The scenic mountainous valley, which earlier bustled with presence of foreign tourists, now wear a deserted look. Kunal Dutt reports

The charming town of Pelling can strike a balance between commerce and conservation

A deputy leader of Al Qaeda's branch in the Indian subcontinent, who was seen as a "rising star" in terrorist circles, died in an American drone strike in Pakistan in January that also killed an American and Italian hostage, according to a media report.

Sikka has influenced the company to break away from the old mould in more ways than one.

There are some niggling issues that would make one frown a bit but at this price I think you can compromise on those.

What better way to rekindle your passion than a road trip right? Anita Rao Kashi suggests these five routes:

Ever since India became a force to reckon with in software services, doing for clients what they want done, the big void that has been constantly talked about is its absence from the space of software products - those over which you own intellectual property rights.

'Let people across the LoC see the resolve of Bharat and the contribution of the Indian Security Forces in rebuilding the Valley. Let disaster become the rallying point for integration -- not only of society but also of all the instruments of State,' says General Anil Chait (retd).

Over 2 million Muslims, including 136,000 Indians, will begin Haj when they assemble in the valley of Mina as Saudi authorities said preparations have been completed for the world's largest annual gathering after the city underwent a multi-billion overhaul.

'For lakhs of people in the flood-afflicted state, battling against the elements is taking a huge toll. This is the time of the year that apples ripen, rice starts being harvested and preparations start in full swing to put aside some of the food stocks for the long winter months ahead. At this moment, though, people there believe if they can succeed in coming out of this calamity in one piece they will have won the war,' says Rashme Sehgal.

Ravaging floods claimed 17 more lives in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday raising the toll to 37 even as evacuation of people to safer areas continued.

Jammu and Kashmir continues to remain on a flood alert as most of the rivers in the state are flowing above the danger mark.

Do it yourself! That was the mantra behind the valiant efforts by nearly 3,000 residents of Old Barzullah locality in Srinagar to save themselves from the overflowing Doodh Ganga stream that threatened to seep into their homes.

A flood alert was sounded in Srinagar city on Thursday as river Jhelum was flowing four feet above the danger mark after incessant rain, while 23 villages have been inundated by floods in south Kashmir districts of Anantnag and Kulgam.

All those of us who care about books should welcome the appointment, as head of the Indian Council of Historical Research, of Yellapragada Sudarshan Rao. This is not because Rao has so far distinguished himself as a writer about "history and tourism management", which is the department of Kakatiya University in Warangal he headed before retiring to head an Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-backed project to "write history from a nationalist perspective and popularise Sanskrit", two aims which naturally go together for the RSS.

The Lumoid site a is clean and user-friendly e-commerce experience, prompting visitors to select a category, like 'Landscape,' 'Sports,' and 'Student' for recommended custom created kits or 'Shop All Gear' for those who prefer to pick and choose the pieces they need.

The youngest winners of the thriving tech economy, many of whom came of age during the last financial crisis, aren't often interested in the ideas that attracted clients in the past.

Much of the negative perceptions of the north-east diaspora owe their origin and existence to the perverse policies of the central government toward the region and its people. This realisation must be the beginning of an earnest endeavour to address the issue, says R N Ravi.

The eight-year-old online messaging service gave potential investors their first glance at its financials on Thursday when it publicly filed its IPO documents, setting the stage for one of the most-anticipated debuts in over a year.

Trekking in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, Sumit Bhattacharya stumbles upon a conservation success story.

There are lessons to be learnt from the Uttarakhand tragedy. Topping the list is the need to immediately stop mindless construction activity in the Himalayan hills, says Nitish Priyadarshi

The suspension of the Char Dham Yatra this year and its cancellation the next will be a huge blow to Uttarakhand's unorganised sector

Supreme court eases ban on mining in Bellary. It is doubtful if its ravaged environment can be healed.

Still grappling with the trauma of his sudden execution, the family of Afzal Guru is planning to move Supreme Court so that no other family is denied the right to meet their loved one before being hanged.

Ganesh Natarajan answered many IT-related questions during an hour-long rediff chat on Tuesday.

The move puts it in competition with Apple, Amazon and Google.

Five police personnel have been placed under suspension in connection with the incident in which a 29-year-old journalist was killed in police firing in Manipur, official sources said on Monday. The sources said a three-member enquiry committee headed by Principal Secretary, Home, Suresh Babu has been constituted to probe Sunday's incident and the panel would submit its report to the government for further action within a week.

Apple makes the majority of its products, from Macs to the iPhone and iPad, in China, the world's factory floor for electronics.

Possible higher dividend, capital gains taxes weigh.

That Lieutenant Colonel Brahmanand Avasthy deserved a gallantry medal for his conspicuous bravery is unarguable, but his valour went unrecognised. M P Anil Kumar salutes an Indian hero on the 50th anniversary of his martyrdom.

Amarpreet Kalkat, Founder, Ciafo, a software products start-up focused on building consumer products for the web shares the lessons he learnt while setting up the company.

Authorities in Srinagar on Monday asked people living along the banks of Jhelum river to shift to safer places as a flood alarm was sounded in the city due to rising water level in the river following incessant rains.

The presence of a tiger has been confirmed in the country's eastern-most tiger protection areas, Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mizoram bordering Bangladesh.

Filtering of websites has now been introduced as a discussable topic. The current battle is about who will control the most visible and glamorous layer, the content layer.

Rediff reader Meera Gopalakrishnan shares with us these images and experiences from her recent trip the Kashmir of the South!

Rediff reader Meera Gopalakrishnan shares with us these images and experiences from her recent trip the Kashmir of the South!

The proposal to remove the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in some parts Kashmir is a ploy by anti-India forces to show that they are still relevant, says Tarun Vijay.

The Great Smoky Mountains of Tenessee may be one of America's best natural attractions but the real magic lies in its deep forests and wildlife says Poornima Guruprasad.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, who died in a helicopter crash on April 30, had spoken to rediff.com in 2007 on the Chinese claims over parts of the state and news of incursion by the Chinese army. We reproduce that interview.

With 19 million Facebook friends, US President Barack Obama is amongst the most followed people on the social media web site.