Thursday, February 14, 2002, Chandigarh, India
 Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

Violence marks polling in Punjab
Firing incidents in Gidderbaha, Fatehgarh Churian; clashes elsewhere
Chandigarh, February 13
At least half-a-dozen sporadic incidents of clashes and skirmishes, including two firing episodes, between supporters of various political parties marked polling in Punjab today. The tentative poll percentage for all 17 districts is around 65. Voting was held for 116 seats.

Exit poll: Cong heads for landslide victory In video: (28k, 56k) 100-year-old Dulari Devi is being taken to a polling booth at Kurali.

Over 10 pc denied franchise
Mahilpur, February 13
In the absence of credible electoral rolls, a substantial number of voters, estimated to be more than 10 per cent of the total electorate in the state , carrying both voter identity cards and voter identity slips issued by the polling agents of the candidates, were sent back from polling booths following the last-minute deletion of their names from the poll rolls.

Vajpayee rebutts Pak claim on N-test
Warns against disinformation campaign
Agra, February 13

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today strongly rebutted Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s claim that India may have clandestinely carried out a nuclear test, and warned Islamabad of any disinformation campaign ostensibly aimed at garnering international support against India on the vexed Kashmir issue.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee waves to the crowd at an election rally in Agra on Wednesday. — PTI photo

• India has tested N-device: Pervez
  In video: (28k, 56k) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf arrives for an official visit to Washington.

• Extradition linked to resumption  of talks: Pak

Withdraw troops, begin talks: Pervez
Washington, February 13
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today asked New Delhi to pull back its troops to peace-time positions and come to the negotiating table for resolving all issues, including Kashmir.

Ansari admits to links with LeT
New Delhi, February 13
Aftab Ansari, one of the prime suspects in the shooting at the USIS in Kolkata, today admitted he had active links with various militant outfits, including the Lashkar-e-Toiba.

Pearl’s fate  still unclear, says Pak police
Karachi, February 13
The Pakistani police said today that the fate of kidnapped US reporter Daniel Pearl remained unclear, despite the arrest of the chief suspect in the case.

It’s been an uphill task: Aamir
Mumbai, February 13
For the stunned “Lagaan” makers, a top five nomination in the Oscar Best Foreign Film category has sure been an uphill task! But, they say, as the only “multiple-genre work” in the race, the best news about “Lagaan” is yet to come. In video: (28k, 56k)

Plague case
NICD team to visit PGI
Shimla, February 13
A team of doctors of the Delhi-based National Institute of Communicable Diseases has been summoned following positive signs of pneumatic plague in a woman patient at Indira Gandhi Medical College here today.

• Chandigarh page: Pneumonic plague in city?