tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Saturday, April 17, 1999
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NDFB militant shot
GUWAHATI, April 16 (PTI) — The Army in a major breakthrough has killed a dreaded militant of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland in lower Assam’s Darrang district, defence sources today said. The self-styled lieutenant of the NDFB central command, Karuna Basumatary, alias B. Khwrmdao, was shot dead by troops of the Army’s 21 Mountain Division in an encounter at Sonapur village, near Udalguri town, last night.

DD staff put off stir
NEW DELHI, April 16 (PTI) — The indefinite strike by employees of Doordarshan and All-India Radio (AIR) was suspended on the 11th day today with the agitating cadres hoping that the government will open the door for negotiations. In a letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Pramod Mahajan, unions of the agitating cadres expressed the hope that he would respond to the move in a positive manner and revoke all suspension orders and show cause notices to open the way for negotiations.

19 killed in China
BEIJING, April 16 (PTI) — Nineteen persons, including five children, were killed when a fire broke out in a furniture factory at Nanyang city in Henan province, an official report said today. The factory stocked with inflammable articles caught fire in the wee hours yesterday, Xinhua news agency said.

Medicos withdraw stir
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, April 16 (PTI) — The over three-week-old strike by medicos in Kerala, which paralysed working of medical college hospitals, was withdrawn today following a settlement reached by the government with the agitating postgraduate students and junior doctors. A 10-point formula evolved by a Cabinet sub-committee, which negotiated the issue, was accepted by medicos’ representatives. The medicos withdrew their agitation and reported for the duty today.

2 militants killed
GUWAHATI, April 16 (UNI) — Armymen killed two hardcore Bodo militants and seized some weapons near Udalguri last night. The GOC-in-C of the 4 Corps, Lt-Gen D.B. Shekatkar, informed that after the Army got information of the presence of the Bodo group waiting to fire on people participating in the Bihu mela last evening. The entire area was circled off but no shot was fired as the Army had suspended the anti-militant operations during the Bihu days.

China’s pledge
BEIJING, April 16 (PTI) — China has expressed concern over the non-implementation of the 1998 Wye peace accord and pledged full support for the "just cause" of the Palestinians, the official media reported today. "Jiang expressed regret over the fact that the Wye accord between Palestine and Israel has not been implemented in an earnest way", a daily reported.

Landslide buries 40
BOGOTA, April 16 (AFP) — More than 40 persons were buried by a landslide in a village in western Colombia, local authorities have reported. Most of the fatalities are rescue workers, firefighters, police and local officials who were digging through the rubble of a house that had caved in killing three persons, Argelia Mayor Zanobia Ospina told Caraco television yesterday.