Pak Parliament under siege
Imran rules out negotiations as govt team meets cleric Qadri to break deadlock
Islamabad, August 20
As hundreds of protesters laid siege to Pakistan Parliament, Opposition leader Imran Khan today ruled out talks with the government until Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif stepped down. Cleric Tahirul Qadri, who leads the other group of protesters, however, held talks with government representatives.

Supporters of Canada-based cleric Tahirul Qadri gather in front of Parliament during a protest in Islamabad on Wednesday. AFP

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Kashmir a bilateral issue, stick to Simla pact: India to Pak
New Delhi, August 20
India on Wednesday made it clear to Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir was a bilateral issue and that the neighbouring country must adhere to the 1972 Simla Agreement and the 1999 Lahore Declaration if it desired an amicable settlement of the issue.

Raja, Kani get bail in 2G money laundering case
New Delhi, August 20
Former Telecom Minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and seven others, chargesheeted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a 2G scam-related money laundering case, were today granted bail by a special CBI court.

assam-nagaland border row
2 die in police firing; Rajnath dials Gogoi
Guwahati, August 20
At least two persons were killed and over 15 injured when the police opened fire on protesters in Golaghat town of eastern Assam. Unconfirmed reports put the death toll at three.

Punjab bypolls test for SAD, Cong; AAP eyes Assembly debut
Chandigarh, August 20
The byelections to Patiala and Talwandi Sabo Assembly segments are a test for both the ruling SAD-BJP regime and Opposition Congress. The SAD leadership has been trying hard to gain the lost ground after not performing up to the mark in the Lok Sabha elections.

In poll yr, Hooda in ‘please-all’ mode
Chandigarh, August 20
Three months, nine Cabinet meetings, 40 big decisions and still counting — the Haryana government, in a poll overdrive mode, is a government in a rush. It is racing against time in an effort to please virtually every section before the model code of conduct comes into force.

Speed up projects, deliver ahead of time: Modi to DRDO scientists New Delhi, August 20 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to speed up projects and be ready to deliver ahead of schedule in a fast-changing world. PM Narendra Modi felicitates DRDO scientists for excellence at a function in New Delhi on Wednesday. Defence Minister Arun Jaitley is also seen. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui