Briefly Nation

ULFA calls bandh against PM visit

GUWAHATI: THE anti-talks faction of the ULFA led by Paresh Barua has called a 12-hour bandh across Assam on Saturday to protest the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,who is scheduled to address two Congress poll rallies. ULFA alleged that Singh,as head of the government,had indulged in false promises to the indigenous people and that New Delhi was treating Assam as a 8220;colony8221;. Meanwhile,with only a day left for campaigning for the first phase of polls,a host of top leaders,including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and senior BJP leader L K Advani,attended rallies of their parties8217; candidates on Friday.

Pandya case: Gujarat submits clues in HC

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat on Friday submitted new vital details relating to the 2003 murder of former home minister Haren Pandya in the High Court,which is hearing appeals of the 12 people convicted for the murder in 2007. While the CBI,the prosecuting agency,was non-committal,one of the defence lawyers objected to the move,saying the practice was unknown to criminal law.

2 IPS officers charged with youths murder

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CBI has listed Kerala Additional DGP Muhammed Yasin and DIG Vijay Sakhare,currently posted with the BSF,among the accused in the custodial death of Sambath,who had been arrested for the alleged murder of the sister of an IAS officer in March last year. The officers have been charged with murder.

Wont curb creative freedom: Samson

NEW DELHI: Leela Samson,who took over as chief of the Central Board of Film Certification Friday,said she was all for creative freedom,albeit with social responsibility. Every art form should have creative freedom8230; but also be socially responsible, she said. I wont curb freedom8230; On item numbers,she said: I dont think all item numbers are vulgar,some are fun8230;

Syro-Malabar Church head dies at 84

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil,the head of Kerala-based Syro-Malabar Roman Catholic Church,died of cardiac arrest in Kochi on Friday. He was 84. Vithayathil,the third Cardinal from Kerala,was made head of the Church in 1997 to end factionalism among the Bishops over liturgy. In 2009,after churches across India were attacked,allegedly by the BJP,Vithayathil had said BJP was a lesser evil compared to the Marxists.

No to Vedanta green nod: Orissa moves SC

NEW DELHI: Orissa on Friday challenged in the Supreme Court the Centres decision to reject green clearance to Vedanta bauxite mining project in Niyamgiri Hills. Orissa contended that the decision violated the SC order giving a green signal to the project. The Centre had last year rejected the clearance to the project on the ground that it violated environmental laws.