Pak. gearing for high-altitude warfare
Pakistan has recently bought enough special equipment and clothing in Europe to push in an Army battalion in high-altitude areas.

Three Sikh Jathedars excommunicated
The Akal Takht Jathedar, Giani Puran Singh, today handed out yet another `hukumnama', excommunicating three of the designated ``Singh Sahibs'' (apex clerics) - the Jathedar of Takht Keshgarh Sahib, Prof. Manjit Singh, the Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, Giani Kewal Singh, and the Head Granthi of Akal Takht, Giani Bhagwan Singh. An SGPC member, Pritam Singh Bhatia, and an advocate, Jaswinder Singh, were also excommunicated. They were held guilty of aligning with the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur.

All help to Mauritius: PM
The Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, today rounded off his three-day official visit to this country with a public function at Illot village where he laid the foundation stone for a centre to be built in the memory of Rabindranath Tagore.

Rabri to seek trust vote on Thursday
The Bihar Chief Minister, Mrs. Rabri Devi, who constituted her Cabinet by inducting one Minister, has decided to seek a vote of confidence on Thursday within six days of her assuming office and four days ahead of the deadline set by the Governor, Mr. V. C. Pande, to prove her majority in the Assembly.

Clash over Clinton visit
About 300 Bangladeshi students clashed with police during a street rally in Dhaka today to protest against the U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton's visit on March 20.

Three killed in Pak shelling
An Army captain and a woman were among three persons killed when Pakistani troops targeted forward Indian positions with mortors and artillery guns in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said today.

Case against Sharif's wife
Pakistani police have registered a treason case against the wife of the deposed Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, and 16 other party leaders, a police inspector said today.

Clinton reads up for Indian 'yatra'
It is not all dry statistics and geo- political strategy documents which the U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, is busy digesting as he prepares for his India visit. He is also trying to get a hang of modern Indian fiction, brush up his history of the subcontinent and catch up with Indian philosophy, not to forget what the West finds most irresistible about India: its mythology.

'Clinton can facilitate Indo-Pak. talks'
In calling the U.S. President's coming visit to Pakistan as a recognition of the importance of that country, the 52-year-old friendship and the ``righteousness'' of the stand on Kashmir, the Pakistani military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, has said Mr. Bill Clinton could facilitate a dialogue between India and Pakistan.

Tremor in Koyna
An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter Scale was recorded with its epicentre 39 km away from the Koyna dam in Satara district of western Maharashtra tonight.