Called the Nepal Defence Army, the group is headed by a former policeman who says he joined the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist as a schoolboy but has now begun waging war on his former comrades. The ex-cop, who today calls himself ‘Parivartan’ (change), claims his band has nearly 1,200 trained soldiers who possess arms and have the expertise to manufacture explosives.

Earlier this year, the Nepal Defence Army made its debut with a couple of blasts, including at the well-guarded office of the Maoists in Kathmandu. Leader ‘Parivartan’ in a recent interview said that Nepal Defence Army has been founded to fight for Hinduism. He added that “Hindus worldwide support us, including the families of top Maoist leaders. Our soldiers are being trained across the border in India and we get the ingredients for manufacturing explosives from India”. Parivartan ended with a dire warning. “We have trained five suicide bombers who can go anywhere, including Singh Durbar (the seat of administration)”.

The CPN-Maoist first fired its salvo of ‘People’s War’ on February 12, 1996 seeking to destroy constitutional monarchy and aiming to establish a Maoist people’s democracy. Maoist guerrillas followed the strategy of ‘people’s war’ in which they attempt to take gradual control of the countryside to encircle the cities, only fighting with government forces on their own terms when they can significantly outnumber their enemy.

In 2001, the Nepalese Army began a military campaign against the Maoists, especially in the western areas of the country, although there have been intermittent ceasefires. More than 12,700 people were killed; over 4,000 by Maoists and 8,200 by the government, and an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 people were internally displaced as a result of the conflict. About 600 child soldiers had died during the Maoist insurgency. There are four categories of people killed in the process: Maoist guerrillas, police, alleged informers of police, and innocent civilians. Maoist insurgency has left a lot of families still searching for their loved ones. The new revolutionary leader said his group had no links with King Gyanendra nor the group wants to be a mainstream political party. There sole aim is to form a Hindu state.

The group feels that though, during their 10-year war, the Maoists destroyed and desecrated temples and attacked priests, it will never destroy any church or mosque.

Khushab Reactor is located at Khushab, Punjab, Pakistan. The 50 MWt, heavy water and natural uranium research reactor is a central element of Pakistan's program for production of plutonium and tritium for advanced compact warheads. The Khushab facility, like that at Kahuta, is not subject to IAEA inspections, but the security of the site is professed by the Pakistani government.

The reactor reportedly will be capable of producing enough plutonium for as many as 50 bombs each year. The Washington based ‘Institute for Science and International Security’ recently said, the construction was seen on commercial satellite imagery. The researchers hinted that the activity at Khushab and also at a plutonium separation facility at Chasma should be viewed as a sign of an accelerated nuclear arms race between Pakistan and its nuclear-armed rival, India. Pakistan secretly developed its nuclear weapons over many decades.

It is unknown when Pakistan began its nuclear development projects, but by the 1980s it was suspected of having successfully developed nuclear warheads. However, this was to remain speculative until 1998 when Pakistan conducted its first nuclear tests at the Chagai Hills, a few days after India conducted its own tests. Many organisations have speculated Pakistan's nuclear bomb production capacity to be in between 50-60 per year although the exact number of possible nuclear weapons within Pakistan's arsenal is kept strictly confidential.

Pakistan currently possesses ballistic missiles and fighter planes which can carry conventional weapons and nuclear warheads. The US acknowledged that it had long known about Pakistan's plans to build a large plutonium-production reactor, but it said the White House was working to dissuade Pakistan from using the plant to expand its nuclear arsenal. Construction of the larger reactor at Khushab apparently began sometime in 2000. Satellite photos taken in the spring of 2005 showed the frame of a rectangular building enclosing what appeared to be the round metal shell of a large nuclear reactor.

A year later, in April 2006, the roof of the structure was still incomplete, allowing an unobstructed view of the reactor's features.

All this week, protesters have burned effigies of Rushdie and Queen Elizabeth II on the streets of Pakistani cities and demanded that the UK take back the award, a request London has refused. Religious parties in Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim state of 160 million, have called for nationwide protests on 22 June to condemn Britain for bestowing the honor on Rushdie.

Allama Tahir Ashrafi, head of the Pakistan Ulema Council, said the group would give bin Laden the title "Saifullah" which means "Sword of God" for "serving Muslims by waging jihad against infidels.

The emerging economy along with a travel minded youth class has made India the world's fastest-growing and most competitive aviation market. Domestic passenger traffic is expected to double to 60 million by 2010 and reach 200 million by 2020. Currently, some 650 air flights take off daily from India's 95 operational airports; this rate was only 200 three years ago. That figure is likely to nearly double to 1,200 by 2010.

Industry consolidation started rolling ever since a crop of eight new airlines hit the Indian skies in the last three years. Most were budget carriers set up by entrepreneurs who quickly placed tremendous downward pressure on fare prices. They all have been chasing the estimated 300 million middle-class Indians who have been enjoying rising disposable incomes and now have the financial wherewithal to travel at home and abroad. The lucrative market also encouraged merger of the state-run domestic and international carriers—Indian Airlines and Air India. Chennai-based business carrier Paramount Airways plans to acquire a substantial stake in GoAir, another no-frills budget carrier.

Among India's passenger carriers, however, the outlook is challenging as long as the fare wars continue. Discounted tickets represent 20% of total fares in India vs. a global average about 10% to 15%. On top of that, the scarcity of airports in India has meant higher landing and maintenance fees, another drag on profits. Major international aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing, Airbus, ATR, and Brazil's Embraer are knocking to win orders. Boeing plans to increase sales of its 125-aircraft fleet by double by 2011. If so, that would mean about a $20 billion revenue haul for Boeing.

With more than 100 Airbus planes operating in India, the European concern's new orders have come from startup airlines such as Air Deccan, Kingfisher, Spice Jet, and GoAir. Indian skies are now so congested that it's not unusual for passenger jets to spend an hour circling around an airport and waiting for a landing slot, which drives up the fuel costs even on short-haul trips and adds up to 10% in additional costs. The three consolidated groups Air India, Jet Airways, and Kingfisher dominate the Indian skies with an 85% market share.

Other low-cost carriers could be in play soon. Needs for engineering, maintenance and repair, ground services, and route networking and planning has come up. Indian authorities should respond quickly to smooth up the flying of the airlines so that the industry can grow as expected.

The Talibans gained new confidence and new tactics and their campaign against the government and foreign forces has been increasingly successful since the beginning of this year.

On 17 June, a bomb blew up inside a police bus in the middle of the Afghan capital Kabul, leaving more than 35 people killed. It was a suicide attack and claimed by Taliban insurgents. The bomb tore apart the bus and several other vehicles nearby, scattering body parts over the scene. The bomb exploded during the morning rush hour, near the headquarters of Kabul's police chief, at a time when buses normally ferried police officers to their posts. The incident came hours before a ceremony on the other side of the city to mark the handing over of the police training programme from German authority to that of a EU mission.

On 18 June an air strike by the US force on an Afghan religious school left seven children killed. ZThe incident occurred in Paktika province. The US force thought that several Al-quieda militants were there but killed the innocent children instead. Only in 2007, more than 2,300 people died in insurgency-related violence in Afghanistan. According to the US Defense Department, as of June 16, 2007, at least 335 members of the US military have died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the US invasion of Afghanistan. Of those, the military reports 214 were killed by hostile action. Violence has spiked around Afghanistan in recent weeks.

In most recent times, Afghan police backed by foreign forces killed 26 Taliban militants, including several commanders, in two operations in the volatile southern region. In the east of the country, around Jalalabad, suicide bombings have become such frequent occurrences that the road from there to Kabul is now known as "the Baghdad road".

There are historical, geographical, cultural, linguistic, ethnic, social and family links between people living in India and Nepal. Trade relationship between these two countries often goes beyond the economic reason significantly influenced by the social-ethical norms and values.

India has long been counting on the Himalayan barrier of northern Nepal as its natural defense against China in one hand and anti-Indian terrorist groups are using Nepal as a base of guerrilla operations in another. Booming India also sees Nepal as a big market for achieving economical benefits.

Historically, there occurred several instances when Indian foreign policy towards Nepal caused a feeling of anger among the Nepali people. Similarly, Nepal caused anger among Indian political circles through its failure of controlling the Maoist movements. Now given the significance of Nepal to India's security interests and an untouched market, India gives huge importance to the relation is has with Nepal. Time has come though to reassess the relation after a major political change in the Himalayan country. India actually had an unclear foreign policy towards Nepal.

In 2005, when King Gyanendra assumed direct power in Nepal; China, Pakistan and Russia viewed it as a purely domestic issue. The Indian government reacted negatively at occasions and stayed away from a regional summit to meet the Nepali King. India even temporarily suspended military supplies to protest the King's take over of power. This policy was rather contradictory because at the same time, India pampered Bhutan's autocrat King. India in 2006 resumed military aid such as jeeps, bulletproof jackets and mine-proof vehicles to Nepal after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with king at the Afro-Asian summit in Jakarta. This move angered democratic forces who were staged country wide protest to force the King to replace democracy. They thought the Indian government, instead of helping their cause, was strengthening the hand of monarchy. In 1989, Nepal ended 1978 treaties between the countries that had provided for highly favored reciprocal trade terms and transit rights towards India.

India responded by imposing a trade embargo and closed 13 of 15 transit routes. Nepal at various times also expressed concern about what it sees as India's 'bullying' behaviour in the region. The conventional economic wisdom holds that trade is beneficial to growth of a country. Although one country may have a higher productivity in the production of all goods compared to another country, the relative productivities in producing different goods will differ. Trade relation with India is rather crucial to Nepal particularly due to her land-locked geographic characteristics. Nepal opened up its economy in the early 1990s with the adoption of economic reform package.

The reform measures have since covered almost all sectors of the economy including trade and investment, fiscal and monetary policies, financial and capital markets and other economic and social sectors. A new bilateral trade treaty signed with India in 1996 supported the trade reform program of Nepal. The treaty allows Nepal to export manufactured products to India free of customs duty and quantitative restrictions.

Now that Nepal has decided to establish a democratic republic, Indian role in the region has become far more important. The popular support for democracy has been overwhelming and the Nepalese populace has very high expectation from the new government. However, as the experiences of several new democratic countries and Nepal's own past democratic experience suggests, democracy takes time to deliver.

It is in Nepal's own interest to involve India in helping it build a strong democratic state. India also should pass a nice gesture.

It was initiated by the Panchayati Raj ministry headed by Mani Shankar Aiyar with the sanction of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The programme aims at removal of regional imbalances. The development fund for backward regions initially will cover 250 districts, a little less than half the total number of India's 604 districts. As proof of its commitment to erase regional imbalances, the major chunk of funds would go to most needy and backward states like Bihar and Orissa. The fund would provide each of the 250 districts a minimum of Rs.100 million per year, besides an additional allocation depending upon the geographical area and population of the district.  

The Rs.50 billion MGBRD Fund comprises three components, an Rs.10 billion special package for Bihar, another Rs.2.5 billion for the KBK region of Orissa and the remaining Rs.37.5 billion to be distributed among all the 250 selected backward districts on the basis of their area and population. Perhaps the greatest beneficiary of the new fund will be Bihar; as many as 36 of the state's 37 districts have been included under the scheme. In addition to the Rs.10 billion special package, 36 districts of Bihar would together get another Rs.3.6 billion.

The new fund would include all the 200 districts where the UPA government's flagship programme, the ‘rural job guarantee scheme’ exposed last year has been implemented. But it does not imply that the allocations made from the regional disparity elimination fund to the 200 districts would be utilised to provide jobs to the rural poor. The funds under the regional disparity elimination fund would be specifically used to build sustainable infrastructure like roads, schools, dispensaries, bridges and power transmission lines. The rural job guarantee scheme, on the other hand, envisages projects that generate mass rural employment and is aimed at ensuring means of sustenance to the rural poor.

The regional disparity fund will try to bridge critical gaps in local infrastructure and other development requirements that are not being adequately met through existing schemes, including the rural job guarantee scheme. If implemented properly, this scheme will have a positive effect in rural areas.

Pakistan, an important ally in the U.S.-led war on terrorism, decided to fence and mine parts of its western border after accusations from U.S. and Afghan officials that the Taliban militants were launching attacks from sanctuaries in Pakistan.

"We have completed 20 km (12 miles) of fencing in North Waziristan region and work is going on for the rest," military spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad told Reuters.

He said the plan involved fencing a 35-km stretch in the northwestern tribal belt bordering Afghanistan in the first phase.

Afghanistan opposes fencing because of a long-standing territorial dispute, saying it would penalize Pashtun tribal communities living on both sides of the frontier, or Durand Line, named after the 19th Century colonial administrator who drew the border.

Last month, Pakistani and Afghan troops clashed on the border in the South Waziristan region after Kabul said its forces tore down a Pakistani fence.

Pakistan confirmed the clash but denied it was erecting fence there.

Authorities have held off plans to mine the border.

Pakistan acknowledges cross-border incursions by the militants but urges western and Afghan forces to tighten border controls on their side.

The lawyer for suspended Chief Justice Iftakhar Chaudhry briefed reporters outside the Supreme Court Monday. Aitzaz Ahsen says the Court suspended the judicial inquiry until it reviews legal challenges to the panel leading the investigation.

The five-judge panel was meant to decide whether Chaudhry was fairly dismissed on March 9.

Chaudhry has accused at least three members of the panel of being prejudiced against him and unable to conduct a balanced review.

The former chief justice also says the panel inquiry is unconstitutional, and his lawyers say Monday's decision is an important victory in the case.

The government has been struggling to contain public outrage over Chaudhry's dismissal.

The government defends the move by saying Chaudhry was only suspended after he repeatedly abused his authority while in office.

But Chaudhry's supporters say the famously independent judge was the victim of a preemptive political strike. They say he was removed ahead of a possible constitutional challenge to President Pervez Musharraf's re-election expected later this year.

Pakistani lawyers and political activists have led a series of mass protests in major cities across the country and are demanding the president either reinstate the popular justice or resign from office.

Neither side appears ready to back down, and there is still no word on when the Supreme Court will issue a final verdict in the case.

It's an epidemic in India, where farmers find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty with drought and but the outside world sees India as the next Asian Tiger. 

Since 1997, more than 25,000 farmers have committed suicide across the country, many drinking the chemical that was supposed to make their crops more productive. Machinery, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and hybrid seeds all of which originated in the West, on the contrary spell disaster here rather than prosperity as Indian farmers witness the other side of globalization very closely. The tragedy unfolds largely from crop failure, drought, pests, and false pesticides that small farmers don't have the means to face. The tendency is higher in Warangal District of Andhra Pradesh which is a suicide belt consisting districts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Apart from this region, Royalaseema, Anantapur, Vidarbha area in East Maharashtra and in certain other districts in northern Karnataka also face the dilemma. 

The government of India has taken policy decisions on big developments, approved plans on big dams, ports and roads, established Social Economic Zones, cut taxes on computer accessories, and decided on big projects. But these farmers got very little from the government what they deserve. The little list of government?s activities includes free electricity for agriculture, waiver of electricity dues and Rs.150, 000 as financial assistance for the relatives of the farmers who committed suicide in 2006. 

Government support price for the farmers is too low; a recent study done by the Government of Andhra Pradesh reported that more than 55 percent of the farmers are not getting the ?Minimum Support Price?. For instance, In Anantapur district, about 90% of the holdings are small and marginal. They are under immense pressure owing to their dependency on vagaries of market and non-institutional forces that control credit and output markets. Most of the farmers are very much tied to the traders and middlemen. This depresses the price that farmers should get for their output. Additionally, cost of cultivation has increased manifold since 1990s. In 2006, the government-sponsored cotton marketing federation purchased 13, 00,000 quintals of raw cotton from its 100-odd procurement centres, while the private traders have purchased 68,00,000 quintals till December 31. On the other hand, farmers in the region have produced over 220,00,000 raw cotton only in 2006. Poor farmers sometimes look for a helping hand from the agricultural or commercial banks; but these institutions give loan at very high interest rates and ask for collateral, which the farmers fail to produce. 

Several non-governmental organizations including banks, research centers are trying to implement strategies  aiming at increasing these farmers' income by 3 to 4 times through better co-ordination and synergizing the available resources. They through several researches found out that the government apathy, the absence of a safety net for farmers, and lack of access to information related to agriculture are the major causes for the desperate condition of farmers.

Less expensive, lower-risk organic farming methods might offer a solution for the cotton-growing crisis in India. But without a change in agriculture policy and practices, thousands more Indian farmers are likely to take their own lives. 

?Fastest growing free market democracy? a slogan that the Indians use to glorify them is not implacable for most of the Indians; 44% of the population still live below the international standard of $1 per day, and as many as 86% live below $2 per day. More public and private investment in the rural areas along with introduction of micro-credit can be considered as a permanent solution. Lowering interest rates will also be important to make cheaper credit available.