National News

NEW DELHI: From the lip-smacking jaitooni murg seekh and gosht barra kebab to the crispy bhindi kurjuri and the rich phirni, the Pakistan President, Mr Asif Ali Zardari and his entourage were treated to the best of Indian four-course meal by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh here today.

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has ruled that only Parliament can modify the list of reserved communities, while upholding a magisterial court's order that awarded punishment to a man who misrepresented himself as a Scheduled Caste for getting a government job.

NEW DELHI: The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) Saturday said the nationwide 21-day-long strike by jewellers against 1 per cent excise duty imposed on unbranded jewellery in the Budget has caused a loss of about Rs18,000 crore to the industry while the government incurred a loss of Rs 900 crore.
Jewellers across the country resumed normal business Saturday.

CHENNAI: Work at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) is progressing rapidly with employees working even on holidays to get the atomic regulator’s nod to reopen the first reactor vessel and remove the dummy fuel, the Nuclear Power Corp of India Ltd (NPCIL ) said.

NEW DELHI: Indian Army chief General V K Singh has blamed “rogue elements” in the bureaucracy for stoking controversies and denied any rift between him and Defence Minister Mr A K Antony.

MUMBAI: Developing and preserving good governance is essential for the country and it must become the passion of future Governments, according to Congress MP and former Minister of State for External Affairs Mr Shashi Tharoor.

SRINAGAR: Life across Srinagar and other towns of Kashmir Valley were affected Saturday by a shutdown called by hardline senior separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani against the conviction of Kashmiri separatist Ghulam Nabi Fai by a US court last month, police said.

AJMER: Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the high-profile visit of Pakistan President Mr Asif Ali Zardari, who is scheduled on Sunday to pay obeisance at the dargah of sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti here.

NEW DELHI: Reviewing the Uttar Pradesh poll debacle, Mr Rahul Gandhi on Friday night warned against indiscipline in Congress and vowed to bring the party back to good days in the state saying he is not the one to accept defeat.

BHUBANESWAR: In a grim turn to the three-week old hostage crisis, Maoists on Friday issued a fresh ultimatum threatening to execute the abducted Italian if their demands were not met within 96 hours.