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Upbeat BJP to prepare roadmap for 'pipedream'
Upbeat over its emphatic win in Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to prepare a roadmap for ousting the Congress in the elections to Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Rajasthan Assemblies next year, at its crucial national executive meeting beginning here on December 23.
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PARLIAMENT
AJT deal stuck due to impasse in price negotiations
New Delhi: Government on December 18 said the acquisition plan for the much-needed Advance Jet Trainer (AJT) deal was stuck due to an "impasse in price negotiations" and efforts were underway to sort out the knots.
PM announces relief for farmers, interests waived
New Delhi: In a move to mitigate sufferings of farmers in 14 drought-hit states, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on December 18 announced in Parliament waiving of interests for one year on Kharif loans taken by them.
Polaris chief's arrest echoes in Lok Sabha
New Delhi: The arrest of Polaris Software Labs Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Arun Jain in Indonesia over a commercial dispute had its echo in the Lok Sabha on December 18 with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members seeking government-intervention to ensure his release.
SAARC Summit put off on false grounds: India
New Delhi: India on December 18 hit out at Pakistan for putting off SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Summit on ''specious'' grounds and stymieing economic progress and asserted it will be "ready and willing" to participate provided progress was made on substantive issues before the regional grouping.
'Safety measures taken against nuke, bio attacks'
New Delhi: Defence Minister George Fernandes on December 18 said Pakistan's recently test-fired medium range surface-to-surface Hatf-IV missile was capable of carrying nuclear warhead even as India has initiated steps to ensure protection from nuclear and biological attacks."
Oppn continues boycott of Fernandes in Parliament
New Delhi: Defence Minister George Fernandes on December 18 faced Opposition ire in the Rajya Sabha after a Congress member refused to put his question to the minister pending completion of probe into the tehelka expose on Defence deals.
Govt to waive interest on kharif loans: PM
New Delhi: As a one-time measure to mitigate farmers' hardship, government has decided to waive completely the first year's deferred liability of interest on kharif loans, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee announced in Lok Sabha on December 18.
NATIONAL
Indian lawyer of Polaris arrives in Jakarta
Chennai: The legal counsel of Polaris Software Lab from India has arrived in Jakarta to co-ordinate the legal moves with Lucas partners, an international law firm whom the company has hired to secure the early release of the company chief executive officer (CEO) Arun Jain and senior vice-president Rajiv Malhotra, presently under detention there.
Vajpayee attempting to raise divisive issues: Oppn
New Delhi: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's remarks that the Muslims did not strongly condemn the Godhra carnage came under severe attack from the Opposition, which accused him of attempting to raise "divisive issues" and toeing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) line on Gujarat violence.
Fresh trouble for govt, allies oppose divestment
New Delhi: Samata Party and Shiv Sena, major allies of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), on December 18 opposed the disinvestment process with the former even threatening withdrawal of support or split in the party if the government went ahead with selling of PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings).
CBI requests UAE for Anees Ibrahim's extradition
New Delhi: Undeterred by the action of the United Arab Emirate (UAE) authorities in deporting Anees Ibrahim to Pakistan, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on December 18 sent its extradition request for the underworld don to External Affairs Ministry.
India demands immediate release of Polaris' chief
New Delhi: India on December 18 demanded immediate release of Polaris Software Labs chief Arun Jain and a senior company official detained in Jakarta since Saturday (Dec 14) over a commercial dispute while assuring Indonesian authorities that if required for questioning they would make themselves available.
Terrorists claim innocence, term trial as 'farce'
New Delhi: The three terrorists sentenced to death in the Parliament attack case on December 18 claimed that they were "innocent" and termed the trial as a "farce".
BJP seeks withdrawal of MFN status to Pakistan
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on December 18 sought withdrawal of most favoured nation (MFN) status to Pakistan, as that country was not extending the same benefit to India.
CPM slams PM's remarks about Muslims on Godhra
New Delhi: The CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist) on December 18 deplored the remarks made by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on December 17 that the Muslim community had not sufficiently condemned the Godhra massacre and accused him of "echoing" the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) line on the Gujarat incidents.
JPC may hold Sinha responsible for UTI fiasco
New Delhi: Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), probing the stock scam, is likely to fix responsibility on former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha for Unit Trust of India (UTI) fiasco and name Ketan Parikh as the "key player" in the stock scam.
Instil confidence among minorities: NCM to Guj govt
New Delhi: National Commission for Minorities on December 18 said the Gujarat
government should try to instil confidence among minorities in the state, which
witnessed communal riots early this year.
'Musharraf asks EC to burn records of referendum'
New Delhi: In a significant development, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has asked the country's Election Commission to burn all the official records of his April referendum, a web newspaper has reported.
Delhi Sena activists burst crackers, create panic
New Delhi: Jubilant Shiv Sena activists burst crackers immediately after the Delhi trial court awarded death sentence to three convicts in the Parliament House attack case, creating panic among the litigants and police at Patiala House.
3 sentenced to death in Parliament attack case
New Delhi: A Delhi Court on December 18 awarded death sentence to three of the four convicts in the Parliament attack case.
Lawyers' strike is on despite Supreme Court fiat
New Delhi: Lawyers across the nation defied the Supreme Court directive of December 17 and responded to the Bar Council of India's strike to protest against the Legal Services Authorities (Amendment) Act, 2002.
'BJP doesn't need Pak's certificate on secularism'
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on December 17 said it does not require a certificate from Pakistan on its nationalist, Democratic and secular credentials.
'US aid encouraging Pak to persist with terror'
New Delhi: Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on December 17 night said the United States' economic aid to Pakistan was encouraging Islamabad to persist with sponsoring of cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy and asserted government would vigorously pursue "pre-emptive intelligence" to prevent terrorist acts.
KASHMIR
Protests in Kashmir against Parliament case
Srinagar: Protest demonstrations were held on December 18 in Sopore, Kupwara and Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, the native places of the three persons sentenced to death in the Parliament attack case by a Delhi court.
Hurriyat seeks probe into Parliament attack
Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference on December 18 demanded an impartial probe at
international level into the attacks on Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and Parliament.
3 BSF men injured in grenade attacks in J&K
Srinagar: Four persons including three Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were injured when militants lobbed grenades at a vehicle of security forces and a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in the Kashmir Valley on December 18, official sources said.
Panel to implement CMP in JK to be headed by Azad
New Delhi: The much awaited co-ordination committee to monitor implementation of Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir is likely to be announced soon with state Congress chief Ghulam Nabi Azad as its chairman.
Shah to challenge Parliament case verdict in HC
Srinagar: Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah on December 18 said an appeal would be filed in High Court, challenging the verdict in the Parliament attack case.
Pak shelling across border; no casualties, damages
Jammu: Pakistani troops targeted Noushera sector in Rajouri district with mortar bombs on December 17 causing no damage on Indian side, according to official sources.
NORTH
6-member suicide squad in Delhi: Alert sounded
New Delhi: Police and other security agencies in Delhi have been put on high alert and raids are being conducted at several places following an intelligence input that a six-member suicide squad of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) had sneaked into the national capital to carry out a strike around Christmas or the New Year Eve.
UP government approves renaming of Amethi
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government on December 17 formally approved the renaming of Amethi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, as Chatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar, and accorded it the status of a district.
SOUTH
Malankara church Catholics call off agitation
Kochi: The Orthodox faction of the Malankara church on December 18 called off its 10-day old indefinite agitation demanding implementation of the Supreme Court verdict in the Malankara case, following a truce brokered by the three-member Cabinet sub committee.
POTA court extends remand of Vaiko, eight others
Chennai: A POTA court on December 18 extended the remand period of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary, Vaiko, and eight of his party colleagues, now detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), up to December 30.
Police seizes detonators at TN railway station
Salem: Police on December 18 seized a large quantity of detonators at a railway station in Tamil Nadu's Salem district.
UAV material from Israel arrive, no trial date fixed
Kochi: Navy has not yet fixed any date for the test trial of the two Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), parts of which had been airlifted from Israel to Kochi, Naval sources said.
Central
166 Bhopal gas tragedy claims yet to be disposed
New Delhi: As many as 166 cases of Bhopal gas tragedy were still to be disposed and the Centre has released Rs 193.5 crore to Madhya Pradesh government for a five-year plan for rehabilitation of the victims, Lok Sabha was informed on December 17.
EAST
India detains Bangladeshi fishermen for trespassing
Diamond Harbour (West Bengal): Around 100 Bangladeshi fishermen in twelve trawlers have been detained while trespassing in Indian waters off the West Bengal coast in the Sunderbans, according to official sources.
WEST
Enron Virodhi Andolan supports Enron probe panel
Mumbai: Enron Virodhi Andolan on December 18 justified the Maharashtra government's decision to appoint the Kurdukar commission of inquiry into the controversial Enron project and described as "misplaced" the arguments of former chief minister Sharad Pawar and former chief secretary N Raghunathan on its jurisdiction to conduct the probe.
Modi hints at 'token' ministry, short session
Gandhinagar: Gujarat Chief Minister-designate Narendra Modi on December 18 hinted at a "token" ministry and a short Assembly session before the year-end.
Crude bombs in toilet cause panic in Mumbai school
Mumbai: Police seized crude bombs from the toilet of a school at Sion in Central Mumbai on December 18 morning.
Curfew lifted from sensitive Gujarat districts
Ahmedabad: Curfew was lifted on December 18 from sensitive areas of Vadodara and Rajkot districts of Gujarat, which witnessed arson and murder after the announcement of Gujarat Assembly polls on December 15, state police control said.
Modi meets Governor, stakes claim to form govt
Ahmedabad: Designate Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi on December 18 met Governor Sunder Singh Bhandari and staked claim of his party to form the government after getting two thirds majority in the just concluded Assembly elections.
NORTH EAST & SIKKIM
Industries Department office set on fire in Imphal
Imphal: Unidentified miscreants set ablaze a portion of the state Industries Department office in the wee hours of December 18 damaging property and important documents, official sources said.
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