New Delhi, Aug 1 : The Supreme Court today issued contempt notice to the Madhya Pradesh government in Prof. H S Sabharwal murder case for creating obstacles in the progress of the trial.

A bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat issued notices on the petition filed by Himanshu Sabharwal, the son of Prof Sabharwal whose counsel alleged before the Apex Court that the BJP government in the state was creating obstacles in the progress of the trial.

The petitioner, a public prosecutor (PP) who has to travel from Jabalpur to Nagpur to attend the proceedings in the case, was finding it difficult to conduct the case.

New Delhi, August 1 : A partial solar eclipse was seen in parts of country as a large crowd gathered at a planetarium in New Delhi to see the eclipse on Friday.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and the earth, blocking out the sun from the areas in the moon''s shadow. Without the sun''s light, the sky darkens enough for stars to be seen and the corona makes a spectacular halo around the moon.

New Delhi, Aug 1 : The Union Government today gave clearance for introduction of next generation (3G) mobile services as well as portability of mobile numbers which would allow users to switch operators while retaining existing numbers.

The new guidelines for 3G spectrum, released today by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), provides for a reserve price for availing of radio frequency.

The Government has also fixed the base price at Rs 160 crore for metros and category A circles, Rs 80 crore for category B, and Rs 30 crore for C circles, respectively for 3G spectrum auctions.

The Government has also decided to allow up to 10 players in the 3G space, including eligible foreign players.

New Delhi, Aug 1: To promote transparency, open competition and impartiality in procurement for the defence sector, India today unveiled its new Defence Procurement Policy (DPP) 2008 which will become operational from September 1 this year.

Speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister A K Antony said: “We are very clear that we will not allow middlemen in defence contracts and suppliers whether foreign or domestic, will have to strictly adhere to the requirement of the armed forces.

New Delhi, Aug. 1: Afghan President Hamid Karzai will pay a three-day state visit to India from August 4.

A spokesman of the Indian External Affairs Ministry said that Karzai would be visiting New Delhi after attending the 15th SAARC Summit in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Afghan Foreign Affairs Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta and the country’s National Security Advisor Dr. Zalmai Rasoul.

The visit assumes significance in the wake of the recent bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul in which over 50 people, including an Indian diplomat and an Indian Army brigadier were killed.