'India, Vietnam must strive for stable environment'
The Vietnamese Prime Minister, Mr. Phan Van Khai, has said that Vietnam and India need to work together for building a peaceful and stable regional and international environment ``without causing detriment to any third party.''

Centre to await Bengal response
Expressing grave concern over the prevailing ``climate of terror'' in the violence-hit Garbeta town, the Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, today said the Centre would consider ``every aspect of the situation'' before taking any decision on West Bengal.

48 injured in Kashmir blasts
Militants today made an abortive bid to blow up the Central Telegraph Office (CTO) in Srinagar by detonating a bomb outside the building in which 28 people were injured, some of them seriously, while in Anantnag, 20 people were injured when a grenade thrown by militants exploded and a middle-rung Hurriyat leader escaped a bid on his life.

Qureshi withdraws petition challenging arrest
In an anticlimax to a 12-day legal battle, Mohammed Hashim Qureshi, a founder-member of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Liberation Front, today withdrew his writ petition challenging his arrest in connection with the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane in 1971.

Bharat Shah's firms raided
The Mumbai police today raided a few business premises of the film financier and diamond trader, Bharat Shah, arrested for his alleged links with the underworld, but found little.

Jitendra Prasada critical
The Senior party leader and Congress Working Committee member, Mr. Jitendra Prasada, was in a ``critical condition'' following a brain haemorrhage late last night. Mr. Prasada, who suffered a stroke close to midnight, was first rushed to the nearby Ram Manohar Lohia hospital and later shifted to the Apollo hospital, in the early hours of the morning.

Vajpayee offer to develop Vietnam's infrastructure
India would be ready to assist with ``requisite capital'' the development of transportation, telecommunications, railways, power generation and water supply in Vietnam, the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, said today.