Constitutional Crisis in Bangladesh
(October 31, 2006)
Violating Constitutional norms, Bangladesh President
Iajuddin Ahmed named himself head of a non-party
caretaker government to organize the next general
election and in a partisan manner held private political
briefs with selected parties.<More>
Honorable Citation for Army in Lebanon
(October 31, 2006)
The 4 Sikh Regiment, that participated in the United
Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), received the
Force Commander’s Unit Citation for commendable service
during the war in South Lebanon.<More>
Lanka Talks in Stalemate
(October 31, 2006)
As expected, the Geneva-based talks between the Sri
Lanka Government (SLG) and the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ended without an agreement on any of
the issues, but surprisingly, there was no agreement on
future engagement.<More>
Al-Badr Man Held in
Mysore
(October 31, 2006)
After West Bengal , the
second communist state
Kerala, has said that
“there is enough
indications to show that
Pakistan-sponsored
terrorism is taking
roots” Chief Minister
V.S. Achuthanandan
called for “close
co-operation” between
Federal and state forces.<More>
Internal Security Concerns to the Fore
(October 30, 2006)
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned the country
that focusing on external aggression reduces
awareness and focus on internal security which
is far more dangerous because of the number of
threats and causes and the effort that is
required to defeat them.<More>
Global Human Rights Panel in Sri Lanka
(October 30, 2006)
Responding to feedback mechanism from Indian interlocutors, Sri Lanka is
actively considering a global human rights panel that will investigate
allegations of human rights violations through a “full-fledged
international human rights monitoring mission.”<More>
Indo-US Anti-Terrorism Exercises
(October 30, 2006)
As part of the ongoing “Malabar” series of
exercises, Indian and US Navies will practice
expeditionary maneuvers off the Konkan coast in
addition to a simulated joint semi-urban
anti-terrorism exercise by in Belgaum, Karnataka.<More>
10% Growth Can Remove Poverty
(October 30, 2006)
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said
he hoped that the Indian economy
will grow at 10% in the “near
future" and that this “rapid growth”
will in “10 to 20 years” will
“remove the ancient scourge of
poverty, illiteracy, and
unemployment.”<More>
Russia Disagrees with Iran Draft
(October 30, 2006)
While insisting that it wants to “eliminate the risks of
sensitive technologies” flowing to Iran, Russia opposed
a European draft resolution calling sanctions against
Iran because it wanted to maintain “all possible
channels of communication.”<More>
Marginal Press Freedom Improvement
(October 30, 2006)
The Paris-based “Reporters Without Borders” rated Indian press freedom
marginally higher to 105 (from 106) in a list of 168 nations and most South
Asian nations to pathetically low numbers while North Korea and Eritrea
rated the worst.<More>
J&K Autonomy Working Group DoA?
(October 27, 2006)
The Hindu reported that the
Jammu &
Kashmir (J&K) Autonomy Working group promised by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh 5 months ago may be dead on arrival (DoA) because of a lack of
suitable leadership to lead the group and procedural issues.<More>
MCS Tracks Turtle Migration to TN
(October 27, 2006)
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has successfully
tracked tagged endangered green turtles (Chelonian mydas)
through satellites from Southern Sri Lanka to the Gulf
of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, a protected area off
Tamil Nadu (TN).<More>
High Infant Mortality in Bihar: UNICEF Survey
(October 27, 2006)
A survey conducted by UNICEF estimates that about 400
infants below the age of 1 with 2/3rds of those children
within a month die every day in Bihar due to causes that
could be easily prevented through simple intervention
programs.<More>
China Rejects Media Reports on Brahmaputra Dam
(October 27, 2006)
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao refuted
media reports saying that China has “no plans” to divert
billions of cubic feet of water from the Brahmaputra (Yalung
Zangbo) to the Yellow River to feed rain-starved areas
of the North.<More>
ISRO Floats Manned Space Mission Proposal
(October 27, 2006)
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
Chairman G. Madhavan Nair apparently made a
“registration of intent” to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh about sending an Indian astronaut
into space on a home-made capsule using an
Indian launch vehicle.<More>
2 Experimental Satellites from China
(October 27, 2006)
China successfully launched 2 space environment
exploration satellites with a life-span of 2
years and manufactured by Shanghai Academy of
Spaceflight Technology and China’s DFH Satellite
Co Ltd on its Long March-4B carrier rockets.<More>
India, Japan to Boost Ties
(October 27, 2006)
With 2007 being considered for designation
as Japan-Indian Friendship Year, India and
Japan are planning to boost their bilateral
relations to realize its “full potential” by
enhancing “strategic orientation” of their
“global partnership.”<More>
Manmohan in Damage Control Mode
(October 26, 2006)
Trying not to get dragged into the controversy
over the quality of evidence on the 7/11 Mumbai
blasts, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asserted
that India had “credible evidence” and the joint
mechanism with Pakistan was a “trial and
experiment.”<More>
Pre-cursor to Lanka Talks in Geneva
(October 26, 2006)
As an Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) team left
for Geneva , important information surrounding the
Southern Consensus arrived between dominant political
parties stressing on political settlement to the ethnic
strife is emanating.<More>
Impact of China’s Dam on NE & SE Asia
(October 26, 2006)
Reacting to recent media reports that China is planning
to construct a dam across the Brahmaputra and divert 200
billion cubic meters of water into the Yellow River,
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi notified Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh on its impact.<More>
Chinese Delegation Clarifies NK Stance
(October 26, 2006)
After meeting with North Korean (NK) leader Kim
Jong-Il, a Chinese delegation confirmed that he
did not plan on a second nuclear test, did not
apologize for the test, and is willing to return
to negotiations if certain financial concessions
were made.<More>
Additional Gates Foundation Commitments
(October 26, 2006)
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation signed an agreement
with India committing an extra USD 23 million over the
next 3 years in addition to USD 58 million focusing on
HIV Prevention Response and intervention to key
populations.<More>
Slow Inflow of Imported Wheat
(October 26, 2006)
Ministry of Agriculture disclosed
that about 2 million tons (mt) or
40% of the ordered 5.5 mt will reach
India by mid-November at various
ports—Mumbai, Chennai,
Visakhapatanam, Kandla, and Mundhra.<More>
ISI Subversion of Army
(October 25, 2006)
A few days after two soldiers were arrested on
charges of spying, Defense Minister Pranab
Mukherjee revealed that he is “deeply concerned
that there were spies in the army” but the
establishments has started initiatives “to
unravel the spy rings.”<More>
Army Plans Bunker & Fence Mending Along LoC
(October 25, 2006)
After foiling a spurt of infiltration bids along
the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmir in
the last few days, the Army has set itself a
winter deadline to fix bunkers and
anti-infiltration fence damaged by the October
2005 earthquake.<More>
Mizo Insurgent Group Surrenders
(October 25, 2006)
After fighting a bush war for 9 years with the
Assam Rifles, about 800 activists of the Bru
Liberation Front of Mizoram (BLFM) surrendered
to in Tripura along with their fire arms and
grenades in exchange for a grant Rs. 40,000 to
each surrendered insurgent.<More>
Improved Climate Forecasting for Agri
Productivity
(October 25, 2006)
The Ministry of Earth Sciences is proposing a
new 5-year plan which will provide easily
available improved weather forecasting for
farmers in the hope that this will improve
agricultural productivity and therefore
positively impact economic growth.<More>
Navy plans joint exercises with U.S., Russia
(October 25, 2006)
In continuation of its policy to practice naval
skills and operate in the backyards of friendly
nations, the Indian Navy revealed plans to hold
exercises with the United States and Russia in
quick succession next year in the Pacific Ocean.<More>
SC Creamy Layer Definition
(October 25, 2006)
Introduced first in 1992 by the Supreme
Court (SC), the creamy layer concept was
defined as those who were children of the
elite of the Other Backward Classes (OBC)
and has now been extended to cover those who
are in the Scheduled Castes and Tribes too.<More>
Russia Accuses US for NK Tests
(October 24, 2006)
Russia virtually accused the US of pushing
North Korea (NK) into a corner and provoked
their tests and called for more flexibility
from the Bush Administration for the
resumption of the 6-party talks.<More>
Sudan Expels UN Envoy over Blog
(October 24, 2006)
Looking for an excuse to rid the UN of its
soil to pursue its unholy war on innocent
ethnic Africans, Sudan expelled UN envoy for
authoring a blog that reported a serious
Sudanese army reversal in fighting
insurgents in Northern Darfur.<More>
Lankan Leaders Agree on MoU
(October 24, 2006)
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse and Leader of the
Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe seemed to have agreed on
the 6-point cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
on crucial issues facing the island nation.<More>
Afghan Violence Continues
(October 24, 2006)
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
said that its soldiers returned fire and killed 15
insurgents in the southern Zabul province of Afghanistan
but conceded that 2 of their vehicles were damaged in
the conflict but suffered no casualties.<More>
Malaysia Grants ‘Visa on Arrival’
(October 24, 2006)
Malaysia announce a “visa on arrival” for Indians
visiting Malaysia for tourism purposes entering the
nation from “six different points of entry” to “spur
intra-regional travel and bolster tourism” in a
“Hassle-free environment.” <More>
Modernization Drive of IAF
(October 24, 2006)
While retirement of MIG variants will outpace induction of new aircraft, the
Indian Air Force (IAF) expects to invest Rs. 20,000 crore (USD 4.3 billion)
over the next 10 years to modernize its fleet with better detection and
combat systems and more endurance.<More>
SC Verdicts Cuts Up Political Plans
(October 23, 2006)
In far-reaching verdicts, the Supreme Court (SC) asked the Government for
“compelling reasons” for including particular castes that are entitled for
reservations and “quantifiable” data to retain those castes in the list has
created churn in the caste-politics.<More>
Russia-EU Energy Disagreement
(October 23, 2006)
Depending on over 25% of energy from
Russia, the 25 EU nations are
unable to agree on how to demand
“predictability” in energy supply
while balancing values and economic
interests.<More>
Action to Increase Wheat Production
(October 23, 2006)
India has formulated an Action Plan
to increase production and
productivity of wheat by targeting
50% of wheat cultivation areas in
138 districts of Bihar, Uttar
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and West Bengal.<More>
Pak Disputes Baglihar Dam Report
(October 23, 2006)
Pakistan disputed a report in the Indian media citing
independent Swiss experts arbitrating the Baglihar Dam
issue conclusion that upheld Indian position as
“misleading” and accused that the “honour code of
confidentiality” has been broken.<More>
India Upbeat about Hu’s Visit (October
23, 2006)
Defense Secretary Shekhar Dutt sounded upbeat ahead of
Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to India saying that
defense relationship between the two nations “normal”
while the communist parties wanted China to initiate
confidence-building measures.<More>
China Surprises on NK
(October 23, 2006)
In a sign of successful visit to Beijing by
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the
US and China presented a united face by
demanding that North Korea (NK) return
unconditionally to the 6-party talks.<More>
Barak Controversy & DRDO Projects
(October 19, 2006)
Amid rumors of kickbacks over the procurement of
Naval Barak anti-missile defense system from
Israel , there is increasing evidence that most
projects undertaken by the Defense Research &
Development Organization (DRDO) are behind
schedule.<More>
Pak to Get 6 Chinese Nuclear Plant
(October 19, 2006)
Reports indicate ahead of Chinese President Hu
Jintao’s visit to Pakistan next month, it has
decided to grant 6300 megawatt (MW) nuclear
power projects in sites to be chosen by
Islamabad and with the approval of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).<More>
UNP Will Support Constitutional Amendment
(October 19, 2006)
The Sri Lankan United National Party (UNP) promised to support any
legislation that could be introduced by the President to restore the status
quo of the merger of North and East struck down by the Supreme Court (SC) as
“null and void.” <More>
WHO Wants TB Program Sustainability
(October 19, 2006)
Wanting a more effective management of the tuberculosis (TB) programs, the
World Health Organization (WHO) said that “financial sustainability and
manageability” was required in addition to mere funding.<More>
Justice Vs Judiciary Vs Legislation
(October 18, 2006)
Conviction of rapists, murderers, and terrorists 10 years late and
politically-motivated illegal cover-up commission, quota plans, and clemency
for some facing death row raise numerous questions and concerns on the
Indian democracy.<More>
Another Test by North Korea?
(October 18, 2006)
Even as it saw its closest ally China
building walls along the border and
inspecting shipments, North Korea (NK) said
that the UN sanctions amounted to
declaration of war and Japan said another
nuclear test is in the offing. <More>
Strategic Naval Conference
(October 18, 2006)
Recently, the Naval Senior Officers’ Conference
concluded and looked at three dominant themes
engrossing Navy strategists—safety and
consciousness, building stronger intellectual
and theoretical foundation, and accelerating the
process-of change.<More>
NE S&T Developments
(October 17, 2006)
In a sign that India recognizes the lack of
development t in the North Eastern sates, it
announced a slew of new projects for the region
to ensure that the economic and social
development happening in the rest of the nation
reaches these remote areas.<More>
Cabinet OKs IT Law Amendment
(October 17, 2006)
Heeding demands by Indian and
foreign customers of Information
Technology Enabled Services (ITES),
alias Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
to address data security and privacy
protection issues, the Federal
Cabinet approved amendments to
relevant laws.<More>
India, Ethiopia Plan Agri Cooperation
(October 17, 2006)
Following a request by the Ethiopian
Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry ,
India is considering a proposal by the
Department of Agricultural Research and
Education to send a 4-member team to
salinity and give technical advice to boost
production.<More>
Softened North Korean Sanctions
(October 16, 2006)
Facing severe opposition from China, the UN
Security Council led by the US whittle down the
sanctions targeted at North Korea (NK) as
punishment for its nuclear test even as NK and
Iran rejected the sanctions as discriminatory
and “gangster-like.”<More>
Darfur Refugees Live in Fear
(October 16, 2006)
Belying expectations that African Union (AU)
peacekeepers would bring peace to the
ethnically torn Darfur region of Sudan ,
refugees in camps say that the peacekeeping
mission is escalating the conflict and the
resultant violence is driving away aid.<More>
NHAI Plan to Tackle Highway HIV
(October 16, 2006)
Migrant population living along highways suffer higher
rates of HIV infection because of poor family support,
lack of healthcare, unsafe sex, easy access to brothels,
and lack of awareness but a new plan is being created to
specifically target this population.<More>
7th Indo-EU Summit
(October 14, 2006)
Inaugurating the 7th Indo-EU summit, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh emphasized that the
“Consolidation of strategic partnership and
intensification of dialogue with the
European Union” is a key foreign policy
priority for India.<More>
Southern Consensus in Sri Lanka?
(October 14, 2006)
In a significant political move, Sri Lankan President
Mahinda Rajapakse’s Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP) and
former Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United
National Party agreed to pursue a “national consensus”
on all issues.<More>
Corporate Military in Pakistan
(October 14, 2006)
Many analysts are now accusing the Pakistani military
for developing strong commercial interests to create an
oligarchy of serving and retired officers to control
banks, transport, road building, communication, and
construction businesses worth billions of dollars.<More>
India, Britain Share Terror Concerns
(October 12, 2006)
Visiting Britain right after the North
Korean (NK) nuclear test, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and British Prime Minister
Tony Blair concluded their third annual
summit and discussed terrorism, energy
cooperation, and investment promotion.<More>
UN Wants to Stop Violence against Women
(October 12, 2006)
A study sponsored by the UN Secretary General concluded that it has found
“compelling evidence that violence against women (VAW) is severe and
pervasive throughout the world” but there is no “knowledge base to inform
police and strategy development.”<More>
Pollution, Poaching Affecting Conservation
(October 12, 2006)
Two different and unrelated reports show that there
increasing pollution and poaching are affecting quality
of rivers and wildlife depending on these rivers despite
large spends to clean rivers.<More>
India-Mozambique to Co-Operate on
Mining
(October 11, 2006)
A Republic of Mozambique delegation
led by its Minister for Mineral
Resources Esperanca Laurinda Bias,
Mozambique is visiting India to
discuss bilateral cooperation in the
mining sector, related technologies,
and expertise sharing.<More>
Macro Indicators Strong, Agri
Worrisome
(October 11, 2006)
Although economic growth is at
7.5%-8%, inflation in check at
5%-5.5%, investments in Telecom & IT
estimated at USD 16 billion, and
more reforms on financial and retail
sector in the offing, the Indian
economy continues to roar but
Agriculture continues to be a major
worry.<More>
Mig-29 Flying Life Extended
(October 11, 2006)
As in the case of Mig-21s, the Indian Air Force
(IAF) has commissioned the National Aerospace
Laboratories (NAL) to conduct Total Technical
Life Enhancement (TTLE) of the Mig-29 to enhance
its life from 2500 to 3000 flying hours.<More>
North Korea Blasts Nuclear Regime
(October 10, 2006)
With a defiant nuclear explosion using
Pakistan technology, North Korea (NK)
blasted years of discriminatory nuclear
regime sparking sharp reactions from
regional and global players and possibly
bringing in major changes to world strategic
thought and orientation.<More>
Child Labor Law Becomes Active
(October 10, 2006)
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cajoled, threatened, and entreated the nation
to “stop employing children as workers and actively encourage them to join
schools” and that “Firm action will be taken against those violating the
law.”<More>
Lanka-LTTE Grand Standing
(October 10, 2006)
While emphasizing that his Government was committed to a
“negotiated settlement” and wanting a “successful”
Geneva summit, Sri Lanka told facilitators that he will
be “compelled” to react if LTTE continues with “violent
and provocative measures.”<More>
Multi-Faceted Trouble for Pakistan
(October 09, 2006)
As rumors of a coup continues to be fuelled by
weapons discoveries around President Pervez
Musharraf’s office, a grand Jirga of 95 Baloach
tribal chiefs met and decided to move the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) on their
status.<More>
Iran-US Verbal War
(October 09, 2006)
In a continuing war of words, Iran and the US have
castigated each other with the US demanding sanctions as
“time was of essence” and Iran refuting these and
unilateral American sanctions as “useless.”<More>
Quota Panel Report
(October 09, 2006)
The Oversight Committee submitted their proposals to the Federal Government
proposing that the contentious 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC)
be reviewed in another 5 years and again after a decade to determine the
relevance of the policy.<More>
Mosquito-based Epidemic Outbreak
(October 06, 2006)
Reportedly 76 people died in {Kerala} with Chikungunya
and nearly 128,500 cases of Dengue have been reported
nation-wide causing severe strain on an ill-equipped and
ill-motivated system to deal with the crisis on a war
footing.<More>
South Africa to Back Nuke Deal
(October 06, 2006)
Visiting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
elicited South Africa to support its
civilian nuclear deal with the US and got a
commitment from President Thabo Mbeko that
his country will support the deal in the
Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG).<More>
US Promises to Upgrade Pakistan F-16s
(October 06, 2006)
The row over the stripped down version of
avionics and fighter systems on the 18 new and
upgraded second-hand F-16s seemed to have blown
over with Pakistan agreeing to the terms and
signing the letter of acceptance in Rawalpindi.<More>
Cotton Output Up
(October 05, 2006)
Industry estimates predict a rise in
cotton output to 260-275 lakh bales
against 245 lakh bales last year
despite crop damage due to floods in
Maharashtra and
Gujarat earlier with the use of
genetically altered and hybrid
cotton seeds.<More>
Indo-Sri Lanka Trade Looking at USD
3B
(October 05, 2006)
From a mere USD 650 million in 2000,
the Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade
Agreement (FTA) is set to take
bilateral trade to USD 3 billion
next calendar year despite unethical
business practices not-conducive to
business by the Sri Lankan
Government (SLG).<More>
New Environmental Guidelines
(October 05, 2006)
In a bid to decentralize environmental impact
assessment, the Federal Government announced new
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) guidelines that
grant concessions for builders, automobile, and
biomedical sectors.<More>
China Claims Fusion Reactor Successes
(October 04, 2006)
Chinese scientists claimed that their first experimental
thermonuclear fusion test replicating sun’s energy
generation process in the Experimental Advanced
Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor was successful.<More>
More HIV Treatment Centers
(October 04, 2006)
The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) announced
that it has increased the number of free anti-retroviral
treatment (ART) centers from 54 to 91 complete with
specially trained doctors, counselors, and laboratory
technicians.<More>
Indian Outward FDI Expansion
(October 04, 2006)
In further expansion of Indian
business with outward foreign direct
investment (FDI), Wipro announced
the acquisition of a Swedish
hydraulic company and Tata Power
announced plans to set up plants in
South Africa, Nepal, Vietnam, and
Bhutan.<More>
31 New SEZ
(October 03, 2006)
Despite intense opposition and
public debate over Special Economic
Zones (SEZs) policy, the Board of
Approvals (BoA) cleared 31 proposals
including the South Korean Posco’s
proposal for a Rs. 55,000 crore (USD
12 billion) steel project.<More>
Judiciary vs Legislature Judgment Reserved
(October 03, 2006)
The Supreme Court (SC) has reserved its verdict on cash-for-query (CFQ) case
and the subsequent judgment will essentially define the scope of the
judiciary over Legislature or over the Executive.<More>
Maoist Meet Focuses on Coordination
(October 03, 2006)
In an ominous note, the fourth conference of the
Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and
Organizations of South Asia (CCOMPOSA) in Nepal
resolved to better coordinate to turn South Asia
“into a flaming field of people’s upsurges.”<More>
