Ahead of US President Barack Obama’s high-profile visit and with Diwali approaching, the home ministry on Monday asked all states, particularly Maharashtra, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir, to step up security and avert possible terror strikes.

Zhou Yongkang, ninth-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party politburo Chinese President Hu Jintao’s pointman on North Korea and Tibet, called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here Monday.

Strong complaints against the Air India management’s style of functioning surfaced at a meeting that four independent directors of the state-owned airline had Monday with Mr T.K.A. Nair, principal secretary to the Prime Minister.

Union home minister P. Chdiamabaram is not very pleased with the Kashmir interlocutors sharing details of their discussions with various individuals and groups in the state with the media.

Except for two states in the country, all the remaining ones are going to fall way short of the target of 100 per cent coverage of all rural schools and anganwadis in their regions with toilets by 2011. The target was set for them under the Centre’s Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC).

Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh has said though India and China have varying greenhouse gas emission levels, both the Asian giants were opposed to any global pact that would limit their economic growth.

Strong complaints against the style of functioning of the Air India management surfaced at a meeting on Monday that four independent directors on the board of the state-owned carrier had with the principal secretary to the Prime Minister. Some of the independent directors complained to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) that their advice

Though the Supreme Court has cleared all hurdles in the way of pronouncing the judgments in nine major Gujarat riot cases but it still might take a considerable time for the trial proceedings to come to an end in eight of them due to the raging controversy over examination of certain “crucial” witnesses.

The Central probe agencies are concerned over Organising Committee (OC) of the Commonwealth Games-2010 continuing with its exercise to relieve people and also dispose of various items it had procured on rent or bought from various companies during the Games.

Ahead of the high-profile visit of US President Barack Obama and the upcoming festive season, the home ministry on Monday asked states, especially Maharashtra, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir governments to beef up security during the period to avert possible terror strikes.