Rathore to lose police medal
Home Ministry to have the power to withdraw medals from all convicted cops
New Delhi, January 4
The Union Home Ministry today decided to strip former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore of his President’s Police Medal following his conviction in the Ruchika molestation case. The Central Police Awards Committee (CPAC) headed by Union Home Secretary GK Pillai decided to strip Rathore of his President’s Police Medal awarded in 1985 for “meritorious service”.

LS Speaker expresses concern over Ruchika case
Nation page: Co-accused in Ruchika case seeks anticipatory bail
Punjab page: HC order to affect 8 IAS officers
Editorial: Bring bigwigs to justice

Aarushi Case
CBI requests narco tests on Talwars
New Delhi, January 4
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today sought permission of a local court to conduct narco analysis tests on Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, parents of 14-year-old Aarushi Talwar who was found murdered in her Noida house on May 16, 2008.

TOWERING OVER ALL: A man looks at Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world, in Dubai. Started during the days of economic boom and built by around 12,000 labourers, the building was inaugurated on Monday. — Reuters (Details on World page)

Cold wave intensifies
* Death toll rises to 120
* Amritsar still coldest at 1°C
* Heavy snowfall cuts off Valley
* Operations smooth at IGI Airport
New Delhi, January 4
North India continued to shiver on Monday as the cold wave intensified with snowfall, rain and fog at many places. The toll in the current cold wave rose to 120 with 40 deaths in Uttar Pradesh, eight in Bihar and two in Haryana. UP alone accounts for 110 deaths.

All-party meet on Telangana today, but little hope on consensus
Hyderabad, January 4
The bitter regional divide plaguing political parties in Andhra Pradesh over the Telangana issue is expected to come to the fore at an all-party meeting convened by the Centre in Delhi tomorrow to find a solution to the tangle.

Scrap minority quota report: Rajnath
Lucknow, January 4
Demanding scrapping of the Ranganath Mishra Commission report on reservation for minorities, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh Monday said there was an “urgent need to redefine” minorities.

racial attacks down under
Oz duty-bound to book culprits: Krishna
Bangalore, January 4
Reacting strongly to the murder of an Indian student in Australia, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna today said the Australian government was duty-bound to investigate the stabbing of the youth in Melbourne and bring the culprits to book.

India eager to wrap up social security pact
In shock, Nitin Garg’s family waits for body

Army medical charts not revised for 50 years Chandigarh, January 4 In a revelation that could have serious health implications for the armed forces and on the medical classification of soldiers, charts used to define the correct weight for height and age are not only outdated, but are apparently based on data applicable to western population that is inherently different from Indian population.