Accept LTTE Ceasefire Offer to Rescue Civilians, India Tells Sri Lanka
Amid mounting concern over the plight of 70,000 civilians trapped in the conflict zone, India Friday made a renewed appeal to Sri Lanka to seize the LTTE's ceasefire offer and spur safe passage for Tamil civilians where they can get humanitarian aid. Read On

Chilling Tales Emerge
as Bangladesh Mutiny Toll Crosses 80
More mass graves, more stories of savagery, and more chilling tales of survival. The full horror of the mutiny at the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters continued to unravel Saturday, with the death toll climbing to over 80, with the country steeped in mourning. Read On

• California Declares Emergency
  after Three Years of Drought 

US Stocks Fall after Citigroup Deal 
US stocks plunged Friday as the government took a bigger stake in Citigroup Inc and figures showed the economy shrank at a far greater pace than expected. The Commerce Department said Friday that the US economy shrank by 6.2 percent in the final quarter of 2008, the worst fourth-quarter showing by the country since the recession of 1982. Read On
► US Government to Control 36 Percent of Citi;
    Pandit Keeps his Job 

US Economy Suffers Worst Decline in 26 Years
By Arun Kumar
The US economy contracted at its sharpest during the last three months of 2008 with the GDP suffering its worst decline in 26 years, according to revised government data released Friday. GDP, which measures the output of goods and services produced in the US, fell at an annual rate of 6.2 percent in the fourth quarter, adjusted for inflation, as exports plunged and consumers cut spending by the most in more than 28 years. Read On

Obama to End US Combat Role in Iraq
by August 2010 by Arun Kumar 
US President Barack Obama announced Friday that he will withdraw most US combat troops from Iraq by the end of August 2010, sharply reducing the American presence but keeping in place thousands of soldiers till end of 2011 to support & train Iraqi forces. Read On

Bangladesh Rifles Chief Killed in Mutiny:
Army Official 
Major General Shakil Ahmed, director general of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), died in a hail of bullets within 10 minutes of the mutiny by the troopers that ended after two days of killing and chaos. Read On

Obama Advised to Avoid Falling
into Kashmir Trap by Arun Kumar
A leading South Asia expert has advised President Barack Obama to avoid falling into the trap of trying to directly mediate between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue given New Delhi's concerns. "There is some uncertainty over whether the new Obama will maintain the current momentum in improving US-India ties," Lisa Curtis, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a Washington think tank told a Congressional panel Thursday. Read On
► Maximize India-US Partnership,
    Congressional Panel Told

Obama Unveils $1.75 Trillion Deficit Budget Plan
by Arun Kumar
US President Barack Obama Thursday unveiled a budget blueprint for 2010 projecting a stunning deficit of $1.75 trillion for the current fiscal year that began last October with an over $1 trillion shortfall. Presenting the budget that he described as an "honest accounting of where we are and where we intend to go", Obama said: "There are times when you can afford to redecorate your house...and there are times when you have to focus on rebuilding its foundation."  Read On

• US Jobless Top 5 Million
  as Claims Spike to 26-year High 
• New Home Sales in US Drop to Lowest Level
  On Record

Daiichi, Ranbaxy to Cooperate with US Drug Regulator as Indian Firm Faces Charge 
by Arun Kumar
Ranbaxy Laboratories' Japanese parent, Daiichi Sankyo, Thursday said it took the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA)'s allegation that its Indian subsidiary had falsified data and test results in drug applications "very seriously" and will try to resolve the issue. Read On

Krishna, Not Kotler,
Guides Indian Management Gurus
by James Jose and Pupul Dutta
The next time you hear someone recite verses from the Bhagavad-Gita, pay more attention. The wisdom of the ancient Indian scriptures may come in handy in tackling issues from management strategies to corporate governance in today's highly competitive world of business. Far fetched? Read On 

Recession Forcing NRIs Dip into Indian Nest Eggs
by Kul Bhushan
The economic crisis in the United States and Britain is reportedly forcing many NRIs to dip into their savings and assets back home. Due to job losses, default of mortgage payments and losses in their businesses, some NRIs are cashing their foreign currency demand deposits in India to stay afloat. Read On

• Navin Chawla to be Next CEC,
  President Refuses to Axe him  
• Congress, Trinamool Join Hands
  for Lok Sabha Elections

LeT Wanted to Set Up Operational Base
in Mumbai's Colaba by Quaid Najmi 
The Pakistan-based terror group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, had plans to set up an operational base in a rented accommodation in posh Colaba in south Mumbai in early 2008 to coordinate the 26/11 terror plan, according to investigators. The plan could not materialize because of some reasons, and finally, the 'operational base' was set up in Room No.14, Batatawala Chawl, Nagpada, also in south Mumbai. Read On

BJP Edges Congress in Cyberspace Poll Campaign
by Anindya Rai Verman
In what promises to be a keen electoral contest to determine who rules India, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already taken an early lead over the Congress -- in cyberspace warfare. With general elections involving some 700 million voters only two months away, the BJP - perhaps taking a leaf from the Barack Obama style of campaigning - is targeting voters who are mostly young and net savvy. Read On
► Advani Condemns Pub Attack,
    Congress says Advani Wooing Voters

India to Secure Island Territories
for Coastal Security by Ritu Sharma
Against the backdrop of the increased terror threat from the sea, the Indian government Saturday unveiled measures to increase the security of the country's far-flung island territories and to raise a specialized "Sagar Prahari Bal" marine security force to strengthen coastal security. Read On

• Pakistan Navy Chief does a Flip-flop on Mumbai 
• Suspected Terrorist Peerbhoy Sent to Police Custody
• Three Rebels Killed in Manipur,
  43 Militants Surrender in Assam

Scorching Heat in Karnataka
to Make Poll Campaign Torrid Affair 
by Maitreyee Boruah
Political parties struggling to find winning candidates and a strategy for the Lok Sabha polls due in April-May are already facing the heat - weather wise - in India's IT hub and other parts of Karnataka. February is generally pleasant in Bangalore with maximum temperature hovering between 28 and 33 degrees Celsius. However, this February it has reached 35 degrees and the temperature in March-April will be worse with the mercury touching 37 to 38 degrees, according to the meteorological department here. Read On

Rise in Heroin Smuggling from Pakistan to India: US Report by Arun Kumar
Heroin smuggling into India from Afghanistan and Pakistan has increased over the last two years with West Africans often arrested as carriers, says a new State Department report. Read On

Many of Pakistan's Queries Answered
in 26/11 Chargesheet: Chidambaram
India was formulating answers to Pakistan's queries on the dossier given to it on the 26/11 carnage that would be handed over shortly, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Friday, adding that many of the answers were contained in the chargesheet filed by the Mumbai police on the terror attacks. "Even if I say so, the dossier was an irrefutable document, solid on its facts and sound in its analysis," said Chidambaram. Read On

Markets Hold Up in Wake of Weak GDP Numbers
Indian equities markets Friday managed to hold their own in the face of depressing GDP growth numbers and uncertainty prevailing in global markets as a key index at the Bombay Stock Exchange ended trade merely 0.71 percent lower than its last close. Read On
► Rupee Closes at New Low