Saturday, October 6, 2007, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

SC puts Mush future on ice
The Supreme Court has ruled that the presidential election can be held on schedule on Saturday but has kept open all issues, including the eligibility of President Pervez Musharraf to contest the election as army chief, subject to its final verdict.

News Analysis
Benazir’s Faustian bargain
Under tremendous pressure to coopt Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party in his political game-plan, Gen Pervez Musharraf has conceded to a major demand of Benazir by offering a National Reconciliation Ordinance which will provide indemnity against cases of corruption to all politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen.

Nepal poll put off indefinitely
Finally, Nepal’s Election Commission (EC) has been forced to cancel the entire election schedule as the government asked it to suspend its all activities related to conduct of the Constituent Assembly (CA) poll.
US, EU express concern

Nuke Deal
Informal talks with IAEA on: Govt
New Delhi, October 5
The Manmohan Singh government today said it was holding informal consultations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for an India specific safeguard agreement. The Congress-led coalition, however, pressed for holding formal talks with the atomic agency, which is taking the next step for negotiating an India specific agreement for the nuclear deal to move forward, in the UPA-Left committee meet this evening.

Gowda refuses to hand over power
New Delhi, October 5
Janata Dal (Secular) president H.D.Deve Gowda tonight told his BJP counterpart Rajnath Singh that the party has no intention to transfer power to the BJP notwithstanding the earlier agreement, inside sources said.
BJP ready for snap poll

India, Philippines ink 9 pacts
New Delhi, October 5 India and the Philippines today signed nine bilateral agreements, including a joint declaration for cooperation to combat international terrorism.
Phillippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inspects the guard of honour during the ceremonial reception at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Friday. — Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal

Army variant of Agni-I test fired
New Delhi, October 5
The short-range nuclear capable Army variant of India's indigenously developed Agni-I was test-fired from the Wheelers Island off the Orissa coast today. The test firing, termed as ‘user trial’, was conducted from a mobile launcher from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) launch complex-4 around 10:38 am.

Hansi-Butana Canal
Maintain status quo till panel decides: SC
New Delhi, October 5
In a bid to get the Hansi-Butana canal controversy resolved by the Centre Water Commission (CWC), the Supreme Court today directed Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan to place their viewpoints before the panel within a week to determine whether the feeder channel being built by Haryana could be linked to the Bhakra Main Line (BML).