National News

New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) The Supreme Court has ticked off the Gujarat High Court for wrongly and hurriedly transferring the investigation of a criminal case from one police station to another.

New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) With more and more senior Congress leaders criticising him for his remarks against the Congress leadership, central minister Arjun Singh Sunday attempted to play down the controversy saying it was 'needless and irrelevant'.

Pokhran (Rajasthan), May 11 (IANS) In 1998, the small town of Pokhran had been the centre of India's jingoistic celebrations after India detonated a nuclear device here. Ten years on, the town of around 20,000 people remains quiet, with no official or private ceremonies to mark the event.

Ranchi, May 11 (IANS) Two security personnel were killed and three injured in a gun battle with Maoist rebels in Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand Sunday, the police said.

Samba (Jammu and Kashmir), May 11 (IANS) In an act of dare-devilry, the security forces rescued three hostages, including two children, from a house in which militants were holed up here. A militant was killed in the gunbattle with soldiers.

New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address a joint session of the newly constituted Bhutanese parliament during his visit to the country May 16. He will be the first international leader to be given this honour.

Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu), May 11 (IANS) Even as deliberations to finalise the draft of a coastal zone management (CZM) are underway, one of its vital issues - seafront erosion - has hit this quiet town, officials said Sunday.

Raipur, May 11 (IANS) Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil arrived in Chhattisgarh Sunday on a day-long visit to assess the rampant Maoist violence across the state.

Pokhran (Rajasthan), May 11 (IANS) Just outside the west Rajasthan town of Pokhran, an alert driver will probably notice a signboard pointing to bright red walls, advertising a museum that celebrates India's nuclear tests.

Kohima, May 11 (IANS) The feud between insurgent factions reached a high in north-eastern India's Nagaland state with at least 25 people killed in less than a month, forcing the central government to rush senior officials to assess the emerging situation, authorities said Sunday.

Samba (Jammu and Kashmir), May 11 (IANS) Five people, including a woman hostage and a photojournalist, were killed when militants struck in Jammu early Sunday. An intense gun battle is underway between the militants, holed up in a house, and security forces in the Samba sector.

New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) Residents of Delhi got a respite from the scorching sun as rains in the capital brought down the mercury Sunday.

Mumbai, May 11 (IANS) Perhaps she was our very own Mata Hari. A Kashmiri woman who saved the Indian Navy from disaster by spying for the country during its 1971 war with Pakistan is the heroine of a new novel released here.

New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) The Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to induct two squadrons of the indigenous Akash Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM).

Kolkata, May 11 (IANS) The panchayat poll in Nandigram was marred Sunday when a ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP was involved in a heated argument with a senior Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) official over the election process in the West Bengal region.

Samba (Jammu and Kashmir), May 11 (IANS) Photojournalist Ashok Sodhi ran ahead of his colleagues and ignored police warnings as he ventured forth to capture pictures of the house where militants were holed up, firing at security forces Sunday morning. Sodhi died in the exchange of fire.

Colombo, May 11 (IANS) Sri Lanka's ruling coalition led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa Sunday won the polls for the maiden Eastern provincial council, amid allegations of widespread poll-related violence.

New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) Contemporary art in India is drawing inspiration from a collage of new mediums, the most striking among them being daily newspapers and the internet. And Vadodara-based contemporary artist Ashutosh Bharadwaj's works reflect just that.

Kolkata, May 11 (IANS) Panchayat polls in five districts of West Bengal Sunday generally remained incident-free, reports received here till early afternoon said.

New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) Ten years ago on this day he stunned the world by announcing that India has conducted a nuclear test in the desert of Rajasthan and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rode the nationalist euphoria to win the general election that followed.