Cloudburst toll 132
l 600 persons still missing l Rescue teams land in Leh l Efforts on to restore road and communication links 
Srinagar/Chandigarh, August 7
Rescue teams on Saturday pulled out more bodies trapped under the debris in Leh areas devastated by deadly cloudbursts that have left 132 persons dead and over 400 injured. Rescue teams are trying to access remote villages in the high-altitude and hostile terrain to locate more than 600 persons who are still missing.

AI operates 3 flights Army men and foreign tourists undertake rescue work in Leh on Saturday. — PTI

33 soldiers feared swept away to PoK
New Delhi, August 7
The eyeball-to-eyeball deployment of well armed forces of India and Pakistan along the Line of Control notwithstanding, the Indian Army has sounded its arch rival for some “help”. This one is for concern over 33 of Indian soldiers who have been washed away in the mudslide and floods in Leh and it is feared that they may end up in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Geelani no to PC’s talks offer
Srinagar, August 7
Hardline All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman, Syed Ali Geelani on Saturday turned down Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s dialogue offer. Speaking to mediapersons here, Geelani said: “I won’t participate in any dialogue process unless India accepts Kashmir as a disputed territory, withdraws its troops from the Valley and helps implement the United Nations resolutions on Kashmir.” Geelani said there had been no change in his stand and accused New Delhi of trying to create confusion among the masses by extending the dialogue offer to him.

Syed Ali Geelani 

Nirupama: Path to peace with Pak not easy 
New Delhi, August 7
India feels the "dust needs to settle" after the collapse of the talks between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan in Islamabad last month. In an interview to Outlook magazine, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said India's "genuine, carefully formulated and reasonable approach’’ to the talks with Islamabad should not be "under-estimated and under-valued by Pakistan".

Sarnas appear before Takht, submit reply
Amritsar August 7
The five Sikh high priests, led by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, have formed a committee to look into the Sarna brothers-advocate Pshoolka tangle. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief Paramjit Singh Sarna and his brother Harvinder Singh Sarna along with their supporters appeared before the five Sikh high priests at Akal Takht today. The duo submitted their clarification putting forth their stance regarding the controversy erupted over the alleged remarks made by the Sarna brothers against advocate HS Phoolka.

Networking sites new mantra for brand promotion Low advertising cost attracts corporates, celebrities Chandigarh, August 7 What is the similarity between US President Barack Obama, Indian super star Amitabh Bachchan and Chinese seasoning and processed food maker Chings Secret? None other than the fact, that all three are using social networking for their brand promotion. While Obama has a fan following of over a million, Bachchan of over three lakh, Chings Secret has built over one lakh followers through social media. In an era when a celebrity becomes a brand and brand promotions work best through social networking sites, businesses in India are slowly realising the power of brand promotion through social networking sites. Be it LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, Indian companies are latching on to these sites for sales as well as brand promotion.