India

In a bid to defuse tension between India and Pakistan, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi may visit India next week.

On Yang’s arrival, India is expected to provide evidence of Pakistani element’s involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks.

Yang Jiechi will also hold a meeting with his Indian counterpart, Pranab Mukherjee on the latest developments in Indo-Pak relations trying calm down the things between two neighbours.

Pranab Mukharjee had spoken with Yang last month and urging him to pressurise Pakistan to arrest the culprits of the Mumbai terror attacks.

Two buses were reportedly set ablaze today by protesting Trinamool Congress-backed auto-rickshaw operators who were agitating against a court ban on ageing public transport vehicles in the city.

The strike turned violent with irate auto drivers vandalising a government bus at Park Circus.

The agitators turned violent, and stoned and set fire to a West Bengal Transport Corporation bus. The bus was only partially damaged as locals managed to douse the flames. No one was injured.

The political game in Pakistan’s Punjab Province is taking a new turn, with neither the PPP nor the PML-N willing to compromise or budge on their respective stances.

The Nation quotes political observers as saying that the distance between PPP Governor Salman Taseer and PML-N Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is widening with the passage of time and warns that a direct confrontation between them may create a new problem, especially for the province and for the country in general.

Unexpected rains have affected Rajkot''s onion crop severely causing a sharp rise in the prices of the product.

Just a month ago, onions were priced at seven rupees per kg. Now it is soared to 22 rupees per kilogram.

Untimely rains have also affected the production of the crop in other parts of Gujrat and Nashik and Maharashtra.

Rajesh Parekh, an onion trader blamed on the excess shortage of onions in various cities for the recent price rise.

Earlier the onion crop demand in the state used to be 5000 kg a day, but it has dropped to 1500 kg.

A cold wave swept through North India on Saturday with temperatures plummeting and fog disrupting transport in New Delhi and Chandigarh.

New Delhi was gripped by dipping temperatures coupled with dense fog, making life difficult for people.

The minimum temperature fell to 4 degrees Celsius on Friday, one of the coldest winter mornings of the season.

Mukhesh Kumar Dixit, a rickshaw puller, who woke up at around 5:00 in the morning, was unable to bear the winter chill. He said his hands were freezing and that he would not be able to work in such weather.

Israel''s air raids on Gaza that have led to the killing of hundreds of innocent civilians, has convinced clerics of the All India Ulema Council to send boxes of bangles to leaders of different Arab countries.

The protestors contend that the Arab leaders ought to have taken a pro-active role in stopping the Israeli offensive since the United Nations and super powers have failed to prevent Tel Aviv from executing such offensive against the Palestinans.

The protestors said the bangles were apt medium to remind the Arab nations of their impotency vis-à-vis Israel.

Agitated over the transfer of two fellow members, prisoners at a correctional home in West Bengal''s Howrah District vandalised and set fire to the place.

In all, 55 inmates of the Howrah Correctional Home damaged furniture, tore official papers and set fire to the premises.

The incident led to the transfer of two inmates named -- Sajjan Mallik and Rahul Mallik to the Alipore Central Jail in Kolkata.

The prisoners also reacted in this manner to protest against the inferior quality of food being served to them.

The tension between India and Pakistan notwithstanding, trade on the cross-Line of Control (LoC) point at Chakan-Da-Bagh continues.

Traders in Jammu and Kashmir''s Poonch District sent ten quintals tomatoes and 500 woollen shawls to importers in Pakistan on demand.

They admitted that the demand from Pakistan for Indian goods is more, even though supply is on the lower side.

The chiefs of all three wings of the Army, Navy and Air Force today met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and reviewed him of the security situation in the country.

During the meeting, which took place at the Prime Minister''s office, Dr. Singh took stock of the possible conventional military threat scenarios and the counter- measures that the Army, Navy and the Air Force had put in place along the borders, Defence Ministry sources said.

Service matters including the recommendation of the pay commission were also discussed during the meeting. (ANI)

Offering a special treat to the theatre lovers, many troupes are performing at a four-day theatre festival in Agra city.

Organized by Sanskar Bharti Natya Kendra, the festival that started on Wednesday and is scheduled to showcase a number of performances during the four days, would last till Sunday (Dec.28).

According to the organiser, 600 participants from around 12 states of the country would participate in the event.