Friday, July 4, 2003, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

Advani blasts Amarinder
Says raids targeting Badal against democracy
New Delhi, July 3
Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani today threw his weight behind the beleaguered Akali Dal Chief Parkash Singh Badal and came down heavily on Capt Amarinder Singh government’s raids targeting him and his family. “Whatever is happening in Punjab is wrong.

  Punjab page:
  All properties open to scrutiny: Badal family
  SAD not to seek help from Centre

  Congress defends Amarinder

Centre in no hurry to send troops
New Delhi, July 3
The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government is highly circumspect about sending an Indian stabilisation force to Iraq at this juncture. With consensus remaining a far cry, the issue has been put on the back burner and the central leadership is in no hurry to take a decision in this regard. In video (28k, 56k)

  World page: Grey areas in UN resolution: India

LCA set to cross sound barrier
New Delhi, July 3
Country’s only indigenously designed multi-role light combat aircraft is all set to shatter the sound barrier in its next test flight due to take place in the coming few days. The Defence Research Development Organisation along with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is working on the final details to push the LCA through the sound barrier which would mean a major achievement for the aircraft.

ASI gets five more weeks
Lucknow, July 3
The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, hearing the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, today gave five more weeks to the Archaeological Survey of India to complete the excavation in the disputed site at Ayodhya and directed the ASI to submit its report by August 22.

Water project sharpens Punjab-Sindh divide
New Delhi, July 3
The ambitious but politically ill-advised Greater Thal Canal project in Pakistan is threatening to snowball into a major problem for the Pervez Musharraf regime and the Pakistani press has warned that a “war for water” among the different provinces was looming large.

Varsity with 1 prof, 6 lecturers PU Vice-Chancellor writes to AIU Amritsar, July 3 Ever heard of a university of science and technology running with one professor and six lecturers? It may sound strange, but it is true in the case of Dr C.V. Raman University of Science, Technology, Commerce Management and Management, Raipur. The university covers Chattisgarh, and offers distance education too.