Friday, July 26, 2002, Chandigarh, India
 Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

Kalam sworn in as President
New Delhi, July 25 Taking over as India’s 11th President at an impressive swearing-in ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament, missile scientist Dr APJ Abdul Kalam today promised to “work for bringing about unity of minds among the divergent traditions of our country”.	FACTFILE Promises to work for bringing about unity of minds Calls for a movement to make India a developed country Identifies cross-border terrorism, internal conflicts and unemployment as major challenges Expresses commitment to secularism Lays stress on national security

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on the presidential buggy in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan after the swearing-in ceremony in the Capital on Thursday.  — Tribune photo Mukesh Aggarwal More photos

  Kalam leaves out Leader of Oppn
  Kalam — a man of scientific vision
  President’s quotes
  Editorial: Looking back and ahead
  Frankly Speaking: HARI JAISINGH
Examining the President’s role
Can he help enhance the quality of governance?

PM unlikely to meet Powell
New Delhi, July 25
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is unlikely to meet US Secretary of State Colin Powell when he comes here for a 24-hour visit on July 27, indicating that nothing tangible or concrete is expected from the visit.

  World page: Powell may not stay in Bush team

J&K autonomy talks begin
New Delhi, July 25
In a calculated move to create a conducive atmosphere for holding the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP-led NDA’s newly appointed interlocutor and former Union Law Minister Arun Jaitley set the ball rolling here today on the issue of greater autonomy or devolution of powers to the sensitive border state.

Talks on SYL canal inconclusive
New Delhi, July 25
The contentious issue of the division of river waters between Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan continued to elude a mutually acceptable solution, with the meeting convened by the Union Water Resources Ministry failing to cut any ice today as the respective state governments refused to budge from their previously stated positions.

Special package for Punjab border districts sought
New Delhi, July 25
Mr Ashwani Kumar, Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, today raised the issue of the four-laning of the national highway between Jalandhar and Amritsar as per the announcement made by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in November last year.

Curfew in Ranchi, people fear backlash
Ranchi, July 25
Curfew was clamped on three police station areas of the city today even as other areas remained paralysed apprehending a possible backlash to yesterday’s bandh called by pro-domicile organisations which left five dead and 25 injured.

Dutt caught on tape talking to Shakeel
Mumbai, July 25
A witness in the Bharat Shah case today identified the voices of actor Sanjay Dutt, producer Harish Sughand and directors Sanjay Gupta and Mahesh Manjrekar on a cassette containing transcripts of a telephonic conversation that they allegedly had with Gulf-based don Chhota Shakeel in the winter of 2000.

Langah surrenders in court Kharar, July 25 Mr Sucha Singh Langah, former PWD (Public Works Department) Minister, Punjab today surrendered in the court of Mr Roshan Lal Chouhan Judicial Magistrate here at 10.45 a.m.  Former Punjab PWD Minister Sucha Singh Langah arrives at a Kharar court to surrender in a case registered against him by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Thursday.  — Tribune Photo Manoj Mahajan