Ndtv Correspondent With Inputs From Pti

• Bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims falls into gorge, 15 killed

  15 Amarnath pilgrims were killed on Saturday and 18 others were injured as the bus they were travelling in fell into a deep gorge near Kangra tunnel, 22-Km from Dharamsala.

• CPM dissolves student wing at JNU for dissent over Pranab Mukherjee

  The CPM's student outfit has dissolved its JNU unit for its refusal to back the party's decision to support Pranab Mukherjee's bid for President for India. The Students Federation of India or SFI has also expelled four student leaders from the membership of the body.

• Student from Burundi in coma: Superintendent of Police's son arrested

  The Jalandhar Police has made a fresh arrest in connection with the assault on Yannick Nihangaza, a student from Burundi. Romi Uppal is the son of a Superintendent of Police, and was arrested after his name figured in the call details of the main accused who beat Yannick nearly three months ago, sources said.

• President polls: PA Sangma seeks order on Pranab's nomination; BJP ups the ante

  Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj met other party leaders in Delhi today to finalise new strategy after PA Sangma's demand for disqualification of Pranab Mukherjee from the presidential race was rejected yesterday.

• Naveen Patnaik targets Pranab Mukherjee, questions financial packages given to states

  Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik has gone on the offensive by accusing UPA's presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee of doling out lakhs of crores of rupees from Central funds as Finance Minister to states like Bihar, UP and Bengal to elicit support for his candidature.

• Petrol prices reduced by Rs. 2.46 per litre from midnight

  Oil companies have cut petrol prices by Rs 2.46 per litre, starting midnight. The cut is based on global crude prices and the exchange rate of the rupee vs the dollar. The reduction in price varies from Rs. 2.46 per litre to Rs. 3.22 per litre, depending upon local taxes in different states.

• The Sarabjit-Surjeet goof up: One family shocked, another elated

  A day after the Surjeet Singh -Sarabjit Singh being released from Pakistani jail mix up, Foreign Minister SM Krishna made a fresh appeal to the Pakistan government to release Sarabjit Singh. "I further renew our request to the President of Pakistan to release Sarabjit Singh who has been in custody for over 2 decades and is serving death sentence," ...

• Vilasrao Deshmukh appears before Adarsh panel

  Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Union Science and Technology Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has appeared before the two-member judicial commission probing the Adarsh Society scam. When Mr Deshmukh was Chief Minister, a Letter Of Intent was issued for the project; land was earmarked for it by reducing a public road and building rights from an adj...

• Amarnath yatra flagged off from Jammu

  The annual Amarnath Yatra has been officially flagged off from Jammu; thousands of pilgrims are reaching the base camps in Jammu, Pahalgam and Baltal for the darshan through snowbound and treacherous routes.

• I stand by my remarks on Mamata Banerjee: Digvijaya Singh

  Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has said he stands by his remarks on his party's estranged ally Mamata Banerjee. Mr Singh had recently called the Trinamool chief "immature" and "irrational." His comments came in the wake of Ms Banerjee refusing to back Pranab Mukherjee as the UPA's choice for President of India.

• 2G scam: Heated debate at parliamentary panel meet

  A meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which is examining the 2G scam, today saw heated exchanges as BJP members demanded summoning of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and top PMO officials. The Congress countered it with their own list of witnesses that included all NDA Telecom Ministers.

• Ceasefire violation: Pak continues firing for seventh day

  After a period of brief lull, Pakistani troops resumed firing at Indian posts situated at the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district in Jammu & Kashmir today, forcing the Indian side to retaliate in defence.

• At least 32 killed as tourist bus from Hyderabad to Shirdi falls off bridge

  At least 32 people were killed and 15 injured as a tourist bus, travelling from Hyderabad to Shirdi, fell off a bridge at around 2 am last night. Officials fear that the number of dead may go higher.

• French diplomat in Bangalore booked for allegedly raping daughter

  A French diplomat, posted in Bangalore, has been booked on charges of raping his three-and-a-half year-old daughter. The case has been registered against a top official from at the French Consulate in Bangalore, on a complaint from his wife.

• Poor Parsi redefined: One who earns up to Rs 90,000 per month

  The Planning Commission may find those earning more than Rs 32 a day ineligible to qualify as poor but for Mumbai's tiny but affluent Parsi community a "poor Parsi" is one who makes upto Rs 90,000 per month.