India sets channel dredging date

India has set a date for the start of a $500m project to open to shipping the narrow stretch of ocean between the southern tip of India and Sri Lanka.

Indian premier Manmohan Singh will inaugurate dredging work on 2 July.

The Sethusamudhram Shipping Channel Project will allow ships to travel between India's west and east coasts without circumnavigating Sri Lanka.

Supporters of the scheme say it will boost trade. Environmentalists warn it could damage fragile marine ecosystems.