Friday, September 21, 2007, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

Briefs Nuclear Suppliers Group
Seal 123 by Dec: US
Vienna, September 20
The US today briefed the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group on the civil nuclear deal as part of its efforts to seek changes in NSG guidelines to allow nuclear trade with India. A senior American official said, “The US wants to meet the entire pre-requisites of the operationalisation of the deal by the end of this year.”

Don’t buckle down: Left
World page: Indian, IAEA officials ‘meet’
Editorial: Left on the deal

Pak presidential poll on Oct 6
The presidential election in Pakistan will be held on October 6, the Election Commission announced here on Thursday. The announcement evoked a mixed response in the country, with opposition parties vowing to resist the poll.

World page: Oppn won’t let Musharraf get elected unopposed A staff member of the Pakistan EC stands at a widow of his office in Islamabad on Thursday. — AFP photo

Setu: Faith bytes become louder
Chennai, September 20
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi today challenged BJP leader L.K. Advani to discuss Ramayana on the same platform and went ahead to say that Valmiki had described Ram as a “drunkard”. Rejecting Advani’s demand that he withdraw his remarks on Ram, Karunanidhi said, “Ram was ‘as much a lie, as the Ganga and the Himalayas are true.

Nation page: Soni briefs PM on Ram Setu

Janmat TV channel banned
New Delhi, September 20
Paying the price for its doctored sting operation on Uma Khurana, a teacher of Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Daryaganj, Delhi, satellite channel ‘Janmat’ has been banned for a month.

Sunita arrives in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, September 20
Indo-American astronaut Sunita Williams arrived here this morning from London. Sunita is on a weeklong visit to India and is eagerly looking forward to spend most of her time with her relatives.

Limitations exist in mind, says Sunita Sunita to address astronautical congress In video (56k) US astronaut Sunita Williams poses with her nephew Parth Pandya upon her arrival at a hotel in Ahmedabad on Thursday. She said every aim was achievable and that limitations existed in mind. — Reuters photo

Over 50 top officers in the dock
Another scam in Army, this time in J-K
Chandigarh, September 20
The Army is now investigating allegations of irregularities in purchases made from funds released under the Army Commander’s special financial powers in Jammu and Kashmir. According to sources, tents and other ordnance equipment was purchased from local sources under the special funds.

Babus just can’t cope
How AIDS battle is being lost
Chandigarh, September 20
Can overburdened babus handle AIDS control programmes? Well, in India they can, even if they have no skill or time to give a push to the programme.

Girl refuses to marry dowry-seeker
Hoshiarpur, September 20
Jaswinder Kaur daughter of Khajan Singh of Miani has refused to marry Army man Gurwinder Singh son of Lachhman Singh of Himatpur near Bhan Singh Di Kotli (Gurdaspur), as he had demanded a car in dowry.
In video (56k)

Biodynamic Farming Can Help Urgently wanted: Soil healer in Punjab Chandigarh, September 20 Soil in Punjab has become sleepy, lazy and even dead at certain places because of over exploitation and excessive use of harmful chemicals, including pesticides. “It needs healing,” says Peter Proctor, an international consultant on biodynamic agriculture, an advance form of organic farming which in simple terms is described as natural farming, free from the use of pesticides and chemicals.