Increased Heroin Flows from Afghanistan (June 30, 2006)
Narcotic trackers say that an unwanted and unanticipated side-effect of the Indo-Pak peace process that has increased foot, rail, and road traffic between the two nations is the upsurge of smuggling of heroin from Afghanistan.<More>

Tribal Rights Bill will shrink Forests Further (June 30, 2006)
Satellite imagery shows that human habitation in and on the periphery of forests, encroachment, and illegal logging has reduced forest cover in 11 of the 28 forests and the proposed Tribal Rights Bill (TRB) legalizing forest dwellers land rights will exacerbate this scenario.<More>

Services Oppose Ministry Equality Diktats (June 30, 2006)
There is growing evidence that the three services are opposing Defense Ministry diktats to offer permanent commissions to women personnel unless they make voluntary choices to combat roles and meet demanding physical standards expected of fighting forces.< More>

India, Kuwait to Enhance Aviation Ties (June 30, 2006)
Following the recent visit by the Kuwaiti Amir to India, India and Kuwait will review their aviation bilateral arrangements to increase the number of seats available on airlines of either country in forthcoming bilateral talks scheduled on July 18-19.<More>

Australia Ships Remaining Wheat (June 29, 2006)
The Australian Wheat Board (AWB) announced that it has resolved quality issues with Indian authorities and will be exporting the remaining 400,000 tons of wheat of the 500,000 tons deal valued at USD 90 million.<More>

AIDS Campaign Launched (June 29, 2006)
A joint operation by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) and the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports have launched a 5-year Youth Unite for Victory on AIDS (YUVA) plan aimed at reaching out to adolescents and youth.<More>

LTTE Regrets Rajiv Gandhi Assassination (June 29, 2006)
In a virtual admission of guilt, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Chief Peace Negotiator and Ideologue, Anton Balasingham said that his organization deeply regretted the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.< More>

Indo-Sino Talks End, No Details Disclosed (June 29, 2006)
The eighth round of Indo-Sino border talks ended with proceedings held secretively and results not made public but a terse press release similar to the one at the end of last round said that the talks were held in a "friendly, cooperative and constructive atmosphere."<More>

US Panel Passes Nuke Deal With Caveats (June 29, 2006)
The 50-member US Congress International Relations Committee (HIRC) approved 37-5 the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal to exempt India from the U.S. laws that restrict nuclear trade with countries that have not submitted themselves to full nuclear inspections.<More>

Hamas, Fattah Recognize Israel as Troops Amass (June 29, 2006)
After the dramatic tunneled attack and kidnapping of an Israeli soldier, Israel has ordered troops to the border with Gaza as Hamas and Fattah movements ended weeks of acrimonious negotiations to conclude an agreement that implicitly recognizes Israel.<More>

Putin Wants “Quantum Jump” in Indo-Russian Ties (June 29, 2006)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said “It is essential to increase dramatically the volume of our trade and the level of investment [with India], our cooperation in the energy and other fields, including military-technical field.”<More>

Panel to Discuss Manufacturing Issues (June 28, 2006)
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will lead a high level committee on manufacturing to discuss macro-economic measures needed to make industry globally competitive.<More>

Uzbekistan Rejoins Russian-led Defense Pact (June 28, 2006)
Uzbekistan rejoined a Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) allowing the organization to extend its reach beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union.<More>

Large Operation Kills 150 Taliban (June 28, 2006)
Afghan and coalition forces launched Operation Mountain Thrust, a major anti-Taliban operation 2 weeks ago, killing 149, wounding 32, and capturing terrorists described by Afghanistan as “enemies of peace and safety of our people.”<More>

Lankan Deputy Army Chief Killed (June 28, 2006)
Suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber rammed his motorcycle on a car carrying Deputy Chief of Sri Lankan Army killing him and 3 others and injuring 8.<More>

US, Pakistan Energy Talks (June 28, 2006)
The US and Pakistan will be talking about co-operating on energy this week in Washington with Pakistan expected to demand a nuclear deal along the lines of the civilian deal and the US saying that the needs of the sub-continent nations are different.<More>

Hamas Tunnel into Israel to Attack Army (June 28, 2006)
In escalating violence, Hamas militants in a brazen pre-dawn attack, tunneled into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, lobbed grenades and bombs into a tank at the border killing two of the four man crew and kidnapping its gunner; Israel has vowed revenge. <More>

Sudan Stops UN Activities (June 28, 2006)
The Sudanese Government asked local authorities in the western region of Darfur to immediately suspend UN all non-humanitarian activities in 3 states and allow only the World Food Program and other international aid agencies.<More>

Africa Promises to collaborate on UN Council Expansion (June 28, 2006)
Ghana Foreign Minister Nana Addo Akufo-Addo said Africa will look at new ways of collaborating with India for expanding the UN Security Council (UNSC) and said he hoped that “the forthcoming AU summit at Banjul will give a new push to that."<More>

CII Predicts Slower GDP Growth (June 26, 2006)
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) predicted slower Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the current year bucking last year’s 8.4% growth propped up by 3.9% growth in Agriculture but insisted that growth will remain impressive at the 8% level.<More>

Bihar Amends Child Labor Law (June 26, 2006)
Responding to Supreme Court ordering ban on all forms of child labor, Bihar has banned employment of children below the age of 14 in the State’s shops, establishments, and businesses by amending the Bihar Shops and Establishments Act.<More>  

Defense Plans for Parallel Warfare (June 26, 2006)
The Army, Air Force, and Navy have created new detailed processes, called Parallel Warfare, for joint operations coordinated in strategy and tactics specifying possible formations, squadrons, and fleet movements to meet political and military objectives.<More>

Political Consensus on CDS Role (June 26, 2006)
Defense minister Pranab Mukherjee is planning to implement a decision by the Kargil Oversight Committee, which investigated the Kargil War, to create Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) as a single-point military adviser to the government restructuring higher defense hierarchies.<More>

Taliban Offers Truce to Pak (June 26, 2006)
A rebel 'commander' of the new Pakistani Taliban running wild in Pakistan offered truce to allow elders to broker a settlement after months of fierce fighting "as the government wants to set up a tribal jirga (council of elders) here.”<More>

Nepal Terrorists Want Merger with Army (June 26, 2006)
Nepal Maoist leaders are visiting Katmandu after briefing cadre in the West on June 16 dialogue and will meet Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and other prominent intelligentsia ahead of the next summit probing opinions and assessing space for their movement.<More>

Informal Indo-Sino Boundary Talks (June 26, 2006)
Special Representative to India-China boundary talks (also National Security Advisor K. Narayanan) is in China for official-level talks to continue in-camera sessions under “political parameters” set during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to New Delhi in April 2005.<More>

CIA Conned on Iraq Germ Threat (June 26, 2006)
The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) finally admitted that the main inspiration who prompted the US to invade Iraq spreading fear of mobile chemical labs capable of launching germs is “mentally unstable” “an Iraqi defector suspected of being mentally unstable and a liar.”<More>

Govt to Sell 10% of Nalco, NLC (June 23, 2006)
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) agreed to allow the Government to disinvest 10% of two profit making public sector non-navratna companies to raise resources for the National Investment Fund (NIF) mostly to fund social sector expenses.<More>

Private Sector Wheat, Sugar Imports Allowed (June 23, 2006)
Concerned at rising prices of wheat and sugar, the Cabinet Committee on Prices (CCP) has approved the Government to allow private sector operators to import them and has banned the export of pulses.<More>

Budget Quota for Minorities  (June 23, 2006)
The Government announced a 15 point program to focus action sharply on issues intimately linked with the social, educational and economic enhancement of the minorities including a quota of 15% of the budget for them in certain schemes. <More>

Karzai names Zawahiri as Main Enemy (June 23, 2006)
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai names al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri as his country's main that must be neutralized or captured for having “brought massive suffering to the Afghan people.”<More>

US Subpoenaed International Money Transfer Records  (June 23, 2006)
US Treasury Department gained sweeping access to international banking records as part of a secret program to choke off financial support for terrorism that US Government sources say is "legal and proper use of our authorities.<More>

 Ind-Pak Water Disputes-- Tulbul, Krishenganga, Baglihar (June 23, 2006)
As part of the ongoing composite dialogue process started in February 2004, India and Pakistan resumed discussions on the Wullar barrage that India is constructing over the Jhelum River in Jammu & Kashmir called the Tulbul Navigation Project.<More>

UK Missing the India Boat (June 23, 2006)
The UK Trade and Industry Select Committee of British Members of Parliament (MP) said that British businesses “have only partial understanding of the Indian economy, despite it becoming the fourth-largest in the world with the second-largest population.”<More>