The industry has been requested by foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee to cut salaries instead of cutting jobs to fight the bad times of financial meltdown across the globe, which has led to major cut in jobs in recent past.

According to Mr. Mukherjee, who also holds the charge of the finance ministry, there was a need to protect the labour force, even if it meant a slight reduction in emoluments.

Prague - The European Union condemns Israeli plans for settlement expansion in the West Bank, the Czech EU presidency said in a statement delivered on behalf of the 27-member bloc.

The EU called on Israel in the statement issued late Friday to reconsider plans for construction in the vicinity of the Adam settlement in the West Bank, as it would violate international law and Israel's commitments made to the Palestinians in the Annapolis peace talks.

The union said that expansion of the settlements "is a major obstacle to peace in the Middle East."

Murshidabad, Feb 21 : Union External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday appealed to the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to come to a peaceful negotiated settlement.

"Political solution is the only way out and the two sides should sit across the table for a negotiated settlement," Mukherjee told media persons on the sidelines of a function at Raghunath Ganj here.

He expressed his views after the latest air raids by LTTE over Colombo.

Tata Motors has appointed the country's largest lender, the State Bank of India (SBI) as an exclusive booking agent for Nano. The ambitious small car due to launch by Tata group soon, is expected to record decent sales.

The Chief Manager of SBI, Jayanta Kumar Sinha, said on Friday, "SBI has been selected as the sole booking agent for Nano."

However, Mr. Sinha refused to disclose details of deal between SBI and Tata and said that official announcement is likely to come in few days.

New Delhi, Feb. 21 : As the criminal activities are rising in Punjab, a growing number of women have started keeping licensed guns to protect themselves.

With 541 licensed weapons registered for women, Bhatinda district comes first in the tally, followed by Patiala (256) and Faridkot (105).

Women feel that keeping a weapon would enable them to defend themselves and their families in crisis situations.

"One incident happened with me. One boy of my village molested me. That is why I have to keep this licensed weapon for my security," said Manpreet Kaur, a local villager.

Gaza - An inter-Palestinian reconciliation dialogue between the rival Fatah and Hamas movements will begin in Cairo next Wednesday, a senior Palestinian official said Saturday.

Azzam al-Ahmed, head of the Fatah bloc in the Palestinian parliament, told reporters his movement had received an official invitation from Egypt to join the dialogue.

The Gaza-based Ramattan news agency also quoted an Egyptian Foreign Ministry official as saying Cairo had issued invitations to the Palestinian factions.