Congress President Rahul Gandhi Sunday promised to provide special category status to Andhra Pradesh, if the party was voted to power in coming Lok Sabha elections, and expressed surprise that parties in the state failed to 'aggressively' push the issue.

A MiG 27 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed on Sunday near Jodhpur in Rajasthan, official sources said.

The Pakistan Army Sunday targeted forward posts and villages along the LoC in Rajouri district with mortars and small arms firing, a Defence spokesman said.

A 27-hour countdown began Sunday for the launch of India's EMISAT satellite along with 28 nano satellites of global customers from Sriharikota Monday, a mission which would witness the ISRO placing payloads in three orbits and conducting space experiments for the first time.

Thirteen coaches of the Chhapra-Surat Tapti Ganga Express derailed at Gautamsthan in Varanasi, officials said Sunday.

No casualties have been reported.

Ending speculation, Congress Sunday announced that party president Rahul Gandhi will contest from Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala along with Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

Two primary school students, one of whom is visually challenged, were reportedly made to stand in the scorching sun for two hours for not paying fees, following which the state child rights commission Saturday registered a case against the school management.

Kumta: Prominent Kannada poet Dr. B A Sanadi passed away on Sunday morning at his residence here in Kumta at the age of 86 years. The mortal remains of the several awards winning poet will now be taken to his native for funeral.