BJP wanted Babri case to be dropped: Maya
Mulayam to be sworn in CM today
Lucknow, August 28
Outgoing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today dropped a bombshell when she claimed that some senior BJP leaders wanted her to ensure that the cases against them in the Babri masjid demolition incident were buried.

  Editorial: Return of Mulayam
  Nation page: CWC to decide on joining
Mulayam government

Holed-up militant killed, 19 rescued from hotel
Srinagar, August 28 At least four persons, including a militant-turned-politician, Javed Shah, were killed in a night-long operation after the militants made a vain attempt to storm the Central Telegraph Office in the Lal Chowk area here last evening.   Editorial: Terror unabated Flames and smoke billow out from a hotel building where militants and security forces fought a gun-battle in Srinagar on Thursday. — Tribune photo Amin War
In video: Security has been intensified in Srinagar following Wednesday's militant attack. (28k, 56k)   SC commutes death sentence of Pak terrorists   Six Pak boys released

24 killed in Daman bridge collapse
Ahmedabad, August 28
At least 24 persons, 17 of them schoolchildren, were killed and 25 injured today when their vehicles plunged into the Damanganga river when a dilapidated bridge collapsed due to heavy rains in Daman and Diu.

Indo-Pak talks on air links grounded
New Delhi, August 28
It was virtually a dialogue of the deaf as the two-day India-Pakistan talks on the resumption of air links concluded in Rawalpindi today with both the sides agreeing to disagree with each other.

VC orders closure of Punjabi varsity
Patiala, August 28
The Punjabi University authorities today closed the university for an indefinite period and asked students to vacate the hostels, alleging that senior police officials, including the district police chief, had not responded to their distress calls.

Hema, Dara Singh, five others nominated
to RS
New Delhi, August 28
Reserve Bank of India Governor Bimal Jalan, noted film actress Hema Malini and journalist Chandan Mitra are among the seven prominent personalities who were nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President today.       Dara Singh     Hema Malini

Higher pesticides in cola samples New Delhi, August 28 Some of the soft drink samples from Pepsi and Coke contained much higher levels of pesticides like lindane and DDT than permissible under the European Union norms, reveal the findings of a government research institute.