Nation salutes Kargil martyrs
NEW DELHI, July 26 — The nation today paid homage to martyrs of Kargil as the President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, the Vice-President, Mr Krishan Kant, and the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, laid wreaths at the Amar Jawan Jyoti War Memorial at India Gate here this morning.

Punjab’s loan waived
CHANDIGARH, July 26 — At last, the Punjab Government is finally out of its loan problems with the Union Government deciding “not to effect recovery of further instalments of its loan repayment and interest payment on the special term loan granted to Punjab during the period 1984-85 to 1993-94”.

Hizb move eclipses autonomy
JAMMU, July 26 — Will the National Conference succeed in securing the restoration of the pre-1953 constitutional status to Jammu and Kashmir ? This question was being hotly debated in political and public circles in the troubled state during the past over one month. It is over now.

Farooq meets Laloo
PATNA, July 26 — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today met his Bihar counterpart, Ms Rabri Devi and RJD President Laloo Prasad Yadav as part of an exercise to build a consensus in favour of autonomy for the state.

Hizbul expelled from jehad council
ISLAMABAD, July 26 — The United Jehad Council, an umbrella organisation of 16 militant groups fighting in Kashmir, today broke ranks with the Hizbul Mujahideen and vowed to continue its armed struggle against Indian forces in the valley.

Ceasefire by Hizbul ‘fallout’ of Kargil
NEW DELHI, July 26 — The Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, today attributed the unilateral ceasefire announced by the Kashmiri militant organisation Hizbul Mujahideen to the direct fallout of the Indian victory over Pakistan in Kargil last year.

Jewellery worth 15 lakh recovered from lockers
NEW DELHI, July 26 — The Income Tax (IT) authorities today opened three more lockers belonging to a bookie and recovered jewellery worth Rs 10 lakh from it, IT sources said here. With this the number of lockers, sealed during the massive searches conducted by the authorities on the premises of top cricketers, administrators and bookies, opened since yesterday goes to five.

FCI not to procure paddy
CHANDIGARH, July 26 — The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is to wash its hands off paddy procurement in Punjab in the forthcoming kharif season.