Tendulkar to step down
The Indian cricket team captain, Sachin Tendulkar, surprised the cricket world today by announcing that he would step down as skipper after the two Test series against South Africa even as the national selectors recalled former skipper, Mohammed Azharuddin, and wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia in the team for the first Test beginning here on February 24.

Cong.(I) misleading people: Vajpayee
The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, today lambasted the Congress(I) chief, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, for raking up a controversy over the setting up of a commission to review the Constitution and attempting to mislead the people, particularly the Dalits, by saying that the BJP was trying to denigrate Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

China wants Clinton to visit Pak.
China has reportedly advised the U.S. to include Pakistan in the U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton's South Asian tour next month, diplomatic sources here have said.

'Pak. must reveal its true intentions'
India has no intention of resuming dialogue with Pakistan as long as subversive activities from across the border continue with the covert and overt support of the military regime continue.

3 Indian mission staff expelled
On the first anniversary of the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee's ``historic visit'' to Lahore, Pakistan today expelled three staffers of the Indian High Commission here for activities ``incompatible with their official status''.

CRPF convoy attacked
Underground militants attacked a CRPF convoy by exploding a powerful bomb at Wangbal area in Manipur's Thoubal district today, official sources said.

Vittal's list swells to 107
The list of IAS and IPS officials against whom the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has recommended action on charges of corruption has swelled to 107 with 16 more names being added to the CVC website.

Mayor's office ransacked
The office of the Ahmedabad Mayor was vandalised by a group of people allegedly owing allegiance to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) over the issue of the demolition of a temple in the city area yesterday.

Preliminary talks with LTTE in Oslo
In what is seen as a ``long, painstaking process'', preliminary discussions on the latest Norwegian initiatives towards conflict- resolution in Sri Lanka are likely to take place in Oslo, the state media reported today.

Rushdie to shift to New York
The Booker- prize winning author, Mr. Salman Rushdie, who was put under a death sentence for enraging Muslims with his book Satanic Verses, is planning to leave Britain and live permanently in the United States, a newspaper report said today.