The fourth phase of the six-phased Assembly elections went off peacefully with over 85 per cent of the voters exercising their franchise in 63 constituencies in Howrah, Hooghly, East Midnapore and Burdwan. No person was killed or injured in any poll-related violence and 68 persons were arrested, including 67 people who were taken

In a bid to ensure that there is no undue delay in delivery of services to citizens, the Delhi government on Tuesday notified the “Delhi Right of Citizen to Time-Bound Delivery of Services Act” which was passed by the Assembly in the just-concluded Budget session.

Israel on Tuesday stated that its technology is at the disposal of India in the field of agriculture. Israeli minister of agriculture Orit Noked stated that “agricultural cooperation with Israel can and will propel India to become a superpower in food production and supply”.

A paramilitary trooper was on Monday night killed and five others were injured when Maoist militants launched an ambush in Kerubadi forest areas in Kandhamal district, nearly 350 km from Bhubaneswar, inspector-general of police (operations) Sanjeev Marik said on Tuesday.

At least one Maoist was on Tuesday gunned down in an encounter with security personnel inside Ghumra forest in Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit Bijapur district, the police said. The police also claimed to have found tell-tale evidence of injuries to several other rebels in the encounter site.

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Tuesday dismissed speculation about the possibility of him entering the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra.
“Till 2013, I am out of electoral politics. No and that too in capital letters,” he said when asked about speculation that he could be the “outsider” taking the Upper House seat vacated by Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s disengagement-is-not-an-option line came under increased strain on Tuesday following Pakistan’s unhelpful attitude on the issue of bringing the 26/11 perpetrators to justice.

Over 3,000 rescue workers, which included mountaineers of specialised forces of the Army, ITBP and CRPF, engaged in tracing the missing helicopter carrying Arunachal CM Dorjee Khandu on Tuesday, the fourth consecutive day, failed to reach three possible locations where Sukhoi jets and Isro satellites have found “metallic traces” in the hills of the state.

Pakistan, which had denied knowledge of Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts, had a lot to explain following his killing by the US special forces in Abbottabad, near Islamabad, external affairs minister S.M. Krishna said.

The Delhi high court on Tuesday issued contempt notices to six more office-bearers of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association, taking the total number of ICPA members against whom contempt notices have been issued to nine, for allegedly disobeying its order to call off the ongoing strike in Air India, which entered the seventh day on Tuesday. The strike is still on.