Massive 'Arizona Wildfire' Gusts Out Of Control, 25 Killed

By Sarah Williams / New York

Hot winds blew a US wildfire out of control, killing 19 elite firefighters and 6 civilians in the country’s deadliest wildfire involving firefighters for at least 30 years. The specially trained “hotshot” firefighters were forced to deploy their fire shelters — tent-like structures meant to shield them from flames and heat — when they were caught near an Arizona town, state forestry spokesman Art Morrison told INN.

Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said the firefighters were part of the city’s fire department. “We’re devastated,” he said. “We just lost 19 of the finest people you’ll ever meet.”

Chota Shakeel Sign-Hit To Thwart Abu Salem's Alliance

By Ahmed Shakeel / Mumbai

Cops suspect the Dawood aide arranged the hit after getting a whiff of Salem's plan to join forces with their rival; hit man JD also points to Shakeel but police wait for his custody to get at truth. The Navi Mumbai police who are investigating the shooting incident targeting underworld don Abu Salem inside Taloja Central Prison on Thursday, are in a quandary with Salem and his shooter Devender Jagtap alias JD making contrasting allegations as to who sanctioned the hit.

While JD has dropped the name of D-Company affiliate Chhota Shakeel, Salem has been suspecting the role of Mustaffa Dossa, who had attacked him inside the Arthur Road Jail in 2010. The cops are waiting to get Jagtap’s custody to interrogate him and get some clues to the man behind the firing.

Expats In Saudi Hope For ‘Relaxation’ Is Deadline Tickling

By Fauzia Arshi / Jeddah

Thousands of illegal workers from various countries are living in a state of confusion and uncertainty with just three days to go for the amnesty period to come to an end. The distressed workers are desperately running from pillar to post to leave the country but to no avail. The scenario is the same, be it in major cities like Jeddah or small towns like Al-Ahsa and Hail, with thousand of hapless illegal expat workers thronging deportation centers to clear their papers. And it is not happening!

Delhi CM's Trump Card: 'The Unauthorized Voting Power'

By Pallavi Polanki / New Delhi

Congress MLA Mukesh Sharma has an enviable record as a politician. At his office in Uttam Nagar, a constituency in West Delhi he has represented since 1993 – winning four elections in a row, a mass of people are waiting their turn to meet him. If anyone is in danger of being unseated because of an anti-incumbency wave, it should be Sharma.

It is a predicament he shares with his government led by Sheila Dikshit which won its third consecutive victory in the 2008 election and is bracing itself for the next round of assembly elections scheduled in November.

Sitting behind a large desk in his office with people milling around him, signing their documents with a speed and abandon that has endeared him to members of his constituency, Sharma says Congress will win Assembly 2013 by ‘comfortable majority’.

Politics Of Religion: The Tug-Of-War Over Kedarnath Temple

By M H Ahssan / Hyderabad

At the heart of what we call religion, lies faith – the variations of which manifest themselves as obsession, superstition, prejudice and several other such disruptive emotions. On the flipside of India’s much celebrated plurality, however, are the consequences of the various expressions of faith – the collective experience of which is called religion. The fact that religion is a social construct and hence readily lends itself to politics, is not new. And major parties in India are not unaware of its potential when it comes to political wrestling matches.

Indo-African Pact In Agriculture Initiated To Woo Farmers

INN News Desk

Launching India, Africa Partnership in Agriculture (IAPA),  consisting of Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), international Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)  and International Agriculture Consulting Group (ICAG), Dr. S Ayyappan, DG, ICAR said that the new partnership will transform Africa and significantly contribute to the global food security.

Media Watch: 'Every Move She Makes, They’ll Be Watching'

By Anand Sharma / Hyderabad

Rising hemlines lead to rising TRPs. INN examines a commercial news industry committed to sleaze, to lechery and to shaming young women. There’s something rotten in the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. And it seems the Kannada and Telugu news channels have identified the problem — girls gone wild, fuelled by alcohol. On 14 May, Karnataka’s leading regional news channel, TV9 Kannada, ran a programme, Olage Serideru Gundu (literally, ‘once alcohol is inside’), a fine assortment of video nasties from across the country, showing the great evils of girls drinking — the ruckus on the street, clothes askew, clashes with cops.

For some years now, the disapproving cultural policing of a class of girls — ones who can afford to go out to drink — has become a staple on regional news in both states. There is massive viewership, particularly of sleazy ‘true crime’ reports, and so editors and programming heads encourage reporters to follow women and young couples, to stake out pubs, nightclubs and make-out spots. A cursory search on YouTube reveals the many news reports with such eye-catching titles as ‘Drunk women causing hulchul’, ‘Drunk women causing hungama’, or ‘How to ban rave parties to save the youth’.

'India Shares 40% Of World’s Malnourished Children'

By M H Ahssan / Hyderabad

India constitutes 40 percent of the world’s malnourished population and the highest rate of underweight children due to improper implementation of government policies, a global health expert has said.

M G Venkatesh Mannar, president of Canada-based NGO Micronutrient Initiative, said India’s condition despite being an emerging economy was bad in terms of health and nutrition as compared to other countries like Brazil, Nepal, Bangladesh and China. “India has the highest rates of stunted growth, underweight and anaemia in children. And the most ironic part is that India has all the programs and policies required to handle the problem but then there is no proper implementation.