The Madhya Pradesh government’s hopes that the Union Carbide plant structure be converted into a memorial dedicated to victims of the world’s worst industrial disaster has been shot down by the nine-member GoM chaired by home minister P. Chidambaram.

BJP parliamentary party chairman L.K. Advani on Thursday said US did not inform Pakistan about its operation against Osama bin Laden, who was hiding in Pakistan’s garrison town of Abbottabad, as it did not trust the Pakistani authorities. Mr Advani, writing on the issue in his blog, said Bin Laden could not have been hiding in Pakistan without the knowledge of the country’s Army and intelligence chiefs.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi created a furore in political circles when he reached Greater Noida’s violence-hit Bhatta Parsaul village in the early hours Wednesday, riding pillion on a motorcycle, where he sat on an “indefinite” dharna with the farmers and vowed not to desert them till their demands were met.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will travel to Kabul Thursday in what will be his first visit to Afghanistan since August 2005. His visit can be expected to deliver “a lot of tangibles”, a government source said, without elaborating. He will likely tell Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai that India’s assistance to Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development was not contingent on presence and absence of foreign troops, and that India was in it for the long haul.

Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba founder Hafiz Saeed is the topmost man in India’s list of 50 “most wanted fugitives” made public Wednesday. India believes that Saeed, who roams free in Pakistan, is the mastermind of the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai and various other terror attacks carried out by the LeT in the country.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will travel to Kabul Thursday in what will be his first visit to Afghanistan since August 2005. His visit can be expected to deliver “a lot of tangibles”, a government source said, without elaborating. He will likely tell Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai that India’s assistance to Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development was not contingent on presence and absence of foreign troops, and that India was in it for the long haul.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the CBI’s “curative” petition in the Bhopal gas tragedy case, upholding its 1996 verdict modifying the charges against Union Carbide India Ltd managing director Keshub Mahindra and other executives, but gave the agency liberty to bring fresh evidence against them before the sessions judge to slap more stringent charges under IPC provisions to seek enhanced sentences.

The CBI is all set to question Essar Group CEO Prashant Ruia again in connection with its probe related to the 2G spectrum scam on Thursday.
According to sources Mr Ruia, who was supposed to appear before the CBI for questioning on Wednesday, sought more time from the agency on personal grounds.

Unidentified bikers snatched a bag containing cash and valuables from three Chinese women travelling in an autorickshaw near Khan Market on Monday.
The police said the incident took place at around 10.30 am on Rajesh Pilot Marg when two unidentified bikers snatched a bag containing cash and valuables from the victim travelling in an autorickshaw.

Rajya Sabha MP and daughter of DMK supremo M. Karunanidhi, Ms Kanimozhi, who was to appear before the ED officials for questioning for the first time on May 13 in connection with the 2G spectrum scam, has now sought an exemption from appearing before the agency.