Al Qaeda Chemical Expert 'Believed Killed
in Pakistan'
Al Qaeda's senior leader and chemical weapon expert, Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, is believed to have died in a US missile strike Monday in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region, officials said. Umar, an Egyptian militant who is also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, and his Pakistani wife were killed in a predawn multiple missile attacks that targeted a house in a village near the Azam Warsak area of South Waziristan district bordering Afghanistan. Read On

• US Budget Deficit to Reach $490 bn in 2009   
• US Stocks Plunge as IMF Predicts More Losses
• IMF Maintains $1-trillion Loss Forecast
  for Credit Crisis 

Terror Camps in Pakistan
Undermine War in Aghanistan: WSJ 
The existence of dozens of terror camps Pakistan mountains neighboring Afghanistan is a major reason why the US-led war just across the border is foundering, the Wall Street Journal has said in a report from one of the camps. While Pakistan's military is struggling to locate the camps and eradicate them, in part because many locals are sympathetic to the jihadis, the Journal located one camp a few kilometers from Peshawar. Read On

Female Suicide Bombers Kill 47 in Iraq 
Four suicide bombers believed to be women killed at least 47 people and injured 165 Monday in the Iraqi capital and the northern city of Kirkuk, marking one of the bloodiest days in months, police said. Read On

US Prevented Pakistan
from Blocking India at IAEA
Thanks to the US, Pakistan's attempts to block India's efforts to secure a country-specific safeguards agreement from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have "come to a grinding halt", a widely respected commentator wrote Monday. Read On

Wanted Urgently:
More Bomb-Detection Personnel for NCR
by Mayank Aggarwal and Sahil Makkar
Though Delhi and it suburban towns that comprise the National Capital Region (NCR) remain vulnerable to bomb attacks like the ones that struck Bangalore and Ahmedabaad, security officials admit they may be professionally ill-equipped to tackle emergent situations due to a shortage of trained bomb detection and disposal personnel. Read On

China Decries McCain's Meeting with Dalai Lama
China Monday decried a meeting between US Republican presidential candidate John McCain and Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, calling it potentially detrimental to bilateral relations. Read On

With Left out,
India Fast-tracks Military Pacts with US
by Ritu Sharma
With the Communists off their back, the Indian government is fast-tracking three key military pacts with the US, including one under which their militaries can refuel ships and aircraft in cashless transactions that are balanced at the end of the year. Read On

• Egypt to Coordinate Renewed Hamas-Fatah Talks
• No Talks Held in Geneva
  on Suspending N-programme, says Iran 
• Manmohan, Bush Created WTO Breakthrough  

Let the Sea Rise, say the Dutch 
by Joydeep Gupta
70% of the Netherlands is below the sea, making it more vulnerable than any other country to climate change-triggered rising sea levels. The Dutch plan to deal with this national threat in a unique way - by adapting to the rise rather than trying to halt it.
Read On 

Four Islamic Fundamentalists Nabbed
in Tamil Nadu
The Tamil Nadu police arrested four alleged Islamic fundamentalists Monday, a day after they picked up one person, and recovered from them explosive devices and bomb making components. The men are believed to have provided logistical support to those behind the terror bombings in Bangalore & Ahmedabad. Read On

• Pakistan Troops Cross LOC, Five Killed in Skirmish

Ahmedabad Picks up the Pieces, Bit by Bit
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi came to soothe tensions and meet the injured but Ahmedabad was still nursing its wounds Monday, two days after 50 people were killed in a series of 21 carefully choreographed bombings. Read On

BJP Points Finger at Government
for Terror Blasts
The terror blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad are a "conspiracy to divert attention from the cash-for-votes scandal", Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj alleged Monday and claimed the party has "enough circumstantial evidence" to prove it. Read On
► Time for Zero Tolerance of Terrorism: Modi  

India Plays NAM Card as Pranab Heads to Tehran
India Monday underlined its commitment to ideals of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and an independent foreign policy as External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee headed for Iran on a two-day visit. He will attend a NAM conference at Tehran and also pursue the tri-nation gas pipeline project. Read On

Private Sector can Make Money
and Still Fight Poverty: UNDP
There is strong empirical evidence to show that the private sector can stick to its core business of creating economic value and still help eradicate poverty by adopting more inclusive business models, a report released here by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Monday said. Read On

N-deal Spin-off - 100,000 New Jobs,
More Research Opportunities
by Papri Sri Raman
One of the spin offs of the India-US civil nuclear deal coming through will be the creation of 100,000 new jobs for the 30-odd reactors that India hopes to set up to meet its nuclear power deadline of 20,000 MW by 2020, experts say. Read On

• Equity Markets End with Marginal Gains 

Country Will Rise to Challenge,
Will Defeat Forces: PM
Expressing solidarity with the people of Gujarat in their hour of crisis, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday vowed to defeat forces who were aiming to destroy the country's social fabric and praised the people for their resilience. Along with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Home Minister Shivraj Patil, he visited a hospital in Ahmedabad and met some of the survivors of the serial bombings that left at least 50 killed and 200 injured Saturday evening. Read On

Rabble Rouser Modi Mellows Down?
Known for his fiery speeches and aggressive posturing, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has surprised even his detractors with his unusual restraint following the serial blasts that killed 50 people here. It was a very different Modi who emerged after a late Saturday night meeting with top police officers soon after the city was ripped apart by 21 synchronized bombings. Read On

Dirt on Black Robes of Judiciary's High Priests
by Rana Ajit
A damming deposition by a former Ghaziabad court clerk has thrown mud on the Indian judiciary's high priests. He claims simple day-to-day household items like towels and bed sheets were bought for judges with the money he siphoned off from the court treasury! Rajeev Asthana, accused of fraudulently withdrawing Rs.230 million (Rs.23 crores) from the Ghaziabad district court treasury in the last seven to eight years, says he spent part of it to meet the household expenses of several members of the higher judiciary. Read On