National Indian News

• Target of making India slum-free in 5 years achievable: Selja
Housing and urban poverty alleviation minister Kumari Selja on Friday said the target of making India slum-free in the next five years as envisaged in the Rajiv Awas Yojana was "not unachievable" but a lot would depend on how states cooperated with the Centre on the issue.

• Rahul flooded with complaints on last day of Amethi tour
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi was today flooded with complaints and applications related to health problems, jobs, water and power crisis as he met around 2000 people on last day of the three-day tour to his parliamentary constituency Amethi.

• Dacoits loot Hatia-Gorakhpur Maurya Express, 4 passengers injured
Five dacoits were arrested after they looted passengers of the Hatia-Gorakhapur Maurya Express and injured four persons while attacking them with sharp-edged weapons, eastern railway officials said today.

• No separate inquiry on Azad's encounter: Centre
The Centre will not conduct a "separate inquiry" into the death of Maoist leader Azad in an encounter with security forces in Andhra Pradesh, Union home secretary G K Pillai has said.

• Journalists allege assault by CPM cadres in Bengal
At least six journalists were allegedly assaulted on Friday by a group of armed CPM cadres in West Midnapore district, police said. However, the district CPM leadership denied the charges.

• India awaiting Pak response on voice samples of 26/11 accused
India is yet to get a reply from Pakistan to its request for voice sample of key Mumbai terror attack accused including Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.

• Sonia re-elected Cong president for 4th term
Thanking party workers for their support, Gandhi described her re-election as party chief as a "great responsibility".

• Sohrabuddin encounter: Shah wants SC to recall CBI probe order
Ex-Gujarat minister Amit Shah, arrested in connection with the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, has asked the Supreme Court to recall its order for a CBI probe on the grounds of "bias", levelling allegations of conspiracy against its judge and the Centre.

• UPSC announces CMSE 2010 results
Candidates have been appointed to medical posts in the Railways, Indian Ordnance Factories Health Service, Central Government Health Service, Municipal Corporation of Delhi and New Delhi Municipal Council.

• Ex-army man lynched in West Bengal for allegedly misbehaving with woman
According to police, Jayanta Sarkar, 52, slapped a woman following an altercation between them while fetching water from a nearby tap. Angered by his behaviour, locals attacked Sarkar with iron rods and sticks.

News from Major India Cities

• Girl gangraped in moving car in NCR
A girl was allegedly gangraped by her three neighbours in a moving car following which they have been arrested and a case registered against them, police said on Friday.

• PM to intervene in Navi Mumbai airport deadlock
After pleas for an early clearance to the long-pending Navi Mumbai airport project, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said he would personally look into the issue to resolve the matter at the earliest.

• Karnataka to excavate site of skulls find
The Karnataka government plans to excavate about an acre around the area in Dharwad district where a large number of skulls and some skeletons have been found to resolve the mystery, a senior official said Friday.

• ACP's son, daughter-in-law commit suicide
The son and daughter-in-law of an assistant police commissioner (ACP) allegedly committed suicide at their residence in suburban Malad here, police said on Friday.

• Double pay hike for Marathi postgrads: BMC
The Shiv Sena-BJP controlled BMC has decided to give double increments to Marathi postgraduates among the 1.2 lakh civic staff, sparking protests from the opposition.

• Amisha Patel's family in debt row
Bollywood actress Amisha Patel and her family, including father Jai, mother Asha and brother Ashmit Patel, are facing a lawsuit for allegedly failing to pay Rs 18 crore to Canara Bank.

• Obama has silk gifts waiting in Bangalore
Gurum R Narayanappa, a Bangalore-based weaver, has a dream that could soon come true - to present his handicraft to none other than US president Barack Obama

• Four mourners killed as crematorium roof collapses
Four young mourners were killed and one person was injured when a roof of a crematorium at Ambala lake in temple town Ramtek, about 40 km from here, collapsed, police said today.

• Robbed passengers ransack Chittranjan station
More than 20 passengers of Gorakhpur bound Mourya Express were injured after robbers raided the train around 1am near Kulti in Burdwan of Bengal.

• 3L say 'Kem Chho' in Uncle Sam's land
The famous Gujarati poet Ardeshir F Khabardar wrote, 'Jya vase ek Gujarati tyan sada kal Gujarat' (Where there is even one Gujarati, there is a Gujarat forever). Census data released earlier this year by the US government vindicates the poet's aphorism.

News feed from the Times of India