Cabinet expansion likely
New Delhi: Prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is expected tol expand his cabinet on Monday. George Fernandes, the Samta Party leader who resigned after the Tehelka controversy is likely to make a comeback as defence minister.
The current strength of Union council of ministers is 71 including 30 cabinet ministers, six ministers of state with independent charge and 34 ministers of state.
Back to News Review index page  

Fresh anthrax case reported in US
New York: A woman employee of NBC News has tested positive to anthrax infection after she handled a suspicious packet, even as two other packets with powdery substance were found at the headquarters of the New York Times and the conference office of the state department in Washington.
The skin anthrax that infected the NBC employee was different from the respiratory variety that killed an employee of a Florida tabloid.
Authorities sealed off a full floor and part of another at NBC's headquarters in Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan.
The newsroom of the New York Times was evacuated for several hours after a powdery white substance was sent to one of the newspaper's reporters.
Back to News Review index page  

Northern alliance seizes provincial capital
Kabul: Opposition forces have seized the town of Chaghcharan, the capital of Ghowr province in Afghanistan.The city connects the mainly Shiite forces of Ismail Kahn with those of Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostam, south of Mazar-e-Sharif.
Back to News Review index page  

Industrial growth slumps to 1.8 per cent
New Delhi: Industrial growth slumped further to 1.8 per cent in August this year compared to 5 per cent in the same month last year mainly due to poor performance of the manufacturing sector.
According to quick estimates of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) released by Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), the manufacturing sector grew at a mere two per cent in August vis-a-vis 5.5 per cent last year.
The cumulative growth in the first five months (April-August) of current financial year also remained subdued to 2.2 per cent as against 5.6 per cent in the corresponding period last year.
Back to News Review index page  

Three agri-export projects cleared
New Delhi: Government has cleared three 8more agri-export zones entailing a combined investment of Rs 81.89 crore and would involve exports worth Rs 85.45 crore of mangoes, vegetables and potatoes in the first year itself.
Of the three zones, one would be set up in Punjab for vegetables and two in Uttar Pradesh for mangoes and potatoes. Potatoes agri-export zone in Agra, Farrukhabad, Mainpuri, Hathras, Meerut and Baghpat would be operational by December this year.
Mango exports from the zone in Lucknow would begin next May while that for vegetables in Ludhiana, Fategarh Sahib, Patiala and Sangrur would start exports by this fiscal's end.
Back to News Review index page