UN envoy
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 13 (PTI) — The UN Special Envoy on Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi will pay a day’s visit to Kandhar tomorrow to discuss ways of defusing tensions between Iran and the Taliban even as fierce fighting raged between the Taliban and forces of Ahmad Shah Masood in northern Afghanistan. Meanwhile, official Iranian news agency IRNA in a report from Tashkent said fighting was still going on between forces of the Islamic Alliance for Salvation of Afghanistan and the Taliban in Farkhan region of Takhar province, north of Kabul.

Try Leghari: PAC
ISLAMABAD, Oct 13 (PTI) — A parliamentary sub-committee has recommended initiation of criminal proceedings against former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and former President Farooq Leghari on corruption charges in a helicopter deal. The sub-committee of the Pakistani Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, which investigated the case, in its exhaustive 500-page report recommended that an FIR be registered against both the leaders and three others to initiate criminal proceedings and the report be tabled in the floor of Parliament and debated.

11 rebels killed
COLOMBO, Oct 13 (PTI) — Twelve people, including eleven LTTE rebels, were killed when Sri Lankan troops repulsed a major counter attack on an Army camp at Srimangalapur in eastern Trincomalee district, a defence press release said here today. A large group of LTTE militants attacked the camp in the wee hours yesterday but was repulsed by the troops, it said.

Indian raped
COLOMBO, Oct 13 (PTI) — A Mumbai-based Indian woman who came here for a honeymoon along with her Sri Lankan husband was raped and murdered by unknown assailants at suburban Crow Island near here, police sources said today. Married just two months ago to a marine engineer and the son of a retired senior superintendent of Sri Lankan police, Jude Manoharan, Rita Jone, (29), was kidnapped, raped and later murdered by local hooligans on Sunday while she was taking a stroll with her husband on the beach near her in-laws’ house.

13 die in fighting
DUSHANBE, Oct 13 (Reuters) — Thirteen maverick fighters were killed and six taken prisoner after Tajik forces and illegal armed groups clashed in the eastern outskirts of the capital Dushanbe, the Interior Ministry said today. The operation, which began on Sunday, was part of a campaign to eliminate armed groups which roam the mountainous Central Asian state of 5.7 million, under the control neither of the secular government nor the official Islamic opposition.

Anwar’s appeal
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 (Reuters) — Sacked Malaysian Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim has launched an appeal against a court decision to refuse him bail on his indictment for sodomy and corruption, his lawyer said today. The appeal is the second step taken in five days by lawyers of the former Deputy Prime Minister to secure his release from custody.

Russia signs pact
MOSCOW, Oct 13 (UNI) — Russia and Uzbekistan have signed an eight-year comprehensive treaty to safeguard the territorial integrity of the Central Asian republics in the face of reported efforts by Afghan Taliban guerrillas to penetrate into their territories. According to sources close to the President, his visit was primarily aimed at fortifying the defence along the Uzbek and Tajik borders, presently threatened by advancing Taliban forces.

2 die in ambush
AGARTALA, Oct 13 (UNI) — Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were gunned down and five injured in an ambush by tribal guerrillas at Sindhukumar under Manu police station in Dhalai district today. Details of the incident are awaited.