Rajesh Khanna, Bhatti, Dravid get Padma Bhushan
New Delhi, January 25
The government announced the prestigious Padma Award for 2013 on the eve of Republic Day today. Actors Rajesh Khanna and Jaspal Bhatti, and cricketer Rahul Dravid have been selected for Padma Bhushan.

Agni-V, Gorshkov to be part of R-Day Parade
New Delhi, January 25
Long-range ballistic missile Agni-V will be on display at the Republic Day Parade here tomorrow. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will arrive at the Rajpath around 9.30 am while the display of military equipment and cultural diversity will commence around 10 am.
Final security checks in progress at the Rajpath in New Delhi on Friday. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui

The offices of The Tribune will remain closed on January 26, 2013, on account of Republic Day. There will, therefore, be no edition on January 27, 2013

Pakistan likely to accord India MFN status
Pakistan is likely to grant Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India next month, Minister of State for Commerce Abbas Khan Afridi told the Senate here. Afridi’s statement rebuffed media reports that the government may delay awarding MFN status to India as the government was facing pressure from various stakeholders, particularly from industrialists associated with the textile industry in Pakistan. Religious extremist groups and a section of the conservative media have also opposed the move.

land scam
Ex-DC’s bail plea rejected, faces arrest
Patiala, January 25
Suspended IAS officer and former Patiala Deputy Commissioner Vikas Garg, whose pre-arrest bail plea was turned down by the Supreme Court yesterday, may be arrested anytime in connection with the Rs 250-crore Patiala land scam. In a separate hearing, the apex court also denied bail to another accused Yashpal Aggarwal in the same case.

A first: Cloned buffalo delivers calf Karnal, January 25 In a major breakthrough, a cloned buffalo for the first time ever gave birth to a calf at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) here. The birth of a female calf to a cloned buffalo, Garima-II, is being seen as a revolution in the dairy sector.