Tuesday, 8 February 2005, 2000 hrs

TOP STORIES
Air-to-air missile will be
ready for June trials
The latest weapon in India's missile programme, Astra, will be ready for trials from June this year

BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Airbus, Boeing court Air India
US aircraft maker Boeing Corp has bid to sell 50 medium and long range aircraft to Air-India and hopes to bag one of the big orders valued between $ 6 billion to $ 7 billion

Indian Express
With neighbours like these 
The prospect of one or two failed states on India’s doorstep is real. Whether it wants it or not, India is being irrevocably sucked into the internal politics of Nepal and Bangladesh. C. RAJA MOHAN makes out a case for security multilateralism and economic unilateralism


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Pioneer
With Monarch, not Mao
Apparently, India is upset with King Gyanendra of Nepal. It is, however, not clear what we are displeased about. Are we unhappy that he staged a coup to usurp all executive powers after sacking his own appointee as Prime Minister? Or, are we upset that he did so without consulting us and, if some reports are to be believed, against our advice? By CHANDAN MITRA

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Deccan Herald
Politics of ‘criminal’ cases
It’s time to evolve norms that prevent the practice of raking up old criminal cases to settle political scores, writes N C GUNDU RAO

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Asia Times
Pakistan stirs troubled waters
By asking the World Bank to intervene in its water dispute with India, Pakistan has sent a signal to New Delhi that the sharing of waters has become a "strategic" issue with far wider implications than envisaged earlier. The World Bank, however, is not eager to jump into the middle of sub-continental politics. By SEEMA SIROHI

EDITORIAL PICKS

The news about Al Jazeera (The Hindu)
World economy in 2005 (The Hindu)
CJ goes to Guwahati (Tribune)
Power policy (Tribune)
Modi retreats (Tribune)