AICC Meet
Propaganda on N-deal false: Manmohan
New Delhi, November 17
Under fire from the opposition and the Left parties on the Indo-US nuclear deal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi today assured the party rank and file that the deal would not hurt India’s strategic programme or compromise its independent foreign policy.

Bytes and suggestions Maintain strictest vigil on prices of essential commodities, Sonia tells government PM says price rise in line with global trend. PM says it is government’s endeavour to shield vulnerable sections of society. AICC says petrol and diesel prices should be raised as the last resort.
Sonia Gandhi arrives at the AICC session in New Delhi on Saturday. — Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal

Promises sops for farmers; ‘price rise beyond control’
New Delhi, November 17
Even as Congress president Sonia Gandhi impressed upon the UPA government to maintain the strictest vigil on the prices of essential commodities, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the AICC session here today that the rise in prices of certain essential commodities was in line with the global trends.

Emergency will stay, Mush tells US
Islamabad, November 17
The USA today delivered a “strong message” to beleaguered Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to lift emergency but the defiant military ruler refused to yield saying the measure was needed to fight terrorism and conduct free and fair elections. US deputy secretary of state John Negroponte during a two-hour-long meeting with Musharraf here conveyed a “strong message” to the General to end emergency and doff his uniform immediately, western diplomatic sources said.

World page: Army will keep control of nukes, says Mush
Sharif: Meeting Mush against my principles

Only a few years left to avert the worst
Valencia (Spain), November 17
Climate experts agreed a U.N. blueprint late Friday for fighting global warming that warns that governments only have a few years left to avert the worst impacts. Delegates stood and applauded after chairman Rajendra Pachauri brought down the gavel on the November 12-17 meeting, which approved a summary for policymakers of 3,000 pages of scientific reports published this year.

Strongest warning yet by panel on climate change

Protest over Srinagar death
Srinagar, November 17
The death of an innocent person today morning by the Army in what it said was in a “cross-firing” touched off a protest by people. The police has registered a case of murder, but the Army said it was chasing a group of militants and Riyaz Ahmed Sofi, a baker, died in the cross-firing. “We had received a tip-off on the presence of militants in the locality and were carrying out a search with the police.

Manpreet Speaks ‘No one is as close to Sukhbir as I am’ Chandigarh, November 17 Amid a sea of rumours and reports of all sorts doing the rounds in the corridors of the Punjab civil secretariat and media circles about his resignation, his troubled relationship with his cousin Sukhbir Singh Badal and uncle Parkash Singh Badal, finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal today broke his silence. “No one is as close to Sukhbir Badal as I am. If anyone thinks otherwise, he is sadly mistaken,” said Manpreet.