INDIA INTELLIGENCE REPORT

 

Top Stories

No new boundaries; veto power
at UNSC a must, says PM

What is India News Service, Wednesday, 22 December 2004, 1900 hrs IST

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday for the first time outlined in Parliament the broad contours of his seven-month-old government\92s foreign policy and made it clear that India must have veto rights as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

In an elaborate suo motu statement in both Houses of Parliament on foreign policy-related issues, the Prime Minister declared that his government\92s foreign policy objective was to focus on the centrality of national interests in the conduct of external relations and pursuit of economic interests. 

\93We have taken important initiatives, keeping in mind the imperative of retaining our freedom of options, remaining alive to our concerns. Our efforts have contributed to making the international environment for India\92s development more secure. I am confident that our foreign interlocutors have a better appreciation of our position on issues of importance to India. We will continue to remain engaged in this endeavour.

He also said there was no ambiguity on India's nuclear status. He denied his regime had diluted the issue of cross-border terrorism while talking to Pakistan.

Kanchi case

Ravi Subramaniam secured, say police: Has the special investigation team handling the Sankararaman murder case \97 in which the Kanchi Sankaracharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi is one of the prime accused \97 arrested the elusive contractor Ravi Subramaniam?

Related stories:
> 'Appu gave vital info'
> 3-day custody 
>
Drama before arrest

Opinion:
>
What if seer's innocent?
> He's prejudged: Cho 

Order to upgrade 750 posts of Lt-Colonel: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) today issued orders for upgrading 750 posts of Lieutenant-Colonels to Colonels as per the recommendations of the Ajai Vikram Singh Committee Report on Cadre Reforms in the Services, which was accepted by the government earlier last week.

India deploys Israeli drones: The Indian army has deployed for the first time Israeli-built spy planes to track militants in occupied Kashmir.

Government disintegrating, says Vajpayee: National Democratic Alliance chairman Atal Bihari Vajpayee said the Manmohan Singh Government was "weakening and disintegrating" even as differences among the ruling coalition allies were coming out in the open.

Fake encounter major gets three-year jail term: Major Surinder Singh, a Gorkha Rifles officer, accused of fake encounters in Siachen glacier, was today dismissed from service and sentenced by an Army court martial to undergo three years rigorous imprisonment. 

Zahira turns hostile at retrial: Zahira Sheikh, prime eyewitness in the Best Bakery case, today turned hostile in the retrial underway here at the sessions court, and said she did not know the identity of the people who threw stones and soda bottles at her.

BrahMos-II bang on target: BrahMos II, the land-to-land version of the supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia, was test-fired for the first time in the Army configuration this afternoon in a desert range in Rajasthan.


Bazee.com CEO gets bail: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Baazee.com CEO Avnish Bajaj, arrested in the obscene MMS case, but asked him to surrender his passport and not to leave the country without permission of the trial court. In the wake of baazee case, the government is planning to introduce a new a US style cyber law.

BJP walks out as RS okays Minority Bill: The National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday after a heated discussion, with the Treasury and Opposition Benches trading charges on the status of minority institutions.

Laloo postpones rally: RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav today decided to postpone his rally here on Thursday in view of the Election Commission\92s tough posture vis-a-vis enforcing the model code of conduct for the Assembly poll in Bihar.

Related stories:
Election Commission lodges FIR against Lalu 
BJP stages walkout in LS over Lalu's 'philanthropy'.
Lalu's ek note, ek vote draws EC ire 
Laloo determined to derail Lok Pal Bill


States

Karnataka gives final okay for Devanahalli airport:
Once the government initials the state support and land lease agreements with BIAL, work will begin. But it is behind Andhra Pradesh, and it looks like the
Hyderabad greenfield airport will take off ahead of the one in Bangalore. 

Ransom paid, child strangled: The deal had been settled, the ransom paid and police kept informed at every step. It was only a matter of time, thought four-year-old Ganesh\92s father Siddhartha Palodhi, before his son was returned home.
 
20 die as bus falls into river: At least 20 persons were killed and nine others seriously injured when a bus in which they were travelling fell into Bhilangana river at Ghuttu area of Tehri district today, the police said.

Student forced to bathe in his own urine, commits suicide: A first year engineering student committed suicide on Sunday evening after he was humiliated by his seniors, who allegedly made him bathe in his own urine.




Neighbours

Militancy will be curbed, says Musharraf: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday said the government had successfully handled the issue of foreign militants in the South Waziristan Agency.

Pakistan seeks $800m sought from donors for power project: Pakistan has sought $800 million from international donors to help construct a massive Rs84.5 billion Neelum Jhelum hydroelectric project which after completion will generate 963 MW of electricity.

Pakistan discusses terrorism with Russia: The second session of the Pakistan-Russia Consultative Group on Strategic Stability concluded its meeting here on Tuesday after talks on various issues including terrorism.

View from abroad


Tiniest tot in Indian lap
:  When 32-year-old Mohammed Abdul Rahman married Mahajabeen Shaik, 23, in Hyderabad in January, the Indian-origin couple now living in Chicago had no idea they would create any world record.

No Indian university in world top 100 list: While Harvard and Stanford top the list, not a single Indian university ranks among the top 100 institutions in the world.

'Behzti' writer gets death threat: The author whose play irked UK Sikhs has gone into hiding following murder threats.

Afghans may need foreign troops indefinitely, says US: Afghanistan's fledgling government is making good progress in developing its national security forces but may need at least some foreign troops indefinitely, the US ambassador to Kabul said in Washington on Tuesday.

 

Overall

Singh outlined contours of foreign policy: The prime minister said India was against redrawing of boundaries.

Lalu got into trouble with election officials: He cancelled a rally after the Election Commission threatened to derecognise his party. 

Rajya Sabha passed Minority Bill: The ruling and opposition benches traded charges on the status of minority educational institutions.