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TOP REPORTS
Rathyatra peaceful in Ahmedabad
A mob attacked the yatra with stones at Kadgarh locality of Pithland town in Anand district. One person was injured in the police action that followed.

Vaiko in judicial custody till Aug7
The MDMK leader had submitted a written petition to the Thirumangalam magistrate pleading that under section 25 of POTA a regular magistrate court could not issue a non-bailable warrant or order remand.

NSCN-IM leaders for talks in India
The government has announced extension of ceasefire with the militant outfit for another year from August 1.

SC stays HC order on Bofors case
The apex court, while staying the Delhi high order quashing the charge sheet against three Hinduja brothers, directed that the trial should continue.

REPORTS FROM PAKISTAN
Musharraf asks foreign fighters to surrender
'These anti-national elements cannot be allowed to operate here. They have a different agenda,' the president said.

Nawaz Sharief to quit as PML chief
The step has been taken in order to comply with the ordinance promulgated by Musharraf, which bars anyone from holding the post of prime minister more than two times.

VAIKO'S ARREST
Police puts off plan to shift Vaiko to Vellore
After travelling some distance towards Vellore, the police party turned back and returned to Madurai fearing trouble from MDMK cadres.

Mediapersons not allowed to meet Vaiko
Only two lawyers were allowed to meet the MDMK leader when he sought assistance after being produced in a magistrate's court in Madurai.

MDMK activist challenges Vaiko's detention
The petition also urges the court to declare unconstitutional the Tamil Nadu government's alleged misuse of POTA. But it doesn't challenge the validity of the law itself.

Vaiko's arrest undesirable: BJP chief
However, the Congress refused to support or condemn the MDMK leader's arrest under POTA.

Vaiko's arrest unfortunate: Fernandes
The defence minister, however, refused to comment further saying it would not be 'fair'.

Centre yet to examine evidence against Vaiko
As of now, it has nothing to indicate that the MDMK leader had done anything, which could attract provisions of the POTA.

Ban on MDMK may throw up several possibilities
Vaiko's arrest may eventually force the Centre to take a fresh look at the safeguards provided under POTA against harassment.

EASTERN RAILWAY ISSUE
Bifurcation to improve efficiency: Nitish
An all-party delegation from Bihar, which met the railways minister, wanted the government to bifurcate the Eastern Railway.

Decision on ER split by Sunday: Advani
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Fernandes brushed aside Mamata Banerjee's demand for an experts committee to review the Eastern Railway split.

Bifurcation controversy brings sworn enemies together
Nitish Kumar, who hails from Bihar and is known as a political rival of RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav, is now in regular touch with him.

INDO-PAK TENSIONS
Indo-Pak situation still tense: US
A US state department spokesman said Secretary of State Colin Powell stress for dialogue between the two countries when he visits the subcontinent towards the end of this month.

Straw, Powell to meet 'defiant Indian leaders'
India has put on hold further de-escalatory measures in response to Musharraf's claim that he has made no commitment to permanently end cross-border infiltration.

JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Trifurcation will restrict terrorism in Valley: RSS
RSS spokesman M G Vaidya said the RSS would be extend moral support to the Jammu and Kashmir Nationalist Front, which is spearheading the movement for the state's division.

Guns and talks can go simultaneously: Hizb
'If Indian military and paramilitary troops cannot prevent us from crossing this line, what can Pakistani troops do,' Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin said.

Electronic voting machines for migrant pandits
The Election Commission has also proposed to appoint 'handpicked' officials to ensure free and fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Farooq wants to take Kashmir away: RSS
'Farooq Abdullah can bargain with the Centre by holding out threats of joining with Pakistan,' RSS Prachar Pramukh Srikant Joshi said.

Security forces kill 7 terrorists
The militants were killed near Surankote in the Poonch district.

PM not for postponement of polls: Mufti
The chief of the J&K People's Democratic Party wants the polls to be postponed as September/October is the harvesting season and would deprive Gujjars and Bakarwals from participating in the voting.

Centre, J&K govt heading for face-off
National Conference chief Omar Abdullah had said recently that the imposition of governor's rule would be contrary to constitutional provisions.

OTHER REPORTS
It's leftists versus ultra-leftists in Bengal
The state's Marxist government has begun cracking down on Naxalites of the People's War group, arresting more than 100 activists over the last 15 days.

Decision on dual citizenship before January
Bhishma K Agnihotri, ambassador-at-large in the US for NRI and PIOs, said the proposal, already accepted by the prime minister, has been sent to various ministries for their opinion.

Afzal accompanied Pak ultra to buy car
The car was used by Jaish-e-Mohammed ultras to storm the Parliament House in New Delhi on December 13 last year.

Perry's application for accreditation rejected
Tarun Vijay, a member of the accreditation committee, opposed Perry's application pointing out that Time magazine had been misrepresenting the Indian map.

Puri rathyatra ends peacefully
Among those who witnessed the procession were Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his Council of Ministers.

India calls for Prabhakaran's extradition
External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha also extended full support to the peace process going on between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE.

Ten die in Bihar due to diarrhoea
Flood ravaged parts of Muzaffarpur district have been gripped by a diarrhoea epidemic.

Andhra bandh passes off peacefully
The People's War had called for the bandh to protest against the killing of 10 of its cadres since June 24.

M L Khurana is new chief of Delhi BJP unit
Khurana is familiar with the problems of Delhi having started his career from the corporator level, party chief Venkaiah Naidu said.

'Sitting judge should head inquiry panel rarely'
'The appointment of a sitting judge as a commission of inquiry has to be made only on rare occasion if it becomes necessary for the paramount national interest of the country,' the Supreme Court said.

DRDO nuke shelters can't survive 'ground zero'
R V Swamy, chief controller of DRDO, said 26 items have been developed by his organisation for the armed forces to fight nuclear-biological-chemical warfare.

Afzal accompanied Pakistani ultra to buy car
The car, an Ambassador, was used by five terrorists to storm into the Parliament House in New Delhi on December 13 last year.

Goa angry with Karnataka over Mhadei issue
Karnataka plans to construct at least seven dams and three hydroelectric projects by diverting the Mhadei river waters to Malprabha river.

SPECIALS
'Kalam can hardly do anything for the Muslims'
Whether he reads the Koran or the Gita, it is for him to choose.' Muslim voices on Kalam's candidature.

India's military edge
'India has the ability to strike at terrorists camps across the LoC, but since the 1960s, it has been demanding that J&K's borders be treated as sacrosanct,' says Lt Gen (retd) Eric Vas.

INTERVIEW
'People can't be fooled'
'Omar Abdullah said his father had been 'used' to project India's view on Kashmir. That means whatever they do, they do as some kind of compensation. They do it for a pound of flesh and not for conviction,' says Mehbooba Mufti.

COLUMN
A South Asian Confederation by 2020?
'India should start the process of a loose federation to be achieved by 2020 excluding Pakistan,' says Dinanath Mishra.

July 11, 2002

Police forces take over Ahmedabad on rathyatra eve
For the first time, metal detectors have been installed near the Jagannath temple entrance and sniffer dogs checked out the entire premises.

REPORTS FROM TAMIL NADU
TN police arrests MDMK leader Vaiko
He became the first member of Parliament and chief of a registered political party in the country to be arrested under POTA.

Vaiko's arrest unwarranted: BJP
'We don't agree with what he says, but many of our allies have made statements with which we do not agree,' party spokesman Arun Jaitley said

PMK chief Ramadoss supports Vaiko
Expressing moral support to the LTTE did not amount to extending help to the organisation, the Pattali Makkal Katchi chief said.

REPORTS FROM J&K
RSS move to set up a political front in J&K criticised
The new front's main aim -- to push for the trifurcation of the state -- has met with stiff opposition from almost all major political parties.

BJP, RSS spar over trifurcation demand
The RSS contention that J&K should be divided into three parts -- Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh -- has been rejected by Deputy Prime Minister Advani.

Shabir Shah wants unconditional invite for talks
'Repression and coercive methods cannot be a solution to the issue but these give birth to new problems,' the separatist leader said.

Cops allegedly molest pregnant woman
The woman, residing in Karan Nagar, Srinagar, raised an alarm, attracting the residents who caught the inebriated cops, sources said.

AHMEDABAD RATHYATRA
Commandos to guard chariots during rathyatra
Over 5,000 policemen and 80 companies of State Reserve Police, Central Reserve Police Force, Rapid Action Force and Border Security Force would be deployed along the 35-km yatra route.

60% Muslims desert houses on rathyatra route
The Muslims have decided to observe a 'janata curfew' along the route of the yatra, which would be taken out in Ahmedabad on Friday.

REPORTS FROM PAKISTAN
Supreme Court shuts door on non-graduates
It upheld a order banning non-graduates from contesting general elections, a move that could exclude a majority of the population.

Parties want ban on political activities lifted
President Musharraf had imposed a ban on political activities after he took over the reins of power in October 1999.

BJP AFFAIRS
Factionalism will not be tolerated: Naidu
'I want to make it clear that Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the tallest leader in the nation today... he is the leader of the nation, NDA, BJP...he is leader to me, he is leader to Advani also,' the BJP president said.

Singh, Jaitley, Naqvi new general secretaries
Kailaspati Mishra, Pyarelal Khandelwal, Gopinath Munde, Dilip Singh Bhuria, Bal Apte, Harsh Vardhan and Karuna Shukla are the new seven vice-presidents of the party.

OTHER REPORTS
Bhopal gas victims oppose move to let off Anderson
Two victims and a social activist have been fasting near Parliament House in protest against the CBI's move to dilute charges against the former Union Carbide chairman.

Advani to discuss bifurcation with PM
Advani said Defence Minister and National Democratic Alliance convenor George Fernandes would return to Delhi on July 13 and the matter could be taken up only after his return.

Yashwant Sinha in Sri Lanka on two-day visit
Sinha is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando.

Mulayam defends pact with Kalyan Singh
"Today, Kalyan Singh is vehemently opposed to the basic ideology of the Sangh Parivar. He is critical of the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad," Mulayam Singh said at a press conference in Lucknow on Thursday.

Ban on assembly of people in Delhi's diplomatic area
Police said there were reports that processions were likely to be held in the area, which could pose a threat to the security of the diplomatic missions.

Intercepted evidence valid in Parliament attack case: Court/PTI
The accused argued that the interception of telephonic conversation was not authorized by law during the relevant period of time.

Sahgal asks 'Hi-tech Babu' to read about INA on the Internet
Her advice came at a media conference in Hyderabad when she was asked to comment on Chandrababu Naidu's remark that he had not heard of Lakshmi Sahgal before the Left Front announced her candidature for the President's post.

Sangh Parivar, Muslim leaders to meet in Delhi
'The idea is to make them sit across the table and at least get them talking on their point of view on various issues...,' a National Commission for Minorities official said.

Maharashtra's longest serving governor signs off: PTI
P C Alexander's considerable knowledge of the Constitution and administration was in demand during government formation after the 2000 assembly polls and during the recent political crisis.

Panel asks Tehelka to produce cameras
Tehelka counsel Kavin Gulati said the equipment, used for the sting operation, would be produced before the Venkataswami Commission only for a look and not for close inspection.

IAF, USAF to hold 5 joint exercises in 2002-03
Four IAF officials are now participating in an ongoing American air force exercise in Alaska.

Special envoy to Afghanistan quits
Having overseen the reopening of the Indian embassy in Kabul and put forth India's approach as part of international efforts to rebuild Afghanistan, S K Lambah said he had completed the task assigned to him.

Indian peacekeepers cannot be tried by ICC
The possibility of being tried by international courts would prevent peacekeepers from taking decisive action, said India's envoy to the UN V K Nambiar.

6,500 workers seek transfer to Hajipur rail zone
According to the president of the East-Central Railway Employees Union, Keshari Nandan Singh, most of the applicants were Biharis working outside Bihar.

Not possible to completely seal LoC: Pakistan
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Inam-ul Haq said that Pakistan's armed forces were doing everything possible to stem the flow of militants across the LoC.

Bomb scare in Canadian embassy
But the Delhi Police sleuths not finding anything called off the search.

Hussain, Gulam Noon bag Asian Achievers Award
Gurinder Chadha, the director of the film Bend it like Beckham, also received the award in the art and culture category.

Pakistan should pull down terror camps: Straw
The British foreign secretary also told BBC News Online in an interview that India should take 'more action' to deal with human rights 'deficit' in Jammu and Kashmir.

Domicile, reservation policies spark off violence in Jharkhand
The state government has been accused of not taking the people into confidence while formulating the policies.

COLUMN
EC versus netas
'All the Election Commission is seeking to do is make more information on the candidate available to the voter. If our politicians were clean, would they have to worry at all?' asks Krishna Prasad.

SPECIALS
Can India avoid a war with Pakistan?
India will not tolerate Pakistan being propped up at her cost, says retired Lieutenant General Eric A Vas.

'With him at the helm, there is hope that things might change'
Indian Muslims reflect on A P J Abdul Kalam's candidature for the Presidency.

July 10, 2002

TOP REPORTS
Tight security in Ahmedabad ahead of yatra
The National Human Rights Commission has voiced concern over the yatra inflaming communal passions in Gujarat.

TN moves Supreme Court on Cauvery row
The petition comes five years after the Tamil Nadu government withdrew the long-pending Cauvery case on the Supreme Court's suggestion following the constitution of the CRA.

Pakistani national elections on October 10
Elections for the national assembly (lower house), the senate (upper house) and the four provincial assemblies would be held on the same day.

Kalam's humility bowls over Rameswaram
Eager crowds thronged the President-to-be's house, as he made a whirlwind visit to his hometown. Ganesh Nadar reports.

INDO-PAK TENSION
Pakistani firing across LoC kills one civilian
Pakistani troops hit Kalsian village in Poonch district, killing one Talib Hussain.

India rejects US call for talks with Pakistan
Secretary of State Colin Powell recently stressed on the need for India and Pakistan to resume dialogue to reduce tensions.

Pressler slams US for issuing travel advisories
Terming the advisories as 'ill-advised, unfair and unfortunate', he said that Washington had taken an 'exaggerated view' of the tension on the Indo-Pak border.

REPORTS FROM J&K
Militants critically wound J&K journalist
Shahid Rashid, the editor of State Reporter, received injuries to his face and shoulder.

NC has not agreed for governor's rule: Omar
'...we will not be a party to anything that runs counter to constitutional provisions and democratic norms,' the party president said.

Militant violence continues in J&K: Police
1869 incidents of violence took place during the first six months of 2002 as against 2111 incidents during the corresponding period last year.

Sayeed wants polls postponed
The chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party alleged that the electoral rolls need to revised as it excludes many names.

US WAR ON TERROR
Osama alive and well: Al Qaeda
'We are attempting to expand the frontlines... it will be a war of killings, a war (against) businesses, which will hit the enemy where he does not expect,' the outfit's spokesman told the Middle East Broadcasting Centre.

US secretly deported 131 Pakistanis
Most of them were held under a US Justice Department programme targeting immigrants who had ignored deportation orders, The Washington Post said.

REPORTS FROM PAKISTAN
Opposition protests constitutional changes
The constitutional changes would allow President Musharraf to appoint an unelected prime minister.

Musharraf to visit Bangladesh on July 29
There is speculation that the Pakistani president might seek an assurance from Dhaka that it would not side with India in case of a military conflict between the two countries.

REPORTS FROM TAMIL NADU
MDMK plans stir if Vaiko is arrested
The Tamil Nadu police obtained an arrest warrant for the MDMK leader from a magistrate in Thirumangalam on Tuesday night.

Magistrate goes on leave after issuing warrant
Venkatachalapathy had issued arrest warrants MDMK leader Vaiko and eight party functionaries for making pro-LTTE speeches.

OTHER REPORTS
Petition for deferring presidential poll filed
Charan Lal Sahu, a candidate whose nomination was rejected, claimed that the Returning Officer had illegally accepted the papers of Abdul Kalam and Col Lakshmi Sehgal.

Lebanese ship: Embarrassed Coast Guard retracts claims
Most of the mysteries surrounding the ship were also dispelled with the US and Canadian navies informing the Indian side that the presence of Al Murtada merchant vessel was well known to Indian authorities and its crew was rescued sometime back and taken to an Indian port.

Revamp leaves several BJP leaders seething in anger
Mostly, the anger is aimed at Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani who is being seen as the chief architect of the reorganisation exercise.

MDMK unhappy with departments given to Ramachandran
G N Ramachandran has been stripped off the 'all-important' revenue department, which is dealing with some cases involving Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

Pearl murder verdict set for Monday
A Pakistani court concluded on Wednesday the closed-door trial of four men charged with the abduction and murder of the American reporter.

Arrested ultras had aimed for Israel embassy
Four suspected Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists held in UP were planning strikes in Delhi on August 15.

Government ticks off four Arab envoys
They had participated in a function during which a resolution was adopted asking India to snap ties with Israel.

Assam flood situation unchanged
Nearly 500,000 people in nine districts have been affected by the floods that snapped both rail and road communication links in Dhemaji district.

Bifurcation issue: West Bengal, Bihar on collision course
Politicians in both states have threatened agitations if the row is resolved to their detriment.

Rape charges against Bihar speaker withdrawn
Reena Devi, a dalit woman, had earlier accused Sadanand Singh, his brother Vivekananda Singh and some police officers of gang-raping her.

Congress assails Gill for remarks on Gujarat
The security adviser to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had on Tuesday said that early elections would help usher in peace in the violence-hit state.

Award-winning presenter accuses BBC of racial discrimination
Radio presenter Anand Jasani has accused her bosses in BBC of 'bullying' and treating her as an 'illiterate native' of the Raj years.

2 Naxalites killed; house of TDP leader blasted
The Naxalites were killed in an encounter on the outskirts of Ponugundla village in Warangal district.

Al Jazeera scribe leaving India with a 'heavy heart'
India had asked to leave Naseer M Shadeed for his 'anti-national and biased' reporting on Gujarat and Kashmir.

REDIFF CHAT
'I am standing for certain principles'
Colonel Lakshmi Sehgal tells the Rediff Chat why she's contesting an election that she's certain to lose.

COLUMN
And now for trifurcating J&K
'One hopes the RSS understands that should Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh be split, there is every reason to fear that at some future date, Kashmir might not remain a part of India. Is the RSS actually prepared for that,' asks Amberish K Diwanji.

INTERVIEW
'We will make it to the Centre one day'
'My aim is to have a bahujan samaj government at the Centre, which was also the dream of Babasaheb Ambedkar.' Mayawati, firebrand BSP leader, on her third stint as Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

DIARY
A Zen attitude
Sandrah R Pereira believes discrimination exists wherever close-minded people do.

SPECIALS
Alone against the land sharks
The brutal murder of tribal rights activist Navleen Kumar in Nallasopara, a distant suburb of Mumbai, proves that the sharks are just as hungry as they were during the construction boom of the late 1970s and 1980s.

The Queen's Men
It was a competition open to police forces across the UK and the Commonwealth. Only four winners are selected and, this year, two of them happened to be Indian. Shobha Warrier meets IG K Radhakrishnan and DIG Prateep V Philip.

Healing With Hugs and Kisses
Chindu Sreedharan joins the throngs waiting to come in touch with Mata Amritanandamayi.

July 9, 2002

TOP REPORTS
Maharashtra Governor P C Alexander quits
Alexander handed over his resignation letter to Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, official sources said.

Eight MDMK men arrested under POTA
They had allegedly made pro-LTTE remarks at a public meet at Thirumangalam on June 29.

ALEXANDER'S RESIGNATION
Alexander meets Vajpayee
It was not clear what transpired at the meeting. He had met Advani earlier in the day.

Slim chance that Alexander will be V-P candidate: Officials
It is more likely that Dr Alexander was feeling uneasy after being checkmated as a presidential nominee of the NDA... Maybe he resigned in pique, a home ministry official said.

INDO-PAK TENSION
Powell to visit India, Pakistan next month
`We are anxious to get through this [Indo-Pak] crisis and see a dialogue begin between the two sides.' the US secretary of state said.

Straw talks of rights 'deficit' in J&K
The key to de-escalate Indo-Pak tension was to end cross-border terrorism in J&K, the British foreign secretary said.

Time is ripe to discuss Kashmir: Pakistan
'Pakistan has taken all measures possible to de-escalate the situation,' foreign office spokesman Aziz Ahmad Khan said.

Jawan killed in Pakistani shelling
Ranjit Singh of 17 Garhwal Regiment was killed when a shell exploded near him at Budgam area of Kargil sector, sources said.

Put more pressure on Pakistan: India to US
Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal said Pakistan President Musharraf was being allowed to 'play with ambiguities' after he pledged to act against militant groups.

Pak slams Advani for remarks on Musharraf
Advani had reportedly criticised the Pakistan president for 'justifying the killing of innocents in Kashmir in the name of freedom struggle'.

REPORTS FROM PAKISTAN
Plan to kill Musharraf unearthed: Police
Two Pakistanis, allegedly linked to the Taliban, also 'admitted' that they were behind last month's car bomb attack on the US consulate in Karachi.

Military man held for assassination bid on Musharraf
Inspector Wasim Akhtar of the paramilitary Rangers was part of the conspiracy to kill Musharraf on April 26 using a truck laden with 227 kg of explosives.

Sharief can't return to contest poll: Pakistan
'None of the family members of Sharief can even return to Pakistan leave alone contesting the polls,' government spokesman Rashid Qureshi said.

Bhutto gets 3-year prison term for corruption
Judge Mansur Ali Khan also ordered the former prime minister's non-moveable assets to be seized.

40 men held on return from Afghanistan freed
They were among the 570 people held for interrogation since their release from Afghan jails last month, police said.

REPORTS FROM TAMIL NADU
Vaiko's arrest looks imminent
The Tamil Nadu police chief B P Nailwal has said his department would seek a non-bailable warrant against the MDMK leader.

TN government letting loose repression: Vaiko
Describing the arrests of MDMK workers as 'political vendetta', Vaiko, in a statement from Chicago, appealed to the party volunteers to maintain calm and restraint.

E-R BIFURCATION ISSUE
Nitish politicking on E-R issue: Trinamool
Party leader Pankaj Banerjee accused the railways minister of taking a unilateral decision on the issue, leading to tension between West Bengal and Bihar.

Nitish rules out review panel on bifurcation
The railway minister, however, told an all-party delegation from West Bengal opposed to the bifurcation that he would convey their feelings to the prime minister.

Trinamool hopes for early end to rail row
Dr Nitish Sengupta, MP, who met the prime minister on Tuesday, said the issue was a serious one and should not be handled casually.

PARLIAMENT ATTACK CASE
Amnesty fears for accused
Among other things, it said that POTA, under which the accused are to be tried, 'is flawed and is likely to facilitate an unfair trial'.

We had permission to intercept messages: cops
Three of the four accused had asked the court to disallow alleged evidence collected by the Delhi Police after interception phone conversations between them.

REPORTS FROM AFGHANISTAN
US team to probe Afghanistan bombing
The investigation board of about 15 representatives from the armed services will be headed by an air force general and include experts in air traffic control and AC-130 attack aircraft.

Afghanistan mourns assassinated V-P
Haji Abdul Qadir was shot dead in Kabul on Saturday after his first morning in the new job.

OTHER REPORTS
Al Qaeda spokesman warns of more attacks
Al Qaeda will organise more attacks inside American territory and outside, at the moment we choose, at the place we choose and with the objectives that we want, chief spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith said.

Four Hizb terrorists arrested in UP
The leader of the group, identified as Ulfat alias Raiful Islam, confessed having received training in ISI-run camps in PoK, police said.

Rabri Devi rejects minister's resignation
Former assembly speaker Ghulam Sarwar had announced his resignation following differences with RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav.

Advani takes charge of coal and mines ministry
The deputy prime minister also holds charge of the home ministry.

Law ministry drafting electoral reforms bill
Law Minister Jana Krishnamurthy called a meeting to discuss ways to incorporate the various suggestions that emerged at Monday's all-party meet.

US deports Saddam Hussein's stepson
He had been picked up last week for entering the country to attend a three-day flight training course in Miami without proper documents.

Halal Food Bill becomes law in California
The state has made it making it illegal to sell meat or other food that are falsely represented as meeting the Muslim dietary laws.

Kashmir transporters on indefinite strike
They are demanding a hike in passenger fares. Passengers buses, trucks, autorickshaws, mini-buses are off the roads in Srinagar and other towns and villages.

FBI raids jewellery stores owned by Pakistanis
The raids are part of an effort to break up fronts for terrorist activities. About 75 stores have been raided so far.

Annoyed Dr Thakur has BJP worried
The Congress, a partner in the RJD-led coalition government in Bihar, would jump at the prospect of 'bagging' a stalwart like Dr C P Thakur.

Family pension for judges a pittance: SC
'We are told that the family pension given to few registrars are higher than that of some retired chief justices of India,' the apex court said.

Eight People's War ultras surrender in Andhra
The Naxals said they were disillusioned with the Marxist-Leninist ideology and the autocratic attitude of senior leaders of the outfit.

War on terror reaches beyond Osama: Bush
'Osama bin Laden may be alive. If he is alive we will capture him. If he is not we got him. We have not heard of him for long,' the US president said.

Orissa: Ex-ministers deny graft charges
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had sacked the three ministers on July 9 last year accusing them of 'involvement in corruption'.

31 convicted in hooch tragedy case in Kerala
Liquor contractor Manichan and his brother Kochaniyan were the leading accused in Kalluvathukkal-Pallipuram case, which claimed 41 lives in October 2000.

COLUMN
Abdullah III talks too much
'Abdullah III now has the impudence to say that the RSS wants to hand over J&K to Pakistan. He has the gall to say that today's descendents of the RSS of 1947 "know nothing of Kashmir".'

DIARY
The baby counter
Inflation, population and many other factors have put paid to Anita Bora's parenting plans.

CAPITAL BUZZ
There's many a slip...
How Advani almost didn't become deputy prime minister.

July 8, 2002

TOP REPORTS
All-party meeting rejects EC's directive
The all-party meet also asked the government to bring out a comprehensive legislation to 'curb criminalisation of politics' and 'bring in probity in public life'.

EC firm on implementing SC directive
The Supreme Court directive requires all candidates to disclose their antecedents, educational qualifications and assets and liabilities.

Govt promises to table electoral reforms bill
Law Minister K Jana Krishnamurthy said the government would ensure that the proposal is enacted in the monsoon session of Parliament.

INTERVIEW
'NDA agenda is our main agenda'
'How the Cabinet is to function and who are the persons to be utilised is the sole prerogative of the prime minister.' BJP spokesman Arun Jaitley on the Cabinet reshuffle and other matters.

SPECIAL
'What use will that be to India?'
In everything that he does, A P J Abdul Kalam puts India first. An unlikely witness to this fact is the probable future President's research student, Father George.

BIFURCATION ROW
Nitish Kumar ready for debate
The railway minister said creation of new railway zones was purely a technical and administrative decision of the railways to enhance its efficiency.

Trinamool to boycott all-party delegation
The party has refused to join the delegation as it would be only meeting Railways Minister Nitish Kumar and not Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani.

SITUATION IN GUJARAT
Mahant in Ahmedabad held with firearms
Saryudasji temple in Prem Darwaja area is closely associated with the Jagannath temple in Jamalpur, that would host the annual rath yatra on July 12.

Ahmedabad rath yatra entourage reduced
The chief priest of the Jagannath temple, which organises the event, dismissed reports that fear-stricken people belonging to the minority community have fled the city fearing violence.

AP GOVT-PW GROUP TALKS
Another top PW leader killed in encounter
The Andhra Pradesh government warned People's War group cadres against creating a scare in rural areas by moving around carrying arms.

People's War bandh call for July 11 and 12
Earlier, on July 6, two PW representatives - revolutionary writer Varavara Rao and balladeer Gadar - had announced their withdrawal from the group's peace talks with the government.

OTHER REPORTS
US lab to help set up project to curb infiltration
A team of technical experts from Indian agencies, mostly the army, will visit Sandia National Laboratories in the next couple of months to select sensors for the project.

Fifty-two dead in Sumatra nightclub fire
Most of those killed were trapped inside the Heppi Karaoke when the fire broke out on Sunday evening in the five-storey entertainment centre in the South Sumatra capital Palembang, some 420 km northwest of Jakarta.

SC transfers petitions against NHRC
The Court transferred the two petitions to itself to decide on the issue of the jurisdiction of the National Human Rights Commission.

'India still ready for joint surveillance of LoC'
The Defence Minister George Fernandes, however, said 'a certain level of understanding' between the two sides (India and Pakistan) as well as 'confidence with each other on the borders' was required.

Al Jazeera replaces correspondent in India
The external affairs ministry has dismissed speculation that the government had sought Naseer M Shadeed's replacement.

India starts probe about abandoned Lebanese ship
The abandoned Lebanese ship was found 170 kilometres off the Ratnagiri coast, and the Indian Coast Guard recovered two AK-47 rifles from it.

Opposition fears BJP may revert to Hindutva
Newly appointed Bharatiya Janata Party president M Venkaiah Naidu's statement on introducing a 'new work culture' is seen by the opposition as an attempt to revert to Hindutva.

Prakash Sharma national convenor of Bajrang Dal
Sharma replaces Surendra Jain, who has been made secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad at its ongoing national executive in Ranchi.

REPORTS FROM ORISSA
Three sacked Orissa ministers chargesheeted
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had earlier dropped Nalinikanta Mohanty and Kamala Das (BJD), and Prasanta Kumar Nanda (BJP) from his ministry when corruption charges were levelled against them.

Senior Orissa Cong leader suspended from party
Bipin Dash had criticised the state party leadership last week for the defeat of the party candidate in recently concluded assembly bypoll.

SE Railway to run special trains for Puri festival
Seventeen additional ticket booking counters will also function at the Puri railway station from July 12 to 22.

FROM THE STATES
Shabir Shah may fight J&K election
The democratic process should be used to put forth effectively the need of a purposeful dialogue to resolve the Kashmir problem, he said.

Biased questions in BPSC exams anger BJP
The party says the government is screening candidates for their political leanings by asking questions like: Why is the Bharatiya Janata Party known to be communal?

Three people killed in IED blast in J&K
The blast, in Ind village in Udhampur district, claimed the lives of the youths aged between 14 and 20 years.

PM, Advani keen on resolving Naga issue: Shourie
The Centre and the NSCN (I-M) leadership were to resume peace talks in Amsterdam (Netherlands) on Monday.

Flood: 20 die in Bihar, army alerted in Assam
In Bihar major rivers like Punpun, Bagmati and Budhi Gandak are flowing above the danger level.

Rains elude Punjab, Haryana
At 40.9 degrees Celsius, Hisar in Haryana recorded the highest temperature in the plains in northern India.

Bihar police arrest 6 Ranveer Sena men
The Ranveer Sena, a private army of upper caste landlords, is suspected to be behind several massacres of lower caste supporters of Naxalites and Left-oriented parties.

Congress rejects alliance with Paswan in Bihar
Bihar Congress president Dr Shakeel Ahmed rejected an offer of alliance from Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Jan Shakti Party saying it might disturb his party's alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

TMC general council clears merger with Congress
The merger will take place on August 14 at a function presided over by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Madurai.

Afroz's brother in judicial custody till July 22
Among other things, police told the court that Mohammad Farooq Abdul Razak has unaccounted for wealth.

Chhota Rajan gang hitman held in Delhi
Yusuf Suleman, was arrested by the sleuths of the special cell of the Delhi Police at the Inter-State Bus Terminus, while he was coming from Aligarh.

NIZAM'S JEWELS
Former nizam gets Rs 740 million in settlement
The 173-piece jewellery of Mukarram Jah's grandfather, Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh nizam of Hyderabad, had fetched Rs 2.18 billion in January 1995 a legal battle between the Nizam's jewellery trust and the Centre.

Nizam's jewel collection taken back to RBI vaults
The Nizam's jewellery, acquired for Rs 2.18 billion by the Indian government in 1995, is worth Rs 100 billion according to department of culture officials.

NEIGHBOURHOOD
Slain Afghan V-P got daughter beheaded
One Kabul insider told rediff.com: 'It was because of these kinds of feuds that Qadir was murdered. Please don't make angels out of our thugs.'

Bombings in Pak: Three arrested
Major General Salahuddin, head of the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers, told a news conference that authorities had also seized a substantial quantity of weapons and explosives.

Imam held for inciting mob against US-born Pakistani
The Jaranwala police arrested the Imam of a local mosque and two others for instigating villagers to kill Faraz Jawed, who objected to anti-US remarks by the Imam in his sermon.

COLUMNS
Superman named Ambani
'After bombarding me with statistics, Dhirubhai would pause. Then he would add, "And I did it all single-handed!" And then he would guffaw. Because he lost use of his right hand after his first stroke in 1986; for 16 years he was literally single-handed. It was his way of mocking that cliche about rags-to-riches entrepreneurs doing everything single-handed,' says T V R Shenoy.

The UCC and Muslims
'You can throw into jail the entire Sangh Parivar for Gujarat. But what next? Can you arrest every Hindu who resents the inequality in laws and vents his ire in his own devious ways...?' says Varsha Bhosle.

July 7, 2002

THE END OF AN ERA
Dhirubhai's mortal remains consigned to flames
Mumbai came to a standstill as thousands paid homage to the man hailed as a visionary and the scion of Indian equity culture.

The Ambani Saga | Pay Tributes | Slide Show

Prime minister expresses grief
'The country has lost an iconic proof of what an ordinary Indian fired by the spirit of enterprise and driven by determination can achieve in his own lifetime,' Vajpayee said.

ADVANI'S GUJARAT VISIT
Modi to decide on Gujarat polls: Advani
During his visit to Gujarat, the deputy prime minister said that the situation in the state was not yet normal.

Infiltration is continuing: Advani
India's aim was to 'win the war imposed by Pakistan', the deputy prime minister said.

Advani hints at more changes in BJP
He said that there was greater willingness for experimentation in the BJP than perhaps in other parties.

VHP had no hand in Godhra carnage: Advani
'The forensic report of Godhra event says nothing new. I have the detailed report with me. It is absurd to interpret that VHP is involved in the incident,' he said.

OTHER REPORTS
'I will gain whether Jaya arrests me or not'
'Jayalalithaa thinks that POTA is a potential weapon in her hand to silence her opposition. But what she does not realise is that POTA is a double-edged weapon," MDMK chief Vaiko told rediff.com

Krishna refuses to release water to TN
'We have been eagerly waiting for the monsoon to come to our rescue as the position has become quite difficult,' the Karnataka chief minister said in a letter to Prime Minister Vajpayee.

Don't toe Pak line on J&K: Omar to RSS, VHP
The chief of the National Conference said this in reference to the RSS and VHP's demand for the division of the state.

Bihar floods claim ten lives
According to a report, the overall situation in the state remained grim with the Punpun, Bagmati and Budhi Gandak rivers flowing above danger marks.

J&K polls: Candidates, voters to get security
'Nobody will be allowed to disrupt and deny people through threats, posters and other intimidatory tactics their right to cast votes...' police said.

Benazir denies meeting Sharif
According to a report, the former Pakistan prime minister also said she would contest the elections in October.

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