Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Police have arrested a former Indian Army official who was allegedly working for Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency and providing information about vital installations of the Indian armed forces, a police official said here Monday. The accused, hailing from Palampur town in Kangra district, is a retired honorary captain, police said. "Acting on a tip off, S.S. Guleria was arrested from the Chandimadir area Sunday night," Additional Director General of Police I.D. Bhandari told reporters. Chandimandir is the headquarters of the Indian Army's Western Command, located in Chandigarh. Bhandari said Guleria - who retired from service last month - was working for the ISI and was regularly getting money through illegal 'hawala' channels. He was arrested from h...

Video Mumbai: The Indian naval ship INS Vindhyagiri that caught fire after collision with a foreign merchant vessel at the Mumbai harbour sunk on Monday. INS Vindhyagiri was carrying family members of Navy personnel on board. There have been no injuries as all the people were evacuated from the ship. The ship, however, suffered major damage to its engine. Other ships have been stopped near the outskirt of the dock. The merchant vessel, however, did not suffer any significant damage and may be held accountable. Click to play video Mumbai: The Indian naval ship INS Vindhyagiri that caught fire after collision with a foreign merchant vessel at the Mumbai harbour sunk on Monday. INS Vindhyagiri was carrying family members of Navy personnel on board. There have been no injuries as all the people were evacuated from the ship. The ship, however, suffered major damage to its engine. Other ships have been stopped near the outskirt of the dock. The merchant vessel, however, did not suffer any ...

TIRUPATI: Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav , who is currently in India on a ten-day state visit, has called for a further strengthening of ties with India. Talking to reporters after offering prayers at the temple of Lord Venkateswara, Yadav said: "I have prayed for the strengthening of friendship between Nepal and India in the coming years, and also sought the blessings of Lord Venkateswara to maintain peace, stability and progress in Nepal. "I have prayed to the Lord that, 'give me the blessings that the peace and stability and progress and for the democracy. I have also prayed that Nepal and India friendship, from centuries we are together, so it should be further more deepened and strengthened in the coming years," he added. He further said that he also prayed for a terror-free world and universal prosperity of mankind. ...

Video New Delhi: With PJ Thomas refusing to quit, just how difficult is it for the Government to remove the Central Vigilance Commissioner. The CVC Act of 2003 says that he can be removed only if there is a case of proven misbehaviour or incapacity during his tenure. Under fire from the Supreme Court and the Opposition over the appointment of CVC PJ Thomas, the Government is in a quandary because it isn't easy to remove him. Click to play video New Delhi: With PJ Thomas refusing to quit, just how difficult is it for the Government to remove the Central Vigilance Commissioner. The CVC Act of 2003 says that he can be removed only if there is a case of proven misbehaviour or incapacity during his tenure. Under fire from the Supreme Court and the Opposition over the appointment of CVC PJ Thomas, the Government is in a quandary because it isn't easy to remove him. "The Government can do nothing...there is a process that has to be followed," said lawyer KN Bhatt. Accordin...

NEW DELHI/CHENNAI: The BJP on Sunday dubbed Rahul Gandhis exhortation to the Manmohan Singh government to bring black money account-holders to book as a joke , saying the Centre had so far stonewalled efforts to even reveal the names of account holders in tax havens. The Congress general secretarys statement was dismissed as yet another manifestation of the double standards maintained by the party. Congress ministers have refused to reveal the names of account holders in banks abroad while Rahul Gandhi has remarked that black money holders should be brought to book. This statement is nothing but a joke, BJP President Nitin Gadkari told reporters in Chennai on Sunday. He attacked the UPA government for not coming out with the names of Indians who had stashed away black money in banks abroad. What prevents you from doing it? the BJP president sought to know. Gandhi had on Satur...

CAIRO: Amid a massive unrest in Egypt due to protests against President Hosni Mubarak , hundreds of Indian passengers were stranded at Cairo's airport today as flights were cancelled or delayed, leaving them unable to leave because of a government-imposed curfew in the capital. Egypt was in the grip of increasing lawlessness today as gangs of armed men helped free thousands of prisoners and looters rampaged malls, banks and jewellery stores, even as many armymen doffed uniforms to join the uprising against Mubarak's 30-year rule that has claimed at least 150 lives in six days. In the face of mayhem and cancelled flights, hundreds of Indian tourists and businessmen struck at the Cairo airport were still waiting to be rescued by the Indian Government. Many of the passengers remained stranded at the airport, unable to leave because of the cur...

Video Dharamsala: The police on Sunday went to Gyuto monastery in Dharamsala to question Tibetan spiritual leader Karmapa Lama over the source of the huge amounts of cash, including Chinese currency, seized from the monastery. This follows the interrogation of other accused in the case. Police claim that there is a direct link between the money recovered and property deals in Himachal Pradesh and other states. Five people including a hotelier and an assistant bank manager have been arrested so far in the case. Meanwhile Karmapa's spokesperson defended him saying that he cannot be anti India as the country is his second home. Click to play video Dharamsala: The police on Sunday went to Gyuto monastery in Dharamsala to question Tibetan spiritual leader Karmapa Lama over the source of the huge amounts of cash, including Chinese currency, seized from the monastery. This follows the interrogation of other accused in the case. Police claim that there is a direct link between the m...

Video New Delhi: Sources have told CNN-IBN that Indian students are suspect in the Tri-Valley University fraud. Eighteen students were tagged by the American authorities. These students are suspect of being complicit with university authorities. The Indian government has lodged a strong protest over their tagging. On Friday, American diplomats were summoned to South Block when the protest was lodged. The US says tagging is legal, but it has assured India that legitimate students will not suffer. Click to play video New Delhi: Sources have told CNN-IBN that Indian students are suspect in the Tri-Valley University fraud. Eighteen students were tagged by the American authorities. These students are suspect of being complicit with university authorities. The Indian government has lodged a strong protest over their tagging. On Friday, American diplomats were summoned to South Block when the protest was lodged. The US says tagging is legal, but it has assured India that legitimate students...

Kanpur: Vegetable parks will be set up in all Indian cities with a minimum population of one million to ensure availability of quality produce at reasonable rates, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar announced on Saturday. "We propose to shortly start the process of acquiring land for the purpose and would therefore urge all state governments to extend their cooperation," he said inaugurating a seminar at the Indian Institute of Pulses Research here. "This would go a long way in ensuring not only easy availability of high quality vegetables to the people but also at reasonable prices," he noted, adding that "since we aim to completely eliminate middlemen from the process, we are confident of keeping the prices under check". Claiming that the Union government had succeeded in bringing down onion prices from an unprecedented Rs 70 per kg to Rs 6 per kg, he was quick to blame the Uttar Pradesh government for failing to achieve that level. "The fact that o...

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has reaffirmed his commitment to building a "true global, strategic partnership" with India at a meeting with National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon . Obama dropped in as Menon was meeting with his American counterpart Tom Donilon at the White House on Friday and stayed on for about 15 minutes reflecting his focus on strengthening the India-US relationship. "The president joined the meeting and reaffirmed his commitment to building a true global, strategic partnership with India," the White House said in a readout released Saturday. "The president relayed his priorities for the coming year, including advancing our bilateral economic relationship and making progress on nuclear security efforts," it said. "Donilon and Menon di...

Recently, a group of 30 Dalit entrepreneurs, many of whom are manufacturers, visited the Planning Commission at the invitation of its deputy chairman, Montek Singh Ahluwalia. The meet was unstructured; the hosts content to watch the new phenomenon the Dalit, quintessential underdog, embracing entrepreneurship and becoming a capitalist or at least, setting up small-scale industries. Meanwhile, the Dalit visitors were elated at the reception they got. Almost all of them are first-generation entrepreneurs. Just a couple of decades ago, they were neither well-endowed nor well educated. Only a few had benefited from government schemes. Each one had a rags-to-riches story. Three decades ago, Rajendra Gaikwad was a fogger in a pesticide company. Today, he has an ISO-certified company G T Pest Control Pvt Ltd., which operates in Punjab, Maharashtra, Goa and Delhi and employs 400 people. Further afield, it also operates in Singapore and has plans to enter Malaysia and Thailand. Then t...

Video Washington/New Delhi: After being duped by a 'sham' university in California, some of the affected Indian students have been forced to wear radio-trackers around their ankles to the chagrin of the Indian community. India said the use of monitors was "unwarranted" and raised the issue with the US deputy ambassador on Saturday. Some 1,555 students of Tri-Valley University, 90 percent of them from India, mostly Andhra Pradesh, face the prospect of deportation following the closure of the university in Pleasanton on charges of selling student visas. Some of the students who approached Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to seek help were placed under ISAP (Intense Supervision and Appearance Programme) and put in removal proceedings. Click to play video Washington/New Delhi: After being duped by a 'sham' university in California, some of the affected Indian students have been forced to wear radio-trackers around their ankles to the chagrin of the Indi...

DAVOS: India remains an attractive investment destination despite some slowdown in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) last year, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said here today. "There is some weakening in the last few months in the FDI... Due to the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009, many investors' decisions were postponed...," Ahluwalia told the global CEOs who have gathered at the Alpine resort for the 41st World Economic Forum ( WEF )) meeting. India remains an attractive destination for investment, he said, adding, "We welcome long-term investments". During January-November 2010, India's FDI inflows declined 26 per cent to USD 18.9 billion, compared to USD 25.5 billion in the same period last year. Ahluwalia said India needed ...

DHARAMSALA: His flight to freedom from a monastery near Lhasa, the capital of Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) in China , was as mysterious as controversial. The Indian government has banned him from going to the Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim. And now, the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, has landed in another controversy with currency worth nearly Rs.70 million (over $1.5 million) being recovered from his abode. With the Himachal Pradesh Police recovering nearly Rs.70 million in foreign and Indian currency from the Gyuto Tantric University and Monastery premises near the Army's Yol Cantt., 10 km from here, in the past two days, the Karmapa and his office will have a lot of explaining to do to central government agencies and the police. Though the Karmapa has been accorded the full status of a top-ranking Tibetan monk and is only considered next to the ...

Video Aurangabad: AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Saturday addressed the media in Aurangabad. Rahul said, "It is clear that corruption is a serious issue in our politics. We have to look at it systemically." Speaking on Malegaon Additional DC Yashwant Sonawane's murder, Rahul said, "We need to know why this is taking place. It is because doors of the political system are closed." Addressing the media, Prithviraj Chavan also promised strong action in the Sonawane case. He said, "We have already started raids and crackdown. I will see all reports and if there are concrete evidences of nexus or anything, then we will take hard action on it." Click to play video Aurangabad: AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Saturday addressed the media in Aurangabad. Rahul said, "It is clear that corruption is a serious issue in our politics. We have to look...

By Lin Noueihed and Tom Perry Reuters TUNIS: Tunisian riot police broke up a protest camp in the capital Friday, hoping to end days of demonstrations against a government that has undergone a major overhaul to meet some of the crowds demands. The assault on the round-the-clock sit-in came a day after Prime Minister Mohammad Ghannouchi replaced 12 Cabinet ministers in an attempt to placate protesters demanding a purge of all members of the former ruling party. The reshuffle won the backing of Tunisias powerful labor union, which had organized protests around the country, but failed to satisfy several hundred young men who had travelled from the grim cities of the interior to make their voice heard in the capital. Tawfik Ayachi, a journalist and political commentator, said protesters no longer had absolute popular support and the move signalled the governments intention to put a halt to protests. He said the changes in the interim government had met the demands of most of the people: The...

JEDDAH: Saudi authorities detained dozens of demonstrators Friday in Jeddah who gathered to protest against poor infrastructure after deadly floods swept through Saudi Arabias second biggest city, police and witnesses said. Some Jeddah streets remained submerged Friday, and electricity was still out in low-lying parts of the city two days after torrential rains caused flooding that killed at least four people and swept away cars. The protest came after mass messages sent over BlackBerry smartphones called for popular action in response to the flood, an unusual move in the Gulf Arab state at a time of spreading anti-government unrest across the Arab world. Protesters gathered for about 15 minutes after Friday prayers on a main Jeddah shopping street and shouted God is Greatest before authorities broke up the protest and detained participants, a witness who works in a nearby shop told Reuters. One police officer said around 30 protesters were detained and police were pursuing others who ...

NASHIK: Union Minister of State for Home Gurudas Kamat today visited the house of slain Additional Collector Yashwant Sonawane here to express condolences to his family and said the Centre would consider ordering a CBI investigation into the officer's murder. "If the Maharashtra government requests for a CBI probe, the Central government will think about it," he told reporters after the visit. Sonawane's wife Vijaya had yesterday demanded a CBI probe into her husband's brutal murder. Leader of Opposition in State Legislative Council and BJP leader Pandurang Phundkar also paid a visit to Sonawane's residence and demanded the resignation of State PWD minister Chaggan Bhujbal, who is also the district guardian minister. Phundkar criticised the state government in failing to contain major...

JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has made two resolutions for 2011: not to allow trouble-makers to spoil the valley's summer and to launch an onslaught against corruption in the state. "All efforts of my government are directed in ensuring that peace stays on in Kashmir," Abdullah told officers here Thursday after inaugurating a website of the rural development department. "I am determined to break the cycle of violence this year. That's one of my resolutions for the new year," he added. The Jammu and Kashmir government has already started training five battalions, approximately 3,000 personnel, for the anti-riot training and the use of unconventional and non-lethal means of controlling crowds. The other resolution, the chief minister told the officers, was "to launch an onslaught ag...

TUNIS: Tunisian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghannouchi kept his job Thursday in a reshuffle that replaced 12 ministers, purging the interim government of members of the ruling party including the interior, foreign and defense ministers. This government is a transitional, interim government that will remain until it completes its mission of taking the country to democracy, Ghannouchi said in a live television address, after reading out the new lineup. Ghannouchi said the new lineup had been agreed after consultations with all political parties and civil society groups and the ministers had been chosen for their high levels of experience and qualifications. This is a temporary government with a clear mission to allow a transition to democracy. Its mission is to organize elections in which the people will be completely free to choose, Ghannouchi said in his address. He said the countrys first free elections will be organized by an independent body and monitored by international observers. Th...

Bahrain called Thursday for an Arab summit to discuss efforts to calm the region amid widening protests in the Arab world while Syria expressed hope that reason will prevail in Egypt. The state-run Bahrain News Agency said Thursday that King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa urged the emergency Arab meeting in a telephone call with Hosni Mubarak, in which he pledged support for the Egyptian president. Major anti-government demonstrations also have broken out in Yemen. In Damascus, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said Syria was following the developments in Tunisia and Egypt. We regret that there are casualties among the Egyptian people and police, Moallem said at a news conference with British Foreign Secretary William Hague. Syria hopes reason will prevail, he said, adding that we will not interfere with what happens in Egypt. In its first official assessment of the unrest in Egypt, Israel said it expects the regime of Mubarak to survive the democracy protests. We have an earthquake in ...

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has named two Indian-Americans, Vivek Murthy and Islam Siddiqui, to his Administration, the White House said. Murthy has been appointed as member of the advisory group on Prevention, Health, Promotion and Integrative and Public Health. Siddiqui would be Obama's Chief Agricultural Negotiator. "Our nation will be greatly served by the talent and expertise these individuals bring to their new roles. I am grateful they have agreed to serve in this Administration, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead," Obama said in a statement after announcing his intention to appoint Murthy to the key Administration post along with 13 others. Murthy is an attending physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, where he is an internal medicine hospitalist. He is co-founder and President of Doc...

New Delhi: The central government in a spot over the appointment of P J Thomas as the chief vigilance commissioner. Sources have told CNN-IBN that the Centre will take a call on the CVC's future on Friday. According to sources, the government is worried that it may face more stricture from the Supreme Court. The government is reportedly upset with the way the matter was handled in court. The attorney general had told the supreme court the prime minister was not aware of the chargesheet against Thomas at the time of his appointment. The BJP had seized the opportunity to hit back with Sushma Swaraj calling the government stand a lie.

New Delhi: Finance Minister and Leader of the House in Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee has convened a meeting of leaders of political parties in an apparent bid to break the deadlock in Parliament. The meeting has been convened over lunch for "mutual consultations" over the budget session of Parliament, sources said. With the winter session of Parliament washed out over the Opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the 2G spectrum scam, the Government apparently wants to sort out issues to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament in the budget session beginning February 21. President Pratibha Patil had in her Republic Day address on Tuesday made it clear that it was a joint responsibility of all stakeholders to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament. However, both the opposition and government are firm in their demands for and against a JPC probe.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday slammed the Central Government on the black money issue. Looking at the issue from taxation point of view is one thing but there are other grave issues also and that's the most dangerous part of the story, the apex court said. "You are aware of some names, have you set law in motion against them? And why are you repeatedly talking about tax issues only?," asked the court. "Is there no basis to figure out black money? What is the source of black money, which has been stashed away in foreign banks? Is it arms deal, drug peddling or smuggling?" asked SC. The apex court asked explanation from the Government saying, "These are serious issues, what have you done about those names when you got to know about them?" The Center faced the SC wrath just two days after Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee went all out in the black money issue. Last week, the Apex Court had asked the Government why it could not disclose the nam...

JAMMU: After much delay, Jammu and Kashmir is set to constitute its first state information commission . Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti are scheduled to meet Thursday afternoon to decide on the names of the chief information commissioner and two information commissioners. Officials refused to reveal the names under consideration, but sources said a senior bureaucrat who is to retire Jan 31, a former state intelligence chief and a retired income tax officer are among those in the race.

Bangkok: World stock markets were higher on Wednesday amid successful debt sales in Europe and after President Barack Obama delivered his annual State of the Union speech, vowing to create jobs and spur growth in the world's No. 1 economy. Oil prices hovered near $87 a barrel, consolidating losses after falling more than 4 percent in less than a week on mixed economic news and the possibility of increased OPEC production. In currencies, the dollar was slightly down against the yen and the euro. European indexes were higher following successful debt sales by Spain and the eurozone's bailout fund. Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.9 percent to 5,967.25. Germany's DAX was 1 percent higher to 7,134.69 and France's CAC-40 was up 0.9 percent to 4,057.48. Wall Street was also headed higher, with Dow futures rising 0.3 percent to 11,956 and S&P 500 futures up 0.4 percent to 1,292.50. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.2 percent to 23,842.24, although notable stocks that sank...

GENEVA: Pakistan warned major powers on Tuesday against granting India membership of four key multilateral export control regimes that allow trade in nuclear and other materials, as proposed by the United States. The plan, announced during US President Barack Obama's visit to India last November, would further destabilise the volatile nuclear-armed South Asian region, said Zamir Akram, Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva. This reinforced Pakistan's opposition, announced a year ago, to global negotiations to ban future production of nuclear bomb-making material, he said. "These developments will amount to a paradigm shift in strategic terms," Akram said in a speech to the opening session of the UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament. "The message that such steps transmit is that the major powe...

Video Nasik: As government officers across Maharashtra go on a strike to protest against the murder of Malegaon Additional District Collector Yahswant Sonawane and the 11 suspects cool their heels in custody, CNN-IBN traveled to Manmad to unearth how the oil mafia runs its business in Maharashtra. Sonawne was burnt to death near Hotel Sagar, a dingy looking and seemingly insignificant dhaba situated on a secluded road, a few kilometers away from Manmad. Such locations are safe heaven for the fuel mafia operating in and around Nasik. Manmad has major oil depots which supply fuel to at least 12 districts of north Maharashtra and Marathawada. Click to play video Nasik: As government officers across Maharashtra go on a strike to protest against the murder of Malegaon Additional District Collector Yahswant Sonawane and the 11 suspects cool their heels in custody, CNN-IBN traveled to Manmad to unearth how the oil mafia runs its business in Maharashtra. Sonawne was burnt to death near Hotel...

DAVOS: Amid a raging controversy over black money stashed abroad, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said that corruption is not only a social menace, but also affects the growth of the nation. Speaking at the World Economic Forum ( WEF . here, Ahluwalia said the issue of money laundering or black money is a matter of great concern and governments around the world are very aware of the need to tackle corruption. This is just not in India, but around the world. It is an issue which needs to be tackled, because corruption not only reduces the social acceptability of whatever growth we achieve, but actually reduces growth also, he said. So we are quite clear that we have to tackle it. You need to design policies in such a way that the scope of corruption is reduced, Ahluwalia said. His remarks ...

KHARTOUM: Sudan is protecting two men wanted for war crimes in Darfur and is not serious about pursuing members of allied militias for committing atrocities, the countrys own state minister for justice said Wednesday. Minister Bol Lul Wang is a member of South Sudans dominant Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement, former southern rebels who joined a coalition government with the North after a 2005 peace deal ended decades of civil war. Wang told Reuters he and thousands of other Southern officials were now preparing to leave the North to take up positions in the new South Sudan. The Justice Ministry appointed a prosecutor in 2008 to investigate reports of war crimes in Darfur region. When asked whether Sudan was currently pursuing active cases against two men wanted for war crimes in Darfur by the International Criminal Court militia leader Ali Kushayb and state Governor Ahmad Haroun Wang answered: Not at all. The prosecutor may find some difficulties taking procedures against them becau...

LONDON: A demonstration was held today outside the Indian High Commission here to protest against the life sentence awarded to human rights campaigner Binayak Sen by an Indian court . The demonstrators, including doctors, public health specialists and academics, carrying placards stating that the charges against Sen were "baseless and politically motivated" demanded his immediate release. Dr Sen, a community physician who dedicated his life to working in primary healthcare among mine workers and indigenous communities in Chhattisgarh state, was sentenced by a local court on charges of "sedition". The organisers of the demonstration, the Release Binayak Sen Now Campaign, hoped to hold a vigil outside the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Tavistck square here on January 30, the death anniversary of the Indian leader, but they are yet to g...

Jaipur: Five days of fan frenzy, intellectually stimulating sessions, free flowing wine, paparazzi, electric evenings, marathon book signing sessions, cerebral discussions, all came to an end with the closing of the Jaipur Literature Festival. With over 200 authors and innumerable budding writers, the festival at Diggy Palace that ended Tuesday was like a big fat Punjabi wedding where everyone - right from the hotels to the auto-rickshaws - made a killing. The city of forts and palaces with a rich Rajputana history and an overwhelming hospitality certainly lived up to the celebrated literary romantic notions. Add to that a golden Mughal touch in the form of royal hall settings and you had an enviable combination. While murmurs of how the festival was better and less commercial last year were rife amongst the literati, the presence of the likes of J.M. Coetzee and Orhan Pamuk and girlfriend Kiran Desai - the festival's own Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie - certainly made headlines. Th...

New Delhi: Describing as "unfortunate" the detention of its senior leaders in Jammu, BJP on Wednesday rubbished charges that it was playing politics over hoisting the national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. "Some people say there is politics in hoisting the national flag at Lal Chowk. I don't understand what politics can there be in hoisting the flag... This is not politics but our duty," BJP President Nitin Gadkari said. He was speaking to reporters after hoisting the national flag at the party headquarter here. Gadkari alleged that the Centre and Omar Abdullah government were bowing to pressure from the separatists. Terming the detention of senior leader Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Anant Kumar as unfortunate, Gadkari said he was still hopeful that "some of our party workers will manage to unfurl the flag at Lal Chowk." Two party workers were arrested today while trying to enter Lal Chowk. Meanwhile, former party president Rajnath Singh ended his...

Video Deoband: The Head of Darul Uloom, Deoband offered to resign on Tuesday after reports of infighting and student violence on Campus. The newly elected chief has been under fire for his statement where he allegedly praised developmental work in Narender Modi's Gujrat. The ultra-conservative lobby in India's oldest seminary proved too much to handle for the MBA Maulana who has decided to step down as Darul Ulooom Chief. Ghulam Vastanvi has been facing flak for alleged pro-Narendra Modi remarks praising his developmental work in the state. Click to play video Deoband: The Head of Darul Uloom, Deoband offered to resign on Tuesday after reports of infighting and student violence on Campus. The newly elected chief has been under fire for his statement where he allegedly praised developmental work in Narender Modi's Gujrat. The ultra-conservative lobby in India's oldest seminary proved too much to handle for the MBA Maulana who has decided to step down as Darul Ulooom Ch...

NEW DELHI: A day after he was removed from the post of Organising Committee chairman in the interest of free and fair probe into the Commonwealth Games scam, Pune Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi described the move as illegal and uncalled for, but said he would hand over the charge to CEO Jarnail Singh under protest. I am shocked to receive the order dated January 24, 2011, illegally and arbitrarily removing me from the position of Chairman of the Executive Board and the Organising Committee of the Commonwealth Games , Kalmadi wrote in a letter to Maken. Without prejudice to my rights and contention and in furtherance of my letter wherein it has been stated that the order is illegal and without any jurisdiction, I am handing the charge under protest, he said. Kalmadi questioned the sports ministrys argument that he had been removed form his post to ensure an unhindered probe into t...