Naval exercise on east coast
In a calibrated show of strength, the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard concluded a day-long exercise on Thursday along the eastern seaboard, not far from the Sri Lankan coast.

Restore democracy in three years, says SC
The Pakistani Supreme Court today ``validated'' the military coup of October 12, 1999 while setting a three-year time-frame for the handover of power to an elected Government by October 12, 2002.

11 labourers shot dead in Bihar
At least 11 labourers, four of them Dalits, were killed and five injured in a rivalry between two contractors over illegal quarrying of sand in Hasanput village, Bihar today. The village falls under Lakhisarai police station of Lakhisarai district.

BJP for CBI probe
The cold-blooded killing of labourers in Bihar led the Janata Dal (United) MPs in the Lok Sabha to demand the immediate sacking of the Rabri Devi Government, forcing a 90- minute adjournment immediately after question hour. As some of the ``allies'' of the main ruling party rushed into the well of the House, and the uproar showed no sign of dying down, the Speaker, Mr. G. M. C. Balayogi, adjourned the House.

Minimum n-deterrent vital: PM
The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, has emphasised that even as India is determined to retain a minimum credible nuclear deterrent, it will continue to strive vigorously for complete global nuclear disarmament.

Clinton's new visa proposal
The U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, has asked Congress to increase the number of temporary visas for highly skilled workers to 200,000 for each of the next three years. This would mean an 80 per cent increase in the present levels of the H-1B visa category if law-makers go along with the plan. The White House has also proposed to raise fees that employers would have to pay under the visa programme so as to fund job training for American technology workers.

Badal camp sweeps poll
The Shiromani Akali Dal president and Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, wrested control of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee as the party's staunch loyalist, Mr Avtar Singh Hit, defeated the rival camp backed by Mr. Gurcharan Singh Tohra in the executive elections today.