Falling Star
The uproar over the prime minister's threat to resign may be over with the NDA reaffirming its faith and promising to behave. But the incident has called into question Vajpayee's inclination to govern. Buffeted by crises, is he preparing for a last bow? A report.

The Political Bank
The never-dying saga of UTI pitches the Government and the Opposition into the usual slanging match. More skeletons fall out of the UTI cupboard proving that the institution has been misused by politicians of all hues.

Crouching Tiger
Discontent is brewing in the RSS and the VHP over the coalition-hampered BJP and a pacifist Vajpayee being unable to push through the saffron programme. How long will it be before they refuse to toe the BJP line?

The Centre
Cannot Hold
Prodded by the DMK to requisition the services of three IPS officers involved in the arrest of M. Karunanidhi, the NDA Government is dragged into a constitutional debate.

Unravelling The Plot
A week after Samajwadi MP Phoolan Devi was gunned down by masked murderers, all the men believed to be involved have been arrested. Yet many questions remain to be answered before the case is solved.

Space Invaders
Research reveals life on earth may have originated from outer space comets.

DEFENCE: MARITIME COMMAND

Meticulous Plan

During the April visit of Defence Minister Jaswant Singh to the Pentagon, India conveyed to Washington that its area of strategic interests stretched from the Persian Gulf to the mouth of the South China Sea.

According to the Indian plans, the first ANC commander will be a vice-admiral from Naval Headquarters. He will be assisted by a two-star officer from the army, who will function as the chief of staff to the ANC. The navy has the largest presence in the island territories with 14 large ships, including those used for amphibious operations, operating out of the Port Blair harbour. It is also flying surveillance missions using the IL-38s and the Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft from its airport at Campbell Bay in the Nicobar Islands.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) proposes to deploy a fighter squadron and MI-8 or MI-17 helicopter unit for logistics and troop re-deployment purposes at its base in Car Nicobar. The length of the runways at the Port Blair and the Car Nicobar airports have been increased to allow fighter operations. It is learnt that fighter practice "runs" will take place as soon as the ANC commander is appointed by the Government. The ANC command will also have additional land forces. At present, there is a brigade-level (around 3,500 men) formation to man the island territories. It is proposed that this number be increased to nearly division level (around 8,000 men) in the coming years. But it is the surveillance capabilities that will give the ANC its teeth.

Already a state-of-the-art Thomson-CSF air surveillance radar with a range of 200 nautical miles has been installed by the Indian Navy to monitor traffic north of the Landfall Islands. This is significant as the radar location is near Myanmar's Coco Islands. Intelligence inputs indicate that the Great Coco Islands have a radar base-built with Chinese help-with a 50 m high antenna since 1992. It is at Coco that the Chinese are reportedly picking electronic intelligence from missile tests at Chandipur-on-Sea and the Defence Research and Development Laboratory in Hyderabad.

India has aworrisome neighbour to its west. By setting up the ANC, it seeks to reduce the likelihood of surprises on its eastern flank.

MetroScape

Man Of Many Parts
Dilip Chhabria is shifting gears. The 48-year-old ex-designer, rejuvenating the geriatric Ambassador and, sacrilege, redesigning the Mercedes, is diversifying.
more...

Looking Glass

Kolkata Aroma Bar:
The Address

Delhi Exhibition: Journey-Yatra

Bangalore Restauran t: Ai Cavalli

Bangalore Ice-dems : Stem dance theatre

Bangalore Furniture : Cinnamon

Kolkata & Delhi Play: Macbeth

Mumbai Photography : R. Veeresh Babu

Clinical tests of a controversial drug at a Kerala cancer institute exposes the vulnerability of the medical field to a larger malaise. An investigation by India Today Special Correspondent M.G. Radhakrishnan in
Trial And Error