Taliban Free Two Female
South Korean Hostages  
The Taliban released two female South Korean hostages after the Islamist group's "Supreme Council" decided to free the pair due to their poor health, a purported Taliban spokesman said Saturday. No independent source has confirmed the Taliban announcement. Read On

• War of Words over Alleged Hamas Spy for Israel

Musharraf to Address Afghan-Pakistan
Peace Assembly
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is expected to fly to Kabul this weekend to address a gathering of tribal leaders aimed at clamping down on growing Taliban and Al Qaeda insurgency along the Afghan and Pakistani borders, ... Read On

US to Crack Down Harder on Illegal Immigrants
The US government plans to crack down harder on illegal immigrants, calling for a further boost in the number of border guards and increasing fines for employers who hire illegal workers,  Read On

FBI Wants Dawood Arrested 
By Mayank Chhaya
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says it would like suspected Indian crime boss Dawood Ibrahim to be arrested, but it is not clear if the agency has officially sought his custody. Read On

• Mars-bound Phoenix Adjusts Course Successfully
• Urmila as Chief Marshal at New Jersey I Day Parade

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

• Endeavor Docks with ISS

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

England Staring Follow-on Against India
England were on the verge of being asked to follow-on by India who might already be sniffing a win at the end of the third day of the third and final Test. England, chasing India's 664, were 326 for nine wickets and would need 139 runs to avoid the follow-on on the penultimate day Sunday at Brit Kennington Oval. Overall, England are 338 runs behind India's total. Read On

• Festival of Films on Freedom Movement Begins

PM Confident of Resolving N-deal Differences
with Left
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he was confident of resolving differences with Left parties over the India-US civil nuclear deal even as the Left leaders reiterated their "reservations" saying that the deal "was not acceptable to the majority in parliament". Read On
► Left, Right Target N-deal Though PM Talks Tough
► BJP Dares Left to React to PM's Challenge
► Candid PM Dares Left to Withdraw Support 

Ansari Sworn in as Vice President 
Mohammad Hamid Ansari, a former diplomat and renowned intellectual, was Saturday sworn in as India's new vice president in a simple but well-attended ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Read On

• Thousands Cheer Kerala's Famed Snake Boats 
• Global Mood Pulls Indian Shares Down 
• 30,000 Evacuated as Kashmir Ammunition Depot Fire
  Rages On

India Far from Being a Knowledge Power  
Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh expressed scepticism over India's knowledge power status and said the country needed more funds and dedication for improvement in education. Read On

Ayodhya Attack Mastermind Gunned Down
A top militant of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) who masterminded the terror attack on the Ram temple in Ayodhya in 2005 was Saturday killed in a gun battle in a pre-dawn operation conducted by police forces of Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi. Read On

Fear Grips Hindi Speakers
as Orgy Continues in Assam by Syed Zarir Hussain
Separatists in Assam have turned the state into a veritable killing field by massacring 27 people, including 19 Hindi speaking migrant workers, in coordinated attacks, sparking off panic and exodus ... Read On

• Call the Left's Bluff, Premji says 
• Militants Claim Responsibility
  for Kashmir Ammunition Depot Fire 
• 11 Hindi-speakers Massacred in Assam 
• California State Senate to Open with Hindu Prayer 

Red Fort Turns into Citadel for I-Day Celebrations 
by Sahil Makkar
With the country's top leadership expected to be in full attendance at the Red Fort on Independence Day, security forces have turned the historic monument into a citadel. The threats by Al Qaeda to strike in India as well as the failed terror attacks in Britain have raised the alarm levels in the Indian security. Read On

Child Laborers Engaged in Flood Relief Work 
by Imran Khan
Chandan Kumar, 11, and Guddu Kumar, 12, sweat profusely as their nimble fingers work on. They are busy packing relief material for flood victims. They are among five child laborers engaged by the Bihar authorities for packing relief material that is air-dropped in flood-hit areas. Their work starts at the break of dawn and continues till late at night. 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