The sixth round of official talks between India and China on the border and other bilateral issues began in New Delhi on a promising note with the leaders of the two delegations adopting a “forward looking” approach towards improvement in mutual relations. After a preliminary review of the bilateral relations, the two sides broke up into four subgroups for detailed consideration of various aspects.
A city for the rich
The Orissa government is building a new city for its elite. Though an extension of Cuttack, the development plan of the new township promises its rich would-be residents complete insulation from the chaos, filth and eyesores of the old town. Named Bidanasi Cuttack, the new town will be about half the size of Cuttack and has been planned to accommodate 2 lakh residents. The new township will be built on 2000 acres, much of which was obtained by building the ring embankment on the Mahanadi and Kathjori rivers that sandwich Bidanasi. The Cuttack Development Authority has tagged the price of plots at a level that is beyond the reach of the poor.
Benazir freed
Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhulto challenged President Zia-ul-Haq to an election showdown as she left two months of house arrest in Karachi to testify at an inquiry in France. The leader of the banned Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). who was transferred by the armed police from her Karachi home straight onto a Swissair flight for Zurich, made the challenge in a written statement to Reuters.
Reagan on nukes
The US President, Ronald Reagan, said in an interview with Soviet journalists that the United States will not deploy the star wars system to defend against nuclear weapons “until we do away with our nuclear missiles, our offensive missiles”. However, Reagan, in a text of the interview released by the White House, appeared to indicate that the United States would also require the Soviets to eliminate their missiles before America dismantles its nuclear arsenal.
Ex-judge killed
A former district and sessions judge of Tees Hazari Court, Harkishan Singh Malik, was murdered in his house, at C-4. Chief Commissioner’s colony, Rana Pratap Bagh, under mysterious circumstances. His body was discovered by his munshi in an unused kitchen on the upper portion of the building. Malik was around 62. He was a bachelor and had retired from judicial service about four years ago.
