tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Tuesday, November 30, 1999
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No EC expansion
NEW DELHI, Nov 29 (PTI) — The government today said there was no proposal under consideration for the expansion of the Election Commission (EC). Law Minister Ram Jethmalani replied in the negative when asked whether the government had any proposal to expand the commission. There was also no proposal to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the issue.

Russian submarine
MOSCOW, Nov 29 (UNI) — A new Russian submarine, incorporating the latest technology and equipped with Cruise missiles with a range of 220 km, will now soon join the Indian Navy, the Voice of Russia has said. The submarine, built at a shipyard in St Petersburg and inspected by an Indian Naval delegation could join the Indian Navy as early as January next year.

S D Sharma
NEW DELHI, Nov 29 (PTI) — The condition of former President Shankar Dayal Sharma remained "unchanged" and he continued to be on ventilator, hospital sources said today. There was no improvement in his condition and he continued to be "critical". Former Prime Minister V.P. Singh visited the ailing former President, who is undergoing treatment at the Escorts Heart Institute.

Indian Ocean rocked
NEW DELHI, Nov 29 (PTI) — An earthquake of "moderate" intensity was recorded in the Indian Ocean today. The quake, measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre at latitude 1.79 degrees north and longitude 89.39 degrees east, occurred at 9.17 a.m., Met office said here.

LTTE boat sinks
COLOMBO, Nov 29 (UNI) — The Sri Lankan navy intercepted and sank an LTTE boat carrying medicine and other essential articles at Ponint Pedro in the Jaffna Peninsula even as 16 militants were killed in clashes with the security forces in the Wanni area. A Defence Ministry release said, a naval patrol team detected two enemy boats at Ponint in Pedro and immediately challenged them.

CBI plea dismissed
NEW DELHI, Nov 29 (PTI) — The Delhi High Court today dismissed the CBI’s appeal against discharge of the three Jain brothers and one of their employee by the trial court in the Rs 60 crore hawala case. Mr Justice M.S.A. Siddique rejected the review petitions by the CBI against the Jain brothers in several charge sheets filed against various politicians and technocrats on the ground that except the two "Jain diaries" which contain details of leaders and officials to whom the Jains allegedly paid bribes, there was no "independent" evidence.

2 die in Pak blast
KARACHI, Nov 29 (AP) — A powerful bomb exploded outside a courthouse in southern Sindh province today, killing two persons, the police said. No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion in Hyderabad, some 160 km north-east from here.

Prison riot case
CHENNAI, Nov 29 (UNI) — The Madras High Court today directed the Tamil Nadu Government to produce before the court, the inquest, RDO reports and other materials on the death of detainee, boxer Vadivelu, leading to riot and police firing in the central prison here on November 17. Mr Justice P.D. Dinakaran gave the directive and posted further hearing of the case to December 6, on a petition filed by Malathi, wife of Vadivelu.

Malaysia’s poll
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 (Reuters) — Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s ruling coalition today took an early lead in Malaysia’s general election following a bitterly contested campaign. Mr Mahathir’s 14-party Barisan Nasional Coalition won eight of the first nine races, all in the Prime Minister’s stronghold states of Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo Island, the Election Commission said. At least 97 seats are needed to win a majority in the 193-member lower house of Parliament.

Khushwant’s book
AKOLA, Nov 29 (PTI) — Hundreds of Muslims today marched to the District Collector’s office here condemning the portrayal of Muslim women in Khushwant Singh’s latest book "In the Company of Women" and demanded a ban on it. In a memorandum submitted to the Deputy Collector, they sought a ban on the book and demanded arrest and legal action against him.