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May 23

THE ANTI-SONIA REVOLT

Pawar's alliance could trip both Congress & BJP
"We expect that the election will once again throw up a hung Parliament. Therefore, a new national alliance led by Pawar could seize power if regional parties come together to support him," a supporter told Rediff On The NeT.

More partymen root for Pawar in Maharashtra
Several loyalists pledged open support to the Maratha strongman and some resigned from party positions today.

With Pawar out, Kalmadi gets back in
His Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi is to formally merge with the Congress on June 2.

Expelled Congress troika to meet on Monday
The meeting, which was scheduled to be held today, could not take place as Sharad Pawar is yet to arrive in New Delhi.

Crucial AICC session on May 25
The meeting is expected to 'persuade' Sonia Gandhi to withdraw her resignation as Congress president.

Mamata ready for talks with Pawar
The Trinamul Congress chief said "my sentiments are with the expelled Congressmen".

THE REDIFF INTERVIEW

'We have started a movement which is close to the hearts of the people of India'
"Let them show their strength now, we will show them our strength after the elections. Many more leaders will be joining us soon,' says expelled Congress leader P A Sangma.

OTHER REPORTS

Crisis in UP BJP deepens
With both Kalyan Singh and his rivals digging in, the efficacy of party general secretary Govindacharya's intercession is anybody's guess.

Kargil district HQ shifted 10km to Chukthan
The decision was taken after the visit of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, in view of the heavy Pakistani shelling on the town.

Pak infiltrators did not breach LoC: general
The Indian Army has so far suffered 70 casualties in the Kargil operation, he said.

10 hurt in Jammu blast
An official spokesman said an improvised explosive device exploded inside a shop in Jawahar Nagar area of Rajouri district.

Officials say lifeline to Ladakh will open by mid-June
The Srinagar-Leh highway remains closed for vehicular traffic due to heavy snowfall and cross-border shelling.

Stay sought on execution of Rajiv's murderers
The petition, to be heard on Monday, contends that the four condemned prisoners have not been given an opportunity to challenge the Supreme Court verdict.

No apology for attack on Indian envoy's house
Asked why the US isn't sending an apology as it did to China recently, James Rubin said, "There's a difference between a bomb landing on an embassy and killing diplomats, and the shattered glass damage from nearby explosions."

India and Pakistan must be 'responsible' nuke club players: US admiral
If a proper system for handling nuclear weapons is not in place, flash points like Kashmir can easily lead the two countries to obliterate each other, warns Dennis C Blair, head of the US military's Asia-Pacific Command.

Sachin leaves for England
The master batsman took the 0200 IST British Airways flight and will be seen in action in the match against Kenya on Sunday.

Bihar VC gets bail in exam scam
Professor Abdul Moghni was arrested on May 14 following a raid at his Patna residence.

NCW seeks link between parties' recognition and tickets to women
In a memorandum to the Election Commission, chairperson Vibha Parthasarthi said it needs to take concrete steps to enable women to find space in the political process.

THE REDIFF COLUMNS

Mahatma Gandhi to Madam Gandhi
'If she is genuine about wanting to lavish every drop of her blood on the country that every month spends over a million US dollars on her upkeep, she should lower the financial burden on taxpayers by moving out of 10 Janpath to her lavish Mehrauli farmhouse,' says Monu Nalapat in a revealing expose.

Capitalism for social justice
In gatherings of people who give in cash and kind to address issues dear to them, we find the clearest sign of a viable social formula based on the idea that we ought to care about those who have less than we do, says Ashwin Mahesh.

THE REDIFF DIARY

The Congress diary
"I can't remember when I last saw such a public emotional expression within the Congress party. Perhaps only during Indiraji's time, or possibly before Independence."

May 22

THE ANTI-SONIA REVOLT

Rebels will launch Swadeshi Congress
With Pawar as the central figure, political analysts expect a new-look third front to emerge.

Vajpayee blasts Congress
"Whenever the Congress sought to crush dissent and debate on matters that are inconvenient to the party leadership, the country has had to pay a heavy price," the prime minister has said.

'Unconstitutional, unreasonable, undemocratic'
'We have not indulged in any anti-party activities and therefore do not attract disciplinary action,' expelled Congress leader Purno A Sangma has said.

Sangma promises not to touch BJP
"We are still Congressmen. The only point where the BJP and we three agree upon is the single issue of whether a foreign-born person should be allowed to head the Government of India."

Pawar's departure may signal Kalmadi's return
The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi is meeting in Delhi on Monday to discuss the issue.

Kesri's car attacked at CWC meet venue
The mob thought he was the brain behind the rebellion against the Congress president.

THE REDIFF COLUMNS

The indispensable Congresswoman
'Let's face it, the sole qualification that makes Sonia the poster-girl of the Congress is the fact that she caught Rajiv Gandhi's eye three decades ago. That might be good enough for the Congress; is it enough for us to make her the Prime Minister of India?' asks T V R Shenoy.

The real Mrs Gandhi versus the make-believe
'For all one knows, her acquisition of Indian citizenship may be perfectly in order, it may be good enough to make her India's prime minister. But she does not touch the hearts of the people', says Janardan Thakur.

OTHER REPORTS

Blast before PM's visit in Manipur
A militant's attempt to plant a time bomb on Vajpayee's route was also foiled.

3 Haryana ministers 'missing'
Eight dissident Haryana Vikas Party legislators, including three ministers, have demanded a probe by a central agency.

CTBT will be signed by September
Ambassadors Naresh Chandra and Riaz Khokar, who repeated their respective government's stand on the issue, however, have not indicated how they would stick to the deadline.

'TMC asked us to bail out BJP govt'
DMK chief Karunanidhi quoted TMC's Peter Alphonse as saying, "Ms Jayalalitha should fail in her mission and we should find ways for that."

Indian envoy to Belgrade escapes missile
The strike damaged S K Mathur's house. But no one was injured as both he and his wife were in the kitchen then.

Multi-cornered contests affect Goan verdict
The sword of Damocles, as represented by 23 rebels, still hangs over the Congress, which has been dominating the 40-member House since 1980.

THE REDIFF SPECIAL

National security isn't just the business of war
'India is engaged in strategic dialogue with all nuclear powers except China. India has reappeared on the radar of the economic superpowers. Today people have become as familiar with CTBT and DCNS as they are with ISBT and MTNL. India must not let this chance of correcting its security compass and attitude slip away,' says General (retd) Ashok Mehta.

THE REDIFF DIARY

'Do you think our players cry?'
'There is perhaps no group of 11 men anywhere else in the world who have so much going for them. And what do they do with this immense wealth of goodwill? They brush it off their boots, like so much bird droppings picked up in course of a casual stroll in the park', says Prem Panicker.

May 21

THE POLITICAL SCENE

CWC expels threesome for six years
But Sonia Gandhi was in no mood to relent: she has cancelled all public programmes organised by the party on Friday, the eight-death anniversary of her husband Rajiv Gandhi.

BJP manifesto may include foreign-born issue
Asked whether he felt any foreign-born citizen should be debarred from contesting the highest posts in the country, Prime Minister Vajpayee said, ''I cannot have a separate opinion. I will go by the party line only."

Naidu denies tie-up with Pawar
The Andhra Pradesh chief minister said he had not spoken to the dissident Congress leader.

'Indian cannot contest election in Italy'
At the very moment the CWC was debating his political future, Sharad Pawar was busy explaining to a huge gathering in Pune how a person of Indian origin was debarred from contesting in Italy.

Jaya alerted Sonia on rebels
The AIADMK leader got wind of the rebels' plan when Pawar met her in Madras early last week. After weighing her options, "she may have alerted Sonia Gandhi," said a source.

SC rules multi-enrolment is no bar
The Supreme Court has held that if a person's name figures in more than one constituency during an assembly election he is not automatically disqualified from contesting.

Bhai Ranjit Singh under house arrest
The former jathedar was to proceed to the Akal Takht where he had summoned Parkash Singh Badal to answer allegations

Goan wins Loutalim seat unopposed
Congressman Alexio Sequiera had a walkover when four candidates, including a BJP nominee, withdrew.

Euro lottery winner joins TDP
"I have lost my privacy and peace of mind and cannot move freely with my family," said Vijayawada-based Krishna Mohan, referring to the $ 20 million prize money.

THE KASHMIR SITUATION

Troops rushed to border to kill Pak attempt
Around 10,000 personnel have been dispatched to the Kargil-Drass area, where the Indian army is locked in a bloody battle with Pakistani soldiers.

Pak ready for 'any eventuality'
Tension has increased along the LoC following India's offensive against Pakistani infiltrators in Kargil and Drass.

Army major among 6 killed in blast
Besides bombing a shop at Khiram Sirhama, this is the first time militants have struck in Jammu city.

OTHER REPORTS

CBI team fails to grill Rabri
Sources said the Bihar CM created problems and described the interrogation team as 'a conspirator'.

Sachin's father cremated
The last rites were performed at the Shivaji Park electric crematorium in Bombay at 0630 hours.

Gladys Staines denies conversions in Orissa
The widow of the slain Australian missionary became emotional when her attention was drawn to the allegation that her husband 'hated other religions'.

Kusum Rai quits
BJP dissidents in Uttar Pradesh had the last laugh when the Social Welfare Advisory Board chairperson resigned. The move apparently was to save her mentor and Chief Minister Kalyan Singh.

Salary of SC, HC judges is taxable
Articles 125 and 221 clearly state that what the judges receive are "salaries, it is, therefore, not possible to hold that what the judges receive are not salaries or that such salaries are not taxable as income," a Constitution bench has ruled.

Benazir asks Clinton to save husband's life
The former Pak PM said the US should send a team to investigate the condition of Asif Ali Zardari.

THE REDIFF INTERVIEW

'There is no point in talking to him'
"When Kalmadi walked out even he had a better gathering of MLAs and municipal councillors," says CWC member Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Pawar crisis.

THE REDIFF COLUMNS

The fault is in ourselves, that we are underlings
'With tears in his eyes, former Lok Sabha MP Rajni Ranjan Sahu fell at his supreme commander's feet, pleading that she withdraw her resignation. All I can say is: If you love Sonia so much, why don't you gild her? I'll donate the metal,' says Varsha Bhosle.

What a choice!
'Congressmen are like Dobermans. To show their loyalty, they have a habit of attacking all dissidence and killing it. That is why few dissidents have stayed back in the party and survived. So my guess is, Pawar, Sangma and Anwar will have no option but quit,' says Pritish Nandy.

THE GUJARAT CYCLONE

Cyclone threat returns
The massive storm that resurfaced this afternoon is likely to hit the strip between Jakhau and Koteshwar in Kutch district late in the evening before moving to Pakistan.

THE REDIFF DIARY

Foot-loose in Sikkim
'One sentence actually reads: "I beg to inform you that I have lost my plane tickets no XXXX and they have been found missing". Attempts to alter the language are met with frowns, so we keep it as it is and end with a "humble request to the goodself of the superintendent to please diarize the same!!!"' reports Arti Dwarkadass.

THE WEATHER

Showers in the South
Rain or thundershowers are likely at most places in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep.
May 20

THE ANTI-SONIA REVOLT

Congress prepares for life after Sonia
The plan is to project someone else, may be Manmohan Singh, as prime ministerial candidate. But he will not be made party president. For that, Pranab Mukherjee is said to be the front-runner. And Sonia Gandhi will be the star campaigner.

Emissaries go after Rebellious Three
Several leaders are trying to persuade Pawar, Anwar and Sangma to sink their differences and return. However, the chances seem slim.

Sharad wants Sonia to stay
The Maratha strongman said that since she took over, the Congress has improved considerably. So her continuation was in the party's interest.

CWC may punish rebels as Sonia refuses to return
Her children Priyanka Vadra and Rahul are said to be adamant that she should not head the Congress, now that senior leaders have openly questioned her credentials. A close aide said both have advised her "not to pick up the dirt any more".

Madam and Macaulay's children
'We owe it to the coming generations an education which instils pride in being Indian; where the English language is a currency to global mobility, not a badge of superiority; where the poetry of Harivansh Rai Bachchan is quoted with greater felicity than that of William Wordsworth,' says Shalabh Kumar.

THE REDIFF INTERVIEWS

'We did not expect Pawar to raise the issue'
"No individual is bigger than the party. In the past we have seen big leaders leaving the party, floating their own outfits, and coming back to the Congress. They went out like tigers and came back like lambs." Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia on the anti-Sonia revolt.

'We should not try and provoke him'
"Sonia Gandhi had given him the most crucial role in the party recently -- the most important assignment of striking electoral alliances. Finally, it appeared as though he had won her complete trust... This is political suicide," says Pawar supporter Gurudas Kamat.

THE REDIFF DIARY

Sonia the Supreme
'She is no ordinary pin-up, though. Rajinder Gurraiya has been selling posters of Congress leaders at the AICC headquarters for 20 years. He reckons that Sonia's tenure has increased his business tenfold,' reports Suhasini Haider.

THE GUJARAT CYCLONE

Cyclone slows down off Okha port
The met office said it appears likely to hit the coast anywhere between Naliya in Kutch district and Veraval in Junagadh district at 0300 IST on Thursday.

THE JESSICA LAL MURDER

Vikas Yadav surrenders, yet escapes arrest
"Everyone knows how powerful Manu Sharma is," said one police officer. "Then, even Bina Ramani couldn't be charged with destruction of evidence. And now Vikas Yadav waltzes in here and walks out scot-free."

OTHER REPORTS

Sachin flies back because of father's death
Ramesh Tendulkar, Marathi litterateur, died in Bombay following a cardiac arrest.

Haryana BJP wants to bring down Bansi Lal
But the party's central leadership appears to be in no hurry to take a decision.

Judges in Jaya graft cases face 'threats'
The letters in Tamil were signed by one 'Unmai Vilambi'.

Vaiko holds parleys with Karunanidhi
The DMK and MDMK would set up committees to hold further talks on seat-sharing.

Army brings in choppers to flush out infiltrators
Commenting on the continuing army offensive in the Kargil and Drass sectors, corps commander Gen Krishan Pal said that "in the next few days the situation will be restored to our advantage".

Pakistan continues to shell Kargil, Drass
The entire town was without electricity last night after the authorities switched it off for reasons of security.

From hero to zero
The Maharashtra police have cracked down on its black sheep.

Ayodhya initiative welcomed, but...
Many feel that the organisations concerned more than mere individuals should be involved in the attempt to solve the tangle.

THE REDIFF SPECIAL

The junk man and the sea
Salim Ahmed collects scrap for a living, but the sea and an occasional macho deed are what allow him to beat the drabness of existence.

THE REDIFF COLUMN

Ringside at the Uldha cockfight
'I saw one owner holding his bird's feet, whapping the rooster's head on the ground. What was in his mind: disgust? anger? shame? Was this just the normal way to finish off the injured creature?' wonders Dilip D'Souza.


Bihar: Rabri inducts 5 more ministers
Bihar: CBI to interrogate Rabri tomorrow

THE WEATHER

Saurashtra, Kutch await cyclone
Heavy rains are likely at a few places in the western parts of Saurashtra and Kutch during the next 48 hours.

May 19

THE POLITICAL SCENE

Congress officials, 4 CMs 'quit'
Chief ministers Digvijay Singh, Shiela Dikshit, Ashok Gehlot and Giridhar Gamang want Sonia Gandhi to withdraw her resignation immediately.

CWC fails to convince Sonia
The Congress president refused to withdraw her resignation even after three hours of intense persuasion by senior leaders.

Sonia plays the sympathy card
Her decision is a well-crafted ploy to generate public sympathy, neutralise the rebel trio's demands and win a fresh endorsement of her leadership.

'We will not allow her to resign'
So said Digvijay Singh. But others felt Gandhi is trying to consolidate her position and said she would eventually withdraw her resignation.

Call AICC meet to end crisis: Kamal Nath
"The CWC should not, must not, and cannot accept Sonia's resignation," the Congress politician said.

Pro-Sonia chorus sings requiem for rebels
Countrywide, enthusiastic Congressmen are predicting Pawar & Co's imminent political demise.

'Who says she's from Italy? She's of Amethi'
The mood within the AICC headquarters is sombre: "What nobody has considered is who else has given Pawar & Co the support to take this step," said one party office-bearer, "and when he'll show his hand."

They struck to pre-empt marginalisation
Anwar was told that Gandhi had decided to deny him ticket in the forthcoming election. Similarly, Pawar learnt that most of his supporters in Maharashtra would not be nominated.

No compromise, says Pawar
He said the question of tendering an apology to Sonia Gandhi also doesn't arise.

Pawar does not 'want to be PM'
The senior Congress leader blasted his critics in the party, saying that people who could not win elections were giving incorrect advice to the leadership.

'India's my motherland, dearer than my life'
Sonia has made an emotional pitch in her resignation letter.

Leave it to the people, says Swamy
The Janata Party president said the controversy in the Congress had taken the wind out of the BJP's sails.

Samata splinter merges in RJD
But two SP-P legislators, Parvati Devi and Lovely Anand, were conspicuous by their absence at the meeting with RJD chief Laloo Yadav.

THE REDIFF INTERVIEWS

'Pawar should be expelled'
'There are nearly 100 Congress MLAs and MLCs in Maharashtra; hardly 12 support him. Of the party's 33 Lok Sabha MPs from the state, only four support Pawar,' says MPCC chief Prataprao Bhosle.

'Pawar has always been very unpredictable'
"There are only two leaders in India who have national acceptance -- Sonia Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee -- and Pawar and Sangma can never attain that level of acceptability." Ranjit Deshmukh, former Maharashtra Congress chief and Pawar acolyte, questions his friend's motive.

OTHER REPORTS

Ayodhya row takes new turn
Key Babri Masjid movement leader Mohammad Hashim Ansari and Bajrang Dal founder Vinay Katiyar had a long talk on the issue. The two, who would soon decide dates for further meetings, said the controversy should end in the interest of the country.

Dara Singh identified before Wadhwa panel
The witnesses said that they had seen the key accused at the spot where Australian missionary Graham Stewart Staines and his two sons were murdered. He was then wielding an axe and a stick.

3 killed, 15 injured as train derails in Bengal
The Dibrugarh-bound Brahmaputra Mail from Delhi derailed in Jalpaiguri district early Tuesday morning.

Analyst calls for second-strike capability
"We don't want to use weapons of mass destruction," he said, but added that their existence gives the deterrence. "If Yugoslavia had a couple of nuclear weapons, the United States and NATO would not have dared to bomb it."

One infiltrator shot dead, 2 injured in Jammu
Elsewhere in the region, a soldier and two women were killed in militancy-related incidents.

Kiran Bedi returns to Delhi
The Union home ministry ordered Bedi and Home Secretary Anuradha Gupta's transfers following a fight between the two officers over their powers.

Police charge Zardari with attempted suicide
But critics of the government said he was tortured and police had fabricated the attempted suicide report. His wife Benazir Bhutto dismissed the report as "rubbish and outlandish".

Declare Pakistan a terrorist state: Pallone
"The question is, given the continuing pattern of Pakistani support for the militants in Kashmir, what has been accomplished by our refusal to state the obvious," the Democratic Congressman said.

Koirala's party bags 30 seats
Former prime minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has successfully broken a hoodoo, winning his maiden parliamentary seat even as his party surged ahead in the third general election in Nepal in nine years.

THE REDIFF DIARY

God's Own Country?
'I have come to the conclusion that the Calicut flight is a punishment assignment for its crew. My observation stems mainly from the harassed, pinched faces they put forward en route,' says Chindu Sreedharan.

THE REDIFF COLUMN

The façade has blown away, Mme Gandhi
'The fall of the Vajpayee government was a landmark. It showed that this apolitical woman from overseas, who is credited with having dissuaded her husband from embarking on a political career, was just a grabber who thought nothing of creating a parliamentary mandate where none existed so she could become prime minister to one billion wretched souls,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy.

Erudite angel or parasitic khalnayak?
'The fall of the BJP-led government last month has been ascribed to various khalnayaks of both sexes. One name that has been strangely excluded is of I K Gujral -- probably because, as usual, he's been perceived to be a harmless and a gentleman politician. The truth may well be otherwise,' says Arvind Lavakare.


Kerala: Sangh Parivar to rewrite Kerala history
Nagaland: Naga underground leaders surface

THE WEATHER

Gujarat prepares for severe cyclone
Evacuation has begun in the port town of Kandla in view of a massive cyclone shaping up in the Arabian Sea, which is expected by Wednesday afternoon.

May 18

THE POLITICAL SCENE

CWC implores Sonia to stay
Pawar's supporters say he is now preparing to split the Congress and form a regional party in Maharashtra that will team up with other regional and third front allies like the Samajwadi Party and the AIADMK.

Sonia walks out of CWC meeting
The Congress president handed in her resignation to the working committee, but it was rejected.

Pawar stands firm
By boycotting the CWC meeting, the senior Congressman made it clear that there was no question of retreating.

Why should I be expelled, says Pawar
"I have expressed my viewpoint at the highest level of the Congress party. Let them now take a decision," he said. "I have a right to express my opinion."

Why now, wonder politicians
A Congressman gloated, "By challenging Sonia Gandhi now he has done her a favour. She has till September to consolidate her position."

'It isn't possible that a country of 980 million can have anyone other than an Indian-born to head its government'
The full text of the letter Pawar, Sangma and Anwar wrote to Sonia Gandhi.

Cheerleaders for Sonia swing into action
Congress politicians from various parts of the country loudly proclaimed their faith in the party president while painting Pawar & Co as BJP agents.

BJP to file petition against Sonia by August
A senior party vice-president said this would hamper her move to contest the election. By the time the petition is disposed of, the election would be over.

Pawar's dissent hits talks with Jaya
The Maharashtra politician, who has an excellent rapport with Jayalalitha, had held preliminary talks with her in Madras. Now it is not clear who will represent the Congress in the talks.

Chandrashekhar calls on Rao
The two former prime ministers discussed the latest political developments.

PM has no comment on Congress crisis
Vajpayee merely said he was watching the developments.

Bofors, prices will be poll issues
The Congress is a victim of its own machinations, the PM added.

Mulayam won't join BJP-led alliance: George
The defence minister, however, said the Samajwadi Party was not unwelcome to the tie-up.

Thakre dismisses revolt reports as 'kite flying'
Some reports spoke of 60 BJP legislators in Gujarat having sought the removal of Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel.

Congress defectors strengthen Goan parties
Most Congress aspirants who were denied tickets have opted to join the MGP, the United Goans Democratic Party or the Goa Rajiv Congress rather than contest as independents.

OTHER REPORTS

4 killed by MCC in Bihar
The extremists also fired indiscriminately to terrorise villagers in Bermo and Pithoria blocks of Ranchi district.

Allahabad HC pulled up for Uttarakhand ruling
The Supreme Court observed that compensation for the victims of police firing and molestation at Muzaffarnagar was "clearly unsustainable".

Kargil commissioner, police chief have a narrow escape
A senior police officer in Srinagar admitted for the first time that in the week-long fighting on the Line of Control, 25 intruders and 10 Indian soldiers have been killed.

Farooq cancels Kargil visit
The state government, meanwhile, is shifting over 8,000 residents from 11 villages in the Drass sector.

Infiltrators to be flushed out by tomorrow
A report claimed that all terrorist groups in Kargil have been surrounded by Indian troops.

Pak SC allows Sethi's family to visit him
"On the 10th day after the arrest of Najam Sethi the government still has no case against him," his wife said. "They have just violated a citizen's home and abducted him."

Sethi 'was beaten and dragged out of his bedroom'
There were late-night knocks under the late Gen Zia too. "But at least the accused were treated politely by the police officers who arrested them," recalls Ashaar Rehman, son of senior journalist I A Rehman.

THE REDIFF COLUMNS

Yeh Sonia Mangey More!
'The letter asking the Congress president to not only give up her dream of serving pasta at prime ministerial dinners but also propose a constitutional amendment barring those not of Indian origin from holding the office of President, vice-president and prime minister only goes to once again prove that a weekend in politics is a long time,' says Kanchan Gupta.

The Third Front?
'It is surprising that the communists and some goody-goody persons have the impression that the front has only to be formed and the voters will come running to it. Apart from other factors, it cannot happen so long as there are the same old faces which the public has come to despise,' says Kuldip Nayar.

My Enemy's Enemies
'The cynic in me says the three will do another U-turn and we'll be left exactly where we started from: Nowhere. But the letter is too, too hard to warrant that: The Shroud won't be able to stomach the attacks -- you need to be a grassroots politician like Sharad Pawar for that,' says Varsha Bhosle.

THE REDIFF DIARY

Modern Times
'Fly into the West and you are delivered into a rushing, faceless world, far from the warm, curious faces of India. In London the tubes are full, but nobody looks at another. My daughter asks me, puzzled, "How come nobody talks to me here?"' says Vaihayasi P Daniel.


Delhi: HC notice on transfer of Jessica case to CBI

THE WEATHER

Rain in Goa, Konkan
Showers are also likely in coastal Karnataka and Lakshadweep during the next 48 hours.

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