Various low-lying areas in east and north Delhi were flooded after the Yamuna swelled over the danger mark by about two metres on Saturday evening, though the officials maintained that the river would start receding from Saturday night. More than 2,000 people were evacuated as the Yamuna rose to 206.78 metres on Saturday

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has convened the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Monday to deliberate over the situation in troubled Jammu and Kashmir. It is also believed that the government might consider partial withdrawal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) at the CCS meeting.

Hardline Kashm-iri separatist leader and chairman of his faction of the Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani was released on Saturday, three days after the police arrested him from his residence claiming he posed a serious threat to public peace.

AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, in his bid to boost the organisational strength of the Congress in state, will kickstart a hectic three-day Bengal mission tour on September 14.

The ruling JD(U) and BJP are likely to initiate their talks on swapping of seats for the Bihar Assembly elections in the coming week. Senior JD(U) leaders have stated that the talks would be concluded without any hiccup much before nominations are filed for the first phase of the elections in the state.

Despite leaders of the BJP and the JMM confidently assuring stability of the new coalition government under Arjun Munda and its dedication for Jharkhand’s speedy development, the Opposition parties in the state are unconvinced about the new government’s longevity and professed good intentions.

The Indian Institutes of Technology may soon offer courses in medicine. The prestigious institutes have also been allowed to employ foreign nationals in permanent faculty positions and open post-graduate courses to foreign students.

While it appears the Central government plans to give the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir something special as a gift on Id-ul-Fitr, differences cropped up among leaders at the meeting of the Congress core group on Friday where the issue of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was also discussed.

Intensifying war of words with the ruling CPI(M) in poll-bound West Bengal, the Congress on Friday came whole hog in support of young leader Rahul Gandhi’s comment relating to “two Bengals”, as it said, the situation in rural Bengal was “pathetic” and could easily be verified by travelling in the country side of the state.

Young Congress MP from Amethi Rahul Gandhi has become member of the parliamentary standing committee on human resource development, which is headed senior party leader Oscar Fernandes.