Briefly Nation

The Public Accounts Committee PAC has asked the three service chiefs to appear before it on January 12 to answer concerns in the wake of a Comptroller and Auditor General report that raised questions on the procurement of rations

PAC summons service chiefs

New Delhi: The Public Accounts Committee PAC has asked the three service chiefs to appear before it on January 12 to answer concerns in the wake of a Comptroller and Auditor General report that raised questions on the procurement of rations,including observations that soldiers were being fed expired food items,Defence Ministry sources said.

Navy to commission UAV squadron

New Delhi: The Navy is commissioning a new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle UAV squadron at Porbandar in Gujarat to strengthen its coastal surveillance network. The new squadron,which will comprise Israeli Heron and Searcher II UAVs,will be commissioned on January 17,officials said.

MNS MLA held for attempt to murder

Aurangabad: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS legislator from Kannad,Harshwardhan Jadhav,was beaten by the police outside Ellora caves in Aurangabad on Wednesday when he forcibly tried to meet CM Prithviraj Chavan without completing security checks. Jadhav was arrested and a case of attempt to murder registered against him.

2 IEDs defused in Gadchiroli

Nagpur: The police on Wednesday found and defused two IEDs in Hirange village in north Gadchiroli. The devices were covered with Naxal posters denouncing recent arrests of Naxal cadres and hailing the Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army, DIG Ravindra Kadam said,adding the IEDs were quite powerful.

Arrested Manipuri editor freed on bail

Imphal: The editor of a Manipuri daily,A Mobi,who was arrested on December 29 for his alleged links with a militant outfit,was on Wednesday released on bail. Since his arrest,media houses had stopped bringing out newspapers. The All Manipur Working Journalists Union said Mobi,its vice-president,was entrusted to contact militant outfits to convey to them that they should not disturb the publications of dailies.

Cold wave kills 12 more in UP

Lucknow: The cold wave in Uttar Pradesh claimed 12 more lives on Wednesday,taking the toll to 47 this season. With mercury dipping sharply at several places,three persons died in Barabanki,seven deaths were reported from Pratapgarh and one each from Jaunpur and Deoria. Lucknow recorded a minimum of 4.6 degree C,two degrees below normal.