News At a Glance: 21 June 2007

1) Road for Kalam: The Left Front rejected UNPA's request to support President APJ Abdul Kalam for a second term. Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar also said "NO" to Kalam's candidature. Even the I&B Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi criticized Kalam for his desire to contest the elections again.

2) Left Rule in West Bengal: The Left Front government in West Bengal completed 30 years of uninterrupted rule. However, according to a CNN-IBN Survey, people are losing faith in its rule.

3) Big B in Tax Soup: Amitabh Bachchan finds himself in tax net, as the Bombay High Court issued notices to actor Amitabh Bachchan, the Union Government, Revenue Intelligence Department and the Enforcement Directorate in a case of alleged tax evasion and cover-up deals.

4) Bus Mishap: At least 12 people were killed and 21 were injured when a bus fell into a gorge in Kainchimode area near Dharmsala.

5) Anti-conversion Bill and Pratibha: On the last day of her office as the Governor of Rajasthan, Pratibha Patil created another controversy by signing the anti-conversion bill, which was pending for a year. It can be recalled Pratibha had earlier refused to sign the bill and the Congress Party pointed to that instance to prove her secular credentials.