Pranab downplays Mamata threat
l Hardens stand on increase in petrol price
l Oil companies inefficient, says economic adviser
Kolkata/ New Delhi, Nov 5
Despite continued criticism of the hike in petrol prices, government spokesmen on Saturday appeared to rule out any reduction in petrol prices. Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee downplayed the threat from Trinamool Congress to withdraw support from the UPA government.
                                        Pranab Mukherjee

Pakistan waffles over MFN status to India
New Delhi/Islamabad, Nov 5
Officials in both capitals today scrambled to undo the confusion caused by the Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani’s statement in Lahore that Pakistan had not really granted the ‘Most Favoured Nation’ status to India.
                                    Yusuf Raza Gilani

Gadkari confident of better show in Punjab
Ludhiana, November 5
BJP national president Nitin Gadkari today made it clear that, the party would contest on the existing 23 seats in Punjab.

BJP all-India president Nitin Gadkari takes out a sword during the state executive meeting in Ludhiana. On the right is Shanta Kumar, BJP in charge, Punjab. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan.

Polluting Maruti unit penalised
Chandigarh, November 5
The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has invoked part of the bank guarantee submitted by an ancillary unit of Maruti Suzuki at Gurgaon for its alleged failure to control pollution of the underground water.

Police chief targeting me, claims HP top bureaucrat
Dharamsala, November 5
Adding another dimension to the ongoing tussle within the Shanta and Dhumal factions in Himachal, a senior bureaucrat has accused the state police chief of getting a false case registered against him.

Music doyen Bhupen Hazarika passes away
Mumbai, November 5
Legendary singer-composer Bhupen Hazarika, who wove a magical tapestry out of traditional Assamese music and lyrics, died here today following a prolonged illness. “It was a multi-organ failure. The end came around 4.30 pm,” said Jayanta Narayan Saha, in-charge of media relations at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital here.

He was the Bard of the masses
Hazarika’s demise shocks Assam