Briefly Nation

Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and Ambassador to Cote dIvoire and Liberia Shamma Jain,who were injured in a car accident in Liberia on Thursday....

Ravi airlifted to Cote dIvoire

ABUJA: Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and Ambassador to Cote dIvoire and Liberia Shamma Jain,who were injured in a car accident in Liberia on Thursday,were Friday airlifted to Cote dIvoire for further treatment. Earlier in the day,they were visited in the hospital by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.The minister and the Ambassador were out of danger,Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria said.

8 die in Hyderabad building collapse

HYDERABAD: Seven construction workers and a three-year-old boy died and several people are feared trapped in debris of an under-construction three-storey building which collapsed near the Narayanagada flyover here on Friday. The Fire Brigade said bodies of the seven workers and a child had been extricated so far. Several persons were working at the site when the building caved in, Police Commissioner A K Khan said. There was panic in the area as the building is adjacent to a school. However,all students were reported safe.

SC: Dineshs counsel withdraws bail plea

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday declined bail to IPS officer M N Dinesh,an accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case,despite a plea that he has been in jail for the past three years. The bail application was dismissed after Dineshs counsel agreed to withdraw it after a Division Bench of Justices P Sathsivam and H L Dattu granted liberty to the IPS officer to move the Gujarat High Court. He was earlier granted bail by a sessions court. An appeal by the state saw the Gujarat High Court cancel Dineshs bail order.

SIMI banned for another two years

NEW DELHI: The outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India SIMI,a student organisation accused of having terror links,was on Friday banned by the government for a further period of two years with effect from Sunday. SIMI has remained a banned outfit under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act since 2001 for its alleged involvement in terror activities. The period of the last ban was coming to an end on Saturday.

Actor-filmmaker Sujit Kumar dead

MUMBAI: Sujit Kumar,who acted in superhit Bollywood films like Aradhana,The Burning Train and Aankhen died Friday morning. He was 75. Kumar,the first superstar of Bhojpuri cinema,also produced several hit films including Khel,Champion and Aetbaar.

AMU: Fresh probe into bungling

ALIGARH: A fresh inquiry has been ordered into the alleged financial irregularities by senior officials,including Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University P K Abdul Azis,by the President of India,official sources said on Friday. Pratibha Patil in her capacity as the Visitor of the university has re-constituted the inquiry panel and ordered a fresh probe after a two-member committee earlier formed failed to submit its report. The new inquiry committee includes retired judges and has been given two months to submit its report,the sources said.