Rediff on the Net: India Online News Information Entertainment

STORIESYOU MAYHAVE MISSED...

JULY 6

The Split!
The ruling Janata Dal vertically split on Saturday with Laloo Prasad Yadav, the party's beleaguered president and Bihar Chief Minister, launching a new political party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
... More

Naidu in trouble as Mohan Babu leads revolt
Gearing up for a showdown, Telugu Desam MP and film star Mohan Babu says the ''volcano of frustrations'' would erupt against the chief minister.
... More

'I got positive indications that the four hostages are alive and well'
So says Julie Mangan, wife of British tourist Keith Mangan who was kidnapped, two years ago, by militants of the pro-Pakistan Al Faran group.
... More

'Perhaps they thought I have come of age'
Decades in the film industry have taught Sivaji Ganesan how to take adulation and congratulations in his stride. Which is why he did not "jump like a school boy" when he received the official intimation to receive the award from the Indian President on July 15.
... More

'Parliamentary politics is not suitable for a country like India'
Revolutionary writer and PWG leader Dr Vara Vara Rao speaks about the rising Naxalite tide.
... More

JULY 5

'We must learn from the past'
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief, in an eloquent interview.
... More

'I foresee another Congress bid to capture power soon'
Pearls of saffron wisdom from BJP president L K Advani.
... More

Laloo firm on holding parallel convention
However, the Bihar chief minister will meet the prime minister in what is seen as a last-minute attempt to avert a split in the Janata Dal.
... More

Ancient artefacts get new lease of life, thanks to the National Culture Fund
The NCF, established under the central human resources development ministry at the instance of art and culture-friendly Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral, will launch a series of culture-related projects across the country by August 15.
... More

'This is an act of remembrance, it is to show that we have not forgotten our loved ones'
At a sombre Church ceremony, the hostages's relatives remember those in captivity.
... More

Last-ditch efforts to hold Congress elections in Kerala
The Congress is making a last-ditch effort to hold organisational elections in Kerala after they were postponed twice earlier following factional skirmishes.
... More

Pak govt questioned over clandestine extradition
Who helped the US to whisk away the alleged killer of CIA staffers?
... More

JULY 4

Dead or Alive?
On Friday, it will be the second anniversary of the abduction of five foreigners from the Alpine hills of Pahalgam health resort in south Kashmir. Their fate is still unknown.
... More

Gujral hints at JD crisis being resolved
Laloo Yadav's supporters refuse to intimate Speaker about split, hinting that a solution may be around the corner.
... More

Aircraft vanishes over Bombay coast
Wreckage, believed to be of the Elbee courier craft, found.
... More

Inquiry report indicts Upahaar management, city authorities
The city authorities's laxity and the blatant violation of building laws by the Uphaar cinema hall management were responsible for the fire which claimed 59 lives in the New Delhi theatre on June 13, an official inquiry has concluded.
... More

Court frames charges against Chandra Swami in St Kitts case
He pleads not guilty.
... More

Mahajan thinks state BJP unit is his personal property: Nagpur MP
Banwarilal Purohit said he would welcome a show-cause notice for alleged indiscipline in criticising the Shiv Sena-BJP's government's decision to allot coal mines to Nippon Denro's Bhadrawati power project.
... More

DMK at the receiving end of a 'culture' it pioneered
The recent caste clashes have spelled doom for the practice of naming districts and transport corporations after political/ caste leaders.
... More

The mysterious case of Mumtaz and the missing millions
In a state like Tamil Nadu -- prime exemplar of the old adage that there is a fool born every minute -- tales of cheating via the lottery ticket or chit fund methods are no novelty. But even in a state that has in time become immured to such tales, the story of Mumtaz is sufficiently startling to hit the headlines.
... More

JULY 3

Chacha's at it again
Sitaram Kesri will use Laloo Yadav to bring down the Gujral government.
... More

Laloo aide's JD 'patch-up dreams' have few takers
The Bihar CM's decision to hold a parallel convention precipitates the crisis.
... More

Kesri's pressure ended Joginder Singh's tenure
The Congress chief wanted to stall investigations into the FERA case.
... More

Massarath, 14, married three Arabs within two months!
Hyderabad has, for long, been a happy hunting ground for holidaying Arabs who have discovered, in the poverty-stricken hamlets, a far safer alternative to prostitution.
... More

Desperate DMK blurts out at media, Brahmins
The party is shocked that the press s backing Jayalalitha while leading a ''motivated campaign'' against the state government.
... More

Film star joins AIADMK faction against Jayalalitha
Actress Latha, who starred with MGR in numerous celluloid blockbusters, on Wednesday joined the Thirunavukkarasu faction of the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
... More

A ray of hope for Jaipur's child labourers
Little heads bent over cold, hard stones. Little hands polishing, polishing till they attain that perfect glitter of perfection. From dawn to dusk, seven days a week.
... More

The worst weapons of war
Over 3,000 soldiers and policemen have been permanently disabled by LTTE's land and anti-personnel mines in Sri Lanka.
... More

Hong Kong: of love, red, and bauhinias
Some vignettes from the takeover and thereafter.
... More

JULY 2

Easy Rider
Go easy on politicians, sensitive cases, government tells new CBI boss.
... More

Joginder Singh goes on leave
The former CBI boss may stay away from work till he retires in October.
... More

Split in JD inevitable, says Jaipal Reddy
Information and Broadcasting Minister and United Front spokesperson S Jaipal Reddy on Tuesday said a split in the Janata Dal is inevitable because of Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav's adamant attitude.
... More

TN drops leaders's names to end caste clashes
As many as 19 districts and 21 transport corporations have been renamed, thanks to the bold decision.
... More

Probe our foreign funding, Punjab human rights groups tell govt
The organisations have emphatically denied allegations of being funded by foreign agencies to record police atrocities in Punjab during the years of terrorism, as baseless and motivated.
... More

An era had ended -- and the party had begun
Kamala Sinha, minister of state for external affairs, met Tung Chee-hwa for discussions during which both leaders agreed on the need for fostering the friendly ties that exist between Hong Kong and India.
... More

DRDO scientists file patents for armament devices
The new explosive detection kit is a generation ahead of similar devices and can quickly identify any explosive material.
... More

Dec '92 riots not against Hindus, says Pawar
Former Maharashtra chief minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said the initial reaction of Muslim youth just after the Babri Masjid demolition in December 1992 was not against Hindus, but against the government and related establishments.
... More

Pakistan gains more from recent talks with India
New Delhi has very little to gain from the creation of these eight working groups, while the decision enables Pakistan to fulfil the Nawaz Sharief government's domestic and international agenda.
... More

El Nino will not affect monsoon, says meteorologist
Indian weathermen knew about the occurrence of the El Nino, that is, warm sea surface temperature over central and equatorial eastern Pacific off the South American coast, as far back as in March, and this unfavourable trend had been taken into consideration while making predictions about rainfall this year.
... More

JULY 1

Sacked!
Joginder Singh is removed as CBI director.
... More

What's cooking?
India and the United States are embarking on a series of strategic talks to discuss crucial 'maritime and air defence matters' and to improve the service-to-service co-operation in the navy and air force between the two countries.
... More

Gujral letter to Laloo may resolve JD crisis
There is a suspicion that the prime minister and the Bihar chief minister have struck a deal.
... More

CBI won't arrest Laloo till July 21
The agency has sought at least 10 days time to argue against the Bihar CM's anticipatory bail petition in the Patna high court.
... More

Tension underlies optimism as Hong Kong returns to China
Handover day blues plague colony's residents.
... More

IAF's appalling safety record
The IAF's air accident rate is causing grave concern in defence circles. In the past three years, 28 pilots have been killed in crashes. The number of machines involved is even more.
... More

Fear, hatred haunt violence-hit southern Tamil Nadu
The prolonged caste clashes have so far claimed more than 40 lives.
... More

Pawar claims he didn't delay army deployment during 1993 riots
Deposing before the Srikrishna Commission, which is inquiring into various aspects of the riots, Sharad Pawar said the army deployment was demanded not only for flag marches but also for action. He said it took some time to go into action because the army columns had to come from various parts of the country.
... More

Britain steps in as India refuses to touch Sri Lanka with a bargepole
New Delhi should abandon its current policy, and win the confidence of both Colombo and the LTTE lest it becomes a toothless regional power.
... More

Stories from June 24-June 30 issues

Stories from June 17-June 23 issues

Stories from June 10-June 16 issues

Stories from June 3-June 10 issues

Stories from May 27-June 2 issues

Stories from May 20-May 26 issues

Stories from May 13-May 19 issues

Stories from May 6-May 12 issues

Stories from April 29-May 5 issues

Stories from April 22-April 28 issues

Stories from April 15-April 21 issues

Stories from April 08-April 14 issues