India-Iran Gas Pipeline "Infeasible" for Now:
US Expert by Mayank Chhaya
The proposed Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline is "absolutely infeasible" in the foreseeable future because financial, political, legal and security circumstances do not support it, a well-informed American expert says. Read On

• Nepal PM Scrapes Through Crucial Poll
• Microsoft Raises Yahoo Bid as Talks Intensify
• Sarabjit's Execution Stayed Indefinitely:
  Pakistani Lawyer 
• Special Advisory Body Appointed
  for Sri Lanka's North

Protests Apart, India's Image Getting
a Boost Down Under by Kul Bhushan
Protests by Indian taxi drivers in Melbourne, Australia, have two sides. The young Indian drivers, mostly Punjabis, have a genuine reason to be angry: one of their mates was stabbed by an Aussie passenger and is now in a coma, fighting for life. Every night they are taunted, insulted and sometimes beaten by white, and usually drunk, Aussies on their way home; and sometimes not even paid for their services. Read On

Bush Now Blames Indian Middle Class
for Rising Food Prices by Arun Kumar
US President George Bush has joined his top diplomat in suggesting that the growing prosperity of India's large middle class is contributing to rising food prices around the world. "...the more prosperous the world is, the more opportunity there is," he said commenting on the economy during a visit Friday to World Wide Technology, Inc. in Maryland Heights, Missouri. "It also, however, increases demand." Read On

In All-out Power Struggle, Bolivia to Hold
Risky Referendum by Jan-Uwe Ronneburger
In Bolivia there is an all-out power struggle between the poor, indigenous majority and the wealthier people of European origin in the country's east. Observers are not prepared to rule out a break-up of the Andean country of 9 mn people, squeezed between Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Peru, over the issue. Read On

US Working with India to Extend
"Hope of Liberty" in Asia: Bush by Arun Kumar
President George Bush has said the US is working together with India to promote democracy and extend the "hope of liberty" throughout Asia even as it's concerned over the situations in Tibet and Myanmar. "We're working with India to promote democracy and the peace it yields throughout the continent," Bush told a gathering that included prominent Indian Americans on the occasion of the Asian American Heritage month. "We're working together to extend the hope of liberty throughout Asia." Read On

British Premier Blames Global Crisis
for Local Election Losses
By Dipankar De Sarkar
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Friday blamed the gloomy global economic climate after his party suffered its worst election losses in four decades and the opposition Conservative Party made deep inroads into Labour strongholds in the provinces of England and Wales. Read On

• Pakistan's Sacked Judges to be Restored May 12 

Bush Wouldn't Blame Bio-fuels,
Wants Subsidies, Export curbs to Go 
By Arun Kumar
President George Bush has asked Congress to approve $770 million in new global food aid, but refused to admit that America's fad for bio-fuels was a major contributor to an escalating crisis around the world. Instead he again made a pitch for a successful Doha agreement eliminating "market-distorting subsidies for agricultural goods" and urged countries to lift restrictions on agricultural exports. Read On

Unfazed Nepal King Goes Ahead with Own Party
by Sudeshna Sarkar
Unfazed by the victorious Maoists' growing pressure on him to quit the royal palace ahead of the critical session of the newly elected constituent assembly, Nepal's King Gyanendra is leading his own party, a report said. Read On

Everest Turning into World's Highest Cesspool 
by Sudeshna Sarkar
A deadly peril lurks on Mt Everest, the highest summit in the world, which is far more dangerous than the freezing cold, gale winds and recently posted security forces who are empowered to shoot at the sight of political activities.  Read On

Indian Political Parties Slam
Bush's 'Imperialist' Remarks
India's political parties Saturday joined ranks to slam US President George W. Bush's remark that the burgeoning Indian middle class was contributing to the rising food prices the world over. Read On

BJP Will Not Join Any Coalition in Karnataka: Advani
A once-bitten-twice-shy Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday said it would sit in opposition if it failed to get a clear majority in this month's legislative assembly elections in Karnataka. In an appeal to the electorate, Advani said BJP deserved to be given a chance to form a stable government on its own. Read On

• Indian Equities Continue their Rally 
• Indian Judiciary Still Delivers: Sreekumar

Ex-army Officer gets Life Term for 1982 Murder
Lt. Col. (retd) S.J. Choudhary was Saturday sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering automobile dealer Krishan Sikand in the capital's upscale Sundar Nagar neighborhood in 1982. Read On

Fire Destroys Asia's Biggest Chilli Market
A major fire Saturday destroyed Asia's largest red chilli market in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur town, about 300 km from Hyderabad. Clouds of acrid smoke enveloped neighborhoods over a kilometer downwind. Read On

William Dalrymple Checks Out Pagan Rites in India
by Madhusree Chatterjee
Delhi-based Scottish author William Dalrymple has journeyed across the Indian subcontinent since settling down here in 1984, delving into its past, capturing its soul in his books. But this time, he is charting a rather freewheeling, mystical course. Read On

Gujarat Emerging as Export Hub for Auto Majors 
By P.S. Anantharaman
Gujarat is poised to become a major auto export hub in the country with several vehicle manufacturers coming to the state to invest in its ports to set up automobile-handling terminals. Read On

Suryan FM Radio Targets Youth,
Expands Operations by Venkatachari Jagannathan
Through a multi-pronged approach, 5-year-old Tamil radio station Suryan FM is now reaching out to youth. Suryan FM is the first radio station of Sun TV Network which is expanding its FM radio footprint across the country - it launched 9 stations last month. Read On

• Chennai Kings taste their First Defeat  

Advani Parroting Our Terminology: Congress
The Congress Friday lashed out at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani, saying he was parroting the Congress terminology in his hurry to become prime minister. Read On

Partial Response to BJP Strike against Price Rise
Eight days ahead of the Karnataka elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sought to extract mileage from the widespread discontent over rising food prices and organized a nationwide strike Friday as inflation hit a 42-month high of 7.57 percent. But the response was muted except for some areas though the party claimed it was a success. Read On
► UPA Unable to Check Inflation and Terrorism: Advani

India's Inflation Rate Now at 42-month High
India's annual rate of inflation shot up to a 42-month high of 7.57 percent for the week ended April 19, even as Finance Minister P. Chidambaram appealed to the people Friday to remain calm with an assurance that prices will be tamed soon. Read On

• Market Ends with Hefty Gain, Surges 312 Points
• 12-Year-Old Girl Lights Deshpande's Pyre,
  Honors Last Wish

• Kings XI Rout Deccan Chargers by Seven Wickets 
• Rajasthan Royals Dream Run Continues,
  Beat Knight Riders

Jammu Landslide:
No Chance of Trapped Laborers' Survival
With scores of men using shovels and hundreds of hands offering prayers, all that the rescue teams could bring out of the debris of a landslide in Jammu and Kashmir was seven bodies. There was little chance of survival for any of at least 30 laborers trapped. Read On