tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Tuesday, May 11, 1999
weather today's calendar

INSAT 2E starts operations
NEW DELHI, May 10 (UNI) — The national (DD I) and metro (DD 2) channels of Doordarshan are to reach more countries all over the world when they begin beaming via transponders on the INSAT 2E satellite from tomorrow. The channels will be beamed on the wide beam which will enable them to reach Asia and Australia, and parts of Africa and Europe. Doordarshan is shifting its three regional services of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal on transponders of this satellite.

Ramar Pillai found
CHENNAI, May 10 (UNI) — The inventor of ‘herbal automobile fuel’ Ramar Pillai, who was reportedly kidnapped on Saturday night when he left home, was traced at the house of a lady doctor friend in suburban Chrompet here this morning. According to Chengalpattu MGR Police, which had formed 15 special teams to track down Mr Pillai, the lady doctor, Jamuna, specialising in herbal treatment, informed the police that she took him to her clinic in Suburban Tambaram after he was dropped there by his kidnappers last night.

IAS interview
LUCKNOW, May 10 (PTI) — The Allahabad High Court has directed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to call 1,480 candidates for interview of Civil Services Examination, 1998, instead of 964. "This court is of the considered opinion that the petitioners (five aspirants), if they come within the first 1,480 successful candidates (twice the number of vacancies advertised) in the mains examination, they shall be called for interviews," a Lucknow Bench of the court said in a recent order.

Kalpnath Rai
NEW DELHI, May 10 (UNI) — Former Union Minister and Samata Party leader Kalpnath Rai joined the Congress today giving a boost to the party's electoral prospects in Uttar Pradesh. AICC General Secretary S.K. Shinde told mediapersons that Mr Rai's return to the Congress would strengthen the party.

Tirupathi darshan
HYDERABAD, May 10 (PTI) — The Andhra Pradesh Government has introduced a computerised reservation system to reduce the time devotees have to stand in queues for ‘darshan’ at the revered Venkateswara Temple in Tirupathi. Under the system, computer generated tokens with priority numbers for darshan would be issued to the devotees, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said here today.

Iran's secret deal
BAGHDAD, May 10 (AFP) — Iran has cut a secret deal with the USA, its arch-foe since the 1979 Islamic revolution and is trying to stab Baghdad in the back, Iraq's ruling Baath Party charged today. The party's daily, Ath-Thawra, was reacting angrily to an accusation from Iranian Foreign Minister Kamel Kharazi that Iraq lacked the political will for a rapprochement with Iran, nine years after their 1980-1988 conflict.