Thousands still stranded on highway
Fresh avalanche warning in J&K
Jammu, February 8
A passenger died due to cold in a stranded bus while an avalanche hurled an empty bus into a 200-feet deep gorge on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, which remained closed for the second day today due to heavy snowfall and avalanches in the region.

Haryana page: Crops worth crores damaged by hailstorm Passengers at the Jammu bus terminal as the Jammu-Srinagar national highway was closed for the second day on Tuesday. — PTI photo

Govt admits criminal-politician-official nexus
New Delhi, February 8
The UPA government has candidly admitted in the Supreme Court that the nexus among criminals, politicians and bureaucrats has increased leading to a “disturbingly” high-level of corruption, yet it has opposed any move to strike down the “single directive” in the Central Vigilance Commission that protected top officials from direct investigation by the CBI.

Shaurya Chakra winners to return awards
Protest against withdrawal of security
Bhikhiwind, February 8
The ‘Sandhu family, which had created history by receiving four Shaurya Chakra awards for fighting against militants in the early nineties, has decided to return country’s most prestigious gallantry awards in protest against the withdrawal of security.

(From right) Mr Balwinder Singh Sandhu, his son Gagandeep Singh and his wife Jagdish Kaur at their house in Bhikhiwind, which was attacked by terrorists more than 40 times. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma

Student’s kidnapping creates panic in Amritsar
Amritsar, February 8
The police is still clueless about the sensational kidnapping of a plus two student of the local DAV Public School and son of a rice-sheller owner, Guddu, who was kidnapped by three unidentified youths, one of them in police uniform, at gun point here from the Majitha road last evening.

Abducted Bihar boy rescued

Astra missile to be tested this year Bangalore, February 8 The flight trials of Astra, India's first attempt at producing an indigenous air-to-air missile, have been targeted for this year, following the sanction of a Rs 1,000-crore project to the DRDO laboratory developing it —the Hyderabad-based Defence Research and Development Laboratory.   ‘All missiles are ready, we need orders’

Pilgrims walk across a pontoon bridge to take a holy dip in the Ganga during Magh Mela in Allahabad on Tuesday. — Reuters