tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Tuesday, November 9, 1999
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Oppn MP injured in Dhaka violence
DHAKA, Nov 8 (UNI) — A senior Opposition leader and Member of Parliament, Sadek Hossain Khoka, was injured when the police fired shots at the procession he was leading in the capital today, the second day of the Opposition-sponsored countrywide shutdown. Mr Khoka, former Minister of State for Sports and Convener of the City Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was rushed to the hospital with bullet wounds on his head. Doctors say he is out of danger. The strike has brought Dhaka and three other major cities to a standstill. The Opposition enforced the strike to press their demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and snap general election under a caretaker government.

Church burnt in Assam
AIZAWL, Nov 8 (PTI) — Suspected "religious fundamentalists" have burnt down a church and houses of a Christian missionary and another member of the community in Assam’s Cachar district, a church body alleged here today. The Synod Executive Committee the highest executive body of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church, in a statement here said the church at Joynagar in the district was burnt down on the night of October 26.

C’wealth proposal
LONDON, Nov 8 (ANI) — Sri Lanka and three other African countries — Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zambia may soon be expelled from the Commonwealth, if tough new membership criteria based on democracy and human rights are incorporated in the charter of the 54-member international body. According to a report appearing in The Daily Telegraph today, the proposals have been prepared by the London-based Foreign Policy Centre, an independent think-tank whose president is British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and patron is British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Trade unions’ plan
NEW DELHI, Nov 8 (UNI) — Leading trade unions have decided to hold demonstrations all over the country on November 29 against the government’s "mad drive’’ for privatisation of public sector units including the banking and insurance sectors. The sponsoring committee of the trade unions comprising the AITUC, CITU, the HMS, the UTUC, the TUCC and the AICCTU and various federations of bank, insurance, state government and Central government employees decided this at a meeting held here on Friday.

Referendum
LONDON, Nov 8 (ANI) — Following Saturday’s referendum victory for the monarchists in Australia, Prince Charles has indicated his willingness to submit to a similar referendum in Britain Kingdom, according to a report in The Observer. The report quotes "insiders " at St. James’s Palace (the Prince’s official residence) as saying that he would be happy to be judged by the people as part of the development of a "democratic" monarchy. With recent poll suggesting that 75 per cent of the people of Britain are in favour of retaining the monarchy, he is said to be confident that a referendum would go in his favour.

Jemima Khan
ISLAMABAD, Nov 8 (ANI) — Former Pakistan cricket captain Imran Khan’s wife Jemima returned to Pakistan on Sunday to face charges of attempting to smuggle out Pakistani antiques to Britain. Local newspapers here said today that Jemima Khan had returned to Pakistan fearing possible victimisation over the case. Her husband,however,has rejected the allegations, saying that tiles his wife took to Britain were bought at a local shop and were not more than 50 years old.

IAF plane crashes
GORAKHPUR, Nov 8 (UNI) — A Jaguar fighter plane of the Indian Air Force crashed in Sidhwapar village under Barhalganj police station of the district this evening. The pilot ejected himself safely before the crash. Later, an IAF helicopter rescued him and brought him to the IAF station here. Deputy Inspector General of Police (Gorakhpur Range) S.N. Singh told UNI the plane was on a regular sortie. On recieving the information, senior Air Force officials reached the spot.