As it attempts to drive growth and innovation, India lags the developed and emerging world in a key area, research and development, as a recent imbroglio over stipends reveals­.


India lags emerging world in research, imperils innovation (Special to IANS)


IANS Automatic

Why target only India for rapes, they happen all over the world, says Danish designer-turned writer Inger Solberg, who has come out with her first book "Pushpa", a vibrant account of her life in India, which she has made her home for the past 15 years.


Why target only India for rapes, says Danish designer-writer


Just four years ago, Aslam was found lying in a semi-conscious state on a platform at Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station due to a drug overdose. Today, the 15-year-old dreams of becoming a "choreographer" and has already started attending dance classes to achieve this.


Operation Khoj: A lifesaver for destitute children (Human Interest Feature)


Devinder Singh, a farmer, stands proudly at the entrance of a milk collection centre at Kaonke Kalan village near this dusty Punjab town as officials of the global food, nutrition and wellness giant Nestle arrive to inspect it.


Fields to dairy: Nestle helps Punjab farmers break new ground


New York, April 23 (IANS/EFE) William Shakespeare is now a New Yorker and more alive than ever -- thanks to The Sonnet Project, a virtual initiative in the form of a mobile application in which actors recite his 154 sonnets in New York City's most emblematic places, offering a contemporary setting of the classic works.


Shakespeare now a New Yorker and more alive than ever


Taking advantage of weak global crude prices, down 42.5 percent since July 2014, the government is spending Rs.4,948 crore ($800 million) to shore up strategic oil reserves in the first phase of such a project, which can be used during emergencies to power India for around a fortnight.


India building strategic oil reserves to meet emergencies (Special to IANS)


History and culture are intertwined and a better way to celebrate the rich heritage of India is by sharing this through stories. India is no stranger to the ancient tradition of oral storytelling, and a few are determined to take this craft forward by incorporating it into walking trails focussing on providing wholesome experience by engaging audiences and incorporating local stories.


Storytelling reshaping future of walking trails (April 18 is the World Heritage Day)


If Charminar is the symbol of Hyderabad, the Qutb Shahi Tombs along with Golconda Fort are an integral part of the city's rich history and culture. A unique royal necropolis, Qutb Shahi Tombs are a must on the itinerary of visitors to the city.


Qutb Shahi tombs to regain lost grandeur (Feature, With Image)


India's latest auction of spectrum for telecom operators attracted among the highest bids by global standards at $18 billion. But for an industry in heavy debt and low in revenue per subscriber, the question: Are auctions in the interests of customers and industry?


'Global experience has lessons on high spectrum cost' (Analysis)


Crowdsourcing information can aid in early warning, says an American researcher who is working to scale up a satellite-based map of hydropower projects in the Himalayas into a mobile-phone based alert system using inputs from citizens.


Citizen-monitoring, crowdsourcing new-age alert tools (Tech Feature)


Two elderly women, Jeet Kaur and Mirjani, bound by pain, tragedy and a delay in justice, are seeking closure of the infamous Chattisinghpoora massacre and Pathribal encounter cases for the last 15 years.


15 years on, Chattisinghpoora and Pathribal families await justice


Nairobi, March 20 (IANS/EFE) Kenya enjoys distinctive, vast areas of savannah plains, a variety of natural reserves and different species of animals, which allow the African country to organise unique safaris for tourists.


Life and death in African savannah


It is India's most understated diplomatic outreach, yet the one with the highest global demand and most impact. And now, the government's Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) partnership programme covering over 160 countries is set to launch its own dynamic digital platform, giving it wider reach and access.


India's developmental partnership outreach going digital


What the tunes of "Dum Laga Ke Haisha" managed to do for music lovers hasn't happened in Hindi filmdom for a long time - they have enlivened the aura of romantic, lyrical and meaningful songs of the 1990s. Singers and composers of that era hope that the "melodious times" will some day return to filmdom.


Return of the 1990s: Is music trend here to stay?


At a time when retail shop owners are feeling the pinch from online shopping, a home-grown fair in Chandigarh's backyard is making its mark as a commercial success as well as becoming a popular event for a family outing with some shopping thrown in.


At 'Vanity Fair', shopping is a family outing! 


Poppy farmers in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh district are facing a unique problem.


Winged poppy thieves eat into farmers' yields (Environment Feature)


For 45-year-old Kashmiri filmmaker Ajaz Rashid, who was among hundreds displaced in the September 2014 torrential rains and floods in the Valley, the disaster was literally a life-changing experience that prompted him to leave his profession and become a full time social worker - all thanks to Delhi-based NGO Goonj.


Using discarded urban products to develop rural India (Developmental Feature)


Thousands of people may have driven out of Chandigarh's Sunday car bazaar with their newly-acquired posessions in the past three decades, but the well-known used car market of the region is still looking to park itself in a permanent space to carry out its business.


30 years on, Chandigarh's car bazaar doesn't have permanent home


A pair of broken and blood-stained glasses tucked away inside a museum in West Bengal serves as a poignant reminder to the horrors of war and helped frame the incredible story of Jogendra Nath Sen, the only non-white who fought in the 15th West Yorkshire Regiment and the first known Bengali to be killed in World War I.


Blood-stained glasses relate story of 'Jon Sen', first Bengali to be killed in WW1


Paris, March 7 (IANS/EFE) Although not a newcomer to auction houses, Tintin, the immortal comic book-turned-cartoon character, topped bidding prices in March on works exhibited in Christie's and Sotheby's auction houses.


Tintin tops bids in major auction houses


As it enters its 50th year of conception, the state-run HLL Lifecare, as Hindustan Latex is now called, is spreading itself into a wide range of "sexual wellness" products -- an industry estimated at Rs.8,500 crore ($1.3 billion) in India annually.

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