Protesters kept at bay as IMF begins meet
Local police and other law-enforcement agencies here are bracing themselves for more ``trouble'' today and tomorrow as protesters, who have already defied the authorities and taken to the streets, vowed to further disrupt the scheduled meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

BJP, allies shelve prices issue for now
The Constitution review and subsidy cuts leading to price hikes are likely to dominate the Budget session of Parliament which resumes tomorrow after a month-long break. While there is a consensus within the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on the Constitution review issue, there are strongly divergent opinions on the prices issue.

India, U.S. to resume n-talks today
As part of the effort to reduce their differences on non-proliferation, India and the United States will begin on Monday a new round of consultations on export controls in Washington.

'No proposal to legalise betting'
Within 24 hours of the Union Sports Minister, Mr. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, announcing that the Government might legalise betting, the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, asserted today that there was no such proposal before the Government.

Cricket official attacked
The match-fixing scandal involving the sacked South African cricket captain, Hansie Cronje, has provoked an attack on a prominent cricket official of Indian origin here as white-dominated media continued to rally behind the disgraced skipper.

TDP MPs to stage dharna
Members of Parliament belonging to the Telugu Desam Party have decided to stage a dharna in Parliament House, demanding that the Central Government act quickly to resolve issues pertaining to Andhra Pradesh pending settlement for a long time.

NDA, BJP slam Cong. stance on statute review
On the eve of the second half of the budget session, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the BJP slammed the Congress(I) for what they termed ``malicious and reckless propaganda'' against the Government on the Constitution Review Commission.

President arrives in France
The first Indian President to set foot on French soil, Mr. K. R. Narayanan, arrived here this afternoon for wide- ranging talks over the next two days, seeking to confirm the new warmth in the bilateral relationship.