Assam's fragile peace was shattered on Monday when tribal separatists killed at least 18 Hindi-speaking people, including eight bus passengers, in three separate attacks in the northeastern state of Assam, officials said. Eight people were also injured in the attacks. A police spokesperson said heavily armed Militants of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) fired at a bus near Bhoimari village in Sonitpur district, about 250 km north of Assam's...

Newspapers in Manipur did not hit the stands on Monday as media houses took the decision to not bring out any issues following a threat by a militant group. While a militant outfit wanted a certain statement to be published verbatim in the papers, its rival faction threatened them with dire consequences if the statement was published, the spokesman said. On several occasions earlier, papers failed to hit the stands for similar...

A Vigyan Gram, or a science village, is to come up on the outskirts of Tripura's capital, complete with a museum, library, planetarium, botanical garden, bird sanctuary and other attractions to popularise science among the masses. The Vigyan Gram, to be modelled on the lines of science cities in various cities in India, would be set up at a cost of Rs.35 crore in western Tripura's Badharghat, a village on the...

Maoists in Assam are making rapid inroads among the Santhals, who were brought to the state 200 years ago and coerced into working in tea plantations. Intelligence agencies say the rebels have propped up a relatively new adivasi (tribal) militant outfit called Santhali Tiger Force (STF). The outfit has begun to spread its influence across five western and northern Assam districts. The indoctrination and the initiation process are taking place at two...

The United Nations warned Wednesday that a food shortage could threaten the lives of thousands of people trapped in floodwater in northwestern Pakistan as six U.S. army helicopters joined the relief effort. A U.S. embassy spokesman said four CH-47 Chinook and two UH-60 Blackhawk utility helicopters arrived in Pakistan Wednesday as part of the U.S. government's continued assistance to Pakistan for humanitarian-relief operations. Bad weather and fresh rain hampered helicopter flights, which...