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Pak Govt frees Najam SethiISLAMABAD: Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi has been freed by Pakistan Government after more than three weeks o...

Pak Govt frees Najam Sethi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi has been freed by Pakistan Government after more than three weeks of detention since May 8, Attorney General Choudhury Mohammad Farooq conveyed this on Wednesday to the Supreme Court. Sethi was arrested from his Lahore residence a few days after he delivered a speech critical of the Pakistani Government at a seminar in New Delhi and Pakistan authorities were planning to try Sethi for alleged anti-State activities.

DMK, TMC part ways

CHENNAI: In a path-breaking development the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam DMK formally decided to align with BJP-led national democratic alliance. Piqued by this, the Tamil Maanila Congress TMC announced that it will part ways with the DMK. The DMK general council, which met here on Wednesday to ratify the decision, said the country needed the quot;efficient leadership of Prime Minister A B Vajpayee in this hour of crisis.quot; Reacting to this, TMC president G K Moopanar announced the TMC8217;salliance with the DMK was over.

CBSE results

NEW DELHI: As much as 74.68 per cent of the 258,821 students who appeared for the CBSE plus two examinations this year emerged successful. Once again, girls with a pass percentage of 79.56 did much better than boys whose success rate was 71.01 per cent, a CBSE release said on Wednesday. The overall pass percentage this time is higher by 2.04 over the last year8217;s figure of 72.64.

Delhi fire toll

NEW DELHI: Six victims succumbed to burn injuries at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain LNJP Hospital on Wednesday taking the total death toll in Monday8217;s Lal Kuan fire tragedy to 45, which include nine children. Ten more victims are still struggling for life. Police said bodies of 42 victims have been identified and handed over to their family members.

TDP leader shot dead

HYDERABAD: A ruling Telugu Desam Party TDP leader was shot dead by Naxalites of the banned People8217;s War Group PWG at Mosra village in Nizamabad district earlyWednesday morning. The scooter-borne Naxals of Banswada Dalam went to the house of Pitla Gangadhar, Zilla Parishad Territorial Committee member of Varni Mandal, and shot him dead, police said.

JP, TC leaders join NCP

NEW DELHI: Newly-formed Nationalist Congress Party NCP on Wednesday received a boost with a number of leaders belonging to Janata Party, Trinamool Congress and some frontal organisations of Jantantrik Bahujan Samaj Party JBSP joining the party. Prominent among those who joined NCP include Sunil Mehta, president of Delhi unit of Yuva JBSP, Raja Mawai, president of Delhi unit of Janata Party and Pritam Singh, convenor of Mumbai unit of TC.

Food poisioning kills 16

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JAMMU: Sixteen people have died after consuming poisionous food at a local function in a remote hamlet of Kishtwar tehsil of Doda district in Jammu region during last two days, official sources said here on Wednesday. More than fifty people fell ill after consuming poisionous food at a local marriage party inDoda8217;s farflung and mountainous hamlet of Palalee, about 285 kms from here on Monday, the sources said.