Friday, July 7, 2006, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

All disinvestment decisions on hold
DMK takes tough stance on NLC
New Delhi, July 6
Unable to brush aside the threat by a key ally, the DMK, to withdraw support to the Congress-led UPA government if it went ahead with disinvestment of profit-making PSUs, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh immediately kept in abeyance all decisions pertaining to disinvestment.

Nation page
PM forced to succumb to DMK pressure
New Delhi, July 6
Already under attack from his own party on the issue of price rise, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is faced with further erosion of his authority having been forced to succumb to DMK’s pressure and place all disinvestment plans on hold today. 

Left protest from July 13
BJP flays decision

Nathu la opens for trade New Delhi, July 6 Nathu la in Sikkim opened today for trade between India and China for the first time since the traditional trade route was closed in 1962, but experts are cautiously optimistic about the development. In video (56k)
A Tibetan trader smiles after crossing into India through the border post at Nathu la, between Tibet and the northeastern state of Sikkim, on Thursday. — Reuters photo

Venugopal moves HC on removal
New Delhi, July 6
Sacked All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director P Venugopal today moved the Delhi High Court challenging his unceremonious dismissal following a face-off with Health Minister Ambumani Ramadoss. The court posted hearing on his plea till tomorrow.

Editorial: The wrong doctor sacked
Nation page: Emergency services paralysed at AIIMS

New Delhi, July 6 The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice has asked the Union Law Ministry to evolve a new system for appointment of Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts (HC) so that the Executive too can have a prominent say in who gets to sit on the Bench.

Wants CMs to have say in selection Move to break ‘vicious circle’ of judiciary

Two gastro deaths in Sangrur village
Sangrur, July 6
Gastroenteritis a water-borne disease, has gripped two bastis, Roza Patti and Dhaliwal Patti of Chhajli village, near Sunam.

N. Korea vows to test more missiles
Seoul, July 6
A defiant North Korea acknowledged for the first time today that it had launched several missiles, vowed to carry out more tests and threatened to use force if the international community tried to stop it.
(Details on World page)

Sports page
Domenech hails Zidane
Munich, July 6
Raymond Domenech hailed the contribution made by Zinedine Zidane in firing France into the World Cup final in what will be the midfield master’s last match before retirement.

Portugal should have won: media
Goa mourns Portugal’s defeat
Scolari wins battle of the benches

Finally, fake parents brought to book Amritsar, July 6 Even as the DNA report conclusively established the parentage of the male child, Amarpartap Singh , who was swapped and sold by the midwife six years ago, Chief Judicial Magistrate Varinder Aggarwal today sentenced Sukhwinder Singh and his wife Ranjit Kaur of nearby Raipur (Amritsar) and midwife Ramesh Rani to seven years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000 each.