21.   Six government ministers opened discussions with opposition leaders Saturday to try to end crippling political uncertainty in this island nation, already being sapped by a Tamil separatist insurgency.

22.   Six soldiers and nine civilians were injured in three grenade blasts in Srinagar, the center of a Muslim separatist insurgency, police said.

23.   Taxes and utility prices have been increased in recent months to fund the fight against the separatist insurgency of the Tamil rebels.

24.   The explosions occurred in the remote northeastern state of Nagaland, where the Indian army has been fighting a separatist insurgency for nearly four decades.

25.   The friction is over the Himalayan province of Kashmir, where India is fighting a separatist insurgency by Islamic militants.

26.   The fighting is linked to the decade-old separatist insurgency in Kashmir, an area claimed by both India and Pakistan.

27.   The only way to end the Tamil separatist insurgency is full-scale war, the government said Monday in a statement that appeared to halt a move toward peace talks.

28.   The only way to end the Tamil separatist insurgency is full-scale war, the government said Monday, appearing to backtrack on peace efforts.

29.   The separatist insurgency has been largely confined to Kashmir valley but often spilled into Jammu.

30.   The separatist insurgency has been largely confined to Kashmir valley but often spills into Jammu.