Wednesday, 22 December 2004, 1800 hrs

TOP STORIES
No new boundaries; veto power
at UNSC a must, says PM
Manmohan Singh outlined the contours of his government's foreign affairs and asserted India would protect its territory and insist on a UN Security Council seat with veto power  

BUSINESS & ECONOMY
US slaps 9.45 pc duty
on Indian shrimp
The Department of Commerce has reduced the duty from 14.20 per cent, but it has still imposed one where there was one. India, however, is better off when compared to the duties imposed on China and Brazil.

TODAY'S EDITORIAL
Resurgent violence in
Jammu and Kashmir
India has all the strong cards required to bring Pakistan to heel, but is unwilling to play them. ARAVIND SITARAMAN lists five compelling reasons that can convince Kashmiris about the wisdom of staying with India 

Outlook
What if he is innocent?
While the case against Jayendra Saraswati is evaporating into smoke, evidence is accumulating on how it has been turned into a political crusade to denigrate Brahminism. If it turns out that the most revered icon of Hindu sanatana dharma has been persecuted without reasonable cause, we could see the beginning of a caste-cum-religious conflagration that may not be doused in our lifetimes, warns PREM SHANKAR JHA

Interview:
People have prejudged him: Cho

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Indian Express
The Thanedaar State
Do we see reform as just a narrow economic process or one that involves changing mindsets, enlightened law? Can a Web-based economy coexist with Weberian bureaucracy? By ASHOK MALIK

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Business World
Churn, churn, churn
One out of three companies in the top 100 list has changed over the past five years. The entrants are a mix of brand new businesses as well as some old names that are making a re-entry. The list of 2004 shows precisely how much the Indian corporate world has changed since 1999 - and what has remained largely the same. (Free user registration required)

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Pioneer
A metro in the making
A modern city is known by the metro it keeps. Arguably, there are other parameters to judge a big city's modernity - its roads, buildings, office complexes, shopping malls, parking facilities, green spaces and so on. It is, therefore, a matter of pride to see the Delhi Metro taking shape in a systematic way almost in record time, says CHANDAN MITRA


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The New Indian Express
Receiving secretly, paying openly
Lalu Prasad is a unique politician. During the Bihar movement days, he won admiration for his principles. Today, S GURUMURTHY admires him for his native skills, but rues Lalu's loss of his integrity

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Asia Times
Porn police bring quarry to eBay
India's camera-phone porn scandal involving a student and his girlfriend has exploded into unexpected ramifications, leaving the world's top auction website crying foul, Washington expressing its own concerns, and analysts questioning the implications for Indian e-commerce. By SIDDHARTH SRIVASTAVA 

TOP PICKS

OPINION


Vote on account (Hindu)
Hey presto, a new macaque (Hindu)
His life, his wish (Deccan Herald)
Europe beckons (Deccan Herald)