Railway fares up by 14.2%
Freight charges hiked by 6.5%
Revision effective from June 25
New Delhi, June 20
Biting the bullet in an effort to revive the economy, the Narendra Modi government today approved a steep hike in railway passenger fare and freight rates, which would also go a long way in reviving the financial health of the public sector behemoth.

A steep hike in passenger fares is set to hit travellers hard. file photo

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Iraq on the boil Efforts on to secure release of abducted Indians: Govt
Team Modi goes into a huddle
New Delhi, June 20
Amid New Delhi’s attempts to establish contact with the abductors of 40 Indian construction workers in Iraq, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation in the strife-torn nation and its implications in India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs a meeting to review the situation in Iraq, in New Delhi on Friday. PTI

315 from Punjab, Haryana, HP stuck
Chandigarh, June 20
As many as 315 persons from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are listed as stranded in the trouble-torn Iraq. Control rooms set up by the three state governments have recorded this number till evening.

Rebels seize chemical weapons unit
Baghdad/Washington, June 20
Sunni radicals in Iraq, who have overrun a swathe of territory north of Baghdad in a lightning offensive, have taken control of one of Saddam Hussein's former chemical weapons factories, a US official has said.

Youths caught between hope and despair
Chandigarh/Jalandhar, June 20
Hope and despair are making days longer than they expect as fighting between the militants and the Iraq army continues. Contacted over the phone, many youths from the region told The Tribune of graphic images of the gun-wielding militants and army movement and shared their restlessness to return home.

Hoshiarpur boy makes dramatic escape
Efforts on to safely bring back Punjabis, says Harsimrat
No intervention in Iraq sans UN backing: France

No move to impose Hindi: Centre tells states New Delhi, June 20 Under attack for its move advocating use of Hindi across social media platforms and in official work, the Centre today sought to put the controversy of attempts to impose the language to rest clarifying the latest communication is applicable only to Hindi-speaking states.