Newsreel 09.11.03

• IN WHAT was seen as a tussle between the legislature and the fourth estate, the judiciary toes a cautious line. Acting on a petition ...

• IN WHAT was seen as a tussle between the legislature and the fourth estate, the judiciary toes a cautious line. Acting on a petition by The Hindu, the Supreme Court stays the arrest order issued by the Tamil Nadu Assembly against five of the daily’s senior staffers.

• RS 23,000 crore, eight states, 58 arrests. Thus goes the story of one of India’s biggest scams, the Telgi fake stamp racket rip off. The arrest of high-profile Mumbai IGP Sridhar Vaghal shocks Maharashtra Police; days later, DCP R S Sharma himself is interrogated. Sharma goes on leave.

• THESE DAYS if it is cricket, it’s got to be about the Awesome Aussies. The World Champs maintain an all-win record on way to the Eden Gardens, which will host the tri-series final on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Indian sports officials record a significant victory on world stage as New Delhi rolled over Hamilton to become the host of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

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• CALL IT the Q2 results of Economy Inc. The government ups the feel good factor to a feel great feeling by projecting a 7 plus growth rate for the GDP during the current year. The only caveat: concerns regarding subsidies including food subsidies, interest payments and bailout of financial institutions, and sagging exports.

• CENTRE ushers in a new regime in telecom. Government accepts the requests of Reliance and Tatas to convert their WLL services into fully mobile telephony, thus paving the way for issuance of single licence to the basic players under the new unified regime.

• ANDHRA PRADESH Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu decides a reboot is the best way forward for the state and for himself. The general body meeting of the ruling Telugu Desam Party unanimously favours early polls, and recommends dissolution of the state Assembly. Naidu’s poll pitch: Development vs extremism.

• POLITICS behind us, economics lies ahead, that’s the new message the US sends India by naming David C Mulford, a personal friend of US president George Bush, as the next US envoy to India. His resume: chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston International and former Undersecretary of Treasury in the first Bush administration.

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• EXPLOSIONS RIP through Riyadh as the Kingdom suffers another terror strike. Eighteen are killed and many more wounded, Saudi’s are quick to blame Al-Qaeda. In Iraq, 18 Italian military policemen are killed in Nassiriyah in another carbomb explosion.