India

New Delhi, May 7: India has developed its own missile defence shield which can be put in place at short notice to protect at least two cities, bringing the country at par with an elite group of few nations. The shield, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has been tested successfully and an incoming ballistic missile with the range of up to 2,000 kms can be

New Delhi, May 7: The CBI has told the Supreme Court that it was not only against dropping of conspiracy charges against BJP leader L K Advani in the Babri Masjid demolition case but also wanted him and other leaders to face trial along with the accused kar sevaks. In the demolition incident, two FIRs were lodged. FIR No. 197/92 was against kar sevaks who allegedly demolished the mosque while FIR

Jaipur, May 7: The simmering factional feud in Rajasthan BJP boiled over as Opposition leader Vasundhara Raje threatened to resign over differences with party leader Gulab Chand Kataria. The crisis, rooted in Kataria’s move to take out a rally against Raje’s wishes, appeared to blow over on Sunday after Kataria backed off, but the damage to the unity of the party may take much healing. As the

Kolkata, May 7: India: Hoping to wean India from Iranian oil imports, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is urging Indian leaders to explore alternative suppliers as she opens a three-day visit to the energy-starved South Asian giant that will also focus on regional security and easing trade restrictions. Clinton arrived in the eastern city of Kolkata — the first secretary of state to

Kolkata, May 6: As US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets West Bengal's first woman Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday, discussions on foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail and India-Bangladesh ties are expected to be high on the agenda. Clinton arrives for her second ever visit to Kolkata Sunday. She will meet Banerjee at the state secretariat the next day, with the illustrious Time

New Delhi, May 6: Though almost all Chief Ministers acknowledged the need for a counter-terror body, on the lines of the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre, the Centre failed to convince them at Saturday's deliberations here to break the logjam over the final and decisive move towards setting up the hub. Briefing journalists after the Chief Ministers' meeting, Union Home Minister P

New Delhi, May 6: Taking India's Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVoA) policy to a new level, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) has approved the facility for residents of France, Germany and Russia. Now, TVoA is given to residents of only 11 countries, of which only two - Finland and Luxembourg - are in Europe. New Zealand is the only other non-Asian country to enjoy the facility. Confirming the

New Delhi, May 6: New census data on asset ownership among different social groups has shown that a far higher proportion of scheduled castes and higher still of scheduled tribes do not own basic consumer durables like a phone or bicycle as compared to "others". Three states however buck this trend; across caste groupings in Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the rate of ownership of basic consumer

Madurai, May 5: Income tax officials today conducted a raid at the Madurai Adheenam (mutt) which has been in the limelight following the appointment of the controversial self-styled godman Nityananda as head of the 1500-year-old Saivaite Mutt. Officials, who entered the mutt early this morning, sealed all exit points and started checking the strong room. Officials said they were conducting the

Chennai, May 5: DMK today gave its backing to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as UPA's presidential candidate. ''If he is the candidate of the UPA coalition, the DMK will not hesitate to back his candidature," DMK chief M Karunanidhi told reporters here. Asked about his earlier observation that his party favoured a "good President" and whether Mukherjee could be the one, the DMK chief said, "I