New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) India is concerned about the Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka and wants that their “legitimate aspirations” should be addressed, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Tuesday.

Mukherjee said he had held several rounds of talks with President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue. He also said that Rajapaksa had confirmed to him about the killing of Tamil Tigers chief V. Prabhakaran.

New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) After the Congress-Trinamool alliance’s body blow to West Bengal’s ruling Left in the hustings, Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday said that Trinamool Congress supreme Mamata Banerjee could be the next chief minister of the state.

In an interview to NDTV news channel, Mukherjee, the West Bengal state Congress president, said it was possible that Banerjee would emerge as the next head of the state after the electoral rout of the Left after three decades.

Washington, May 19 (IANS) The US plans to provide $100 million of humanitarian aid to Pakistan as part of the Obama administration’s new strategy for countering the appeal of Taliban militants, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Tuesday.

“Providing this assistance is not only the right thing to do but we believe it’s essential to global security and the security of the United States,” she said at a news conference at the White House. “And we are prepared to do more as the situation demands.”

Washington, May 19 (IANS) A bill calling for an annual meeting between political leaders from India and the United States for discussion on common issues of interest in their relations was Tuesday introduced in the US House of Representatives.

Dhaka, May 19 (Xinhua) Over 2,500 border guard personnel have been arrested in connection with the Feb 26 mutiny by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), Commerce Minister Faruk Khan said Tuesday.

Khan, who was tasked with the inquiry into the incident, said: “At least 1,398 members of the BDR have been arrested in Dhaka, while 1,581 more were held in 29 other districts.”

New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) Diwakar Ram was named captain of the junior hockey team for the World Cup to be hosted by Singapore and Malaysia.

The selectors announced an 18-member squad for the June 7-21 tournament Tuesday.

New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) The UPA’s stupendous showing at the hustings has had a cascading effect on its estranged allies and supporters, and even independent MPs. There was a virtual scramble Tuesday by political parties to announce support to the new United Progressive Alliance government.

Arch rivals Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) as well as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) Tuesday vied with each other to offer support to the victorious Congress-led UPA, which needs just nine more MPs to get the 272 figure needed for majority in the 543-member Lok Sabha.

Johannesburg, May 19 (IANS) Delhi Daredevils scored 134 for seven in 20 overs against Bangalore Royal Challengers in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Wanderers here Tuesday.

Brief scores: Delhi Daredevils 134/7 in 20 overs (Dinesh Karthik 31, AB de Villiers 28; Praveen Kumar 3-30).