Modi congratulates Sirisena for election as Lanka President
Reaching out to President-elect of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today congratulated him on his electoral victory and said he looked forward to working with him to take the bilateral ties to a new level. Modi first called up Sirisena and then wrote a letter to him, hailing his win and expressing India's continued solidarity to Sri Lanka's peace and development. "I spoke to Shri Maithripala Sirisena and congratulated him.

Tatas' Vistara starts flying; says will 'do it right'
Marking Tatas' re-entry into the Indian aviation space after over six decades, new airline Vistara today flew its first flight, and said its aim will be to "do it right" without making a big splash. Entering at a turbulent time facing the sector, the airline said it would not be "lavish or over-the-top" in the name of being a full service carrier.

Mumbai Indians appoints Shane Bond as bowling coach
Former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond was today appointed as the bowling coach of Mumbai Indians for the 2015 Indian Premier League season. The 39-year-old Bond, currently employed in similar capacity with the New Zealand national team, will join in the ranks of Mumbai Indians' support staff along with former Australian great Ricky Ponting, Jonty Rhodes (fielding coach) and Robin Singh (batting coach).

Qureshi sworn in as Governor of Mizoram
Aziz Qureshi was today sworn in as the Governor of Mizoram at the Durbar Hall of the Raj Bhavan here. Justice Michael Zothankhuma, Judge of the Gauhati High Court, administered the oath of office to Qureshi. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by the state Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, some of his cabinet colleagues, Speaker Hiphei, parliamentary secretaries, legislators and top officials.

Governor's rule imposed in J and K
Governor's rule was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir today after political parties failed to muster the requisite number in the 87-member Assembly for staking claim to form the government. The decision came after Governor N N Vohra submitted a report to the President last night stating that Omar Abdullah had requested to be relieved of the post of being a caretaker Chief Minister.

Three found dead in Mathura
Three persons were found dead in a 'yagya shala' near Bankey Bihari temple here, police said today. The bodies of three persons identified as Aakash, Kalyan and Manoj, aged between 20-25 were found this morning, they said. A yagya shala is a place where havans are performed. "The cause of the death is being ascertained and their bodies have been sent for post mortem," SSP Manjil Saini said.

Groundnut oil extends gains on sustained demand
Groundnut oil extended its gains further at the Vashi oils and oilseeds wholesale market due to sustained demand from stockists and retailers amid lower arrivals from producing belts. Meanwhile, refined palmolein slipped following subdued retail offtake. In the non-edible section, Linseed oil strengthened further on firm demand from paints and allied industries. Castorseed bold and castoroil commercial ruled stable in the absence of any worthwhile buying activity.

Opportunities await you in India: PM
Seeking deeper engagement of the Indian diaspora for the country's growth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said a whole lot of possibilities were awaiting them in India as it has "risen" with new strength.

India's pluralism world's envy: Ansari
Holding communalism, casteism, linguistic and regional chauvinism as challenges facing the country, Vice President Hamid Ansari today said India's pluralism gives the country a composite national identity "that is a source of envy for the rest of the world". "Every society has fault lines based on social, economic and political differences. These generate tensions at times.

Copper, Aluminium drop on subdued industrial demand
Copper and aluminium prices dropped at the non-ferrous metal market here today on heavy stockists selling amidst subdued demand from industrial users, despite a recovery at the global level. Elsewhere, brass and zinc also eased following lower offtake from consumer industries. At the London Metal Exchange (LME), the industrial metal copper climbed from its 4-1/2-year lows yesterday as oil steadied, but analysts said that any calm could prove short-lived as Chinese buyers waited for...

Will make S&T a national priority, facilitate research: PM
Ease of doing research is as important as ease of doing business, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said as he reached out to the scientific community promising to cut red tape and sought their cooperation in "transforming" the country. "As the major source of science and technology, ... government must do its part.

Sriganganganagar coldest in Raj at 7 deg Celsius
Minimum temperature increased by few notches in various parts of Rajasthan with Sriganganganagar recording lowest temperature of 7 degree Celsius. Mercury settled at 13.2 degree Celsius in Jaipur, which was 5 degrees above normal even as Sikar recorded 9 degree Celsius temperature. Bikaner recorded 9.5 degree Celsius, Churu 9.9 and Jaisalmer recorded 9.9 and 11.1 degree Celsius respectively. Minimum temperatures were recorded between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius above normal in the...

Paswan doubts merger of erstwhile 'Janata Parivar'
Union Food Minister Ramvilas Paswan today expressed doubt over merger prospect of erstwhile Janata Parivar comprising the RJD and JD(U) and predicted that it will never materialise at the end. "I have serious doubt that the merger of the erstwhile Janata Parivar will ever take place as those prominent leaders of its constituents may squabble over leadership of the proposed new party," he told reporters.

Two killed in house collapse in UP
Two persons, including a 4-year-old child, were today killed and two children seriously injured when wall of a house collapsed in Civil Lines area here, police said. The incident took place this morning in Jainpur Nagar and the deceased have been identified as Premchandra Pal (33) and Pratigya (4), Additional Superintendent of Police Karvanand said.

No irregularities in National Games: Kerala govt
 Kerala government today refuted the charges of irregularities in preparation of the 35th National Games in the state, levelled by Opposition leader and CPI(M) veteran V S Achuthanandan. "Complete transparency has been maintained while executing the works and multi-level monitoring of process are in place," Sports Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told reporters here. Most of the construction work connected with the Games was fast getting completed and sports...

Malaysia to help in search of AirAsia flight: Najib Razak
Malaysia today offered help in the search of missing AirAsia flight which lost contact with air traffic controllers between Singapore and Indonesia this morning. Prime Minister Datuk Najib Razak said he had not been fully briefed on the aircraft's disappearance, but acknowledged that the country may be facing its third aviation disaster in the year, after the loss of two Malaysia Airlines aircraft in March and July.

Odisha police getting ready for 'Operation Smile'
The cases of missing children in Odisha have gone up rapidly after the devastating super cyclone in 1999 and by 2005 the state has registered cases of 4821 children who have gone missing. This figure continued in upward trend and subsequently reports of these children becoming victims of several crimes poured in from all parts of the state, officials said today.

BSF puts up posters with photos of elusive Maoist cadre
BSF has put up posters containing photographs of 20 hardcore Maoists in Boipariguda block in the district as part of its community policing campaign. These posters, spotted at Ramagiri, Kandulbeda, Baligaon and other remote areas, also referred to the cash awards announced by governments of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh for information about the Maoists. "Through the posters we want to tell people that the Red rebels have not done anything good for tribals.

Guru Gobind Singh epitomised ultimate courage: PM
On the occasion of the birth anniversary celebrations of the tenth Sikh Guru, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid tributes to Guru Gobind Singh saying his life and ideals inspire eternally. "He epitomised ultimate courage & a spirit of sacrifice. I bow to him," the Prime Minister tweeted. Thousands of devotees thronged gurudwaras across the country today to take part in the celebrations of birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh.

'Alone' more than just a horror film: Bipasha Basu
Actress Bipasha Basu says her upcoming movie 'Alone' is more than just a horror film as it deals with relationship and turmoils of a married couple. The film has been directed by Bhushan Patel and also stars TV actor Karan Singh Grover, who plays the male lead opposite the 35-year-old actress. "'Alone' is not a horror film for me. It is a passionate love story for me.

Raghubar Das sworn-in as CM of Jharkhand
BJP leader Raghubar Das was today sworn-in as the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand, becoming the first non-tribal leader to rule the state. Governor Syed Ahmed administered the oath of office and secrecy to Das at the Birsa Munda Football Stadium here. Nilkanth Singh Munda, Chandreswar Prasad Singh, Louis Marandi (all BJP) and Chandraprakash Choudhary (Ajsu party) were also sworn-in as cabinet ministers. Jharkhand has a maximum limit of 12 ministers, including the chief...

I enjoy taking decisions as a producer: Priyanka C
Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra is all set for her maiden production venture 'Madamji', which is currently in pre-production stage. The 32-year-old actress, who will be shooting back-to-back for 'Bajirao Mastani' and 'Dil Dhadakne Do', says she is enjoying the process of taking decisions as a producer. "'Madamji' is a fictional story. It's a story of an item girl, who is thrown in the world of politics. 'Madamji' is about woman...

Army Chief to hold close-door strategy meeting with officials
Guwahati, Dec 27 (PTI) Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag will hold a closed-door strategy meeting with senior army officials here to review the prevailing situation in Assam where 81 people have been killed following attacks by NDFB(S) militants. The army has intensified counter-insurgency operations and area domination in all the violence affected areas to stabilise the situation but there was no fresh operation launched so far.

Salman gets basket of strawberries as birthday cake
Mumbai, Dec 27 (PTI) Superstar Salman Khan, who turned 49 today, got a basket full of strawberries as his birthday cake from his family. The 'Kick' star, who was supposed to host Bigg Boss' 'Weekend Ka War' tonight, took a day off from the celebrity reality show to celebrate his birthday. Salman took to Twitter to share the picture of his innovative birthday cake. "Birthday cake pic for you," Salman wrote.

Army Chief to review situation in violence-hit Assam
New Delhi, Dec 27 (PTI) Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag will today review the situation in Assam where NDFB(S) militants carried out a deadly attack on tribals leaving over 80 dead. Singh will first visit Guwahati and then Sonitpur and Kokrajhar where militants belonging to National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Songbijit faction) killed tribals on Tuesday. He would be brief by officials there about the situation on the ground and the operation the army has launched against...

New trophy for Federation Cup
Margao, Dec 27 (PTI) The All India Federation(AIFF) has ordered for a new trophy amid concerns that they may not get the original Federation Cup back from churchill Brothers. Churchill Brothers won the Federation Cup in January this year after they got the better of Sporting Clube de Goa in the final in Kochi. But the winners have been left out of this year's tournament which begins tomorrow here after they failed to meet stringent club licensing criteria.

2014: Names of Osama, ISIS surfaced in Delhi courts
New Delhi, Dec 27 (PTI) Startling facts revealed by probe agencies on plots hatched by banned outfits made headlines in 2014 in Delhi courts which noted that Osama bin Laden was still the driving force for terror groups following footsteps of ISIS to create situation like Iraq and Syria

Sports Schedule for Saturday, December 27
CRICKET: Day 2 of the 3rd Test match between India and Australia in Melbourne. Day 2 of the 1st Test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Christchurch. Day 2 of the 2nd Test match between South Africa and West Indies in Port Elizabeth. TENNIS: ITF Women's tournament in Navi Mumbai. CHESS: Al Ain Classic international chess tournament in UAE.

Sr Bush spends another night in hospital: spokesman
Houston, Dec 26 (PTI) Former US President George H W Bush, admitted to a hospital after experiencing shortness of breath, was in "great spirits," his spokesman said today. 90-year-old Bush, a Texas resident, was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital on Tuesday as a precaution. His spokesman Jim McGrath said that the 41st president's prognosis was positive and that he remained hospitalised as a precaution.

India accorded 'top priority' by UK in 2014
London, Dec 26 (PTI) India-UK ties touched a new high in 2014 with British Premier David Cameron according "top priority" to India in UK's foreign policy and a series of high-level visits taking place to foster closer political and economic relations. Cameron held his first meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Australia ahead of the G20 Summit last month, strengthening the broad and deep ties that UK and India have.