Geelani lying, no Modi envoy met him: BJP
Seeks apology from hardliner Mirwaiz denies meeting BJP emissaries Omar wants Modi men identified
Srinagar/New Delhi, April 19
Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the BJP on Saturday blasted hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani for his claims that Narendra Modi’s emissaries had met him and other separatists for help in resolving the Kashmir issue.

Controversy brews over next Army Chief
New Delhi, April 19
A fresh controversy appears to be in the making over the appointment of another four-star general with the BJP questioning the authority of the outgoing Manmohan Singh government to choose the successor of Army Chief General Bikram Singh, who is retiring this July.

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spring chill: The Dhauladhar range wears a white mantle after fresh snow in the higher reaches of Himachal. In Lahaul and Spiti, poll campaigning has taken a hit due to bad weather. Photo: Kamaljeet

Cong expels Venod, Rao Inderjit, 17 others
Chandigarh, April 19
The Congress has finally wielded the stick against party dissidents and expelled 19 senior leaders, including Rao Inderjit Singh and Ambala MLA Venod Sharma, for anti-party activities.

Bollywood dash in poll-bound Punjab next week
Chandigarh, April 19
Punjab is set to witness five Bollywood actors, including Shatrughan Sinha, Anil Kapoor and Sunny Deol, drum up support for SAD-BJP candidates next week. Two sons of BJP's Gurdaspur candidate Vinod Khanna — Rahul and Akshaye Khanna — are also slated to canvass for their father.

MH370: Search at ‘very critical juncture’
Sydney, April 19
 The current underwater search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, focused on a tight 10 km (6.2 mile) circle of the sea floor, could be completed within a week, Australian search officials said on Saturday. (Details on world page)

Sopore residents torch Lashkar operative’s house
Baramulla, April 19
Residents of Sopore town in north Kashmir set the house of a suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative on fire after he along with some of his associates tried to kidnap a girl. This is the first such incident in Kashmir since the eruption of militancy. The police said they arrested LeT militant Imran Ahmad Jagroo, a resident of Nowpora locality in Sopore, after he tried to kidnap a girl at gunpoint.

Vote, canvass for strong govt in Delhi, Modi tells youth
Guwahati, April 19
BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today gave a clarion call to the Assamese youth, urging them to vote the BJP to power at the Centre. At three rallies in the state, he said: "Those who age between 18 and 28 years have to ensure that a strong government is formed in New Delhi so that the golden period of their life doesn't go astray because of an inefficient government for the next five years." (Details on nation page)