tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Thursday, November 11, 1999
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IMF chief to step down by Feb 2000
WASHINGTON, Nov 10 (AFP) — International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Michel Camdessus, foreseeing an improved global economy, announced here he was resigning for "personal reasons." Mr Camdessus said in a statement yesterday, read to some 300 IMF staff members, that he would step down by mid-February, 2000, after the IMP executive board names a successor. His current mandate was to end in 2002.

CBI registers case
NEW DELHI, Nov 10 (PTI) — The CBI has registered a case of cheating against three senior officials of Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) and a private company for allegedly causing "wrongful loss" of over Rs 1.97 crore to the public sector company. The three officials — one Deputy General Manager and two Assistant Managers — committed "criminal misconduct" by not recovering compensation under the performance guarantee clause from the private company to the tune of over Rs 1.97 crore against nine supply orders of rubber liners, the CBI said in a press note here today.

Bitumen scam
PATNA, Nov 10 (UNI) — Former Bihar Road Construction Minister MD Illiyas Hussain was today sent to Beur Central Jail for seven days’ judicial custody in connection with one of the cases of the bitumen scam. Special CBI Judge S.K. Sharma fixed the next date for Hussain’s production as November 17. Earlier, the CBI sleuths produced Hussain along with an assistant of the department, Shobha Sinha, in the designated court during the day amid tight security arrangements.

Gangster shot
MUMBAI, Nov 10 (PTI) — A gangster, allegedly owing allegiance to the Manchrekar gang, was gunned down in an encounter with the police in Thane district early today, the police said here. Acting on a tip-off that Ajit Mukund would be arriving along with his associates to collect extortion money from a builder, the police had laid a trap. On spotting the gangster and his four associates in Kalyan, the police asked him to surrender but the gangster fired at the police, who retaliated by firing at him. Ajit was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead on admission.

Indore-Dehradun train
NEW DELHI, Nov 10 (PTI) — The Railways will start on Saturday a bi-weekly train 4317/4318 Indore-Dehradun Express, travelling via Ujjain, Maksi, Shajapur, Biyavra, Raigarh, Ruthivai, Guna, Shivpuri, Gwalior and New Delhi, an official release said today. The train 4317 will leave Indore on Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. and reach Dehradun at 6.35 p.m. next day. On the return journey, the 4318 train will leave Dehradun on Fridays and Saturdays at 6 a.m. and reach Indore on the next day at 8.40 a.m.

Ship runs aground
VLADIVOSTOK, Nov 10 (AFP) — A North Korean factory ship with a crew of 241 ran aground off the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s far east during a storm, the regional emergency centre reported early today. The crew, none of whom was seriously injured, refused Russian offers of help as this would have had to be paid for. It thus remained to be seen whether the sailors would be taken off by helicopter, the centre told AFP.

Indo-Myanmar talks
KOHIMA, Nov 10 (UNI) — The ninth Indo-Myanmar sectoral level talks on border trade will begin here tomorrow, official sources today said. The nine-member Indian delegation for the four-day meeting will be led by Mr G.K. Pillai, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, North-East, while the 19-member Myanmar side will be represented by Mr U. Maung. Delegates from Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland will also take part in the meeting.

Manager kidnapped
TEZPUR (Assam), Nov 10 (PTI) — The marketing manager of a private company had been kidnapped by six unidentified gunmen in Assam's Sonitpur district, official sources said today. Six people, armed with AK-47 revolvers and rifles, entered the residence of Mr Anup Mukherjee, Sales and Marketing Manager of Karnataka Agro-Chemicals, and kidnapped him last night from Rangapahar area of the district.