• Fijian PM’s kin seek Vajpayee’s intervention

Over 70 LTTE rebels killed
COLOMBO, May 22  — Over 70 Tamil rebels were killed in a face-to-face battle with government troops which used aircraft and artillery to repulse fresh LTTE assaults in Sri Lanka’s Jaffna peninsula even as a Norwegian peace mission got underway here.

• Indian forces ready

Urea scam: 8 NFL officers chargesheeted
ROPAR, May 22 — Eight officers of the National Fertilisers Ltd. (NFL) Naya Nangal, have been chargesheeted in the urea bag scam. In the charge sheet issued to these officers. It has been alleged that the bags of the lot numbers U-43, U-32 and U-33, which were passed by these officers, have been found sub-standard.

SIT examines Virbhadra
SHIMLA, May 22 — A three-member special investigation team of the Vigilance Department examined Mr Virbhadra Singh, the Congress Legislative Party leader and a former Chief Minister, in connection with khair wood quota scandal for over two hours on Saturday evening. The examination was kept a closely guarded secret.

States oppose Centre’s move
NEW DELHI, May 22  — The majority of states today strongly opposed the Centre’s move for a monitoring mechanism on state fiscal reforms to effect a statutory cap on borrowing and expenditure through a Fiscal Responsibility Act.

Agroha medicos left in the lurch
ROHTAK, May 22 — The intervention of the Prime Minister's Office notwithstanding, the Medical Council of India has reportedly declined to approve transfer of students of Medical College, Agroha, to the Pt B.D. Sharma Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences here.