Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh) , April 8: The mangled remains of a bullet-proof CRPF vehicle lie scattered on a dirt track not far from the thickly forested spot where a team of security personnel belonging to the 62nd Battalion of the CRPF was ambushed by Naxalites on Tuesday.

Seventy-six valiant CRPF men, including the driver of the armoured vehicle that was blown up by a land mine, were killed in the Maoist guerrilla attack near the paramilitary force’s Chintalnar camp.

New Delhi ,April 8: The government on Thursday banned foreign direct investment (FDI) in cigarette manufacturing in the country in order to promote a healthy lifestyle among the people. 

This is the second most important decision of the government in recent years in connection with discouraging the use of cigarettes in India. Earlier, the government had banned smoking at public places and had put restrictions on tobacco advertisements.

Islamabad , April 8: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari was Thursday stripped of his power to sack elected legislatures and governments as the National Assembly approved repeal of the law enabling this. 

This law was incorporated in the Pakistan Constitution by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf to strengthen his grip on power.

Raipur , April 8: At least eight Naxals were believed to have been killed while ambushing the CRPF combing party at Chintalnar, in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, on Tuesday, the police said here on Thursday.

“We have received an intercept that revealed that at least eight Maoists were killed and half-a-dozen other ultras sustained bullet injuries during their deadly attack against the security forces in the forest in Chintalnar,” a senior police officer involved in the anti-Naxal operation in the state told this newspaper.

Kathmandu, April 8: Nepal and China on Thursday resolved a longstanding row over the height of the world’s highest peak as they agreed to two different measurements based on snow and rock heights of Mt. Everest.

The exact height of the highest peak has been a source of dispute ever since the first measurement was made in 1856. Everest lies on the border between the two countries and they have  disagreed for years over its exact height, which Nepal puts at 8,848 metres (29,029 feet), nearly four metres more than the measurement used by China.

New Delhi , April 8: A speeding BMW left a 62-year-old morning walker dead in an east Delhi locality when the car crashed into a wall before turning turtle on Thursday morning.

The incident triggered widespread protests in the area and locals blocked traffic for nearly three hours. The protesters alleged that the local police of Pandav Nagar, instead of rushing the injured man to hospital, came to the rescue of three occupants of a “luxury car”. The police, however, denied the allegations, claiming that a PCR van reached the spot on time to take the victim to hospital where he was declared brought dead. 

The bodies of the 76 CRPF personnel killed in the Dantewada Naxal attack lie draped in the national flag during a ceremony to pay homage to them in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, on Wednesday. PHOTO: PTI

New Delhi , April 7: Maoist rebels are now all set to target top politicians in Maoist-affected states, according to the latest inputs available with Central intelligence agencies. The inputs also reveal that the Maoists are gearing up to intensify their attacks on the security forces.

 Rajasthan Royals’ Michael Lumb and Naman Ojha congratulate each other during the IPL-3 match against Kings XI Punjab in Jaipur on Wednesday. Rajasthan Royals beat Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets with Lumb scoring a blistering 83 off 43 balls. n Report on Page 20 PHOTO: PTI 

New Delhi , April 7: The Naxals who killed 76 CRPF personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Tuesday seized a huge amount of arms and ammunition from the slain security personnel.