Rediff reader Rajiv Aggarwal shared this list of books he wants everyone to read
The Shiv Sena on Friday targeted the Centre by questioning the "efficacy" of the 2016 surgical strike and said the perception that it would demoralise Pakistani terrorists remained an "illusion" as Indian soldiers continue to get killed in terror attacks in Kashmir. Accusing the Modi government of boasting about how Pakistan was straightened out after the surgical strike, the Sena sought to know whether it has really happened. It also observed that troubled borders were not good for the country's well-being.
It would be a huge achievement if the new administration manages a successful transition to some sense of domestic and international normalcy in these frantic times marked by the pandemic and rise of illiberal regimes across the world, observes Shreekant Sambrani.
The fresh batch of diplomats also includes EU representatives, and their participation assumes significance as the EU Parliament recently initiated to bring a joint draft resolution on the Citizenship Amendment Act and Kashmir, the vote on which was later deferred.
'Breaking down silos and ensuring a more integrated governance process is just as important to performance.' 'It has been a major priority in the last six years, especially in national security,' External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar points out when delivering the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture-2020: India and the Post-Covid World.
He, however, added that most of the private hospitals in Delhi were good and only a couple of them were indulging in such malpractice.
Addressing his first rally in the national capital in the run-up to the February 8 Delhi Assembly polls, he said the current environment in the country, the hatred, the violence and the attacks on women were harming India and people were not benefitting from it.
It is time to shrug off the ideological shackles about the way we work, play and live, says Ajit Balakrishnan.
'Waging battle over a jar of marmalade seemed petty beyond belief so I simply lost my craving for the preserve,' Kishore Singh writes
The party supported the bill in Lok Sabha. It will be brought in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
In a daily briefing from Downing Street after his latest Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms emergency meeting with senior scientists and advisers, Boris Johnson called for people to start working from home and said the government would no longer support mass gatherings in order to focus emergency services towards the health crisis.
England captain Joe Root is under no illusions about his batting slump and recognises if his side are going to win the second match in Hamilton and level the two-Test series against New Zealand then he needs to make a substantial contribution.
Did Xi deliver a message to Modi at Mamallapuram, which though couched in a velvet glove was time-bound? What was that message? It is clear Indian/Israeli/US spy satellites would not have missed detecting Chinese troop movements towards the Ladakh-Tibet frontier. Then why did some important functionaries in the Government of India choose to only ask the Russians about this in April 2020? Was Russian reassurance of Chinese troop movements being part of a routine exercise the reason that the Leh-based XIV Corps did not mobilise itself for its annual summer exercises near the LAC? A fascinating excerpt from Iqbal Chand Malhotra's new book Red Fear: The China Threat.
'I challenge people just do it for a month to see how you feel, okay?'
Paras Mhambrey's men were an all-conquering force in 2019, winning the Under-19 Asia Cup in September and a Tri-Nations tournament with England and Bangladesh held on English soil. They have not lost a bilateral series since the 2017 Under-19 World Cup, beating South Africa, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan away from home. Among potential breakout stars is southpaw opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who became the youngest cricketer in the world to score a List A double century in October in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
'Our first great challenge is to create 12 million new jobs each year, to make the demographic dividend an economic dividend.' 'We are nowhere near that,' points out Mohan Guruswamy.
Australia captain Steve Smith was delighted with the way his side rebounded from a series defeat to South Africa to sweep Pakistan 3-0 on Saturday but warned their next Test campaign in India would present a challenge on a whole different level.
'It is not simply demonetisation or GST, it is this government's failure to manage the financial sector crisis.'
There are parts of India that stoutly hold their own against cultural hegemony, but it is anyone's guess how long that will last, says Kishore Singh.
From India's fight against COVID-19 to China face-off, Kovind spoke on several issues during the televised address.
'Surprised by the absence of any sloganeering or even mild protest in an ambience so free and self-regulated, I asked a friend from Delhi whether he too, with sharp political antenna, was surprised at how smooth and easy going everything was,' notes Ambassador B S Prakash.
A stone gargoyle, a gilded fairy, a cast-bronze king and other fantastical statues came alive in Belgium as street artists showed off their creations at Europe's biggest "living statue" festival held at Marche-en-Famenne.
'Pakistan's trump card is that it is the only credible guarantor on the horizon who can reasonably assure the Western world that Afghanistan will not again become the revolving door for international terrorism.' 'Trust Pakistan to play this card optimally,' explains Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Buckingham Palace, one of the world's most iconic buildings and a focal point for British national life, is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria's birth with a special exhibition dedicated to Queen Elizabeth's great-great-grandmother. Ahead of its public opening, the Queen was given a special preview. Take a look inside the Queen Victoria Palace Exhibition as it opens at Buckingham Palace in London, England.
'An entrepreneur should always remain under pressure or he will die,' Vineet Rai tells Anjuli Bhargava.
'The potential of one such LAC engagement going out of control and leading to heavy casualties cannot be ruled out,' warns Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd).
'One must remember that a dragon has a forked tongue,' warns Vivek Gumaste.
'I knew I was going to come back but my first thought was, 'Oh my god I'm never going to play tennis again.'
Included in Barcelona squad to face Dortmund
Winners have the bragging rights but there was no such thing for Williamson who sympathised with India for paying the price for a fickle format despite consistent show.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead is confident his team had put losses to Pakistan, Australia and England behind them as they head to the knockout stage.
Spider-Man: Far From Home moves to and fro between light-hearted slice-of-teen life and an underprepared Avenger second guessing what's right, real and responsible, notes Sukanya Verma.
Mashrafe Mortaza has issued a rallying call to his Bangladesh teammates, urging them to drum up the spirit of 2007 in a bid to keep their World Cup dreams alive.
'It is crucial today to realise where we have reached in this 15 year-period in order to fully and properly assess the profundity of what General Rawat has said,' points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The anti-CAA protest was an ugly rant more consistent with the violent chaos of anarchy, argues Vivek Gumaste.
There's no silver bullet to get rid of poverty, says Alok Sheel.
'You haven't heard a peep out of Kashmir so what is going to erupt? What repercussion will be (there) in long term, you will have to (wait) and see'
On his 46th birthday on January 10, Sukanya Verma lists 10 impressive Hrithik scenes.
The United States is not taking at face value Pakistan's actions against terrorists outfits.
'Don't be under the illusion that we are in a lockdown for 21 days and then we are free.'