Advani asks Congress to join 'mahajot'
The Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, today made an open call to the Congress(I) to join the `grand alliance' (Mahajot) to defeat the CPI(M)-led coalition in the Assembly elections next year.

'No extradition of Cronje now'
South Africa will not extradite the sacked cricket captain, Hansie Cronje, to India to face match-fixing and bribery charges until a full investigation by an independent commission of inquiry is held, the Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Aziz Pahad, said today.

Mystery over Cronje 'admission' remains
It is still not clear whether the disgraced South African cricket captain, Hansie Cronje, took any money from bookmakers either to ``provide information'' or to throw matches.

India must address critical challenges, says IMF
Despite the impressive gains registered by India in the realm of economic growth, the poverty rates remain high with more than a third of the population still living below the poverty line.

$111m W.B. loan for A.P.
The World Bank today announced the approval of $111 million credit to Andhra Pradesh for undertaking the District Poverty Initiative Projects which is designed to reach and empower families in the State's six poorest districts - Adilabad, Mahabubnagar, Anantapur, Chittoor, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram.

Sharif appeals against sentence
An appeal was filed in the Sindh High Court today by the former Pakistani Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, against the life sentence given to him on charges of hijacking and terrorism by a special anti-terrorist court in Karachi on April 6.

Attack on nuns, priest in U.P.
In the second attack on Christians in as many days, 10 armed people severely assaulted two nuns and a priest and ransacked their houses on the St. Teresa school premise on Nandgaon road near here, police sources said.