Salahuddin sets August 8 deadline for tripartite talks
The Hizbul Mujahideen has said that if the Indian Government does not respond to its demand for tripartite talks outside the framework of the Indian Constitution by 5 p.m. on August 8, it would be forced to reconsider its ceasefire declaration.

Sri Lankan statute Bill introduced
The Sri Lankan President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, today presented the historic but controversial new Constitution Bill to Parliament, exhorting the Opposition to support it for the sake of peace in the island amidst noisy protests both inside the House and outside.

Gopal contacts Veerappan aides
Four days after the abduction of the Kannada film star Mr. Rajkumar and three others, the official emissary, Mr. R. R. Gopal, today established ``contact'' with the sandalwood smuggler Veerappan's men.

PM to make statement today
The Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, will make a statement in both Houses of Parliament tomorrow after his on-the-spot assessment of the Kashmir situation during his visit to Pahalgam today.

Dismissal of J&K Govt. no solution: Venkaiah Naidu
The Bharatiya Janata Party found itself on the defensive mode today explaining why it was not endorsing the demand for the dismissal of the Farooq Abdullah Government made by the RSS and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and not knowing how to react to the various state bandhs called by RSS-affiliated outfits in Gujarat today and in Delhi and Mumbai tomorrow which may only result in loss of more lives.

Cong. raps Govt. for J&K killings
The Congress(I) today rapped the Government on the knuckles for its failure to prevent killings in Jammu & Kashmir. ``A Government which cannot protect its citizens must take the full responsibility for the blood of innocents,'' said the party spokesperson, Mrs Magaret Alva.

U.S. attacks 'enemies of peace' in J&K
In condemning the terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir as reprehensible and outrageous, the State Department said it would be inappropriate for the United States to cast any sort of blame at this point without evidence.

India rules out early dialogue with Pak.
India has rejected a dialogue with Pakistan following the recent massacres in Jammu and Kashmir but reiterated its commitment to continue the peace process in the State.