Bhat escapes bid on life
The chairperson of All-Party Hurriyat Conference, Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat, escaped a bid on his life in the north Kashmir village of Tarzoo, near Sopore. Prof. Bhat was addressing a public meeting and was about to board his vehicle when people noticed a grenade fitted to his vehicle, and stopped Prof. Bhat from boarding.

Chandrika to discuss peace moves with India
The prospect for ending the civil war in Sri Lanka will be among the many issues that are expected to come up in the talks between the visiting Sri Lankan President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, and the Indian leadership tomorrow.

Jayalalitha's final offer to TMC
The AIADMK-Congress alliance appears on the verge of collapse with the AIADMK general secretary, Ms. Jayalalitha, today increasing the seats on offer for the Tamil Maanila Congress to 32 in an AIADMK-led front minus the Congress.

Furore over BALCO deal
The sale of a majority shareholding in the Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) to Sterlite Industries sparked a furore in the Rajya Sabha even as Disinvestment Ministry sources sought to clarify that the deal and company valuation were completely above board. The Opposition led by the CPI(M) forced adjournment of the House for the day after lunch and the issue also figured in the Lok Sabha.

Pak. subs to have nukes
The Pakistan Navy intends to equip its submarines with nuclear missiles to respond to any challenge from the Indian Navy.

U.S. Congressional team meets Musharraf
A three-member U.S. Congressional delegation called on the Pakistani Chief Executive, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, here and exchanged views on various aspects of bilateral relations.

LTTE extends ceasefire
The LTTE today extended its unilateral ceasefire till March 24, once again urging the international community to persuade the Sri Lankan Government to reciprocate the truce. The ceasefire, initially declared last Christmas-eve, was due to end on February 24.

King Commission closes down
The King Commission, inquiring into allegations of match-fixing in South African cricket, has closed down. This dramatic development has taken place only days after the head of the commission, Mr. Justice Edwin King, denied reports of its closing down.

Eminem bags three Grammys
The Irish band U2 was a big winner at the 43rd annual Grammy awards ceremony here, while the controversial rapper, Mr. Eminem, scooped up three of the prestigious music awards despite anger over his lyrics.