Special News

NRIs have reservations about quotas

'Whenever you watch Indian TV news, you see protests, floods, crime, terrorist attacks, ill treatment of women and children and other miseries,' complains Neelama Natrajan from Dalton, Georgia, USA. 'And then you claim that India is booming and a rising economic power!'9:15 AM on June 11

Ray of hope for ULFA kids in jail

Guwahati - After more than two and a half years in jail, there is a glimmer of hope for the likes of Abhinav and Bandana, imprisoned in Assam simply for being children of separatist guerrillas.8:15 AM on June 10

Drugs, lies and the brat pack - the Mahajan saga

June 2, 2006, a Friday, dawned on Delhi like any other day. By breakfast time, however, TV channels were breaking the story of Rahul Mahajan's nightly misadventure. Rahul, the young scion of late Pramod Mahajan, the BJP star whom former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee literally catapulted to a position of pre-eminence by calling him a 'Laxman', was battling for life after allegedly consuming drugs.12:30 PM on June 06

NRIs in 'reverse trend' on children's education

'Are we crazy to send our son to study in India when we have the best facilities here in the US?' asked Krishna 'Kris' Chandran, an NRI in Washington. He had a point. Nearly 100,000 Indians are studying for bachelors or post-graduate degrees and advanced courses in the US. But a new report from a Washington research institute reveals that the number of Americans studying abroad has risen by almost 10 percent. A 'reverse trend' is beginning with a small number of American students coming to India.8:30 AM on May 31

Assam to be part of Asian Safari circuit

Guwahati - Lured by Assam's culture, natural beauty and biodiversity, a private Thai airline operator has proposed making the state part of an Asian Safari circuit and evinced interest to build an airport, resorts and other tourism infrastructure.8:30 AM on May 28

Local cops involved in Kashmir sex scandal: CBI

New Delhi - Women police personnel and special police officers (SPOs) in Jammu and Kashmir are intangibly involved in the sex scandal that has rocked the state for the last month, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has found. The racket, protests against which have led to strikes and rioting, extends well beyond Srinagar and into other towns of the valley, the CBI says.12:00 PM on May 25

NRI investors take a hit as Sensex nosedives

Many NRI investors in the US and Britain got a big shock last week as they started their day by catching up with news from India and found the Bombay Stock Exchange taking a nosedive for five consecutive days. 'Oh my God, not again!' cried Manibhai Patel from Nairobi as he read the news and realised that his stocks had taken a big hit.9:15 AM on May 22

Uttar Pradesh spends millions on VIP security

Lucknow - The Uttar Pradesh government is spending millions of rupees to guard its dignitaries who perceive they are under threat from militant groups - and even their political rivals.9:01 AM on May 22

Resettling slums - the new throwaway people

By car, the journey from central Delhi to the Bawana 'jhuggi-jhopri' (shantytown) resettlement colony in north Delhi takes about an hour. If you have recently been 'resettled' there - in the wake of the demolition of your jhuggu (slum) in central Delhi - then you can expect to change up to three buses and spend about two-and-a-half hours travelling to work. 'Slum clearance' is not a new activity in the history of making and remaking of urban space in Delhi.8:32 AM on May 21

NRI Nightmare: Doing Business in India

'Doing business in India is a nightmare for NRIs,' moaned Lakshmi Shah of Toronto who burnt his fingers in his venture. No doubt it's tough but if an NRI ventures in a planned and unemotional manner, it can succeed.9:15 AM on May 16

Property pitfalls for NRIs

'Though it seems like there are lots of options and facilities, it is very difficult to decide and manage a property in India. I am still looking for an easy way to find, own and manage a property in Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore or Goa,' says Suresh Shyam, who lives near Philadelphia in the US. Annamanaidu Venkatesh in California asks: 'Do you recommend any basic steps to follow before investing in real estate in India?'9:00 AM on May 14

Police may outsource routine jobs to private agencies

New Delhi - A radical proposal under the government's consideration could relieve police of a lot of its routine duties - that would be outsourced to private detective agencies - and leave them to concentrate on investigation and law and order.8:30 AM on May 08

Where do NRI investors get highest returns?

'With so many options, where should I invest my money in India?' asked Manibhai Patel from Kenya. The simple answer is where you get the highest returns. However, sometimes an NRI ends up investing for reasons other than the highest returns. Residential property is one such option in which NRIs invest for reasons of family, security, prestige or emotional linkages.10:18 AM on May 07

Japan may back India-US nuclear deal in NSG

New Delhi - Ahead of the Nuclear Suppliers Group's meeting in Brazil next month, a key politician from Japan's ruling party has indicated that Tokyo will consider supporting the India-US nuclear deal if there is 'adequate trust' between New Delhi and the international community over its nuclear programme.8:33 AM on May 07

India will have to improve stigma of corruption

India has improved its rankings in the global corruption perception index. It ranks 88 among the 158 countries in the latest Transparency International Corruption Perception Index and there is undoubtedly great room for improvement.2:02 PM on May 04