Tuesday, April 11, 2006, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

50 charred to death in Meerut
Lucknow, April 10

At least 50 persons, including women and children, were feared charred to death and over 100 injured as a major fire brought down three grand pandals like a pack of cards at a jam-packed consumer fair hours before it was to close in Meerut this evening.

Thick black smoke billows from a tent at a trade fair in Meerut on Monday. — AFP photo

Salman gets 5 yrs for poaching
Sent to Jodhpur jail

Jodhpur, April 10 Bollywood heartthrob Salman Khan was today in further trouble with a local court sentencing him to five-year rigorous imprisonment and sending him to the Central Jail here after holding him guilty of killing a rare buck.

Bollywood star Salman Khan is escorted by policemen outside a court in Jodhpur on Monday, after he was sentenced to five years in prison. — AFP photo

Sonia quits all posts of “profit”
New Delhi, April 10
Following up on her resignation from the Lok Sabha and the National Advisory Council, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has now resigned from all the socio-cultural organisations which she heads or patronises.
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Central package for farmers to help check suicides
Hyderabad, April 10
Jolted by continuing suicides by debt-ridden farmers, the Central Government has decided to launch a special economic package to help mitigate their plight. Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who discussed the proposals for the package at a meeting here today of Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka, other ministers and officials, said the package would be formally launched in two months.
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India: The Tasks Ahead
   SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT


125TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS,
INAUGURAL SESSION

	PUNJAB: BJP yatra to be in Punjab for two days
	HARYANA: Bhajan complains to Sonia against Hooda faction
	HIMACHAL: Rain, snow in Himachal; one killed
	J&K: Three militants among 4 killed
	CHANDIGARH: Work resumes, but SBI may lose business
	LUDHIANA: Customers heave sigh of relief as SBI strike ends
	DELHI: UP must be persuaded to release Tehri water to Delhi: Sheila
	OPINIONS: Big Brother born again
	BUSINESS: Birlas to buy out Tatas in Idea for Rs 4,406 cr
	NATION: India, Afghanistan pitch for joint fight on terror
	WORLD: Nepal parties defy curfew, 15 held
	SPORTS: Bangladesh have Aussies on the ropes

Drunken cops vandalise Golf Range, beat up staff
Chandigarh, April 10
Five unidentified persons, claiming to be the top echelon of the Punjab police, accompanied by AK 47 wielding gunmen, went to the Golf Range, run by the Chandigarh Golf Association, and after having a lot of alcohol and food refused to pay the bill.

Daily-wagers can’t claim regularisation
as right: SC
New Delhi, April 10
In a judgement of far-reaching consequences for lakhs of daily-wage employees engaged by state governments in the country, a five-Judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, today held that such workers could not claim a right of regularisation through judicial verdict.

3 pc hike in DA for Punjab staff
Chandigarh, April 10
The Punjab Government today granted dearness allowance at the rate of 3 per cent to its employees and pensioners from January 1, 2006, on basic pay plus dearness pay and basic pension plus dearness pension.

Mumtaz may be put in jail again Amritsar, April 10 Dreams of Pakistani national Mumtaz who wanted to marry a Bihari Hindu after her “sensational release” from the high security Central jail here is likely to be shattered even as Sadhu Singh, a resident has withdrawn surety given to a court here. She may be put in jail again where her three minor children have been detained. Nobody is coming forward to stand surety for her being her a Pakistani national.