By Arshad Mohammed TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli and Palestinian leaders must decide soon on whether to revive long-dormant peace negotiations to end their decades-old conflict, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday. Ending two days of meetings in the region, Kerry said he had had "very productive" talks. But there were no obvious signs of any breakthrough, with neither side offering the sort of compromises needed to end a three-year stalemate. ...
Best of Videos
Latest Slideshows
BA jet makes emergency landing after engine fire ReutersBritish Airways said on Friday a plane travelling from London to Oslo was forced to make an emergency landing after a fault in one of the engines. Video footage on More »
President Pranab concerned over disruptions in legislatures IANSPresident Pranab Mukherjee Friday expressed concern over repeated disruptions in parliament and state legislatures. More »
- Anti-Sikh riot case: Court reserves order on Sajjan Kumar's plea IANS
The Delhi High Court Friday reserved its verdict on Congress leader Sajjan Kumar's plea challenging a trial court order to frame charges against him in a 1984 More »
- Koda surrenders after week-long bail, sent to judicial custody IANS
Ranchi, May 24 (IANS) Former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, allegedly at the centre of a Rs.2,500 crore money laundering scam, surrendered in a court here More »
- BJP demands Sheila's resignation after Lokayukta charge IANS
New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Delhi unit Friday staged a sit-in protest near Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's official residence here, More »
- US drone strikes violate sovereignty, says Pakistan IANS
Islamabad, May 24 (IANS) Pakistani government Friday reiterated its opposition to US drone strikes on its territory, saying the strikes were "counter-productive" More »
- Class 10 student raped in Delhi, accused arrested IANS
New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) A 16-year-old 10th class girl student was raped by her neighbour here, police said Friday. The accused has been arrested. More »
I won't be soft like my mother, says Rahul Gandhi Hindustan TimesCongress vice-president Rahul Gandhi sent out an unusually blunt message to his party colleagues on Thursday, promising to be tougher than his mother in dealing More »
Averse to frisking, Meira Kumar shoots down Ukraine visit Hindustan TimesIndia, May 24 -- Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar shot down a bilateral meet at Kiev after Ukraine refused to exempt her and accompanying six MPs from More »
- Vestas says fraud squad investigating ex-finance chief Reuters
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - The former chief financial officer of Danish wind turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems A/S is being investigated by the country's fraud squad over two agreements he made with an Indian firm, Vestas said. Vestas said it had contacted Denmark's State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime in December, but only made that public on Friday. The company said it approached the prosecutor on the advice of its lawyers after external auditors examined deals Henrik Norremark made with RRB Energy Ltd and its related company RBB. ...
- Russia's oldest rights group fights "foreign agent" tag Reuters
By Timothy Heritage MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's oldest rights group began a legal battle on Friday to avoid being branded a "foreign agent" under a new law it sees as a tool of repression by President Vladimir Putin. Memorial, which has fought to preserve the memory of Josef Stalin's victims for a quarter of a century, has faced problems ever since Mikhail Gorbachev gave it his blessing in the Soviet Union's dying days. Its employees have faced harassment and bureaucratic obstacles at almost every turn. ...
- UK fighters escort Pakistan plane to airport; two arrested Reuters
By Rhys Jones and Peter Griffiths LONDON (Reuters) - British fighter jets escorted a Pakistan International Airlines passenger plane to Stansted Airport near London on Friday, where police went on board and arrested two men on suspicion of endangering an aircraft. Passengers were leaving the plane and no one was hurt in the incident, a spokesman for the airport said. Flight PK709 from Lahore in Pakistan had been due to land at Manchester in northern England with 297 passengers on board, but was diverted shortly before arrival. ...
- Gold faces more pressure as inflation stays tame Reuters
By Jan Harvey LONDON (Reuters) - Gold prices are looking even more vulnerable after April's price crash, as rampant inflation expected from successive rounds of monetary easing fails to materialise. The idea that record-low interest rates would damage paper currencies and boost inflation was a key factor pushing gold to record highs in the wake of the financial crisis. Ultra-loose monetary policies are still in vogue, but gold prices have slid nearly 20 percent since the start of the year and are on track for their biggest quarterly drop in more than 15 years. ...
- Threats made aboard diverted Pakistan plane: passenger Reuters
LONDON (Reuters) - A passenger aboard a Pakistan International Airlines plane flying from Lahore to Manchester that was diverted under military jet escort to Stansted, northeast of London on Friday said someone had made threats against its crew. "We landed safely and then he (the pilot) announced that they had had some kind of threat from someone and that's why he landed the plane," the passenger, identified only as Munsif, told BBC television. He said he was sitting in the front of the plane but that the incident had happened at the back. ...
- Taliban attack U.N. compound in Afghan capital: police Reuters
By Amie Ferris-Rotman and Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban militants launched a coordinated attack on a U.N. compound in the centre of the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Friday setting off explosions and battling the security forces. A plume of smoke hung over the city centre after the attack was launched, eight days after six Americans, soldiers and civilians, and nine Afghans were killed in a suicide car bombing in Kabul. The Taliban, fighting to expel Western forces and establish Islamist rule, claimed responsibility, saying a compound used by the U.S. ...
- Stimulus fears haunt world share markets, dollar recovers Reuters
By Herbert Lash NEW YORK (Reuters) - Global equity markets drifted lower on Friday as investors were beset by worries that central bank stimulus may be curtailed, but the dollar recovered against the euro to trade almost flat after better-than-expected U.S. durable goods data for April. Wall Street opened lower, heading toward its first weekly decline since mid-April, and European stocks also fell after testimony by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke earlier this week sparked speculation the Fed will soon trim its bond buying. ...
- One Direction sweeps awards for most popular social media stars Reuters
By Patrick Johnston SINGAPORE (Reuters) - British boy band One Direction has swept the inaugural awards recognising the most popular people in social media globally, coming top in four out of 10 categories at a star-studded ceremony in Singapore. One Direction was named most popular music group, most popular UK musicians, most popular in the UK, and most popular in west Europe, at the Social Star Awards, but did not show up to collect their prizes, sending their thanks by videolink. ...
- HSBC Chairman urges acceleration of bank reform Reuters
By Steve Slater and Matt Scuffham LONDON (Reuters) - HSBC's Chairman Douglas Flint called for an acceleration in the speed of reform within the industry as the bank was criticised by shareholders for compliance failings and accusations it aided tax avoidance. Flint told around 400 shareholders at the bank's annual meeting that the fallout from recent scandals had created a "once-in-a-generation" opportunity to reform banking and the broader financial industry. "As a first priority we need to speed up the reform process. ...
- Television wins new respect from movie elite at Cannes festival Reuters
By Belinda Goldsmith CANNES (Reuters) - Actors and directors gathered for the world's leading movie showcase in Cannes this week said television was increasingly luring top talent and should no longer be seen as artistically inferior to the big screen. TV series like "The Wire," "Homeland", "Mad Men," "The Sopranos" and "Game of Thrones", which have won critical and commercial success, were cited for breaking down the division between movies and TV, giving audiences innovative viewing. ...
- "Ironical" tweet was defamatory, context was key, UK court rules Reuters
By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - A tweet by a British parliamentarian's wife that pointed her 56,000 followers to online traffic wrongly naming a retired politician as a paedophile was defamatory, even though it did not spell out the false allegation. That was the judgment of the High Court in London on Friday in Britain's mostly closely watched Twitter libel case, brought by Alistair McAlpine, an elderly ally of late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, against Sally Bercow, the flamboyant wife of the speaker of parliament. ...
- British police arrest two men on diverted Pakistan flight Reuters
LONDON (Reuters) - British police arrested two men on a Pakistan International Airlines flight on Friday on suspicion of "endangerment of an aircraft" after it was escorted to a different airport by fighter jets. The plane had been flying from Lahore in Pakistan to Manchester, before it was diverted to Stansted, in Essex, southern England. (Reporting by Kate Holton and Brenda Goh; Editing by Peter Griffiths)
- Wall Street falls at open as Fed plans gauged Reuters
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell at the open on Friday, putting Wall Street on track for its first weekly decline since mid April, amid concern the U.S. central bank may scale back its support to the economy. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 61.13 points, or 0.40 percent, to 15,233.37. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index lost 8.19 points, or 0.50 percent, to 1,642.32. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 18.98 points, or 0.55 percent, to 3,440.44. (Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
- Chidambaram says will introduce direct tax code in monsoon session Reuters
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said on Friday he would introduce a bill for a direct tax code (DTC) during the monsoon session of parliament. The code, which will replace the existing Indian Income Tax Act 1961, is intended among other things to rationalise tax rates to bring more people and companies under the tax net. The month-long monsoon session of parliament is expected to start in late July. Chidambaram's comments came at an event in Mumbai commemorating the 25th anniversary of the capital market regulator. ...
- Bollywood spot boy arrested for IPL spot fixing IANS
Hyderabad/New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) A spot boy in Bollywood movies was Friday arrested from Hyderabad for the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot fixing scandal, Delhi Police sources said.
- Putin, Obama to meet in June, September IANS
Moscow, May 24 (IANS/RIA Novosti) President Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama will meet at the G8 summit in June and during the US president's visit to Russia in September, a Kremlin aide said Friday.
- BBC editor apologises for Muslim remark IANS
London, May 24 (IANS) Nick Robinson, the BBC's political editor, Friday apologised for directly quoting a Whitehall source who described the Woolwich killers as being "of Muslim appearance".
- Japan PM's residence 'not haunted': Government IANS
Tokyo, May 24 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The Japanese government has denied rumours which said the prime minister's official residence was haunted.
- Britain sends up fighters as Pakistani plane diverted IANS
London, May 24 (IANS) Britain had to scramble fighter jets Friday for escorting a Pakistani International Airlines (PIA) plane after it was diverted from Manchester.
- Jet Airway's shareholders approve Etihad deal IANS
Mumbai, May 24 (IANS) Jet Airways Friday said its shareholders have approved the company's plans to offload 24 percent stake to Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways for around $379 million (Rs.2,058 crore).
- PM asks SEBI to stop insider trading IANS
Mumbai, May 24 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday asked the capital market regulator SEBI to root out the "pernicious disease" of insider trading, saying the future effectiveness of the institution would depend on this.
- IPL scam: Vindu, two others sent to police custody till May 28 IANS
Mumbai, May 24 (IANS) A court Friday granted police the custody of Bollywood actor Vindu Dara Singh Randhawa and two others, allegedly involved in the IPL spot-fixing scam, till May 28.
- Indian mining firms face human rights issues in Mozambique IANS
New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) In a report with recommendations for Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL) and the Indian government, Human Rights Watch said the Mozambique government and foreign companies' work in resettling communities displaced by coal mining has "serious shortcomings".
- Saga of dos, don'ts, and strict vigil - Eden security at its height IANS
Kolkata, May 24 (IANS) CCTV cameras prying all-around, strict vigil on movement around players' dressing rooms and heightened security -- the Eden Gardens stood fortified as it hosted the playoff match of the IPL Friday amid the raging spot fixing scam.
- Virbhadra submits memo for financial aid to Mukherjee IANS
Shimla, May 24 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh Friday submitted a memorandum to visiting President Pranab Mukherjee, seeking additional central financial assistance to overcome a shortfall of Rs.10,725 crore.
- Spot fixing: Five accused sent to judicial custody IANS
New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) A Delhi court sent five spot fixing scam accused, including two former cricketers, to judicial custody till June 4.
- Fiscal deficit affecting corporate debt market: PM IANS
Mumbai, May 24 (IANS) Undeveloped corporate debt market is a weakness in India's financial system and high fiscal deficit is further complicating the problem, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Friday.
- Amanda Bynes arrested for drug possession IANS
New York, May 24 (IANS) Actress Amanda Bynes was arrested at her apartment here for possession of marijuana. She even threw the evidence out of the window, reports tmz.com.
- Channelise domestic savings into financial assets: PM IANS
Mumbai, May 24 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday called for increased efforts by the government and financial regulators to channelise domestic savings into financial assets.
- Escape to a stellar experience Hindustan Times
- 12-year old girl gangraped, set ablaze in Nagpur Hindustan Times
- Airlines must cap privileged category seats at 10%: govt Hindustan Times
- Sr cop who probed 26/11 case retires Hindustan Times
- No exam papers, report cards if pupils want refund: school Hindustan Times
- BMC cell to hasten RTI process Hindustan Times
- Teachers back on election duty Hindustan Times
- Number-crunching teen in Limca Book of Records Hindustan Times
- JEE row: CBSE told to give answer keys to students Hindustan Times
- BJP gives it back, says govt to blame for delayed bills Hindustan Times
- My cut-off age for marriage was 28 : Ranbir Kapoor Hindustan Times
- The curious case of missing Aishwarya Hindustan Times
- An emotional brush with parenthood at Cannes Film Festival Hindustan Times
Featured Blogs
Road Test and Review: Ford EcoSport
Wed 15 May, 2013The Calendar Poet
Thu 9 May, 2013Road Test and Review: Volkswagen Polo GT 1.2 TSI
Tue 30 Apr, 2013
Follow Us on Facebook
- BJP meet to discuss strategy against UPA regime: Naqvi1 hour 31 minutes ago
- IOC sets September 1 deadline for India to hold elections1 hour 21 minutes ago
- Happy Birthday Ali Zafar!Sat 18 May, 2013
- Boman Irani hurts his knee on the sets of SANTA BANTASat 18 May, 2013
- Sonakshi Sinha takes painting tips from Salman KhanSat 18 May, 2013