tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Sunday, October 31, 1999
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Russians kill over 100 rebels
MOSCOW, Oct 30 (PTI) — Russia continued to tighten the noose in Chechnya with combat jets and artillery pummelling Grozny overnight killing over 100 rebels. Fighter jets roared over Chechen capital Grozny, firing rockets at suspected Islamic militant positions since last night and destroyed a suspected arms manufacturing unit, Russian military sources said. The NTV channel reported at least 222 federal troops had been killed and 584 wounded in the three-month-old campaign.
Deputy Speaker
BANGALORE, Oct 30 (PTI) — Congress’ Manohar H. Thasildar was today unanimously elected Deputy Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly. An Thasildar's election was facilitated after BJP's Visweshwara Hegde Kageri withdrew from the contest.

Ex-MP surrenders
IMPHAL, Oct 30 (PTI) — Former MP and Janata Dal (U) nominee for outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat Kim Gangte has surrendered before the police following an arrest warrant issued against him for allegedly tampering with ballots papers, official sources said today. He presented himself before the Thoubal Superintendent of Police yesterday.
BKU threat
MUZAFFARNAGAR, Oct 30 (PTI) — The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has threatened to "gherao Parliament" on November 29 if the Centre failed to roll back the diesel price hike. Accusing the Vajpayee government of being "anti-farmer", BKU chief Mahendra Singh Tikait told reporters at Sisoli, near here, today that he had asked his supporters to gear up for a "final battle and gherao Parliament".
11 LTTE men killed
COLOMBO, Oct 30 (PTI) — The Sri Lankan Army has claimed to have killed 11 LTTE militants in renewed fighting in the northern island, a Defence Ministry press note said here. The rebels were killed in Northern Vanni yesterday.
52 die in S.Korea
SEOUL, Oct 30 (AFP) — Fifty two persons were killed today and 56 others injured when a massive fire broke out in a four-storey building in the western South Korean city of Inchon, news reports said. The fire broke out as workmen carried out repairs in an underground bar, starting a fire which ravaged the entire building.
Plane debris found
ISLAMABAD, Oct 30 (Reuters) — The Pakistan Navy today said it had found two bodies among the debris of its reconnaissance plane which crashed a day earlier in the Arabian Sea with 21 persons on board. A Navy statement said the bodies of two Naval officers had been recovered from the sea south of Pasni in the southwestern province of Baluchistan.
Road accident
NAGAON (Assam), Oct 30 (PTI) — Seven Army personnel were killed and three injured when the vehicle in which they were travelling collided head-on with a bus in Assam’s Nagaon district today, official sources said here. The Army personnel were travelling from Guwahati to Arunachal Pradesh when the mishap occurred at Sunaibasti, about 26 km, from here.
54 die in S. Korea
SEOUL, Oct 30 (Reuters) — At least 54 persons were today killed and 69 injured in a fire at a Karaoke bar in the South Korean port city of Inchon, a policy spokesman said. The fire apparently started in a basement Karaoke bar in a small shopping centre. The room was empty because it was undergoing renovation.
10 killed in mishap
TIRUNELVELI, (Tamil Nadu) Oct 30 (UNI) — Ten persons were killed and nine others injured when the van in which they were travelling collided with a lorry near Kayatharu in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu today.
9 of family killed
BHIHARSHARIF, (Bihar), Oct 30 (UNI) — At least 12 persons, including nine members of a family, were killed and as many injured in a collision between an oil tanker and jeep in Nalanda district last night.
Militants in Turkey
ANKARA, Oct 30 (AFP) — Five militants working for alleged terrorist Osama bin Laden have entered Turkey and may be planning attacks on US, British and Russian diplomatic missions, and Anatolia new agency said today, quoting Turkish intelligence sources. The militants arrived over the past three months using fake passports.
Quake in J&K
NEW DELHI, Oct 30 (PTI) — An earthquake of slight intensity was felt in Jammu and Kashmir early today. The Met office here said. The quake, which lay centred at 34.4° north (latitude) and 74° East (longitude), measured 4 on the Richter scale and occurred at 5.32 a.m.
Engine set on fire
PATNA, Oct 30 (PTI) — Incensed by a youth being thrown out from a train, irate villagers set ablaze the engine of a passenger train and vandalised railway property at Bakhtiarpur railway station in Bihar this morning, the railway police said. Railway Protection Force personnel travelling in the train threw one Vikrant Singh (18), out of the bogie following an altercation. He died on the spot.