Opinion 40 years ago November 20, 1985: Superpower summit
This is the front page of The Indian Express published on November 20, 1985.
This is the front page of The Indian Express published on November 20, 1985. 
The opening day of the first superpower summit in six years was officially brought to a close after the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, and the US President, Ronald Reagan, held a third meeting lasting nearly 30 minutes. The two leaders had two rounds of talks, one in the morning and another in the evening. The first session, which lasted two hours and 20 minutes, included hour-long private talks between the two leaders when they agreed to impose a news blackout until the two-day meeting was over. The White House spokesman, Larry Speakes, said the news blackout, which had been discussed by US and Soviet officials, was agreed upon during the get-acquainted chat.
Arafat thanks India
The Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), Yasser Arafat, expressed his gratitude to India for its consistent support to the cause of Palestinians struggling for their homeland. Addressing a press conference shortly before his departure from New Delhi, the PLO leader said he did not expect member states of the non-aligned movement to join “in our war”.
Transport official beaten up
A CBI officer was transferred to Hyderabad following a complaint that he stripped and beat up M L Malik, Joint Director in the Transport Directorate, in his office. The Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, M G Katre, said the CBI had begun an investigation into the complaint against the officer, G S Waraich, Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Subsidised grain scheme
The Finance Minister, V P Singh, announced three new measures in Parliament to improve the lot of those below the poverty line. The measures include a scheme to provide subsidised food grains to people in the integrated tribal development projects in the country. Singh also announced that ration card holders all over the country will not have any restriction on the quantities of wheat they can draw from fair price shops from now till March 31, 1986.
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