Pakistan's support for Haqqani network has increased through both facilitating additional sanctuary and providing strategic and operational guidance, a top United States think tank has said.

"Unless Pakistan demonstrates a willingness to actively squeeze Taliban insurgents on its soil and use its leverage to bring them to compromise with the US and Afghan authorities, the US should consider alternative policy options to stem terrorism in the region," Lisa Curtis of the Heritage Foundation, said.

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai made a torrid attack on the Pakistani leadership in a face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and demanded that Islamabad produce top Taliban leaders to negotiate with him. Karzai confronted the Pakistanis at an official delegation-level talk on Thursday in Islamabad between the two countries on the sidelines of a trilateral summit meeting of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.

Senator Saxby Chambliss, member on the Senate Select Intelligence Committee asked America's top intelligence chief how any reconciliation with the Taliban was possible considering the group was resilient and continued to enjoy sanctuary in Pakistan. Aziz Haniffa reports.

As the Barack Obama administration tries to impress upon India and other nations to join in the US-led sanctions regime against Iran to isolate that country for its alleged nuclear weapons programme and reduce their energy dependence on Teheran, India's Ambassador to the United States Nirupama Rao noted that India's imports of Iranian oil has been on the decline and predicted it may dissipate even further.

Two more one-horned rhinos have been translocated to Manas National Park, a world Heritage Site in western Assam, from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary near Guwahati as part of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 project.

Pakistan's embattled former ambassador to United States, Husain Haqqani, fears he will be murdered if he leaves his sanctuary in the official residence of the Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, a media report said on Wednesday.

Warning that partial revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from Jammu and Kashmir will create "terrorist sanctuaries", Army chief General V K Singh has said dilution of the controversial Act will be 'detrimental' to national interest. the Army chief said, "Just one summer of peace does not mean normalcy. Diluting of AFSPA in any form will be detrimental to national interest."

In Bera, a village in Rajasthan called Bera, you will not see any madding tourist crowds here -- go wildlife spotting freely, but remember you are on your own here. With leopards for company.

Unless India can exercise counter-sanctuary policy against terrorist organisations in Pakistani territory, we will be destined to see a periodic recurrence of attacks on our nationals, says security expert B Raman.

Pakistan continues to be a safe haven for terrorists and its influence in Afghanistan needs to be tackled, US military chief Gen Martin Dempsey has said, while acknowledging that his country's ties with Islamabad are in a state of mess.

Till now, apart from a few statements issued by his office, the young Karmapa Lama has refused to come out of his reserve and comment on the accusations levelled against him, particularly the cash donations received by his monastery but not deposited in a bank, and his relations with India. For the first time, he agrees to speak to Rediff.com, in an exclusive interview to Claude Arpi

The text of the speech made by External Affairs Minister SM Krishna at the international Afghanistan conference in Bonn

Sanctuary Asia magazine recently announced its wildlife photography awards. Here are some of the pictures that got a special mention and the three award-winning pictures. Click on and be amazed!

Hinting at Pakistan, India on Monday said terrorism emanating from outside Afghan borders posed potent threat to Afghanistan and warned that the war-torn country could "slip back" by interference in its internal affairs.

Bittu Sahgal, Editor, Sanctuary Asia announced the 12th Sanctuary Wildlife Awards, 2011, in Mumbai. Here's the list of the awardees and why they were honoured.

Probably the best way to experience India is on its roads. The fancy new highways, the interior roads, the small towns along the way, cows(!!) that always have right of way, landscapes that soothe the eyes and smiles that soothe the soul. So we've picked the best road trips our country has to offer. Let us hit the road.

Assam was once known as the land of magic while Mayong was believed to be the nerve-centre of sorcery. The tantriks or magicians here, it is claimed, could make people disappear and cure complicated ailments with their 'mantra'

We visited Mysore zoo in the first week of November. I wasn't really expecting much as most of the zoos in India aren't maintained well. I didn't know however that I was in for a treat.

Lack of modern weapons for forest guards has proved to be a major roadblock in tackling the increasing incidents of poaching in Assam.

A full-grown man-eater leopard who had reportedly devoured three children and wounded at least half a dozen people, was trapped alive by a wildlife enthusiast in Rana Farm area of Katarniya Ghat sanctuary in Bahraich district, about 130 km from Lucknow on early Friday morning.

The World Wildlife Federation is organising a series of nature walks and nature camps through the first three months of next year. Here is a list of places you can visit with the group.

As the autumn has set the stage for the winter to rule the atmosphere in the picturesque North East India's hills and valleys, enchanting destinations in the region are ready to welcome visitors in the coming tourists' season. K Anurag reports.

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said conditioning aid to Pakistan unless it cracks down on the Lashkar-e-Tayiba -- responsible for the horrific 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks -- is untenable at the present time.

The United States has the right to target the Haqqani network that not only kills American troops in Afghanistan, but also sponsors Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, said Senator Carl Levin, who chairs the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee.

In a major boost to bilateral ties, India today announced a USD 500 million credit line for the traditionally close Chinese ally Myanmar even as New Delhi and Yangon decided to strengthen their strategic, economic and energy ties.

A little-known issue that is rarely spoken of in public, but is invariably raised during India-Myanmar official discussions is about the status of the large number of Persons of Indian Origin living in Myanmar. Shubha Singh reports.

Even as their killer drones strike at ranking members of the Al Qaeda linked Haqqani network, United States officials secretly met leaders of the group this summer in a Persian Gulf country, in an effort to draw them into talks on winding down the war.

Launching another broadside against Pakistan, Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Friday said the Taliban, that has launched some audacious attacks in his country will not be able to "move a finger without Pakistani support."

There was hue and cry over the Lokayukta report on illegal mining in Bellary, and in even went on to cost B S Yeddyurappa his chair as the chief minister of Karnataka. But today the entire focus is on Goa which, according to the preliminary report of the Shah commission, gives the indication that illegal mining in the tourist haven is nothing short of the Bellary scenario.

In an unusual step, the Afghan Taliban on Tuesday batted for Pakistan over the issue of Inter-Services Intelligence-backed terror strikes in Afghanistan, claiming that the United States "wants to spread chaos in Pakistan" and weaken its government.

China would avoid giving the impression of taking sides with Pakistan in its dispute with the US on the question of action against the Haqqani network, says B Raman.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday rejected American accusations linking Pakistan's spy agency Inter Services Intelligence with the Haqqani terror network, saying the allegations reflected "policy disarray" within the United States administration on achieving peace in Afghanistan.

United States lawmakers have questioned the inordinate delay in designating Haqqani network as a terrorist organisation; which top American officials believe is responsible for the recent attack on its Embassy in Kabul.

Co-operation with the US is India's only strategic option. The US is now as concerned as we are over Pakistani machinations in Afghanistan. It could be more amenable to feelers from India for joint moves by India and the US to prevent a return to power of the Taliban with the ISI's backing, says B Raman.

Maoist commander of Udanti-Raighar-Sinapali border area committee, operating in Orissa-Chhattisgarh border, Laxmidhar Nayak alias Gundadhul surrendered before police in Nabarangapur, Orissa.

Release of water from the overflowing dams in Nepal has not only flooded large parts of the terai belt in Uttar Pradesh, but it has inundated certain areas of the Dudhwa National Park, which remains the state's largest and richest wildlife reserve.

The police have set up five teams to investigate the murder of RTI activist Shehla Masood, a senior officer said on Wednesday, but the opposition Congress has demanded that the case be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. "We have constituted five teams to probe the murder," said newly-appointed Senior Superintendent of Police, Bhopal, Yogesh Choudhry. Shehla was found shot dead inside her car in front of her house in the Koh-e-Fiza locality on Tuesday.

The 20 per cent increase in the tiger population in India is certainly good news, but the big cat is still in danger. In its efforts to conserve the national animal, Aaranyak, a prominent society for bio-diversity conservation, carried out a camera trap survey in Assam's sprawling Kaziranga National Park. Here are some interesting findings.

The famous saffron-coloured Kesar variety of mango, largely grown around the foothills of Girnar mountains in Junagadh district of Gujarat, has got a global recognition as 'Gir Kesar' mango, after being granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.