Bus crash kills kids

Kota, July 24 (PTI): A school-bus overturned in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district on Tuesday, killing four students and the cleaner.

Three children, all under 10, and the cleaner died on the spot. One boy later succumbed to injuries at a hospital. Five of the 22 injured are in critical condition, police said. The driver said the brake failed.

Rain puja

Bangalore (PTI): The Karnataka government, facing criticism for its decision to spend Rs 18.5 crore in funding rain puja in temples across the drought-hit state, on Tuesday said the expenditure would be met by collecting funds from devotees. “The government is not giving any money to spend on special pujas,” muzrai (religious endowment) minister Kota Srinivas Poojari said.

Amritraj FD

Chennai (PTI): Madras High Court has allowed Ashok Amritraj, brother of former tennis star Vijay Amritraj, to get back Rs 6.35 crore placed in seven fixed deposits in a nationalised bank for a year, besides the interest. The bank had claimed the deposits had been pre-closed and amount released. The court slammed the city branch of Canara Bank for “suppressing material facts”.

Bank robbery

Indore (PTI): Two masked gunmen looted Rs 65,000 from a UCO Bank branch in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. The robbers, who entered as customers, fled on a bike, police said.

Salman case

Jodhpur (PTI): Rajasthan High Court has revised the charges against Salman Khan and his colleagues in a 14-year-old black buck killing case, paving way for the start of a trial. The actor will be charged under Section 51 of Wildlife Act and Section 149 of IPC (Unlawful assembly), his counsel said.

US award

Washington (PTI): US President Barack Obama has named four Indian Americans among 96 researchers as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. Sridevi Vedula Sarma, Pawan Sinha, Parag A. Pathak and Biju Parekkadan are the awardees.