Stir planned against 'injustice' to Jayalalitha
The All India Women Legislators Forum today criticised the Chief Election Commissioner, Dr. M.S. Gill, for the ``injustice caused to Ms. Jayalalitha by ambiguous guidelines and confusing statements in the media which resulted in the rejection of the nomination papers of the AIADMK leader for contesting the Assembly elections.''

Warrant against Laloo
The designated CBI court today took cognisance of the chargesheet in a fresh conspiracy angle case of the fodder scam, which the CBI filed, and issued non-bailable arrest warrants against the two former Chief Ministers, Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav, and Dr. Jagannath Mishra, among others.

NDA betrayed the nation: Sonia
Pushing the ``Tehelka'' expose as an election issue in the Union Territory of Pondicherry, the Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, today virtually sought a verdict against the ``all-pervasive corruption'' in the NDA Government at the Centre, and its ``compromise on national security.''

New Governors for Sikkim, Mizoram
The Vajpayee Government today announced three gubernatorial appointments in Sikkim, Mizoram and Andaman and Nicobar.

Govt. red in the face over Hindujas-Mishra episode
The Vajpayee administration found itself plainly embarrassed over the revelation that the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee's Principal Secretary, Mr. Brajesh Mishra, was accompanied by two of the controversial Hinduja brothers when he called on the British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, in June 1998.

Electing Jayalalitha as CM ethically improper: BJP
The election of Ms. J. Jayalalitha as the leader of the alliance and Chief Minister, in the event of the AIADMK-led alliance winning the elections in Tamil Nadu, would be a ``constitutional and ethical impropriety,'' Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, Minister for Rural Development, said here today on return from a 10-day election campaign in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry.

'Disqualified person cannot be CM: Advani
A person who is disqualified to become a MLA cannot become the leader of a party in a Legislative Assembly, the Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani has said.

U.S. out of drugs panel
The U.S. has lost its seat on the International Narcotics Control Board to which India and five other countries were elected.

Pak. rejects PM's charge
Pakistan today dismissed as `baseless' the charges levelled by the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, that its Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) was involved in a plot to kill the Tehelka.com chief executive, Mr. Tarun Tejpal.

BALCO stir ends
The striking employees of the Bharat Aluminium Company Limited will resume work tomorrow following an agreement between the trade unions and the management at Korba this evening.