Situation in Kandhamal district of Orrisa improves
Curfew was relaxed upto five hours on Thursday in Orissa's Kandhamal district, where some violence was reported despite shoot at sight orders, as the situation in most areas was under control.

1 lakh people rescued as grim battle for survival continues
Over 25 lakh people in 15 districts of the state of Bihar have been hit by the impact of one of the worst floods in recent memory and the flood has claimed 55 lives so far.

Three hostages killed by militants, others safe
Three hostages were killed by militants but seven captives including four children were rescued by the Army which shot dead three terrorists believed to be from LeT during the 19-hour-long encounter that ended late last night in Jammu.

Inflation eases to 12.4 per cent
Lower prices of food and fuel items pulled down inflation to 12.4 per cent, offering hopes of what the Finance Ministry described as "early signs of moderation" in prices.

PM announces Rs 1000 cr, 1.25 lakh tonnes foodgrains for Bihar
Describing the floods in Bihar as a "national calamity", PM Manmohan Singh has announced an immediate assistance of Rs 1,000 crore to the state for rescue and relief operations and 1.25 lakh tonnes of foodgrains to tide over the situation.

Bihar flood scene grim, Nitish meets PM
With flood situation in Bihar turning grim, state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sought central assistance of 1,000 crore rupees and one lakh tonnes of foodgrain immediately for the affected people.

Army chief to visit UK to discuss defence cooperation
Aiming to further the comprehensive defence cooperation between India and United Kingdom, Army chief General Deepak Kapoor will go on a four-day visit to UK beginning from 1st September.

Democrats choose Obama as historic nominee
Senator Barack Obama made history when Democrats officially nominated him as party's presidential candidate, the first black nominee for a major US party, to fight and end eight years of Republican control of the white House.

India to ask B'desh to take action against HUJI terrorists
India will press Bangladesh for action against Bangladeshi nationals involved in terror acts in this country and deportation of Northeast insurgents from there during the Home Secretary-level talks between India and Bangladesh begining in Dhaka on 30th August.

CPI(M) doesn't want India to move ahead of China: Dasmunsi
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi on Thursday alleged that the CPI(M) was against the Indo-US nuclear deal because it did not want India to have an edge over China.

India for cooperation among energy producers, consumers
With high oil prices threatening to put brakes on economic growth around the world, India on Thursday called for constructive partnership among the energy producing and consuming nations to find viable solutions to energy security issues.

UNSC expansion vital for reflecting present realities: India
India has renewed its demand for an expansion of the UN Security Council to include both permanent and non permanent members, saying the move is necessary to reflect the current realities of the world.

Dalit delegation from Nepal in India to study quota system
Dalit delegation from Nepal is in the country to study about the reservation system here and finetune their strategy before putting up their demands before the Government there.

300 overseas students detained in Australia for violating laws
Around 300 overseas students, including Indians, were put into detention centres in Sydney and Melbourne in the past three years after found breaching Australian immigration laws.

Sonia to address Erode on 4th Sept
Congress President Sonia Gandhi will address a rally at Erode, the native district of Union Minister of State for Textiles E V K S Elangovan on 4th September, part of a series of rallies planned by the TNCC as a run-up to next year's Lok Sabha polls.

Crude oil imports rise by over 8 pc in July
India's crude oil imports soared over eight per cent in July to match rise in fuel consumption that continued to be propelled by double-digit growth in diesel demand.

Govt hopes to complete auction process for 3G spectrum by Oct
Telecom Minister A Raja said on Thursday that the auction process for 3G spectrum would be completed by October and wanted the operators to roll out the high-end services this year.

India, Asean conclude deal for FTA in goods
India and southeast Asian trading bloc Asean has been successfully concluded six years of negotiations for a free trade agreement in goods that will create an European Union-like single market.

RBI phasing out old Rs 1,000, Rs 500 notes
The Reserve Bank is phasing out old currency notes in the denomination of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 of 1996 series and replacing them with new ones with added security features.

TDSAT rings the final bell for govt and GSM operators
Telecom tribunal TDSAT on Thursday granted final opportunity to govt and six GSM operators to file their reply of its notices issued on a petition filed by Anil Ambani Group's Reliance Communications, seeking withdrawal of additional spectrum held by rival operators.

USW authorizes strike against ArcelorMittal
The United Steelworkers union said Wednesday its members had voted to give it the authority to launch a nationwide strike against ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel producer, if ongoing contract negotiations fail.

Oil rises in Asia on worries Gustav may strengthen
Oil prices rose to near USD 119 a barrel on Thursday in Asia on fears that Tropical Storm Gustav could strengthen on its way toward crude and natural gas rigs and refineries in the Gulf of Mexico.

Fares to remain same in festive season : SpiceJet
Low-cost carrier SpiceJet on Thursday said it has no plans to alter its basic fare structures during the festival season, despite an imminent drop in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) cost.

Rupee appreciates by 11 paise against US dollar
The Indian rupee showed signs of breaking a two-day sliding string as it appreciated by 11 paise against the US currency during morning trade as demand for dollar petered out amid rising global oil prices.

Sensex closes at one-month low inflation concerns
The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex fell by over 248 points to close the day at nearly one-month low level on selling sparked by concerns over inflation rising further amid rising oil prices.

Sharif rebuffs Zardari's peace overtures
PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif on Thursday rebuffed fresh attempts for a rapprochement by PPP which invited the party back to the government and asked it to withdraw its candidate in Pakistan's Presidential election.

Fighting kills 36 rebels, 5 soldiers in Sri Lanka
Fierce fighting between government troops and separatist Tamil Tigers across Sri Lanka's embattled north killed at least thirty six rebels and five soldiers.

11 killed in bus accident in east China
At least eleven people have been killed and thirty one others injured when a bus plunged into a river in east China's Jiangsu Province, the state media reported on Thursday.

Top US, Pak army commanders meet on board an American carrier
Top US and Pakistani army commanders had a highly unusual secret meeting on board an American aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean to discuss how to combat the escalating violence along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Nine killed in bomb attack on police van in NWFP
Nine persons were killed and several others injured when a police van transporting prisoners was targeted in a roadside bomb attack in Pakistan's restive North West Frontier Province on Thursday.

Gustav kills 22; New Orleans makes evacuation plan
Gustav stalled offshore and poured more misery onto Haiti after landslides and flooding killed 22 people while oil workers began leaving their rigs and New Orleans drew up evacuation plans as forecasters warned the storm could plow into the US Gulf coast as a major hurricane.

Anwar Ibrahim to be sworn in today
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is all set to enter parliament after a decade following a landslide victory in a parliamentary by-election will be sworn in on Thursday, a day ahead of tabling of the annual Budget.

Nine killed in bomb attack on police van in NWFP
Nine persons have been killed and several others injured when a police van transporting prisoners was targeted in a roadside bomb attack in Pakistan's restive North West Frontier Province on Thursday.

G-7 countries condemn Russia over Georgia
The world's leading industrial nations condemned Russia's actions in Georgia, underlining the country's growing estrangement from the West.

Dhoni back to top of ODI rankings
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni toppled his South African counterpart Greame Smith to regain the top spot in the latest ICC ODI batsmen ranking.

Liuzzi 8th fastest on day 1 of Monza testing
Test driver Tonio Liuzzi posted the eighth fastest time while running a hiccup-free 99 laps as Force India kick-started its three-day test at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Italy in style.

Pak hockey coach resigns after Olympic debacle
Pakistan hockey team's disastrous performance in the Beijing Olympics has taken another toll with coach Naved Alam following suit chief coach Khawaja Zakauddin in stepping down from his post.

Irani Cup dates advanced
The Irani Cup tie between Ranji Trophy champions Delhi and the Rest of India has been advanced by a week and would be played between 24th and 28th September at Vadodara, the Cricket Board said on Wednesday.

Bangalore Open suspended due to security concerns: ATP
The Bangalore Open scheduled to be held from 29th September has been suspended due to the local promoter's security concerns, according to the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Board.

Gold medallists Nadal, Dementieva shake off Olympic hangovers
Reigning Olympic champions Rafael Nadal and Elena Dementieva got their US Opens off and running, facing stiff challenges from a pair of unseeded players.

China starts unique torch relays before Paralympics
Buoyed by the success of Beijing Olympics, China on Thursday kicked off two unique torch relays -- "Ancient China" and "Modern China" depicting diversity of the nation ahead of the 13th Paralympics opens in Beijing on 6th September.

Bradman reaches latest century, still unbeaten
Australians on Wednesday marked the centenary of their greatest sporting hero, cricketer Don Bradman, by celebrating the fact his unbeaten record is still untouchable 60 years after he quit the sport.

Mollah, Lehal share lead at Tamil Nadu Open Golf
Rafick Ali Mollah and A S Lehal fired an identical five-under 65 to emerge as joint leaders on the opening day of the Tamil Nadu Open Golf Championship in Chennai on Wednesday.

School children to participate in Rajiv Gandhi marathon
Over 15,000 school kids from the slum and Jhuggi-Jhonpuri clusters of Delhi will participate in the 15th edition of the NSCI- Rajiv Gandhi Marathon Run which flags off from Ambedkar Stadium on Sunday.

Chinese Olympic gold medallists to get USD 50,000 as bonus
China's Olympic gold medallists will each get a cash bonus of 350,000 yuan (USD 50,000), almost double the amount paid after the 2004 Athens Games, media reports said on Tuesday.

Don't feel complacent with Beijing show: P T Usha
India should explore the available talent at the junior level if it has to put up a better performance in the 2012 London Olympics, former sprint ace P T Usha said in Kozhikode on Monday.

Vaithilingam elected CLP leader
Former Chief Minister V Vaithilingam was on Thursday unanimously elected Puducherry Congress Legislature party leader since the CLP elected a new leader hours after Chief Minister N Rangasamy resigned on the directions from the Congress High Command.

CPI(M) snubs party patriarch Buddha's remarks on bandhs
In a snub to West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee who went public against the party line on bandhs, the CPI(M) has said the party firmly stands for the "fundamental right" of the working class to strike.

SAYSS, panel to meet in 4th round of talks on land row
The group spearheading the agitation for re-transfer of land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board would hold a meeting with the governor's panel headed by S S Bloeria on Thursday.

Anti-naxal force of CRPF gets Government clearance
The Government has cleared a proposal of an exclusive anti-naxal force of 10 battalions (10,000 personnel) at a cost of Rs 1389.47 crore to fight the growing menace of the ultra-Left forces.

Development works in unauthorised colonies going on: Dikshit
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Thursday said the work of laying water pipelines in unauthorised colonies in the city was going on in full swing as the government was committed to provide basic facilities to the residents of these colonies.

Gowda asks RLD chief to adopt wait and watch policy
Stating that nothing is final in politics, former PM H D Deve Gowda has told RLD chief Ajit Singh that the decision of Uttar Pradesh CM Mayawati to contest all 80 seats in Lok Sabha elections should not be taken as the last word.

CBI took "U-turn" in Lalu's assets case; Bihar Govt tells SC
The Bihar Govt has alleged in the Supreme Court that CBI has taken a "complete U-turn" in the disproportionate assets case against Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi by not appealing against their acquittal in the case, an off-shoot of the multi-crore rupee fodder scam.

2 more dengue cases in capital; NDMC on its toes
Two fresh cases of dengue were reported in the capital on Thursday, taking the total number of people affected by the disease to 67 this season.

Mayawati enters Forbes' power women list; Sonia slips in rank
Making her debut in the club of 100 most powerful women in the world, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samajwadi Party chief Mayawati has joined Congress President Sonia Gandhi in a list compiled by US magazine Forbes.

Rahul attends UP coordination committee meeting
Top Congress leaders, led by party general secretary Rahul Gandhi, have assembled in Allahabad for the third Uttar Pradesh Coordination Committee meeting to chalk out strategy for reviving the party in the state.

University teachers to go on strike on pay revision
A central university teachers' association has threatened to go on strike on 29th August if the UGC pay revision committee does not submit its report immediately.

Parliament session to begin on 17th Oct
The next Parliament session, probably the last of the 14th Lok Sabha, will be held from 17th October to 21st November by which time the Indo-US nuclear deal is expected to go through all the processes.

Curfew relaxed in several parts of Kashmir Valley
Curfew has been relaxed in several parts of the Kashmir Valley on Thursday for varying periods even as no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the region.