NEW YORK: Desipina & Co, a fusion arts company focusing in film and theatre, dedicated to promoting cross-pollinations of artistic, political and cultural dialogues – in conjunction with Ma-Yi Writers Lab, will present a workshop of Lonely Leela, a new play by Rehana Lew Mirza (TCG Future Leader Fellow, Lark/IAAC Playwright in Residence).The play is an "Alice in Wonderland"...

NEW DELHI: India and China today decided to resume at "the earliest" bilateral military exercises frozen in 2010 due to diplomatic spats over visa issues and also to enhance peace and tranquility at their border.The steps by the two countries to boost defense ties and confidence-building measures were announced after crucial talks here between Defense Minister A K Antony...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has "shelved" plans to import petrol, diesel and other petroleum products from India till 2014 due to differences in product specifications used in the two countries, according to a media report today.Pakistani refineries produce 'zero-euro' quality oil, whereas Indian refineries produce Euro-3 and Euro-4 quality oil, which is cleaner and more environmentally friendly.Pakistan is still preparing a...

NEW DELHI: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has hauled up state-owned oil explorer ONGC for hiring a deep sea drilling rig from Reliance Industries without calling for competitive bids on ground that are untenable.CAG, in a report table in the Parliament today, said ONGC "deviated from the standard tendering procedure and hired a rig viz Dhirubhai Deepwater KG-1...

COLOMBO: Taking serious note of protest against its nationals visiting Tamil Nadu on a pilgrimage, Sri Lanka today warned its citizens against traveling to the southern Indian state where they were facing "increasing number of instances of intimidation."The External Affairs Ministry here also said that 184 pilgrims will be returning to Sri Lanka from Tamil Nadu on a special...

NEW DELHI: CBI's registering cases against five companies in the coal block allocation scam leaves no room for further questioning on the impartiality of the investigative agency, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said today."Those who allege CBI works on government instructions, they should answer now, how they feel about the CBI action?" Jaiswal told reporters here, commenting on the development.Jaiswal's...

CHENNAI: Striking a different note from Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on sporting ties with Sri Lanka, DMK President M Karunanidhi today said though his party was strongly opposed to India's training of defense personnel from the island nation it was not averse to players' visits.Jayalalithaa in line with her strict anti-Lanka stand had on Sunday ordered sending back two different...

NEW DELHI: A parliamentary committee has expressed unhappiness over allocation of coal blocks to private firms - most of which have failed to develop them - instead of Coal India Ltd (CIL), prompting the government to state that 116 mines will be allotted to the state-owned firm."A paradoxical situation is arising in the country wherein the coal blocks are...

BANGALORE: Anna Hazare plans to convene a meeting of like-minded people by this month-end to put together a team and draw up a road-map for anti-graft crusade, former Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde said here today.Hegde, part of erstwhile Team Anna which was disbanded by the social activist recently, said Hazare told him about the plan when he met him...

BANGALORE: Former Karnataka Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde today slammed Congress for attacking Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for its report on the coal allocation issue, wondering if the judiciary would be the next target. "Today, they are using all sorts of phraseology against the CAG; tomorrow they may do it against the judiciary also...very unfortunate," Hegde told PTI here.Hegde noted...