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Three killed in Kashmir attack

     Srinagar: At least three people, including a militant, were killed when militants stormed a government building in Kashmir and set it on fire today. At least five people were seen waving from a first-floor window of the income tax building in Srinagar as flames ripped through the floor above them. Initial reports say two to three militants were in the building. According to reports there were nearly 50 income tax employees inside the building when it was attacked.

India, Pakistan fail to solve Baglihar (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Talks between India and Pakistan to resolve a dispute over a Baglihar dam in Kashmir have ended without agreement, officials said today. The latest setback came a week after bureaucrats heading the foreign ministries in the countries said they had narrowed some of the many differences that plague their relations, but achieved no breakthrough. "We had made a very serious attempt and we have fully elaborated, interacted and given all the details all the information that they needed, provided them all the input as to where the design needs to be changed. We made it absolutely explicit where the violations of the treaty are involved but as it stands, the issue stands," Ashfaq Mahmood, Pakistan's water and power secretary, told a news conference here.

Cong, JMM finalise seat-sharing for Jharkhand polls (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha on Friday reached an electoral understanding for next month`s assembly polls in Jharkhand in which JMM would contest 35 seats and Congress 33. The remaining 13 seats in the 81-member house have gone to RJD and Left Parties. "Under the agreement, JMM will contest 35 seats and Congress 33 and the remaining 13 will be shared by other allies," JMM president and Union Minister Sibu Soren told reporters here after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Meanwhile, Stung by the "one-sided" seat-sharing understanding reached by Congress and JMM in Jharkhand, RJD on Friday reacted strongly saying it would contest 25 seats in the state. "This is a one-sided electoral understanding without taking RJD into confidence," RJD national spokesman Sanjay Paswan told reporters. Stressing the Congress-JMM arrangement could have an effect on the ongoing seat-sharing talks for Bihar, he said "In Bihar, we will be contesting 190 plus seats and at least 25 in Jharkhand".

PM not to be brought under purview of Lok Pal Bill (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The government on Friday announced that the Prime Minister of India will not be brought under purview of Lok Pal Bill. Bhardwaj said the GoM would be headed by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and will include four or five ministers, including himself and Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal. He said that it was felt that the Prime Minister being the head of the state, should not be brought under the purview of this Bill as any charges against them might cause humiliation to the entire nation. It was also argued that the Prime Minister is already answerable to the Parliament, so he should be given an exemption in this regard. Meanwhile, there is also a proposal to bring CBI and its entire functioning under its purview, so that in case of any complaints of delay in certain probes, it could be directed accordingly. Bhardwaj also said that the Lok Pal Bill will be presented in the budget session of the Parliament.

International film festival inaugurated (Go To Top)

     Mumbai: Vilasrao Deshmukh , the Chief Minister of Maharashtra inaugurated the 7th Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) International Film Festival. The inauguration ceremony was held at Ravindra Natya Mandir in Mumbai. This year 124 films from 34 countries including India will be screened during the festival which is going to end on 13th of January. The highlights of this festival will be countries like Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Serbia and Lebanon, which will be participating in the Festival for the first time.