Strobe, Jaswant may be close to deal
Although specific details of the exchanges between US Deputy Secretary Strobe Talbott and India's special envoy Jaswant Singh at Washington on Sunday are hard to come by, speculation is rife that the two are close to clinching a deal agreeable to both India and the US. It is widely expected that this will lead to a breakthrough in the impasse over nuclear and non-proliferation related issues.

OIC backs Sudanese plea for UN probe into attack
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has expressed deep concern over the situation created by Thursday's military strikes by the United States against ``terrorism-related'' sites in Afghanistan and Sudan.

Taliban chief pulls up bin Laden
Chief of Taliban Mullah Mohammad Umar has taken a serious note of Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden's threat to retaliate against the United States for its missile attack on alleged terrorist camps in Khost in Afghanistan.

  Pearl oyster disease
  Oppn stages protest march in Cambodia
  World Vignettes
  Mir will finally rest in peace
  Soft commodities to remain quiet
  LME base metals rangebound on low Asian trades
  Thai sugar dull on weak Asian buying
  Asia cocoa market depressed
  Chemicals sector gears up for on-line trade
  Singapore to brace for hard times, says Goh
  Firms jockey for stake in dirty air trade
  Foster's annual profits surge
  Taiwan economy, corporate earnings feel pain from Asia financial crisis
  Nissan president says '98-99 going as planned
  World Briefing
  Telstra seen to beat its own profit forecast of A$2.8 bn
  Total farce, say analyst
  Hyundai Motor reaches pact with union