Rahul in Nehru-Gandhi bastion, Congress posters exclude Sonia

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Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh:  A lot of the trademark Gandhi topis dot the venue of Rahul Gandhi's big Phulpur rally, where the Congress General Secretary launched his party's UP election campaign. Mr Gandhi wore one for a few seconds as he saluted before proceeding to the high stage.

Forget about it, says Kalam on US frisking incident

Kolkata:  Former President APJ Abdul Kalam on Monday downplayed his frisking by US security officials at New York's JFK Airport, saying it was not worth talking about.

"Forget about it. It is not worth talking about," Kalam said while responding to a question on the sidelines of an IIMC event here.

US carriers unhappy with American aid to Air India

New York:  Calling Air India "one of the most poorly-run airlines in the world", American carriers have opposed the US Exim Bank's $3.4 billion support to it to buy Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

The Air Transport Association (ATA), a trade group representing America's biggest carriers, has shot off a letter to US Export-Import Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg opposing the decision, saying Air India's financial ill-health should disqualify it from getting American help.

Gas leak kills five in Hathras in Uttar Pradesh

Hathras:  Five technicians who were repairing a machine that is used in the cold storage in the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh died due to a gas leak.

The technicians were welding a portion of a machine that was used in the cooling plant of the Savitri Devi cold storage in the Shahdabad village of the district.  

Trade talks begin; Pakistan asks India for 'trust and faith'

New Delhi:  Amidst high expectations by India on the Most Favoured Nation issue, Pakistan today asked New Delhi to have "trust and faith" in it, as "times have changed" and Islamabad wants complete normalisation of bilateral trade.
 

2G auditor counters scam's 1.76 lakh crore price tag

New Delhi:  The man who handled the main audit for the telecom scam has said that he sticks to the stand he has taken all along - that the losses from the scam cannot be quantified, and that he was asked to sign on a report that declared the losses to be worth 1.76 lakh crores. Mr Singh had told his department that the presumptive losses were in the range of 2600 crores.

AFSPA row: Omar meets Home Minister, to meet other members of the Cabinet

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New Delhi:  Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is locked a in battle with the Indian Army over the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from some parts of his state, has met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in the capital in a bid to "narrow down differences" over the issue.

UP is ruled by mafia, opt for change, urges Rahul Gandhi at rally

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Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh:  Time for a change, Rahul Gandhi told Uttar Pradesh today. He launched the Congress' election campaign with a blistering attack on the Mayawati government in the state, saying UP was being "ruled by the mafia." 

From Punjab to MIT via Nobel prize - the extraordinary tale of Har Gobind Khorana

New York:  Har Gobind Khorana, who rose from a childhood of poverty in India to become a biochemist and share in a Nobel Prize for his role in deciphering the genetic code, died on Wednesday in Concord, Massachusetts. He was 89.

Bhanwari Devi was determined to live a life less ordinary

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Jodhpur:  In a small house on the outskirts of Jodhpur,  Bhanwari Devi's family pulls out one of its favourite photographs of her. She  is draped in red and gold. Her head is covered.  She is 12 years old, and this is her wedding day. The two other girls with her in the photo are her sisters.   

Now, CBI inquiry against Chandrababu Naidu and his assets

Hyderabad:  The Andhra Pradesh High Court  today asked the CBI and Enforcement Directorate to conduct an investigation into the assets of former Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu.

Mahesh Yogi's sandals to be auctioned in London

London:  A pair of sandals once worn by spiritual leader Maharishi Mahesh Yogi are expected to fetch 80,000 pounds in an auction to be held later this month.

Yogi shot to fame worldwide as a guru to The Beatles who he first met while he was in London. He wore the wooden sandals during the height of his fame in the late 1960s and 1970s, the Daily Mail reported. 

AFSPA row: Omar meets Prime Minister, Sonia but gets no assurances

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New Delhi:  Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is locked in a battle with the Army over the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from some parts of his state, met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in the capital in a bid to "narrow down differences" over the issue. Mr Abdullah said that the effort was to try to work out a compromise to balance national security and the aspirations of the people. "I believe that there is ample opportunity to address the concerns that the armed forces have while allowing us to still go ahead with our position," he said.

Rahul's begging remarks spark row, Congress leaders seen attacking protestors

Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh:  In a constituency once represented by his great grandfather, Rahul Gandhi asked a crowd of thousands this morning, "Will you give us a chance for five years? We will transform Uttar Pradesh into one of India's better states." Around him in Phulpur, 30 kms from Allahabad, Congress flags fluttered in the wind. The roads leading to his rally had huge posters that paired him with Jawaharlal Nehru. His party's message was clear - Mr Gandhi is the official face of the Congress for its campaign in Uttar Pradesh. His mother, Sonia, will play a supporting role. In the state to which he has devoted most time and attention, Mr Gandhi will have to prove that he is more than a crowd-puller.