Religious Tourism Picks Up (May
26, 2006)
With 2.5 million temples
dating back several hundred
years (and some several
thousands), religious
tourism in India is turning
out to be a major revenue
earner although most of the
revenues are not really
accounted.<More>
Environmentalists Aghast at
Tribal Rights Bill (May
26, 2006)
A joint committee of Members
of Parliament had submitted a
draft legislation, which will
no doubt pass because it has
the over-enthusiastic support
of the communists, which seeks
to make over valued forest
land over to the tribal
population.
<More>
Traditional Methods to Fight
Naxals (May
26, 2006)
The Chhattisgarh Director-General
(DG) of Police has announced a
slew of measures including using
traditional protection systems,
weapons, more Central Government
troops, use of civilians, and more
aggressive patrolling to fight Mao
inspired terrorism.<More>
Sir Creek Discussions Start
Positive (May
26, 2006)
After the expected collapse of the
Siachen talks, India and Pakistan
have started discussing the Sir
Creek issue and reports indicate
that both countries are agreeing
on some fundamentals even though
there is much disagreement.<More>
Baradei Asks US Congress to
Support Nuke Deal (May
26, 2006)
International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) Chief El Baradei
came out strongly to support
the Indo-US civilian Nuclear
Deal and asked the US Congress
to vote in support of the
“win-win agreement.”<More>
Govt may Scrap AWB Deal (May
25, 2006)
Confronted with sub-quality
wheat arriving from the
Australian Wheat Board (AWB)
and its refusal to supply
human-consumable quality
wheat at the agreed price,
the Government may cancel
the deal and negotiate a new
one in more transparent
terms. <More>
Speaker Blasts Election
Commission (May
25, 2006)
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath
Chatterjee lambasted the
Election Commission (EC)
over s charge that he
occupied an “Office of
Profit” and accused it of
“character assassination”
and “trial by insinuation”
without providing any
proof.<More>
Govt Withdraws Water Tax
(May
25, 2006)
While the stock market was
crashing and burning, the
Government rescinded an
internal note that called for
a 16% tax on water processed
by branded and unbranded water
“manufacturers” as well as
municipal water supply.<More>
India Signs ITER Agreement (May
25, 2006)
India joined 6 other nations to
sign the International
Thermonuclear Experiment Reactor (ITER)
Agreement contributing 10% of
project cost with manufactured
equipment to develop a prototype
reactor that will make atomic
fusion the next major source of
energy.<More>
IAF to get US C-130J Transport
Planes (May
25, 2006)
Ministry of Defense sources say
that the Indian Air Force (IAF)
and Border Security Force (BSF)
are planning to buy 12 C-130J
Transport planes from the US
defense major Lockheed-Martin for
use by its special forces in
anti-terrorist operations.<More>
Hindu Groups Protest in Nepal (May
25, 2006)
Hindu groups in the southern
industrial city Birgunj protested
violently against the reinstated
Parliament’s decision to
clip the King Gnanendra’s powers
and making Nepal a secular state.<More>
US Pledge to Israel over Iran (May
25, 2006)
The US pledged protecting
Israel from Iran should
diplomatic efforts to
negotiate an acceptable end to
that country’s controversial
nuclear program fail and the
situation escalated to a full
fledged conflict.<More>
Organic Farming Growing at
100% (May
24, 2006)
With larger disposable
incomes, expanding
economies, and higher
awareness of health, Indian
organic industry is growing
at 100% with 400 registered
farmers using 30,164 acres.<More>
Speaker Trouble (May
24, 2006)
The Budget-session of the
Parliament ended in a
controversy about an
admonishment motion on a
former Lok Sabha
Secretary-General for his
disparaging remarks on the
Speaker and the Opposition
opposed the propriety of the
motion and the motives for
it.<More>
Nishant Interests People, Army,
Navy, Coast Guard (May
24, 2006)
India’s indigenously designed and
developed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
(UAV) Nishant was successfully
tested off the coast of Kozhikode
in Kerala and the “wheel-less”
manned by a pilot on the ground
navigated the 180 minute flight.<More>
High Hopes on Nuclear Energy (May
24, 2006)
Nuclear Power Corporation Chief S.
K. Jain unveiled the country’s
nuclear vision and plans while
inaugurating an indigenously
manufactured nuclear fuelling
machine head, a critical part of
its nuclear program.<More>
Israel Captures Hamas
‘Commander’ (May
24, 2006)
Israel achieved a major
breakthrough in its fight
against terrorism by
capturing Hamas’s West Bank
military-wing ‘commander’
wanted in the death of 78
Israelis and wounding of
several hundred.<More>
Amnesty Accuses US of Human
Rights Violations (May
24, 2006)
In its annual report of
2006, Amnesty International
(AI) accused the US of gross
human rights violations and
double standards in its
fight against terrorism and
depreciated their
credibility for not
demanding more of allies
engaging in abuses in fear
of losing them.<More>
FIEO Calls for More
Attention to Food Processing
(May
23, 2006)
The Federation of Indian
Export Organization (FIEO)
called for more intense
efforts from business
houses, policy makers, and
traders on India’s low share
of food export in the world
even though the country
produces very high
quantities of fruits and
vegetables.<More>
Pastor Accused of Raping
Minor Girl (May
23, 2006)
In yet another shocking case
of a “social worker” taking
advantage of children,
Mumbai police arrested a nun
called Mother Anandi Joseph
for conspiring with a pastor
called John Alexander to
rape a minor child and
physically abusing them
frequently.<More>
Measures to Control AIDS on
Highways (May
23, 2006)
Analysts believe that better
highway facilities could
reduce incidence of AIDS
among high-risk truck
drivers and helpers and that
would consequently bring
down the number of incidence
in non-risky population such
as the wives and children of
this mobile group.<More>
The Begging Elephants of
Assam (May
23, 2006)
A
Supreme Court (SC) order
that stopped rampant
deforestation in North
Eastern India, especially
Assam, has rendered the
1200 domesticated forest
working elephants and their
mahouts jobless reducing
them to street beggars
accepting whatever people
offer.<More>
Legal Dilemma on Handling Kashmir
Massacre Accused (May
23, 2006)
The Army is considering various
options to try 5 officers,
including a Brigadier, for the
alleged murder of 5 Kashmiri
civilians suspected of being
foreign terrorists involved in the
massacre of 36 Sikhs at
Chattingsphora village in Kashmir
on Mar 20, 2000.
<More>
EU Reveals Plan to Placate Iran (May
23, 2006)
The European Union (EU) 3
countries Britain, France, and
Germany revealed a proposal that
offers Iran a new nuclear plant, a
consortium-based guaranteed fuel
supply, warplanes, and recognition
of boundaries.<More>
Montenegro Breaks-off From
Serbia (May
23, 2006)
Montenegro narrowly voted to
sever its ties with Serbia
meeting European Union (EU)
conditions and paving a
smoother path to be absorbed
into the EU. <More>
Freight Corridor on, Speed
Trains No (May
22, 2006)
A high level committee
chaired by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh rejected a
proposal to built a Bullet
Train network in the nation
for passenger traffic but
accepted the plan to built a
dedicated freight train
corridor at a projected cost
estimate of USD 5.06
billion.<More>
Anti-Quota Struggle Expands,
Students Threaten Suicide (May
22, 2006)
Students and doctors
protesting the quota-based
reservation system expanded
their protests to other
cities and intensified them
in New Delhi and Mumbai even
as a group of students wrote
to the President Abdul Kalam
seeking permission to commit
suicide.<More>
China Reports Three Gorges
Dam Completion (May
22, 2006)
In an astounding feat that
took less than 10 years,
China has completed the
Three Gorged Dam (TGD) which
is being labeled the largest
hydroelectric and water
management project in the
world that employed 26,000
people from over 50
countries. <More>
Terrorists Strike Cong Rally on
Anti-Terrorism Day (May
22, 2006)
Two days before the arrival of the
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to
continue his roundtable
discussions with Kashmir
separatists, two terrorists
dressed as policemen attacked a
youth Congress rally in Srinagar.<More>
India to Double Nuclear Power
Capacity (May
22, 2006)
Atomic Energy Commission Chairman
Anil Kakodkar revealed plans that
India will double its nuclear
power capacity from 20,000
megawatts (mw) to 40,000 mw by
2030 and that the Planning
Commission has prepared a 30 year
plan to facilitate this plan. <More>
Suu Kyi May be Released?
(May
22, 2006)
For the first time in more than 2
years, the {Myanmar} military
junta allowed UN official Ibrahim
Gambari to meet jailed opposition
political leader and Nobel
Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi for
about an hour spiking hopes that
she may be released soon.
<More>
Stock Market Takes a Beating
(May
19, 2006)
The Indian Stock Market index SENSEX tumbled 826 points or 6.77% in the worst ever correction (in point terms) since 1992 prompted by a slew of international events, ill-informed reporting, Foreign Institutional Investor
(FII) selling, and Government fumbles.<More>
India wants TAPI (May
19, 2006)
With a dead-on-arrival Iran-Pakistan-India
(IPI) pipeline, India signaled strong interest in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India
(TAPI) project that will transport natural gas for a severely energy deficient and rapidly expanding India.<More>
Lower Bar for Teachers
(May
19, 2006)
In a bid to recruit more teachers in colleges, the Human Resources Development
(HRD) Ministry is lowering educational standards further with a proposal to abolish National Entrance Test (NET) requirements for those with MPhil and PhD candidates.<More>
India & China Work on Diabetic Drug (May
19, 2006)
India and China, vying for the dubious distinction of being the diabetes capital of the world, are working together their vast herbal drug knowledge to identify medicine and herbs that can control diabetes.<More>
Naxal Violence Unseats Terrorism in J&K
(May
19, 2006)
Junior Home Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal admitted in Parliament that the Naxal menace in India is more threatening, cause more disruption, and resulted in more deaths that the Pakistan-inspired terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir.<More>
Afghan Taliban Attack Leaves 105 Dead (May
19, 2006)
