Republican democrats lag in US Presidential race

WASHINGTON, Aug 6: In the run-up to the US Presidential election, Republican George W Bush is 19 per cent ahead of his rival democrat Albert Gore, an opinion poll says. The NBC poll sees potential gains for the Republicans in Congressional races: Courtesy a strong Presidential candidate. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton trails in the Senate race for New York state causing brows to furrow further in the democrat camp as well as for President Bill Clinton. But the democrats are hoping that this is a passing phase and come November, their inherent strength - the overwhelming support of blacks, people of Latin American origin and senior citizens - will come to their rescue. ......more

Karnataka taka to drop TADA cases against 51 Veerappan associates

BANGALORE, Aug 6: Karnataka Government has decided to drop TADA cases against 51 suspected associates of forest brigand Veerappan who is holding Kannada film icon Rajkumar and three others hostage, Chief Minister S M Krishna announced here today. Krishna told reporters on his arrival from Chennai, where he and his Tamil Nadu counterpart M Karunanidhi discussed and responded to the ten demands of Veerappan in return for the release of the hostages, that TADA was no longer on the statute book and those booked under it could be granted bail. .....more

Lala Amarnath’s body cremated

NEW DELHI, Aug 6: Family, friends, fellow cricketers and fans paid homage as former India captain Lala Amarnath’s body was consigned to flames here this morning. Amarnath’s two elder sons and former test cricketers, Surinder and Mohinder, brought the body to the Lodhi Road crematorium in an ambulance. On his body lay his favourite fedora hat which was his trademark in his older days and by his side was a cricket bat symbolic of his association with the game. It was strange that except for three former test players -medium pacer Surendranath, batsmen Yashpal Sharma and Gursharan Singh - not one official of the Cricket Board or player was present for the cremation of a man who became a legend in his life time. ......more

Fernandes rules out changes in
security set-up along LOC, IB

JAMMU, Aug 6: Defence Minister George Fernandes today ruled out any change in the security set-up along the LoC and International Border with Pakistan after Hizbul Mujahideen’s ceasefire, and admitted inadequacy in security arrangements for Amarnath pilgrimage. "The security set-up along the Indo-Pak border will remain the same and no change will be made in it even after Hizbul’s ceasefire," Fernandes told reporters here. Security arrangements along the Line of Control and ib were adequate as per requirements, he said. ......more

BJP not to rake up contentious issues,
says Bangaru Lakshman

NEW DELHI, Aug 6: The new BJP president Bangaru Lakshman says the party will not rake up the three contentious issues of Article 370 giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Uniform Civil Code and Ram Temple at Ayodhya and keep them in abeyance as long as it leads the NDA coalition at the Centre and ruled out backtracking on economic reforms policies under pressure from the Sangh Parivar. "For the four years whatever we have agreed and put forth before the people in the 1999 elections and got the mandate, that shall be the agenda of the BJP. There is no question of those (contentious) issues being taken up now even though they are there on BJP’s agenda," Lakshman told PTI in an interview. .....more

1903 yatris leave for Base Camp
Considerable decline in pilgrims rush

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, AUG 6: Following the killing of 32 pilgrims at Pahalgam, Base Camp by Pak militants on August 1, there has been a considerable decline in the rush of pilgrims from the rest of the country during last few days. Unlike the last three weeks, there are no queues of the yatris waiting outside the three registration counters here as the arrival of pilgrims from outside the state has suddenly fallen due to the militants attack........more

Curfew continues in RS Pura
7 politicians among 20 arrested for violence

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Aug 6: Curfew conti-nued in RS Pura tehsil for second day today with army patrolling all sensitive villages while police launched a crackdown on the people involved in yester-day’s unprecedented violence at tehsil headquarters and arrested over 20 persons including seven political leaders.....more

Salah-ud-din throws Delhi into confusion
Sangh Parivar laments Govt’s ‘surrender’ to Hizbul’s thunder

From B L Kak

NEW DELHI, Aug 6: The RSS and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have, in identical messages to the Prime Minister, warned him that his Government’s ‘surrender’ to the anti-India outfit, Hizbul Mujahideen, will "only lead to further chaos and commotion" in the troubled State of Jammu and Kashmir........more

LeT mercenary shot dead in Doda area.....

Farooq meets Sonia ....

Pak has no say : Omar
Hurriyat calls for comprehensive talks....

SPO bathes to death
2 Lashkar militants killed in Kupwara .....

‘We are sincere in move, conscious of our responsibility’
Hizb committed to ceasefire with forces.......