THE islands of New Zealand form a long thin exclamation mark in the vast gyre of the southern ocean relentlessly churning around the Antarctic continent. In the north, there are exuberantly colourful gardens of subtropical plants including New Zealand’s brilliant crimson-flowered Christmas tree – the pohutukawa. Further south is the very different palette of a true temperate climate. Plants wear their sensible seasonal livery under snow in winter, in the […]

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan on Friday took to Twitter to share the second song ‘Meri Pyaari Ammi’ from his upcoming film ‘Secret Superstar’. The track, which is quite popular on the Internet already, highlights the unconditional love of all the mothers. ‘Meri Pyaari Ammi’ has been sung by Meghna on the tunes on ace music director Amit Trivedi. The beautiful lyrics have been penned by Kausar Munir. “Here it is, […]

September 11 marks the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s 1893 address to the Parliament of Religions in Chicago. The speech that still gives me goosebumps and one that has continued to inspire generations are very relevant in the current context, more than ever. He said, “Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often […]

Hurricane Irma made landfall on Florida’s southern islands on Sunday and claimed three lives as millions of people, including thousands of Indian-Americans, evacuated the state in the wake of the storm that left a trail of death and destruction across the Caribbean. Hurling 130 mph winds, Irma struck Florida Keys as it barrelled towards the US state’s west coast where millions of people have evacuated turning many places into ghost […]

A Sikh lawmaker’s measured response to being heckled by a belligerent woman in Canada has impressed many. Jagmeet Singh was subjected to an aggressive and racist rant by a woman at a campaign event in Brampton, Ontario on Wednesday. He responded by saying: “We welcome you. We love you. We support you.” His supporters chanted “Love and Courage,” Mr Singh’s campaign slogan, as the woman repeatedly yelled at Mr Singh. […]

Politics is what happens when India is hit by yet another riot. Amid the broken homes, dead parents, bawling children and dreams going up in smoke is another plot that may lead those behind it to a cushy seat in Delhi. But are the films today ready to call it out? Give the political climate in the country today, the answer is largely no. Sameer, a small film that you […]

It was the end of the road for Ankur Bindal, barely 21, when engineering subjects didn’t make any sense, finding a job afterwards seemed equally elusive, and to top it all, the first love of his life had left him. At the time the only solution that appeared alluring to him was ending his life. Speaking to PTI on the eve of World Suicide Prevention Day, Ankur, now a successful […]

I am sure by the time most of you are reading this you are either having your breakfast or preparing for your breakfast! Afterall, there is always something special about the Sunday breakfast. It can’t be the run of the mill bread and butter nor can it be the simple chapati. It is generally elaborate, out of the ordinary and undeniably delectable. Whatever corner of the world you might be, […]

About 270,000 Rohingya Muslims have sought shelter in Bangladesh since violence erupted in Myanmar two weeks ago, the UN says. A spokeswoman said the jump – up from 164,000 on Thursday – was because new pockets of people had been found. She called the figure “so alarming” and said urgent action was needed to address the situation in Myanmar. Those fleeing say Myanmar’s military are burning their villages and attacking […]

The GST rates on 30 items of mass consumption were slashed on Saturday while the cess on mid and high-segment cars went up as the Council formed a five-member Committee to sort out technical glitches faced on the return-filing portal while the last date for GSTR 1 has been extended by a month. Briefing the media after the second review meeting post the Goods and Services Tax roll out, Finance […]