Former PM’s son in court custody
HYDERABAD, Nov 30 (PTI) — Former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao’s son P.V. Prabhakar Rao, arrested on charges of violation of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) in the Rs 133 crore urea scam, was today remanded into judicial custody for 14 days by the special court for economic offences. Mr Rao, arrested in the adjoining Mahaboobnagar district on Saturday night, was produced before the special court judge. His counsel moved an application seeking his admission to Apollo Hospital here as he was not well. However, the judge remanded him to judicial custody and ordered him to be examined by jail doctors.

SC adjourns hearing
NEW DELHI, Nov 30 (PTI) — The Supreme Court today adjourned hearing till Friday on the bail pleas of former Bihar Chief Ministers Laloo Prasad Yadav and Jagannath Mishra and four others who are lodged in Beur Central Jail for their alleged role in the Rs 950 crore fodder scam. A three-Judge Bench comprising Justice M.K. Mukherjee, who retires today, Justice S.P. Kurdukar and Justice K.T. Thomas adjourned the hearing on the bail pleas as counsel for Mishra could not complete his arguments.

Indian students killed
NEW YORK, Nov 30 (PTI) — Three Indian students were killed and two injured in a road accident near Baltimore in the USA on Saturday, when the car they were travelling in crashed into the base of an overpass. The three killed were graduate students of Johns Hopkins University. They were identified as Bhavesh Gandhi, 21, an electrical engineering student from Mumbai, Jitesh Parameswaran (24) a computer student from Cochin and Swaminatha (26) a material sciences and engineering student form Madras. The injured have been identified as Veera Venkataramani (22) an electrical and computer science student, and Abhishek Agarwal (23) a computer science student.

Hindi poet dead
ALIGARH, Nov 30 (PTI) — Noted Hindi poet and former Head of the Hindi Department at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Dr Raveendra Bhramar, died of a heart attack at Patna, his family said here today. Dr Bhramar died yesterday. He is survived by four sons and a daughter. He was recently conferred with the Sahitya Bhushan Award by Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee.

Hostage released
AGARTALA, Nov 30 (PTI) — Three persons were killed while militants released a hostage in separate incidents in Tripura, the police said today. A trader, Bhutan Saha, was shot dead when he resisted an attempt by National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) militants to kidnap him from his shop at Jagabandhupara in Dhalai district. The decomposed body of a tribal woman, identified as Ratanmala Debbarma, was found in Wataltuisa, West District, yesterday. She was missing since November 27.

Rs 14 cr for police academy
CHENNAI, Nov 30 (PTI) — The Tamil Nadu Government has sanctioned Rs 14.61 crore as initial amount for setting up a modern police academy, Director-General of Police (Training), A. Ravindranath, said today. The academy, to be modelled on the lines of the National Police Academy, would be established on 132.92 acres in Suburban Vandalur. Mr Ravindranath said the government had sanctioned Rs 8 crore for modernising police recruitment schools in seven places. The Police Housing Corporation would be entrusted with the task of constructing the academy and the recruitment schools.

Mine blast kills 28
BEIJING, Nov 30 (Reuters) — A gas explosion in a coal mine in China’s northern Shaanxi province has killed 28 persons while 18 are missing, the state media said in a report today. Rescue workers were able to save 10 persons from the scene of the November 23 accident which occurred in a government-owned mine in Liushi village, Xunyi county, according to a report in the Hainan daily. The article gave no further details. Coal mine accident in China killed 2,028 miners last year. Beijing has in recent weeks stepped up efforts to strengthen the management and supervision of coal mines.

Alwar MP dead
JAIPUR, Nov 30 (PTI) — Lok Sabha member Ghasi Ram Yadav died here today after a protracted illness, hospital sources said. A Congress MP from Alwar constituency and a former state minister, Yadav, 65, was suffering from haematuria (renal) disorder for the past several months. The state's Acting Governor Justice N.L. Tiberewal and the Chief Minister-designate, Ashok Gehlot, have condoled Mr Yadav's death.

8 gangsters killed
PATNA, Nov 30 (PTI) — At least eight gangsters were killed in two separate encounters with the police in Biharis Jamui and West Champaran districts today. Six members of the Ramji Lal Mandal Gang were killed in a fierce encounter with the police on Dighoi Hill under the Daulatpur police station in Jammu district this afternoon, state Director General of Police K A Jacob told PTI.