Price rise debate sacrificed to rules
New Delhi, February 23
The price rise debate was buried today in the rule books of Parliament, with the Opposition and government clashing on the rule under which to permit discussions. With no meeting ground available, the presiding officers of both houses had to adjourn the proceedings on the first working day of the Budget session.

Cabinet flays Sikhs’ beheading
Chandigarh, February 23
After condemning the brutal beheading of two Sikhs by Taliban in Pakistan, the Punjab Cabinet today approved the new excise policy besides deciding to summon the 9th Session (Budget) of the 13th Vidhan Sabha from March 4 to 26. The Budget will be presented on March 16. The Cabinet also approved levying of entertainment duty on DTH services in the state.

Talks will focus on terrorism, Pak told
New Delhi, February 23
Two days before the crucial talks between the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan, New Delhi is sticking to its guns that the talks would focus on terrorism and the meeting between the two top diplomats could not be interpreted as the resumption of the dialogue process.

Rail Budget Today
Mamata unlikely to touch fares
New Delhi, February 23
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to present another populist Railway Budget, her second for the UPA government, with the passenger fares unlikely to be touched.

Court slams CBI, issues fresh NBW against Sajjan
New Delhi, February 23
A local court today came down heavily upon the CBI for its failure to arrest 1984 anti-Sikh riot accused and senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar. The court issued fresh non-bailable warrants against Sajjan Kumar and asked the CBI to ensure his presence in the court on March 10, the next date of hearing.

Nine dead in Bangalore fire
Bangalore, February 23
In one the worst fire tragedies in the history of Bangalore, nine persons died and over 50 were injured when a multi-storeyed office building here caught fire. An electrical short circuit had believed to have caused the fire which engulfed the fourth and fifth floors of the multi-storeyed Carlton Towers in the Airport Road area of the city this afternoon.

Phalke award for music director JP Kaushik Chandigarh, February 23 Singing patriotic poems and “raaginis” with earthy flavour at small soirees in his ancestral sleepy village of Pehrawar and later living in Kaistan Mohalla of Rohtak, young Jag Phool Kaushik could not have imagined that one day he would be awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, the film industry’s most prestigious honour.