Amid Boycott,
Musharraf Wins Presidential Election
By Muhammad Najeeb
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf won Saturday's presidential election boycotted by the opposition by a huge margin, setting the stage for him to quit as the army chief, eight years after he seized power in a bloodless coup. Although the Supreme Court had said while allowing the ballot that the result would be kept in abeyance, Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Mohammed Farooq went ahead and announced the outcome of vote count while maintaining that it was not a formal notification. Read On
► US Congratulates Musharraf on Re-election

Trade Text 'Violates' Doha Mandate:
India tells West by Dipankar De Sarkar
India has told key negotiators at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that developing countries will not agree to current trade proposals that ask them to "do more" than wealthy nations in cutting industrial tariffs in the ongoing Doha Round of trade talks. Read On

• Floods, Landslides Kill 33 in Vietnam
• Bush Opposes Partition of Iraq   
• Musharraf Wins Controversial Presidential Election
• Two Ministers Stand to Gain
  from Musharraf-Benazir Deal 

Boycott, Protests Mar Pakistan Presidential Polls
By Muhammad Najeeb
Amid an opposition boycott and protests on the streets, Pakistani lawmakers backing the government Saturday voted to pick President Pervez Musharraf for another five years in an election closely monitored by the international community.  Read On

Gambari to Revisit Myanmar,
No Security Council Action Yet
With the UN Security Council divided over actions to support democracy in a country ruled by a military junta, special envoy Ibrahim Gambari has said that he plans to return to Southeast Asia and Myanmar in early November to see "all people and stay as long as possible." Read On
► Myanmar Releases Detained Monks
    but Diplomats not Hopeful 

• US Pushes Insurers to Tie Up with Indian Hospitals
• Iran Escalating Involvement in Iraq: Iraqi Adviser
• Narrow Win for Pro-West Bloc in Ukraine Poll 
• Pakistan Presidential Election
  Amid Opposition Boycott

Nepal Government Fears Revolt
by Soldiers Loyal to King
With the election postponed indefinitely to appease the Maoists and King Gyanendra's fate to be decided in parliament in six days, it is speculated that Nepal's government could be fearing a fresh revolt by soldiers still loyal to the palace. Read On
► India Expresses Disappointment
    Over Deferment of Nepal Poll

• Musharraf Signs Ordinance for Bhutto Amnesty  
• Ahmadinejad Sticks to Iran's Nuclear Right
• Russian Giant to Build Indian Hydropower Plants  

Pakistan Supreme Court Permits Presidential Poll
by Muhammad Najeeb
The Supreme Court of Pakistan gave its go-ahead for polling in Saturday's presidential election but restrained the Election Commission from notifying the result till it takes a final decision on petitions filed against President Pervez Musharraf's candidature. Read On
► Bhutto Accepts National Reconciliation Ordinance

Nepal's Sherpas Join Monks
to Condemn Myanmar Crackdown
by Sudeshna Sarkar 
They are famous for their climbing skills and have produced some of the world's best mountaineers. Now Nepal's Sherpas, who are largely apolitical, have come out of their shell to join the growing protests against the crackdown on Buddhist monks in Myanmar by the ruling junta. Read On
► Myanmar Junta Sets Conditions
    for Meeting Suu Kyi 

• Contradictory Reports About US Raid in Iraq  
• Israel's Move No Threat to India's NSG Bid  
• Bush Excludes a Military Strike Against Iran
• Give Iran Time to Come Clean on Nuclear Issue
• US readies for 'Mass Exodus' from Cuba after Castro
• Bill Clinton Boosts Hillary's Presidential Campaign
• South African Mine Drama Ends,
  All Workers Rescued
• Anand Jon Faces 59 Sexual Assault Charges

US Think Tank Launches
Major New India Programme by Arun Kumar
The Peterson Institute for International Economics, a leading US economic think tank, has announced a major new programme of research devoted to India, "one of the most important emerging economies in the world". Led by Arvind Subramanian, one of the world's leading experts on Indian economy ... Read On

Dirty Charges Pepper Karnataka Divorce
Caste-dominated Karnataka politics is set to hit its nadir as the BJP severed its ties with the ruling coalition partner JD-S Saturday, leading to charges and counter-charges. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy of JD-S, who refused to honour his word to vacate his seat for BJP on Oct 3 as agreed 20 months back, Saturday launched a campaign to discredit Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa of BJP. Read On
► JD-S Braces for Early Polls in Karnataka 

PM, Sonia Play Down Spat with Left
over Nuclear Deal
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday said he hoped for the best from the Left parties on the India-US civil nuclear deal, even as Congress chief Sonia Gandhi maintained her party was ready for elections if it was forced upon the country. Read On

Jurist L.M. Singhvi Dead
Eminent jurist, constitutional expert and former parliamentarian L.M. Singhvi, who was one of India's longest-serving envoys to Britain, died Saturday. He was 76. A noted scholar in Jain history and culture, Singhvi was ailing for the past two weeks and died of a heart attack at the Max Devki Hospital around 1.45 p.m., family members said. Read On
► Indo-British Ties Reached New High
    Under Singhvi's Astute Diplomacy 
► Singhvi was Longest Serving Indian Envoy in Britain

• Antony Inaugurates High-end
  Molecular Imaging Research Centre 
• Corruption Overshadows Chhattisgarh Government:
  Uma Bharti 
• Jayalalitha Finds DMK Explanation
  on Shutdown 'Unacceptable' 

Bangladeshi Terror Group,
ISI Behind Hyderabad Blasts
Bangladesh-based terror group Harkat-ul Jihad-e-Islami (HUJI) under the directions of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) carried out three bomb blasts in Hyderabad since May, the police have claimed on the basis of the confession of a suspect. Read On

BJP Withdraws Support to JD-S, Calls for Elections
The Bharatiya Janata Party Saturday ended its 20-month-old coalition with the Janata Dal-Secular in Karnataka and called for fresh elections, terming the latter's refusal to keep its promise and hand over power as "the worst betrayal" in Indian politics. Read On
► JD-S-BJP Break-up Shifts Focus to Raj Bhavan
► BJP to Meet Karnataka Governor Sunday  
► Congress Waits for BJP to Meet Governor 

Indian Shares Inching Closer to 18,000-mark
Skyrocketing stock markets and a surging Indian rupee saw a key index setting records on 10 of the last 11 working days. It also nearly kissed the 18,000 mark before closing lower down 0.02% Friday. Read On

• Achuthanandan Under Pressure to Order CBI Probe 
• Chandigarh's 14 Years of Cricketing Exile to End

Deve Gowda Meets Rajnath Singh  
Janata Dal-Secular chief H.D. Deve Gowda held informal talks with Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh here Friday evening to end the stand-off between the coalition partners in Karnataka, even as the JD-S ruled out transfer of power in the state. Read On

'Tainted' Cops Removed in Rizwanur Case,
More Heads to Roll Soon
Bowing to intense pressure from the public and the Left Front, the Buddhadeb Bhattacharya government in West Bengal removed two police officers from their posts Friday and hinted at similar action against three senior IPS officers, including the Kolkata Police Commissioner, for their alleged involvement in the mysterious death of Muslim youth Rizwanur Rahaman. Read On

• Andhra Pradesh Defends Quota for Muslims  
• Yuvraj's Ton in Vain as Australia Win by 47 Runs 
• Road Accidents Cost India Rs.550 bn Annually 
• Government tells Left
  It has had Informal Talks with IAEA 

Economy Chugs On
Despite Karnataka Political Impasse
by V.S. Karnic
Karnataka's political soap opera has everyone in its grip. The administration is at a standstill and the man on the street in the IT capital asks for the latest twist in the drama that shows no sign of early resolution. But the economy chugs on, though the investment climate may be vitiated. Read On

Pesticides Taking Huge Health Toll
in Punjab's Malwa Region by Ranjana Narayan
Punjab's Malwa region, once referred to as 'Makheon meetha Malwa' (sweeter than honey) for its rich agricultural produce and cotton farming, is today battling environment-related health problems ... as a result of large-scale use of pesticides and fertiliser. Read On

• Assam Floods, Pests Hit Indian Tea Production
• India, Philippines Sign Nine Agreements
• Manipur Encounters: Seven Separatists Killed