Fodder scam: SC rejects Lalu Prasad's plea to change judge

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected RJD chief Lalu Prasad's plea for transfer of trial court judge hearing the case against him in the fodder scam.

A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam, which had on July 9 restrained the trial court from passing the judgement in fodder scam case, gave its order on Tuesday on Lalu's plea.

LoC attack: Kamal Nath defends Antony amid opposition attack on his statement

NEW DELHI: Under attack for his statement on the killing of five Indian soldiers on LoC, defence minister A K Antony on Wednesday maintained that his contention about the involvement of terrorists in the assault was based on "whatever information" he had.

He told Rajya Sabha that he will get back to the House if he got more details about Tuesday's incident in Poonch after the visit of Army chief Gen Bikram Singh to Jammu on Wednesday.

Defence Minister will not apologise for statement, says government

New Delhi: The government has said that Defence Minister AK Antony's controversial statement in Parliament yesterday on the killing of five Indian soldiers in Kashmir was based on facts and that he would not issue an apology for it.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said today, "What the defence minister said was very carefully calibrated and is final, is based on Army's facts," adding, "There is no question of the defence minister apologising." (Track live updates)

Pak army involved in LoC attack, Antony says

NEW DELHI: Making a fresh statement in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, defence minister A K Antony said that specialist forces from Pakistani army were involved in attack on Indian soldiers at the LoC.

Antony also said that those in Pakistan who are responsible for this tragedy should not go unpunished.

"Our restraint should not be taken for granted," Antony said in Lok Sabha.

Sikh delegation told to remove turbans at Rome airport

NEW DELHI: Delhi's gurdwara management committee president Manjeet Singh GK and other members of a Sikh delegation were not cleared to board a flight from Rome after they refused to take off their turbans at the airport security check on Tuesday.

Manjeet Singh, who is also Delhi chief of Akali Dal (Badal), told TOI that the delegation had offered to let the staff touch their turbans and run a metal detector over it, but the Italian security insisted on them taking the turbans off.

India halts dialogue process with Pakistan: Indian media

NEW DELHI: Indian media claimed on Thursday that the country has halted dialogue process with Pakistan while Indian Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid told that it is before time to say anything yet, Geo News reported.

According to the India media reports, Pakistan-India talks over several issues including the controversial Sir Creek have been discontinued.

Five soldiers killed in attack by Pakistani troops on Indian post

Pakistani troops attacked an Indian post along the Line of Control in the Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir late Monday night, killing five Indian soldiers.

Defence sources on Tuesday said the Pakistani soldiers intruded into the Indian territory past midnight and ambushed the Sarla post on the Indian side of the LoC.

Landslides claim nine lives in Kerala, Kochi airport temporarily closed

KOCHI: Nine persons died and several others were reported missing as a string of landslides triggered by heavy downpour battered the high range Idukki and adjoining districts of Kerala on Monday.

The Cochin International Airport has been temporarily closed and two flights diverted as the runway got waterlogged. Periyar river and canals are overflowing after the downpour lashed the area since Sunday.

The deceased included two children and two women as their houses on the slopes of the hills in Idukki district were swept away by flash floods, police said.

Assam braces for 60-hour bandh as demand for Bodoland gathers steam

Kokrajhar: A 60-hour long Assam Bandh began this morning as the demand for Bodoland state intensifies after the Centre's announcement on Telangana. Road and rail traffic is expected to be severely affected, particularly in lower Assam's Bodo tribe dominated districts.

The bandh is the latest in a series of agitations in the past week, including a rail roko and a massive rally yesterday, pressing for statehood.

India, China face-off yet again, Chinese troops stop Army personnel from patrolling in Ladakh

Even as China and India try to evolve an acceptable mechanism to keep the Line of Actual Control (LAC) quiet, reports of increasing face-offs between patrol parties of the two armies in Ladakh continue to create local tensions.

In the latest incident, there are reports that Chinese troops are resorting to tactics like preventing Indian Army from patrolling posts in the sector along the border which is well within India's territory.

JNU student attacks classmate with axe, dies after suicide attempt

In a shocking incident, a 23-year-old student committed suicide after attacking a woman classmate with an axe at Jawaharlal Nehru University on Wednesday.

The incident took place in room no. 213 of the Korean language department around 11.30 a.m.

The attacker was identified as Akash and the woman as 22-year-old Roshani.

India creates 29th state

HYDERABAD: After decades of struggle and suicides by hundreds of youths over the years, Telangana will emerge as the 29th state of India, with the Congress Working Committee endorsing the decision to bifurcate the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.

The demand for a separate Telangana state has been going on for the past five decades, and has seen two phases of violent agitations — in 1969 and now in the past few years. According to Telangana protagonists, at least 600 youths and students had committed suicide for the cause in the past three years alone.

Bandh in Rayalaseema, coastal Andhra against Telangana formation

Normal life was disrupted in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions on Wednesday as a shutdown began in the two regions against the decision of the Congress and the UPA to create Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh.

Educational institutions, commercial establishments remained closed and the services of state-run Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) were suspended in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra districts such as Kadapa, Chittoor, Visakhapatnam and Krishna.

Telangana effect: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha calls indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling

Darjeeling: Hours after the UPA and the Congress Working Committee endorsed statehood for Telangana, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) announced an indefinite strike in the Darjeeling Hills from Saturday to press for its Gorkhaland demand.

GJM chief Bimal Gurung resigned as chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration - an autonomous and elected hill development council which the party has been running for a year.

ICICI Bank ordered to refund Rs 15 lakh to NRI woman with interest and compensation

KAPURTHALA: In a case of wrongly transferring Rs 15 lakh from the account of a NRI woman to ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Kapurthala, has ordered the local branch of ICICI Bank not only to refund the entire amount to the woman with 9 % interest but also pay compensation of Rs 50,000 for harassing her, along with Rs 10,000 as litigation cost.

No proof against Gurunath, Kundra, says BCCI probe panel

KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: Exactly 58 days after he "stepped aside" as BCCI president, the decks have been cleared for N Srinivasan's return to the helm of the richest cricket body in the world.

A report submitted by a two-member panel that probed allegations of betting and spot-fixing against Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, India Cements Ltd (owner of Chennai Super Kings) and Jaipur IPL Pvt Ltd (owner of Rajasthan Royals), found no direct evidence of wrongdoing on the part of any party. The panel consisted of two former judges of the Tamil Nadu high court, Jayaram Chouta and R Balasubramanian.

Now, Farooq Abdullah says you can fill your stomach for rupee 1

NEW DELHI: After Congress spokesperson Raj Babbar and Rajya Sabha MP Rasheed Masood's claim of 'super cheap' food available on the streets of India, another minister is of the view that one can have a filling meal for just Re 1.

Union minister of new and renewable energy and National Conference party leader Farooq Abdullah said that one can fill his stomach for just Re 1.

Batla House encounter genuine, main accused guilty of killing inspector MC Sharma: Court

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Thursday ruled that 2008 Batla House encounter was genuine and convicted lone suspected Indian Mujahideen operative Shahzad Ahmed for killing Delhi police inspector MC Sharma.

Additional sessions judge Rajender Kumar Shastri had on July 20 reserved the judgement after conclusion of final arguments by the prosecution and the defence.

Heavy rains lash Mumbai, several schools ask students to stay at home

The Brihan mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities have asked people not to step out of their house unless absolutely necessary, as heavy rains are predicted in Mumbai in the next 72 hours.According to television channel reports, Mumbai's Colaba area has so far recorded 158.6 millimeters  of rain in the last 20 hours, while Santa Cruz has recorded 168.6 millimeters of rainfall since Tuesday.

The temperature in Mumbai has dipped to a minimum of 22 degree Celsius due to the continuous rainfall.As heavy rain lashed the metro this morning, the Brihan mumbai Municipal Corporation advised parents to take children already in school back home.

Eight dead in Karnataka bus mishap, two critical

Hassan, Karnataka: Eight people drowned when a Karnataka State Road Transport  Corporation bus plunged into Vishnusamudra lake at Belur today, with police and locals rescuing 40 passengers.

Eleven passengers were admitted to a local hospital where two were stated to be critical, police said.

Representational image. PTI Representational image. PTI

The bus proceeding from Sakleshpur to Belur had several students on board, police said. There were reports that the bus was carrying 50-60 passengers.