tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Saturday, July 17, 1999
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Pakistan sets up special panel
ISLAMABAD, July 16 (PTI) — Under fire from opposition parties and militant groups for ordering the pullout of Pakistani forces from Kargil, Premier Nawaz Sharif has set up a Special Cabinet Committee to remove "misunderstanding" about the joint US-Pak statement on which the withdrawal was based and propose steps to highlight the Kashmir cause.

Undertrial killed
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, July 16 (PTI) — An undertrial was killed and another seriously injured in a bomb attack in front of the police station at Attakulangara here today, the police said. The two undertrials were being brought to the sub-jail from the court when a gang arrived on the scene and threw a bomb at them. The head of one of them was blown to pieces, the police said.

B’desh floods
BURICHANG (Bangladesh), July 16 (AFP) — More than half a million people in eastern Bangladesh were flooded out or marooned today after a river burst its banks under pressure from rising flood waters. Villagers in Burichang abandoned their mud-walled homes for higher ground or waited to be evacuated by army speedboats in what engineers and residents said was the worst flooding in the area for 70 years.

Landslide kills 13
BEIJING, July 16 (AP) — A landslide unleashed by torrential rains swept a bus off a road in southwestern China’s Sichuan province on Tuesday killing 13 persons and injuring 11 others, the official Xinhua News Agency reported today.

Tripura poll
AGARTALA, July 16 (UNI) — The first phase of the three-tier panchayat election began in Tripura early this morning amid tight security. Superintendent of Police (North Tripura District) Joydeep Nayek said over phone that in a pre-poll incident, one person was shot dead and two others were seriously injured at Kanchanchara in the district last night.

Tohra's plea
Tribune News Service
NEW DELHI, July 16 — The Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal today urged the Election Commission to allot one common symbol to candidates put up by the party. "It is essential to avoid any confusion among the voters that one common election symbol may be allotted to the candidates put by the party." Mr G.S. Tohra, party President, said.

Kidwai award
NEW DELHI, July 16 (PTI) — Agriculture Minister Som Pal today presented the prestigious Rafi Ahmed Kidwai prize for agricultural research for 1996-98 to Madan Mohan of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology here. The award, carrying a citation and Rs 1 lakh cash, was presented in recognition of his outstanding work in producing rice varieties resistant of gall midge — a major pest.

2 leaders join BJP
Tribune News Service
NEW DELHI, July 16 — A Congress leader from Karnataka, Mr Rajasekhara Murthy, and a Janata Dal leader from Orissa, Mr Patit Paban Pradhan, have joined the BJP. Mr Murthy, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, resigned his seat in the House.