LS passes terror agency bill
It represents a fair balance with respect to fundamental rights: PC
New Delhi, December 17
In a swift response to the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the Lok Sabha passed here today the twin bills-with virtually no opposition-to provide more teeth to the anti-terrorist law in the country and create a National Investigative Agency (NIA) to exclusively investigate terror crimes.

MA TUJHE PRANAM: Punnu Lal Mohle, MP from Chhattisgarh, leaves Parliament House on Wednesday. — PTI

Mumbai Heat
Maha to probe top cops’ lapses
Nagpur, December 17
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced a high-level probe against director general of police A N Roy and commissioner of police Mumbai Hasan Gafoor over their alleged lapses during the Mumbai terror attack, a day after opposition Shiv Sena-BJP demanded their removal.

Azhar not under house arrest: Pak
New Delhi, December 17
In a perpetual denial mode and contradicting his own defence minister Chaudhary Mukhtar Ahmad, Pakistan’s high commissioner to India Shahid Malik on Wednesday said Jaish-e-Mohmmad chief Maulana Masood Azhar, one of India’s most-wanted terrorists, was not under house arrest and his whereabouts were not known to them.

‘ISI agent’ from Pak held in Lucknow
Lucknow, December 17
A suspected ISI agent, hailing from Pakistan, was arrested and sensitive documents related to Army seized from his possession near Charbagh railway station here, the police said today.

Antulay raises doubts over Karkare’s killing, backtracks
Says he never talked about who killed ATS chief, but about who sent him in the wrong direction
New Delhi, December 17
Under severe criticism from the Opposition BJP and Shiv Sena, minority affairs minister A.R. Antulay made an attempt to set aside his earlier remarks on the killing of Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare by saying that he had not talked about who killed Karkare but about who sent him in the wrong direction on that fateful day.

An ADC’s extended tenure at Raj Bhawan ends
Chandigarh, December 17
Punjab Governor and UT administrator Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd) is about to lose his confidant ADC Major Nirvikar Singh. In his four-year tenure, Nirvikar became very close to Rodrigues and served him with dedication.

Extra Cover
Punjab gives more security to VIPs than Central norms
Chandigarh, December 17
The state government seems to believe in not only providing security over and above Central norms, but also allowing district police chiefs to allocate security cover despite having a security wing, which is entrusted with this responsibility.

Make 25% cut: Badal
Hoshiar Nagar (Amritsar), December 17
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has said the SAD would continue to fight for the transfer of Chandigarh and other left-out Punjabi-speaking areas to Punjab as mentioned in the Anandpur Sahib Resolution.

Antony nod to new armed forces promotion policy New Delhi, December 17 Aimed at doing away with subjectivity in the promotions of armed forces’ officers, a new policy has been framed to allow only performance-oriented parameters to decide on when an officer should be promoted to the next rank.