New York: BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is among Time magazine’s shortlisted candidates for its ‘Person of the Year’ title and has emerged as an early favourite among the readers in an online poll. Time has shortlisted 42 global leaders, entrepreneurs and celebrities for its ‘Person of the Year 2013′ and will announce the winner next month. Other candidates in fray are Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, US President […]

Benedict XVI shocked the world in February when he became the first pope to resign in almost 600 years. But attention shifted quickly to the succession, and the election of the new Pope, Francis. Amid the drama, one question was never fully answered – why did Benedict quit? Pope Benedict’s official resignation statement offered his waning physical and mental powers as the explanation, but it’s long been suspected there was […]

STORY HIGHLIGHTS Archaeologists have found Buddhist shrine from sixth century B.C. Its remains were found under a known Buddhist shrine, built about 300 years later Results are published in the journal Antiquity The older structure seems to have been made of timber There are about 500 million Buddhists worldwide, but it’s unclear exactly when in history this religion began. The Buddha’s life story spread first through oral tradition, and little […]

‘No, I didn’t kill Michael. He did it himself… with a massive overdose using his own stash’: What really happened the night Jackson died, by Dr Conrad Murray, the doctor jailed for the death of the King of Pop Dr Conrad Murray, 60, was convicted of killing Michael Jackson Proclaiming his innocence, he claims Jackson took an overdose Reveals ‘truth’ about the King of Pop’s last months in exclusive interview […]

Vinicio Riva, 53, suffers from the genetic disease neorofibromatosis His aunt Caterina Lotto fears he and his sister Morena will have to live in a care home when she dies as there will be no one to look after them The pair have learning difficulties and do not leave the house without her Condition has left him covered from head-to-toe in non-contagious growths Earlier this month Pope Francis embraced and […]

How did an unassuming Varanasi farmer and school dropout come to be sought after by farmers, praised by experts and awarded by the government for his famous seeds? I’m in Varanasi, looking for the house of JP Singh. Spirituality soaks everyone and everything in Varanasi, also called Benares and Kashi – the holiest of seven holy cities in Hinduism. Key to the founding of both Buddhism and Sikhism, home to […]

She was attacked at a rural police station, and her landmark case awakened India decades ago. But did she manage to love, have children, find happiness? New headlines about rape in my homeland set me on a journey to find her. She was 14, maybe 16, when they raped her. It was 1972, and I was 9. The India of her youth was the India of mine — except she […]

Marina Chapman claims she was raised by capuchin monkeys in Colombia She had been left in the jungle aged five after a botched kidnap The 63-year-old from Bradford says the monkeys ‘cared for her’ A film team followed her back to the jungle to see if her story is true Deep in the Colombian  jungle the humid air is heavy with the incessant buzz of swarms of mosquitoes which engulf […]

STORY HIGHLIGHTS French court orders search engine Google to remove Max Mosley orgy pictures Courts had previously ruled the images must not be shown Max Mosley: Images he fought to establish were illegal, continually reappear on Google I think there is something seriously wrong with the culture at Google – Mosley I am pleased and relieved that the court in Paris finally found in my favor this week in my […]

  One of Pope Francis’ dearest friends is none other than a Jewish Rabbi. And Rabbi Abahram Skorka, who has known Pope Francis for 15 years, since he was Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, has a concise description of what makes Francis’ papacy different from his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, born Joseph Ratzinger. Pope Francis “lives with his mind in heaven and with his feet on Earth,” Rabbi Skorka told CNN’s Christiane […]