Most of the men imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay prison’s Camp 6 have been on hunger strike for nearly three weeks, according to their attorneys. In response to reports, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and habeas counsel have sent a letter to military officials take measures immediately to improve the situation.   The letter notes, “Since approximately February 6, 2013, camp authorities have been confiscating detainees’ personal items, including blankets, sheets, […]

Indian auditors have alleged corruption in a flagship government scheme to write off debts of poor farmers, Indian media reports say. In a report tabled in the parliament on Tuesday, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said it found lapses in 22% cases where loans were written off. Waivers were given to many ineligible people while those eligible were not considered, the CAG report said. The $1.8bn (£1.2bn) debt relief […]

In Pic :A homeless girl slept on the ground on a cold morning in New Delhi in January. My reaction to watching “Les Misérables” on stage in London in late 1985 was very different from my reaction when I saw it at the cinema in Delhi last week. In 1985 London, I was enthralled and moved by the spectacle. In 2013 Delhi, I was like, whatever. It’s true that the […]

Children attended a free school in New Delhi, Nov. 7, 2012. I got a headache trying to figure out how much money the Indian government plans to spend on health this year. There are multiple budget documents, and the figures given don’t always seem to match. But one thing was clear: spending on health and education looks set to increase. “Health for all and education for all remain our priorities,” […]

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday asked Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena to mend ways and desist from the smear campaign against the Nationalist Congress Parry or face a “befitting reply”. “Some people are trying to defame the NCP. If they try to attack us by doing nautakni(theatrics), we are ready to give a befitting reply. We have done good developmental work and that is why people are electing […]

The National Investigation Agency is probing a hawala transaction from Dubai  which they believe was used to carry out Hyderabad’s twin blasts last week. Vicky Nanjappa reports. A hawala transaction from the Al Quasis industrial area in Dubai to Hyderabad a week before the twin blasts is a subject matter of investigation today. Officials in the NIA informed rediff.com that this is a suspicious transaction and was used to carry […]

Pilibhit: A court in Uttar Pradesh has acquitted BJP leader Varun Gandhi in one of two cases that accuse him of making hate speeches while campaigning in his constituency of Pilibhit in 2009 for the national elections. The second case is expected to be decided on Friday. Mr Gandhi won his parliamentary election after he spent 19 days in jail. He has denied that the speeches he delivered were designed […]

Indian media on Sunday mistakenly used an image of the late MPA Manzar Imam for an alleged suspect involved in the recent blasts in Hyderabad, India, Express News reported. At least 18 people were killed and over 50 were wounded in multiple blasts in the crowded Dilsukhnagar area of Hyderabad on Thursday. Imam, a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), was killed in a targeted attack on January 17, […]

A Muslim man was gunned down in broad daylight in Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s hometown Etawah on Sunday. Adnan, 22, was allegedly killed for daring to marry a Hindu girl.   Kirti, 21, who had married Adnan after years of courtship, squarely blamed the registrar of marriages — the local city magistrate Surendra Kumar Sharma — for the incident. “Six months ago, we had applied for a court […]

The very hazy images that the police have managed to get from the close circuit television in the area implicate three men who planted the bombs at Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad.   Sources in the Special Investigation Team of the Hyderabad police told rediff.com  that while two among the trio planted the bombs, the third man was guiding them. “There were three suspects at the spot. None of their faces are clear […]