Union Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur on Friday reiterated the government’s advice to students going abroad to exercise due diligence, even as Australian High Commissioner Peter Varghese called on the Indian media to set the record straight after it emerged that all the three accused of murdering Ranjodh Singh in New South Wales (NSW) were Indians. Ms. Kaur, who accompanied family members of ...Read More

Home minister P Chidambaram on Thursday sent out a clear message to Pakistan that it was time that it stopped jihad-whitewashing mock drills and took firm action against handlers of Mumbai attackers. A day after Pakistani investigators named Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi as mastermind, the home minister said that unless Pakistan brings to book other masterminds, India will have to conclude that the neighbour is dragging its ...Read More

With no let-up in assaults against Indians in Australia, four more youths were attacked in Brisbane even as a couple was arrested on Thursday for the killing of Ranjodh Singh, whose partially-burnt body was found last month. “Four more attacks on Indians in Brisbane, Queensland, took place,” Sky News reported, without identifying victims. “Three of them were directed at cab drivers, one who told how he ...Read More

The UPA government will announce its Telangana consultation committee next week, Union home minister P Chidambaram said on Thursday. The panel, to be headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court, will be a committee of experts with a fixed tenure, top sources said. The Centre’s announcement brought cheer to the Congress’ Telangana leadership which had been camping in the Capital in order to push ...Read More

In the latest incident against Indians in Australia, two Indian students, aged 20 and 22, were assaulted by a group of people in Melbourne. Following the incident, the Australian police arrested nine persons and charged five of them for the assault. A police spokeswoman was quoted as saying that the two students said the nine men passed racially abusive comments before the assault. “Eight people were arrested ...Read More

The Commonwealth Games Federation was caught in a controversy after it put up a map of India on its official website showing areas of Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan. The map was subsequently removed and corrected. The federation apologised to the nation for the goof up. “It was a mistake and we apologise for it,” CGF CEO Mike Hooper was quoted as ...Read More

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday reopened the debate on de-criminalising electoral politics by exhorting parties “to evolve a consensus” on barring those with criminal records from contesting polls. Speaking on a function to mark 60 years of the Election Commission of India (ECI), Ms Gandhi spoke about “doing more...in contending with the influence of money and muscle power (in elections)” and stressed the need for ...Read More

As President Pratibha Patil gets ready to preside over the 61st Republic Day parade at Rajpath on Tuesday it's time to remember our first president Dr Rajendra Prasad. Prasad was the man who flagged off India's remarkable journey as a democracy six decades ago. India had gained Independent less than three years ago, the Indian Constitution had just taken shape and we were yet to become a ...Read More

The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, addressed the nation on the eve of the 61st Republic Day. Following is the text of the President’s address to the nation: “My fellow citizens, On the eve of our 61st Republic Day, I extend my warmest greetings to all of you across the country and also to those living abroad. To the members of our Armed Forces and Para-military forces ...Read More

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak visited Hyundai Motor India factory in Sriperumbudur on Sunday and interacted with employees. First Lady Kim Yoon-ok and Chairman & CEO, Hyundai-Kia Motor Group, Chung Mong-Koo, were present on the occasion, a release said. The President visited Chennai on the sidelines of his State visit to New Delhi as Chief Guest at the Republic Day Parade. H.W. Park, MD (Hyundai Motor ...Read More