A group of cable operators in Gujarat are planning to hold a meeting with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting officials in New Delhi on Thursday to urge them to extend the deadline for the digitalisation process in the state.

New Delhi, April 18 : A delegation of Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), led by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Thursday met President Pranab Mukherjee to seek clemency for the 1993 Delhi bomb blast convict Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar.

The chief minister, along with his son and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal -- who is also the Akali Dal chief, met the president at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

New Delhi, April 18 : Two Indian films - "Monsoon Shootout" and "Bombay Talkies" - have been selected for screening at the forthcoming 66th Cannes International Film Festival, where India is the guest country.

The festival is scheduled to take place in Cannes, France, May 15-26 and the two films will be screened in two different sections. While "Monsoon Shootout" will be part of Midnight Screening, "Bombay Talkies" will be showcased at the Gala Screening, said a press statement on the official website of the film festival.

New Delhi, April 18 : Tamil Nadu Police have managed to trace the owner of the motorcycle used in the Bangalore blast, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said Thursday. He ruled out any impact of the incident on the forthcoming Karnataka assembly elections.

"So far we have not come to any conclusion (regarding probe)... With the assistance of TN (Tamil Nadu) Police we have traced owner of motorcycle," Shinde told reporters here.

New Delhi, April 18 : World No. 1 shuttler Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia is aiming to reclaim his title at the forthcoming India Open which he won in 2011.

The two-time Olympic silver medallist said he is excited about playing the Indian leg of the BWF World Super Series starting here at the Siri Fort Complex from April 23 to 28.

"I'm training extra for India Open and hoping to win the tournament. I am excited about playing the tournament because there are so many badminton fans and supporters in India," said Chong Wei, who recently became father.

New Delhi, April 18 : World No. 2 Saina Nehwal retained her place in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) women's singles rankings released Thursday.

City-mate P. V. Sindhu currently playing in the Badminton Asia Championships in Taipei also kept her 16th place.

London Olympics quarter-finalist Parupalli Kashyap, Mumbai's Ajay Jayaram and Sourabh Verma also retained their positions in the men's singles rankings.

While Kashyap is at a career-best No. 7, Jayaram and Verma are 30th and 38th, respectively.

New Delhi, April 18 : India's fiscal exports decreased 1.76 percent to $300.6 billion in 2012-13 owing to global economic uncertainties, government data showed Thursday.

The imports, however, increased by a marginal 0.44 percent to $491.48 billion from $489.31 billion in 2011-12, leaving a trade deficit of $190.91 billion, an increase of 4.12 percent, from $183.35 billion in 2011-12.

According to data furnished by the commerce ministry, crude oil, which is a major component of India's imports, grew by 9.22 percent at $169.25 billion from $154.96 billion in 2011-12.

New Delhi, April 18 : National Award winning actor Arjun Rampal, who was recently in Bhopal to shoot for "Satyagraha", will entertain guests at his high-end nightclub Lap Friday by spinning the disc.

The 40-year-old posted on Twitter: "Working on my set as I prepare to spin tomorrow (Friday) at Lap the club, looking forward to a crazy night. Nervous and excited."

"Yes, I love electronic music. I do Deejay for fun tomorrow. I am spinning in Delhi at Lap the club and yes everyone is invited. No members policy for tomorrow," he added.

New Delhi, April 18 : President Pranab Mukherjee Thursday extended warm greetings to the nation on the eve of Hindu festival Ram Navami, the birthday of Lord Ram.

"On the auspicious occasion of the Ram Navami, I extend warm greetings and good wishes to all the fellow citizens," the president said in his message.

"Let us strive to emulate Bhagwan Shri Ram's ideals of rectitude, compassion and forbearance. May Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram's noble example remain an eternal beacon inspiring us to tread the path of righteous conduct at all times," he said.

New Delhi, April 18 : Former Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari Thursday denied he assured the Janata Dal United that Narendra Modi will not be projected as the party's prime ministerial candidate.

The clarification came after newspaper reports claimed Gadkari, in a meeting with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in July last year, had assured the alliance partner that the Gujarat chief minister will not be projected for the top post.

New Delhi, April 18 ; There was broad consensus on the contentious land acquisition bill, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said after an all-party meeting on the issue Thursday.

"Largely there is a consensus... although there cannot be unanimity," Kamal Nath told reporters.

"The bill will now move to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha," he said.

The government is keen to ensure the bill's smooth passage in the second half of the budget session of parliament, beginning April 22.

New Delhi, April 18 - A clear and warm day lies ahead for Delhi Thursday with the maximum temperature likely to be around 36 degrees Celsius, the Met Office said.

This is marginally lower than Wednesday's maximum temperature of 37.1 degrees Celsius, which was a notch above average for this time of the year.

Minimum temperature early Wednesday was two notches below average at 19.5 degrees Celsius. (IANS)

New Delhi, April 17 : A private hospital Wednesday said a baby girl, who was born three-and-a-half months premature and survived despite complications, might be the tiniest baby in Delhi.

"Born three-and-a-half-months (24 weeks) premature and weighing only 550 grams, baby Pinky showed exemplary courage in fighting all odds and emerging a winner. Doctors treating her claimed that she might be Delhi's tiniest baby to survive after being delivered in the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy," said a statement from Balaji Action Medical Institute.

The Delhi high court has referred a set of petitions claiming that the noise pollution created by the aircrafts at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport is affecting the health of the residents, to National Green Tribunal (NGT).

The government of the national capital, Delhi has approved a decision to include widows under the `Dilli Annashree Yojana'.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit pointed out that the scheme will now also cover windows in the capital and that all those enrolled with the scheme will get the benefits from April 1, 2013. She also said that the implementation of the scheme must be speeded up to make sure that a larger number of families get benefits.

New Delhi, April 17 : A day before an all-party meeting on the land acquisition bill, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh Wednesday met leaders of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) who have opposed the bill in its present form.

Ramesh met CPI-M leaders Basudev Acharya and Sitaram Yechury at the party headquarters at the AKG Bhawan here.

The government is keen to ensure the bill's smooth passage in the second half of the budget session of parliament beginning April 22.

New Delhi, April 17 : An eminent Sikh writer has appealed to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to intervene and pardon 1993 Delhi bombing convict Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar.

In his April 15 letter to the chairperson of the NHRC, Sangat Singh said: "It is my earnest conviction and submission that Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar is a completely innocent person and not involved in the bomb blast."

New Delhi, April 17 : The Facebook page of Yash Raj Films (YRF), one of the most prestigious banners in Bollywood, recently crossed 1 million fans on the social-networking site.

It has over 1,005,561 fans and is said to be the fastest growing fan base with an addition of more than 3,000 likes everyday, said a statement.

The page reflects a new theme every month. The current theme is 'YRF dance dhamaka', which showcases all the dance tracks from YRF films.

New Delhi, April 17 : Gone are the days when earning money, buying a car or a flat were the sole aims of life -- young people in India these days want more out of life, and strive to balance personal life and work, often in that order of priority, a new study has found.

New Delhi, April 17 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not want any ally to leave the NDA, party president Rajnath Singh said Wednesday as speculation mounts over the future of its ties with the Janata Dal-United (JD-U).

"This crisis is unfortunate. We would never want any ally to leave. Allies have different ideologies, there can be issue-based differences," Rajnath Singh told journalists at the Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC).