J&K: Militants execute IRCON engineer
Srinagar: Abductors have killed the Indian Railway Construction (IRCON) engineer, Sudhir Kumar Pundir and his brother in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. Police recovered the bodies of Sudhir Kumar Pundir and his brother from Sagoohandhama in Zainapora area of Shopian early this morning.

The bodies were found half buried in a pit in a maize field at Malnar Wudar with their eyes blind-folded and hands and legs tied with ropes. The duo was killed in cold blood by slitting open their throats. The inspection of the spot indicated that the execution was carried out Friday morning, as the bloodstains were still fresh.
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Uttar Pradesh RS polls: Cong nominations rejected
Lucknow: The nomination papers of the two Congress candidates in Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh were today rejected following a re-scrutiny. After hearing the arguments of the two Congress nominees and other candidates, the returning officer, R P Pandey observed that there was no need to reconsider his earlier decision.

The Congress has charged the Mulayam Singh government in UP with forcing the returning officer to reject the nomination papers.
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Indo-US space meet calls for review of policies
Bangalore: The just concluded Indo-US space conference has entrusted industry forums on either side to take up with their respective governments a "review and refinement" of the export control policies and barriers to trade in space related goods.

It also agreed that the multi-billion dollar space sector should be included in the joint High Technology Cooperation Group (HTCG). The industry groups are also expected to meet separately around August and make their requests in time for the HTCG meeting slated for October-November this year.
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'Supportive policy measures' for the gems and jewellery sector
New Delhi: The Commerce and Industry Minister, Kamal Nath, has promised "supportive policy measures" to the gems and jewellery sector in the coming months to give a further fillip to exports from this sector.

Initiating his sectoral interaction with exporters of gem and jewellery in the run up to the Union Budget and the Exim Policy, the minister also called upon exporters in thrust sectors such as the gems and jewellery sector to come up with time-bound marketing plans to tap overseas markets and achieve quantum jump in exports.

He told the members of the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) that his ministry would extend all support for such promotional plans to tap overseas markets more effectively.
Kamal Nath held that it would be reasonable to strive for achieving about $20 billion of exports by 2007. Exports from the gem and jewellery sector in 2003-04 were valued at $12 billion.
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Gulf embassies to provide helplines for NRIs
Thiruvananthapuram: Round-the-Clock helplines will be set up in all Indian embassies in the Gulf countries to ensure that problems faced by expatriate Indians are taken up for redressal, according to the Union Minister of State for External Affairs, E. Ahmed.
The first two helplines cell will start functioning from July in the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate office at Jeddah.

The Centre is also thinking in the lines of holding an 'open house' in the Indian Embassy and Consulate Office in Saudi Arabia on every second Thursday of the month. The `open house' would give them an opportunity to get their grievances addressed, Ahmed added.
Ahmed also announced relaxation of some of the immigration rules relating to those falling under the 'emigration clearance not required' (ECNR) category. So far, the ECNR facility was available only for degree-holders. From now on, the benchmark would be Plus Two certificates. Diplomas and certificates issued by Government-approved institutions would also be accepted.
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