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OCTOBER 18, 19
No progress on Kashmir
India, Pakistan defer the subject to the next round of official dialogue.
Govt to reopen talks with Bofors
to save the guns
The 155 mm howitzer is the only long-range gun the Indian Army has to effectively combat Pakistani firing from across the Line of Control. But the guns have been inoperational for 12 years.
Salman Khan released on bail
The Jodhpur district and sessions judge, however, ordered him to deposit his passport in court within four days. He also prohibited the actor from leaving the country without the court's permission.
Laden's threat is West's creation -- Fernandes
Nevertheless, the defence minister clarified, the government is taking every precaution possible.
High court pulls up Bihar govt
A division bench of the Patna High Court observed that the state was not being governed in accordance with constitutional provisions.
Delhi lt-governor lauds police
The praise came two days after an officer was suspended because he was found missing from his post by Chief Minister Swaraj in a surprise check.
Thackeray set on giving farmers free power
The Shiv Sena chief restated his intent hours after the co-ordination committee of the BJP-Sena alliance failed to agree on the issue.
People's power lights the way
Electricity has come to Kadaviri. But the Kerala State Electricity Board had nothing to do with it.
Himalayas are a dormant quake zone
Experts worry that if a big quake strikes, hospital and emergency services will be unable to cope.
Fernandes holds the key to Goa tourism
Goa's tourism can get a boost if the defence ministry relaxes its rules to allow chartered flights to land more often at Dabolim airport in Panjim.
'Aryans were the same as late Harappans'
So claims Pune anthropologist M K Dhavalikar
Clinton-Sharief talks in Washington
may bring financial aid for Pak
Assistant Secretary of State Karl Inderfurth said Pakistan's economic crisis and the fight against terrorism would be the main topics to be discussed.
THE REDIFF INTERVIEWS
'The entire system is so corrupt, there is
rot in every part of the being'
'India becoming like Italy, with the mafia controlling everything, cannot be ruled out. The only saving grace at present is that there is strong public pressure against corruption.' Former chief justice J S Verma discusses how the corrupt can be brought to book.
'The BJP's move smacks of vendetta
against the RJD government'
'We do not want a mockery of the Constitution to be made by the reckless use of Article 356. In fact, the law-and-order situation in Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, all BJP-ruled states, is worse than that of Bihar. Even a central government report has brought out this fact.' CPI-M MP Hannan Mollah tries to explain his party's contradictory stand on Bihar.
THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS
Fact and fiction in reporting disaster
'In the recent landslides in hilly areas of UP, which claimed the lives of several trekkers to Mansarovar, the media was far too quick in blaming the deforestation of the surrounding hillsides. All journalists -- this columnist included -- have been guilty in the past of such cause-and-effect analysis,' says Darryl D'Monte.
Taming of the loose cannon
'Admittedly, the Vajpayee government is committed to transparency, but did not want to haphazardly rush matters. The government, Cabinet Secretary Kumar notes, is already in the process of finalising a right to information bill. So would Jethmalani kindly retract the order?' Capital Buzz. Political gossip from the Delhi Durbar.
OCTOBER 17
India offers to sign no-first-use pact with Pak
Foreign Secretary K Raghunath made the proposal as part of a series of confidence-building measures on the first day of the resumed official dialogue in Islamabad. India also cautioned Pakistan against sensationalising the military exercise to be held next month in Rajasthan.
Salman Khan's bail plea rejected
In a development likely to complicate matters for the actor, a black buck, two chinkara, and a peacock were seized by wildlife officers from his family's farmhouse near Bombay.
Jethmalani's transparency fiat hangs fire
But the urban development minister denied meeting Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to discuss the matter or having been asked to freeze his new openness rules.
Third front won't click, feels Deve Gowda
The former prime minister, who continues to be chairman of the UF, said the formation of a front for ''convenience or political compulsion'' would not serve any purpose. The UF, he added, has become ''non-functional'', with the left parties, who form the majority, opting for a third front.
Prasar Bharati Bill will sail through: Naqvi
The minister of state for information and broadcasting is confident that the bill to replace the Prasar Bharati ordinance will be passed in the winter session of Parliament.
New system power plants handed over to NPC
The Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System for switchyard and power equipment was jointly developed by the BARC, NPC and ECIL. The West denies the know-how for such products to developing countries.
Gawli forgets past, to help cops now
The gangster-turned-politician's latest effort -- critics see this as another of his 'numbers' -- is to lend support to the families of policemen who died on duty. "All policemen are not bad," he says.
Sena, BJP fail to agree on free power
Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi said the issue of supplying electricity free to farmers would be discussed at the next meeting of the joint co-ordination committee of the two-party alliance.
RCMP submits report on Kanishka bombing
But the RCMP, which has been hunting the bombers for 13 years in the most complex investigation in its history, said filing of charges is still some way off.
THE REDIFF INTERVIEW
'Some of the misconceptions [about the ED] may arise because there is an impression that all FERA cases have to lead to criminal prosecution'
'In the ITC case, 20 show-cause notices have already been issued. In the Chandra Swami group of cases, about 15 show-cause notices have been issued, of which eight have been adjudicated. In the urea scam, a number of persons have already been arrested during the investigation and the case is nearing completion.' ED chief M K Bezbaruah rebuts the charge that the directorate is dragging its feet in investigations involving the high and mighty.
THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS
Stop the review!
'If an Indian presidential system is to be democratic, it would have to be based on the advice and consent of an Indian congress. Given the ground realities, such a congress is likely to be just as fractious as any Indian parliament. The president will be repeatedly forced to close down the business of governance and pale perpetually at the prospect of an impeachment', says Mani Shankar Aiyar.
Deja vu
'Two things are becoming regular in India. Accidents on unmanned crossings and rape. The Railways should appoint people at every crossing. I know this will add to the wage bill and the Railways will run at a loss. But the Railways have never run on profit. So, what difference does it make? As for rape, the only solution is public castration -- and let them bleed to death. If they don't die, all the better,' says A G Nadar.
Andhra Pradesh: More than 50,000 people evacuated
Madhya Pradesh: Congress may drop 'tainted' ministers
Tamil Nadu: SC admits plea against Madani's detention
TODAY'S WEATHER
Downpour in Gujarat
Heavy rains are also expected at isolated places in the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands, Orissa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Konkan
and Goa, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and coastal Karnataka in
the next 48 hours.
OCTOBER 16
Salman granted bail in one case, re-arrested in another
Comedian Satish Shah has also been named in the second case, which relates to the killing of two gazelles in September.
Karunanidhi scoffs at Jaya's charge of not visiting riot-hit areas
The chief minister pointed out that when Jayalalitha was CM, she had stated that the head of government need not go wherever clashes broke out, but could control the situation by sitting in Madras.
Breakthrough unlikely in Indo-Pak talks
Sources said both countries will put forward their own sets of CBMs in the nuclear, missile and military fields to lessen the ''gross mistrust'' and reduce the risk of a war.
Rabri not out of the jungle yet as George repeats threat
"The subject is closed for the time being, but not for good," said the defence minister in Patna.
Chautala "hurt" by Advani's statement
Says his Indian National Lok Dal may reconsider support to the BJP government at the Centre
Toll in Karnataka rains reaches 195
Bijapur district accounted for 16 deaths, of which 15 were due to house collapses. Five deaths -- three due to house collapses and two by drowning -- were reported from Gulbarga.
Congressman among six killed in J&K
An army spokesman said militants shot Mohammad Yousuf at Badasgam in Anantnag district. An army soldier, a counter-insurgent, and two militants were the others killed in Kashmir. In Jammu, Pak bullets claimed a BSF jawan.
Nuclear tests have isolated India -- Gadgil
The Congress leader said the explosions had made no difference to the threats to India, especially from the United States. He called America the real devil, "always after its own national interest".
Islamic radicals refuse to pardon Taslima
The forgiveness sought by the dying mother of the 36-year-old writer is not enough to withdraw the fatwa, Mufti Amini said.
THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS
Ladder of lies
'Two recent statements from CPI-M general secretary Harkishen
Singh Surjeet deserve our attention. He wondered why the Left
hadn't struck roots outside Kerala, West Bengal, and Tripura
"despite its glorious role in the freedom struggle". And he slandered
the BJP as "the men who killed Mahatma Gandhi". A man's
memory is the first faculty to start withering. But I suspect
Surjeet's speeches sprang from malice rather than age',
says T V R Shenoy.
Andhra Pradesh: Floods threaten three districts
Kerala: Nayanar backs controversial IGP
Maharashtra: Lightning strikes claim 32 lives
TODAY'S WEATHER
More rains in Andhra
Heavy rains are likely at isolated places in Andhra Pradesh,
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Orissa, Gujarat, Konkan and Goa,
central Maharashtra, Marathwada, coastal and north interior Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep in the next 48 hours.
OCTOBER 15
US kills hope of many Indian software pros
Despite the backing of the computer industry and Bill Gates, the legislation to allow nearly twice as many programmers and other highly skilled immigrants into America died in Congress this week.
Human bomb targeting Advani in Coimbatore arrested
On the heels of the arrest of seven key militants at Rajahmundry, the Tamil Nadu Crime Branch has nabbed Amanullah Khan, head of the seven-member suicide squad assigned to eliminate the BJP leader in February.
Union Cabinet to be expanded around Diwali
Sources said the compelling reason is to accommodate ousted Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma whose followers have gone on the warpath against the BJP leadership.
India calls for review of 'hair-trigger' doctrine
This is the first time a resolution has been proposed before the UN drawing attention to the risk of accidental or unintentional use of nuclear weapons.
Security agencies should deal firmly with terrorists: Advani
A high-level meeting called by the home minister has decided to set up a special task force to tackle the ISI-sponsored terrorists and criminals in the country.
Sonia, Jaya moving closer to a tie-up
Congress politicians say both leaders are taking steps to break the ice in anticipation of their emergence as key centres of power if, as anticipated, the BJP takes a beating in the elections.
India's military exercise vitiates atmosphere before talks, says Pak
On Thursday, Pakistan and India are to reopen talks in Islamabad after more than a year. But Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson Tariq Altaf said India's announcement that it would hold "routine military manoeuvres" close to the border in October and November had soured the atmosphere.
Pakistan over-reacting, says Fernandes
Talking to reporters at Patna airport, the defence minister said conduct of military exercises was a routine affair for any country's defence forces to ensure their "fitness", and this need not cause any anxiety to anybody.
Vananchal, Uttaranchal bills to come up in winter session
The session, beginning November 30, will also take up bills to replace three ordinances passed after the monsoon session. Two of the ordinances were promulgated even as the relevant bills were pending in Parliament. The third relates to the Central Vigilance Commission.
Encephalitis claims 128 lives in UP
Gorakhpur and Basti divisions, just recovering from severe floods, have fallen prey to the dreaded disease. More than 600 persons, mostly children, are ill.
Arundhati Ghose wants India out of CTBT
Releasing the book India's Nuclear Deterrent: Pokhran II and Beyond, Ghose said the ideal is that no country possesses nuclear weapons, but in the present situation it would be better for India to stay out of the CTBT.
Ramadoss asks Jaya to adopt 'healthy tactics'
The BJP needs no allies, says the PMK leader, calling for the allies to continue backing the government at the Centre.
PMK slides towards the BJP
Jayalalitha's demand for the petroleum portfolio has caused cracks in the AIADMK-led front.
Bombay's gang war spills over into Pakistan
A suicide squad of the Chhota Rajan gang visited Rawalpindi less than two months ago to eliminate Rajan's rival Dawood Ibrahim. They couldn't.
Historic document on display in Dehra Dun
The famous 1971 'Instrument of surrender', by which the Pakistani Army laid down arms before India, is on display in the Indian Military Academy's Chetwode museum.
Pakistan's Quranic schools churn out cannon-fodder for terrorism
The authorities say 4,000 religious schools are registered in the country, with 540,000 students. But thousands more are believed to exist, turning out students who go on to fight for Islamic parties in Afghanistan's civil war and may be ready to join other militant movements.
LTTE threat brings Jaffna to a halt
The magisterial courts of Jaffna, Mallakam, Point Pedro and Chavakacheri have been closed until further notice after they received letters from the Tamil Tigers, ordering them to suspend all hearings or face the consequences.
THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS
Rape Is Murder
'Rape is not just a criminal problem; it is a social problem. Even if you deter some potential rapists, you still have to cope with society's attitude to rape victims. And the death penalty by itself cannot do that. What it can do, however, is signal the start of the process of changing attitudes. Even if it isn't enough, it is a beginning,' says Vir Sanghvi.
THE REDIFF INTERVIEW
'It is not for India and Pakistan to divide Kashmir among themselves'
'I believe that both India and Pakistan should not be rigid on this issue. In this regard -- and I want to stress this point -- our problem in discussing J&K has been the Indian approach towards the issue.' Pakistani High Commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi shares his country's perceptions on the eve of the foreign-secretary talks in Islamabad.
Delhi: A gas chamber, say experts
Delhi: Swaraj puts ministers on night patrol
Karnataka: Cabinet stands by CM Patel
Tamil Nadu: Judge rejects Jaya's plea
Tamil Nadu: Film-makers take weekly to Press Council
Tripura: Marxist veteran Dasaratha Deb is dead
Uttar Pradesh: Kalyan gets tough with lax officials
Salman sure is a 'wild' one!
Yeah, the arrest for poaching wasn't the first time the star had ventured into matters wild. There was another incident not so long ago, wherein he...
TODAY'S WEATHER
Andhra rains claim 21 lives
Seven deaths were reported from Kurnool and six from
Karimnagar. Three each came from Anantapur and Hyderabad, and
one each from East Godavari and Chittoor districts.
OCTOBER 14
Actor Salman Khan remanded to custody for 3 days
The actor's counsel has alleged political victimisation. "The witnesses state that the killings took place in the last week of September. Why then is the issue being raked up now?" lawyer Jagdeep Dhankar asked.
Gujarat police bust Pakistani plot to assassinate Advani, Keshubhai
ISI agent Abu Qasam, who was arrested by the Anti-Terrorist Squad, had an accomplice in Bombay, Bablu alias Usman, who possessed stocks of RDX. Qasam was later killed while trying to escape from custody. Usman is yet to be traced.
Indian shells kill 8 Pak soldiers in Siachen
A defence ministry spokesman said Pakistani troops began 'unprovoked' artillery and mortar fire on Indian positions, to which the Indians retaliated. In the exchange that lasted several hours, eight 'enemy' soldiers were hit.
New US Green Card fees put Indians in red
Immigrants with a residency permit, commonly known as the Green Card, will have to pay more if they lose it; the replacement cost has risen from $75 to $110. The processing fee for Green Cards has also shot up, from $130 to $220.
SC reserves verdict on judges' appointment
When a counsel tried to raise certain questions which, according to the court, were not within the scope of the presidential reference, Justice Bharucha observed, ''We do not wish to go one inch beyond the scope of the reference and would endeavour only to clarify the grey areas in
the 1993 judgment" in the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association case.
Indian bride murdered on Colombo seafront
Four men kidnapped Rita Jone Manoharan when she was strolling with her husband on Sunday. The police recovered her mutilated body today. They believe it was the handiwork of 'sex maniacs'.
PMK threatens to quit government
Party chief Ramadoss suggests the party's ministers will quit if the petroleum ministry is handed over to the AIADMK
TN bans casteist posters and graffiti
In a bid to contain the recurrent caste clashes in the southern districts, the Tamil Nadu government has banned posters and wall writings that are likely to provoke casteist feelings.
Karunanidhi sees political realignment after assembly polls
The Tamil Nadu chief minister said he was of the firm view that an elected government should be allowed to complete its full five-year term. But this did not mean he wanted the BJP-led government to continue.
Sahib Singh vows to campaign "day and night" for BJP
"I am a disciplined RSS worker and soldier of the BJP and will continue to work for the party, whether I get a Cabinet post at the Centre or not," the ousted Delhi chief minister, who gave up his official residence and car within hours of losing office, said.
Jaya got what she wanted -- and more
"The timing of her visit to Delhi was fixed not just by coalition commitments, but by the upcoming assembly elections. We do not want to rule out any possibility in the days following the assembly elections, hence her careful handling of the Congress question," said an AIADMK source.
Kalyan prepares to crack down on 'shady' ministers
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister has axed three members of his jumbo-sized council of ministers and at least seven others who are alleged to have had links with slain gangster Sriprakash Shukla are in line.
India to send up polar ocean satellite next year
The satellite will monitor the seas around India and collect data with greater predictive capability. The data will be made available to end users like the meteorology department.
Emboldened Sharief replaces ISI chief
In another major reshuffle in the hierarchy of Pakistan's powerful military, the prime minister appointed Gen Ziauddin as the new chief of the elite Inter-Services Intelligence. Interestingly, ousted ISI chief Lt Gen Nasim Rana has not been given another assignment.
Another live US missile found in Pak
This is the third unexploded missile found in Baluchistan since August when American ships rained missiles on terrorist camps in Afghanistan, and strengthens the suspicions of those who argue that the US also targeted the sites where Pakistan conducted nuclear tests.
THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS
Winter of discontent stares BJP in the face
'The winter months will put the BJP through the wringer, but will stop just short of pulling it down. Despite the adverse mandate from the electorate, despite this government's proven inability to rein in prices, despite the periodic shocks from intractable allies, an alternative formation will not come into being. Because the same set of factors that are inhibiting Sonia Gandhi's Congress from taking the plunge today will continue to remain in force,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
THE REDIFF INTERVIEW
'In this world, fear has no place. Only strength respects strength'
'Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognise our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why? For fifty years we have been a developing nation. It is time we saw ourselves as a developed nation.' Dr A P J Abdul Kalam in a revealing interview.
Goa: Parties reach accord on electoral reforms
Goa: CBI returns after two years
Orissa: BJP calls for Patnaik's resignation
A politician rides shanks' mare
It was an unusual sight that residents of Shalimar Vidhan Sabha constituency in Delhi met with on Monday. Former chief minister and their elected representative Sahib Singh Verma travelling by bus to reach his low-income group flat in Shalimar Bagh.
TODAY'S WEATHER
Rains to continue in South
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Konkan, Goa, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, north Tamil Nadu, coastal Karnataka, and
Kerala in the next 48 hours.
OCTOBER 13
THE DELHI CHANGE OF GUARD
Jat ire could bring BJP to its knees in Delhi, Rajasthan
Sahib Singh Verma commands a mass following in the Jat-dominated areas of Outer Delhi which send 22 MLAs to the 70-member assembly. "By sacking him, the high command has angered the community which is a crucial vote-bank," a BJP legislator in Delhi told Rediff On The NeT.
Change in leadership with an eye on the future, says Sushma
Addressing a battery of reporters in her chamber after being sworn in, Swaraj said the BJP would have won the elections even under Verma's leadership, but it wanted to project her as the leader in Delhi.
BJP may repeat Delhi experiment in MP, Rajasthan
The BJP's decision to project Swaraj as its choice for chief ministership if it wins the Delhi elections goes against the decision taken by its national executive in August not to project any one leader in the states that go to the polls later this year.
Swaraj sworn in as Delhi CM
The former information and broadcasting minister is the third chief minister since the BJP came to power in 1993, and assumes office against the backdrop of an open revolt by Verma's supporters.
Sushma Swaraj, lawyer, minister, CM
Swaraj, who was the first woman general secretary of the BJP and first woman spokesperson of any national party, has now become the first woman CM of Delhi.
Miffed Lok Dal may withdraw support
Senior leader Om Prakash Chautala said though the Sahib Singh affair was an internal matter of the BJP, it points to the party's "anti-farmer'' mentality.
OTHER REPORTS
SIT nabs 7 Coimbatore blasts accused in AP
Mohamed Ansari, state general secretary of the banned Al-Umma, and Nawab Khan, younger brother of the outfit's chief S A Basha, were among those arrested in Rajahmundry on Sunday.
NCW demands judicial inquiry into nuns' rape
The NCW team that visited Jhabua suspects the incident is not just a case of rape and robbery, but points to a larger conspiracy.
10 killed, 8 injured in J&K
Seven soldiers were killed when an army vehicle hit a landmine at Mughal Maidan in Doda district. Five were seriously wounded.
Let's be friends, China tells India
Promoting good relations with neighbours through confidence-building measures like reducing troops on borders is at the top of the Chinese agenda, Beijing has said.
President calls on prime minister
Narayanan drove straight to Vajpayee's Race Course Road residence in the morning and spent 20 minutes with the PM, who is convalescing after a cataract operation.
Sonia too keeps the Jaya option open
The Congress president reacted positively to AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha's recent statement that her party's option of a possible alliance with the Congress was open.
Samata may go it alone in Rajasthan
Delegates at the party's state executive committee meeting in Jaipur felt it should ally with the BJP for the assembly election, but if that did not work out, the party should contest on its own.
Ajit asks Congress to oust BJP
Ajit Singh, president of the revived Lok Dal, has asked the Congress to unite secular forces in states going to the polls next month, and said non-BJP parties should sink their differences to ensure the defeat of the ''fascist BJP''.
Minority panel chiefs to meet in Bangalore
Chairmen of minorities commissions from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal will attend the meet, to be held in December or January.
THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS
Dear Readers...
'No, I'm not Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to see the world as one big family.
I'm a very normal person who shies from such soulful and pious connotations
of humanity that are right up your alley. Dr Martin Luther King also harmed his community, right? So has Nelson Mandela, I suppose? Do I have a "fanatic love" for "my own"? Well,
one of them, certainly!' says Varsha Bhosle.
THE REDIFF INTERVIEW
'We wish to start constructing the Ram temple by AD 2001... As far as it is concerned, there is no question of closeness to any party, not even the BJP'
'The dharma sansad (religious parliament) will take a final decision on the construction. If there is a clear signal, we will go ahead, regardless of any and every hurdle. If, however, the dharma sansad decides otherwise, we will hold back,' says Acharya Giriraj Kishore, VHP general secretary.
Tripura: Bandh halts life
TODAY'S WEATHER
Rains claim 20 lives in Kerala
Five deaths each were reported in Thiruvananthapuram and Malappuram districts, four in Pathanamthitta, three in Ernakulam, two in Kollam and one in Thrissur.
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