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MAY 24
Jaya blasts BJP out of nuke cloud nine
With the nuclear euphoria ending abruptly, the ruling BJP is now trying to defuse the J Jayalalitha bomb.
Jaya sends a clear message to BJP
AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha is reacting the way she alone would react for a person pushed to the wall. Without hitting at the BJP leadership directly, she is sending out an indirect message through Kumar's resignation: that no one is indispensable in her scheme of things other than her own self. And the AIADMK executive, meeting in Madras on May 25, is expected to take the crucial decision.
Kumar reiterates he quit due to ill-health
Kumar denied reports in a section of the media that he had to
resign since he had failed to prevent the serving of a fresh notice by
the Enforcement Directorate to Sasikala Natarajan, a close
associate of Jayalalitha. The cases will take their course in
the courts, he added.
Mystery over Kumar's resignation ends
The mystery surrounding the resignation of Union Minister of State for Finance, Banking and Revenue R K Kumar from the Union council of ministers has ended with Kumar clarifying that he had submitted his resignation as early as May 9.
Advani to oversee J&K dept
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government has entrusted the
responsibility of the department of Jammu and Kashmir affairs, hitherto held by Prime Minister A B Vajapayee, to Union Home Minister L K Advani.
Assam crisis worsens as another minister quits
Transport Minister Pradeep Hazarika
resigned on Friday, pushing the two-year-old Asom
Gana Parishad ministry deeper into
crisis.
THE NUCLEAR EXPLOSION
Yeltsin nudged India down the path of conciliation
There was a foreign hand behind tempers taking a dip in Indian officialdom. And that was Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who persuaded Prime Minister A B Vajpayee call off the dogs of war.
Fernandes invited to visit US, yet to make up his mind
The defence minister said he had been invited by the National Unity Party of Arkansas, but that he was yet to give it a thought. He did not specify if the invitation was extended after the recent Indian nuclear tests.
Sharief accuses India of nuclear blackmail
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief went on the offensive on Saturday, in his first press conference since India conducted nuclear tests. Charging the industrialised nations with turning a blind eye to India's threats, he said Pakistan will not cower before western sanctions.
If armed, Pakistan may forego N-tests: Gohar
The Pakistan foreign minister did not respond to another question, whether Pakistan would still conduct a nuclear test in the event it was offered nuclear protection by the big powers.
Clinton repeats call to India to eschew N-weapons, sign CTBT
Even as the US President Bill Clinton reiterated that India needed to sign along the dotted CTBT line, his administration is growing wary of allowing China become guarantor of Pakistan's security.
Clarify misgivings, Deve Gowda tells PM
Former prime minister Deve Gowda said some scientists
had raised doubts over the claims made by the scientific advisor to
the defence minister, Dr Abdul Kalam, and Atomic Energy Commission Chairman
R Chidambaram on the technical data, gathered from the
conduct of the tests.
Mahajan claims he's not been gagged
Pressing engagements, not pressure had kept him away from the media, says the PM's political advisor.
Clinton seeks in vain for Pak assurance on N-test
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief has so far successfully avoided responding, either way, to the appeals by
US President Bill Clinton and other leaders for jettisoning the idea
of a nuclear test.
Pakistani women take to the streets asking for the bomb
Hundreds of Pakistani women took to the streets in Islamabad on Friday to pressure the Pakistani government into conducting a nuclear test.
THE REDIFF SPECIALS
'Jayalalitha means business'
'She wants the DMK government to go, so that even if she doesn't come to power immediately, it will be governor's rule here. Then she can change the prosecution counsel. That is, her counsel will be the prosecution counsel. When her counsel are the prosecution counsel in all the cases against her, naturally the cases will be thoroughly mishandled,' says Cho Ramaswamy.
BJP dangerously out of touch with reality
'If the tests do nothing to enhance Indian security, then why were they conducted at all? The mentality seems to be: we are going to explode the big bomb, and then join the big boys in their exclusive club. The fact is that this thinking is hopelessly out of date,' argues Sameer Jalnapurkar.
TODAY'S COLUMNS
Vajpayeeji, please do not become a Saddam Hussain!
'A number of private companies are in
constant touch with the Indian finance ministry, but
the slogans by certain BJP leaders against America are creating
hostility in them. I mean, which national would like to hear his/her
country being abused left, right, centre and centre to left? The BJP accomplished what it set out to accomplish, so why wave it in the world's face? Can't it
just shut up and let things be?' asks Rajiv Shukla.
When Lady Congress went a-calling...
'It being their first time-together, Lady Congress was
a bundle of nerves. But Knight Atal, a richly experienced
man, was calm and collected and charming.
The lady's main concern was how to conduct
herself if the knight started talking about the
Pokhran bangs, its consequences, and how he planned
to handle the rolly-polly-jolly American...' Whatever happened when
Sonia went to
tea at Vajpayee's house? Capital Buzz.
Andhra Pradesh: State Congress chief's father killed in bomb attack
West Bengal: Huge security deployment for panchayat polls
Tamil Nadu: TMC deliberates on working closely with Congress
Tamil Nadu: Health minister alleges ostracism of Dalits by caste Hindus
TODAY'S WEATHER
Heat wave continues in
parts of Rajasthan, Haryana
Heat wave conditions also prevailed in the plains of Bihar and
Uttar Pradesh, north Gujarat, south Andhra Pradesh and parts of Haryana,
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Vidarbha.
MAY 23
Clinton-Yeltsin talks on India's CTBT position
US President Bill Clinton has held discussions with Russian counterpart Boris Yeltsin in a bid to figure out ways to impress upon India the need to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
NAM rebuffs Pak bid to censure Indian N-tests
In what is being considered a diplomatic victory for New Delhi, Pakistan was isolated at the just-concluded NAM ministerial meeting in Cartagena, Colombia, in its move to censure India for the recent nuclear tests conducted by it.
Naresh Chandra meets Pickering in Washington, pushes Indian moratorium
While neither the Indian embassy nor the state department offered any comment on the Indian ambassador's meeting with Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Pickering in Washington, sources said he had brought to the notice of the department New Delhi's latest stance on the nuclear issue.
PM's poetry catches up with him
They were a few, evocative lines that Atal Bihari Vajpayee penned way back, on the agony of Hiroshima-Nagasaki. But today, used in a New Delhi ballet, they somehow ring hollow...
America's pro-China stance comes under fire
US state department spokesman James Rubin's outburst against Home Minister L K Advani's recent statements on Pakistan reflect Washington's unconcern about the endangered security environment in South Asia.
Sonia regrets flexing of nuclear muscle
In yet another shift in stance since the country conducted nuclear tests, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has advised the government that real strength lay in restraint, and asked it not to make provocative statements.
Chinese media assails India for 'hegemonistic' aspirations
The official Chinese media has gone to war against India, sharply criticising New Delhi for what it called 'expansionist tendencies'.
Additional security for BARC, other nuke centres
The security cover in and around the
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre,
Bombay, which played the key role in
the May 11 and 13 serial nuclear
tests at Pokhran, has been beefed up.
Another Russian daily supports India's tests, criticises US and Moscow
Soon after Russia's state-owned daily
Rossisskaya Gazeta came out with an exhaustive article
supporting India's nuclear tests, Izvestia, another major newspaper there,
has reiterated it, and urged Moscow to play a greater role
in nuclear
disarmament.
Indian nuke programme is unstoppable: Dr Ramanna
'We have progressed very far in terms of
technology,'' distinguished scientist Dr Raja Ramanna said.
OTHER REPORTS
All-party meet agrees on State funding of elections
An all-party meeting on Friday reached a consensus on State funding of elections, with Home Minister L K Advani announcing a seven-member committee headed by his predecessor Indrajit Gupta to concretise proposals for the purpose. The committee's recommendation will be given legislative shape during the winter session of Parliament.
BJP takes on Congress, CPI-M, for opposing Advani's warning to Pak
The BJP sticks by Advani's Pakistan line, but the Congress believes that it could lead to the jettisoning of the Shimla Agreement.
Advani softens stand on China, but continues tirade against Pak
Pointing out that relations with China received a boost in 1977, when A B Vajpayee
was external affairs minister, L K Advani said the normalisation process will continue. But he refused to relent on Pakistan, and accused it of abetting terrorism in Kashmir.
Defence ministry denies alert, build-up along LoC
The defence ministry on Friday said there was no build-up or general alert on the borders along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir as was being propagated by the media in Pakistan.
Task Force wants new devolution norms for states
Task Force Chairman and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhairon Singh
Shekhawat said the members favoured pooling of all taxes and
increasing the states's share in these from 29 per cent to 33 per cent.
Mahanta's chair rocks as never before
With former home minister Bhrigu Kumar Phukan
lending support to Atul Bora, the oust-Mahanta campaign in
the AGP has gathered momentum.
Frame policy to end farmers's woes: former PMs
Four former prime ministers, leaders of political parties and several eminents citizens today stressed the need to immediately formulate a comprehensive policy on agriculture in the wake of suicides by farmers in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Madras police arrest mastermind behind Dec 6 train blasts
The Madras police on Friday achieved a major
breakthrough by arresting Islamic Defence Force chief
Ervadi Kasim, the mastermind behind the bomb blasts in three trains
on December 6, 1997.
No truck with Mulayam, no way: Kanshi Ram
Bahujan Samaj Party leader Kanshi Ram has categorically ruled out
a tie-up with the Samajwadi Party, thus providing a
shot in the arm for the ruling Bharatiya Janata
Party-led government.
Pashupatinath controversy ends, Indian priest hands over charge
Friday morning, a new chief priest took over: Ananta Krishna Shastri 'Somayaji' ascended to the post after elaborate rituals, during which he was passed on the pashupat mantra, the pashupat holy scriptures, the highly sacred and scarce single-faced rudraksha bead and the key to the Pashupatinath principal treasury by predecessor Rawal Subrahmanyam Shastri.
THE REDIFF INTERVIEW
'Hinduism and fundamentalism are contradiction in terms'
Ramagopalan, Hindu Munnani leader from Tamil Nadu, argues that
only faiths that have 'one god, one path, one messiah' as their motto can become fundamentalist.
THE REDIFF SPECIAL
Dear Prime Minister Sri Vajpayeeji...
"I declined to give clearance for demonstrating India's nuclear capability not because of the likely
adverse reaction from international community but because of my
concern for improving the economic situation of the country," says
H D Deve Gowda in his letter to Prime
Minister Vajpayee.
Hypocrites, all of them!
'The joker in the pack so far has been Pakistan. The government has taken the position that it will test, but at a time of its choosing. Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan struts about making
sound bites to whoever will listen about how Pakistan's missile and
nuclear capability is well ahead of that of
India. This is along the lines of the one Pakistani is equal to 10 Indians theory, which originated in his father's time,' says
Jaideep E Menon.
TODAY'S COLUMN
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
'Given the mood of the Pakistani man on the street,' says Rajeev Srinivasan, 'they
must regain their lost honour by matching the tests by the despised
"vegetarian Hindus" -- after all, government propaganda has convinced them of their superiority vis-a-vis India in all matters related to machismo. Nawaz Sharief will find himself kicked out of power -- not to mention that the
streets will run with blood -- if he doesn't react'.
Orissa: PCC chief opposes creation of Koshal state
TODAY'S WEATHER
Sunstroke kills 38 nationwide
The intense heat wave sweeping most parts of the country has so far claimed 38 lives this summer. Maharashtra and Rajasthan were the
worst hit, accounting for all
the casualties.
MAY 22
Parts of Kashmir LoC come alive with Pak fire
Indian positions in Kanzalwan and Machal sectors along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir have come under artillery and mortar fire from Pakistani troops in the past two
days, a defence ministry spokesman said.
India rules out war with Pak
India sought to put the seal on escalating tensions between it and Pakistan, by stating firmly that there was no question of another war with that country.
Albright breaks her silence, calls tests 'grave historical error'
In her first formal reaction to India's nuclear tests, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said that the Indian nuclear tests were ''dangerous because they could ignite an arms race
with no visible finish line between India and Pakistan, who have
fought three wars in the last 51 years, and who remain bitterly
divided over Kashmir and other issues".
India stays further N-tests
India annnounced that it had put a moratorium on further nuclear tests and offered to formalise it into an obligation through negotiations with key world powers.
Did Indian at CIA supply info to New Delhi?
CIA fired a naturalised Indian employee about two years ago for "possible espionage" and "sucking the Near East Division's computers dry".
China waffles on ignoring Pakistani N-test
In classic diplomatese, China has refused to confirm or deny reports that it had agreed not to impose sanctions against Pakistan if it went ahead and conducted nuclear tests.
Nambiar to return to China by month-end
The Indian ambassador to China, Vijay Nambiar
will return to Beijing before the end of the month, Brijesh
Mishra, principal secretary to the prime minister, said.
Japan has been understanding about nuke tests: India
India said that Japan has shown ''a
measure of understanding'' to the security concerns
which compelled New Delhi to carry out nuclear tests.
India, Israel may try to kill Pakistan's nuke capability
A Pakistani defence strategist said a combined attempt by India and
Israel to destroy his country's nuclear and missile
capabilities was a serious possibility.
India should acquire second-strike capability and ICBMs, says AICC secretary
Maj Sudhir Sawant, who was recently appointed as AICC secretary, has said the country cannot stop with merely becoming a nuclear weapons state, but go on to the next logical step, which is the potential to strike after suffering a pre-emptive nuclear attack.
Blair tells Pakistan not to test further
"I do ask them also to look at the example of Brazil and
Argentina, countries which could have gone down this road
of nuclear testing but took the decision not to,'' British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the
House of Commons on Wednesday.
TDP won't withdraw support over N-tests: Naidu
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has termed as 'incorrect' the speculation that the Telugu Desam Party would withdraw support to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government at the Centre over the recent nuclear tests.
OTHER REPORTS
AIADMK attempts another blast
Though the delegation which All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary J Jayalalitha sent to New Delhi kept a low profile, sources reveal that renewed attempts are on to get the Tamil Nadu government dismissed.
Govt will not have a say over Prasar Bharati's CEO, says Swaraj
I&B Minister Sushma Swaraj said there was an in-built scheme in the Prasar Bharati Act that ensured the BJP or the government has no role in the appointment of the CEO. A committee comprising the vice-president, Press Council chairman and a President's nominee would select the CEO, she added.
India test-fires rocket-launcher Pinaka
India test-fired the indigenously-built, multi-barrel
rocket launcher Pinaka from the Interim Test Range at Chandipur-On-Sea, about 15 km from Balasore in Orissa.
Controversial Kaiga N-plant heads for completion
The dome of the first reactor collapsed during construction. Now the plant is safe, says the project director.
Mayawati, Arif Khan arrested
The police arrested Bahujan Samaj
Party vice-president Mayawati as she emerged from her
residence on Mall Avenue in Lucknow, to lead a demonstration against the "anti-dalit, anti-backward and anti-Muslim" policies of the Kalyan Singh government in Uttar Pradesh.
The case of Shibu Soren's missing secretary: CBI claims good progress
The Central Bureau of Investigation has submitted before the Delhi high court the status report on the investigation into the whereabouts of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Shibu Soren's 'missing' secretary.
Badal favours presidential system
Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal said the presidential form of governance was better suited to India's needs than the present parliamentary system, and also clarified that it was his personal view. The Akali Dal was yet to discuss the issue, he clarified.
Artists meet President to highlight government apathy to l'affaire Husain
An eminent group of artists, including Anjolie Ela Menon
and Manu Parekh, met President K R Narayanan on Wednesday to highlight the government's inaction and silence over the recent
attack, allegedly by Bajrang Dal activists, on renowned painter M F
Husain in Bombay.
Three years into his fourth term, Karunanidhi hobbles for the first time
There is discontent everywhere in the state, and every face radiates unhappiness. And the state government has been able to do precious little about it, other than indulging in wordy duels of little consequence. And most of the productive time of the ministers is wasted in answering charges levelled by the AIADMK. N Sathiya Moorthy reviews the DMK government's performance in Tamil Nadu.
Govt to improve communication network in NE, sensitive states
Minister of State for Communication Kabindra Purkaystha said the government would improve the existing village
public telephone system, provide subscribers
trunk dialing facility in villages and change the
overhead cables with underground ones.
THE REDIFF SPECIAL
The Uygur factor
'India could make common cause with China's foes without expecting active aid, only tacit support. But India's cause would be better served if it provided internal dissidents, particularly those in Xinjiang, with a public platform and, if necessary, military aid,' argues P Rajendran.
TODAY'S COLUMNS
Self-interest is the name of the game
'The CTBT has done nothing to alleviate the problems that exist in
South Asia. If anything, it has highlighted the dangerous
situation in this part of the world by demonstrating the degree of
insecurity of South Asian nations and the dangers this insecurity
poses to global security,' says Varsha Bhosle.
America is the world and the world is America!?!
'Britain and France politely refused to let their businessmen suffer.
Germany began on the American side before veering back to its
European neighbours. Japan cut 28 million dollars in aid, but left about 962 million in the pipeline. Russia started by expressing
disappointment with India -- and then proved just how sad it was
by promising to sell India hi-tech submarines. So what becomes of all those claims that the 'world' is against India?' asks T V R Shenoy.
TODAY'S WEATHER
Heat wave
sweeps Assam
Unprecedented heat wave conditions
continued to prevail in Assam with the mercury
soaring to 38 degree celsius, the highest-ever in the state.
MAY 21
Hind-Chini byebye?
Relations between India and China have never been worse than they are today. As the two Asian giants take fresh stock of each other, analysts feel the changed geopolitical circumstances in the region could lead to further estrangement between both countries.
India is willing to discuss proliferation, CTBT terms
India is prepared to discuss a number of
issues relating to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime
with other countries, and has indicated its willingness to adhere to
some of the provisions of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, official sources said on Wednesday.
Feint and jab
How India avoided the US getting prior information of its nuclear plans.
MEA turns around, says envoy Nambiar's visit is routine
On Tuesday, the ministry of external affairs had said the return of India's envoy to China was not routine. By Wednesday, it had suitably modified its stand to conclude that the ambassador was on scheduled visit to the country. Between the two claims, obviously, falls the shadow.
Vajpayee blasts big powers's hypocrisy
Addressing a rally near the site of the recent nuclear tests, Prime Minister A B Vajpayee on Wednesday charged the Big Five with double standards. "They have stockpiled nuclear weapons, and are lecturing us on not doing so," he said.
'Jai jawan, jai kisan aur jai vigyan' Vajpayee coins new slogan
Improving upon the slogan of the then
prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee on Wednesday gave a new one to the nation, 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan aur
Jai Vigyan', from near the site where five nuclear tests
were conducted by India last week.
Pak should take lead for talks, says Vajpayee
Addressing the press in Pokhran town on Wednesday, the prime minister said India was ready for peace talks with Pakistan, but the initiative has to be taken by Islamabad.
BJP rupturing foreign ties with vitriol, says Congress
Concerned over the fallout of the tough talking indulged in by BJP leaders since May 11, the Congress on Wednesday cautioned it against continuing in this vein.
Economic carrot stalls Pak N-tests
The lure of a moral high ground, more than a score of F-16s to carry existing nuclear warheads and, of course, a considerable hike in aid and loans -- all this and more has kept the Chagai Hills in Baluchistan waiting for the nod from Islamabad.
US still persuading Pak not to go nuclear
State Department spokesman James Rubin has said the United States was hopeful that Pakistan will see reason and not imitate India.
Clinton administration moves ahead on repeal of Pressler Amendment
In its effort to contain Pakistan's nuclear ambitions, the United States is continuing with its well known carrot and stick policy, at the core of which is the punitive Pressler Amendment which has cost Islamabad dear in the past.
Annan asks Pak not to compete with India
"I would hope that the efforts and appeals going to the Pakistani
government not to match India's (tests) will be heeded," UN chief Kofi Annan
told reporters, pointing out that he wrote last week to the
governments in India and Pakistan to show restraint.
China not to impose sanctions on Pak for N-tests
Pakistan's "biggest ally", China, has assured Islamabad that it will not act against it if it went ahead and conducted nuclear tests following the Indian example.
VHP's shaktipeeth to be built 50 km from Pokhran
The 'temple of strength' would be dedicated
to Goddess Shakti, and built by the
Sadhu Samaj.
Gandhians sad, and a trifle happy, about nuke tests
Eminent Gandhians, including Dr Sushila
Nayyar, Mahatma
Gandhi's personal physician, have decried India's nuclear
tests, but said the sanctions may boost the citizen's
desire to become
self-reliant.
OTHER REPORTS
US deplores Advani's warning to Pakistan
Advani's grim warning to Pakistan over its support to Kashmiri militants indicates that 'India is foolishly increasing tensions with its neighbours', says the US.
India will deal with Pak's Kashmir forays 'proactively', says Advani
Continuing from where he left off on Monday, Home Minister L K Advani on Wednesday cautioned that Pakistan's misadventures in Kashmir will be met with in a befitting manner.
Jaya may go to Delhi to smoke the peace pipe with PM
It will be a different Jayalalitha who may call on the prime minister in New Delhi this week. The groundswell of support for the BJP-led government after Pokhran-II has brought realisation on its most obstreperous ally that rocking the boat is out, sailing smoothly is in.
Thakre announces 149-member national executive
Bharatiya Janata Party president
Kushabhau Thakre on Wednesday announced a 149-member national executive
team, which contains 13 women representatives, 10 SC and ST
candidates and eight from the minorities.
Ganesh Naik's nominee defeats Sena in mayoral poll
The ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra suffered a
major setback on Wednesday when the rebel group led by sacked minister Ganesh
Naik defeated its candidate the mayoral elections of the Navi
Mumbai Municipal Corporation.
Charges framed against Sukh Ram
Special judge Ajit Bharihoke on Wednesday framed
charges against former communication minister Sukh Ram, former
Department of Telecom official Runu Ghosh and the Hyderabad-based
Advance Radio Mast Ltd managing director Paturu Rama Rao
in the Rs16.8 million telecom irregularity case.
Gen Malik pleads for bigger defence budget
In the wake of the country's decision to go nuclear, the army chief, Gen V P Malik, has asked for a larger allocation for the defence sector in the Union budget.
THE REDIFF INTERVIEWS
'Nayanar believes there is no case. But he is under pressure from partymen to do something'
On April 29, the infamous ISRO spy scandal was shown up
for the cock-and-bull story it is -- the Supreme Court exonerated the
six accused and ordered the Kerala government to pay each of them
Rs 100,000 as compensation. Venu Menon speaks
to two of the victims, Maldivian Mariam Rasheeda and scientist
D Sasikumaran.
TODAY'S COLUMN
The BJP wanted glory, even if it meant putting the nation at risk
'A pathetic BJP government that lacks the guts to silence Jayalalitha has diverted India's attention from its weakness to false pride in nuclear blasts. One is forced to ask if the BJP exploded the bombs only to to get mileage for the next snap poll,' says Amberish K Diwanji.
Andhra Pradesh: Stop calling us communal, BJP tells TDP
Assam: Mahanta ousts rebels
MAY 20
India summons envoy from Beijing as China, Pak step up hostile campaign
In a significant development, India recalled its ambassador to China, Satish Nambiar, for urgent consultations. The move comes against the backdrop of China's charge that India was occupying 90,000 sq km of its territory. ''I can't call it routine in the
context of the developments,'' an external affairs ministry spokesman said.
India invaded China, its N-weapons pose great danger, says Xinhua
The official Chinese news agency ran a signed commentary charging India with having instigated the 1962 war and invading China, illegally occupying 90,000 sq km of its territory and now fabricating weapons that pose a great threat to Beijing.
China, Pak wind up talks on 'recent developments'
Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmad ended discussions
on India's nuclear tests with crucial ally China on Tuesday, with both sides keeping quiet as to the results.
Clinton changes tack, admits India's security concerns
"India has had tensions with Pakistan and with China, these have to be looked into," the US president said at the end of the G-8 summit.
Carter chides US reaction to India's N-tests
Former US president Jimmy Carter has found fault with the American administration for what he calls its misguided response to the Indian nuclear tests.
Indian point of view gaining ground in the US
Almost a week after India exploded its nuclear bombs and earned the
ire of the United States, congressional leaders and political analysts in Washington are veering around to the view that diplomatic engagement rather than sanctions will help solve
the crisis in the subcontinent. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, an old India hand, said recently that India now has to be recognised as a nuclear power and that it has genuine concerns of security over China.
N-tests were meant to contain BJP coalition's
rift, not external threat, says Deve Gowda
Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda said his government was also offered
the bomb option by the scientists, but he turned it down since he
was more concerned about ameliorating the living conditions of the
poor.
Isolating India will not help US: experts
Three US experts, including Brookings Institution foreign policy studies director Richard Haas, have questioned the rationale behind President Bill Clinton's action in imposing economic sanctions on India and instead wanted him to negotiate with New Delhi on a mechanism to contain nuclear and missile proliferation.
Expert calls for 'nuclear bargain' between US and India
In a bid to end the emerging Indo-US confrontation on the nuclear
issue, leading south Asia expert Selig S Harrison has suggested a formula that envisages transfer of American civilian nuclear technology to India in return for three major concessions by New Delhi, including a promise to agree to a test ban.
Shaktipeeth near Pokhran is VHP's baby, not Vajpayee's
Pramod Mahajan, political advisor to the prime minister,
said the PMO does not come into the picture at all. "It is
between the organisation and the state
government," he said.
Chidambaram lauds BARC's role in N-tests
Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Dr R Chidambaram and BARC Director Dr Anil Kakodkar have praised the Indian Army and the Air Force for the help rendered to the scientific community in conducting the tests. And also the patriotic spirit demonstrated by the local people who were evacuated one and a half hours before the tests were carried out.
Too early to comment on Pak N-test: Chidambaram
The AEC chairman said that the seismic data collected by the Gauribudnor Array Centre in Karnataka confirmed that there seemed to have been a mild tremor. However, the signals recorded were very low and the waves formed were feeble.
Benazir charges Sharief with inaction over Indian blasts
Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Tuesday
said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief had failed to safeguard Pakistan's
security in the face of India's nuclear tests and should resign.
OTHER REPORTS
Sharief smarts under Advani's threat
Reacting to Home Minister L K Advani's call on Monday to desist from encouraging terrorism in Kashmir, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief on Tuesday said his country cannot ignore such statements.
India is planning to attack PoK, says Sharief
The Pakistani prime minister believes that India, fresh from its nuclear adventure, is planning to attack Azad Kashmir, and has sought the west's intervention.
'Islamic fundamentalism is the right answer to Hindu fundamentalism'
S A Basha, chief of Al Umma, which was allegedly involved in the February serial blasts in Coimbatore, believes that he is only reacting to the discrimination against his community.
Charges to be framed against Sukh Ram tomorrow
Charges will be framed against the former communication minister for his role in the telecom scam.
Public sector units staff retirement at 60
According to the industry ministry, the decision would come
into force from the date the public sector enterprises
amend their rules and regulations to this effect.
THE REDIFF SPECIAL
'We are not warmongers'
'We were forced by a particular situation which existed. This must have motivated the government to take this action. Left to us we may have waited for another 24 years. We would have remained contented with the capabilities we had and need not have had to demonstrate these through explosions.' Professor Abid Hussain on the Bomb and its aftermath.
TODAY'S COLUMNS
Vajpayee reaches for his Viagra
'The Congress's eagerness to appropriate the
nuclear triumph is understandable. In 1974, Indira Gandhi with
her nuclear halo became virtually unbeatable, and today Vajpayee
appears as if he has discovered the elixir
youth, after two months of being buffeted around by irascible allies.
But as a bachelor he must know what matters most is endurance. Can
he sustain the high for another five years?' asks Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
Packed In Tight In Their Last Refuge
'The debate, if that's what we can call it, over last week's nuclear tests
has metamorphosed into an exercise in pointing out who is or is not
patriotic,' says Dilip D'Souza, 'As of 1545 hours on May 11, 1998, Indians suddenly have available to
them a simple new test of patriotism. Approve of the bombs, support the
government's decision to conduct the tests, and you're automatically
certified as one of those strange beasts: a "true patriot." '
Memoirs of a nuke Monday
What were Vajpayee, Advani, Fernandes and Jaswant Singh doing on
May 11, the day India flew high on
nuclear wave? Capital Buzz
brings you the inside happenings.
Madhya Pradesh: Deputy CM Pyarelal Kanwar relents and quits
Tamil Nadu: AIADMK resorting to transfers to escape the law, charges CM
Tamil Nadu: TMC walks out of assembly for first time
TODAY'S WEATHER
Gales expected along Bengal coast
Gales reaching speed upto 70 kmph are likely along, and
off, West Bengal coast in the next 12 hours.
MAY 19
Pak dashes off envoy to China
Amidst rumours -- that Pakistan attempted and failed to explode a nuclear device on Sunday -- Pakistan Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmad arrived in Beijing for "regular consultations
with our old friend China''. He is to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and other officials before leaving China on Tuesday.
Prepare for fiscal hardship, PM warns nation
No mid-term polls, he adds.
Fernandes breaks silence on N-tests, repeats charge against China
Defence Minister George Fernandes on Monday clarified that he was not the first Indian minister to focus on the threat posed by China to India. Even Sardar Vallabbhai Patel realised the danger, he told a public meeting in Bombay on Monday.
Government not bothered by Pakistan's tests
Pramod Mahajan, political advisor to the prime minister, declared on Monday that the government was not concerned over the possibility of Pakistan conducting a nuclear test.
Pak N-tests close to certain: Gohar Ayub Khan
The Pakistani foreign minister has said his country's response in kind to India's nuclear tests were a matter of when, and not if.
US not to cut diplomatic ties with India
Military, financial carrots on offer for Pakistan.
No more tests planned, says Vajpayee
In a direct contradiction of his political advisor's claim on Saturday, Prime Minister A B Vajpayee has ruled out conducting further nuclear tests.
Weapons a nuclear deterrent, say scientists
Tests provided critical data for validation of capability to design nuclear weapons of different yields for different applications and different delivery systems.
VHP to build memorial near Pokhran
Vishwa Hindu Parishad working president Ashok Singhal said a shaktipitha would be built near Pokhran as a
symbol of India's resurgence as a
nuclear power.
Scientists come together to protest against nuclear tests
Some 75 scientists signed a memorandum against the nation going nuclear, which they felt was a negation of the scientific achievements made by the country.
G-8 has spared India, says Gohar Ayub Khan
Speaking to the BBC, the Pakistani foreign minister said the G-8 has not punished India enough for its nuclear tests.
Nuclear capable India and Pak should negotiate peace, says Gujral
Given that both India and Pakistan have demonstrated nuclear capability, the former prime minister believes that there is no question of a nuclear confrontation between the two. Given mutual deterrence, the two sides must also now negotiate peace, he said.
West fears more nuclear powers may emerge from the basement
Emboldened by the Indian nuclear tests and the west's muted response to it, experts feel threshold nuclear powers may now come out in the open.
Arab nations hail India's N-tests
Indian community celebrates in Dubai.
Condemnation, no sanctions, is G-8 outcome
Pak premier urged to go easy on N-tests.
Pokhran natives to be compensated
The Rajasthan government will pay compensation
to the villagers whose houses were damaged
following the nuclear tests in Pokhran last week.
OTHER REPORTS
'Patch up or face consequences'
In the BJP-led government's toughest statement against Pakistan, Home Minister L K Advani said, ''If Islambad continues with its inimical policies towards India, it will prove costly for it.''
Thakre rules out Cabinet expansion
BJP president Kushabhau Thakre said on Sunday that contrary to earlier reports, A B Vajpayee will not expand his ministry before the Budget session of Parliament.
CWC debates task force report on party reforms
Apart from debating the government's decision to go nuclear, the recently concluded CWC also deliberated on the Sangma committee's report on perestroika.
THE REDIFF SPECIAL
Did it finally take a thermonuclear explosion to blast Jayalalitha out of the PM's hair?
'When the party is reduced to two seats in Parliament, when oblivion stares it in the face, it is Ram Janambhoomi and the rath yatra. Today, when after considerable heartburn the BJP finally gets to install its government, then finds itself on the receiving end of Jayalalitha's hysterics from day one, it is a nuclear yatra??!!' asks Prem Panicker.
TODAY'S COLUMN
Two Nations, Two Martyrs
'So, yes, Ngodup's statement was about Tibet, but it was also a rebuke to
India, an accusation that she is exhibiting a national servility that is more
befitting of a vassal state of Communist China than a sovereign democratic
republic. His suicide also carries the message that it may be all
very well for the nominally-free Indian people to countenance routine abuse by
their own paid servants, namely the police, but he, a Tibetan free in
spirit if not in name, will not accept the abuse of
his people by those same police', says K V Bapa Rao.
Andhra Pradesh: 3 arrested for harbouring Coimbatore blast accused
Andhra Pradesh: State Congress chief blasts BJP-TDP nexus
Maharashtra: Ganesh Naik's men come out of Sena in New Bombay
TODAY'S WEATHER
Heat wave continues in Rajasthan
Severe heat wave conditions prevailed
in parts of east Rajasthan, northwest Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, north central Maharashtra and
Vidarbha.
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