Vijay Mallya gave personal guarantee of Rs 249 crore for Kingfisher

New Delhi:  Kingfisher Airlines promoter Vijay Mallya has given a personal guarantee of Rs 248.97 crore, besides pledging shares as security against loans taken from various banks, Parliament was informed on Friday.

Govt admits $9 billion mistake in export figures

New Delhi:  Fears about exports being shown on the higher side have come true with the government conceding today that it made a mistake as the numbers got inflated by US $9 billion in the April-November period of the current fiscal.

Kerala Assembly adopts resolution for new dam, DMK calls stir

Thiruvananthapuram/Chennai:  Ratcheting up its pressure in the snowballing Mullaperiyar dam row with Tamil Nadu, Kerala Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a resolution insisting on a new dam to replace the 116-year old reservoir.

PM, Sonia should show how to live on Rs 32 per day: Gadkari

New Delhi:  Dubbing Congress as a party of "capitalists and middlemen", BJP chief Nitin Gadkari on Friday ridiculed the Planning Commission's Rs. 32-per-day poverty cap and asked the Prime Minister and Congress chief to "show the way" by living on the meagre amount for a day.

Kolkata: 89 killed in AMRI hospital fire; six board members arrested

Kolkata:  Six board members of the AMRI hospital in Kolkata have been arrested for culpable homicide after this morning's fire in which 89 people - 85 patients and four staff members - died. The board members including prominent industrialists SK Todi and RS Goenka - reported to also be the owners of the hospital - voluntarily surrendered at a local police station.

Now, Bhanwari Devi's husband under the scanner for her disappearance

Jodhpur:  The Bhanwari Devi case is turning murkier by the day with her husband now firmly under the scanner over her alleged abduction and murder. Amarchand Nat was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday for not cooperating with investigations into the mysterious disappearance of his wife, thus giving an entirely new turn to the case. The CBI is now planning to cross-examine him along with sacked Rajasthan minister and prime suspect in the case, Mahipal Maderna.

Dev Anand's funeral to be held in London today

New Delhi:  The last rites of the legend of Indian Cinema, Dev Anand, will take place in London today. The funeral will be followed by an afternoon memorial service at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in West London. 

Ahmedabad: A business delegation from Pakistan met Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and discussed issues pertaining to trade and industry between Gujarat and Pakistan. The delegation of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), which is in Ahmedabad to participate in 'Asia Colour Chemicals Mega Exhibition', invited the Chief Minister to Karachi. The meeting with the KCCI delegation was held at Modi's residence in an extremely cordial atmosphere, official sources said. They invited Modi to visit Pakistan and also to address the corporate heads of Pakistan's industries and business on the 'Gujarat model' of development through video-conferencing to be arranged by the KCCI, sources said. The delegates also held a detailed discussion about how to improve relations between the two regions, they said. According to sources, considering the long association between Gujarat and Sindh regions, the delegates urged Modi to use his good offices to start a direct flight between Ahmedabad and Karachi. The five-member delegation that held talks with Modi included Zafar Ahmed and Asif Iqbal Hada.

New Delhi:  The Delhi Police has sought more details, including the expected gathering and names of VVIPs attending, from Team Anna to give permission for its Ramlila Maidan agitation from December 27 for a strong Lokpal.

Pakistani business delegation invites Modi to Karachi

Ahmedabad:  A business delegation from Pakistan met Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and discussed issues pertaining to trade and industry between Gujarat and Pakistan.

The delegation of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), which is in Ahmedabad to participate in 'Asia Colour Chemicals Mega Exhibition', invited the Chief Minister to Karachi.

India plans to develop solar-powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Bangalore:  India is planning to develop a solar-powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and scouting for a foreign partner for collaboration.

The proposed solar-based UAV would have much longer flight duration - as high as 15 days - compared to conventional UAV, according to sources in the Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a lab of the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

2G spectrum scam case: Govt defends Chidambaram

New Delhi:  Coming out in strong defence of Home Minister P Chidambaram, the government today attacked the BJP-led NDA of attempting to "foist" culpability on him in the 2G scam saying it was a desperate attempt to make parliamentary democracy dysfunctional.

Mullaperiyar row: In full-page ads, Jayalalithaa says dam is safe

Chennai:  A day after Kerala Assembly unanimously passed a resolution insisting that a new dam be built to replace the Mullaperiyar reservoir, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has gone all out to assure the people of Kerala that the 116-year-old structure is safe. In full-page advertisements released in major newspapers today, she has appealed that they "should not to succumb to divisive forces."

Villagers lay siege to Kudankulam nuclear plant

Chennai:  Around 1,500 villagers on Saturday laid siege to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu to demand immediate cessation of all work at the site, said an activist.

Anna reaches Delhi for tomorrow's fast, says is open for talks

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New Delhi/Ralegan Siddhi:  Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has reached Delhi where he will observe a day-long fast tomorrow for a strong Lokpal Bill. Before leaving for Delhi though, the 74-year-old Gandhian said he is still open for talks with the Congress to arrive at a consensus. "Still open for talks with Congress to arrive at consensus...if offer comes from them," said Anna at the Pune airport. 

Congress to disqualify 16 partymen in Andhra Pradesh

Delhi:  The Congress leadership has decided on disciplinary action against 16 Congress MLAs in Andhra Pradesh who defied the party and whip and voted in favour of a no-confidence motion against the Kiran Kumar Reddy government earlier this week.

Kolkata hospital fire: Board members sent to police custody till December 20

Kolkata:  All the seven board members of Kolkata's AMRI Hospital have been sent to police custody till December 20. The directors - Radhe Shyam Goenka, Prashant Goenka, Manish Goenka, Shrawan Kumar Todi, Ravi Todi, Dayanand Aggarwal and Radhe Shyam Aggarwal - were arrested on Friday for culpable homicide following a deadly fire at the hospital which killed 91 people - including 89 patients.

Lokpal Bill row: Prime Minister calls all-party meeting

New Delhi:  As veteran anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare readies for his day-long fast tomorrow in Delhi in protest against the parliamentary panel's report on the Lokpal Bill, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for an all-party meeting on Wednesday to discuss the issue again.

Sheila Dikshit orders inspection of fire safety measures in hospitals

Delhi:  In the wake of the devastating fire at a Kolkata hospital, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday has ordered the fire department to carry out a detailed inspection of fire safety standards in all hospitals, cinema halls, auditoriums and other important buildings.