tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Monday, September 6, 1999
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145 killed in East Timor
LISBON, Sept 5 (AFP) — Pro-Indonesian militia have killed at least 145 persons in the troubled Indonesian territory of East Timor, a spokesman for a leading Timorese resistance group told state news agency LUSA today. Roque Rodrigues of the National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT) said 100 persons had been killed at Same and 20 at Atsabe, two towns southeast of the East Timorese capital, Dili. "There is general panic" in the territory," he was quoted as saying.

20 killed in Dagestan blast
MOSCOW, Sept 5 (PTI) — At least 20 persons were killed and over 100 injured in an explosion at a Russian military barracks in Dagestan even as around 2,000 Islamic militants from Chechnya crossed over to the Southern Russian Republic today, triggering fresh violence in the region. The Islamic rebels struck early this morning in Buinaksk, where a powerful car bomb destroyed a five-storeyed residential block in the local cantonment. Those dead in the explosion include children and family members of army officers, Radio Ekho Moskvy reported, quoting authorities in Dagestan.

Taliban attacked
ISLAMABAD, Sept 5 (AFP) — Afghan opposition forces today launched an attack against the Taliban militia in the northern province of Kapisa, the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported. The troops loyal to commander Ahmad Shah Masood gained ground, killing 15 Taliban soldiers and capturing 16 of them, the Pakistan-based private agency quoted an opposition spokesman as saying.

19 rebels killed
ANKARA, Sept 5 (DPA) — Nineteen rebels from the separatist Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) and seven gendarmes have been killed in the latest fighting in southeast Anatolia, semi-official Anadolu news agency reported today. According to a statement released by the emergency rule Governor's office that runs the region, the fighting took place as a part of an operation launched by the Turkish military on Friday.

Gulshan case
THANE, Sept 5 (PTI) — Two persons, allegedly involved in the murder of music baron Gulshan Kumar, have been arrested by the Thane police from Uttar Pradesh today, the police said. Acting on a tip-off, a team of police officials arrested the accused — Fatima Daud Merchant and Rashid Daud Merchant from Deva in Dara Danki district of Uttar Pradesh.

Bodo ultra shot
GUWAHATI, Sept 5 (PTI) — A National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) militant was killed in an encounter with the security forces in Darrang district of Assam today, official sources said here. Acting on a tip-off, the troops laid an ambush near Sapkhati village and challenged the militants.

Naxals loot train
NANDED, Sept 5 (PTI) — Armed naxalites stopped the Mudkhed-Adilabad train by placing boulders on the tracks between Ambar-Kosai stations and took away Rs 4.50 lakh from the paywagon last night, a Railway official said today. The cash was being taken to make payments to railway employees, the Nanded station superintendent said here.

Paper closed
TEHERAN, Sept 5 (AFP) — Iran's conservative judiciary closed down the leading pro-reform Neshat newspaper today, just two months after another such banning led to six days of bloody riots in the streets. The move follows days of harsh warnings from the highest leadership after the daily proposed abolishing the death penalty and Iran's strict "eye-for-an-eye" Islamic law of vengeance in an article on Monday last.