New Delhi, Mar. 14: Home Minister P Chidambaram has issued a legal notice against CPI MLA Gunasekaran for alleging that he had supported allocation of 500 acres of government land to a private company in his constituency Sivaganga.

“It is a total lie to say that 500 acres of land has been gifted to a private company. Some political parties are accustomed to reeling out lies and false charges for the sake of politics. My name has been dragged unnecessarily over an issue between the government and a private firm,” said Chidambaram.

The World Bank entered the advanced stage of sanctioning $2.6 billion under a special loan scheme to India.

Out of $2.6 billion, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) will get a $400-million loan, India Infrastructure Finance Company (IIFCL) $1 billion and Power Grid Corporation a $1.2-billion loan.

Dharamsala/Shimla, Mar 13: Tibetan people living-in-exile staged a candlelight vigil in Dharamsala to mark 50 years of their movement.

A large numbers of monks, nuns including foreigners took part in the march, vowing to continue the fight for a free Tibet and return to their homeland.

Prayers were also offered for Tibetans who laid down their lives for the cause of freedom.

Women of the Regional Tibetan Women''s Association (RTWA) marked 2009 as the ''International Year of Tibetan Women.''

"This candlelight vigil is to honour all the Tibetan women who died for Tibetan freedom and to safeguard the future generation''s freedom," said Palkey, a member of the RTWA.

New Delhi, Mar 12: Air Marshal DC Kumaria has taken over as the first ever Director General Operations at Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan) here today.

Air Marshal Kumaria was commissioned as a fighter pilot in the flying branch of Indian Air Force (IAF) on July 2, 1973.

A graduate of Defence Services Staff College, he is a Qualified Weapon Instructor (QWI) having undergone the QWI course in the United Kingdom and a Fighter Combat Leader, who also served as a Directing Staff at the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE).

Pfizer the pharmaceutical major has tied up with Max Healthcare to help smokers quit and plans on opening 600 smoking cessation clinics by the end of 2010 in and around New Delhi. India has 120 million tobacco users and the cessation clinics are much needed.

New Delhi, Mar 12: The Mughal Gardens and other Gardens in the Rashtrapati Bhawan will be exclusively opened for special category of persons from today.

The garden will be opened for physically challenged persons today followed by visually challenged persons on March 13, for defence and para-military persons on March 14 and for farmers on March 15.

These categories of persons can visit the Gardens from 10.00 a. m. to 5.00 p. m.