Centre gets tough with States on PDS
Against the backdrop of starvation deaths in some parts of the country, the Centre today made it mandatory for States to identify all families below the poverty line (BPL) within three months, issue them ration cards, check irregularities, regulate distribution and monitor the Public Distribution System (PDS) to ensure that they received the foodgrains meant for them.

New sanctions unwarranted: Pak.
Pakistan has reacted sharply to the United Sates decision to impose new sanctions on China and Pakistan for the alleged supply of Chinese components to Islamabad's missile programme.

Pak. designs will not succeed, says Sinha
The Union Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Sinha, today asserted that Pakistan would not succeed in its designs on Kashmir. He hoped it would see reason and negotiate with India to find solutions to all problems faced by the neighbours.

Iraq, India keen to boost bilateral ties
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has received a message from Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee expressing New Delhi's desire to boosting bilateral cooperation, particularly in the economic and trade spheres, the official Iraq News Agency (INA) reported today.

Pak. rakes up Kashmir at Durban
Pakistan today raked up the Kashmir issue at the United Nations World Conference Against Racism here and accused India of ``brutal repression'' that had ``led to the killing of 75,000 people.''

India loses by a mile
India ended their Sri Lankan tour on a disappointing note, suffering a humiliating innings defeat in the third and final cricket Test match here today, to lose the series 1-2.

Nag successfully test-fired
The indigenously developed sophisticated anti-tank guided missile, Nag, was successfully test-fired from the interim test range at Chandipur-on-sea, about 15 km from here, today.

Tatas still in the fray
Despite withdrawal of Singapore Airlines (SIA) from its strategic partnership with the Tatas in their bid for Air India, the Tata group is still very much in the fray, even if as a lone bidder.

Militants warn tailors
The Lashkar-e-Jabbar, which has launched a `burqa' drive in Kashmir, today warned tailors and cloth merchants against overcharging for tailoring and cloth for the veils.

Barnard passes away
Pioneering South African heart surgeon, Dr. Christiaan Barnard, on a holiday in Cyprus died today, officials said. Dr. Barnard (78) died at a hotel in the western resort of Paphos.