Wednesday, March 2, 2011, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 2:30 am (IST)

Poll dates for 4 states, one UT announced
Election in six phases in WB, two stages in Assam and on a single day in TN, Kerala and Puducherry
New Delhi, March 1
Six-stage Assembly poll in West Bengal, a two-phase election in Assam and a single day poll in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry were today announced by the Election Commission

CEC SY Quraishi makes the announcement of Assembly polls, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Arun Jaitley admits mistake in formulation of telecom policy
Kapil Sibal says he never made ‘zero loss’ statement
New Delhi, March 1
Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal today tried to put the record straight regarding his contentious statement that there was zero loss to the exchequer in the 2G Spectrum scam, while Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley, in an implicit admission, agreed that things did go wrong during the initial years of formulation of the telecom policy. He, however, added that it wasn’t a deliberate mistake.

Gallows for 11 Godhra convicts
20 to serve life imprisonment for the 2002 train carnage
Ahmedabad, March 1
Eleven convicts in the Godhra train burning case were today handed down death sentence while 20 others were given life imprisonment by a special court in the 2002 incident that left 59 ‘kar sevaks’ dead and triggered riots which claimed over 1,200 lives in Gujarat.

Public prosecutor Rajendra Tiwari after the verdict in Ahmedabad. — PTI

Manpreet Badal may quit his assembly seat this week
Chandigarh, March 1
Will the Punjab ex-finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal attend the coming Budget session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha? The 22-day session starts on March 4 and Budget estimates will be presented in on March 14. Manpreet Singh Badal, who authored the first four budgetary estimates of the present SAD-BJP government, in all probability will skip the session.
                                                  Manpreet Singh Badal

Sensex zooms 623 points
Mumbai, March 1
The Bombay Stock Exchange Sensitive Index, the Sensex, climbed 3.5 per cent on Tuesday. The 30-share BSE index closed up 623.10 points at 18,446.50 points, with all of its components advancing. Financial stocks led gains as worries of higher interest rates eased after a lower-than-expected government borrowing plan, while automobile stocks rose as sales at top automakers continued to gain ground.

Babbu Mann injured while shooting
Chamkaur Sahib, March 1
Tejinder Mann, well known as singer Babbu Mann, was injured while shooting for his Punjabi film at Kandhola village here today. The incident happened at around 4:30 pm, when Mann was shooting for his yet untitled film. The film on the floor is Mann Films’ Production number 3 and is being shot in Hindi and Punjabi simultaneously.

Chhillar killings rock Parliament
New Delhi, March 1
Twenty-seven years after several Sikh families of Hond Chhillar village of Rewari in Haryana were massacred in the aftermath of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination, the Parliament came alive to the issue today with both the Houses being adjourned amidst demands for justice. (Details on nation page)