Chandrika appeals to people
The President of Sri Lanka, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, went over national television this evening appealing to her people to stand by the country's soldiers as they fought the LTTE in the northern peninsula.

'India can bring LTTE to the table'
The President of Sri Lanka, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, has expressed disappointment at India's refusal to give her Government military assistance in the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and concern at pro-Eelam statements made by political leaders in Tamil Nadu.

We cannot let down the people of Jaffna: Chandrika
The following are excerpts from an interview that the President of Sri Lanka, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, gave to The Hindu. Nirupama Subramanian: What is the military situation in the Jaffna peninsula at the moment?

'3 conditions for evacuation'
Based on the signals emerging from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the armed forces are considering various options to evacuate the stranded Sri Lankan forces in Jaffna.

Fiji chiefs back Mara
Fiji's Great Council of Chiefs today supported the President in his standoff with the self-styled leader of the ``civil coup''. But the elders of the majority indigenous people, acting as the final arbiters of the country's political future, stopped well short of propping up the besieged Prime Minister belonging to the minority ethnic Indian group.

Indo-Bangladesh border to be fenced
Faced with sustained illegal migration from across the border affecting the demographic composition, especially in eastern India, the Government has decided to fence the entire Indo-Bangladesh border at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,334 crores, a Home Ministry spokesman said here today.

CBI expresses concern over Karnataka Govt. stand
The CBI is extremely unhappy over the Karnataka Government's refusal to grant general consent for investigating cases in the State. Karnataka is the only major State which has refused to grant such consent.

Lok Sabha prorogued
The Lok Sabha was today prorogued by the President, Mr. K.R. Narayanan.

Trishul test-fired
Trishul, the surface-to-air missile having a range of about 9 km, has been successfully test fired off the coast of Kochi, according to Defence Ministry sources.

Indo-Iran JWG set up
Looking for a long-term energy partnership, India and Iran today unveiled a high-level forum to identify the best possible means of transporting the vast natural gas reserves of the Persian Gulf and Central Asia to the sub-continent.

India is on the move: Maran
``Yesterday and today I have met the stars and superstars of French business. They have expressed their concerns about doing business with India and raised thoughtful questions. We will address them. India and France have no grievances. But France can invest more. India is an emerging market, a big reservoir of consumers which can be used as a launch pad for exports. India is on the move, don't miss the bus,'' the Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr. Murasoli Maran, told the 10th session of the Indo-French Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation which was co-chaired by his French counterpart, Mr. Francois Huwart, and attended by leading French and Indian businessmen here today.

Not for a firefight in Sri Lanka: Jaswant
India will not undertake a military intervention in Sri Lanka, but is ready to render humanitarian assistance if asked, the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, said today. Insisting that the Government's policy towards Sri Lanka had not changed, Mr. Singh told reporters here that ``India is not going to enter into a firefight on Sri Lankan soil.''