Imphal, Jan. 17: The abducted relative of Manipur food and civil supplies minister Pheiroijam Parijat Singh returned home late last night, police said today. Pheiroijam Sanajit Singh, son of the minister?s elder brother, was abducted by unidentified persons from Imphal East on Wednesday. He works as the ?personal public relations officer? of the minister. Singh was kidnapped by gunmen while he was on the way to a hospital with his family.

They took him away in his Santro, after letting off all other occupants, including his mother, wife and two children.

While the car was recovered...

Kohima, Jan. 17: She has been mother, friend, philosopher and guide to no less than 600 children over a span of nearly 30 years. And all she wants is a special day when the world will remember these orphans.

Munna is one of those boys who have found the milk of human kindness at a home away from home. He is among the 604 children who have grown up in the lap of 76-year-old Zaputou Angami in the 30 years of the Kohima Orphanage and Destitute Home. For the children ? most of whom were orphaned in the deadly factional clashes that have marked the over 50-year-old history of the Naga movement...

ITANAGAR, Jan 16 ? Approximately 30,000 (thirty thousand) of pilgrims braving the chilly cold took a holy dip at the famous Parashuram Kund in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh on the eve of ??Paush Makar Sankranti.?? Official sources from Tezu, the district headquarter of Lohit told The Assam Tribune over phone Tuesday that thousands of pilgrims, sadhus, old men-women and children from different parts of the country including pilgrims from neighbouring Nepal and Bhutan queued up in the early morning to take holy dip with a belief that a dip in the kund is enough to exonerated oneself from...

GUWAHATI, Jan 16 ? Heavy crowds continued to throng the Brahmaputra Beach Festival on its last day today. An estimated 40,000 people today visited Andheri Dhuli a 2.5 km stretch of silvery sand in the midst of the mighty Brahmaputra, the venue of the four-day-long festival organised by the Assam Boat Racing and Rowing Association. Besides the regular events like para-sailing, horse-rides, craft bazar, North-east food festival, fireworks display etc. today?s attractions included traditional boat race, ?nao-khel geet? Bihu and Karbi dance.

And as the befitting finals to the festival, signing...

Guwahati, Jan. 16: The NSCN (I-M) today dismissed the Centre?s assertion that future rounds of peace talks with the outfit would be held only in the country.

Deputy kilo kilonser (?home minister?) of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) V. Horam told The Telegraph via telephone from Dimapur that they were not bound to hold future talks in India.

?As far as we are concerned, the future talks could be held in Delhi or in any European or Asian country,? Horam said.

Union minister of state for home I.D. Swami, in a telephone interview with The Telegraph recently, had said the...