India has a role: PM
Amritsar, Nov. 3. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, today said India has a role in the resolution of Afghan tangle even as he acknowledged growing anti-U.S. sentiments among Indian Muslims.

A right step, Advani
New Delhi, Nov. 3. India today welcomed the ban on the Lashkar-e- Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad describing it as yet another display of determination by the U.S. in fighting global terrorism.

'Vajpayee trip will not be Pakistan-centric'
New Delhi, Nov. 3. During his extended travel abroad beginning tomorrow, the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, will re- emphasise the Indian commitment to combat international terrorism and focus on deepening bilateral relations with the great powers.

Jaswant rules out meeting with Sattar in New York
New Delhi, Nov. 3. Ending all speculation about the revival of the Indo-Pakistan political contacts on the sidelines of the coming United Nations General Assembly session, the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, today ruled out the possibility of a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, Mr. Abdul Sattar, in New York.

Don't rule out hot pursuit: BJP
Amritsar, Nov. 3. Hot pursuit may not be the current Government policy to fight terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, but the BJP made it clear today in its political resolution that ``if the situation demands and circumstances compel,'' the country should not hesitate to go all out to ``eliminate terrorism from both inside and outside the country.''

Britain freezes assets of Lashkar, Babbar Khalsa
London, Nov 3. The British Government today froze the assets of 25 more terrorist organisations, including the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Babbar Khalsa and the International Sikh Youth Federation. These groups were banned under the Anti- Terrorism Act earlier this year.

U.S. copter crashes, crew rescued
Washington, Nov. 3. There were no casualties in the helicopter crash inside Afghanistan, the Pentagon said today, even as the Defence Department said the incident occurred due to bad weather.

Zahir Shah envoy escapes
Islamabad, Nov. 3. An envoy of Afghanistan's ousted monarch has been ferried out of the country by U.S. helicopters after surviving a battle with the Taliban militia, a Taliban official said today.

Major booty recovered
Madurai, Nov. 3.A gang overpowered bank officials and looted Rs. 1 crore at gun-point near Bodimettu in Tamil Nadu's Theni district today. But the police arrested three of the seven-member gang and recovered Rs. 93.15 lakhs within hours.

Crackers: SC ruling
New Delhi, Nov. 3. The Supreme Court bench - which today permitted the firing of crackers from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during Diwali - has passed the order on an application moved by Mr. Keshav Vaishya, a social worker of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh during `mention' time after hearing Mr. S. Ravishankar, counsel for the petitioner.

Ban on arms agents goes
New Delhi, Nov. 3. Lifting a 13-year-old ban, the Centre today allowed foreign armament companies to have authorised agents, but with a stricter regulatory mechanism that includes giving legal undertakings against making illegal payments for securing arms contracts.