Latest news, updated at 6:00 pm Chintan Shivir: Cong leaders seek bigger role for Rahul...more No rollback in diesel price hike: Moily...more  US welcomes direct Indo-Pak talks...more  Man kills wife in Noida hotel...more  Conductor stabbed for protesting against eve-teasers in Ambala...more

Cong’s new mantra: Focus on middle-class voters
Be in sync with changing India, Sonia tells partymen at Chintan Shivir
Jaipur, January 18
Congress president Sonia Gandhi today told party leaders that there was a need to recognise aspirations of the “new changing India” and deliver on that front. Around 350 delegates heard Sonia Gandhi weave a broad tapestry of major issues, including women empowerment, emerging political and socio-economic challenges, at the two-day Chintan Shivir that began at the Birla auditorium here today.
TOUGH TALK: AICC president Sonia Gandhi at the opening day of the party’s Chintan Shivir in Jaipur on Friday. — PTI

  Nation Page: Rahul presses for more accountability in party

HC: Akali MLA interfered in police, judicial functioning
Chandigarh, January 18
For years, politicisation of the police force in Punjab has been a matter of guesses and surmises, but a scathing order by the Punjab and Haryana High Court has brought out the sordid reality of interference by legislators in the justice delivery system.

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Post RTE, reading ability takes a hit
Haryana sees steepest fall yPunjab, HP pupils weaker in maths
New Delhi, January 18
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) has failed to positively impact learning outcomes of students across government schools in the country with more than half the class V students now unable to comprehend class II texts. This marks the steepest decline in children’s reading levels over the past three years, putting a question mark over the employment of continuous and comprehensive evaluation of students as a strategy under the RTE Act.

Same-sex foreign couples can’t hire Indian surrogates
New Delhi, January 18
Only those foreign couples who have had two years of sustained marriage and whose countries of origin recognise commercial surrogacy will now be allowed to hire surrogate mothers in India for the purpose of having babies through this assisted reproductive technology (ART). Simply put, couples in same sex marriages (gays and lesbians) now stand barred from hiring Indian surrogates.

Pak investigator probing PM graft case found dead
A senior Pakistani investigator probing graft charges involving Premier Raja Pervez Ashraf was found dead in mysterious circumstances at his official accommodation here on Friday, the police said, amid reports that he was "under pressure" due to the high-profile case. (Details on World page)

Chaudhary’s police remand extended by two  days
Panchkula, January 18
The police remand of Doon MLA Ram Kumar Chaudhary was further extended by two days by a local court here today. (Details on Himachal page)

Boeing unlikely to suffer Japan fallout over Dreamliner woes
Tokyo, January 18
 Decades of deep business ties between Boeing Co and Japan and the thousands of jobs that depend on them mean Japan will likely keep rewarding US. manufacturers with the bulk of its aviation spending. (Details on Business page)

Don’t let shrines, statues spring up on roads: SC to states New Delhi, January 18 The Supreme Court today directed all the states not to let any shrine or statue come up on roads infringing on people’s right to move freely. “Henceforth, the state governments shall not grant any permission for installation of any statue or construction of any structure on public roads, pavements, sideways or any other public utilities,” a Bench comprising Justices RM Lodha and SJ Mukhopadhaya said.