M A I N   N E W S

PM turns 73, cuts cake mid-air

New York, September 26
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh turned 73 today and celebrated the occasion mid-air on way to Geneva.

Dr Manmohan Singh, who has gone on record as saying that he forgot his birthday and does not celebrate it, cut a cake in the Air India Number One “Tanjore” with his wife Gursharan Kaur by his side. He was greeted by senior officials and journalists accompanying him on his nine-day tour of Britain and the USA.

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam sent a bouquet and a message of greetings at his official residence in Delhi in the morning. The Prime Minister responded with a telephone call before he left New York and thanked Dr Kalam for the gesture. — PTI

Pak offer on glacier

Islamabad, September 26
Pakistan has assured India that its forces will not seize a disputed glacier high in the Himalayas if Indian troops withdraw from it, a Pakistani newspaper said today.

The assurance was given by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in his first face-to-face meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York on Friday, it said.

Dr Manmohan Singh had ‘’positively responded’’ to the offer and modalities would be worked out later, the newspaper said.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry officials in Islamabad said they could not confirm the report. — Reuters