The process for developing railway stations as multi-function complexes (MFCs) with private participation has moved ahead. The Indian Railways has finalised the names of those private developers who will be carrying out the work in five stations to begin with. These stations are in Cuttack, Dehra Dun, Jhansi, Katra and Nanded.

Describing the accommodation to all religious groups in the country’s welfare schemes as the hallmark of secularism and democracy, the Supreme Court on Friday upheld the validity the Haj Act facilitating the grant of travel subsidy to Muslims for Haj pilgrimage every year.

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine a petition seeking to amendment in the top court rules to make hearing of all the appeals in death sentence cases mandatory by a bench of five judges as it involves a vital constitutional question of the right to life and ensuring that no innocent person is hanged.

Union tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahay on Friday stressed on the need for more cooperation among the South Asian countries in tourism. He was speaking during the inauguration of the 18th South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE)-ITB (Berlin), the biggest tour and travel exhibition in the South Asian region. The two-day conference-cum-exhibition also discussed for the first time various aspects of the gay and lesbian tourism in India, which is being seen as a possible new growth segment.

As the ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) gears itself to give a final verdict on the steel giant Posco next week, several financial consultants researching on this `51,000-crore mega project have questioned the MoU signed between India and South Korea.

Is the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society more important for environment minister Jairam Ramesh than the endangered Olive Ridley turtles, a species that enjoys the same legal protection as the tiger?

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Friday that the government has set two groups, one to look into to the feasibility of an amnesty scheme to bring back money stashed abroad and the other to provide an estimate of black money and ways to curb its generation.

The home ministry has not taken any decision on bringing United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) general secretary Anup Chetia from Dhaka but was looking into a proposal of pro-talk faction of Ulfa seriously wherein they have agreed to give up the demand of sovereignty.

The suicide note of Nikki Kumari, a 15-year-old school student who committed suicide in Patna on Friday, was addressed to her brother, said sources. The note read, “You must take good care of our parents. I want them and you to live happily after I am gone.” Police officials conducting investigations at Nikki’s home on Road No.

The CBI on Friday questioned Sadiq Basha, a close aide of former telecom minister A. Raja, in connection with its probe into the 2G Spectrum scam.
Mr Basha, who runs Green House Promoters from his house in Teynampet, Chennai, was called for the questioning at the agency headquarters here.