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August 23
THE SITUATION IN J&K
Hurriyat in talks with Pak officials in Delhi
Senior home ministry officials said two Hurriyat politicians and two or more of their colleagues met Pakistani High Commission officials to discuss the resumption of peace talks in Kashmir.
Hizb hopes talks will resume soon, says Dar
'We may again announce the unilateral cease-fire within the next two months,' the chief commander (operations) in Kashmir said.
HC gives defence ministry six weeks to clear rents of J&K properties
No compensation has been paid to the 621 owners of buildings, land and orchards since 1993. The reason: a dispute over who should foot the bill -- the army, the Union home ministry or the state.
LS rejects Congress demand for judicial probe
Home Minister L K Advani said such a move was not feasible in view of the executive inquiry going on into the Amarnath massacre.
J&K government to explain 'autonomy' demand
It wants to dispel misinformation, doubts and misunderstanding among sections of the public, press and intelligentsia about the content and implications of the state autonomy committee's report.
Salahuddin praises Pak role in Kashmir: PTI
The chief of the Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen said no Muslim country, except Pakistan, had been providing support to Kashmiri separatists.
J&K landmine blast toll rises to three: PTI
Another soldier died of his wounds late on Monday night, following the powerful landmine explosion earlier in the day in Kupwara district.
Rights groups demand probe into massacres
Just as we condemn abuses against civilians at the hands of security forces, we oppose violations of international humanitarian law by militant groups, Human Rights Watch, a New York-based group said.
THE JAPANESE PREMIER'S VISIT
Golf at Infosys, IT at Wipro
Tuesday was a historic day for the Indian infotech industry when Yoshiro Mori had a tryst with the two Bangalore-based software firms, which are owned and run entirely by Indians with global players as their customers.
Mori unveils Indo-Japan IT promotion plan
The Japanese prime minister announced a Indo-Japan IT Promotion and Co-operation Initiative, which, he said, would take the current low-profile bonds between the two countries in the infotech field to a great potential.
RAJAKUMAR'S ABDUCTION
Karnataka hopeful of response by Wed: PTI
Karnataka hopes to get a positive response from Veerappan on the release of the abducted Kannada thespian and three others, Home Minister M Mallikarjuna Kharge said.
Jayalalitha, pan-Tamil parties plot Karunanidhi's downfall
Taking advantage of Dr Rajakumar's kidnapping and its fall-out, Jayalalitha is focusing on embarrassing the DMK and Karunanidhi, irrespective of the larger consequences.
OTHER REPORTS
Laloo takes `rich brother' Naidu to task
The RJD chief noted happily that some chief ministers (of developed states) did not attend Monday's meeting organised by Naidu in Delhi.
HC issues notice to govt on Kalyan's plea
The Delhi high court asked the home ministry, the Uttar Pradesh state government and the Liberhan Ayodhya Commission of Inquiry to explain their positions on a petition filed by former state chief minister Kalyan Singh, seeking to quash a bailable warrant against him.
IAF plans to indigenise manufacture of spares
The air force, which buys spares worth more than Rs 20 billion annually, is pursuing an aggressive agenda for indigenisation with the active participation of the private sector.
Rukma Singh seeks custody of Aaliya Ilyasi
Television serial producer Suhaib Ilyasi's mother-in-law moved the Delhi high court, seeking custody of his three-year-old daughter.
Trinamul leaders oppose entry of Congressmen
Muslim Trinamul Congress politicians have resented the likely entry on September 7 of several top Congress leaders, including pradesh Congress committee general secretary Sultan Ahmed and Youth Congress president Paresh Pal.
NHRC fines UP govt for custodial death
The National Human Rights Commission has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pay Rs 200,000 to the next of kin of an undertrial who succumbed to injuries received while in police custody.
Orissa to take greater care of prison inmates
Acting on directives of the National Human Rights Commission, Orissa has decided to issue health cards to all prisoners in jails across the state.
Two more AP Congress MLAs hospitalised
The fast-unto-death by Congress and leftist legislators entered the fifth day on Tuesday, even as agitating activists of the parties organised road blockades at several places and damaged five buses in the city.
'Pak shifting river course towards India'
Satellite pictures suggest that Pakistan is constructing embankments and taking flood protection measures on the Ravi to force it to shift its course towards India, which could endanger border outposts during the monsoon, Minister of State for Water Resources Bijoya Chakravarty told Parliament.
'New states by winter session of Parliament'
Intervening at the parliamentary party meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party in New Delhi, Union Home Minister L K Advani said the people of Uttaranchal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh will rejoice with the formation of the new states.
VHP offers to protect cows donated to Guruvayoor
It has offered to take care of the old and sick cows that devotees offer to the Sri Krishna temple, placing a heavy burden on the management of the shrine.
Kumaramangalam's condition worsens
His general condition has deteriorated with circulatory instability and hypertension. He is not responding to treatment, the medical superintendent of the AIIMS said.
Transport strike in Maharashtra
They are protesting against the alleged harassment and extortion by officials of the motor vehicle and traffic department under the cover of implementing a high court order on checking pollution control certificates of vehicles.
SPECIALS
How and why China proliferates ballistic missiles to Pakistan
'Unraveling the proliferation connection between China and Pakistan remains one of the most important and difficult challenges for global nonproliferation efforts,' say Phil Saunders, Jing-dong Yuan and Gaurav Kampani.
Army suspects Chinese hand in N-E floods
Army officials suspect that the Peoples Liberation Army may have blasted the dam to experiment on the impact of flash floods in the sensitive Northeast and study the damage such a flood may cause on the Indian side.
PTI REPORTS
Pranab Mukherjee named Bengal Cong chief
A B A Ghani Khan Chowdhury, who was at loggerheads with the high command on various issues, including a 'grand alliance', was removed as West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president.
Balakrishna Pillai held, freed on bail
The former power minister of Kerala was arrested at his residence in Trivandrum in connection with the illegal sale of electricity in 1984-85.
Cable operators begin two-day strike in Maharashtra
Viewers in various parts of the state, including Bombay, had to skip their favourite TV shows as the operators began the strike to protest against the government's decision to increase entertainment tax.
Indians can reach South Pole soon
The 18th and 19th Antarctica expeditions explored a crevasse-free route to the polar plateau from the Indian station Maitri, thus opening a way for Indians to reach the South Pole at some later date.
Former student leader killed in Assam
A former leader of the All-Assam Students Union was killed while a police-Central Reserve Police Force convoy was ambushed by militants in Assam on Monday, close on the heels of the killing of a Bodo litterateur and a legislator.
14 hijackers of India-bound ship sentenced
A Chinese court has handed down sentences ranging from death to prison terms to 14 pirates from Burma for hijacking a Taiwanese cargo ship carrying alkali, bound for Calcutta port, in March 1999, the Chinese media reported.
COLUMN
Skin-deep intellect on J&K autonomy, II
'Factual errors by the media, which can easily be avoided, indicate a skin-deep chalta hai attitude towards national responsibility that falls on democracy's fourth estate,' says Arvind Lavakare.
August 22
Japanese premier arrives in Bangalore
On Tuesday, the premier will tour the offices of Infosys Technologies and Wipro Corporation in Bangalore's Electronic City. Thereafter, he will address a joint meeting of Indian and Japanese industrialists.
India, Japan looking for increased security co-operation
'Japan and India both want the sea lanes open, and they pass through the Indian Ocean, where our navy is pre-eminent. The very fact that Fernandes visited Japan twice in quick succession shows that something is brewing,' said sources.
THE SITUATION IN J&K
Brigadier, colonel killed in landmine blast
The sector commander of 7 Rashtriya Rifles, Brigadier Sher Gill, and Colonel Rajinder Chauhan, commanding officer of 21 RR, were moving through Zachaldara when their vehicle hit the landmine.
Talks with Hizb set to resume, says Farooq
This time the talks will be held in secret. 'There will be no media hype,' the Jammu & Kashmir chief minister said.
Pandits reject action plan on return: PTI
According to Panun Kashmir spokesman Ramesh Manvati, the proposal is impractical, ill designed, and fails to address the political aspirations of the Kashmiri Pandits.
Hizb rejects resettlement plan for Pandits
The security of the minorities cannot be ensured by creating security zones for them. Their protection will be ensured by the majority community, a Hizb spokesman said.
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen prefers 'jihad': PTI
Differences among militant outfits over the cease-fire and initiation of talks with India came to the fore with the Pakistan-backed Harkat-ul-Mujahideen warning separatists groups and political organisations against such moves.
RAJAKUMAR'S ABDUCTION
TNLA ultras fear freedom
They fear that the police would swoop down on Veerappan and his associates with a vengeance once Dr Rajakumar, the filmstar, is freed.
Detainees want scribes in swap party
The five TADA-NSA detainees in Tamil Nadu prisons, whose freedom has been sought by brigand Veerappan for releasing the kidnapped Kannada film icon, want a team of public personalities to be witness, fearing elimination in an 'encounter'.
OTHER REPORTS
Uma Bharti to take 'sanyas' from politics
Sources said she has sent her resignation to the Lok Sabha speaker with a copy to Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, her political mentor.
'Bandaru attended Deendar Anjuman meet'
Andhra Pradesh Home Minister T Devender Goud caused a flutter in the assembly when he recalled that several BJP politicians had attended a sammelan organised by the controversial organisation in Hyderabad.
Vajpayee agrees to consider richer states' demands
Under pressure from ally Chandrababu Nadu, the prime minister agreed to consider the demands of the `rich' states sympathetically.
Congressmen jump onto Trinamul bandwagon
Five senior West Bengal Congress office-bearers led by general secretary Sultan Ahmed have decided to join the Trinamul Congress.
Mahajan-Dilip Ray meeting raises eyebrows
Ray is cut up with Mahajan's host, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, following his unceremonious removal from the Union Cabinet on the latter's instruction.
Sanctions hit Indian sub rescue training
Submarine rescue is an area of major concern for the Indian Navy and is part of staff duty at Naval Headquarters, but is currently facing a roadblock.
1971 IA hijacker wants to return, stand trial
Hashim Qureshi was seventeen years old when he, along with his cousin Ashraf Qureshi, hijacked an Indian Airlines aircraft from Srinagar to Lahore. The aircraft was blown up by the Pakistanis and both Hashim and his cousin were taken in a procession from the Lahore airport.
Producer-director Pranlal Mehta cremated
Among his more memorable works were Hum Se Badkar Kaun, Bezuban, Marte Dam Tak, 100 Days, Zid, Betaaj Badshah and Mafia.
Missing caesium: hospital ban lifted
The hospital has agreed to implement the approved protocol in the matter. It has also set up a radiation safety committee to monitor safety aspects in various departments.
Bengal Congressmen see red over Pranab Mukherjee's appointment as PCC chief
The Congress leadership wants to hand over charge to a person known for his allegiance to CPI-M general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet. Under the circumstances, how can we say that we are not functioning as stooges of the CPI-M, ask Congressmen.
Goa continues to be plagued by defections
The reason for defections is no more a secret.
PTI REPORTS
Three AP Congress MLAs shifted to hospital
The Opposition intensified its agitation and launched relay hunger strikes in all the district headquarters and resorted to 'rasta roko' in protest against the increase in power tariffs.
Amnesty charges Hindu groups with inciting attacks on Christians
Right-wing Hindu political groups and associations have failed to clearly denounce acts of violence and have made public statements which might have incited individuals to violence, Amnesty official Emma Blower said.
Cable operators plan 2-day shutdown in Maharashtra
The operators will shut down transmission of all channels on Tuesday and Wednesday to protest against the state government's decision to increase entertainment tax.
Parliament passes cable networks bill
Besides seeking to remove certain deficiencies in the Cable Networks Act, the bill makes it mandatory for operators to show at least three Doordarshan channels.
IT serves fresh notice on Laloo
The fresh tax demand includes interest after fresh evaluation of some assets and detection of investments in Kisan Vikas Patras.
Kumaratunga offers to quit politics
The Sri Lankan president said she would quit electoral politics after resolving the ethnic conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Editor shot dead in Manipur
Two persons shot dead Thounaojam Brajamani, editor of an English daily, in Imphal on Sunday night.
Kumaramangalam's condition improves
Though his general condition continues to be critical, the Union power minister has shown signs of improvement in his circulatory status, according to a medical bulletin issued on Monday morning.
DIARY
Of sports and correspondents
Faisal Shariff's outpourings on what it is to extract an interview from a cricketer.
COLUMNS
Safety down under
'Ever since submarines made their entry into naval warfare during the early part of this century, there have been a number of accidents involving collisions, grounding, explosions and fires,' says Admiral (retd) J G Nadkarni.
Praan Jaye Par Nobel Na Jaye
'Many readers asked me: if not Vajpayee, then who? Who?! I fail to understand this dilemma! I believe that NO one is indispensable. What do you mean by "There Is No Alternative"! There ALWAYS is. At this point in time, even Mulayam Singh is better than this halwai!' says Varsha Bhosle.
August 21
Moderate's murder may affect Bodo movement
Boda Sahitya Sabha president Bineshwar Brahma, was assassinated in his house last night apparently because of his role in adopting Devnagri script for the Bodo language apart from the Roman script.
Naidu to go ahead with CMs' meeting
Asked about reports that the prime minister was not in favour of holding such a meeting, Naidu said he had explained to Vajpayee that the meeting had nothing to with politics but has only an economic agenda.
India to launch two satellites next year
These satellites will help augmenting the present transmission facility and also weather information, Union Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi said.
Alliance Air Boeing's FDR decoded
A flight data recorder readout has been prepared but the transcript of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) is yet to be carried out, officials said.
DEVELOPMENTS IN J&K
Two militants killed, major tragedy averted in Jammu
Troops belonging to the Romeo Force averted a major tragedy with the timely recovery of a powerful improvised explosive device in Poonch district Saturday evening.
Four of family shot dead in J&K
The family was not involved in any dispute so police suspect it was a militant attack.
RAJAKUMAR'S ABDUCTION
Gopal yet to confirm contact with Veerappan: PTI
'He (Gopal) might have met Veerappan. We are waiting anxiously to hear from him. But he is likely to take another day to establish contact with us,' Nakkeeran associate editor A Kamaraj said.
August 20
KUMARAMANGALAM'S CONDITION
Acute myeloid leukaemia is the diagnosis
It is a kind of blood cancer. Kumaramangalam's condition continues to remain critical with circulatory instability, disseminated intravascular coagulation and renal shutdown.
He was satisfied with our treatment: Apollo
He was very keen to attend the ongoing Parliament session and requested discharge despite advice to the contrary, the hospital, which was prepared for any public probe on the issue, said.
DEVELOPMENTS IN J&K
Lashkar sending suicide squads: PTI
As many as 800 mercenaries are getting special three-month training for graduating to 'fidayeen' squad activists at Umal Basti in Muzaffarabad and Bagalpur in Pakistan, a captured militant said.
Hurriyat executive fails to discuss chief's proposal
In another development, the Hizb chief Syed Salahuddin demanded that world powers guarantee New Delhi would demonstrate sincerity in holding talks to resolve the Kashmir issue.
Major reshuffle in J&K administration
The government ordered the transfer and postings of 44 senior officials, including over a dozen bureaucrats of the Indian Administrative Service cadre on Friday evening.
6 hurt in Pakistani border shelling
More than 20 houses were damaged due to artillery and mortar shelling by Pakistani troops from across the border in the northern sector on Friday night.
Fernandes rules out tripartite talks on Kashmir
However, the government is ready for talks with Kashmiri militants without any preconditions.
ARAFAT COMES CALLING
Apprises President about West Asia peace talks
India is expected to appeal to Arafat to continue with the talks and defer his declaration of a Palestine state until some compromise with Israel is reached. The Japanese have already made a similar appeal fearing a fresh outbreak of violence.
RAJAKUMAR'S ABDUCTION
Gopal establishes contact with Veerappan: PTI
The Karnataka government got this information from its counterpart in Tamil Nadu. However, no other details were known.
Gopal likely to reach hideout on Sunday morning: PTI
He had received the green signal from Veerappan's men to proceed deep into the jungles and reach the location where the outlaw was holding Kannada filmstar Dr Rajakumar and three others hostage.
Mysore court allows dropping of TADA charges
With the dropping of the cases, the accused are now free to seek bail. Chief Minister S M Krishna has made it clear that the bail applications will not be opposed.
Rajakumar is safe, claims yoga teacher
"Annavru is not being held captive in the jungles," claimed retired police officer and yogi H S Naiker.
NEWS
35 bodies recovered from MP accident site
Officials at the accident site said that 70 passengers were travelling in the ill-fated bus. Of these ten, who were seated on the bus top, were rescued Saturday morning.
Four-year-old boy sacrificed in UP
Driven by the desire to get a son at any cost, a resident of Rumpura Buzurg village in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh sacrificed his neighbour's four-year-old child.
Nepal-based ISI agent behind UP blasts
Two men arrested in Gorakhpur on Friday in connection with the blasts confessed that the Nepal-based agent was the ISI front-man.
Musharraf refuses to retire as army chief
Pakistan's chief executive also denied plans to join politics.
Bus hijacked in Bombay, offender nabbed
The offender, Rajesh Singh, was on his way to Ghatkopar and all of a sudden he felt like driving the bus to his destination. Without further thought, he jumped into the driver's seat and drove away.
15 more AP Congress MLAs suspended
Saturday's suspensions bring the number of Congress members suspended in two days to 75.
GNLF may renew demand for Gorkhaland
"Our demand for a separate Gorkhaland is very old,'' GNLF leader in the West Bengal assembly Santa Chhetri said on Friday.
PTI REPORTS
Ajit Singh raises the pitch for Harit Pradesh
The Lok Dal leader announced launching of a peaceful agitation for the creation of a separate state in western Uttar Pradesh, which he warned could take a violent turn if the demand was not accepted.
'Pak chief justice held captive during coup'
Apparently, an army captain requested him not to go to the Supreme Court 'for the time being'.
Karnataka says its right to information law is the best
The ordinance provides for penalty and disciplinary action for failure to supply information by the competent authority.
HC issues notice to Chandra Shekhar
The notice to the former prime minister is in a case of alleged illegal land-grabbing at Rampur municipal locality in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh about four years back.
Students' death: Police picket set ablaze
Tension mounted in Imamgunj following the recovery of bodies of the three students who were missing after Friday's police firing on a mob of students protesting the alleged assault on a student Ravindra Kumar by a militant outfit.
SPECIAL
Kashmir massacres: Night without end?
Part III
'Strong-arm tactics are the only tactics that work against those who believe in violence. Unless you can break the back of insurgency with force, you can forget about the return to peace,' says Wing Commander R V Parasnis (retd).
August 19
A small elite wants to keep us out:
Mahendra Chaudhary
Every time there is a multiracial cabinet in Fiji, there is a coup. This problem is not incidental, and has to be addressed so that multiracial democracy and governments are respected by all, Chaudhary said.
BARC scientist had no apparent problem
Everything was smooth on the home and work front. Colleagues, neighbours and relatives are perplexed.
DIARY
What to do when Veerappan kidnaps you
M D Riti presents the options and how to go about 'em.
DEVELOPMENTS IN J&K
Militant Hizb angling for a political slot
According to intelligence reports, the Hizbul Mujahideen is trying to replace the Hurriyat Conference as the leading separatist political group in Kashmir.
Qureshi confident Hizb will return for talks
The mediator denied any rift between the Hizb militants in Jammu & Kashmir and those in Pakistan.
Conducive atmosphere must: Venkaiah Naidu
He indicated that 'pin-pricks', like the Inter Services Intelligence's instigation of Deendar Anjuman activists in India, would have to stop.
Hizb chief denies offer to resume talks
Firm on Pakistan's involvement in any future dialogue, Salahuddin said in a statement in Islamabad that Qureshi had no right to issue any statement on the Hizb's behalf.
Hurriyat puts forth new proposal
Its chief Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat has offered a new formula - to form two groups of Hurriyat leaders for holding talks separately with India and Pakistan and hammer out a solution to the Kashmir problem.
Govt awaits concrete offer on J&K talks
"Any militant organisation wishing to peacefully hold dialogue will now have to prove its sincerity,'' a senior government official said in New Delhi.
Experts for caution on talks with Hizb
Several prominent personalities, including jurist Rajinder Sachar, have welcomed the Centre's initiative of holding talks with the Kashmiri militant group Hizbul Mujahideen for restoring peace in the valley, but called for caution.
Curfew in Rajouri after ultras kill 6
Harkat-ul-Jehade Islami militants surrounded a house in the village at about 19:19 hours and fired at the inhabitants, killing six on the spot and leaving seven others seriously wounded.
SPECIAL
Kashmir massacres: Is there an end?
It is not that I wish to condemn all Kashmiris. All of us have our faults and failings. My point is that we, rest of us Indians, are not villains in every way and the Kashmiris are not all saints, says Wing Commander (retd) R V Parasnis.
NEWS
Lankan parliament dissolved
President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Friday called for general elections on October 10.
Patwa's condition 'stable'
Doctors have advised the Union minister for rural development complete rest.
Pilgrims stranded due to landslides
The route to the Gangotri shrine has been blocked due to landslides at Nautala and Bhalla, eight km from Bhatwadi, while the route to Kedarnath has become intraversible due to roads caving in at Badasu and Sonprayag, leaving pilgrims stranded in Bhatwadi village in Uttarkashi district.
Discontent brews again at FTII
There is discontent over the alleged failure of a new course structure at the Poona-based Film and Television Institute of India.
PTI REPORTS
Centre contemplating action against Deendar Anjuman
Advani said the government was committed to protect the minorities and their rights but at the same time would oppose attempts by vested interests to perpetuate minoritism.
India assures Chaudhry help
India on Friday assured the deposed prime minister of Fiji that it will intensify international action for restoration of democracy in the island nation, including raising the issue at the United Nations and Commonwealth.
Arjuna awardee on fast-unto-death
The footballer has been on a fast since August 15 in Patna to protest against the alleged dilly-dallying attitude of the Bihar State Road Transport Corporation in clearing his salaries and other allowances.
72 oppn MLAs suspended in AP
The Congress, Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen and Left party members were on Friday suspended for periods ranging from one to three days for obstructing proceedings even as the Telugu Desam Party government conceded a combined opposition demand for constituting a House Committee to look into power reforms.
Kalyan fails to appear before Liberhan
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister on Friday failed to appear before the commission, probing events leading to the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya in December 1992 despite a bailable warrant being issued against him.
Apollo Hospital comes under attack in LS
Union Parliamentry Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan on Friday said the government would urge the health ministry to look into complaints of lapses in the treatment of Union Power Minister R Kumaramangalam at Apollo hospital, where he was initially.
CBI chargesheets Jaya in SPIC case
A special judge on Friday summoned the former Tamil Nadu chief minister to appear in court on September 4 in a corruption case relating to disinvestment of the state's stakes in petro-chemical giant
SPIC in 1992.
Live bombshell found in Gujarat
The bombshell, belonging to the army, was recovered from Koba and Adalaj road on the Gandhinagar highway near Ahmedabad on Thursday, police said.
SC dismisses Bhagwat's plea
The court on Friday dismissed a petition by the sacked navy chief, challenging the government's decision to dismiss him from service and the punitive measure to strip him of the title of admiral.
Former TN minister acquitted
V Sathyamoorthy was acquitted in the disproportionate wealth case by a special court in Madras.
India blasts Pak at UN rights meet
India lambasted Pakistan for unleashing ''inhuman and degrading'' acts of terrorism to nurture its political and territorial ambitions in Jammu and Kashmir.
INTERVIEW
'Air-India can start making profits in a year'
'The day we write off our working capital loans
we will bounce back. The government too must give us more managerial powers,' says Air-India Managing Director Michael P Mascarenhas.
COLUMNS
The need for a regional perspective
'It would be ideal if Pakistan chooses to constructively participate in promoting trade, investment and economic co-operation in South Asia. If Pakistan drags its feet, or returns to its usual habit of India baiting, no purpose will be served by contemplating higher level SAARC meetings. We have to go ahead with strengthening ties of regional economic co-operation including Pakistan if possible, but without Pakistan if necessary,' says G Parthasarathy.
Hindu Pilgrims Massacred; But the Show Must Go On
'Can you imagine the fuss if 50 Muslim or Christian pilgrims were slaughtered in India? Do you remember the
breast-beating about attacks on Christians? The god-awful fuss made over
exactly one missionary burned to death? Hindus, in the great Socialist
Progressive Secular Republic of India, are second-class citizens,' says Rajeev Srinivasan.
August 18
France okays joint working group on terrorism
It will mean greater interaction and co-operation between the various agencies charged with fighting terrorism in both countries. This co-operation could be in the form of training and exchange of manpower, among other things.
Kumaramangalam still in critical condition
''There has been no improvement in his condition,'' AIIMS medical superintendent R K Sarma said.
Tiruchi prays for Kumaramangalam
"He is a nice man and I will add a prayer for him this morning," said Ranganayaki Ammal, an old Brahmin woman at the Srirangam Temple, outside Tiruchi town, the Lok Sabha constituency of the Union energy minister, who is critically ill in New Delhi.
RAJAKUMAR'S ABDUCTION
TN works out options to get Rajakumar freed
The government called in officials associated with the Special Task Force (STF) of the state police, for discussions in Madras, over the weekend.
Ultras refuse bail, insist on withdrawal of cases
The extremists are demanding that they be released unconditionally, all charges against them be dropped and they be accompanied by a group of journalists while proceeding to the jungles after their release.
Petition to stop release of ultras dismissed
The court said it was not inclined to interfere with the government's decision on the release of the extremists, which had been taken in public interest.
The tension is palpable in Rajakumar's family
As the kidnap episode enters the 18th day, family members have closed rank and assembled at the Kannada matinee idol's home in Bangalore. Dr Rajakumar's two sons have been shuttling between Bangalore and Madras in an attempt to end the ordeal.
INTERVIEWS
'I have no anger against Veerappan. But he should not be given amnesty'
Preetha Harikrishna, wife of a Suprintendent of Police T Harikrishna, who was killed by Veerappan, speaks of the Dr Rajakumar kidnap.
'I can't explain how I survived...it must be God'
I could see the aircraft was plunging rapidly...I just couldn't figure out what was happening. I really can't recall what happened thereafter. I still don't know whether I fell unconscious or fell asleep. Bharat Rungta, one of the survivors of the Patna air-crash, recalls the horror.
SPECIALS
Mother sells baby for Rs 20 in Orissa!
Laxmi Matiari is emaciated due to starvation. Her husband is a diabetic and cannot work. They already have three children who they cannot feed. So the desperate mother gave her one-month-old son to an acquaintance who had no children. Bibhuti Mishra reports.
Kashmir massacres: Night without end?
'In spite of our long experience in tackling insurgencies, we have learnt nothing about dealing with them on a political level,' says Wing Commander (retd) R V Parasnis.
'Anjuman people love Pakistan, not India'
"They are not followers of Islam. Their teachings do not conform to the Holy Koran." The last part of George Iype's serial, Cult for the communal.
MAHENDRA CHAUDHARY'S VISIT
'India must protest subversion of Fiji Constitution'
He made an emotional appeal to India to take the lead in bringing international pressure upon Fiji and not to 'give in to the politics of white nations like Australia and New Zealand'.
'Soldiers, money, anything for Chaudhary'
The felicitation was nothing more than a public relations exercise for over-zealous politicians. Tired of their lengthy speeches, the crowd shooed them away, demanding that Chaudhary address them.
Chaudhary arrives on 10-day visit: PTI
The former Fiji prime minister, who was released last month after being held hostage for eight weeks by rebel leader George Speight, arrived in New Delhi with his wife.
OTHER REPORTS
Kalraj Misra elected UP BJP chief
Returning officer Pyarelal Khandelwal made the announcement at the state party headquarters following withdrawal of Ram Prakash Tripathi from the fray.
Deadly weed threatens Orissa's forests
Eupatorium (eupatorium odoratum), which stunts the growth of other plants in its vicinity, has infested huge forest areas in Orissa.
Diarrhoea claims 53 in Orissa district
The cases are mainly in Dasamantapur and Narayanpatna, where there is an acute shortage of potable water.
Another deer death at Orissa zoo
The threat of death is looming large over deer at the zoo due to tuberculosis.
Sardinha won't share power with rebel Congmen
The chief minister has said the rebel legislators would instead be rewarded with more development works in their constituencies.
RS passes two Constitution amendment bills
One of the bills, Constitution (88th amendment) Bill, 1999, allows states to relax qualifying marks in examinations or lower evaluation standards for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
Vittal seeks EC's aid to clean up poll process
The chief vigilance commissioner said his commission had taken up the issue with the Election Commission to see how electoral laws could be amended.
India's moon mission still five years away
ISRO has undertaken preliminary studies to examine the feasibility of undertaking an unmanned mission to moon and the country's polar satellite launch vehicle could be modified for this purpose.
12-hour curfew relaxation in Shillong
The relaxation will allow hordes of stranded tourists from neighbouring Assam to leave.
We will not beg for aid, says Arunachal MP
Floods claimed 30 lives and left 50,000 persons homeless in the state on June 11. But even two months later, the Centre has ignored pleas for aid.
Sunderlal Patwa admitted to hospital
Patwa complained of 'lack of co-ordination between his right hand and right leg'. He was initially given first-aid in Parliament House and then taken to AIIMS for a thorough check-up.
'RSS must apologise for not celebrating I-Day'
Condemning the RSS' decision not to unfurl the national flag, RJD spokesman Shivanand Tiwari told newspersons in Patna that this disregard for I-Day had exposed the RSS' true colours.
PTI REPORTS
IAF officer held for church blasts
The officer was passing on sensitive information on the location of various vital installations and defence establishments to Pakistan.
Twenty-nine militant training camps in PoK
Panja said there is no US mediation to bring India, Pakistan and Kashmiri groups to the negotiating table.
Close shave for 55 plane passengers
All passengers on board the Alliance Air flight had a miraculous escape on Thursday after the Boeing 737 aircraft suffered a bird-hit but landed safely just after take-off from Madras.
Ultras abduct 5 in J&K border village
The woman and two children have been abducted by foreign mercenaries from Dheri in Poonch district and taken to Pakistan occupied Kashmir, a defence spokesman said.
CBI gets nod to prosecute Jaya
The Central Bureau of Investigation is likely to file a chargesheet against former Tamil Nadu chief minister K Jayalalitha in the SPIC disinvestment case on Friday.
Kalyan moves HC for quashing warrant
Kalyan Singh has challenged constitution of the Liberhan Commission, probing the demolition of the Babri masjid in Ayodhya, in the Allahabad high court.
Samajwadi Party disrupts Lok Sabha
The members were protesting the 'breakdown of law and order' in Uttar Pradesh.
UNGA chief apprised of Pak designs
UN General Assembly president Theo-Ben Gurirab and Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh also discussed the broad regional situation, issues before the upcoming UN summit and peacekeeping operations.
No time-frame for uniform civil code
It is the government's policy not to interfere in the personal laws of minorities unless initiative for this comes from them, Law Minister Arun Jaitley said.
COLUMNS
Give Bachchan a chance
'At least Bachchan has showed that he does not walk away from a failure, however ignominious it may be. He is ready to acknowledge it, pay for it and start afresh with a clean slate. How many businessmen can you say that for,' asks Pritish Nandy.
Kashmir once again at the crossroads
The Government of India has already made a decision to take steps to make the militants pay for the deaths of innocent Indians. There is still some time left before these measures begin to be used, but that margin is being whittled every day, says T V R Shenoy.
August 17
Marginal improvement in Kumaramangalam's condition
Doctors at AIIMS reveal that Kumaramangalam had been ill since a few months, but are unwilling to comment on the nature of the illness. Sources revealed that he had been taking treatment at a private hospital in the capital since last week.
RAJAKUMAR'S ABDUCTION
Gopal leaves for jungle to meet Veerappan
In Bangalore, the Karnataka government expressed optimism that the court will take a favourable view on the release of 51 persons, as demanded by Veerappan, charged under the Terrorist And Disruptive Activities Act.
TADA case against Tamil extremist dropped
The prosecutor filed a memo saying the accused could be proceeded against under provisions of law other than TADA.
PIL against release of Tamil extremists
In a petition filed Wednesday, lawyer V Krishnamurthy sought the Madras high court's direction to the state government not to accept any illegal demands of Veerappan.
Karunanidhi behind abduction: Jayalalitha
If the demands are accepted more persons will start emulating Veerappan to make 'ransom demands' after abducting VIPs, she said.
Bomb hoax calls spread fear in Bangalore
The threats were received by two schools in the city and both sent their students home as anti-sabotage teams moved in, a police spokesman said.
Veerappan's daughter wants to see him
The young girl in a letter to her father, has a word of advice: "Do not smuggle sandalwood. Do not shoot elephants. Instead, surrender to the police. Then, I can get to see you."
New website on Dr Rajakumar kidnap
Ramesh Kumar, who is not even a Kannadiga, has spent over Rs 10,000 of his own money on the website without any hope of earning anything.
THE SITUATION IN J&K
PM's I-Day speech
Real Audio: Part I | Part II
18 hurt in grenade attack
Militants lobbed a grenade at a security vehicle on Srinagar-Jammu national highway at Bijbehara around noon but it missed the target and exploded on the road wounding 18 civilians, an official spokesman said.
Hizb attacks Lashkar camp, 1 killed
Hizbul Mujahideen militants joined villagers in the attack after Lashkar militants severely beat up a villager.
Russia deplores J&K killings: PTI
It has asked the 'whole civilised humanity' to join efforts in combating the scourge of cross-border terrorism.
SPECIAL
Cult for the communal
An obscure ISI-backed religious order is spreading terror and Islam in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. In a two-part serial, George Iype investigates.
POLITICS
UP: Three vie for BJP top post
Top party leaders, including Rajnath Singh and BJP national general secretary K N Govindacharya, are holding hectic parleys in Lucknow to evolve a consensus.
Left Front suffers another jolt in Bengal polls
The ruling Left Front on Tuesday lost the Uttarpara-Kotrung municipality to the Trinamul Congress.
OTHER REPORTS
Bahu Jamalpur awaits tryst with Mahendra Chaudhary
Villagers are discussing, in hushed tones, the fight between two groups of Chaudhary's relatives to wrest control of four hectares of land belonging to his grandfather.
SC rejects Chandraswami plea
The apex court dismissed an application by the godman, prime accused in the Lakhubhai Pathak cheating case, seeking permission to go abroad for two months.
Journalists protest attacks in West Bengal
Nearly 25,000 journalists from across the state took part in the rally and demanded stern action against the culprits responsible for the attacks.
Lankan air force bombs LTTE positions
The LTTE announced the death of senior leader Palaniraj, three junior LTTE leaders and several cadre in the attack.
Cultural show to launch CPI-M backed TV channel
The organisers had planned to invite Miss World Yukta Mookhey but it was shot down by the Communist Party of India-Marxist.
3000 teachers arrested in Orissa
Two dozen teachers were hospitalised following injuries in a protest near the secretariat on Wednesday.
JMM wants four Orissa districts to be merged with Jharkhand
The party has threatened an agitation if the districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Sambalpur are not merged with Jharkhand.
More deer deaths likely at Orissa zoo
The fear of death is looming large over almost all deer at the Nandankanan biological park and zoo following widespread tuberculosis.
Former staffer takes on A-I in Kerala
P C Nair kept the airline's officials on their toes for more than 12 hours on Monday, threatening to jump to death from the fourth floor of the Air-India office in Trivandrum.
Double-lifer for 25 in TN double murder case
District and sessions judge Periya Karuppiah handed down a double-lifer each to 25 accused in the case of a murder of two Communist Party of India-Marxists activists opposing illicit liquor in Cuddalore.
TN student commits suicide following ragging
''My daughter was forced to dance in the nude by seniors and sing lewd film songs - all in the name of ragging," a shocked Saraswati sobbed.
PTI REPORTS
Sanjay Dutt allowed to go abroad
The actor has been permitted by the designated TADA court in Bombay to go abroad from August 24 to October 10 for live stage shows.
Plane takes off safely after bomb hoax
The Air-India plane, which was searched following a hoax call on Tuesday about a
bomb on it, took off for Bombay from the IGI airport in New Delhi on Wednesday morning.
Curfew imposed in Shillong
The curfew was imposed following an exchange of fire between police and suspected Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council militants.
Parliament passes bill banning chemical weapons
During the debate, opposition members sought to link the move to pass the bill to Vajpayee's US visit and cautioned the government against signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
IBM to impart computer education in Maharashtra schools
Deshmukh said his Democratic Front government would put special emphasis on the spread of information technology to counter the 'digital divide' and bring about 'digital unity'.
COLUMN
Too Many People Have Died
'When I read about the outrages in Kashmir, I despair that there ever will be an end to it all. Sometimes I think even the desire for peace is ebbing fast,' says Dilip D'Souza.
August 16
Crude bomb blast near UP Vidhan Sabha
The explosion occurred less than 10 hours after a bomb exploded in a passenger train near Faizabad, leaving nine people dead and two injured in Kanpur on Monday night.
Cong legislature party splits in Goa
Five legislators on Tuesday formed another group, to support the coalition government led by Francisco Sardinha.
HC stays summons against Thackeray
The Bombay high court bench in Nagpur stayed for a week the operation of a lower court order that issued summons against the Shiv Sena chief and two others, asking them to appear in person on August 17.
Vajpayee warns Pakistan against misadventure
'The clock cannot be turned back. Pakistan and the whole world should understand that India cannot be broken up,' he declared.
I-Day celebrated peacefully in J&K
Srinagar, particularly the area around Bakshi Stadium, looked like a cantonment with security forces wearing bulletproof jackets and holding automatic weapons guarding the deserted streets.
Capital turns into security fortress for I-Day
Sharpshooters and commandos maintained a hawk's eye from high-rise buildings and vantage positions all along the VVIP route as also in and around the historic Red Fort.
9 killed in bomb blast on Sabarmati Express
The proximity of the blast site to Ayodhya (Faizabad is just 7 km from Ayodhya) led the district administration to intensify security in and around the disputed Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi site.
Congress politician accused of desecrating Gandhi statue
The case against Prem Kaushal was registered after marble pieces matching the stone of the broken statue were recovered from his car.
SPECIAL
Jana Gana Mana
rediff.com presents Gurudev Tagore's rendering of the National Anthem on Real Audio. An Independence Day Special.
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