India sends special envoy to crisis-hit Maldives

Press Trust of India, Friday February 10, 2012, Male

As the crisis in Maldives deepened, India today sent its special envoy to Male to assess the situation in the island where former President Mohammad Nasheed has been insisting that he was ousted in a coup.

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Didn't say Sonia Gandhi cried, clarifies Salman Khurshid

Anant Zanane, Friday February 10, 2012, Azamgarh

While campaigning in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, Law Minister Salman Khurshid said that Sonia Gandhi cried when she was shown photographs of the Batla House encounter in Delhi.

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It's business as usual for General Singh

Press Trust of India, Friday February 10, 2012, New Delhi

Notwithstanding the developments in Supreme Court on his age issue, it was business as usual for Army Chief General V K Singh as he arrived in Jaipur for an official visit to the South-Western Command. The army chief is scheduled to return to the capital on Saturday evening after which he will depart for an official tour to Britain from February 13 to 17, army officials said here.

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Kashmir's Education Minister resigns over allegations of helping his son cheat in exam

NDTV Correspondent, Friday February 10, 2012, New Delhi/ Srinagar

Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Peerzada Mohmmad Sayeed resigned from the Omar Abdullah-led government today. This comes after the controversy over his alleged use of office to ensure his foster son was allowed to cheat in his Class 10 exams. Mr Sayeed, who is from the Congress, forwarded his resignation to Party Chief Sonia Gandhi. The Congress High Command is likely to inform Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of the action soon. Mr Abdullah's party National Conference and Congress are coalition partners in the Jammu and Kashmir government.

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Mamata and BJP eye each other making the Congress very nervous

Sunetra Choudhury, Friday February 10, 2012, New Delhi

Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress is testing the waters for the first time in Uttar Pradesh. But it is not in coalition with the Congress, a party it partners in the United Progressive Alliance at the Centre.

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Army chief General VK Singh drops case against Govt, reports he may quit

Nitin Gokhale, A Vaidyanathan and Sidharth Pandey, Friday February 10, 2012, New Delhi

The Army chief's decision to take the government to court over his age turns out to have been a huge miscalculation. The Supreme Court today sided with the government, forcing General VK Singh to withdraw his petition by lunch time. His lawyer said the dispute ended "gracefully" and restored "the honour and integrity" of the chief. Many dismiss that assessment as heavily spin-doctored, and say General Singh may quit before his term expires at the end of May.

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Jayalalithaa asks partymen to "gift" 40 Lok Sabha seats

Press Trust of India, Friday February 10, 2012, Chennai

Setting her sights on carving out a larger role in national politics, AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today asked her partymen to 'gift' her with all 40 Lok Sabha seats in the 2014 elections.

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2003 blast case: Bombay High Court upholds death penalty for 3 convicts

Rashmi Rajput, Friday February 10, 2012, Mumbai

The Bombay High Court has upheld the death sentence given to three people convicted in the 2003 Mumbai twin blast case that killed over 50 people. 46-year-old auto driver Haneed Sayyed, his wife Fahmeeda (43), and Ashrat Ansari (32) were awarded the death sentence by a special Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) court in August 2009.

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India-origin man jailed for stabbing wife in money row

Press Trust of India, Friday February 10, 2012, London

An Indian-origin advertising executive in Leicester has been jailed for 16 months for stabbing his wife twice in the head while he was drunken state. During an argument over money, 44-year-old Jayesh Sharma attacked his wife in the presence of his children and his mother, who managed to take possession of the knife after he had inflicted two stab wounds on his wife's head.

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Army chief withdraws case against govt: 10 latest developments

Nitin Gokhale, A Vaidyanathan and Sidharth Pandey, Friday February 10, 2012, New Delhi

The army chief has withdrawn his case against the government in the Supreme Court; his lawyer said the matter has ended "gracefully." But General VK Singh dropped his petition after the Supreme Court indicated it was not in favour of entertaining his petition, asking for all his records to show his date of birth as May 120, 1951 and not May 10, 1950. Documents in the army reflect both years. With today's developments, General Singh remains obliged to retire at the end of May. But there are reports that he may quit soon.

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