Bangladesh and Pakistan have discarded charges that Islamic battlers based in the two nations were accountable for the couple of bombardments that tore through a well-known eating place and a park in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad on Saturday, killing 42 people.

After an emergency state cabinet conference on Sunday, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh state, YS Rajasekhara Reddy said, “Available information points to the involvement of terrorist organizations based in Bangladesh and Pakistan.”

Bangalore: In recognition of his services to the country, former president A P J Abdul Kalam has been selected by Karnataka for this year’s (2006-07) ‘Basava’ award in recognition of services to the country.

H S Mahadeva Prasad, Minister for Kannada and Culture narrated that the award consisting Rs 10 lakh, a memento and a citation will be presented to Dr. Kalam at a function to be held at the Jnana Jyothi auditorium on September 28.

Mr. Mahadeva said that he called on Dr. Kalam recently with a letter of communication on his being selected for the prominent award, and he had accepted it.

New Delhi: The government is expected to bring in biometric PAN cards shortly to tackle the problem of increasing misuse of Permanent Account Number (PAN) cards.

Finance Minister, P Chidambaram said in Lok Sabha that a combined Working Group in the Finance Ministry has given its statement after getting technical and commercial propositions from top biometric solution providers.