L A T E S T      N E W S

India, Russia sign 5 pacts

MOSCOW: India and Russia on Friday signed five bilateral agreements in a range of sectors, including one for 42 additional Sukhoi combat jets. The agreements were signed after delegation-level talks between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev here. —  IANS

Sachin can now get Bharat Ratna 

NEW DELHI: In a significant move clearing decks for Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand and others to get Bharat Ratna, the government has made a necessary change in eligibility criteria for a person getting the India's highest civilian honour.

The Bharat Ratna will now be awarded in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order "in any field of human endeavour" - covering almost all the fields that had earlier remained out of the purview of this civilian award.

Examine me with Modi: Sanjiv Bhatt

Ahmedabad: Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt has sought his joint examination with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and ex-DGP R B Sreekumar before the Nanavati Commission in connection with the alleged undermining of judicial proceedings related to 2002 riots. In a letter to the two-member judicial panel, Bhatt said, "in addition to my deposition before the Commission, the latest affidavit of Sreekumar also clearly refers to the direct role of Narendra Modi in undermining judicial process connected with the Gujarat riots of 2002."

Bhatt, during his deposition before the Commission in May this year, had alleged that Modi tried to undermine the proceeding in a petition filed by social activist Mallika Sarabhai in Supreme Court with regard to the riots.

"It would, therefore, be entirely appropriate and in the interest of justice that Narendra Modi, R B Sreekumar and the undersigned (Bhatt) are jointly examined on oath by this Commission," the senior IPS officer said in his letter.

Rupee slide halts after RBI's intervention

MUMBAI: The Indian rupee gained 74 paise to Rs 52.90 per US dollar in opening trade on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India imposed restrictions on forward trading to check the slide of the domestic currency, which had tumbled to a record low of Rs 54.30 per dollar on Thursday. Dealers said the sharp recovery of the rupee was due to restrictions imposed by the RBI on forward trading in the local currency by FIIs and traders, besides the cap fixed on banks' exposure to the forex market.