Funds no constraint: PM
The Government today made it clear that it was reluctant to declare the present drought affecting 10 or 11 States in varying degrees of severity as a national calamity, although at an all-party meeting here there was a general consensus that this should be done.

Talks with Pak. ruled out
The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, said today that no meaningful dialogue with Pakistan was possible so long as Islamabad continued to back cross-border terrorism and persist with its ``hate India'' campaign. India wanted friendly relations with Pakistan but it could not be a one-way traffic, he told the Lok Sabha while replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address.

T.N. Governor commutes Nalini sentence
The Tamil Nadu Governor, Ms. Fathima Beevi, acting on the advice of the Council of Ministers of the State Government has commuted the death sentence on Nalini, A-1 in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, to life sentence and refused to grant mercy to the other three accused - Murugan (husband of Nalini), Santhan and Perarivalan.

Mahajot shelved for now
The controversial ``grand alliance'' in West Bengal has been shelved as far as civic elections are concerned, it was announced tonight, after a meeting between Ms. Sonia Gandhi, Congress(I) president, and A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhary, Bengal unit chief.

SC clears Jayalalitha trial
The Supreme Court today cleared the decks for continuing the trial against the AIADMK leader, Ms. Jayalalitha, in the controversial ``TANSI land deal case'' by ``erasing'' the judgment of the Madras High Court discharging her from the case.

Almatti height can be raised
The Supreme Court today allowed Karnataka to raise the height of controversial Almatti dam from 509 metres to 519.6 meters but held that Andhra Pradesh could use surplus water till a new tribunal decides the share of riparian states afresh.

Pilot killed in MiG crash
An Indian Air Force MiG-23 today crashed at Bhirdhar village in Patiala district of Punjab killing the pilot, who did a last minute manoeuvring to avoid hitting a cluster of houses, police said here.

Judge remanded
Suspended Judge, Mr. J. W. Singh, held in a case of alleged extortion in league with the underworld, was today remanded to judicial custody till May 4 by a Special Court, which once again turned down his bail plea. The court was of the view that in the absence of entire material on record it would not be possible for it to give its findings that the judge was guilty or innocent and hence at this juncture his plea for bail could not be entertained.

Bail for Kishan Kumar, praise for police
The Delhi High Court today granted anticipatory bail to the film actor Kishan Kumar, an accused in the cricket-match fixing case. However, at the same time the judge was all praise for the Delhi police for having brought the sordid affair to light.