India-IAEA final round of talks on Jan 16
New Delhi, January 11
The fourth and final round of India-IAEA talks on India-specific safeguards will be held in Vienna on January 16. The Indian technical team will leave for Vienna on January 15 for the crucial round where the nuts and bolts of the final agreement will be fastened.

PM’s China Visit
Focus to be on trade and energy security
New Delhi, January 11
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who leaves for Beijing tomorrow night on a three-day visit to engage the Chinese leadership on a range of bilateral, regional and multilateral issues, will lay special emphasis on trade and energy security.

Edmund Hillary dead
Wellington, January 11
Sir Edmund Hillary, the unassuming beekeeper who conquered Mount Everest to win renown as one of the 20th century’s greatest adventurers, died today, New Zealand’s prime minister announced. He was 88.


Sir Edmund Hillary (1919-2008)

Ethnic Indian politician shot dead in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, January 11
A gunman shot dead a Malaysian ethnic Indian politician on Friday, the police said, raising questions as to whether the crime was politically motivated. Lawmaker S Krishnasamy (58) was killed at the office of his party, the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), in the southern city of Johor Baru, state news agency Bernama said, but the police and the party said the motive behind the attack was not yet clear.

’84 riots: Witness moves HC to depose in US
New Delhi, January 11
After a city court had last month rejected CBI’s report for closing the 1984 anti-Sikh riot case against senior Congress leader and former minister Jagdish Tytler, crucial witness Jasbir Singh today moved the Delhi High Court expressing his willingness to record his statement in a US court under a commission procedure.

Badal offers sops to industry
Chandigarh, January 11
Facing flak from various quarters, including the Opposition, on the slow pace of development in the state, the Badal government today substantially slashed the external development charges as well as change of land use (CLUs) charges to give a boost to the industry, housing projects, educational institutions, sports infrastructure and relaxed conditions in setting up stand alone commercial centers, multiplexes etc.

GCM increases Colonel’s sentence
Chandigarh, January 11
A general court martial (GCM), which had earlier held the commanding officer (CO) of an armoured regiment guilty for allegedly misappropriating diesel and moving an official vehicle to a different station without due authority has increased the quantum of punishment. The court increased Col K D Singh’s loss of service for the purpose of fixing pension from four years to five years and also imposed a penal fine equivalent to one month’s salary.