Why Natwar Singh wrote his Sonia expose: 'Inner voice' or political gain? - Firstpost

Is it becoming a fad or is it plain business sense that the Gandhis have become the focal point of all ‘tell all’ tales being published in the country? Right from former media advisor Sanjaya Baru to one of the closest aides of the Gandhi family, Natwar Singh have targeted the Congress’ first family in their respective books.Despite the differences between the Gandhis and Natwar Singh, one never imagined that the schism would run so deep...

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Sonia was no deity of sacrifice: Did Priyanka endorse Natwar's claim? - Firstpost

'Amazing Grace,' announced a leading newspaper’s banner headline on 19 May, 2004, words that went on to become a sort of catchphrase to describe the "sacrifice" made by Sonia Gandhi who had heeded the call of her “inner voice”. Whatever propelled her decision to not become prime minister, in one single stroke, she had become a deity of renunciation, personifying the biggest human trait that Indians value. Natwar Singh. Image courtesy...

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Pune landslide: Unscientific farming seen as trigger - Livemint

Rescue workers and volunteers clear the debris from the site of a landslide at Malin village. Photo: ReutersMumbai/Malin (Pune):Environmental campaigners said Wednesday’s landslide in Malin village of Pune district that has killed 41 people so far and buried around 125 more was caused by unscientific paddy farming encouraged by the local agricultural department.Ambegaon-based non-governmental organization Nisarg Sahas Sanstha (NSS), which...

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Sonia was no deity of sacrifice: Did Priyanka endorse Natwar's claim? - Firstpost

'Amazing Grace,' announced a leading newspaper’s banner headline on 19 May, 2004, words that went on to become a sort of catchphrase to describe the "sacrifice" made by Sonia Gandhi who had heeded the call of her “inner voice”. Whatever propelled her decision to not become prime minister, in one single stroke, she had become a deity of renunciation, personifying the biggest human trait that Indians value. Natwar Singh. Image courtesy...

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Pune landslide: 41 bodies found, 160 people still missing - Times of India

PUNE: It's been more than 24 hours since several rescue teams, including those of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), were deployed at Malin where a major landslide on Wednesday killed over 41 people. About 150 are still feared buried under the debris.Till Thursday evening, about 41 bodies, mangled and covered in slush were recovered. Union home minister Rajnath Singh, former agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and state assembly speaker Dilip Walse Patil, visited the village. Three excavators are working round the clock...

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Pune landslide: 41 bodies found, 160 people still missing - Times of India

PUNE: It's been more than 24 hours since several rescue teams, including those of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), were deployed at Malin where a major landslide on Wednesday killed over 41 people. About 150 are still feared buried under the debris.Till Thursday evening, about 41 bodies, mangled and covered in slush were recovered. Union home minister Rajnath Singh, former agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and state assembly speaker Dilip Walse Patil, visited the village. Three excavators are working round the clock...

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Gas Suspected in Fatal Blasts That Jolted a City in Taiwan - New York Times

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US cyber snooping unacceptable, says India - Firstpost

New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) India Thursday raised the issue of America's cyber snooping on the country, saying it was "unacceptable" as visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry in a conciliatory note said the US would continue to work with India wherever they saw a "threat to shared interests".External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, addressing a joint press briefing with Kerry after the Fifth India-US Strategic Dialogue, said that she conveyed to Kerry that the people of India were very agitated over US surveillance activities....

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WTO talks fail over India's protection of food subsidies - Livemint

Negotiators for a Trade Facilitation Agreement at WTO headquarters in Geneva failed to agree as a midnight deadline passed to implement part of the accord by the end of July. Photo: AFPNew Delhi: Talks for the first major accord in the World Trade Organization’s 19-year history collapsed over objections raised by India, which was seeking to bolster farm protections.Negotiators for a Trade Facilitation Agreement at WTO headquarters in Geneva...

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Pune landslide: 41 bodies pulled out, little chance of more survivors - Times of India

PUNE: The old primary school building serves as the only shelter for the rescue teams who are working tirelessly at Milan village, the scene of Wednesday's landslide. It has been more than 24 hours since several such teams, including that of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), have been stationed here. Till last count, 41 bodies had been pulled out of the debris while around 160 more are expected to be found.Union home minister Rajnath Singh, former agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and speaker of the state legislative...

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Kerry in Delhi to revive ties after friction - DAWN.com

NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday opened his first meetings with India’s right-wing government as he seeks to reboot a relationship seen as a bulwark against a rising China.Kerry’s visit to New Delhi comes after an unusually large number of disputes between the world’s largest democracies, including charges of US surveillance against Indian politicians and a trade rift that could scuttle a global customs deal.The top US diplomat met Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, a key player in the new government,...

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Taiwan gas blasts in Kaohsiung kill at least 22 - BBC News

Footage taken by eyewitnesses showed huge fires at the scene A series of gas explosions in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung has killed 22 people and injured about 270, officials say.The exact cause of the gas leaks is not clear, but reports say the blasts were caused by ruptured pipelines.Images from the scene show major fires, cars overturned and significant damage to roads and buildings.Dozens of those injured...

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India's demands block $1 trillion WTO deal on customs rules - Reuters India

By David Brunnstrom and Tom MilesGENEVA Fri Aug 1, 2014 6:22am IST A labourer speaks on a mobile phone while lying on sacks filled with rice at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) market yard, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad July 29, 2014.Credit: Reuters/Amit Dave GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Trade Organization failed on Thursday to reach a deal to standardise customs rules, which would have been the first global trade reform...

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Some part of Sonia Gandhi is not Indian, she's ruthless: Natwar - Hindustan Times

Former Gandhi family loyalist K Natwar Singh kicked up another political storm on Thursday by raking up Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origins in a television interview. Former union minister K Natwar Singh who fell foul with the Congress after the 'oil for food' scam. Slighted at being rebuffed by the Congress President after his alleged involvement in the Iraq food-for-oil scam of 2005, the 83-year-old said Gandhi’s behaviour...

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US says hopeful of WTO deal with India only hours before deadline - Daily Times

NEW DELHI/SYDNEY: The United States said on Thursday it was hopeful that differences between India and much of the rest of the world over a major trade agreement could be resolved in time, with only hours remaining before the deal has to be signed.New Delhi has insisted that, in exchange for signing the trade facilitation agreement, it must see more progress on a parallel pact giving it more freedom to subsidise and stockpile food grains than is allowed by World Trade Organisation rules.The WTO deal must be signed in Geneva...

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Men disguised as langurs to scare away monkeys around Parliament - India Today

The New Delhi Municipal Corporation has found a bizarre way to tackle the money menace in the Parliament House. The monkeys will now be scared away by young people disguised as langurs! An August 2010 file photo of a street artist dressed as a monkey performing in a slum area in New Delhi. Reuters/Reinhard KrauseSo serious is the NDMC about this method that 40 people have been hired for this very purpose.Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah...

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US says hopeful of WTO deal with India only hours before deadline - Daily Times

NEW DELHI/SYDNEY: The United States said on Thursday it was hopeful that differences between India and much of the rest of the world over a major trade agreement could be resolved in time, with only hours remaining before the deal has to be signed.New Delhi has insisted that, in exchange for signing the trade facilitation agreement, it must see more progress on a parallel pact giving it more freedom to subsidise and stockpile food grains than is allowed by World Trade Organisation rules.The WTO deal must be signed in Geneva...

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Monkey business: These men are paid to mimic langurs - Business Standard

Forty young men “impersonating” as langurs currently protect our public representatives from the troops of monkeys that terrorise Members of Parliament and officials inside Parliament House, and other important buildings like the Supreme Court in the New Delhi area of the national capital.This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW. from Top Stories - Google News http://ift.tt/1pKbvoZvia IFT...

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John Kerry visit: India, US stress strategic ties but tensions remain - Economic Times

NEW DELHI: The United States and India stressed their desire to boost business and defense ties on Thursday, but trade and spying rows were a reminder of the obstacles to President Barack Obama's vision of a "defining" partnership.After a day of meetings in New Delhi seen as a preparation for a September visit to Washington by new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the Indian leader's election had created a "singular opportunity.""The moment has never been more ripe to deliver on the...

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Monkey business: These men are paid to mimic langurs - Business Standard

Forty young men “impersonating” as langurs currently protect our public representatives from the troops of monkeys that terrorise Members of Parliament and officials inside Parliament House, and other important buildings like the Supreme Court in the New Delhi area of the national capital.This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW. from Top Stories - Google News http://ift.tt/1oT3hi1via IFT...

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First time buyers, discounts offered boosts Marui Suzuki's performance - Economic Times

India's biggest carmaker Maruti Suzuki put up a good show in the June quarter, this at a time when consumer sentiment continues to be fragile. Maruti's performance can be attributed to a phenomenon called the 'pushed demand', where it boosted its volume growth by creating demand in markets: it offered higher discounts to attract consumers, who had pinned their hopes on a Modi-led government to deliver on its promise of 'acche din'.The...

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John Kerry visit: India, US stress strategic ties but tensions remain - Economic Times

NEW DELHI: The United States and India stressed their desire to boost business and defense ties on Thursday, but trade and spying rows were a reminder of the obstacles to President Barack Obama's vision of a "defining" partnership.After a day of meetings in New Delhi seen as a preparation for a September visit to Washington by new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the Indian leader's election had created a "singular opportunity.""The moment has never been more ripe to deliver on the...

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First time buyers, discounts offered boosts Marui Suzuki's performance - Economic Times

India's biggest carmaker Maruti Suzuki put up a good show in the June quarter, this at a time when consumer sentiment continues to be fragile. Maruti's performance can be attributed to a phenomenon called the 'pushed demand', where it boosted its volume growth by creating demand in markets: it offered higher discounts to attract consumers, who had pinned their hopes on a Modi-led government to deliver on its promise of 'acche din'.The...

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Indo-US dialogue: Sushma Swaraj talks tough with John Kerry on spying, gives ... - Economic Times

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday raised with US Secretary of State John Kerry the issue of American intelligence agencies allegedly snooping on BJP and conveyed to him the 'public anger in India' over the issue."I raised this issue and even told them that when the news was reported in the media, people were angry," Swaraj told a joint press conference with Kerry following the fifth round of strategic dialogue that discussed wide ranging cooperation in security, energy and trade issues."I even told...

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