Saturday, February 18, 2006, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

Vote on Iran in national interest, says PM
New Delhi, February 17
In a strong defence of India’s vote at the IAEA, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today assured both Houses of Parliament that his government’s stand was based on “objectives of upholding Iran’s rights and obligations” and country’s “security concerns arising from proliferation”.

Nation page
Govt ready for debate on Iran
Indo-French N-deal not during Chirac’s visit
World page: Iran developing N-bomb: France
Opinions page: PM defends vote on Iran

Salman sentenced to one year imprisonment

Jodhpur, February 17 Bollywood star Salman Khan was today sentenced to one year imprisonment and fined Rs 5,000 by a court here after finding him guilty of killing a chinkara, a deer species, at Bhavad village in this Rajasthan district in 1998. Film star Salman Khan is escorted by policemen through a crowd outside the District Courts in Jodhpur on Friday. — AFP photo

Behead Danish cartoonist, get Rs 51 crore, says UP minister
Lucknow, February 17
Adding a new dimension to the anti-Denmark protests, an Uttar Pradesh minister today declared a cash reward of Rs 51 crore for the person who would behead the Danish cartoonist who drew the controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammad. 

In video: Protest against controversial cartoons. (28k, 56k)

Don’t cross “Lakshman rekha”, Left warns UPA
New Delhi, February 17
With weeks left for the Assembly polls to five states, including West Bengal and Kerala, the Left parties today raised their pitch against the UPA government by warning the Manmohan Singh government to cross the national common minimum programme “Lakshman rekha” at its own peril.

Left wooing UPA allies to keep Cong in check
New Delhi, February 17
The Left parties and the Congress, who are pitted against each other in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Kerala and West Bengal, are presently engaged in a cat and mouse game with each other.

Panel for Rs 75 hike in LPG price
New Delhi, February 17
The government is likely to find it hard to implement the recommendations of the Rangarajan Committee that has recommended a steep hike of Rs 75 per LPG cylinder, besides Rs 1.21 per litre for petrol and Rs 1.96 a litre of diesel. Mr Rangarajan submitted the report to Petroleum Minister Murli Deora here today.

India: The Tasks Ahead
   SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

125TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS,
INAUGURAL SESSION

	PUNJAB: Secret parleys between Sikh body, radicals to fore
	HARYANA:New military station near Kurukshetra planned
	HIMACHAL: Merit to decide ski village project: CM
	J&K: Al-Badr commander, militant killed
	CHANDIGARH: 15 pc quota for poor in city schools
	LUDHIANA: 90 per cent of Reema’s skeleton recovered
	DELHI: A story of unkept promises in Haryana
	Opinions: The President speaks
	BUSINESS: IPO scam guilty to be brought to book soon, says Chidambaram
	NATION: Govt, Opposition clash over Muslim survey in forces
	WORLD: Landslide kills 200 in Philippines
	SPORTS: India go down fighting

Centre blames Punjab for water crisis in Malwa belt
New Delhi, February 17
Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad today blamed the Punjab Government for reported drinking water crisis in the Malwa belt, especially in the Bathinda-Mansa belt where cases of cancer due to unsafe drinking water have come to light.

Govt, Opposition clash over Muslim survey in forces
New Delhi, February 17
The survey of Muslims in armed forces spared off clashes with the government and Opposition accusing each other of “communalising” the issue for “vote-bank politics” in both the Houses of Parliament. (Details on Nation page)

BJP-ruled states not to cooperate on Muslim count

Secret parleys between Sikh body, radicals to fore
Amritsar, February 17
The revelations made by Mr Rulda Singh, president of the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, a mouthpiece of the RSS, about the return of more than 400 “black-listed” Sikhs from different parts of the world and securing release of top militants from Punjab’s jails have created ripples in the Sikh Panth. (Details on Punjab page)

Ski company pins hopes on local devtas Manali-Naggar, February 17 Though over 120 Gurs of over 230 devatas gave their verdict against the proposed $150 million Himalayan Ski Village in its present form at Naggar yesterday, the HSV company is pining its hopes on local deities. Himachal page:Merit to decide ski village project: CM