India a Partner, Not an Ally: US
As the opposition gets ready to target the government over the India-US civil nuclear deal in parliament next week, the US sought to quell anxieties saying that it looks at India as a "partner and not an ally". Read On

Now Probe into Competence of Indian Doctors
in Britain by Prasun Sonwalkar
Indian doctors are among several overseas doctors whose competence to practice in Britain's National Health Service (NHS) is being investigated following an increasing number of complaints registered with the General Medical Council (GMC). Read On

• Fighting Leaves 57 Dead in Philippines
• 51 dead, 10 Missing in Vietnam Floods
• Illegal Indian Immigrant Gets Life for Killing Flatmate

Emergency in Pakistan:
Returning From the Brink by Nasim Zehra
On Wednesday night Pakistan's media, working overtime to gather information on the political goings-on, was quick to report that the government had almost arrived at a decision to impose the emergency. Government insiders had informed the media that at the meeting at the presidency the decision had almost been taken. Read On

Blond Goat Who Would be King:
Ireland's Puck Fair Opens
Given the feral nature of Irish politics, it is questionable whether anybody will notice when a goat takes over the reins of power in Killorglin, County Kerry, as Puck Fair begins Friday. Read On

Emergency Nixed, US Wants Free, Fair Polls
in Pakistan by Arun Kumar
The United States would not say whether it persuaded Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to shelve his plans to declare an emergency, but has urged its embattled ally to hold free & fair elections. Read On
► Most Pakistanis Want Musharraf to Shed Uniform

Out-of-control Nepal Maoists Attack Police Post
by Sudeshna Sarkar
While top leaders of Nepal's Maoist party were busy here trying to curb a brewing revolt among its rank and file, a group of dissidents attacked a police post north of Kathmandu in defiance of the peace pact the party had signed last year, signifying that the central leadership was losing its grip. Read On

• Sikhs Concerned over
  Fairfax Student's Suspicious Death   
• Pakistani Military Kills 12 Militants,
  16 Soldiers Kidnapped

Pakistani Presidential Elections in Two Months 
Presidential elections in Pakistan would be held between Sep 15 and Oct 15 and the present assemblies would elect the president, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Thursday. Read On

Canada Restakes Claims to the Arctic 
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has restaked his country's claims to the resource-rich Arctic region by going on an "Arctic sovereignty tour". Harper started the three-day tour with the announcement of an expansion of a nature reserve in Canada's far north, one of the remotest regions on the planet. Read On

Israel's Missile Defence to be Operational
in 18 Months
Israel's short-range rocket-based missile interception systems will become operational in 18 months, local daily Ha'aretz reported Thursday. Read On

• US Ambassador Gives $50,000 as Flood Relief 
• EU Pledges Over $5 mn Aid to Asia's Flood Victims

Changes in Immigration Rules 'Unfair':
British MPs' Panel 
In a major development, Britain's parliamentary joint human rights committee Thursday termed the changes to immigration rules that adversely affected thousands of Indian origin professionals and others as "unfair and unlawful". Read On

India, Australia Must Join Hands for Development: Pachauri by Neena Bhandari
India and Australia must urgently work towards a closer relationship on development issues to have greater global appeal, said the head of the world's leading climate change organisation. Read On

Pakistan Will Not Impose Emergency: Minister
Apparently bowing to public pressure, the Pakistani government categorically stated it was not considering the imposition of an emergency to tackle the uncertain political situation in the country. Read On

• Nagasaki Commemorates 62nd Anniversary of
  Atomic Bombing
• US Action Inside Territory Unacceptable: Pakistan

Georgia Asks for UN Debate
on Russian Missile 'Aggression' 
Days after a Russian missile landed on its territory, Georgia has branded it an "act of aggression" and demanded the United Nations Security Council debate the incident. Read On

Pakistan Studying Emergency Option
A beleaguered Pakistani government was Thursday studying the option of imposing a state of emergency, even as US Secretary of State Condoleezza spoke to President Pervez Musharraf in an early morning telephone call. Read On
► Emergency in Pakistan:
    Fundamental Rights First Casualty

US Downplays Musharraf Pullout
from Kabul 'Jirga' by Arun Kumar
The US is seeking to underplay the decision of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to pull out from a Washington-brokered peace conclave in Kabul amid reports of an impending state of emergency in Islamabad. US media reports suggested that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke to Musharraf in the early hours Thursday in Pakistan to allay fears that its key ally's absence from the high-profile meeting reflected divisions in the "war on terror". Read On

Karnataka Estimates Flood Damage at Rs.40 bn,
Seeks Central Help
Karnataka has suffered damage of Rs.40 billion due to the heavy rainfall and floods in the last two weeks and will seek central assistance of Rs.5 billion Read On

Ansari: Diplomat, Scholar
and Quintessential Gentleman
By Manish Chand and Murali Krishnan
Diplomat, scholar extraordinaire and the quintessential gentleman, Hamid Ansari is the new vice-president of India. He is all of these but, above everything else, is a warm and engaged human who brings to his new position a rare blend of intellectual gravitas, sincerity and tact. Read On
► Ansari Elected Vice President  

▪ Parliament to Discuss Indo-US Nuclear Deal
  Aug 14, 16 
▪ Left Threatens 'Consequences' If Nuke Deal is Signed

60-year-old Gets New Life
in Rare Double Liver Transplant 
A 60-year-old man from Tamil Nadu has got a fresh lease of life with doctors at a top private hospital here successfully grafting liver from two donors simultaneously in a rare surgery, making him the first such recipient in South Asia. Read On

Wonder Kid Becomes Computer Graduate at 14
A 14-year-old boy who had earlier stunned the academic world by clearing class XII examinations at the age of 11 has accomplished yet another feat by becoming a computer graduate at the age of 14. Read On

ULFA Resorting to Pressure Tactics
by Syed Zarir Hussain
The stepped-up violence in Assam by the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom is being described as a trap to force the government into agreeing for talks on the rebel group's terms. Read On

• Debate Continues on Tribe Status for Gujjars 
• Stories of Freedom Struggle Played Back on Stage
• CPI-M Likely to Crack the Whip in Kerala
• Indian Shares Crash on Global Meltdown
• India-Nepal Power Deal Dealt Another Blow by NGO
• I Have Never Come Face to Face with Death
  Like This: Taslima 

Indian Army Yet to Receive Israeli Assault Rifles
by Rahul Bedi
More than five years after a $20 million contract was signed, the Indian Army is yet to receive the 3,070 Israeli 5.56 mm Tavor 21 assault rifles (TAR-21s) for its Special Forces (SF). Read On

MIM Threatens to Behead Taslima
If She Visits Hyderabad Again
The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, whose legislators and cadres attacked Taslima Nasreen, Friday threatened to behead the Bangladeshi author if she ever sets foot in the city again. MIM leader in the Andhra assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi said that anyone who commits blasphemy deserved to be beheaded. Read On

A 'Sorry' for Crimes During India-Pakistan Partition
by Sarwar Kashani
An online signature campaign seeking an "apology for the heinous crimes" of 1947, when the Indian subcontinent was partitioned, is receiving a tremendous response from people across borders. Read On

Pune Docs to Dutt's Rescue...Munnabhai Way
by V. Vijayalakshmi
Even as Sanjay Dutt gets busy doing carpentry in the Yerawada Jail here, his hardcore fans outside are planning on a novel approach to help...the Munnabhai way. The philosophy of persuasion with love and patience - as preached by Dutt's character in the film "Lage Raho Munna Bhai" and called Gandhigiri - is what they have in mind. And guess what? These fans are doctors themselves. Read On

Change Consumption Patterns
to Fight Climate Change: Pachauri
The world must stabilise concentration of greenhouse gas emissions by 2015 and shift to alternative sources of energy while people must change their consumption patterns, the head of the global body on climate change has advised. Read On

India Can be Growth Model for Africa:
Jeffrey Sachs
Replicating the 'model village' concept and the agricultural module followed in India can help African nations transform their economies over mid-term, according to economist Jeffrey D. Sachs. Read On

Karthik Hits 91 as India Make 316/4 
Dinesh Karthik narrowly missed his second Test century but still helped India reach a solid 316 for four wickets on the opening day of the third and final Test against England Thursday. Read On

PM Allocates Rs.2.32 Billion to Flood-hit Bihar
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh allocated Rs.2.32 billion from the Prime Minister's Calamity Relief Fund for flood relief in Bihar, where 120 people have died, and where epidemics are a distinct danger. Read On

Mother, Grandparents get Jail for Girl Child Murder
In what could be the first ruling against the "ghastly" practice of female infanticide, a Jodhpur court has sentenced a woman and her parents to five years' imprisonment for murdering her infant girl child last year. The father, who was not present at the time of killing, has been let off. Read On

• India Considering Manned Space Mission
• UNPA to Oppose India-US N-Deal in Parliament  
• Traders, Farmers Protest Entry of Big Retailers
• EXL's Margins Under Pressure Due to Rising Rupee
• Madras High Court Restrains Patent Board
  in Novartis Case   
• Tamil Nadu Government to Own Cable TV
  Distribution Unit
• Forest Dwellers to March to Delhi for their Rights

They Wanted to Kill Me: Taslima 
Controversial Bangladeshi novelist Taslima Nasreen says her attackers at a book release function in Hyderabad were intent on killing her, but she would not be cowed down and would continue to write. Read On
► Taslima's Visa Extended Till February