South African model, Rolene Strauss is the new Miss World.

India has performed poorly in removing gender-based disparities, ranking 114 out of 142 countries in World Economic Forum's 2014 gender gap index, scoring below average on parameters like economic participation, educational attainment and health and survival.

Pakistan's minority Hindu community leaders have asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to accept their demand for a public holiday on Diwali and announce a special aid package for them on the festival.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves for Brazil on Sunday for attending the five-nation summit of BRICS nations on July 14 and 15 which is expected to finalise the setting up of a development bank and seek reforms of the United Nations and international financial organisations.

Narendra Modi's engagement at the upcoming BRICS Summit in Brazil will be keenly watched as the prime minister will interact with some of the world's most powerful leaders. The summit to be held in Fortaleza will also see the launch of the significant BRICS bank whose idea was mooted by India. Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt gives a lowdown on Modi's first major international rendezvous.

India's top squash player Dipika Pallikal earned a hard fought win over Nicolette Fernandes of Guyana to reach the the semifinals of the $50,000 Texas Open in Houston.

Swashbuckling batsman Chris Gayle is set to play his 100th Test at his home ground in Jamaica when New Zealand tour the Caribbean in June.

Sri Lankan batting stalwart Mahela Jayawardene will retire from Twenty20 Internationals after the conclusion of the ongoing T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.

A report on South Asian youth demolishes model minority myth, says George Joseph

My goal is to implement the Sevak project all over India and make the villages true Gandhian villages -- self sustainable in every way, including health, says Dr Thakor Patel, head of the American Association of Physician of Indian Origin's Public Health Committee. Aziz Haniffa reports

India's Joshna Chinappa pulled off a sensational second successive upset in the Women's Hong Kong Open to claim her first ever quarter-final berth in a WSA World Series event.

Ross Taylor's first Test double century helped New Zealand to 609 for nine declared before his bowlers reduced West Indies to 67 for two as the hosts took firm control on day two of the first Test in Dunedin on Wednesday.

The Lions from South Africa will look ride on the performance of their captain Alviro Petersen to guide them to a better finish.

Sri Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga is likely to miss playing for Mumbai Indians in next month's Champions League T20 to be played in India due to some family commitments.

Pakistan wrapped up their tour of the West Indies with an 11-run win in the second Twenty20 international in St Vincent on Sunday to complete a One-day double over the world T20 champions.

Pakistan wrapped up their tour of the West Indies with an 11-run win in the second Twenty20 international in St Vincent on Sunday to complete a One-day double over the world T20 champions.

Half-brothers Darren and Dwayne Bravo provided the foundation for success as West Indies beat Pakistan by 37 runs on Tuesday to win the second One-Day International in Guyana and tie the five-match series.

Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi produced a brilliant performance with both bat and ball to lead his team to a thumping 126-run victory over West Indies in their first One-day International on Sunday.

In the second part of a series on Indian-Americans who have won the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships this year, Arthur J Pais profiles Columbia University graduate Nishant Batsha, who shares his experiences as a second-generation Indian-American and how he intends to use the scholarship opportunity.

Rediff.com's P Rajendran attends a seminar on pure science at the second day of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event in Kochi.

The triangle that connects Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana attracts a huge number of illegal gold and diamonds prospectors who dream of changing their lives overnight by finding a huge bonanza.

Canada and Mexico took big steps towards the next phase of World Cup qualification after wins in the CONCACAF region on Friday while Jamaica tasted victory over the United States for the first time.

Ambassadors of as many as 15 countries will be in Lucknow on June 30 to participate in a mango party, to be hosted by the mango growers of Malihabad where new initiatives were being taken to push mango exports across the globe.

The United States and Mexico both opened their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaigns with 3-1 wins while Honduras suffered a surprise loss in the opening fixtures of the third round.

First half goals by Giovani dos Santos and Javier Hernandez gave Mexico a 2-0 win over Brazil in a friendly in Dallas on Sunday.

Experts, political parties raise red flag over timber exports from there; Siddhartha denies any rule breach

Sachin Tendulkar remained the highest-ranked Indian batsman at the 12th spot in the latest ICC Test charts released on Tuesday.

In a six-part series commencing today, Arthur J Pais profiles the winners of the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. First up in this series is Sahil Singh Gujral, who despite suffering from diabetes and displacement as a result of his parents' long-drawn divorce proceedings, managed to win the Fellowship.

Australia captain Michael Clarke will miss the first part of the upcoming tour of West Indies because of a hamstring injury.

Quick bowlers Ryan Harris and Mitchell Starc were left out of Australia's one-day squad for next month's tour of the West Indies on Wednesday.

A 65-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison for conspiring in a 9/11-like terror plot to blow up the John F Kennedy International Airport in New York by exploding fuel tanks and pipelines.

The New York man, facing hate crime charges for attacking an Islamic centre and a Hindu temple, went about throwing molotov cocktails at the places as he "hated all Muslims and Arabs" for trying to take over his life and wanted to inflict the maximum damage to them.

A New York private detective has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for raping his Indian-origin girlfriend and then implicating her in one of the most elaborate frame-ups in United States history for which she was wrongly jailed for seven months.

Rajneesh Gupta presents the leading bowlers in Tests this year. The list is headed by Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal.

West Indies have named Trinidadian rookies Jason Mohammed and Sunil Narine in their 15-member team for the five One-Day Internationals against India, but once again there was no place for Chris Gayle.

The 50-hour countdown for the launch of Indo-French climate monitoring satellite Megha-Tropiques and three other nano satellites on board PSLV-C18 on October 12 from the spaceport of Sriharikota is progressing well, the Indian Space Research Organisation said.

Statistical highlights of Tuesday's Champions League Twenty20 match between New South Wales and Chennai Super Kings, in Chennai.

The Miss Universe 2011 pageant is fast approaching on September 12. In a countdown to D-Day, we'll be introducing you to all 89 contestants from around the world.

The Indian football team suffered their second successive defeat of the Caribbean tour when they went down 1-2 to Guyana in an international friendly at the National Stadium in Goergetown, on Thursday.

Riding on Darryl Roberts' brace, Trinidad & Tobago defeated India 3-0 in an international friendly at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.