2 min readAug 4, 2026 06:40 AM IST First published on: Aug 4, 2026 at 06:40 AM ISTThe British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, appeared to have yielded a little to the pressure exerted by the other Commonwealth countries, including India, on the question of sanctions against South Africa. At the first session of the mini-Commonwealth, Thatcher agreed that adequate progress had not been made since the Nassau summit last October and expressed her willingness to consider further measures. This has given rise to hopes that the meeting may end in some positive conclusions and avoid a rift within the Commonwealth.Bandh ends in DarjeelingThe West Bengal Chief Minister, Jyoti Basu, presided over a high-level closed-door meeting to discuss the Darjeeling situation and ways to tighten up the security arrangements in view of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF).Arms seized in PunjabAdvertisementEleven suspected terrorists belonging to two groups were arrested and some arms and ammunition seized from them. This apart, one person was shot at and injured. In another incident, four armed men snatched a .12 bore licensed gun and three live cartridges from its owner, the police said.Land reform implementationThe Congress-I has sought detailed progress reports on the implementation of land reforms from its pradesh party presidents and state CMs. In a circular, the Congress-I VP, Arjun Singh, has asked the party CMs and pradesh presidents to make a critical appraisal of the effectiveness of the various legislative and other measures taken to ensure equitable distribution of land.