Thursday, November 7, 2002, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

BJP rebels shelve plan to float party
Lucknow, November 6
BJP dissidents in Uttar Pradesh today shelved their plans for forming a separate party following a meeting between rebel leader Ramasish Rai and union minister Uma Bharti who was sent by the party leadership to dissuade them from precipitating the crisis.

IAF to  re-examine flight exercises
Ambala, November 6
In a major development in the wake of Jaguar crash here yesterday, the Indian Air Force is said to be planning to re-examine the flight exercises from the Ambala Cantonment airbase.

Editorial: Jaguar crash Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj talks to the bereaved family members of Jaguar crash victims on Wednesday. An IAF Jaguar crashed and flattened two houses near Ambala on Tuesday.  — PTI  photo

Punjab hikes gallantry cash awards
Chandigarh, November 6
The Punjab Council of Ministers today constituted an empowered committee to monitor various development projects. Among other decisions, it was also decided to enhance the one-time cash awards for future winners of the gallantry awards

Pherurai disappears  for six hours
Ludhiana, November 6
Former SSP Gurcharan Singh Pherurai, who is facing graft charges and currently lodged in the Central Jail, kept the police on its toes after his whereabouts could not be ascertained for over six hours after an escort from the local police lines took him to be produced before a local court here this evening.

Nod to token jatha to Pak
New Delhi, November 6
The Atal Behari Vajpayee government has decided to allow a token jatha of 51 persons to attend the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev at Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on November 19, it is learnt. The Home Ministry has done the preparatory work in this regard which is awaiting the clearance of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister L.K. Advani.

Unilateral truce useless: Azad
Jammu, November 6
The Congress said today that a unilateral ceasefire by Centre against militants in the state during Ramzan was of no use unless the other party “reciprocated it.”

Pak-Saudi nuke nexus?
New Delhi, November 6
After the lid has been blown off from the Pakistan-North Korea nexus on nuclear weapons cooperation, a similar clandestine cooperation is understood to be on between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia with China playing a key role in the murky behind-the-scene international power games.

  World page: Pakistan the nuke proliferator

India offers $ 10m loan to Cambodia
Phnom Penh, November 6
In a special gesture, India today extended a $ 10 million line of credit on exceptionally preferential terms to Cambodia and signed three other agreements with the South-East Asian country to boost trade, carry out restoration work on 1000-year-old Ta Prohm and extend cooperation in technical education. 
In video: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee arrived in Laos on Thursday for a two-day visit. (28k, 56k)

Republicans seize control of Senate
Washington, November 6
Republicans narrowly seized control of the US Senate today, giving President George W. Bush a major political and legislative boost as he starts the final two years of his first term at the White House.

  3 Indian-Americans win in US poll

TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE When Johl put in his papers Chandigarh, November 6 Bureaucrats take Capt Amarinder Singh and Dr S.S. Johl for a ride. The latter resigns in protest as Vice-Chairman, State Planning Board, it is reliably learnt. Dr Johl, as Chairperson of the Chief Minister’s Advisory Committee, had prepared a radical agriculture policy for Punjab with emphasis on practical solutions, making diversification possible and viable.