The war of words between Punjab and Haryana over the nomenclature of an upcoming township in the vicinity of Chandigarh as “New Chandigarh” by the Punjab government is refusing to die down. Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s on Friday said that Chandigarh belongs to Haryana, as earlier it was a part of Ambala.

Five children have been forced out of their home and village after their parents died of AIDS and the villagers feared that the “disease” may spread.

Giving a low down of the Kedarnath disaster, ministry of earth sciences secretary Shailesh Nayak blamed the unusual behaviour of the monsoon which hit north India two weeks earlier than was expected.

The Centre has asked states to crack down on front organisations of the CPI(Maoist), putting at least 17 outfits which have their bases in several states, including Delhi, under the scanner for directly or indirectly aiding the Maoists. This forms part of a new anti-Naxal strategy adopted at a high-level meet convened by the Union home ministry in last two days.

A day after Assam forest guards killed two poachers in Kaziranga National Park, a Rhino was killed and its horn was taken away by poachers in Assam’s Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. The forest department officials said on Friday that carcass of the rhino was found on Thursday by patrolling forest guards in the sanctuary.

The Union health ministry which has decided to seek review of the Supreme Court judgment on the National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical courses is based on the contention of the third judge who has given the dissent note.

Speaking at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses on Friday evening, French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, “Of course, the MMRCA project is the priority. At the risk of disappointing you, I will not be announcing the date of signing the contract. ... the negotiations are going on well and I have full confidence.

With elections in sight, the Railways on Friday dropped hint that the proposed fare hike in October, when fuel adjustment cost (FAC) is expected to come in effect, could be avoided, as there are other alternatives to ramp up the revenue of the national carrier. In a bid to boost revenue, Railways is working on options to earn from trains with added capacity and carrying large freight.

To avoid the repeat of the Bihar midday meal tragedy, the human resource development ministry has suggested preparation of an emergency medical plan.

The Uttar Pradesh government has recommended CBI inquiries into three murders that rocked the state in recent weeks.