Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said there were “visible and invisible links” among the militants in the state, the Maoists, Left-leaning academicians and supporters.

The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has said that the Chinese government was more concerned about his successor than him.
“That is not a serious question for me. It looks like the Chinese government are seriously looking. I made it very clear in 1961 that whether the institution of Dalai Lama should continue or not should be debated,” the 76-year-old spiritual head, who described himself as a “son of India”, said.

Veteran Hindi film actor Rishi Kapoor has welcomed the idea of revival of film ties with Pakistan. The star actor on Friday stated that joint production between the two countries should be promoted.

Union human resource development minister Kapil Sibal on Friday stated that the government was contemplating to enact a law in a few years to make sure that a majority of children should go from elementary to higher secondary education. The minister stated that the support for higher education was vital for the future of the country.

Realising that the government is being unable to effectively counter the Opposition attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, the Congress high command on Friday fielded its legal brain and acting telecommunication minister Kapil Sibal to defend both the government and the PM.

Janata Dal supremo and former Prime Minister Deve Gowda on Friday demanded the resignation of Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and allow the judicial inquiry ordered to be conducted in a free and fair manner. Even as he welcomed the decision of Mr Yeddyurappa to order a probe into the denotification that covers the last 16 years, he also demanded the inclusion of the Bengaluru-Mysore corridor project into the ambit of the inquiry.

West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee once again skipped the three-day CPI(M) central committee which began here on Friday. Mr Bhattacharjee has been irregular in attending the politburo and CC meets of the party following his reported differences with the party general secretary, Mr Prakash Karat.

Additional sessions judge (ASJ) J.R. Aryan on Friday granted bail to an accused in the Nitish Katara murder case for performing the last rites of his mother.
Granting interim bail to Sukhdev Pehalwan, for four days from November 24 to 27 for performing the “shradh” of his mother who passed away on November 10 at his native place in UP, the ASJ said, the Hindu customs require the presence of the son during “shradh”.

A photography exhibition, “Raja Deen Dayal: The Studio Archives from the IGNCA Collection”, showcasing a cross-section of the 19th century photographer’s reflection on India’s cultural heritage got underway at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in the city from Friday.

A gang of assailants barged into a senior citizen’s northwest Delhi residence on Thursday night, tied him with ropes, gagged him and slit his throat before decamping with his car.