On Saturday, Revision of Sugarcane prices were done in the UP, where increment in procurement price from sugar mills was done and henceforth raised from Rs.125 to Rs.140 per quintal. On this the Chief Minister Mayawati said, “The fixation of price was done after an exhaustive study of various factors and in consultation with all the parties involved.”

Lucknow, Oct 18 : Bahujan Samaj Party chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today withdrew her decision to cancel land allotment for the rail coach factory in Rae Bareli, which is Congress President Sonia Gandhi''s constituency.

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet today decided to return the land for the project at Lalganj town.

The BSP chief said that 189 acres of land at Rae Bareli would be given to the Railways on lease for 90 years.

On Sunday, Mayawati had announced cancellation of land allotment, a day before Gandhi was to attend a rally for a ground-breaking ceremony.

New Delhi - An Indian woman chopped the head off a man who attempted to rape her and then paraded his head through a village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, police and news reports said Friday.

Police arrested the 35-year-woman on Thursday night after villagers in the Ishanagar area in Lakhimpur district - some 120 kilometers south-east of state capital Lucknow - called the police.

"The woman had gone to fields to gather fodder for cattle, when the man attempted to rape her," Lakhimpur district police chief Ram Bharose said by telephone.

"She beheaded the man with the sickle in order to save her dignity," Bharose added.

Agra, Oct. 17 : Visiting the Taj Mahal, the magnificent monument of love in Agra, charms people from all over the world. That fascination doubles when an opportunity is provided to view the white marble monument under moonlight.

About 25 years ago, during Sharad Purnima, which occurs exactly a fortnight before Diwali, the festival of lights, people in thousands would converge to watch the marble wonder glowing under natural moonlight. It looks beguiling.

Sadly now, the number of people now converging to view this spectacle has reduced drastically. This time on Sharad Purnima only 260 visitors watched the Taj Mahal under moonlight.

Varanasi, Oct. 16 : People in Varanasi celebrate Akashdeep festival in remembrance of martyrs by lighting earthen lamps on the banks of holy River Ganga on the beginning of auspicious Kartik month as per Hindu almanac.

The ritual is believed to have existed even centuries ago when it was held to pay tributes to the numerous soldiers who died in the epic Mahabharata war.

The Akashdeep festival is now devoted to the memory of jawans who lost their lives during wars like the Kargil and 1965 and 1971 wars against Pakistan.

Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh), Oct. 16 : The Genda Singh sugarcane breeding and research institute in Sewari in Uttar Pradesh, which was Asia’s second prominent centre for research purposes, has per researchers working there, been a victim of neglect.

It was known for making significant contribution for development and release of new sugarcane varieties, suitable for the agro-climatic zone of the eastern Uttar Pradesh and and Bihar in the early nineties.

Spread over 286.44 acre area, this research centre has developed species like COS—8432,8436, COSE—92422 and 98237.