Bharatpur blaze put out
The fire in the Bharatpur ammunition depot, which destroyed between 8,000 to 10,000 tonnes of ammunition, has been put out, with no random explosions taking place since last evening.

Advani tours drought-hit areas
The Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, today visited Patan and Surendranagar districts of Gujarat to assess the extent of the drought situation.

LTTE claims Pallai
Taking Sri Lanka's northern offensive closer to Jaffna, the LTTE today claimed control over Pallai, a crucial town north of Elephant Pass.

Mir Qasim the mediator?
A ``behind-the-scenes'' process of dialogue with the separatist camp has begun with the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Syed Mir Qasim, emerging as a key player.

U.S. 'report card' indicts Pak.
South Asia has emerged as a hub for international terrorism with Pakistan and Afghanistan providing support to international terrorist groups, says the U.S. State Department in its report on terrorism, a copy of which was given to The New York Times.

Bid on J&K Minister's life
The J&K Minister for Works, Mr. Ali Mohammad Sagar, and the Lok Sabha MP, Mr Ali Mohammad Naik, had a miraculous escape when militants made an unsuccessful bid on their lives in a south Kashmir village.

Court martial law archaic, says S.C.
The Supreme Court has termed the law governing general court martial (GCM) in the Army archaic and criticised the Government for not bringing in changes in the Army Act.

Inflation rate at new high
Annual rate of inflation shot up to a 58- week high of 5.55 per cent for the week ended April 15, mainly on account of a sharp 10 per cent increase in mineral oil prices.

PM recovers
The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has recovered from throat infection.

No defect in storage procedure: Army
The Army today clarified that no wrong procedure was adopted for storing ammunition in the Bharatpur depot, even as the troops were bracing themselves for a major operation in and around the depot to defuse the unexploded and semi-exploded shells after the devastating fire on Friday.

Serious lapse caused fire: Pilot
The fire at the Bharatpur ammunition depot appears to be a ``serious lapse'', senior Congress(I) leader, Mr. Rajesh Pilot, today said.