Monday, June 25, 2007, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

Rains claim 19 lives in Maharashtra
Mumbai, June 24
Heavy rains in Maharashtra since Saturday claimed 19 lives and deprived thousands of people of their homes as the monsoon fury reached the state. Five persons died in Mumbai as old buildings and shanties collapsed in the face of heavy rains and strong winds.

In video (56k)   People walk through a waterlogged street in Mumbai on Sunday. — Reuters photo

Elsewhere, death toll touches 130
Bangalore, June 24
Even as heavy rains lashed Karnataka and Maharashtra, leaving the states in a chaos and complete disarray, the situation improved in worst-affected Andhra Pradesh and Kerala as the death toll in these states mounted to 130.

India: The Tasks Ahead
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
125TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS,
INAUGURAL SESSION

ADVERTISEMENT

NRIs! DVD + Great Offer

UK scraps plan to raise Sikh regiment
London, June 24
Britain has abandoned plans to raise an exclusive regiment of British Sikhs on the ground that it would be seen as a move encouraging racial segregation, a media report said on Sunday.

PEACEFUL MARCH: Led by the Panj Piaras, the Chetna march organised by Sikh activists reaches Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo, in Bathinda peacefully on Sunday. It started from Gurdwara Zafar Nama Dina Sahib in Moga, about 120 km away. — Photo by Kulbir Beera (Details on Punjab page)

Sunita reunites with family, gravity
Houston, June 24
Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams had an emotional reunion with her family as friends and well-wishers gave her a rousing reception here, a day after her return from a record-setting mission to the International Space Station.

Editorial: Welcome home, Sunita

Hotel loan: PSB chief accused of favouring Badals
New Delhi, June 24
Two non-official Board of Directors of Punjab and Sind Bank have accused its chairman R.P.Singh of flouting rules and RBI guidelines in sanctioning Rs 150 crore loan at a lower rate of interest to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh’s son Sukhbir Singh Badal for the Orbit hotel in Gurgaon.

Punjab & Sind Bank crisis deepens Conflict between management, directors widens; CMD for all non-official directors’ ouster Chandigarh, June 24 The unsavoury controversy facing Punjab & Sind (P&S) Bank has taken a serious turn with the chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) RP Singh demanding ouster of all five non-official directors.