News At A Glance: 17 July 2007

1) Haneef to be Deported: Australia's Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews said that Mohammed Haneef will be deported from Australia, regardless of the outcome of criminal proceedings against him.

2) Pratibha Case: The Bombay High Court has adjourned the proceeding on the petition against Pratibha Patil until 30 July.

3) Vice President Polls: It seems that the country will have a Muslim Vice President soon. While the left parties have made their intention clear, the UNPA took a step forward by announcing Samajwadi Party MP Rasheed Masood as its candidate for the vice-presidential poll.

4) Ramnath Goenka Awards: Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards were announced. CNN-IBN's Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai has been adjudged the Journalist of the Year, while Bahar Dutt from the same channel won the ‘Excellence in Environmental Reporting’ award.

5) Monica Bedi Acquitted: A Bhopal Court acquitted underworld don Abu Salem's girlfriend Monica Bedi in the fake passport case. Monica expressed relief on acquittal and said that she wanted to work in films again.

6) EC on Presidential Poll: The Election Commission has observed that UNPA cannot crack whips on its MPs to abstain from voting in the Presidential polls. According to the EC, UNPA's action will amount to undue influence on the voters. The observation came on BJP's complaint against UNPA's decision to abstain from Presidential polls.