Presidential scholar and physicist Abhilasha Gokulan shares her journey.

Maya Angelou, the celebrated poet, writer and activist who rose from a childhood of poverty in Arkansas to become an American literary icon, died on Wednesday morning at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, at the age of 86. The author of the famous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings leaves behind a towering legacy and will be remembered above all as the people's poet. Rediff.com celebrates her life in images,

While the world's largest retail chain is calling it a promotion, experts said the group may be looking at a new growth strategy for Asia.

The National Rifle Association aims to shoot down Vivek Murthy's Senate confirmation as United States Surgeon General, Aziz Haniffa reports

Wal-Mart has accused Visa of excessively high card swipe fees, several months after the retailer opted out of a class action settlement between merchants and Visa and MasterCard Inc.

Apollo and Cooper are yet to make the customary rounds of courts to settle termination charges and break-up fees, but the mood already is buoyant among institutional investors who had red-flagged the highly leveraged transaction agreed upon by the Indian company.

The Arctic chill, which has now extended to the east, has left all of the United States and Canada frozen.

The US Department of Justice is investigating whether Wal-Mart paid bribes in Mexico to obtain permits to open new stores there, and whether executives covered up an internal inquiry into the payments.

The United States of America sought Pakistan's help in 1998 to prevent Osama bin Laden from launching an Al Qaeda attack against it, with then President Bill Clinton asking Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to personally use his influence to prevail over the Taliban in averting the imminent strike.

The delay and faltering partnership mean Wal-Mart may miss out on the "first-mover" advantage in a country considered the last great frontier for global retailers.

Lack of conclusive evidence of bribery cited.

Novartis disputes the claims and will defend itself, spokeswoman Julie Masow said in an email.

Foreign Policy, a United States-based magazine has placed 15-year-old Pakistani child rights activist Malala Yousafzai in its top 100 Global Thinkers list.

Mitt Romney failed to win both the state of his birth, Michigan, and the state where he lives and served as governor, Massachusetts.

Mitt Romney failed to win both the state of his birth, Michigan, and the state where he lives and served as governor, Massachusetts.

Ohio once again proved decisive when it came to the final result of the US presidential poll. Rediff.com's Bikash Mohapatra reports from the state that swung the election Obama's way

Given a history of labour issues, the latest protest in US Walmart stores is important.

According to news reports, workers held walkouts and marches in cities across the US, including those in Dallas, San Diego, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington DC, Sacramento and even at its headquarters in Arkansas.

Readers' Pix: Lord Ganesh with a modern twist!

Besides Florida and Louisiana, the Houston Consulate provides service to Indian community and businesses in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas states.

Sean Conway met with an accident while cycling around the world to raise charity. In this video, he recounts his experience of surviving the accident.

Get your lowdown on what's going on in the world of Hollywood, right here!

America's Walmart is likely to be the first overseas chain to enter the $590-billion Indian retail sector, as the the world's biggest retail giant is extending its parternship with Sunil Mittal's Bharti Enterprises.

The Daily Beast announced it second annual ranking of the best American cities for fresh graduates.

The business tycoon came under a great deal of criticism in recent weeks, especially from the left leaning media, after he raised the question of Obama's birthplace forcing the White House to release his birth certificate that confirms he was born in Hawaii.

Randeep Mann, former physician at Russellville in Arkansas state, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the bombing that critically injured Trent Pierce and left him with one eye and one ear, the Arkansas News reported.

This settlement resolves allegations under the False Claims Act that HP knowingly paid kickbacks, or 'influencer fees', to systems integrator companies in return for recommendations that federal agencies purchase HP's products.

An Indian-origin doctor has been found guilty of carrying out a revenge attack in the United States in which a top medical official was severely injured.

Indian-origin doctor Randeep Mann was on Monday found guilty of orchestrating a bombing that severely injured the chairman of the Arkansas state medical board in a revenge attack.

We invited readers to send in their interesting monsoon snapshots. Here are some more responses -- and you can share yours too!

Twenty-six year old Casey Brinegar and 22-year old Kartik Kalaichelvan, both flight instructors, and Kartik's brother Pratik Kalaichelyan, 19, died in the accident. Brinegar and Kartik died on the spot while Pratik died in the hospital. Officials have not determined yet, who piloted the plane.

Wal-Mart at present runs wholesale operations in India in an equal partnership with Bharti Enterprises.

Indian American politicians have denounced a television advertisement by a conservative group called Americans for Job Security that hits at a governor who had earlier favoured outsourcing jobs to India.

Walmart, the world's largest retailer, on Tuesday said that its sourcing from India could increase to 'hundreds of millions' of dollars within 4-5 years, thus, making the country an export hub for its global operations.

Former United States President Bill Clinton always waved and said hello to Shobha Vanchiswar when he walked through her neighbourhood in Chappaqua, New York, as part of his daily exercise routine.One day in the fall of 2007, Vanchiswar got the nerve to strike up a conversation with him. She had heard Clinton talking on television about his foundation. "He was talking in a way that made sense to me," Vanchiswar said.

Students from eight American universities across three states took part in a regional retreat, addressed among others by Anju Bhargava, member of United States President Barack Obama's Faith Advisory Council, at Fort Parker State Park in Mexia, Texas.The event last week -- organised by a small group of Hindu students in Mexia -- brought together Hindu community leaders, inspirational figures, young professionals, and students in the spirit of sharing messages of knowledge.

An Indian American doctor, who is accused of illegally possessing high-explosive grenades, and his wife face new charges of interfering with the probe into their extensive weapons cache. The new seven-count indictment accuses 51-year-old Dr Randeep Mann and his wife Sangeeta of seeking to obstruct the probe by hiding from federal agents signed, blank cheques. It also alleged that 48-year-old Sangeeta concealed evidence and made a false declaration to a federal grand jury.

The annual shareholders' meet resembled a rock concert in an indoor stadium with associates cheering like crazy fans.

Bobby Jindal, the Indian American Governor of Louisiana and rising Republican star, has failed to find a place in the latest CNN poll for his party's favourite presidential nominee for 2012, with Sarah Palin emerging as one of the top contenders. The meteoric rise of 37 year-old Jindal, son of Indian immigrants, had led to speculation that he might bag the Republican nomination for the 2012 presidential election.

Blogs, social networking and news wires sites are exploding with a furious debate over the significance of Adam Lambert's American Idol loss to Kris Allen.