Pitch in, Shabir tells Musharraf
In a significant development, the president of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, Mr. Shabir Ahmad Shah, today wrote to the Pakistan Chief Executive, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, urging Islamabad to come forward and contribute towards the restoration of peace and stability in the subcontinent.

Bill on Panchayat Act deferred
The Centre today decided to defer the 87th Constitution Amendment Bill empowering States to choose the mode of election of chairpersons and members at the block and district panchayat levels, after an all-party meeting here failed to reach a consensus.

Return to NDA, MPs tell Mamata
The Trinamool Congress chief, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, is said to be under great pressure from party functionaries, especially the MPs, to reconsider a comeback to the NDA as they think that it was a far better bet than the Congress in West Bengal as reflected in the just-concluded Assembly elections.

Enron serves termination notice
The Dabhol Power Company, an Enron-sponsored firm, today served what it called a preliminary termination notice (PTN) on the Maharashtra State Electricity Board for scrapping the power purchase agreement between the two.

Shanmugham to head Pondy Govt. again
Mr. P. Shanmugham, Chief Minister of Pondicherry, was elected again the Congress Legislature Party leader to head the new Government of the Congress-TMC combine with the outside support of the AIADMK.

Gold prices zoom
Gold prices zoomed to a 14-month high on the bullion market here today when standard gold touched Rs. 4,600 per ten grams on heavy stockist buying on expectations of a further rise in international prices.

One killed in train accident
One person was killed and five injured when five coaches of the Delhi-bound Sadbhavana Express derailed near Sultanpur on the Varanasi-Lucknow section of the Northern Railway today.

Samata rethink?
In a sudden development, the 12-member Samata Party tonight said it would hold an emergency meeting on Monday of its national executive committee to reconsider its participation in the NDA Government at the Centre.