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With Bush's death , his legacy across the Middle East takes root in that 100-hour ground war that routed Iraqi forces. That war gave birth to the network of military bases America now operates across the Persian Gulf supporting troops in Afghanistan and forces fighting against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

​CISCE will have compartmental exams from 2019 in the third week of July every year. Class-XII examinees, who pass in English and two other subjects, can write the compartmental exam if they fail in the fourth subject. Class-X examinees, who pass English and three other subjects, can write these compartmental exam if they fail in the fifth subject.

George H.W. Bush was a foreign policy stalwart who declared a "new world order" in 1990 and drove Iraq from Kuwait but saw his military intervention in the Middle East serve as a harbinger of chaos to come. The decorated war pilot and former CIA chief suffered the ignominy of being a one-term president, denied a second term over a weak economy when he lost the 1992 election to upstart Democrat Bill Clinton.

Under a new proposed merit-based rule, a notice for which was issued on Friday, companies employing foreign workers on the H-1B visa – under the Congressional mandated annual caps -- would have to electronically register with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) during a designated registration period.

Using initials of each of the three nations, the Prime Minister coined the term “JAI” (Japan-America-India), which in the Hindi language translates to success or victory. The Prime Minister said that the acronym sends a positive message at the outset of the new partnership’s ventures to maintain peace, stability and prosperity across the world.

The agenda was presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the second session of the G20 Summit on international trade, international financial and tax systems. India also called for joint efforts by G-20 countries to form a mechanism that denies entry and safe havens to fugitive economic offenders.

This being the first trilateral on the margins of the G-20, the meeting seals the importance of the Indo-Pacific framework as a new policy architecture in this region. In his remarks, PM Narendra Modi is learned to have put out five action points — connectivity, sustainable development, maritime security, disaster relief and freedom of navigation — as issues with which the trilateral group should engage the countries of the region.

A BSF study that examined demographic changes has found a departure from traditional Rajasthani culture in terms of personal grooming such as hairstyles and dress. The study also found a high 22-25 per cent growth rate in Muslim population as compared to 8-10 per cent of other communities. There is a rise in religiosity with higher attendance of children at mosques.

Addressing the two-day farmers' protest at Parliament Street, the political leaders also backed the demand for passage of legislation guaranteeing ‘freedom from indebtedness' and ‘remunerative prices' in line with recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission. The meeting saw opposition leaders attack PM Narendra Modi, saying the government failed to meet the expectation of the farming community.

Rejecting a petition by 700-odd Army personnel protesting dilution of protection from prosecution under Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in disturbed areas for alleged fake encounters, the Supreme Court on Friday said it ordered a CBI probe only in a few specific cases after finding that the Army had not conducted any inquiry into 15-20-year-old incidents.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday met for their first trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit to discuss major issues of global and multilateral interests.

In an embarrassment to the CBI, a Delhi court on Friday said the agency was not maintaining secrecy in the investigation of the coal scam, despite the Supreme Court's direction, and the information was being shared by the agency officials with outsiders.

The BCCI on Friday invited applications, eyeing men of international stature, for the position of the Indian women's team head coach, left vacant after a bitter public spat between the outgoing Ramesh Powar and senior player Mithali Raj.

The gross value added (GVA) growth rate for the second quarter came at 6.9 per cent from 8 per cent in Q1. The growth rate came below expectations as a Reuters poll had projected that the Q2 figures may slow down to 7.4 per cent.

Ace Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra added yet another feather to his illustrious cap. The 36 year old who is still India's only individual Olympic gold medallist was awarded the coveted ISSF Blue Cross on Friday.

The HysIS camera will work on a visible and near infrared band with a wavelength between 400 and 1400 nanometres (nm) and shortwave-infrared falling roughly between 1,400 and 3,000 nm. HysIS is better than the existing Indian earth observation satellites as it gives finer details of objects. The imager in HysIS can see earth in 55 spectral or colour bands.

Rahul said, if the loans of industrialists can be waived off, then the debt of farmers must be waived off as well. Thousands of farmers from across the country marched from Ramlila Maidan to Parliament Street seeking loan waiver and higher crop prices Stay with TOI for all the live updates.

The Times of India brings you fresh election insights with our new Interactive Data Hub to help you better understand and analyse the assembly elections held in each of the five poll-bound states - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram.

Seven Indian workers from the shadow lender, which rocked financial markets after it began missing debt payments earlier this year, have been detained since November 25 at three sites in Ethiopia’s Oromia and Amhara states by unpaid local staff, according to an emailed letter from the employees.

Party leaders said the Congress high command, which was impressed by Shivakumar’s performance as a poll strategist, had tasked him with quelling a rebellion in the party in the neighbouring state while finalizing candidates for the assembly elections earlier this month. Shivakumar handled the job well, assuaging the hurt feelings of as many as 27 of the 30 disgruntled aspirants.

The move is significant because it comes ahead of the India-China military drill on December 10 and the ongoing debate on the Kartarpur issue. CGTN showed PoK as part of India while reporting the terror attack on its consulate in Karachi. This was seen as a signal that Beijing was extremely unhappy with Pakistan's inability to protect its citizens.

Besides Gupta, Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar also convicted private firm Vikash Metals and Power Limited, one serving and one retired public servant — ex-joint secretary in ministry of coal (MoC) KS Kropha and the then director (CA-I) in MoC, KC Samria — in the case.

Over one lakh farmers from across the country have assembled in the national capital to participate in a 2-day Kisan Mukti March over their demands, including debt relief and better MSP for crops. They will march from Ramlila Maidan to the Parliament Street today.

The Indian women’s team coach Ramesh Powar is unlikely to get an extension after his recent faceoff with Mithali Raj. Powar’s contract ends on Friday and Indian cricket board sources said the decision not to continue with him was taken in wake of the continuing blame game between Mithali and Powar, which is affecting the morale of the team.

Pakistan's decision to agree to a Kartarpur corridor was likely driven by a desire to emerge from its current state of isolation as well as a calculation that the initiative could provide an opportunity to radicalise or indoctrinate Indian pilgrims who visit the shrine.

The woman, who has a five-month-old daughter from the relationship, has moved for bail and the order is expected on Friday. The court had earlier allowed her to keep her daughter with her in Byculla jail. The police complaint filed by the boy's mother alleged that the woman had "enticed" her son.

With 46.6 million stunted children, India accounted for nearly one-third of the world’s 150.8 million children who are stunted, the report shows warning against a major malnutrition crisis.. India is followed by Nigeria (13.9 million) and Pakistan (10.7 million). The three countries together are home to almost half of all stunted children in the world.

Khan's comments reflected, at least in part, the 2004 joint statement arrived at between then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf that Pakistan would not allow territory under its control to be used for terrorism. It is significant as India continues to seek evidence of Pakistan's sincerity in addressing the issue of cross-border terrorism.

The bill, which will become law once the governor signs it most likely by next week and the state issues a notification, proposes that 16 per cent of the total appointments in direct recruitment in public services and posts will be reserved for Marathas.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Argentina's capital of Buenos Aires to attend the G20 summit, will discuss ways to meet the new and upcoming challenges of the coming decade with other world leaders, including US President Donald Trump.

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said Usman Khawaja will outscore Virat Kohli and will also be the player of the series."As much of a threat Indian fast bowlers might pose, I think he's got a game that can cope with it here in Australia," said Ponting. He added, "Our batsmen will play better against their quick bowlers than their batters will play against ours."

​​​Speaking to journalists before a meeting of the joint commission between the two countries, Al Banna while fuel prices are determined by global markets and demand. Hesaid that India would not have to worry about supplies even afterthe US sanctions waiver ceased.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in two important trilateral meetings with world leaders here in Argentina's capital, during which they would discuss major global challenges and developments.

Hundreds of employees of a Chinese smartphone manufacturing facility here resorted to violence on Thursday after around 200 of them were "sacked without notice". Around 1,200 workers of phone-making companies went on a rampage pelting stones at the building and barging into the facility in Noida Sector 63.

"Hon. @PChidambaram_IN Ji,challenge accepted. Let's discuss & dissect back series data. I gave 3 hrs of detailed interview yesterday & it is somewhat disingenuous of you to say that I asked the media to not ask questions. Do give more coherent reasons for ur difficulty with new data," Rajiv Kumar said in a tweet.

A day after chief statistician Pravin Srivastava, in an unusual move, announced the revised numbers based on back series data alongside Niti Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar, Jaitley said, "I don't think any service is being rendered by those who discredit the highly credible organisation, CSO."

With eyebrows being raised over the involvement of the Niti Aayog in releasing revised GDP data for the UPA era, some in the government feel the controversy could have been totally avoided by keeping the think tank out of the announcement.

CM Devendra Fadnavis, who tabled the bill, thanked Opposition members for helping in passage of the bill unanimously. The bill provides for reservation of seats for admission in educational institutions and posts in public services to Marathas who have been declared as socially and educationally backward class of citizens.

On the BSE index, Bajaj Auto, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, Vedanta and IndusInd Bank were among the major gainers, rising as much as 4.33 per cent. On NSE, apart from Nifty IT, all other sub-indices finished in green, gaining as much as 1.92 per cent.

Political circles were abuzz with speculation on Wednesday after BJP president and opposition leader in the legislative assembly BS Yeddyurappa paid a surprise visit to Congress troubleshooter and water resource minister DK Shivakumar at his official residence here.

With assembly elections in five states -MP, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram - being seen as a virtual semi-final before the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, the Times of India brings you a new interactive Campaign Tracker gives you a quick snapshot of where the country's top politicians have been travelling and highlights of the main issues they have been focusing on during their speeches in the poll campaign.

The aboriginal tribes in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that included both the Jarawas and Sentinelese — the latter recently made headlines for the alleged murder American missionary John Allen Chau — preferred magnificent isolation to human contact.

Youths sent pop-up messages from fake call centres in Gurugram to hundreds of people abroad, conned them into believing that their systems had been infected by malware, and then posed as Microsoft representatives to bag service charge by offering technical support. This large-scale scam was busted on Wednesday, and the police rounded up at least 12 men.

SC is hearing CBI director Alok Verma's plea challenging the government's order divesting him of his duties and sending him on leave in view of graft allegations against him. Stay with TOI for all live updates

"It's the darkest day of my life," said senior Indian woman cricketer Mithali Raj, responding to coach Ramesh Powar's allegations that she threatened retirement over a batting position, threw tantrums and created chaos in the side during the World T20. Mithali reacted to Powar's report by posting a brief statement on her official Twitter page on Thursday.

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has angrily rejected suggestions he helped create a culture that led to the ball-tampering scandal, slamming a leading broadcaster as a "headline-chasing coward". "Australian cricket, I think, needs to stop worrying about being liked and start worrying about being respected," he said.

This will be Isro's second launch in the month. The space agency had launched its latest communication satellite GSAT-29 on board GSLV MkIII-D2 on November 14. Stay with TOI for all the updates.

The verdict is a major victory for the Indian outsourcing industry, whose business model depends heavily on exporting Indian engineers to the US. A federal jury in Oakland, California, sided on Wednesday with TCS against four former employees who claimed they’d been sidelined and fired because they aren’t South Asian.

Even though some of the surprises in this segment have been let out in the trailer, Shankar manages to pack in a cute, little surprise.

"I keep hearing from Indians that Pakistan army doesn't want good relations with India. I want to say that the army is on the same page as the government and all political parties in seeking better ties. We want to move forward and have a civilised relationship. I hope we don't have to wait for (Navjot Singh) Sidhu to become PM to have good relations with India," Khan said.

In the run-up to 2019 general elections a sharp political debate has erupted over the Modi government's handling of the economy and the latest data is expected to trigger sharp responses from both sides. Following the new data, the average growth during the 10 years of UPA works out to 6.8% while the NDA's four-rule has seen average growth of 7.3%.

A record turnout and controversial EVM glitches marked voting day in Madhya Pradesh. A whopping 75 per cent voters — 3 per cent higher than 2013 — cast their ballot in the most hotly contested elections in 15 years. As many as 2,236 EVMs malfunctioned, prompting Congress to cry foul and demand re-polling at these places.

The Lancet Countdown report has said that average temperatures in India are projected to rise alarmingly. Between 1901 and 2007, India's mean temperature increased by more than 0.5 degree Celsius. Globally, vulnerability to extremes of heat has steadily risen since 1990 in every region, with 157 million more people exposed to heatwaves in 2017 as compared to year 2000.

The killing of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Naveed Jatt, a Pakistani national, comes after months of a manhunt by security forces since February when he escaped from a hospital here while he was in police custody. Just four months later, Bukhari and his two PSOs were killed outside the journalist’s Srinagar office by three bike-borne assailants.

Speaker after speaker at the event applauded Sidhu's role with a Pakistan minister even declaring that if there were more "jhappian (hugs)" between Sidhu and Pak army chief Bajwa, several other outstanding issues between India and Pakistan could get resolved. Sidhu himself though heaped praise on Pakistan PM Imran Khan, describing him as a "farishta (angel)".

PM Modi's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Argentina will be their fourth this year, Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said. "It was decided that they would take the opportunity whenever and wherever they could meet. They could discuss issues on either leader's mind or issues of mutual concern," Gokhale said.

Ambassador of France to India Alexandre Ziegler said,"What scandal? Just look at the facts, not at the tweets, that's my only recommendation." He added,"Look at their commitment for Make in India, which is impressive. Fifty per cent offset is very unique, look at the major procurement..." He pointed out that the 50% offset clause will lead to Rs 30 cr investment in Make in India.

The voting figures in the one-phase polls for 230 seats, which was peaceful, was 74.61 per cent and it is likely to go up after the final tally, poll officials said. The previous highest was in the 2013 Assembly polls when the turnout was 72.69 per cent.

India's 'Cup of Hope', the 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup, had begun on a five-star note as they defeated South Africa 5-0 in their opening Pool C match at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

Indian women's cricket coach Ramesh Powar admitted that his professional relationship with Mithali was strained as he always found her aloof and difficult to handle. Sources said Powar insisted that Mithali's axing from the semifinal, which India lost to England by 8 wickets, was based on strategy, not acrimony, further accepting that he was "indifferent to the seniormost player".

Stay updated with Times of India for all the live updates of Men's Hockey World Cup match between India and South Africa

Following Pakistan PM Imran Khan's reference to Kashmir in his speech at the ceremony to lay foundation of Kartarpur corridor, the external affairs ministry said in a statement that Pak is reminded it must fulfill its international obligations and take effective and credible action to stop providing shelter and all kind of support to cross border terrorism from territories under its control.

The government on Wednesday lowered the country's economic growth rate during the previous Congress-led UPA regime, shaving off over 1 percentage point from the only year when India posted double-digit GDP growth post liberalisation and from each of the three years with 9-plus per cent expansion.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan said that if France and Germany who fought several wars can live in peace, why not India and Pak. Imran said that Pakistan wanted a civilized relationship with India, which he said military leadership also wants. However, the Pak PM was silent on the issue of terrorism that has derailed the dialogue between the two neighbours. India has denied attending SAARC.

Prime Minister Imran Khan will on Wednesday lay the foundation stone for the much-awaited corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur. Stay with us for the latest development

India last played South Africa at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and thumped them 5-2. For four years, the two teams haven't met, largely due to funding and support issues that roadblocked South Africa's international progress.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said the Kartarpur corridor is not connected with the dialogue process with Pakistan and talks can start the moment Islamabad stops terror activities in India. She further said that India won't participate in the Saarc meet until Pakistan stops terror activities.

Lashkar-e-Taiba's top commander Naveed Jatt and another terrorist were gunned down by security forces on Wednesday during the Budgam encounter. Jatt was involved in the assassination of journalist Shujaat Bukhari. The authorities have snapped internet services in Budgam as a precautionary measure.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a CBI probe against all the shelter homes in Bihar for allegedly subjecting children to torture and sexual abuse. It added that all the allegations made by TISS in its social audit report will be probed. Bihar has 17 such homes and the CBI is already probing the Muzaffarpur shelter home case.

Voting for 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh and 40 seats in Mizoram is taking place today. Stay with TOI for live updates

Samuel Little, 78, has confessed to more than 90 murders, stretching back almost half a century. He is already serving three life sentences for the murders of three LA women during the 1980s, but authorities suspect him of killing women in at least 14 states. Investigators say they have established Little’s ties to about 30 of the murders.

The sharp divide between Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and his cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu over attending the ceremony for Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan became more apparent when the CM revealed that he had asked the former cricketer to reconsider his decision. ​He also made it clear that Sidhu was on a personal trip and not official visit.

Announcing that Maldives’ ‘India First’ policy was back on track, Maldivian foreign minister Abdullah Shahid said that the Ibrahim Solih government would undertake a review of the debt obligations by the Maldives to different nations, but mainly to China. He said his government would decide on the free trade pact with China after a full review.

A petition has been filed urging the censor board to revoke the certification of movie '2.0' and suspend its exhibition as it spreads “misinformation” about radiation impact from mobile towers and smartphones.

“India is not a special invitee that Pakistan has the discretion to invite us. India is integral to the Saarc process,” a senior government official said. Sources said Pakistan probably wanted to garner PR points in the presence of Indian media at the Kartarpur corridor ceremony to paint India as the obstinate one holding up regional cooperation.

Amid criticism over his cabinet colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu's visit to Pakistan for the inauguration of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said he had asked him to reconsider it. Amarinder said he acceded to Sidhu's request for permission as he did not believe in stopping anyone from undertaking a "personal visit".

The opening ceremony of the 14th Men's Hockey World Cup has nicely set up the tournament proper to begin in the Odisha capital on Wednesday. The evening warmed up nicely as the felicitation of India's 1975 winners was applauded by the 10,000 spectators in attendance.

On Tuesday, Mahbubnagar town turned into a political battlefield with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao trading charges at massive public meetings.

Drawing a Trojan Horse analogy, BJP on Tuesday once again put Navjot Singh Sidhu in the crosshair following his remark where he had said that his hug with Pakistan army chief Qamar Bajwa earlier this year was "no Rafale deal". "Insanity is contagious," BJP tweeted suggesting that Sidhu has contracted Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's "falsehood" on the Rafale defence deal.

Energy importers like India and South Africa will benefit; oil producers such as Russia and Saudi Arabia will hurt. Central banks under pressure to raise interest rates will get a reprieve; those looking to revive prices, such as the Bank of Japan, face another headwind.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be invited to Pakistan for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit, foreign office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said on Tuesday. Addressing a conference in Islamabad, Faisal recalled that PM Imran Khan in his victory speech had said that if India took one step forward, Pakistan would take two.

Check all the live updates of Men's Hockey World Cup 2018 Opening Ceremony on Times of India

In remarks that can embarrass the Centre, J&K governor Satya Pal Malik has said had he looked to Delhi, he would have had to install a government led by Sajad Lone, and history would have remembered him as a "dishonest man". "Delhi ki taraf dekhta toh muje Lone ki sarkar banana padhti aur mein ithihas mein ek bayiman aadmi ke tor pe jata," he said.

Senior Indian woman cricketer and ODI captain Mithali Raj on Tuesday lashed out at Committee of Administrators' member Diana Edulji and coach Ramesh Powar, saying a "few people in power are out to destroy me".

Finance minister Arun Jaitley has said the BJP will "gladly accept" the challenge of 2019 general elections if the Congress wants it to be between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the son of lesser-known parents, and someone who is known for his parentage.

Being the highest profile athlete in the world's second most populous country, India cricket captain Virat Kohli has built such a formidable brand across the spectrum that even his occasional brash and indiscrete comments fail to tarnish it.

Infosys is doubling pay packages for employees who successfully complete its new bridge programmes. The company expects this initiative will also reduce attrition at junior levels — the rate has been high in recent times at over 20% — and give young employees more growth options.

Being the highest profile athlete in the world's second most populous country, India cricket captain Virat Kohli has built such a formidable brand across the spectrum that even his occasional brash and indiscrete comments fail to tarnish it.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration, which took office this month, is reviewing contracts awarded by his predecessor Abdulla Yameen. Most went to Chinese firms and are feared to have left the country in debt.

Mustaq Ali Shaikh, 24, a carpenter from West Bengal, is now in police custody, arrested under IPC sections for outraging the modesty of a woman, and under 67 and 67-A of the IT Act. Matunga police, who made the arrest on Thursday, said this was a lesson for all administrators to be cautious on who they add and what is posted.

Mohammad Imran, a caretaker of a mosque in Karol Bagh and resident of Seelampur locality, was arrested when he was going to attend a Janta Darbar (public meeting) at the chief minister's residence on Monday, police said. He is a muazin at the Masjid Bawli Wali. Last week, a man threw chilli powder at Kejriwal inside the Delhi Secretariat.

On the 10th anniversary of the Mumbai terrorist attack, President Donald Trump Monday said that the United States stands with the people of India in their quest for justice. "On the ten-year anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack, the US stands with the people of India in their quest for justice," Trump tweeted.

CAT 2018, the entrance test for IIMs, saw 50% more women candidates than six years ago. This year, 84,350 women registered for the Common Admission Test compared to 56,409 in 2013. ​​​Women also contributed to over 50% growth in total registrations from 2017. The IIMs have been reserving seats for women and non-engineers to make classes divers​e.

Ever since the BJP led NDA came to power in 2014, the North eastern states have witnessed a saffron surge under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Act East' policy. Since then BJP leads or remains a part of governments in all states except Mizoram. Congress has been in power for a decade under chief minister Lal Thanhawala. But the party faces a stiff challenge from Mizo National Front (MNF) and BJP. Congress has tried to field younger candidates in a bid to ward off anti-incumbency. But will that be enough for Congress to hold on to its lone bastion in the North East?

At a time when his party colleagues are busy campaigning for the state election, Varun Gandhi has taken a very different route to rediscover rural India. The Sultanpur MP, who has been out of his party's list of campaigners for some time now, spent two and a half years to complete an 870-page book on India's rural society and economy.

Lance Naik Nazir Ahmed Wani, the soldier slain in a counter-terrorist operation in Shopian, was once an ikhwan (a terrorist who surrenders and becomes involved in counter-insurgency operations) before joining the Army. He became a counter-insurgent after realising the futility of violence, a senior Army officer said.