.m. Sunday, party MP Sanjay Raut told reporters. Raut also appealed to all Shiv Sainiks to "maintain calm and remain peaceful" in the wake of the tragedy

Mumbai, November 17: Bal Thackeray, a maverick politician who roused emotions on Marathi pride and catapulted Shiv Sena to power in Maharashtra in the 1990s, died today after having been critically ill for the past few days. The 86-year-old cartoonist turned politician, known for his strong views and speaking his mind, sometimes bordering on the offensive, breathed his last at 3.30 PM at his

New Delhi, November 17: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh was today summoned by a Delhi court to face trial in a criminal defamation case lodged against him by BJP President Nitin Gadkari. "Accused Digvijaya Singh has been summoned for the offence under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code to face trial for criminal defamation. Let he be summoned for December 21," Metropolitan