Even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the monsoon will be “below normal” this year, researchers at Stanford University, California, have concluded that monsoon in India is becoming more extreme, with significant increase in both wet and dry spells. They have said that

With Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra over, the Shiv Sena has taken potshots at the Gujarati community, traditionally seen to be close to its ally, the BJP, and questioned why Gujarati businessmen who support Narendra Modi don’t celebrate Maharashtra Day. In a stinging editorial in its mouthpie

According to the Ministry of Labour, employers are not allowed to keep the passports of their employees in their custody as per the law. A proposal to impose penalties on companies which withhold passports of their employees will be submitted to the Federal National Council for its consideration,

Dubai : Sponsoring families in Dubai has become dearer for expatriates who must now draw a minimum individual monthly salary of Dh10,000, or Dh9,000 with accommodation. The decision to hike the eligibility level by Dh6,000 (it was Dh4,000, or Dh3,000 with accommodation before) was made last week

Pensacola Beach, Florida: People were plucked off rooftops or climbed into their attics to get away from fast-rising waters when nearly 2 feet (0.6 meters) of rain fell on the Florida Panhandle and Alabama coast in the span of about 24 hours, the latest bout of severe weather that began with tornado

Global software major Microsoft is the 'most attractive employer' in India, while IT, telecom and ITeS are the most preferred sectors by the workforce, a survey by HR services firm Randstad said on Wednesday. Microsoft emerged as the 'most attractive employer' in the survey for the fourth year in

International Business Machines, in its latest attempt at reviving demand for its hardware products, is launching high-end system servers that it says are 50 times faster than its closest competitor at analyzing data. The POWER8 servers, the product of a $2.4 billion, three-year investment, are p

BILASPUR (Himachal Pradesh): BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi represents the ideology of the RSS, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday. Referring to MS Golwalkar, the second "Sarsanghchalak" (Supreme Chief) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Gandhi said Golw

NEW DELHI: Puri Shankaracharya Swami Adhokshjanand Devtirath on Thursday said that he would go to Varanasi to ask religious leaders to oppose Narendra Modi, whom he held responsible for the 2002 riots in Gujarat.  Speaking to reporters here, the Shankaracharya claimed that Modi was trying to mislea

Washington: US President Barack Obama has acknowledged that even today a number of people from the South Asian origin — particularly those from Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities — are becoming victims of hate crimes in America. “Even today, South Asian Americans, especially those who are Muslim,

Dubai: Commuters will have to shell out an additional Dh3 to travel between Dubai and Sharjah on public buses, following a hike announced by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of both Dubai and Sharjah. The bus fare on all Dubai-Sharjah routes will increase from Dh7 to Dh10 with effect fro

AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI: An FIR was lodged against Narendra Modi for violation of the model code of conduct after he displayed a lotus, the BJP's election symbol, before TV cameras and addressed a press conference on the premises of the school where he cast his vote on Wednesday. He also snapped a selfi

CHENNAI: One passenger died and nine others were injured in a bomb blast at an express train stationed at the Chennai Central station on Thursday. The blast took place at around 7.30am on the Guwahati-Bangalore Express. Police said it was a terror attack while it was the train was at platform

Heavy rain coupled with lightning in parts of the State claimed three lives and caused extensive damage to standing crops on Tuesday. Two workers were killed and three sustained injuries when lightning struck them at Kellaputhige village near Moodbidri in Dakshina Kannada district. The deceased h

Microsoft seems to be continuing its policy under new CEO Satya Nadella of ensuring its services are used by a large number, even if it means letting go some revenue in the short-term. The latest move is by its popular video chatting app Skype, which is making its group video calling feature free fo

BAGHDAD: Unshaken by the latest surge in violence, Iraqis braved the threat of bombs and attacks to vote on Wednesday in key elections for a new parliament amid a massive security operation as the country slides deeper into sectarian strife. Hundreds of thousands of troops and police fanned out t

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA: Two trains have collided head-on in northwestern Sri Lanka, injuring 68 people. Police spokesman Ajith Rohana says the crash took place on Wednesday at the railroad station in Pothuhera, about 90 kilometres (56 miles) northeast of Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital. He says a tra

Dubai: Eight private schools in Dubai have shown overall improvement, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) report for the academic year 2013-14 showed. Out of the 141 schools inspected, 12 were rated outstanding, 57 rated good, 34 rated acceptable and eight rated unsatisfactory.