Obama aides at Dharamsala

Senior Obama administration officials held talks with top members of the Tibetan government in-exile at its headquarters at Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, on Sunday, ahead of what is being described as a "significant" meeting with the Dalai Lama on Monday.

A three-member White House team led by senior presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett, which arrived on a special chartered flight at Kangra's Gaggal airstrip on Saturday afternoon, held meetings on Sunday with Tibetan "prime minister" Samdhong Rinpoche and the Dalai Lama's special envoy, Lodi Gyari.

While officials have not disclosed any details about the closed-door meetings, sources said the "discussions possibly included the possibility of reopening the Tibet-China dialogue in preparation for the US delegation's meeting with.

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Prime Minister is better, watches Television

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had gone through a coronary bypass surgery on Saturday at AIIMS, is making speedy recovery. On Monday, Dr Singh watched the Republic Day parade on TV from his hospital bed. Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi visited Dr Singh and inquired about his health.

AIIMS authorities said the Prime Minister continues to make “excellent progress” and had “some semi-solid food” on Monday. He had been on a liquid diet till Sunday evening after the surgery. Authorities said several invasive monitoring lines have been removed and the Prime Minister will be given physiotherapy once he is out of the ICU to enable early mobilisation. Though the date of discharge has not been finalised, considering his progress, doctors do not think that Dr Singh would have to stay in the hospital for long. “The PM is showing further improvement in his health. In the morning he watched the Republic Day function on television,” said AIIMS medical superintendent D. K Gupta.

Dr Singh, 76, underwent an 11-hour bypass heart surgery at the AIIMS. He is expected to be in the hospital for about a week.

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Cut prices by Apr 15, or we'll agitate: CPM

The CPI(M) said on Sunday that it would launch a nationwide agitation along with like minded parties if the UPA government failed to take measures to control the rising prices of essential commodities by April 15.

The Marxist threat comes on the eve of a meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to review the situation arising out of surging prices, particularly of some food and metal items, in the backdrop of spiralling inflation.

The 19th national congress of the CPI (M), now in session here, adopted a resolution expressing grave concern at the galloping prices and called upon the government to "shed its neo-liberal approach and initiate immediate steps to check the price rise." Briefing the media later, politburo member Sitaram Yechury said his party congress wanted the UPA government to strengthen the public distribution system, ban futures trading in essential commodities, restructure customs and excise duties on oil imports and punish hoarders.

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