Growth turnaround by fiscal end
Slow growth till Dec; Things not as bad as they look: PM
New Delhi, September 1
Despite the drought hitting most of the country, the government is confident that economic growth will be back on track by the end of this fiscal year with an expansion of 6.3 per cent.

Business page: Plan panel for free pricing of oil, gas

Rajnath placates ‘rivals’
Invites Advani loyalists Jaitley, Sushma, Naidu for lunch
New Delhi, September 1
BJP president Rajnath Singh invited over his “rivals” within the party, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, M Venkaiah Naidu and Ananth Kumar, for a feast at his residence today, ostensibly to discuss the impending Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh but actually to thaw the “bitter” relations between them.

Sethna slams Kalam on Pokhran-II
New Delhi, September 1
Homi Sethna, the guiding force behind India's first nuclear test in 1974, today waded into the 1998 Pokhran row when he slammed former President APJ Abdul Kalam suggesting he was “no qualified authority” to rubbish former DRDO scientist K Santhanam's claim that the explosion was not a full success.

Tatas to return Singur land, if compensated
Kolkata, September 1
Tata Industries chairman Ratan Tata said here today that after their odd experience at Singur, they had no plan to make any new investments in West Bengal in the near future.

24 killed in HP bus accident
Mandi, September 1
Twenty-four persons were killed and nine others injured, two of them seriously, when the private bus they were travelling in fell into a gorge near Kangu village on the National Highway-21, about 30 km from here, today.

India to take up fake currency issue with Nepal
New Delhi, September 1
Former Nepal Prince Paras’s alleged link with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in the Indian fake currency notes (IFCN) racket may well prompt New Delhi to mull over seeking early meetings of the consultative group on security issues between India and Nepal and the Home Secretaries of the two countries.

Harpoon Issue
US: Pak has agreed for inspections
Washington, September 1
Responding to “serious” American concerns about illegal modifications made by Pakistan to the US-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles that could target India, Islamabad has agreed for “mutual inspections” of the weapon system.

World page: Pak enhancing N-capability to target India

Designer Jon gets 59-yr jail for sex crimes Los Angeles, September 1 Celebrity Indian-American fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander was today sentenced to 59 years in prison by a court here for preying upon seven young aspiring models as young as 14 and sexually assaulting them. Nation page: Jon victimised, says mother Anand Jon Alexander, 35, weeps in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday. — AP/PTI