Looking for a little travel inspiration? Pinterest has a few suggestions. The website recently released its list of 20 most pinned places of all time, which takes readers through almost every continent. Well-known tourist spots such as New York City and Positano, Italy made the list, along with more unfamiliar destinations including Lake Todos los Santos in southern Chile and Somoto Canyon in Nicaragua. “A lot of people use Pinterest […]

  Two hundred writers – including Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan and Hari Kunzru – have urged British Prime Minister David Cameron to raise issues of freedom of expression and intolerance with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, who began his three-day visit on Thursday. An open letter by the writers to Cameron was prominently published on the front page of The Guardian, which also carried similar letters from a large number […]

Indian citizens with handwritten passports will have to get them replaced with machine-readable ones.After the 24th, you might be denied visa or entry. freshersplaneindiaThe International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has set a deadline of November 24 for the global phase-out of all non-Machine Readable Passports (MRPs). Thereafter, foreign governments may deny a visa or entry to a person travelling on a non-Machine Readable Passport, a circular from the ministry of […]

Even as the buzz around BJP’s showdown in the Bihar has not completely dies down, Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on a 3-day hectic tour of UK. The Prime Minister who has been at the receiving end of several sharp edged and sarcastic barbs after the recent Bihar election is scheduled to meet UK Prime Minister David Cameron, lunch with Queen of England and ink several pacts over the course […]

Karla Jacinto is sitting in a serene garden. She looks at the ordinary sights of flowers and can hear people beyond the garden walls, walking and talking in Mexico City. She looks straight into my eyes, her voice cracking slightly, as she tells me the number she wants me to remember — 43,200. By her own estimate, 43,200 is the number of times she was raped after falling into the […]

After smoggy, sooty Delhi, the crisp air at Bhutan’s Paro airport is unmistakable and, descending after a three-hour flight, the first instinctive reaction is to breathe in a lung-full of the clean, soft and scented air. A light drizzle only adds to the magical feeling of landing in the Land of the Thunder Dragon. The airport looks small – maybe a few of them could easily fit into Delhi’s T3 […]

Clamping down on the ‘rent-a-womb’ practice by foreigners and overseas Indians, the government on Tuesday directed all its missions not to issue visas to those intending to visit India for commissioning surrogacy. Announcing withdrawal of an earlier notification of July 2012, a Home Ministry circular has asked all Indian Missions abroad and Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRRO) to cancel any such permission given earlier and said all those granted visa […]

Myanmar’s Union Election Commission (UEC) on Wednesday announced that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has won Sunday’s general election and has been re-elected to the House of Representatives (Lower House). Representing her National League for Democracy (NLD), Aung San Suu Kyi, who is the party chairperson, contested in Yangon’s Kawhmu constituency mainly against rival U Kyaw Zin Hein, candidate of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), reported […]

The diamond can only be worn by a woman or a god, according to legend It was once the world’s largest known diamond, is worth a reported £100m and is currently part of Britain’s crown jewels. But India wants it back. Bollywood stars and businessmen have united to instruct lawyers to begin legal proceedings in London’s High Court to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond. The diamond was in the crown worn by the Queen Mother at […]

The Karnataka government’s decision to celebrate 10 November as Tipu Jayanti flies in the face of history and has deeply offended the people of Coorg, Mangalore, and parts of Kerala who regard Tipu Sultan as a tyrant who destroyed temples, killed non-Muslims, and forcibly converted tens of thousands of conquered people. Various parties and organisations have already taken out protest processions and 10 November, is being observed across Coorg district […]