Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar feels blessed to have a 'son' like Sachin Tendulkar and wants the batting sensation to carry on his innings for many more years and win the Bharat Ratna.

Fortunes ebbed and flowed but Indian shooters, led by the mercurial Gagan Narang, experienced more highs than lows in a year that saw them clinch a record 30 medals in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

In a setback to veteran Congress leader N.D. Tiwari in a paternity suit, the Delhi high court on Thursday directed him to undergo DNA test to ascertain the claim of a man that Mr Tiwari is his biological father.

President Pratibha Devisingh Patil signed the file recommending Mr Lalli’s suspension pending investigation late Tuesday evening, a day before she leaves for Hyderabad for her annual sojourn.

Union telecommunications and IT minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday met top telecom industrialists Ratan Tata, Anil Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal to assure them that the government will be fair and transparent to the industry.

India and Russia cemented their “special and privileged strategic partnership” by signing a raft of deals, including one on design and development of an advanced fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

Two inmates of Tihar jail, one serving a life sentence and another facing trial in a murder case, on Tuesday claimed before a Delhi court that they were allegedly being pressured by prison officials to kill sacked officials of the Organising Committee of the Delhi Commonwealth Games currently lodged in the same jail.

The ninth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, an annual gathering of people of Indian origin, will be held in New Delhi from January 7 to 9, 2011. Union overseas Indian affairs minister Vayalar Ravi said it will have a special focus on the north-eastern states. There will be a special plenary session on investment opportunities in the Northeast, which will be addressed by the chief ministers of all the north-eastern states.

The EC and the ministries of external affairs and overseas Indian affairs have held two rounds of talks but there is no consensus yet on finalising the modalities for giving NRIs (non-resident Indians) voting rights. Consequently, millions of NRIs may have to wait a little longer to see their names in electoral rolls. Union overseas Indian affairs minister Vayalar Ravi and external affairs minister S.M. Krishna can be expected to resume discussions soon to resolve the issue.

The Centre has alerted Mumbai and Ahmedabad about Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba planning terror strikes in the two cities. The Central intelligence agencies have warned that LeT teams have already sneaked into the cities and may strike any time. These inputs, received in the last 24 hours, have been shared with Mumbai, Ahmedabad as well as other metro cities.