RSS' new formula
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh spokesman, Mr. M. G. Vaidya, today came up with a new formula for an out-of- court settlement of the Ayodhya issue, according to which the Centre should decontrol the land acquired by it at Ayodhya and hand it over to the original owners.

Paddy: A.P. demand conceded
The Centre today conceded yet another demand of the Andhra Pradesh Government to procure the ``swaran masoori'' variety of paddy from the State as the superior Grade A variety, instead of the Common variety. This means that the Food Corporation of India will pay a minimum support price of Rs. 540 per quintal meant for the superior paddy, instead of Rs. 510 per quintal for the Commom paddy in the State. This will bring an additional burden of about Rs. 9 crore on the Centre.

Naidu's threat
The Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, who spoke to Telugu Desam MPs in Delhi at a teleconference this morning, said that he can consider withdrawing Telugu Desam support to the NDA Government because of the Centre's lukewarm attitude to A.P.'s demand for parity between wheat and paddy, and between A.P. and Punjab.

PM reviews J&K ceasefire
Ahead of a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs expected later this month to review the current ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir and decide whether to extend it or not, an informal meeting was convened by the Prime Minister today where the issue is believed to have been discussed.

BJP terms Hurriyat stance 'good sign'
The Bharatiya Janata Party today described the Hurriyat stance welcoming the ceasefire initiative and expressing its readiness for talks as a ``good sign'' which ``could lead to peace in the Kashmir Valley''.

Postal services to be normal soon
The postal strike ended formally today with the largest postal federation - the National Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE) - directing its members to join duty from tomorrow. A formal communication will be given to the Postal Department tomorrow, the NFPE secretary general, Mr. R.L. Bhattacharya, said.

Hizb denies reports of Saudi meet
The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen has denied reports in a section of the press that Kashmiri leaders from both sides of the border are to meet in the next few days in Saudi Arabia to chalk out a strategy in the light of recent initiatives by India and Pakistan.