Friday, October 19, 2007, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

Bloody homecoming for Benazir
Blasts kill over 80
Karachi, October 19
Over 80 persons were feared killed in two explosions today that occurred along the route of the motorcade of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto who returned to Pakistan after eight years in self-exile, Pakistani television channels reported.

People help an injured as bodies lie at the bomb explosion site in Karachi on Thursday as Bhutto's homecoming parade was hit by two apparent suicide attackers who killed at least 80 persons. — AFP photo
Bhutto back home. In video (56k)
World page: Swiss judge wraps up money-laundering probe
Editorial: Benazir back home

Meanwhile, countdown to Musharraf future begins
The 11-judge Bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday began regular hearing on the petition challenging the eligibility of President General Musharraf to contest election after another abortive attempt by petitioner’s panel of lawyers to delay the case in the hope of getting a full court hearing.

Lost	Rs 2.7 tr in 2 days

Sensex tanks 717 points

Mumbai, October 18 Investors lost over Rs 2,70,000 crore after the stock market continued its downward journey for the second straight day with a total loss of over 1,000 points in the benchmark Sensex, while the country’s 30 largest blue chip firms accounted for nearly half the loss.

N-pause
I will not quit, Manmohan tells BJP
On board Prime Minister’s special aircraft, October 18
A combative Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tonight dismissed BJP demand for his resignation in the wake of the setback to the Indo-US nuke deal and launched a blistering counter-attack on the saffron party saying during its rule the Gujarat “holocaust” had taken place, the Agra Indo-Pak summit ended in a fiasco and the BJP-led government was “sleeping” when Pakistanis intruded into Kargil.

Mulford meets FS

CPM’s next: Attacks PM for concessions on WTO
New Delhi, October 18
The CPM has questioned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent statement that the Doha WTO parleys on agriculture should proceed with the removal of trade barriers, saying any compromise or “about turn” on the issue of concessions by the developed world would be “disastrous” for millions of Indian farmers.

Ludhiana blast: Cops raid suspect’s hideouts
Ludhiana, October 18
The police on Thursday raided the hideouts of Gurpreet Singh, a suspect in the recent cinema hall blast here which killed six persons and injured 32 others. The suspect with a terrorist background has been on the run since September two last when his car carrying 3.5kgs of RDX, a 50-metre wire, a detonator, iron pipes and sockets was intercepted by the police on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur National Highway.

2 planted bomb in Shingaar: Police
Ludhiana, October 18
The police is suspecting the role of two persons who were seated in the ill-fated third row of Shingaar Cinema on October 14 night but had not returned after the interval of the movie. The police is suspecting that two persons had planted the bomb in the third row of Shingaar cinema that killed six persons and wounded 36 others on the fateful night of October 14.

Blow for RTI: J&K Governor sends amended bill back Srinagar, October 18 Governor Lt-Gen SK Sinha (retd) has expressed reservations to the amended Right to Information Act passed by the state legislature and returned it to the government without according his sanction.