Clinton offers to mediate in talks
NEW DELHI, March 22 — The US President, Mr Bill Clinton, today advised India to move towards nuclear non-proliferation and begin a dialogue with Pakistan to establish a “working relationship” with it.

US President Bill Clinton shakes hands with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee while Vice-President Krishan Kant looks on after Mr Clinton delivered an Address to Parliament in New Delhi on Wednesday. — AFP

Clinton pushes for open trade
NEW DELHI, March 22 — The US President, Mr Bill Clinton, today made a bid to hardsell globalisation and the connection between labour, environment, and trade and development to Indian Parliamentarians here.

• Left boycotts Clinton’s address

Rs 150 crore taxes in Punjab Budget
CHANDIGARH, March 22 — The Punjab Finance Minister, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, today proposed several taxes in the Budget for the year 2000-01 presented in the Vidhan Sabha, with the central theme to restore the financial health of the state and put it back on the high growth path. The taxes will net over Rs 150 crore, approximately.

INSAT-3B launched
BANGALORE, March 22 — India took a big leap forward in communications and harnessed space technology for grassroots- level development with a spectacular launch of its new-generation home-made INSAT-3B from Kourou in French Guiana early this morning.

BSF blasts camp, kills 2
Holed-up jawans rescued
SRINAGAR, March 22 — Using mortars and machine guns security forces today blasted a BSF camp killing two militants, who had laid seige it, after 19 hours of fierce shoot-out and rescuing about 50 BSF jawans holed up inside the building.

Protesters defy curfew
JAMMU, March 22 — Thousands of people today violated curfew to join a procession taken out from a gurdwara in the Gumat area of the city to Raj Bhavan. They presented a memorandum to the private Secretary of Governor on the massacre of 35 Sikhs in a South Kashmir village on Monday night. More troops had been deployed to assist the police to enforce curfew restricts.

SGPC executive meeting on March 28
AMRITSAR, March 22 — A crucial meeting of the SGPC executive will be held here on March 28. The meeting will recommend the annual Budget to the SGPC general house which is scheduled to be held on March 30. The meeting of the dharm parchar committee will be held on March 29.