tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Tuesday, March 16, 1999
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Sonia mourns Irfan’s death
NEW DELHI, March 15 (PTI) — Congress president Sonia Gandhi today condoled the death of "Outlook" cartoonist Irfan Hussain, who was murdered here last week by the kidnappers. She conveyed her heartfelt condolences to members of the bereaved family. Party spokesman Girija Vyas said the Central Government, which was responsible for law and order in Delhi, had failed to protect the lives of scribes in the capital as several had been killed during the past few months.

Brigadier held
COLOMBO, March 15 (PTI) — The Sri Lankan military police today detained a Brigadier for questioning over the abduction and assault on a journalist here yesterday, Army sources said today. Brig Banadula Ranasinghe, heading the Army regiment in the southern town of Galle, had been taken into custody to investigate his alleged involvement in the attack, the sources said. Journalist Srilal Priyantha had written a scathing article against the Army officer for allegedly assaulting and stripping a person for failing to return a loan.

Murder case with CBI
LUCKNOW, March 15 (PTI) — The Uttar Pradesh Government has referred the case of murder of former Samajwadi Party MLA Indra Bhadra Singh to the CBI, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Hukum Singh said today. Indra Bhadra Singh was killed on January 21 last at Sultanpur. Earlier, SP and the Bharatiya Kisan Kamgar Party (BKKP) legislators staged a noisy walkout in the House protesting against the government’s alleged failure to post inspectors belonging to SC/ST, OBC and minority communities in police stations.

Mine blast kills 31
BEIJING, March 15 (AP) — Thirtyone persons were killed and six injured when miners deliberately set off explosions in a goldmine in northwest China, an official newspaper said. Having found no gold in their own mine, the miners dug through to the adjacent mine in Tianshui, Gansu province, Yangcheng Evening News said yesterday. They set off explosives in the mine on March 2, killing four of their own members and 27 others, it said.

Sharon bribe probe
JERUSALEM, March 15 (AFP) — The Israeli police wants to question Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an investigation into whether Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon bribed a witness in a court case, officials said today. It would be the second time Mr Netanyahu is interrogated by the police in criminal investigation since he came to office in 1996. The police obtained permission from the state attorney’s office to question Mr Netanyahu as part of their investigation into allegations that Mr Sharon tampered with evidence in a 1997 libel suit he filed against the Haaretz newspaper, a police spokesman said.

Plane crash
GUWAHATI, March 15 (PTI) — An Indian Air Force MIG-21 plane crashed in upper Assam's Dibrugarh district today, official sources said here. Both the pilot and co-pilot of the aircraft bailed out to safety. The aircraft, which took off from Chabua air force base, was on a routine flight.