New Delhi ,Feb. 7: India believes Pakistan has taken some steps in the investigation of the Mumbai attacks but it needs to come clean on its support to terrorists and demonstrate its sincerity by taking action against Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed and 13 others, who are still at large.

Mumbai, Feb. 7: Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, who is set to become the president of the International Cricket Association, and Indian cricket board president Shashank Manohar visited Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray at his residence, Matoshree, in Bandra on Sunday and requested him not to oppose the presence of Australian players in the IPL.

Colombo ,Feb. 7: Sri Lanka’s defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka could face a military court on charges of conspiring to overthrow the government and plotting to kill President Mahinda Rajapakse,

New Delhi ,Feb. 7: The Maoists have come out in open support of Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee ahead of the meeting of the chief ministers of the four Naxal-infested eastern Indian states with Union home minister P. Chidambaram in Kolkata.

New Delhi ,Feb. 7: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s praise for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union home minister P. Chidambaram has not gone down well in the BJP headquarters. The party is likely to seek an explanation from Mr Modi on the issue because the praise came in the midst of a continuous Opposition attack on the Centre for its failure on many fronts, including internal security.
Mr Modi, at the chief ministers’ conference on internal security on Sunday, praised the Prime Minister and the home minister for the Centre’s swift and positive action and for greater cooperation with his state in dealing with security concerns.

Washington, Feb. 7: Indian-American Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri has been appointed as a member of US President Barack Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, along with five others.
“I am proud that these distinguished individuals will serve in my administration. The arts and the humanities enhance the vibrancy of our society, inspire us and strengthen our democracy,” Mr Obama said in a statement. “I look forward to working with them in the weeks and months ahead,” Mr Obama said.
Besides Ms Lahiri, other appointed to the committee are Chuck Close, Fred Goldring, Sheila Johnson, Pamela Joyner and Ken Solomon, the White House said.

South African opener Ashwell Prince after playing a rising delivery from Zaheer Khan to be caught behind by wicketkeeper-captain M.S. Dhoni on Saturday, the first day of the first Test in Nagpur. Prince was out for a duck. However, centuries by Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla ensured South Africa were 291 for two at close of play. n Report on Page 10    PHOTO: PTI

Feb. 6: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the worst is over and food prices would stabilise soon even as the Centre decided to set up a committee of chief ministers and Union ministers to suggest steps to bring down prices of food items.

“I believe the worst is over as far as food inflation is concerned. With good crop prospects, remunerative procurement prices in place and Indian prices being broadly in line with international prices, I am confident that we will soon be able to stabilise food prices,” Dr Manmohan Singh said while addressing the Conference of Chief Ministers on Prices of Essential Commodities on Saturday.

Feb. 6: The controversy over the release of Shah Rukh Khan’s new film, My Name Is Khan, could fizzle out after Saturday’s developments. Shah Rukh, who arrived at Mumbai International Airport on Saturday morning, said he was ready to meet Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray to “explain his stand”.

Feb. 6: Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday summoned an inter-ministerial meeting for February 10 to discuss the resumption of dialogue with India.

“The meeting will review the strategy in connection with the composite dialogue with India which is likely to resume,” he said.