Over 100 killed in Haj stampede
At least 107 Muslim pilgrims were killed yesterday in a stampede at Mina, ten km from the holy Mecca city, during a religious ceremony of "stoning the devil," but there was no confirmation whether any Indian was among those killed. The stampede occurred one km away from the Mina camp at Al Jamrat during a ceremony in which people on the Haj pilgrimage throw stones at pillars symbolising the devil.
Advani makes case for pruning VIP security list
On a cue from L K Advani himself, Union Home Ministry officials are considering "replacing" the NSG security (Black Cats) being provided to the country's top politicians. The meeting was attended by special secretaries Nikhil Kumar and M B Kaushal, senior Ministry officials in charge of VIP security, including officials from the CBI and the IB and an additional commissioner of Delhi Police.
Top Clinton aide Richardson to lead fact-finding team to India next week
US President Bill Clinton's high-ranking envoy Bill Richardson is leading a delegation to South Asia next week and hopes to get India and Pakistan to resume their suspended bilateral dialogue. The high-profile visit to the region takes place only a week after Washington confirmed that Pakistan conducted a ballistic missile test on Monday.
Will S S Gill be ousted? Sushma won't say
Sushma Swaraj, the new Information and Broadcasting Minister, showed why the BJP made her their spokesperson. The art of talking a lot and yet not giving anything away is a difficult one. She seems to have mastered it. So, will Prasar Bharati CEO Surendra Singh Gill be removed once the October 1997 ordinance lapses? She couldn't say.
Ghauri makes Washington see India's concerns
The United States is set to "acknowledge" India's security concerns in the wake of test-firing of Pakistan's Ghauri missile when a high-powered mission led by Bill Richardson visits the Indian sub-continent next week. Significantly, this will be the first-ever "acknowledgement" by the US that it recognises that India must decide its own nuclear and missile policies.
World Bank asks govt to cut fertiliser, food subsidies
Notwithstanding the Vajpayee government's assurance to increase social security measures and the swadeshi plank, the World Bank has asked the new coalition government to reduce subsidies on fertilisers and food so as to reduce the country's fiscal deficit. Although it is a tough job it should be done through better targeting and prioritising the area for subsidy cut.
