Union finance minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday said “hard decisions” would be taken in the next few days and weeks to trim wasteful expenditure and curb import of “inessential” items.

M. Narredu-trained Supreme Star looks set to win the Southern Command Gold Trophy, the feature event of the races to be held here on Sunday.

The first democratically elected president of the Maldives, who was ousted from power last year, faces a runoff after falling short of a clear majority in the first round of Indian Ocean archipelago’s presidential election.

Telangana, including Hyderabad, witnessed a total shutdown on Saturday. Normal life was thrown out of gear in the city.

Altamash Ahmed-trained An Acquired Taste was given a brilliant ride by A. Sandesh to clinch the Idar Gold Trophy, the feature event of the races held here on Saturday.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari stepped down Sunday, leaving his official residence after a record five years in power overshadowed by worsening security and a weakening economy.

Three Bihar policemen have been punished by the department in the past three days for gross misconduct. While one sub-inspector was on Saturday forced into compulsory retirement for shielding a suspected dealer of explosives, two other sub-inspectors were suspended for illegally detaining a man for 20 days.

Proof and Musical Note pleased when the horses were exercised at Malakpet Race Course here on Saturday.

Afghan officials say an apparent NATO airstrike has killed 15 people, nine of them civilians, including women and children in an eastern province where the Taliban are strong. NATO, however, says 10 insurgents were killed.

Six people, including a local journalist, were killed in fresh clashes between members of two communities in the Kanwal area of Muzaffarnagar district on Saturday. Over two dozen have reportedly been injured in the violence.