Tension prevailed in Assam on Monday when the police in a mid-night crackdown removed the anti-dam protesters who were blocking NH-52 connecting Arunachal Pradesh for the past one week in Dhemaji and North Lakhimpur districts of Assam.

In a political masterstroke that will benefit all the three major constituents of Jharkhand’s coalition government, chief minister Arjun Munda has announced a scheme of lifelong monthly pension for all activists of the four-decade movement for a separate state.

The Akali Dal-BJP combine is not only fighting against their political adversaries in the forthcoming elections to capture the power in Punjab, but has also history to fight with as no incumbent government has ever repeated in the state so far. It is to be seen whether development as poll plank used by Akalis to retain the power would be enough to change the history in the elections.

A two-day summit of MLAs and MLCs of Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal (United) at the hill resort of Rajgir saw chief minister and party stalwart Nitish Kumar hearing out their concerns and suggestions with patience and offering them perceptive advice about politics and governance.

With the UP election now staring in the face, UP chief minister Mayawati has shed all considerations of caste, corruption and crime and all that matters for her now is the winnability factor.
According to highly placed BSP sources, the chief minister is reassessing the position of her party candidates and over 70 BSP candidates are expected to be changed in the next two or three days.

In a strong message to Opposition parties gunning for Union home minister P. Chidambaram’s resignation for his alleged role in the 2G spectrum affair, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said his friend and Cabinet colleague has been performing the task given to him with “superb aplomb”.

The year 2011 has been a year of highs and lows for Indian music. While at one end it was eventful and fast-paced — music festivals gave music aficionados another chance to travel and experience the “real” taste of music — hardly leaving any space to breathe, it also saw the year spearheading the growth of music on the Web. The video sharing portal YouTube has emerged as an alternative stage for independent musicians in India, many of whom not only stream their music on their YouTube channels, but also earning revenue.

Anna Hazare on Tuesday started a three-day fast for a strong Lokpal, while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh defended the government's proposed ombudsman following an opposition onslaught.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday ridiculed chief minister Mayawati for sacking four ministers a day after the announcement of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, wondering why she had not acted against them earlier.

Actress Angelina Jolie says she has been working on a script for a movie about Afghanistan but she is not very confident about it.