31 get life sentence for massacre during Gujarat riots at Sardarpura

Ahmedabad:  A fast-track court in Gujarat has sentenced 31 people to life imprisonment in the Sardarpura massacre where 33 people were burnt to death by a mob of 1500 in 2002 during the communal violence that was unleashed across Gujarat.

Fever keeps Sonia from rally, but speech sends message to Anna

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Gauchar, Uttarakhand:  Thousands of people had gathered in Chamoli in Uttarakhand where Congress president Sonia Gandhi was to launch a major railway project. A rally that was to follow would have seen her first public speech since her return to India after surgery in the US.    

Dawood aide Iqbal Mirchi's trial begins in London today

London:  The trial of Iqbal Mirchi, the brother of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, begins in London today. He is charged with threatening to kill his associate, Nadeem Kader, who they say called off the marriage between his daughter and Mirchi's son.

Mamata Banerjee speaks to Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee after three years

Kolkata:  West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today spoke to her Marxist predecessor and arch political rival Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee for the first time in over three years and invited him to Kolkata Film Festival beginning tomorrow.

Gorakhpur: Doctors on strike for second day, 2,000 kids with encephalitis affected

Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh:  Doctors in the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur are boycotting work, after a junior doctor was assaulted by the relatives of a boy. The boy died soon after he was admitted on Tuesday. 150 doctors are striking work and say they will only return to treat patients once adequate security is deployed in the hospital to prevent future harassment by relatives of patients. 

Delay in operations at Kudankulam N-plant could damage reactors: Russian engineer

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Kudankulam:  Delay in operationalizing the nuclear reactors at the Kudankulam power plant in Tamil Nadu may damage them, a top Russian engineer associated with the project has said, as the Centre tries its best to overcome local opposition through a dialogue it initiated earlier this week. 

Pak will not backtrack on Most Favoured Nation status to India: Khar

Addu (Maldives):  Noting that Indo-Pak ties are "complex" and "complicated", Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Wednesday said Islamabad is not backtracking on its decision to normalise bilateral trade with New Delhi of which Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status is a part.

Underlining that the Pakistani military was an important stakeholder in the country's foreign policy, Khar said Indo-Pak relations should "not be bogged down" by the past.

PM Manmohan Singh meets Pak PM Gilani on sidelines of SAARC summit

Addu, Maldives:  For the first time since they watched a cricket match together in India in March this year, the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan are meeting.  Dr Manmohan Singh is meeting his counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in the Maldives, where delegations from both countries are attending the 17th annual South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit.

Rs. 40 crore canal demolished for poor quality construction

Vidarbha, Maharashtra:  This canal took over 20 years to build. Its foundation stone was laid by Rajiv Gandhi way back in 1988. But now the 23-kilometre-long canal which was meant to irrigate one of India's driest belts - Vidharbha - a region infamous for its farmer suicides, will now be demolished for extremely poor quality construction. 

Simply fighting elections won't end corruption, Anna tells Prithviraj Chavan

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Ralegan Siddhi, Maharashtra:  If the Congress guns are out in full force, 74-year-old Anna Hazare is not backing off either. In a direct message to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who suggested that the Gandhian contest elections, Anna has countered, "You have contested elections, how much have you done to stop corruption?"

SAARC summit: Have always believed Gilani is man of peace, says PM after meet

Addu (Maldives):  After a 90-minute meeting in the Maldives, the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan addressed the press.  Dr Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani are attending the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit.  These are the highlights of their statements to reporters after their one-on-one session.  

Kingfisher asked to explain cancellations of flights

New Delhi:  Kingfisher airlines, owned by Vijay Mallya, has been asked to explain why it cancelled at least 80 flights over the last three days.

Passengers have been complaining that they were given virtually no notice about the cancellations.

Kasab is a terrorist, should be sent to gallows: Rehman Malik

Islamabad:  Ajmal Kasab is a terrorist and should be hung, said Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik today.

"Kasab is a terrorist. He is a non-state actor. He should go to the  gallows," Malik told Indian journalists in Maldives where India and Pakistan have sent delegations headed by their Prime Ministers to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit.