tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Thursday, March 25, 1999
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Cong team cancels visit
PATNA, March 24 (PTI) — A high-level Congress ream led by former Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil today cancelled its proposed visit to Jehanabad’s Senari village, the scene of the recent massacre of 34 persons, on the advice of the Bihar administration. A party spokesman said the team, sent by Congress President Sonia Gandhi for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation, cancelled the visit as the state administration advised against it, saying it could create law and order problems.

Bhatia’s transfer
MUMBAI, March 24 (PTI) — The Mumbai High Court today directed Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane and Chief Secretary P. Subramanyam to file by April 12 separate affidavits explaining the circumstances under which controversial IAS officer Arun Bhatia was transferred barely six days after he took over as the Pune Municipal Commissioner. The directions were issued by a Bench, headed by Chief Justice Y.K. Sabarhwal, which heard a bunch of petitions challenging Bhatia’s transfer on March 13 on the ground that it was ‘arbitrary’, ‘malafide’ and ‘against public interest’.

Virus toll 58
KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 (AFP) — Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was today appointed to head a Cabinet task force charged with curbing a Japanese encephalitis (JE) outbreak as the toll rose to 58. The Cabinet replaced Health Minister Chua Jui Meng with Badawi as the head of the task force, which was set up on March 17 to deal with the crisis, official Bernama news agency reported.

Swami dead
CHIKAMANGALUR, March 24 (PTI) — Swayamprakasha Sri Ramananda Saraswati Swamiji of Hariharpur mutt, near here, died today after ailing for two years, mutt sources said. The 82-year-old swamiji was a great scholar in the Advaitha philosophy and had established educational institutions in the district.

Urea scam case
NEW DELHI, March 24 (PTI) — A special court today allowed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to examine two Karsan executives, key accused in the Rs 133 crore urea scam, in connection with related FERA violation cases. Special judge V.B. Gupta also rejected bail applications of the two executives — Tunkay Alankus and Cihan Karanci — lodged in Tihar jail, saying, ‘No ground is made out for grant of bail to any of these accused at this state.’

Boesak jailed
CAPE TOWN, March 24 (AFP) — Former anti-apartheid cleric Allan Boesak was jailed for six years today after being found guilty by a South African court of stealing foreign donor money. Judge John Foxcroft sentenced Boesak to two years’ imprisonment each on three counts of theft and one of fraud involving more than $ 2,24,000 from his now-defunct Foundation for Peace and Justice (FPJ) charity.

Fergie mansion
LONDON, March 24 (ANI) — A mansion which Queen Elizabeth bought for her daughter-in-law, Sarah Fergusson, and her two daughters has been put up for sale for £ 1.5 million. The Queen put the seven-bedroom mansion on sale after Sarah, popularly known as Fergie, refused to move into it, the Daily Mail said yesterday.