New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Around 200 passengers, including Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and two of his cabinet colleagues, had a narrow escape Friday when an Indian Airlines aircraft they were flying in developed a technical snag and the pilot diverted the plane to Nagpur.

Kolkata, July 3 (IANS) Trinamool Congress chief and Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday lost no opportunity to needle West Bengal's ruling Left Front when she proposed a new rail line from Singur to Nandigram and sops for Lalgarh - areas in the state that have witnessed violent anti-Left agitations.

Raipur, July 4 (IANS) Maoist rebels extort up to Rs.300 crore every year in Chhattisgarh from traders of forest products, transporters and iron ore mining firms, says Chief Minister Raman Singh.

Lucknow, July 4 (IANS) A Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader and his two aides have been booked for allegedly raping a 25-year-old married woman in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, police said Saturday.

St. Lucia (Gros Islet), July 4 (IANS) Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni played another responsible knock of 46 not out as India took an unbeatable 2-1 lead in the series, winning the third One-day international by six wickets according to the Duckworth-Lewis (DL) Method with just one ball to spare here on a rain-marred Friday.

Seoul, July 4 (DPA) North Korea fired three more missiles off its east coast, a day after it fired four short-range missiles, according to South Korean media reports early Saturday.

New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Following are the highlights of the rail budget for the current fiscal presented by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Lok Sabha Friday.

Washington, July 3 (IANS) The threat of insiders in the nuclear establishment working with outsiders seeking a bomb is nowhere greater than in Pakistan, according to a former officer of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) The union cabinet Thursday decided to extend the President's rule in Jharkhand for six more months beyond July 18, inviting angry reactions from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that said the government should facilitate early elections in the state.

New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in parliament house Friday morning to present her ministry's budget for this fiscal, promising to address the demands of the average passenger.

New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) It was hard not to fall in love with the nutty Circuit and his brainless antics. Now Arshad Warsi, the Bollywood actor who played the character effortlessly in the two hit Munnabhai comedy films, says part three will go on the floors in 2010.

Los Angeles, July 3 (IANS) Scammers are out to cash in on the death of the King of Pop Michael Jackson. Immediately after his death last week, the Michael Jackson memorabilia went online. The number of ebay listings of Jackson memorabilia jumped from 400 just before his death to about 20,000 a day after his death.