Sarbjit hanging put off again
New Delhi, April 18
Pakistan today agreed to defer the hanging of Sarabjit Singh, who is on death row in their country, by another month. This came hours after external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee appealed to the Pakistani authorities to grant clemency to the Indian prisoner.

Video: Advani seeks clemency for Sarabjit Singh. (56k)

Pratibha fails to see Tricolour
Mexico, April 18
President Pratibha Patil gave protocol jitters as she inadvertently passed the Tricolour at the ceremonial reception without bowing, but quickly went back after her attention was drawn by the Mexican Guard Commander.

2 college girls kill themselves after MMS blackmail
Panaji, April 18
Two college girls who were allegedly blackmailed through an obscene MMS clip purportedly featuring them have committed suicide in Ponda town, close on the heels of the Scarlett Keeling murder case and the busting of an international sex racket in this tourist.

Kashmiri Muslim women reach towards an unseen priest as he displays a relic at the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Geelani in Srinagar on Friday. The relic of the saint, who is buried in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, is displayed before devotees on special occasions, including his birth and death anniversaries, and co-incide with a fair held in Srinagar's Khanyar locality. — AFP

Seniority Clash
Gen goes on ‘protest’ leave
Jammu, April 18
One of the senior-most officers in the operationally crucial Northern Command has proceeded on long leave over what is being construed as a clash of seniority. Sources in the Northern Command Headquarters, Udhampur, reveal that the Chief of Staff (COS), Lieut-Gen P.C. Katoch, has been on leave for the past few weeks. “He had earlier gone on about 45 days leave and then again applied for another 45 days leave,” a senior officer said.

Family ready to receive Joginder’s body
New Delhi, April 18
The family of Joginder Pal, whose body has been lying unattended in a hospital in Damascus for over three weeks, finally completed the formalities required to facilitate the return of his body to India.

Pak boys reunited with family
Islamabad, April 18
Two Pakistani boys, who were released by the Indian authorities after they had crossed the border into Rajasthan without travel documents, were today reunited with their families in the southern Sindh province.

Much depends on global prices: Chidambaram
New Delhi, April 18
Without promising the nation an overnight miracle, finance minister P. Chidambaram today expressed cautious optimism about a further decline in inflation. At the same time, he warned that the pressure on the economy would continue till international prices decline.