SNP leader Alex Salmond has issued an independence rallying call, as he warned the UK government that its days of telling Scots what to do “are over”. Addressing his party’s first conference since its landslide election win, the first minister said Scotland needed independence to realise its potential. The Scottish government will stage an independence referendum towards the end of... 

JALANDHAR: A US-based Sikh human rights group lodged a criminal complaint against film star Amitabh Bachchan with Australia’s commonwealth director of public prosecutions for “inciting, participating, conspiring, aiding, abetting and carrying out organized attacks on the Sikh population of India in November 1984″. At present, Big ‘B’ is in Australia for shooting of Hollywood... 

NEW DELHI: India today pressed France to find a “mutually acceptable resolution” of the ban on Sikhs wearing turbans in public places. Paris indicated its willingness to discuss the sensitive issue. “The turban is a symbol of dignity. It’s a sensitive issue for every Indian. We had discussions with the French to find a mutually acceptable solution,” External Affairs Minister... 

Chandigarh, Oct 16 (PTI) The Commission, probing the Sikh killings in Haryana”s Rewari district during the 1984 riots, today invited submission of related statements, evidences and other documents from the public. Retired Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice T P Garg was appointed by the Haryana government to probe the incidents. “The Commission has invited individuals, groups... 

From the Durranis and Mughals, the Kashmir Valley passed to the Sikh rulers who conquered the region in the early 19th century. Gulab Singh played a vital role in this campaign and Maharaja Ranjit Singh made him the king of Jammu. Later, Gulab Singh captured Ladakh and Baltistan and merged them into Jammu. After the first Anglo-Sikh war, the Sikhs ceded Kashmir, Hazarah and all the hilly regions between... 

A 100-year-old Briton has become the world’s oldest marathon runner after finishing a race in Canada. Fauja Singh, from Ilford, east London, ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in eight hours, 25 minutes and 16 seconds. The record-holder “hit the wall” at 22 miles but soldiered on for another two hours and finished in 3,850th place, ahead of five other competitors. Mr Singh, who took... 

Martin Singh, a Nova Scotia businessman with four degrees, will announce his bid Sunday morning, at a hotel in Mississauga, Ont., west of Toronto, a source close to his campaign confirmed Thursday, reported Postmedia. OTTAWA — A little-known but long-time New Democrat – a white turbaned Sikh – with few ties to the Ottawa political scene is expected to officially announce his bid for leadership... 

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh has taken a serious note of repeated instances of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in the recent past. In a statement released here, the Jathedar has asked the SGPC and the DSGMC to check the antecedents of those availing the “birs” of Guru Granth Sahib and provide the “birs” as per the requirement only. He said there had been incidents of “birs”... 

The All-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) has announced that it will not allow LK Advani’s rath yatra to enter Punjab because of the BJP leader’s “history of spreading communal disharmony and provoking violence against religious minorities during his previous yatras”. AISSF president Karnail Singh Peermohammad said in a statement here today: “In his book, My Country, My Life, Advani... 

Startling claims of illegal detention, implication and torture have unfolded themselves in a petition filed by an former Deputy Commandant with the Border Security Force. Harprit Singh of Gurdaspur district — now detained in Amritsar Central Jail — has, in effect, sought the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s intervention in marking an inquiry to the Gurdaspur District and Sessions Judge into the...