New Delhi, Jan. 21 : The National Conference of Ministers of Housing, Urban Development and Municipal Administration has recommended that 2010 be declared as the "Year for Affordable Housing".

The other eleven recommendations of the conference, which met on Tuesday are:

1. State specific policy focusing on Affordable Housing with supporting action plans for augmenting supply of land at affordable prices should be developed.

2. States to draw up the road map and a vision for `Slum Free City'.

New Delhi, Jan 21, : A Delhi court on Wednesday sent the five accused to judicial custody till February 4, in last year's Delhi blasts case.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja took cognizance of the chargesheet filed against them in the September 13 serial blasts in the capital and posted the matter for February 4.

The Court has also directed the police to supply copies of chargesheets to all the accused in connection with karol Bagh, Greater kailash-1 and Barakhabha Road bomb blasts.

New Delhi, Jan. 21 : Reputed lawyer and constitutional expert Fali Nariman has rejected the Delhi High Court's request to assist it in a case filed by the Supreme Court challenging a directive that can ask the judges of the apex court to declare their assets publicly.

In a letter sent to the Delhi High Court, Nariman said the law is same for everybody and that the judges of the highest court must show that they too are agreeable to true practice.

New Delhi, Jan 21 : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today asked the international community to collectively fight the menace of terrorism.

Addressing the first Delhi Dialogue on Regional Security and Cooperation here, Mukherjee said the growing political and economic linkages with ASEAN nations will send a message that the designs of terrorists will be defeated not just by India but by the International community as a whole.

"The trend towards inter-connectedness needs to grow much more," he added.

New Delhi, Jan 21 : The Indian Navy''s first helicopter base, INS Shikra, will be commissioned in Mumbai on Thursday.

Chief of the Naval Staff and Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), Admiral Sureesh Mehta, will commission the helicopter base.

Captain Philipose G Pynumootil will be the first Commanding Officer of the INS Shikra.

The air station, which first commenced air operations in 1964 with the setting up of a small helicopter maintenance unit, today, provides maintenance and flying support to a diverse range of helicopters operating from naval ships at Mumbai.

New Delhi - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh underwent an angiography as part of a series of heart-related tests at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS) in New Delhi Wednesday, news reports said.

Some blockage has been found in his arteries and doctors were contemplating the next course of action, PTI news agency reported, citing sources in AIIMS.

Singh, 76, was admitted to AIIMS for diagnostic evaluation and was likely to be discharged later in the day, a statement from his office said.