Thursday, September 20, 2007, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

UPA-Left meeting inconclusive
Kakodkar not to attend NSG meet
New Delhi, September 19
After an assurance from the Manmohan Singh government to the Communists that Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar would not attend the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group meeting to discuss the Indo-US nuclear deal tomorrow, the UPA-Left committee described their second meeting the deal as “constructive”.
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CPM Politburo member Sitaram Yechury gestures as he leaves after attending a meeting at the residence of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi on Wednesday. — AFP

Kakodkar mum at IAEA meet

Mulford statement invites Left ire
New Delhi, September 19
US Ambassador David Mulford’s open call for early conclusion of the Indo-US nuclear deal came under strong attack from the Left parties who asked the government whether it would adhere to the US “time frame” or address their concerns.

Power tariff hiked in Punjab
Revised rates chargeable from September 1
Chandigarh, September 19
The Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission today issued an order hiking the power tariff for various categories of consumers ranging from 19 to 30 paise per unit. In the case of power supply to the Railways, the increase is 31 paise per unit only.

Hrithik under scanner for underworld links
Mumbai, September 19
A confession by an arrested gangster on television is likely to prove uncomfortable for actor Hrithik Roshan. Gangster Iqbal Attarwala who was extradited to India earlier this month is said to have named the actor in his confession to the Mumbai police.

42 Siachen trekkers reach Leh
New Delhi, September 19
Pakistani protests notwithstanding, India has gone ahead with its plan to open the disputed Siachen glacier for tourism and expeditions as it dispatched the first batch of 42 trekkers from here by a special Indian Air Force aircraft today. The Defence Ministry had cleared the 22-day trek to Siachen, considered the world's highest battleground, even though the Pakistan Foreign Office had protested against the plan.

Killed for ‘Honour’
NRI grandma gets 20-yr jail
London, September 19
A 70-year-old grandmother was jailed for minimum of 20 years today for the murder of her daughter-in-law whom she blamed for bringing shame on her family by seeking a divorce.

Jew, Christian, Sikh scholars vie for Guru Nanak award
Chandigarh, September 19
An award of $ 50,000, to be given every other year to an individual or an organisation in recognition of propagating Guru Nanak’s philosophy of discovering oneness of humanity by exploring the differences that separate people, has attracted nominations from top Jew, Christian, Muslim and Sikh scholars besides academics and inter-faith organisations.

Two pilots, same licence! Gurdaspur, September 19 Serious lapses on the part of the Ministry of Civil Aviation came to the fore when a former pilot found his commercial pilot’s licence number being used by a pilot of the Indian Airlines. This has brought the officials of civil aviation under a scanner. A former pilot, Harjeet Singh, having licence No. 3872 was shocked after he came to know that his licence was being used by some Suhas Raju working with the Indian Airlines in Chennai.