Aussie ‘debate’

Melbourne, Jan. 25 (PTI): Australian Opposition leader Tony Abbott today asked people in the country to have “a mature debate about immigration without being branded racist”.

Abbott has been criticised for saying last week that he believed some Australians were anxious that citizenship was granted too lightly.

IAF scare

Ahmedabad (PTI): A radar at the Indian Air Force base in Kutch on Sunday spotted a “flying object” near the Indo-Pak border but later found it to be one of its own, defence officials said. Personnel at the Nalia air force base were alerted after the radar picked up signals from the flying object.

Cong injuries

Kochi (PTI): Two Youth Congress activists were injured when police caned a procession of Congress workers protesting a proposal to raise the retirement age of teachers in various colleges. The cops resorted to the baton-charge when the protesters tried to break a barricade.

Station death

Mumbai (PTI): A former Nagpur Municipal Corporation official, who had gone missing three days ago, was found dead at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai on Monday. Prabhakar Darbe, who was sitting in the main waiting room of the station, had gone to drink water when he collapsed, police said. He died because of illness, the police said.

Pandit plea

Washingto (PTI): An international body of Kashmiri Pandits has sought US help in rehabilitating the community by the creation of a separate homeland for them in Jammu and Kashmir. International Kashmir Federation delegates have submitted a memorandum to US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

Rathore relief

Chandigarh: Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday granted interim bail to former Haryana director-general of police S.P.S. Rathore in two cases levelling criminal charges against him in the Ruchika molestation case.