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TOP REPORTS
Reliance patriarch Dhirubhai Ambani dead
He was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai on June 24 after suffering a stroke.

Ambani rewrote India's corporate history
He changed the rules of the game in the industry in an era when the private sector was hampered by the licence regime.

Funeral at Chandanwadi Crematorium 4.30 pm
Darshan and homage will be at Sea Wind, 39, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai on Sunday, 7th July from 9 am to 3 pm. | Pay Your Tribute

Afghanistan's vice-president assassinated
Haji Abdul Qadir, an ethnic Pashtoon and also the public works minister, was shot at by two gunmen as he drove into his office in Kabul.

Assassination shocks Afghanistan
There are fears in the Afghan capital that more government ministers could be targets of what is seen as a terrorist attack planned and executed by the Al Qaeda.

EASTERN RAILWAY BIFURCATION ROW
5 more railway zones created
They are East Coast Railway to be headquartered in Bhubaneswar, North Central (Allahabad), South Western (Hubli), South East Central Railways (Bilaspur) and one in Jabalpur.

Trinamool not to join government unless bifurcation idea dumped
'We never said the option to join the NDA government is closed... But Trinamool Congress will consider joining the ministry only if the bifurcation move is kept in abeyance,' party leader Subrata Mukherjee said.

Bengal CM meets Advani
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya requested constitution of an expert committee to examine the proposed bifurcation of Eastern Railways zone.

REPORTS FROM J&K
We won't allow elections in J&K: Hizb
Referring to the killing of a politician in Srinagar on Friday, the outfit said this signalled the beginning of the anti-election campaign.

Two grenade attacks in Kashmir; 33 hurt
Terrorists shot also at and critically wounded a shopkeeper at Kadi-Kadal in downtown Srinagar on Saturday.

Seven labourers killed in Srinagar quarry
A boulder caved in at the stone quarry at Panthachowk on the outskirts of Srinagar. Three trucks were also crushed under the boulder.

J&K villagers file FIR against army
They alleged that three Pakistan-based infiltrators killed by troops in Mendhar in Poonch district were actually innocent civilians.

PRESIDENTIAL POLL
J&K's division will destroy secularism: Sehgal
Pointing out that the suggestion was not a new one, the Left Front's presidential nominee said the US had mooted the idea in the early sixties with the aim of getting a foothold in the area.

'If consensus on V-P fails, NDA has the numbers'
BJP's newly appointed chief M Venkaiah Naidu denied that the NDA was acting unilaterally on the choice of the next vice-president.

REPORTS FROM PAKISTAN
Musharraf passes executive order barring third term as PM
The decision followed reports of a meeting between Bhutto and Sharif in Jeddah to chalk out a strategy to oust the military ruler and contest the October general elections.

Bhutto, Sharif give Musharraf a surprise
Exiled, the two leaders met in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) on Thursday and reportedly chalked out a joint political strategy to oust the military regime in Pakistan.

Riaz Kokkar is new foreign secretary
He is a career diplomat and a known anti-India hardliner who had once served as Pakistan's high commissioner in India.

Man stoned to death in Pakistan
The incident took place in Chak Jhumra town of Punjab province. The local religious leader, Maulvi Faqir Mohammed, ordered the killing after Zahid Shah claimed that he was the 'last Prophet of Islam'.

REPORTS FROM PUNJAB
Raids on Punjab revenue officials; 15 held
The officials were allegedly demanding money from the public for registration of property and other documents, a vigilance bureau spokesman said.

Former PPSC secretary arrested
Pritpal Singh is one of the accused in the cash-for-job scandal. Sufficient evidence has been collected against him, a vigilance bureau official said.

OTHER REPORTS
PW emissaries withdraw from talks
They were unhappy with the encounter killings of several PW members in recent days and an all-out offensive launched by the Andhra Pradesh police against the Naxalites.

Nine acquitted in Lunawada violence case
They were accused of burning down shops owned by a minority community in Lunawada town of Gujarat.

Sukh Ram resigns from Himachal Vikas Congress
The former Union minister, who was convicted in a corruption case on Friday, has named his son as successor.

I have no faith in Musharraf: Advani
In an interview to RSS mouthpiece Panchajanya, Advani said India will do whatever has to be done to put an end to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

200,000 affected by Bihar floods
According to a report, major rivers like the Kosi, Punpun, Bagmati and Ganga were showing a rising trend all along their course in the state.

Venkaiah for new work culture in BJP
He said he would reorganise the party set-up in the coming fortnight.

CBI raids Orissa contractors, engineers
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered the CBI to probe irregularities in various irrigation projects in the state.

M Rama Jois is Jharkhand governor
He will take over from Prabhat Kumar.

Saddam's stepson accepts mistake
He was picked up by authorities as he entered the US on a tourist visa while he needed a student visa.

COLUMN
Shifting sands in Kashmir
'Unlike in the past, the major segments of the separatist conglomerate like the Hurriyat Conference and Jammat-e-Islami have been labouring hard to avoid giving a boycott call,' says Mohammad Sayeed Malik.

SLIDE SHOW
The week's images
All the major event, in pictures.

July 5, 2002

SPECIAL
'Col Lakshmi will make a terrific President'
'She is no doubt an amazing lady and she has been like this all these years. So why is the Left picking her up now? Why could they not have picked her up earlier?' asks filmmaker Kabir Khan.

TOP REPORTS
Telecom scam: Ex-minister Sukhram convicted
The former communications minister was accused of causing a loss of about Rs 16.8 million (Rs 1.68 crore) to the exchequer while awarding a contract to a private firm.

Victims of riots battered to death in Gujarat
The father and son duo, belonging to a minority community, was staying in a relief camp for the past four months and had returned to its village in Vadodara district, police said.

People's War leader booked under POTA
Mallaiah, a district committee member from Khammam, is the first PW leader to be booked under the POTA.

Congress says opposition will contest V-P's election
`Since Advani has ruled out consultation with the Opposition, we will be fielding our own candidate,' the party's spokesman said.

Trinamool hopeful of a solution to bifurcation issue
"We still believe a ministerial review committee will be formed on the matter and this would be followed by suspension of the (bifurcation) notification," party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay said in New Delhi before leaving for Kolkata.

HC dismisses PIL on Eastern Railway bifurcation
A division bench of Calcutta high court comprising Chief Justice A K Mathur and Justice Jayanta Biswas observed that the court would not interfere in government's administrative decisions.

Orissa supports bifurcation of Eastern Railways
A division bench of Calcutta high court comprising Chief Justice A K Mathur and Justice Jayanta Biswas observed that the court would not interfere in government's administrative decisions.

POTA CHARGE ON VAIKO
Special police team formed to nab Vaiko
Tamil Nadu DGP B P Nailwal said his officers are examining Vaiko's recent public speeches.

Cops collecting cassettes of Vaiko's speeches
They have been told to stay alert following reports that untoward incidents could take place in case Vaiko and his supporters were arrested.

Don't take 'hurried action': BJP
'Though the MDMK is our ally in the ruling NDA at the Centre, we do not share their views on the LTTE,' state BJP general secretary L Ganesan said.

POTA against Vaiko is not justified, argues BJP
The Congress, however, said Vaiko's statement in favour of the LTTE was irregular.

KANISHKA TRIAL
Fraud allegations mar Air-India bombing trial
The children of one of the defendants, Inderjit Singh Reyat, are accused of siphoning government funds while claiming to work for Reyat's defence team.

OTHER REPORTS
Bhuria heads panel to review tribal welfare
The last such commission was set up in 1961 under the chairmanship of U N Dhebar. The Bhuria Commission will review the follow-up to its recommendations.

Pondy govt warns pro-LTTE groups
The warning comes in the wake of the Centre's ban on two pro-LTTE, pan-Tamil militant groups, Tamil National Liberation Army and the Tamil Nationalist Retrieval Troops.

Vanniar-Dalit differences to the fore in PMK
The denial of a Union ministerial berth to P T Elangovan is seen as a continuance of the PMK's efforts to end wooing the Dalit community, which has been perceived as anti-Vanniar in their combined north and north-western strongholds in Tamil Nadu.

France revises its travel advisory
'In view of the evolution of the situation on the Indo-Pakistan border, travel to India can be again considered,' the latest advisory said.

Tehelka reporter sent to CBI custody till July 8
Kumar Badal is accused of having set up a sting operation under which three leopards were killed and skinned on video for the Web site.

Punjab Vigilance Board to act against alleged beneficiaries
The Bureau had recently released the names of about 40 beneficiaries in the `jobs-for-cash scam' during the tenure of Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu as the the Punjab Public Service Commission chairman.

Assam flood situation still grim
In Darrang and Sonitpur districts, movement of vehicular traffic was restricted as floodwater inundated National Highway-51.

Kanchi Seer against trifurcation of J&K
'The very thought of trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir is highly dangerous', Swami Jayendra Saraswati said.

Sushma Swaraj to conduct Cabinet briefing
The Cabinet briefing was earlier done by Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan.

Bomb blast kills 35 on Algerian independence day
At least 80 were wounded in the bomb attack on a market in Larbaa, 20 kilometres from the capital Algiers.

Flood situation in Bihar worsens
Major rivers like Punpun, Bagmati, Kosi and Gandak were in spate following incessant rains in their catchment areas in the past 48 hours.

Chhota Rajan may have targetted Lawrence D'Souza
Police suspect the gangster wants to increase his clout in the film industry.

Wakf Board property scam has Left Front squirming
The G R Bhattacharya Commission report says that Wakf properties in West Bengal, worth millions of rupees, were given out on lease or rent to businessmen at unremunerative rates.

Elections cannot solve Kashmir issue: Pak
A foreign ministry spokesman said 'all indications' were that India would manipulate the polls.

US: 3 dead, 13 injured in plane crash
A twin-engined Cessna 310 crashed into the picnic area of Frank Bonelli Park in Los Angeles around 1235 hours (local time) shortly after taking off from a nearby airport.

NEIGHBOURHOOD
US strike strains ties with Karzai
While Kabul says 46 civilians were killed in a raid on a wedding party, the US continues to defend the attack.

Bomb attack on ruling party's office in Nepal
Several persons were injured in the attack on the office of a faction of the Nepali Congress headed by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

COLUMN
The two the Cabinet can do without
'Congratulations to the prime minister for the two faces that were notably not there at Rashtrapati Bhavan on July 1 -- Mamata Banerjee and Farooq Abdullah,' says T V R Shenoy.

THE REDIFF DIARY
Road Trip
Suba Vasudevan's passion for holidays led her to embark on this particular adventure.

SLIDE SHOW
The week's images
All the major event, in pictures.

July 4, 2002

TOP REPORTS
Three dead, six injured in LA airport shooting
The shooting occurred at the ticket counter for Israeli El Al Airlines, television channel CNN reported quoting a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman.

Godhra: Forensic report contradicts police version
Experts who re-enacted the train burning incident using water, concluded that the inflammable liquid, which fuelled the fire, came from inside the coach.

No consulting opposition on V-P's post: Advani
The deputy prime minister also said that consultations on choosing the vice-presidential candidate would be held only with the National Democratic Alliance partners.

Pakistan opposes J&K election
A Pakistan foreign ministry statement said the 'ultimate decision' to take part in the polls 'rested with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference'.

Pakistan not to extend visas of Indians
The visas will not be extended even in case of Indians with Pakistani spouses.

EASTERN RAILWAYS BIFURCATION
Bifurcation turning into an inter-state dispute
Despite Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani's intervention, Railways Minister Nitish Kumar has refused to review his decision to bifurcate Eastern Railways.

Eastern Railways Union calls for agitation
Sujit Roy, the president of ERU, said, 'When the Eastern Railways zone becomes small, it would incur loses, giving enough reasons to the government then to privatise it'.

Trinamool seeks PM's intervention
'The ball is in [the] prime minister's court. He has the authority to ask the railway minister to withdraw the order,' Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee told reporters in New Delhi before leaving for Kolkata.

WB CM Bhattacharjee to meet Advani
An all-party delegation from West Bengal is scheduled to call on the prime minister on July 9.

VAIKO BOOKED
Vaiko case: Centre puts ball back in TN court
Union Minister of State for Home I D Swami said 'law and order is a State subject, and the Centre has nothing to do'.

Vaiko booked under POTA
The case was registered for the MDMK leader's pro-LTTE utterances at a public meeting at Tirumangalam near Madurai on June 29, police said.

MDMK emergency meeting postponed
The future strategy following the FIR registered against its leader Vaiko was to have been chalked out at the meeting.

REPORTS FROM J&K
UJC cannot dictate terms to Hurriyat: Mirwaiz
The Pakistan-based group had asked the Hurriyat to make public its stand on assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Infiltration bid foiled, 2 ultras killed
The militants were part of a group trying to infiltrate from Pakistan through the Swajian area of Poonch district.

NEIGHBOURHOOD
US sends five choppers to Pakistan
They will be used to monitor the infiltration of Al Qaeda terrorists along the Afghan border.

PAF sets up base on slopes of Siachen
The move is to counter Indian Air Force operations in Leh, Jammu and Thoise.

OTHER REPORTS
Jaya stops soft approach towards BJP
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief is said to be upset over Vajpayee's callous approach to her suggestion for the Centre to notify the 'enforcement clause' on the Cauvery water dispute.

Africa: 22 Killed in cargo plane crash
Government spokeswoman Nathalie Gouenebana said the aircraft had 22 people on board, including the crew, but airport sources in Ndjamena said that 25 people were on the plane.

No pullback till Pakistan stops terror: India
This was made clear during the talks that the visiting British Defence Secretary Geoffery Hoon had with India leaders, official sources said.

Encounter muddies PW-AP govt talks
Special police parties have launched combing operations against a 20-member armed group of the outlawed group in Warangal district.

Film director Lawrence D' Souza shot at; unhurt
According to police sources, two unidentified persons walked into D'Souza's office-cum-residence, fired three rounds and went away.

Ban on animal sacrifices in Bihar, Jharkhand
The directive came after the Vice-Chancellor of Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, Acharya Kishore Kunal, submitted a note to Bihar and Jharkhand Governor Vinod Chandra Pandey.

British Queen honours two TN cops
Director General of Police (CID Intelligence) Prateep Philip and Inspector General (Vigilance and Anti-corruption) K Radhakrishnan are among five police officers to receive £15,000 award.

TDP retains Medak assembly seat
Its candidate Karanam Uma Devi trounced her nearest rival and Congress nominee Patlolla Shashidhar Reddy.

Probe into suicide attempt of 2 students
Jaspreet Kaur and Shweta Mehndi Dutt of B R Ambedkar Dental College in Bihar had consumed sleeping pills after they were denied permission to sit for an exam.

BJD wins Nayagarh by-election
BJD retains the seat, which was held by Behera's husband, former school and mass education minister Bhagabat Behera, whose death had caused the by-poll.

World Peace Just $1 Billion Away: Maharishi
The Beatles guru said with $1 billion he could train 40,000 'Vedic pandits', who would generate enough good vibes to save the world.

Americans urged to celebrate I-day
Following September 11, the US is concerned that terrorists might strike again at places where people assemble in large numbers.

Saddam's stepson arrested in US
US authorities believe he entered the country without a proper visa to attend a flight training seminar in Miami.

INTERVIEW
'I am Fighting for a Cause'
'The fire inside me to safeguard Indian interests has forced me to contest against A P J Abdul Kalam.' Presidential candidate Colonel Lakshmi Sehgal on the battle for Rashtrapati Bhavan.

COLUMN
Now for the long haul
'The Indian people must understand that combating terrorism may take decades. There may be many setbacks along the way but they must have enough faith in their armed forces and the government,' says Admiral (retd) J G Nadkarni.

DIARY
Hamari maange poori karo!
Siddhu Warrier has an early encounter with the institution of democracy.

July 3, 2002

SPECIALS
The Presidential Election 2002
rediff.com presents a special series on the Presidential election that pits two individuals, highly respected in their own right, against each other: A P J Abdul Kalam and Colonel Laxmi Sehgal.

The scholar who will be President
A P J Abdul Kalam wants to continue his research and teach even after occupying the highest office in the land, discovers Shobha Warrier.

TOP REPORTS
Option to join the Cabinet open: Mamata
The Trinamool Congress chief, however, said, 'Ideology and values are more dear to me as ministries will come and go'.

Funds for tehelka from West Asia: Govt
But the portal's Managing Editor Tarun Tejpal denied the allegation and refuted the government's claim that the operation was a 'commercial' and not a 'journalistic' exercise.

BJP using Kalam as a puppet: Sehgal
The 88-year-old freedom fighter said the BJP and the Sangh Parivar were using Kalam to cover up their 'dirty politics'.

Reshuffle has added wrinkles to Cabinet: Cong
The party spokesman S Jaipal Reddy also took a dig at the 'clash' between Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee and Union Railways Minister Nitish Kumar on the issue of Eastern Railways' proposed bifurcation as an 'inter-state dispute'.

'Gaurav Yatra' postponed not cancelled: Jaitley
BJP spokesman Arun Jaitley said the decision was taken by the Gujarat unit of the party in consultation with the central leadership.

Cop found shot dead outside US embassy in Delhi
Colleagues suspect Raj Singh may have accidentally shot himself while cleaning his weapon.

No decline in cross-border terrorism: Sinha
Indicating continuation of the policies laid down by his predecessor, Yashwant Sinha said that his priorities 'are already well-defined. I don't have to restate them.'

I did not want a new responsibility: Jana
'I was never reluctant to quit the part post...' the former BJP president said, adding that destiny had made him the law minister.

I will carry forward Dr Thakur's reforms: Sinha
Talking to reporters after taking charge of the ministry, Sinha debunked all conspiracy theories surrounding the removal of his predecessor.

Nitish rules out review of bifurcation decision
He also denied reports that a group of ministers was being constituted to go into the bifurcation of the Eastern Railways.

No reason given for my removal: Thakur
At the same time, the former health minister said that he was a 'disciplined' member of the BJP and would abide by any decision of the party leadership.

REPORTS FROM TAMIL NADU
Jayalalithaa threatens Vaiko with POTA
The Tamil Nadu chief minister has complained to Union Home Minister L K Advani about the MDMK leader's pro-LTTE utterances.

POTA threat political vendetta: Vaiko
The MDMK leader attributed the threat to his strident criticism of the ruling AIADMK government's policies in recent times.

J&K-RELATED REPORTS
Advani rejects RSS call for trifurcation of J&K
The deputy prime minister said that the government had maintained that it would focus on the integration of the state and its people with the rest of the country.

Ex-CM Shah revives plan for `intra-Kashmir' dialogue
Politicians, intellectuals, lawyers and journalists from both sides of the Line of Control are expected to take part in the two-day convention in Srinagar.

'Death squad' to target Farooq, Omar
Pakistan-based Jamiat-e-Mujahideen, one of two militant groups banned in April under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), has set up the squad.

Acting JKLF chairman taken into custody
Javid Ahmad Mir and his colleagues were protesting in Srinagar against the RSS demand to trifurcate Jammu and Kashmir.

Only political solution to Kashmir: Muslim outfit
The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat called for Indo-Pak talks, which might lead to freedom of 'peaceful intercourse between the people divided' by the LoC.

Funding militancy: Police arrest two persons
Harbans Singh, a hawala dealer, was caught handing over a cash consignment to Lashkar-e-Tayiba militant Mohammed Ayub Mir in Delhi's Connaught Place.

Britain calls for significant reduction in infiltration
Maintaining that infiltration into Kashmir from across the Line of Control was a matter of great concern, British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon on Wednesday urged Pakistan to control cross-border terrorism.

Sinha's charge a ploy to avoid talks: Pakistan
The new Indian external affairs minister said that Pakistan was 'going back on its promise to permanently end cross-border infiltration'.

NEIGHBOURHOOD
Top Pak parties may be barred from polls
The government may bar them on the grounds that leaders of these parties have been convicted by Pakistani courts.

Four suspected Al Qaeda men killed in Pakistan
The incident occurred at a checkpoint near Kohat, around 75 km southwest of Peshawar. Two security personnel and an intelligence official was also killed in the skirmish.

DEFENCE SCANDAL
Venkataswami Commission counsel makes allegations of 'pressures'
Counsel Dyan Krishnan probing alleged corruption in defence deals in the tehelka.com case said he also received 'threatening phone calls'.

Tehelka scribe appears before CBI
Badal, along with his colleague Anirudh Bahl and a lawyer, appeared at the agency headquarters in connection with a poaching case after failing to appear on Monday due to health reason.

Tehelka reporter arrested in poaching case
The reporter had been working under a fictitious name of 'Pankaj', for whom two poachers Inam and Meherban, arrested earlier, had been working, the CBI said.

OTHER REPORTS
23 IPS officers transferred in Gujarat reshuffle
The state government transferred 23 senior Indian Police Service officials, including the Chief of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and District Superintendent of Police, Godhra.

Dawood henchman Rai fears for his life
Muthappa Rai, who is in the custody of the Bangalore police, claims that the cops may collude with his enemies and kill him.

Hyderabad police on the trail of hate email
Police Commissioner M V Krishna Rao said his force learnt of the `dangerous email' from news reports in an Urdu daily last week.

Bomb blast in Bareilly-New Delhi train, 10 injured
The blast took place at around 2005 hours in a sleeper-class compartment of the train. The condition of one of the injured is serious.

Naidu rejects PW's demand for ceasefire
"How can they [the Naxalites] continue the armed struggle and have discussions...at least they should say they will stop it," the Andhra Pradesh chief minister said.

Kalam's autobiography in Kannada soon
The NDA presidential nominee's book, which is now attracting much interest in bookshops, is being translated into Kannada by Aeronautical Defence Agency's public relations officer Puttur Jayaprakash Rao.

Nizam's family resolves row over jewellery sale
A dispute arose over the sharing of about Rs 600 million, of the Rs 2.18 billion paid for the famed jewels, among approximately 2,000 beneficiaries, mostly members of Hyderabad's erstwhile ruling family.

Computer lessons to empower Orissa prisoners
The special programme, introduced in the special jail at Laxmisagar, five km from Bhubaneswar, aims at creating opportunities for educated prisoners after they leave the jail.

India second highest in AIDS cases: UN body
Out of the four million Indians with HIV/AIDS virus, 90 per cent don't even know about it, the UNAIDS said.

INTERVIEW
'Afghanistan is moving away from Taliban extremism'
'Nearly one-third of the US $100 million that India pledged has either been implemented or is under implementation.' India's special envoy for Afghanistan, Satinder Lambah, speaks to Shyam Bhatia.

COLUMN
Advani is the man to watch
'The BJP has virtually signaled who its prime ministerial candidate will be for the next election, more than two years away. That is enough time for Advani to appear to shed his image of a hardliner and cloak himself with acceptability,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy.

July 2, 2002

AFTER THE RESHUFFLE
Sahib Singh, Shanta Kumar, Vikhe Patil take charge
Jaswant Singh, who took over the finance ministry from Yashwant Sinha, held a series of meetings with senior finance ministry officials and The Reserve Bank of India Governor Dr Bimal Jalan.

New-look BJP team seeks a closer link with people
Chief spokesman Arun Jaitley said the party's role in being a messenger between the government and the people would actively involve senior Union ministers too.

BJP has 56, NDA partners 20 members in Union ministry
The 76-member Union ministry, one of the largest ever, has less than 20 members from the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Mamata's problem is not railways, it's Nitish Kumar
She is insisting on a written assurance from Vajpayee that Nitish Kumar would not be allowed to bifurcate the Eastern Railways, a move that may affect several crucial projects in West Bengal.

Nitish behaving like Mohammed bin Tughlaq: Trinamool MP
Dr Nitish Sengupta in a letter to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said the decision to bifurcate Eastern Railways and create a new zone may lead to a 'political agitation' in Bengal.

Venkaiah rejects opposition criticism on Cabinet reshuffle
'Most of the important portfolios like defence, industry, commerce, heavy industry, energy and railways continue to rest with our allies', the BJP president responded to opposition criticism that the NDA allies have left out in Monday's reshuffle.

PRESIDENTIAL POLLS
Some NDA parties have expressed support: Sehgal
The Left Front's presidential nominee, however, refused to name them saying it would amount to 'betrayal'.

US imperialism taking roots in India: Sehgal
The Left Front's presidential nominee also said Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had cautioned against the possible threat of British and US imperialism.

Jaffer Sharief condemns choice of Kalam
The Congress said that the NDA selected Kalam as its nominee for the post of President because he was a Muslim.

Presidential candidates forged signatures of MPs
One candidate from Varanasi had allegedly forged signatures of Revolutionary Socialist Party MP Abani Roy and Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Singh.

Election for vice-president on August 12
The last date for filing nominations is July 24 while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is July 27, the Election Commission said.

JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Jehad Council asks Hurriyat to clarify stand on polls
The Muzaffarabad-based UJC headed by Syed Salah-ud-Din, the supreme commander of frontline militant group Hizbul Mujaheedin, has also appealed to the people of Kashmir to boycott the polls.

J&K polls biggest acid test for Pakistan: Digvijay Singh
Speaking to reporters after taking charge of his office in South Block, the minister of state for external affairs said Pakistan will have to prove that its is worthy of India's trust.

Sajjad Lone urges Hurriyat to initiate talks
'Hurriyat has been bestowed with public trust and faith. It is time for them to take effective measures to end the sufferings of people,' the son of slain separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone said.

No extension of Amarnath yatra: J&K government
J&K Governor Girish Chandra Saxena said in order to minimise the problems faced by the pilgrims, the state government would issue yatra permits from all branches of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank.

Iftikhar Geelani's judicial remand extended
The son-in-law of the firebrand Jamaat-e-Islami leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been arrested for alleged violation of Official Secrets Act.

PLANE CRASH
Two planes collide over Germany; 70 feared dead
Officials said the two aircraft collided in mid-air at 2140 GMT (2330 IST) above Lake Constance on the German-Swiss border.

About 50 kids aboard ill-fated Russian plane
An official had earlier said just eight children were among the passengers, as under Russian airline rules, all those aged over 12 are registered as adults.

THE REDIFF DIARY
What's in a name?
Not much, says Raghavendra S Rao, unless it happens to be an extraordinarily long one.

THE REDIFF SPECIAL
'Musharraf has to make a choice'
If he wants rid his nation of terrorism and extremism, he must seek support from the popular parties, says Mazhar Ahmed.

OTHER REPORTS
Narendra Modi postpones Gaurav Rathyatra
The National Human Rights Commission had said the yatra would be 'dangerous' for the law and order situation in the state.

Al Qaeda behind US consulate attack: Pakistan
The June 14 car bomb attack on the consulate in Karachi killed 12 Pakistanis.

Centre bans two Tamil militant groups
The two groups -- the Tamil Nadu Liberation Army and the Tamil National Retrieval Troops -- were actively involved with forest brigand Veerappan in the abduction of Kannada matinee icon Dr Rajakumar.

Bharat Shah's trial commences in special court
The trial opened with the deposition of Deputy Commissioner of Police R D Shinde, who had recorded another accused Nasim Rizvi's confession.

SC directive to be applicable in Maharashtra RS polls
The EC guidelines say that any violation of its directive by a candidate or his concealing of any fact would result in rejection of his nomination.

Action against tehelka exposed officers soon: Army
The officers, who are facing a court of inquiry, include Major General M S Ahluwalia, Major General P S K Chowdhary, Brigadier Iqbal Singh and Lieutenant Colonel Anil Sehgal.

Peaceful bypolls in Medak, Nayagarh and Howrah
Medak in Andhra Pradesh recorded 68 per cent polling, while Nayagarh in Orissa and Howrah (south) in West Bengal recorded 60 per cent polling.

PW reacts angrily to 'encounter killing' of top leader
Andhra Pradesh police on Tuesday killed top People's War leader Padmakka in Karimnagar district.

Police arrest Pakistani spy in Noida
Mohammed Salim alias Rana was collecting details relating to the IAF locations in Ambala, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, police sources said.

Flood situation in Assam grim
The situation in central Assam's Sonitpur district was grave following incessant rain in the northern districts and the foothills of Arunachal Pradesh.

Pakistan to get spying equipment from US
The spying equipment, including three fixed-wing planes and five armed helicopters, is being supplied as part of the war against terror.

SGPC constitutes 'special cell' to check Sikh literature
The Sikh religious body also decided to set up a five-member group to study the grievances of Sikhs living outside Punjab.

Parrikar's remarks of being RSS man evokes protests
According to Dr Kumar Saptarshi, the president of the Yuvak Kranti Dal, a person cannot be a chief minister and swayamsevak at the same time.

Men in fatigues turn rescuers... of deer
Indian soldiers who had rescued a pair of deer after Pakistani soldiers had 'hunted down' their mother, gave them to the forest department for releasing them in their natural habitat.

Five mukhiyas with criminal pasts disqualified in Bihar
Section 139 (1)(g) of the Bihar Panchayat Raj Act states that any gram panchayat mukhiya can be removed form his post if he or she has been imprisoned for more than six months in a criminal case.

NEWS ANALYSIS
Brajesh Mishra's role likely to become more dominant at MEA
'Key foreign policy decisions are taken not by the minister, but by National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra.' Ramananda Sengupta reports on the change of guard at the Foreign Office.

COLUMNS
The autonomy shrill -- yet again
'What more autonomy does Abdullah III want? An open general licence for nepotism, despotism and ethnic cleansing?' says Arvind Lavakare.

A man of India's vision
'Kalam, even if he has not directly participated in the affairs of the community (as alleged by Zakaria), has, by example, given enough inspiration to Indian Muslims to succeed,' says Sajid Bhombal.

What makes Yashwant Sinha so indispensable?
'In retaining Mr Sinha and getting him to swap places with Mr Jaswant Singh, Mr Vajpayee has sent a very clear message that Charles Darwin was right about everything except the origin of the political species: it is the survival of the unfittest,' says Krishna Prasad.

Perry's unexpected saviours
'Why did the government's official machinery crank up against Time journalist Alex Perry?' Gossip from the Delhi Durbar. Capital Buzz.

July 1, 2002

CABINET RESHUFFLE
Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha swap portfolios
Sources said Shatrughan Sinha will be the new health and family welfare minister. Sahib Singh Verma has been appointed social justice minister while Jana Krishnamurthy will take charge of law, justice and company affairs.

PM optimistic about Mamata's reinduction
New BJP president Venkaiah Naidu said, 'I wish she comes back to the government. She spoke to me today and I told her that her services were very much required in the government'.

Mamata did not insist on railways: Trinamool
Her major worry was moves to bifurcate Eastern and South-Eastern Railways, the party said.

Omar Abdullah to remain MoS external affairs
However, the National Conference president will go to Jammu and Kashmir, sources said.

Advani requested to visit BJP office every week
'There will be live contact between party and government and the expectations of the party will be conveyed to the government,' party president Venkaiah Naidu said.

Arduous task ahead for Yashwant Sinha
From the economic terms he is very familiar with. The 65-year-old has to now ride with caution on the bumpy diplomatic track where nuances, reading between the lines and even body language mean a lot.

I will take guidance from Thakur: Shatrughan
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Shatrughan Sinha, who took over from Dr C P Thakur, also described him as one of the finest doctors of Bihar.

Jana makes his debut in government
Jana had joined the RSS way back in 1940 when the organisation was taking root in Madurai and functioned as a pracharak in the city for more than a decade.

Maharashtra veteran crosses milestone
The Shiv Sena's Eknath Vikhe-Patil, 70, has at last become a Union minister with Cabinet rank.

Supporters feel Mamata is making a mistake
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Bannerjee has been insisting on getting the railways portfolio, which Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has rejected.

Verma makes his entry at the Centre
Sahib Singh was forced to step down as Delhi's chief minister shortly before the state assembly election in 1998.

Advani's elevation will not revive BJP: Cong
The Cabinet reshuffle heralds the 'total eclipse' of the NDA and 'total domination' of the BJP, party spokesman Jaipal Reddy said.

Pall of gloom at dropped ministers' residences
'I was not expecting anything like this. But I have no regrets,' Minister of State for Dhananjay Kumar, who was asked to resign by L K Advani, said.

Maneka, Dhananjaya Kumar, Munni Lal resign
The resignations came ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle on Monday evening.

Mamata to stay out of Union Cabinet
The Trinamool Congress leader is apparently adamant on the railway portfolio, which is being held by the Samata Party's Nitish Kumar.

Keshubhai won't join Union Cabinet
While health reasons are being cited, sources in the BJP said that the former Gujarat chief minister is not keen to leave the state in view of the coming assembly elections.

SLIDE SHOW
The PM's new men
Images from the swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

BJP'S NEW CHIEF
Venkaiah Naidu takes over
His predecessor Jana Krishnamurthi is to be accommodated in the Union Cabinet.

Vajpayee rewards Venkaiah on his 53rd birthday
Venkaiah Naidu is the youngest person and the first from the post-independence era to don the mantle of the Bharatiya Janata Party's leadership.

Party mantra will be expansion: Naidu
The party's aim, he said, would be to get an absolute majority (in Parliament) on its own.

Naidu's appointment infuses optimism in BJP
L K Advani, Jana Krishnamurthy, senior leader Kushabhau Thakre and almost all the cabinet ministers of the BJP, including M M Joshi, Pramod Mahajan, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Shourie and Arun Jaitley, were present to express solidarity with the new party chief.

TEHELKA CASE
Tejpal complains to PM, Press Council against harassment
The Tehelka.com editor said his Web site's staff was being harassed by the Enforcement Directorate and other agencies of the law.

Jaitly alleges 'editing out' of Hinduja portion from tapes
Tehelka.com Managing Editor Tarun Tejpal, however, expressed ignorance about it.

GUJARAT REPORTS
Ahmedabad rathyatra raises fears of violence
The rathyatra passes through sensitive old city areas of Shahpur, Dariayapur, Khadiya and Kalupur.

NHRC expresses concern over Gujarat yatras
It hoped that due care would be taken by the state government to 'prevent situations arising that have the potential to endanger lives and property'.

OTHER REPORTS
US bombing kills 40 in Afghanistan
US fighter jets mistakenly bombed a wedding party in Uruzgan, north of the main southern province of Kandahar.

Delhi top cop to strengthen anti-terror cell
Thane district in Mahrashtra bore the brunt of the rains and floods with 61 of the 94 deaths reported from there.

Rain related toll rises to 169 in Maharashtra, Gujarat
Thane district in Mahrashtra bore the brunt of the rains and floods with 61 of the 94 deaths reported from there.

Britain offers multiple entry visa for 10 years
The move comes in the wake of popular demand, a British high commission release in New Delhi said. The new visa will cost Rs 11,250.

PW threatens to walk out of talks
The People's War wants the government to apologise for the killing of two women members in a 'fake' encounter on June 24.

Air-India expands US services to India
Air-India is also expected to acquire new aircraft and increase the number of flights in long hauls and introduce flights to the Gulf region, London and to the United States.

'Police trying to link me to Rajakumar kidnap'
The editor of Nakkeeran, Rajagopal, said this after being questioned by the Tamil Nadu police for 10 days in Gobichettipalayam.

India to closely watch Pakistan: Sibal
He said September-October was 'a very critical period' when elections would be held in J&K and in Pakistan.

Former BSP MLA held for embezzlement
Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan is accused of misappropriating Rs 9 crore, which was meant for minority welfare.

Arun Singh leaves government again
His boss External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh is expected to be shifted to the finance ministry in Monday's Cabinet reshuffle.

Jamaat to abide by Hurriyat decision
An earlier report said that the party, a part of the Hurriyat Conference, would not issue a poll boycott call, going against the Hurriyat's position.

NEIGHBOURHOOD
Osama not hiding in Pakistan: Musharraf
'I doubt if he is alive and if he is alive he cannot be in Pakistan,' the president said.

US, Pak forces to hold joint exercises
Pakistani officials claimed that they would be held on a 'much larger-scale' than the recent India-US exercises in Agra in May this year.

Pak police unearth terrorist camps
However, officials did not identify the terrorist groups running the camps, in the northwest Baluchistan province.

Abdul Sattar to rejoin Imran Khan's party
There is speculation that he had quit as foreign minister after being sidelined and used simply as a rubber stamp by General Musharraf who set the foreign policy agenda for the nation.

COLUMNS
Consensus and sobriety
'Indian folklore is full of stories of buffoons and impostors catapulting to positions of power and using that power to ensure successive calamities. Folklore is, however, usually not taken seriously,' says Ashok Mitra.

Paedophilia and the Muslim Board
'The VHP recently declared that the courts cannot intervene in matters of faith. But that is exactly what the ulema have been saying for a century -- and are saying today, too! Shall we then accept the Muslim Board's tenet as a principle that governs our existence while rejecting the VHP's...? Why...?' says Varsha Bhosle.

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