Politics

Challenges ahead for Sheikh Hasina government

New Delhi, Mar 24 (ANI): Bangladesh’s new government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is facing a set of challenges after it won a violence-plagued election which was boycotted by the opposition BNP. Political analyst and scholar Smruti Pattanaik, in an exclusive interview to ANI, spoke about the challenges Hasina would have to tackle immediately, as head of government. Pattanaik further said that the BNP’s strategy of boycotting the election by calling continuous hartals and indulging in violence backfired. Pattanaik also said that the Sheikh Hasina government has popular support in its fight against the Islamic terrorism.

Mar 24, 2014

People from different faiths celebrate Urs of Sufi Saint with enthusiasm

Moradabad, Mar 24 (ANI): India is known for its amazing diversity. But, this does not come in the way of good relations between people of different faiths. This ethos is visible across the country. One such example comes from Moradabad city in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Here, the mausoleum of Hazrat Khawaja Sufi Mohammad Shah brings together people from different communities. Hazrat Khawaja's Urs has been celebrated every year for the past 56 years. And, it is believed that the saint fulfills all the wishes of his devotees. The respect and acceptance for other religions is clearly visible, as all celebrate the festival the occasion together. The mausoleum has kept alive the spirit of communal harmony, and is a perfect symbol of unity and brotherhood.

Mar 24, 2014

Communal harmony at workplace

Jammu and Kashmir, Mar 24 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir is often described as a "Paradise on Earth". Besides being the destination of natural beauty, it is also known for religious tolerance and harmony between different communities that live in the region. This culture is the result of a synthesis of different religious beliefs and practices over centuries. It is also known as Kashmiriyat. A carpet manufacturing unit is an example of this fact. Here workers belonging to different communities work together and make the business a success. The Handloom Unit has been growing and expanding since its inception. Everyone works here in perfect harmony and religion has never come in the way of good relations between the workers.

Mar 24, 2014

China families confront Malaysian ambassador over jet

Chinese families confront the Malaysian ambassador to China as the anxious wait for information on the missing flight MH370 continues. Duration: 00:49

Mar 24, 2014

French far-right triumphs in local polls

France's ruling Socialists scramble to recover lost ground after the far-right made huge inroads in the first round of local elections widely seen as a slap in the face for the country's deeply unpopular President Francois Hollande. Duration: 01:35

Mar 24, 2014

Obama holds G7 summit as Russia tightens Crimea grip

US President Barack Obama on Monday vowed Western unity in punishing Moscow for annexing Crimea, as he headed for crisis talks that could see Russia excluded from the G8 club of rich nations. Duration: 00:55

Mar 24, 2014

Sabir Ali lashes out at KC Tyagi after expulsion from JD (U)

New Delhi, Mar 24 (ANI): Expelled JD (U) leader Sabir Ali on Monday lashed out at KC Tyagi after JD-U expelled him from party for praising Narendra Modi. Rejecting reports of praising Modi, Ali said that he did not take any names.

Mar 24, 2014

JD (U) expels Sabir Ali for praising Narendra Modi

New Delhi, Mar 24, (ANI): The Janata Dal United on Monday expelled party leader Sabir Ali for praising BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi. According to reports, Ali had praised the policies of Modi. Ali, whose tenure in the Upper House ends in April, was earlier denied a berth in the House by the party.

Mar 24, 2014

BJP faces flak for controversial slogan, says it was raised by supporters

NEW DELHI/ KARNATAKA/ MADHYA PRADESH, Mar 24 (ANI): BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday defended his party and gave justification regarding the controversial 'Har Har Modi Ghar Ghar Modi' slogan raised by the party. Naqvi said this is not the official slogan of BJP, in fact, it was spontaneously raised by the enthusiastic BJP supporters. Meanwhile other leaders of national and regional parties grabbed the opportunity to slam BJP for the slogan.

Mar 24, 2014

SC allows defence personnel at peace stations to vote from that constituency

New Delhi, March 24 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that defence personnel stationed in peace stations as on January 2014 and till date may register themselves as general voters in such constituencies. The SC questioned the Election Commission for not allowing defence personnel to vote from the same constituency. Petitioner in the case, Neena Gokhale, said that EC had given condition that in these stations, who have resided with their family for three years or had a posting for three years can get the right, which too has been ruled out by the apex court.

Mar 24, 2014

Cell phones catapult 'Shangri-La' Bhutan into modern age

Cell phones catapult Bhutan, a remote Himalayan kingdom known as the "last Shangri-La", into the modern age. Duration: 02:01

Mar 24, 2014

Jaswant Singh takes on BJP, says Raje and Rajnath betrayed him - Part - 2

Barmer, Mar 24 (ANI): Rebel BJP leader Jaswant Singh, who filed his nomination from Barmer constituency as an independent candidate said that he had been betrayed by BJP chief Rajnath Singh and Rajasthan CM Vasujdhara Raje. Singh said he had sought to represent Barmer for sentimental reasons and pointed out that the party leadership had denied it to him.

Mar 24, 2014

Jaswant Singh takes on BJP, says Raje and Rajnath betrayed him - Part - 1

Mar 24, 2014

Central BJP s decision to cancel membership wrong, should be revoked: Pramod Muthalik

Hubli, March 24 (ANI): Following the cancellation of membership from the BJP only hours after being taken in by the Karnataka BJP unit, Sri Ram Sene Founder Pramod Muthalik on Monday said that the central BJP’s decision is wrong and that they should revoke it. He said that the decision is sending wrong messages among the people and that it is an insult to him. Muthalik further said that Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s statement is not in his sphere of powers and he is not in central leadership to say anything like that. Further, Muthalik said that the 2009 Mangalore pub incident is very old and that the idea behind it was good and positive.

Mar 24, 2014

Human rights violations in Balochistan raised at United Nations

Geneva, March 23: These banners on the shores of Lake Geneva were displayed to make the people aware about ongoing genocide in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province. Organized by the Baloch Diaspora on the sidelines of 25th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, it highlighted issues like economic exploitation, Talibanization, enforced disappearances and killings of Baloch political leaders and intellectuals. The recent discovery of mass graves and an ongoing army operation in Balochistan were also highlighted. On March 10, the issue of gross human rights violations in Balochistan was also raised during a side event at the United Nations titled “Human Rights and Security Perspectives for Balochistan and Pakistan Post-2014”.

Mar 24, 2014