After Military Victory,
Sri Lanka Promises Political Solution
After decimating the Tamil Tigers, Sri Lanka assured India Thursday that it was committed to a political solution to overcome long-standing Tamil grievances in the country. President Mahinda Rajapaksa gave the assurance to India's National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, who reached Colombo on a two-day visit. Read On

'Important' Taliban Commander Killed,
Army Chief Visits Swat
Pakistani security forces have killed an "important" Taliban commander during their operations in the Swat district of the restive North West Frontier Province (NWFP), the military said Thursday, on a day the army chief visited the area to study first hand the conduct of the operations. Read On

• Four Arrested in New York Terrorism Plot

US Panel Links Tripled Aid to Pakistan
with Action against Terror by Arun Kumar
A US House panel has approved a bill to triple US economic assistance to Pakistan to $1.5 billion a year, but with stiff conditions requiring Islamabad to demonstrate a sustained commitment and progress towards combating terrorist groups. Called the PEACE Act of 2009, the bill authorizes military assistance to help Pakistan disrupt and defeat Al Qaeda and insurgent elements. Read On
► US Aid Won't Fund Pakistani
    Nuclear Expansion: Clinton

US Flu Deaths Rise to Eight, More Schools Closed
Worried parents kept children at home in New York Wednesday out of the fear that they might catch A(H1N1) influenza, commonly known as swine flu, after the virus had forced officials to close schools. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday the number of deaths from the swine flu in the US has risen to eight with 5,710 confirmed and probable cases throughout the country. Read On
► Australia Declares Sixth Swine-flu Case

• Wall Street Drops on Fed Economic Projections
• US Central Bank Predicts Deeper Downturn
• Obama Signs Laws to Help Homeowners,
  Prevent Fraud 
• Singapore's Economy Contracts 10.1 Percent
• Mexican Economy Shrinks 8.2% in First Quarter  

Japanese Economy Sees
Record 15.2% Contraction  
The Japanese economy shrank in the January-March quarter at an annualized rate of 15.2%, the sharpest annualized drop ever recorded in the world's second-largest economy, the govt said Wednesday. The data indicated the nation's worst recession in the post-war era appeared to be more serious than in other major economies such as the US or Europe. Read On

Pakistan Expanding Nuclear Sites: Report 
by Arun Kumar
Pakistan has expanded two sites crucial to its nuclear programme in an effort to boost the destructiveness of its nuclear arsenal as feared by US officials, a US arms control institute said on the basis of satellite photos.  Read On

Pakistan Must Defeat Taliban, says Zardari
Pakistan must win the war against the Taliban in the country's restive northwest, President Asif Ali Zardari declared Wednesday, as the military announced it had captured a key militant stronghold and the government sanctioned Rs.8 billion for the 2.5 million refugees who have fled the fighting. Read On

Prabhakaran: The Man is Dead,
The Myth Destroyed by Mayank Chhaya
Velupillai Prabhakaran may not have visualized his own macabre end as a mud-covered and practically naked corpse on a makeshift stretcher, but that is how it turned out to be. Read On

Congress in Overdrive to Assuage DMK
After Outside Support Threat 
Crisis managers within the Congress were making last-ditch efforts Thursday night to persuade the DMK to stay within the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) after the Tamil Nadu party, dissatisfied over the allocation of ministerial berths, threatened to give outside support to the new government. Read On

Maoists Kill 16 Cops,
Maharashtra Vows to Crush Ultras
Maoists killed 16 police personnel, including four women, in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district Thursday evening - the second major attack by the ultras in four months. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Nitin Raut has vowed to crush the Maoist menace in the state with a "bullet for bullet" policy. Read On

Manmohan Singh:
Another Shot to Implement his 'Idea of India'
by Tarun Basu
Exactly five years after he first took over as India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh gets another shot at running the country for a second term Friday, vindicated by the faith reposed in him by millions who voted for his personal integrity, good governance and policies that promised economic progress with equity and inclusiveness. Read On
► Know Your Prime Minister

Team India does Nation Proud on Mt Everest
by Sudeshna Sarkar
In May 1959, six years after Mt Everest had been first climbed by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, India sent its first expedition to Mt Everest. But the Indian Army team led by Brigadier Gyan Singh was defeated "by the fury of elemental forces". On Thursday, the 50th anniversary year of the first all-India expedition to the world's highest peak, the Indian tricolor flew on the summit with 10 Indian mountaineers standing on the 8848m peak after a heroic climb. Read On

Economists Make Good Politicians: Meghnad Desai
by Madhusree Chatterjee
Economists make good politicians and a person like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a 'techno-pol', has succeeded as he was able to implement many of his ideas that he thought were good for the country, feels economist, writer and member of the British House of the Lords Meghnad Desai. Read On

Message of Election 2009: Perform or Perish
Performance scored over identity politics, inclusive agenda scored over communal agenda and regional parties demonstrated they can have their space along with national parties if they deliver. This was the message of Election 2009 in India. Read On

• Allies Bargain Hard for Berths,
  PM Puts Off Meet with President

Naveen Patnaik
– True Inheritor of his Father's Legacy 
Naveen Patnaik came into politics some 12 years ago to unite leaders and revive the fortune of a party in Orissa that was in shambles after the death of his legendary father Biju Patnaik. He has not only proved that he is the true inheritor of his father's legacy, but also managed to win the hearts of millions in this impoverished state by establishing himself as one of India's strongest and most charismatic leaders. Read On

Manmohan to be Sworn in Friday,
UPA Claims Support of 322 MPs 
Amid jockeying for ministerial positions from partners of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), the decks were Wednesday cleared for Manmohan Singh's second consecutive term as prime minister with President Pratibha Patil formally inviting him to head the next government. Read On

India Hands Over Third 26/11 Dossier to Pakistan
Even as a new govt is in the process of being formed in New Delhi, India Wednesday sent a clear message to Pakistan to bring the Mumbai attackers to justice by handing over more information on the Nov 26-29, 2008 carnage that claimed over 170 lives. Read On