Chhota Rajan still in Thailand
In a change of tack, Thai authorities have ``held back'' the Indian underworld boss, Chhota Rajan, officials familiar with the case said from Bangkok today.

Home Ministry clarifies on extradition
The Union Home Ministry today denied reports that there was any delay on its part for seeking the extradition of Chhota Rajan from Bangkok and blamed the Maharashtra Government for failing to send the required papers.

Kostounica all set to take oath
The Yugoslav president-elect, Mr. Vojislav Kostounica, will take the oath of office to replace Mr. Slobodan Milosevic after Parliament convenes today.

Gopal's fifth mission likely tomorrow
Even as several unanswered questions persist on the ``escape'' of the assistant film director, Mr. Nagapppa Maradagi, 10 days ago from the brigand Veerappan, the official emissary-cum- journalist, Mr. R.R. Gopal, is expected to leave here on his fifth forest mission tomorrow.

Chandrika seeks mandate for war as campaigning ends
Campaigning in the bloody run-up to the October 10 parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka ended today after public meetings by all the major contesting parties. The final rallies of the big three in this election - the ruling People's Alliance (PA), the opposition United National Party (UNP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) - continued late into the evening.

Set up swadeshi church: RSS
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, Mr. K. C. Sudarshan, today said a majority of the Christians were patriotic and asked them to disassociate themselves from the stranglehold of foreign churches by setting up a ``swadeshi church''.

Intruders skin zoo tigress alive
In a meticulously planned attack that stunned animal lovers and exposed the hollowness of safety norms at the Nehru Zoological Park, poachers strangled a zoo-bred tigress `Sakhi' and skinned it in the Tiger Safari on Wednesday night. The carcass of the one-year-old big cat, without its hide, was dumped in a water sump near its cage.