Govt steps in to put mega projects on fast track
New Delhi, August 27
On a day when the stock market went into a tailspin and the rupee continued its journey to the abyss against the dollar, the government sought to boost the investment environment by declaring to clear bottlenecks hampering private projects with a projected investment of Rs 85,141 crore.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram with I&B Minister Manish Tiwari New Delhi on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal

Rupee slides past 66 to $; Sensex slumps 600 points
FM stresses more reforms, lists steps to revive economy
New Delhi, August 27
A day after UPA’s ambitious Food Security Bill was cleared in the Lok Sabha, the BSE Sensex plunged around 600 points to end below the 18,000 mark and the rupee continued its free fall past the 66-mark to an all-time low.

Divided Punjab BJP sends list for state posts
Chandigarh, August 27
After a long delay, a list of senior BJP functionaries has been forwarded to the party top brass to clear the names for the appointment of chairpersons of various government undertakings in Punjab. Infighting in the party had delayed the list.

Oil tanker detention: India again summons Iranian Ambassador
New Delhi, August 27
India today summoned Iranian Ambassador Gholamreza Ansari and conveyed its strong concern over the continued detention of oil tanker MV Desh Shanti by the Iranian authorities for two weeks and sought its early release.

Mumbai gang rape
Accused linked to politicians, cops
Mumbai, August 27
The five youths who raped a photojournalist on assignment in an abandoned mill in Mumbai had close links to a prominent Maharashtra politician apart from working as police informers. Investigators probing the assault have told local residents that the five men were notorious goondas operating in the vicinity of the Mahalaxmi railway station in South Central Mumbai.

SC: No leniency to rapists even if they marry victims
New Delhi, August 27
The Supreme Court today ruled that rapists deserve no leniency even if they married the victims or reached a compromise. A three-member Bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam made the clarification while rejecting the plea of two persons from Haryana who had been sentenced to 10 years in jail for gang raping a girl in Nangal Durgu village in Mahendragarh district in December 1995.

Court opens doors to Indian citizenship for Tibetans
Dharamsala, August 27
With the Karnataka High Court ruling in favour of a Tibetan refugee born in McLeodganj, many Tibetans born in India can now apply for Indian citizenship. The decision is likely to have implications for Himachal Pradesh that has thousands of Tibetans staying there as refugees.

EU envoys, top honchos set the tone for Zubin’s Kashmir show Srinagar, August 27 Come September 7, and international music maestro Zubin Mehta will enchant Kashmiris with the timeless Beethoven, Haydn and Tchaikovsky compositions at Srinagar’s famed Shalimar Bagh, also known as the Mughal Garden. The special concert being organised by the German Embassy will see a host of high-profile personalities ranging from ambassadors of various European countries to industrialists and heads of international corporate houses.