Hours before Washington is set to release an assessment of war in Afghanistan, topmost United States military commander has expressed "impatience" with Islamabad over its failure to clear terrorists from havens on the border with Afghanistan.

Planning a trip to a wildlife sanctuary? Travel writer Lakshmi Sharath lists some of the best wildlife destinations in India.

In a morale booster to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's pet project, the Supreme Court on Friday upheld environmental compatibility of the Noida park scheme, also being developed into a memorial for Dalit icon B R Ambedkar and her political mentor late Kanshi Ram.

The Himalayan foothills are a treasure trove of flora and fauna and locate fascinating indigenous communities. Responsible tourism has tried to introduce visitors to these remote areas without destructing the ambience. Baishali Mukherjee reports.

"Both the Central and State governments have failed in saving the animal. Yet it appears to be a mystery. No bullet wound (was found)... I think there is a very preponderant possibility of poisoning," Ramesh said as he visited the sanctuary amidst the controversy over the government's tiger revival plan.

The proposed Rs 15,000 crore (Rs 150 billion) Vedanta University Project in Orissa suffered a setback with the Orissa high court on Tuesday holding as illegal the state government's land acquisition procedures for the institution overlooking Bay of Bengal.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai wants the United States to reduce the visibility and intensity of its "intrusive" military operations, saying people of the war-torn nation have lost patience with the presence of American troops in their homes that could exacerbate Taliban insurgency.

The Barack Obama administration did not get off to a very good start with India, a former US Ambassador to India has said, but asserted that during the forthcoming presidential visit there will be enough aggregated forward movement that can put this perception behind.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday in an interview to the Japanese media in Tokyo that India is confident of signing a 'win-win' civilian nuclear deal with Japan and is looking forward to a comprehensive economic partnership agreement to boost bilateral trade.

To step up pace of reconciliation talks, the Afghanistan government has opened direct contacts with the Al Qaeda-linked Haqqani faction of Taliban, which is believed to have close ties to Pakistan's military intelligence. Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's government has been in direct contact with Jalaludin Haqqani, the ageing leader of the Haqqani network, which is based in Pakistan and run by his eldest son Sirajudin.

Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence is pushing the Taliban to attack American troops and their allies based in Afghanistan, the media here has said, close on the heels of a White House report that slammed Islamabad for not doing enough to battle terrorists holed up near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Top US officials are unhappy over some Inter-Services Intelligence elements continuing to support the Haqqani network to counter India's presence in the region, amid fears that Pakistani military is "unable or unwilling" to act against Taliban and Al Qaeda in the restive tribal belt.

Amid speculation of a military takeover in Pakistan, its powerful army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has bluntly told the civilian leadership to put its house in order through measures like a crackdown on corruption and improvement in its "faltering" response to the devastating floods.

Pakistan cannot impart lessons to us on democracy and human rights, said External Affairs Minister SM Krishna at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has told the United Nations General Assembly that Bangla should be named as an official UN language to reflect the vast number of its speakers and its heritage in literature and history.Sheikh Hasina told the UNGA's annual high-level segment that an international movement to celebrate the use of mother languages was growing stronger every year.

The WWF had earlier asked for halting movement of night trains in the New Jalpaiguri-Alipurduar section passing through wildlife sanctuaries and National Parks and restricting their speed.

The Pakistan cricket team has been hit by a series of setbacks and controversies over the past five years. A timeline.

"The issue of Jammu and Kashmir comes up in our relationship with Pakistan and we've said very clearly, very confidently and very transparently that we are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues with Pakistan," the foreign secretary said on Monday

Afghanistan has invited India to broaden its engagement in that country, including in enhancing the capabilities of its security forces, but made it clear that it would resist attempt by anybody to undermine the destiny of its people, in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

Pakistan slammed Afghan National Security Advisor Rangin Dadfar Spanta for alleging that the country and its military intelligence were linked to terrorists, saying it would not be "distracted by such unfair remarks".

Accusing Pakistan of harbouring Taliban and Al Qaeda militants, a top Afghan official on Monday said the global community is committing a blunder by embracing it as a strategic partner despite the fact that terrorism emanating from the region is affecting India, United Kingdom and others. "Unfortunately, the military-intelligence establishment of one of our neighbours still regards Afghanistan as its sphere of influence," Rangin Dadfar Spanta said.

Asking Maoists to abandon the path of violence, President Pratibha Patil on Saturday said they must come to the negotiating table for working out a solution. Addressing the nation on the eve of 64th Independence Day, she also said terrorism poses the biggest threat to global peace and to defeat it all nations should come together and ensure that terrorists do not get sanctuaries and financial assistance.

Dismissing Afghanistan's demand to strike at terror sanctuaries across the border, US has said that it has no plans to send combat troops to Pakistan.

Sharply reacting to reports of Pakistan's military intelligence agency ISI-backed terrorism against it, India on Tuesday said sponsorship of terror, as an instrument of policy, was "wholly condemnable" and demanded stopping of terror activities from across the border.

Industrialist Mukesh Ambani would release 'Wildscapes', a coffee table book on environment and wildlife protection, here on July 29.

Amit Jethwa's father Bhiku Jethwa had accused Solanki for the murder, as he claimed that his son had recently filed an RTI application and a public interest litigation in the Gujarat High Court against Solanki. Jethwa had filed a petition in the high court, which alleged that mining activities were being carried out in the Una and Kodinar areas of Saurashtra with the support of Junagadh BJP MP Solanki and his relatives.

India and Afghanistan are historic friends. Our two countries enjoy a relationship based on history, civilization, trade and cultural exchanges and shared values and interests stretching back thousands of years. India is committed to the unity, integrity and independence of Afghanistan underpinned by democracy and cohesive pluralism and free from external interference.

The international community should ensure that there is no selectivity in dealing with terrorism, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said in a statement at the international conference on Afghanistan, where he supported the peace process which, he added, should be "inclusive and transparent."

Where should you head off to holiday in this wonderful weather? Harnoor Channi-Tiwary shares her favourite monsoon getaways from across the country.

The Andhra Pradesh government's attempt to ride roughshod over the Environment Protection Act 1986 to allow a massive private thermal power plant on the wetlands of Srikakulam district has failed.

"A stable and settled Afghanistan, where the rank and file of the Taliban has given up violence against the government, and the people, cut all links with terrorism, subscribe to the values of the Afghan Constitution and its laws, and where development is the hard rationale, is what we seek and quest for," Permanent Representative to the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri said.

A top American General has said that it would not be surprising if Pakistan's powerful spy agency Inter Services Intelligence has links with Islamist extremist groups, which have set up a safe haven in the country's restive tribal region.

A top American military commander headed for Afghanistan on Tuesday said he would not be surprised by links between Pakistan's spy agency Inter State Intelligence and Islamist extremist organisations, who have established a safe haven in Pakistan's restive tribal region.

The 27-year-old German national, later identified as Rami Mackenzie, was allegedly an expert in making suicide vests and was wanted by German authorities for links with extremists. He was clad in a burqa which covered his face at the time of the arrest.

Pakistan is still courting militant groups and needs to abandon militancy as a tool of its foreign and domestic policy as this has the potential to backfire, a new study has warned.

After five years of wait, Shree Sharadamba Hindu Temple complex, built at a whopping cost of 11 million dollars to stand as "a testament to Canada and India's proud traditions of pluralism," was finally opened for the public in Toronto. The complex which consists of the Sringeri Sharadamba Temple and the Adi Shankara Museum, was consecrated on Sunday in a ritual known as "Kumbhabhishekam." The complex is the first in Canada that is dedicated to Adi Shankaracharya.

The powerful role of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence in Afghan insurgency is 'as clear as the sun in the sky', says a latest study.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari recently met 50 captured Taliban leaders, including Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in a prison to assure them that their outfit had his government's full support and that they would be freed soon, a media report in London claimed on Sunday.

Acting on a report on rediff.com, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh on Thursday sought a report from the Madhya Pradesh Government over the death of a tigress in the Aandhavgarh Sanctuary.

Jhurjhura was found dead at the Tala range of the reserve in Umaria district. The post-mortem on the tigress was done only after we (nature lovers and conservationists) sent letters to the President, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and the MP chief minister