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        The White House has defended Vice-President Dick Cheney's decision not to cooperate with a US government office charged with safeguarding national security information and denied that Cheney ever suggested the agency be shut down. Despite objections from the National Archives, Cheney's office has exempted itself from a presidential executive order that seeks to protect national security information generated by the government. Under the order, executive branch offices are required to give the Information Security Oversight Office at the archives data on how much material they classify and declassify. Cheney's office provided the information in 2001 and 2002, then stopped. White House to the rescue of Vice-President.

        Key US allies have begun debating whether to tolerate a less-than-full freeze by Iran of its uranium enrichment programme — a stance that could put them at odds with Washington, officials have said. The officials — US and European diplomats and government employees — told The Associated Press on Friday that the deliberations, involving senior British, French and German decision-makers, were preliminary, and that no conclusions had been drawn. Germany was supportive, France opposed and Britain non-committal, they said. 'Nothing is on paper,' a European diplomat said, describing the tentative plan as a 'freeze for peace.' Uranium enrichment is a concern for US allies.

        Space shuttle Atlantis touched down at the Edwards Air Force Base in California Friday bringing Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams back to earth after a record 195-day stay in space. The spacecraft touched down at 0119 IST. Mission managers had to divert Atlantis to Edwards in the Mojave Desert as poor weather at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral forced mission managers to skip three landing attempts there over the last 24 hours. The spacecraft began its fiery descent to earth with Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault firing the space shuttle's engines at 0113 IST. The de-orbit burn slows down the shuttle for its return through Earth's atmosphere. Williams was riding back to Earth lying on her back to ease the transition back to gravity as she had lived in the weightless conditions aboard the International Space Station since December. A great home coming for Sunitha.

        Ending the suspense, President A P J Abdul Kalam on Friday decided not to seek a second term in office in the 'current scenario', a development that forced the Third Front and the NDA part ways after a limited engagement on backing the incumbent. Kalam, who on Wednesday, indicated his readiness to contest the election if there was certainty about his success, told leaders of the newly formed United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) that he would not run for a second term after which the NDA announced that it would back Vice-President Bharon Singh Shekhawat in the contest. ' The UNPA, which had mooted Kalam's candidature, did not reveal its strategy. It is unfortunate that muckrakers have dragged a great man's name.

        As the Presidential race hots up, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhwat, an aspirant for the top post, visited various temples in the State and sought divine blessings. The Vice-President arrived in Jodhpur in a special IAF aircraft and left for Khetawas village in Pali district by a helicopter and offered prayers at an ancient 'Shani' (Saturn) temple there. His visit, however, was kept secret from the media. Officials were informed only late Thursday about the unscheduled trip and people speculated that he performed a secret 'yajna' at the temple, but the priest did not confirm. Shekhawat also met some orphans at an 'ashram' in Jodhpur before flying to Nathdwara in Udaipur district. Most flexible man this, who wished Kalam's comeback.

        A lawyer on Friday filed a case in a court in Patna against the portrayal of Congress president Sonia Gandhi as Goddess Durga in a poster on the plea that it hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus. Sudhir Ojha filed the case in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate D P Singh under various sections of IPC, including section 295 (a) (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 298 (utterance with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) and 120(b) (criminal conspiracy). Apart from Gandhi, the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President, its Moradabad district unit chief and the painter and printer of the poster have been made respondents. Political leaders are portrayed as God and Goddesses, highly pitiable.

        The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday granted conditional bail to all the nine AIADMK men against whom cases were registered for rioting case and burning the car of former Mayor Kulandaivelu in Madurai on Wednesday. Granting the anticipatory bail, Justice G Rajasuriya said the FIR did not make any mention about the direct involvement of the nine AIADMK men in the burning of the car. The court said they should appear at the Anna Nagar police station daily and sign. The FIR also said that the incident had occurred due to enmity, but did not mention in detail about the persons involved in the crime. The court also asked the AIADMK members to pay a surety of Rs 10,000 each. Foisting cases against political opponents is not uncommon.

        Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's daughter M K Kanimozhi, in her first campaign as DMK MP, on Friday asked the voters of Madurai West constituency to vote for the Congress candidate for the bypoll and help the State government to continue its welfare schemes. She said that DMK was the only party working for the welfare of the weaker sections and oppressed classes. The DMK government has launched several development and welfare schemes for the poor people, she said adding that the party was working for them 'when they were in power or not'. The present government has implemented all the poll promises within a short period of one year, she said. Typical politician in the making.

        AIADMK on Thursday charged Tamilnadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi with 'pressuring' Congress leaders to ask the Election Commission not to postpone the Madurai West Assembly constituency by-poll, schedule for 26 June. Campaigning for party candidate Sellur K Raju in Madurai, the AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa alleged people knew all the 'atrocities' done by the DMK with the support of officials during election campaigning, including foisting of 'false' cases against rival party candidates and 'distribution' of money to voters. She claimed her party was unable to get justice from 'any quarters, including Election Commission and police till this minute' and added that she had come to the people to seek justice. Can any party ruling or opposition dictate terms to EC?

        Holding that Pratibha Patil was not a 'compromise' choice for the post of President, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi Thursday night said her candidature was a result of the commitment of UPA and Left parties to gender equality and gender justice. Releasing the biography of Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) founder and social reformist E V R Periyar, he said her name was proposed as a result of progressive thinking by various leaders of UPA and Left, who wanted to make a woman the President of India. 'When the leaders were discussing the name for the Presidential candidate, a question cropped up as to why a woman cannot be chosen for the country's top post even after 60 years of independence', he said. Not fifth or sixth choice, MK says as reported in media.

        The Madras High Court Thursday quashed an April last Tamilnadu government order abolishing common entrance test (CET) for admissions to law degree courses in the State and told the authorities concerned to hold the test as was done in the past. Allowing a petition challenging the 19 April last order, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice P Jothimani directed the State government and Dr Ambedkar Law University conduct a test for law courses within six weeks and to admit students on the basis of marks obtained in the test. The judges directed the government to issue the notification within two weeks and complete the CET and admissions process within a period of four weeks thereafter. CET for law college admission to stay.

        Fourteen years after the attack on the RSS headquarters here left 11 people dead, a designated TADA court Thursday convicted 11 people in the case and awarded life imprisonment to three of them. Designated Judge T Ramasamy, however, acquitted four persons, including S A Basha, founder of the banned Al Umma, for lack of evidence against them. 'There is no evidence what-so-ever to prove that all the accused here-in and the organisations (Al Umma, Jihad Committee and Islamic Peace Organisation) were involved in the said conspiracy, particularly in the demolition of the RSS office,' the Judge observed. Kaja Nizamuddin, Hyder Ali and Abubakkar Siddique were awarded jail terms ranging from 10 years rigorous imprisonment to life sentences under various sections of TADA and IPC for causing death due to terrorist act and criminal conspiracy, among other things. Justice delayed not denied.

        The newly appointed Income Tax Ombudsman for Mumbai has said he would not like to assume an adversarial stance against the I-T department but would rather redress the genuine grievances of tax payers through reconciliation. 'I would hear both the taxpayers and I-T authorities, and try to amicably settle their disputes. If they do not agree to an amicable settlement, then I will give my award (judgement), which will be binding on both of them,' I-T Ombudsman Hardayal Singh said. The Ombudsman's office will become functional from 26 June. Speaking at an interactive meeting with tax payers on Frday, organised by the Indian Merchants' Chamber, Singh clarified that the institution of ombudsman was not created to substitute the I-T Appellate Tribunal. The two had separate and distinct roles to play, he said.

            The International Cricket Council has delivered a humiliating punishment on the five match officials whose combined errors caused the World Cup final in Barbados to be completed amid farcical scenes of near-darkness. The two onfield umpires, Steve Bucknor and Aleem Dar; the reserve umpires Rudi Koertzen and Billy Bowden, and the match referee, Jeff Crowe, have all been suspended for the duration of the next ICC event, the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa in September. 'It would have been easy to let sleeping dogs lie and pretend nothing happened,' said Malcolm Speed, the ICC's chief executive. 'But the reality is that the playing control team made a serious and fundamental error that caused the final of our flagship event to end in disarray and confusion.'