• Tikrit’s tyrant meets with an anti-climax as the US forces dig him out from a ‘‘spiderhole’’ in Iraq. White House hails Saddam Hussein’s capture as the moment in its war so far, but warns it might not be the end of violence in Iraq. Days after the event, the word is still mum on how he is going to be tried. • General Musharraf launches CBM No. 1 by announcing that Pakistan was willing to ‘‘leave aside’’ the UN resolutions on Kashmir. In a candid interview, the Pakistan President says he was willing to be ‘‘bold and flexible’’ and was not averse to meeting with Prime Minister A B Vajpayee in Islamabad during the SAARC summit in January. ‘‘If we want to resolve this issue, both sides need to come beyond stated positions, meeting halfway somewhere. I hope India will rise to the occasion,’’ he says putting the ball on this side of the court. • AT the Eastern front, all’s not quiet anymore. The Royal Bhutanese Army clamps down on Indian insurgents operating out of the Himalayan Kingdom while the Indian Army seals the Bhutanese border. ULFA gets the message as some 300 of its camps are razed, and its ceasefire offer with Bhutan rejected. Will Bangladesh be the next? • In Adelaide oval it was day of Dravid. After 21 years, India thrash Australia in a Test match in Aussie soil, thanks to magnificent knocks by the Bangalore blaster. Agarkar does his bit with the ball, injecting life into Steve Waugh’s final series. • Colonel Gaddafi co-opts to the ‘‘coalition’’. The man of Lockerbie infamy announces Libya will scrap all its Weapons of Mass Destruction consequent to its negotiations with the US and the UK. Elated, George Bush says the move will help Libya get back to the international mainstream. • Have they, haven’t they? No one’s sure as DMK finally inks on its withdrawal slip from the NDA. Peeved at the Centre’s apathy on its requests for scrapping of POTA, however, the party says it will continue to give ‘‘issue-based support’’ to the NDA government.
