Making sense of breaking stories

Sydney siege: Work of a deranged mind or a new form of transnational terror?

An armed man on Monday took an undisclosed number of people hostage at a popular cafe in Sydney and displayed an Islamic flag with Arabic script in the window, sparking a massive security alert across Australia and leading to evacuation of important buildings in the vicinity. According to Union minister for parliamentary affairs M Venkaiah Naidu, an Indian IT professional is among the hostages. Just over five hours into the siege, five people were seen running out of the cafe. It is still not known whether they were freed or escaped. The gunman is being described as being in his 40s, wearing a black vest. Could this be the handiwork of a terror outfit like the ISIS?

Delhi Police needs to hold errant cops accountable

The Delhi Police has received nearly 15,000 complaints against its erring personnel so far this year, but more than half of these cases still await redressal. "There are nearly 2,407 complaints of inaction, while 1,139 complaints are of torture, beating and harassment," a joint commissioner rank police officer told Mail Today. There are also complaints of serious nature like land grabbing, abduction, illegal detention and extortion. With the police failing to act against its errant personnel, it is hardly surprising that the credibility of the force is eroding in the people's eyes.

Winter arrives in Delhi, finally

Delhi's famous winter has arrived with a vengeance. Just when people began to grumble about a markedly warm December, the cold set in, with heavy rain and strong winds intensifying the chill. A good seven degrees below normal, Sunday's maximum temperature of 16 degrees made it the coldest day this season, with the minimum settling at 14.2 degrees. Winter lovers have reason to ignore the beginning-of-week blues as the weatherman has predicted a fall of three to five degrees in the minimum temperature over the next three days.

Team India must brace for a bouncy Brisbane wicket

After a close encounter at the Adelaide Oval in which the Australian team managed a 48-run win over India, Team India will now be greeted with a green top at the Gabba in the second Test starting from Wednesday. Curator Kevin Mitchell has said that he and his team have worked to prepare a "typical Gabba wicket" with life, bounce and pace.