Tuesday, March 18, 2003, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

War clouds thicken; USA, UK shed diplomacy
Annan pulls out arms inspectors from Iraq; 
Suspends oil-for-food programme
United Nations, March 17
A war on Iraq appeared certain tonight with US, Britain and Spain withdrawing their resolution for UN backing and asking President Saddam Hussein to leave the country. The USA also said that the “diplomatic window” had closed and asked the UN to pull out its weapons inspectors, even as foreign missions began evacuating their staff from Baghdad.

President George W. Bush (centre), British Prime Minister Tony Blair (second from left) and Spain's Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar (right) seen together with Portugal's Prime Minister Jose Durao Barroso (left) after arriving at the Portuguese-US air base at Lajes on the island of Terceira in the Azores archipelago on Sunday to attend a summit to discuss the crisis with Iraq. — AP/PTI

Robin Cook quits
London, March 17
Mr Robin Cook, the British government’s highly respected leader in Parliament and former Foreign Secretary, today resigned in protest at Prime Minister Tony Blair’s hawkish stance on Iraq. 

Cell formed on war crisis
31 Indians still in Iraq
New Delhi, March 17
Reflecting for the first time the Indian assessment of an imminent US war against Iraq, the Vajpayee government today set up a Crisis Management Group (CMG) to take appropriate action in the event of a war on Iraq and the CMG held its first meeting also to review the situation.

India pull out of Azlan Shah hockey
New Delhi, March 17
India today pulled out of the prestigious Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament in Malaysia in the wake of the recent ill-treatment of Indian IT professionals in that country.

Marandi quits, Munda new leader
Ranchi, March 17
Mr Arjun Munda was chosen as the new leader of the NDA Legislature Party in Jharkhand at a meeting of coalition partners here this evening. He replaces Mr Babulal Marandi who stepped down this morning.

2 kidnapped cops slain, two escape
Six Hizbul men shot in Doda
Jammu, March 17
Two of the four policemen kidnapped by militants after the attack on a police post in Udhampur district have been killed, while two others have managed to escape after the incident that left 11 dead late on March 15, an official spokesman has said here today.

Digvijay meets Lyngdoh
New Delhi, March 17
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh today maintained that the suspension of three District Collectors, as ordered by the Election Commission, for alleged irregularities in voter lists could be made only after charge sheets were framed against them by the commission.

  Edit page: Bogus voters

Charges framed against Rathore Ambala, March 17 The special Magistrate for CBI cases in Haryana, Mr Surya Pratap Singh, today framed charges against former Director General of Police, Haryana, Mr SPS Rathore, in the Ruchika molestation case. The notice of accusation for the offence punishable under Section 354 of the IPC was read over.