Information sought by Jashodaben, wife of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the security cover given to her through an RTI has been denied by the Mehsana police on the ground that her queries were related to local intelligence bureau  which is exempted under RTI Act.

"The information sought by her (Jashodaben) was related to the local intelligence bureau, therefore it could not have been given to her and we have sent a written communication about this development to her," Superintendent of Police J R Mothaliya of Mehsana district said. The reply given in writing to her also says the same thing.

The Assam government today claimed that the overall situation in the restive districts has improved even as the number of people taking shelter in 81 relief camps in the wake of serial NDFB attacks has risen to nearly 1.15 lakh.   

"The overall situation is improving. Incidents of violence between Bodo and Adivasi communities have come down and it is under control," Prateek Hajela, Assam Commissioner and Secretary (Political and Home), said in a press conference.   

He said curfew has been relaxed in all the districts of Sonitpur, Kokrajhar, Chirang and Udalguri and no new major incident has been reported yet.      

Altogether 81 people, including 26 women and 18 infants, have been killed since Tuesday evening in serial attacks by NDFB-S terrorists, retaliatory violence and alleged police firing across four districts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under whose leadership the BJP fought the assembly elections in Jharkhand, will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister-designate Raghuvar Das.

Governor Syed Ahmed agreed to Das' wish to conduct the oath-taking function at the Birsa Munda Football Stadium at 11 am tomorrow, Raj Bhavan sources said.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the swearing-in ceremony at Birsa Munda Football Stadium tomorrow," Jharkhand Home Secretary N N Pandey said.

The Assam government had received prior intelligence report of an attack by terrorists of NDFB-S but it did not know about the target and spots, said a senior official today.

Addressing a press conference, Assam Commissioner and Secretary (Political and Home) Prateek Hajela said, "There was information from the intelligence that NDFB-S would attack. But we did not know about the target and the spots."

The Centre has been claiming that the Assam government was informed about a possible strike by the anti-talk Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland. Hajela said the security forces have intensified their operations to neutralise  NDFB-S and the state government has spoken to the Centre for all cooperation from Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh in flushing out the terrorists from their territory.

The Assam government had received prior intelligence report of an attack by terrorists of NDFB-S but it did not know about the target and spots, said a senior official today.

Addressing a press conference, Assam Commissioner and Secretary (Political and Home) Prateek Hajela said, "There was information from the intelligence that NDFB-S would attack. But we did not know about the target and the spots."

The Centre has been claiming that the Assam government was informed about a possible strike by the anti-talk Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland. Hajela said the security forces have intensified their operations to neutralise  NDFB-S and the state government has spoken to the Centre for all cooperation from Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh in flushing out the terrorists from their territory.

Bangladesh Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith today said there was no evidence that money collected by the Saradha chit fund group was deposited in any of the banks in his country to fund Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh outfit, which is linked to Burdwan blast, there.      

"There is no evidence of Saradha money deposited in any Bangladeshi bank, as alleged, to fund the JMB outfit", Muhith told reporters on the sidelines of a programme of Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Kolkata.      

His statement came weeks after Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh had hold the Lok Sabha in a written reply that the probe has so far not revealed that Saradha chit fund money was used to finance terror in Bangladesh, contradicting BJP chief Amit Shah's allegation of such a connection.

Prannoy Roy's new show What's Your Choice, which aired tonight on NDTV, talks about how India reacts to bias against the girl child. 

At least 105 terror suspects, including Afghans, were arrested in Peshawar today as part of the Pakistan government's offensive against militants after the Taliban's deadly school attack in the city.

85 suspects including Afghan refugees were arrested during search operation in different rural areas of Peshawar. Police and security agencies also launched search operation in Sokano, Khattako Pul, Badhaber and Mathraa areas of Peshawar.

Police said that stolen vehicles, arms and explosives were recovered from the custody of the arrested people. In Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at least 20 suspected people including six Afghans were arrested in a search operation launched by police in different areas. The Afghans were said to be illegally living in the country.

The funeral of Officer Rafael Ramos, one of two police officers shot dead last Saturday as they sat in their patrol car in Brooklyn, is under way at Christ Tabernacle Church in Glendale, Queens in New York.

Many thousands of police officers and other mourners, including Vice President Joseph R Biden, are attending the funeral, inside and outside the church, reports The New York Times.

He will be part of your life for the entirety of your life, Biden tells Ramos's son.

With the Congress reeling under a string of poll defeats, senior leader Digvijaya Singh today said party vice president Rahul Gandhi should assume "full-time" leadership of the Congress.

"All Congressmen today want Rahul Gandhi to take over full-time leadership of All India Congress Committee," the party general secretary said in Bhopal, unfazed by the Congress having distanced itself from a similar suggestion made by him last month in which the party described it as his "personal view".

Singh, however, said Congress president Sonia Gandhi will continue to remain "our leader".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hailed Mumbai's famous dabbawalas for joining the Swachh Bharat campaign, saying their effort is exemplary.

"I congratulate the dabbawalas of Mumbai for joining Swachh Bharat Mission & extending their continued support to it," Modi tweeted.

"The efforts of the dabbawallas of Mumbai is exemplary. Despite their hectic schedules, they devoted themselves towards a Clean India," he said in another tweet.

At least 80 tribals were allegedly converted to Christianity in Balisuda village in Sundargarh district of Odisha, officials said today.

"We have information about the alleged conversion (on December 25). I have sent there a team that consists of Sub-Collector of Bonai, Surendra Kumar Mina. They are investigating the case and verifying the facts...," District Collector Bhupinder Singh Poonia said.

Twenty four high-profile death row prisoners have been shifted from a jail in Quetta to another prison in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, fearing a possible jail break.

The decision to shift the high-profile prisoners from the District Jail Quetta to Central Jail Mach was made at a meeting held at the home and tribal affairs department of Balochistan. Senior officers from the home and prison departments participated in the meeting, which discussed possible attacks on prisons in the province. 24 high-profile prisoners have been shifted, Superintendent of District Jail Quetta Muhammad Asif Butt said, adding that, ""All prisoners have been sentenced to death."

PTI reports: A man today hurled a stone at Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal at a rally in South Delhi's Tigdi locality today. Kejriwal is unhurt.

This is not the first time that Kejriwal has been attacked in public. He was slapped twice while addressing rallies. He has also been attacked with ink, mobil oil and eggs.

The Delhi government has put all its designated hospitals on alert and has asked them take appropriate measures and follow the standard protocols for treating swine flu patients in the wake of the death of a 51-year-old woman due to the virus.

With 32 confirmed cases of H1N1 in the city this year, Delhi government authorities maintained that there was no "outbreak".

"Delhi has recorded 32 H1N1 patients from Jan 1 till date. Even the deceased woman's diagnosis has not been confirmed and the samples will be sent to the Central lab for a confirmation," Health Secretary S C L Das said.

"This year the incidence is mild and the form is non virulent. In 2013, there were 1511 H1N1 cases and 16 deaths. All 22 designated hospitals to treat swine flu patients are fully prepared and the Directorate of Health Services has reviewed the stock of Tamiflu capsules (for adults) and syrups (for children) and found them to be enough", he said.

Air India today said its fight safety wing is looking into the issue of a daughter of a senior pilot resting in a bunk, meant only for use of flight crew members, during one of its flights to Newark from Mumbai recently. However, it asserted that the incident "did not affect the flight safety of any crew".

The airlines also rebutted allegations made by a former cabin crew that one of the airline's pre-booked first class passengers was denied a seat to accommodate a senior bureaucrat during one of its flights from Frankfurt.

K V J Rao, a union leader and former Air India cabin crew, had alleged in his complaint, lodged with civil aviation secretary, that a first class passenger was forced to sit in the executive class on one of the national carrier's flight to Delhi from Frankfurt to accommodate a senior bureaucrat last month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his bete noire Sanjay Joshi have been invited for a mega RSS workers camp here next week, where its chief Mohan Bhagwat will address the participants, the organisers said.

Nearly 26,000 Sangh volunteers from Gujarat are expected to take part in the three-day karyakarta shibir (workers camp) beginning at Dastan farm on the city's outskirts from January 2.

"After a gap of 15 years, RSS is organising a camp in Gujarat from January 2 to 4, where workers from nearly 2,800 villages will take part. Around 25,800 workers have registered themselves for the karyakarta shibir," Gujarat RSS unit chief Jayanti Bhadesia told reporters.

The meet is being held ahead of Pravasi Bharitya Divas, to be organised in Gandhinagar from January 7 to 9.

The Express Tribune reports: At least 55 militants were killed in airstrikes and a gun battle with ground forces in Pakistan's northwest where the army launched a major offensive, officials said on Saturday. 

The army intensified its offensive after the massacre of 150 people in Army Public School in Peshawar this month.

Troops raided a militant hideout on Friday in an area adjoining Orakzai and Khyber tribal districts near the Afghan border where the insurgents had gathered for a meeting, according to a statement of Inter-Services Public Relations. 

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was today presented with the first draft of constitutional and legal amendments for trial of hardcore terrorists and enemy combatants as he ordered the activation of a dormant anti-terror body to fight the menace.

The PM chaired a meeting of the committee to oversee the implementation of the counter-terrorism national action plan, which was worked out two days ago with the consensus of mainstream political parties to tackle militancy.

During today's meeting, the first draft of constitutional and legal amendments for the trial of enemy combatants and hardcore terrorists involved in execution, abetting and financing of mass murders was presented to the PM, Dawn News reported.

The draft was presented by a legal team, along with Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Khawaja Zaheer and Federal Law Secretary Barrister Zafarullah. Sharif directed the legal team to share the draft with other political parties for their inputs.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said an anti-conversion law should be framed to check conversion and appealed all the political parties to think over it "seriously".

"I think that to check conversion, an anti-conversion law has to be framed. All political parties should think over it seriously," he said.

Eminent Scientist and Bharat Ratna Awardee CNR Rao today said India doesn't have infinite time to become a progressive nation and one must work towards bringing development to the country at a faster phase.

"Science keeps going on, science will go on..... the problem is we in India have very little time, don't forget that. We don't have infinite time to become a progressive nation," Rao said.

Delivering the keynote address at the 22nd National Children's Science Congress in Bengaluru, he said, "We must see to it that development reaches the country in a faster phase so that India can become progressive and an advanced country soon."

"We must do that as we don't have much time," he said, adding that, "we have to do this so that we are on par with other developed powers."

Speaking about growing competition in the field of science in today's world, Rao said "....although we are doing some things, others are doing more; ours neighbours in South Korea, China they are investing more, they are doing more things, so there is growing competition."

He said, "So dear friends you better get used to competition....; competition is part of science but today it is more critical...."

Describing refugees from Assam as guests, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said her government would stand beside them.   

"They are more than our guests, our own people. They don't have shelter now. We all know their mental condition.They are the victim of circumstances, so let us all stand beside them," Banerjee said at Changmari refugee camp inAlipurduar district.   

She also made an appeal to local people to help the refugees in whatever way possible and asked officials to ensure that no one was inconvenienced. When asked by reporters whether the refugees do not want to return to their homes, she said, "They will decide. If they do not want it is their decision. If anyone wants to return,we'll make all the arrangements. They are our own people. More than guests. We have to take care of everything including their food. We want them to stay in peace."

Ahead of his swearing-in as Jharkhand chief minister tomorrow, Raghuvar Das met BJP president Amit Shah in New Delhi today and discussed with him government formation in the state.

The 59-year-old BJP leader, a national vice-president of the party who will be the first non-tribal chief minister of the state, drove to Shah's residence and held discussions with him.

"I had a positive discussion with the party president. I discussed government formation and will work according to the party's directions," he told reporters after meeting Shah.

The meeting assumes significance as the chief minister designate Das, a five-time MLA, will have to do a fine balancing act to ensure that tribals, who are the largest community in the state, get adequate representation.

Four Janata Dal-United MLAs were today disqualified from the Bihar assembly under anti-defection law for anti-party activities, including cross voting in Rajya Sabha election.

With this, membership of eight rebel JD-U MLAs has been terminated since last month by the assembly speaker following the party's recommendation after the legislators were accused of backing two independent candidates Anil Sharma and Sabir Ali for Rajya Sabha seats in June polls instead of party's official candidates.

The disqualified MLAs are Ajit Kumar (Kanti, Muzaffarpur), Raju Singh (Sahebganj, Muzaffarpur), Poonam Devi Yadav (Bigha, Patna) and Suresh Chanchal (Sakra, Muzaffarpur). The legislators cried foul alleging that were not given a proper chance to present their case and would move court against the decision.

Vladimir Putin delivered a lump of coal in the Kremlin's stocking this year when he announced Thursday that he has canceled holiday vacations for members of the government.

All Indians who thought they could download an app and reduce their prepaid telephone bills by making VOIP (voice over internet protocol) calls, have a rude call back to reality from Bharti Airtel. The service provider's move to charge more than what it does for regular Internet usage for data-based calls is sure to spur others to follow suit.

At least 14 people have been killed and 750,000 affected in Sri Lanka due to floods and mudslides caused by heavy rains across the country in the past three days as the air force deployed helicopters for rescue operations in the central hills today.

Chinese President Xi Jinping today virtually rejected pro-democracy agitators' demand for free elections in Hong Kong in 2017 and backed embattled Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying who came in for severe criticism during the recent protests in the former British colony.