On the eve of the nation’s 64th Independence Day, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil urged Maoist rebels to abandon the path of violence. She asked them to come to the negotiating table to work out a solution to their problems.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took strong note of the “slippages” in preparations for the 19th Commonwealth Games, handing overriding powers in matters concerning the Games to a committee headed by Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar after a meeting here on Saturday.

Beginning Saturday, the city is left with only 50 days to prepare itself for the Games. And barring the exception of the Games village to an extent, none of the other projects seem to be in place.

The Delhi police’s special cell on Saturday arrested two more men for alleged links with the banned Manipuri Terrorist Outfit, Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), from undisclosed location in the city. With the arrests, police officers have also seized two laptops, two mobile phones and 20 demand letters of KYKL. The accused, identified

With market places, railway stations and airports placed under heavy surveillance, Delhi on Saturday turned into a fortress on the eve of India’s 64th Independence Day. Thousands of policemen and troopers were deployed at the Red Fort — the main celebrations venue.

With the city receiving record rainfall for a single day this season, the city looked virtually submerged in water at several places, including India Gate, Akbar Road, Ashok Road and other surrounding areas. Elsewhere in the city, two people were injured in a house collapse, while roads caving-in and falling trees disrupted traffic movement at several places. Traffic snarls were reported on most of the major roads. However, with Saturday being off for a large section, the citizens were saved from worse

A person not much aware of the functional difference between the criminal and civil courts and often ill-advised by the lawyers to register criminal case against the rival party if he has lost a property dispute in a civil court, the Supreme Court has a word of caution against taking such ill-advised legal venture.

In a major step towards implementation of educational reforms in higher education, the Union human resources development ministry has finalised a proposal for single entrance exam for all engineering institutes like IITs, NITs and engineering colleges across the country. The proposal is likely to be put before the HRD council

The government on Saturday announced awarding of the Ashok Chakra — the highest gallantry award during peacetime — posthumously to Major Laishram Jyotin Singh of the Army Medical Corps for his act of gallantry in Kabul during an attack by terrorists in February this year. The government also awarded the Kirti Chakra — the second-highest gallantry award during peacetime — posthumously to another Army officer — Capt. Davinder Singh Jass and also to superintendent of police, Chhattisgarh,

Union minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday rejected reports in a section of the media that he had sought clarification from Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on her speech in Maoist dominated Lalgarh.