National News

New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Swedish counterpart Fredrik Reinfeldt held wide-ranging talks here Thursday to give a fresh impetus to their ties in the fields of trade, energy and environment.

Kolkata, Nov 5 (IANS) The centre Thursday rushed additional paramilitary forces to troubled West Midnapore district to tackle the Maoists, even as the left wing ultras said they were prepared for talks provided the troopers were withdrawn and a ceasefire declared in seven states.

Mumbai, Nov 5 (IANS) Self-styled tour operators and tourist guides have come up with 'Terror Tours' to cash in on the curiosity among tourists and visitors about the sites of last year's attacks in south Mumbai.

New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) Home Minister P. Chidambaram Thursday asked the Left Front government in West Bengal to maintain law and order 'whatever be the provocation', following clashes during the campaign for bye-elections in the state.

Guwahati, Nov 5 (IANS) Close on the heels of two senior rebel leaders of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) being arrested in Bangladesh, Myanmarese soldiers have reportedly surrounded a mobile camp of the outfit in the country's Sagaing Division, officials said Thursday.

New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) The build-up to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Washington later this month moved into top gear as India and the US Thursday discussed a host of global issues ranging from democracy and human rights to climate change and public health.

Raipur, Nov 5 (IANS) Campaigning ended Thursday for the by-poll to Chhattisgarh's Vaishali Nagar assembly seat.

New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) Campaigning for Saturday's by-elections in 31 assembly constituencies across seven states and a solitary Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh ended Thursday evening.

Ranchi, Nov 5 (IANS) Hemlal Murmu, a former Lok Sabha MP of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was arrested Thursday in connection with a 15-year-old case when he went to file his nomination for the coming state assembly polls.

Patna, Nov 5 (IANS) After Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi is facing heat on the state government's much-publicised land reforms and Thursday had to clarify that credit cards for farmers would not mean ownership of land for sharecroppers.

New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni Thursday termed as a 'gross violation of the constitution' the Kerala government guidelines to departments regarding interaction with the media.

Jawali (Himachal Pradesh), Nov 5 (IANS) Infighting within the family of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Rajan Sushant may cost the party dear in Saturday's by-election for this assembly seat in Himachal Pradesh.

New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) With less than a year left for its start, the government Thursday more than doubled the 2010 Commonwealth Games budget to Rs.1,620 crore (Rs.16.2 billion/$344 million). It said more money was needed for security, creating a better environment, sponsorship and television rights and better delivery of the games.

Shimla, Nov 5 (IANS) Campaigning for by-elections to two assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh ended at 5 p.m. Thursday. Polling will be held Saturday.

New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) More than 30 years since the massive defoliation campaigns of the Vietnam war, and nearly 20 years since the extensive pollution caused by the destruction of 600 oil wells in Kuwait at the end of the first Gulf War, the environment continues to fall victim to armed conflict worldwide.

Kolkata, Nov 5 (IANS) West Bengal's ruling Left Front chairman Biman Bose Thursday said that the state government was 'seriously looking' into the law and order situation against the backdrop of spiralling violence following growing Maoist activities and recurring political clashes.

New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) The political crisis in Karnataka's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government deepened Thursday as the dissenting Reddy brothers, who are demanding Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa's scalp, refused to meet him while the party central leadership reiterated that there would be no change in the chief ministership.

Patna, Nov 5 (IANS) The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which is contesting the Jharkhand assembly polls along with the Left parties, released the first list of 26 candidates Thursday.

New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) Intelligence agencies believe that Islamist militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) has targets in India apart from those publicised recently -- the National Defence College here, plus two prominent boarding schools, Doon in Dehradun and Woodstock in Mussoorie.