Pattani (Thailand), Nov 18 (IANS/EFE) A group of Buddhists and Muslims work together in a cooperative business to make bamboo goods in troubled southern Thailand, an unusual initiative amidst sectarian strife in which more than that 6,000 people have died since 2004.


Buddhists, Muslims work together in Thai bamboo business


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Moscow, Nov 18 (IANS/EFE) At every summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin plays the role of the "bad guy", whether he offers a shawl to the Chinese first lady or decides to skip a working breakfast to sleep longer.


Putin, the 'bad guy' in global diplomacy


Chandigarh, one of India's most planned cities with wide open spaces and gardens, has a Japanese connection now. The latest entry to Chandigarh's long list of themed gardens and parks is the Japanese Garden.


From Butterfly to Japanese - gardens abound in Chandigarh (Environment Feature)


Khadi, once the dowdy sartorial symbol of India's independence movement, is now trendy and makes the cash registers ring.


Khadi goes chic, turns money-spinner (Business Feature)


Valerie Hernandez of Puerto Rico was crowned Miss International 2014 Tuesday here.


Valerie Hernandez crowned Miss International 2014


A staggering 100 million children making up about half of India's school-going children cannot read a grade-appropriate text or solve a grade appropriate math question.


Helping bridge India's education gap (Education Feature)


This year in Ethiopia, the celebration of Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, started early in a unique way with many new participants, both Indian and Ethiopian.


When Ethiopians joined hands with Indians to celebrate Diwali 


They are known as the "five sixers" in local parlance, are considered virtually indispensable by the locals, but are resented too and, what is more, their numbers are growing. Meet the Indian expatriates from Punjab who have spread out across the hinterland in the Philippines, making a living from "microfinance" - a polite term for money lending.


India's 'five sixers' do important business in the Philippines (Diaspora Feature)


Bollywood singer, composer and notable figure in the Indian music industry Lucky Ali feels satisfied with the encouragement of local talents in music festivals and says it helps in the growth of the industry.


seeing local talents in music festivals I feel good: Lucky Ali


Despite stiff competition from attractively packed imported chocolates, fancy cookies, cakes, and muffins on every Diwali, branded traditional Indian sweets - a market estimated at Rs.49,000 crore ($8 billion) - have not only managed to hold on to their own but have witnessed a steady rise in sales due to an expanding market, rising incomes and, most importantly, the emotional value associated with them, outlet owners say.


It's ladoos over chocolates for Indians during Diwali (Foodie Trail)


Bollywood actress Huma Qureshi says she wants to follow in Hollywood star Angelina Jolie's footsteps and direct a film when she grows older.


Huma wants to follow in Jolie's footsteps


With a spade in his right hand, 30-year-old Sudesh enters a big drain clogged with human faeces, animal corpses and industrial waste. He wades through the waist-deep stinking black water and takes out the nauseating floating muck from Delhi's many open drains.


Sanitation workers live a life of utter neglect (Special Focus)


"I don't know what to do and how to resume my life," says a sobbing Jafar Ali, whose wife and three children were swept away in the recent flash floods in the Garo Hills.


Despair, sorrow sweep flood-hit Meghalaya


Narendra Modi was dressed for the occasion wherever he went, but the diverse colours that the Indian prime minister donned on his recent US visit had one unifying theme - to win America. And this is being talked about even a week after his visit.


United colours of Modi in America


In a country where cars are seen as an extension of one's social status, shrinking parking spaces and congested roads are compelling Indian buyers to shift focus to the smaller compact segment that still offers luxury and maximum bang for the buck, experts maintain.


Compacts driving sales, revving up Indian car market


Restoring Victorian-era layers shrouded by paint and cement to bring out the imposing architecture of  the 230-year-old Writers' Buildings, the permanent seat of the West Bengal government, is among the measures suggested by an Australian heritage expert who has been consulted for the grand structure's landmark renovation.


Kolkata's iconic Writers' Buildings in landmark restoration  (Heritage Feature)


Their subterranean depths protected Vietnamese guerrillas from intensive American bombing and ground attacks as well as hindrances of nature. The over 200-km-long Cu Chi Tunnels allowed the Viet Cong to gather within striking distance of then enemy capital Saigon and served as headquarters for the Tet Offensive in 1968, the turning point of the Vietnam War.


Subterranean base that humbled a superpower, reunited Vietnam (Feature, with images)


How quickly will Kashmir recover from the shock and trauma this land of meadows, lakes and rivers underwent during the recent floods? Financially, within a few months or years, but emotionally, perhaps never.


Nature's way of telling Kashmiris not to mess with her (Environment Feature)


Nav Chatterji prepares for work in the mornings but instead of going to a designated office space, he goes to a collaborative working place that he says motivates him to work harder and gives an opportunity to meet people from varied fields.


From inspiration to ideas, new age work space offers it all (Business Feature)


A living testimony of how powers of nature collaborate in beautifying a destination is the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. It won't be wrong to suggest that God specially curated this cold desert where elements like rains, wind and snow contributed to manicuring its mountains of different hues.


Mountains of many hues on Ladakh's canvas (Travel Feature)


In April, Leh district's last village of Kanji in the western Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir received electricity for the first time. It was only last year that a tarred road was built to connect this remotest hamlet to the world. But a school has been operating here since 1960 - giving students wings to dream!

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