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			Thursday, September 23, 1999
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Clinton waives sanctions
NEW DELHI, Sept 22 (UNI) — US President Bill Clinton has waived until October 20, 1999, sanctions and prohibitions that apply to the US assistance to the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund, the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund and the Indo-American Environmental Leadership Programme. He took this action yesterday under Section 902 of the India-Pakistan Relief Act of 1998. The sanctions were imposed after India's May 1998 nuclear tests.

Thackeray booked
NAGPUR, Sept 22 (PTI) — The police has registered offences under Section 123 and 125 of the Representation of Peoples’ Act against Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray for allegedly "demanding votes on the basis of caste" at a campaign meeting at Kalmeshwar district on August 22. At his election meeting at Kalmeshwar, Mr Thackeray had sought votes for his party nominee for the Ramtek Lok Sabha seat Subodh Mohite, by allegedly referring him as "Maratha Gadi, Yashacha Gadi", the Kalmeshwar police said.

Ball of fire
CHENNAI, Sept 22 (UNI) — A mystery ball of fire fell from the sky in broad daylight at Kailasapuram village near Arakkonam, 50 km from here, yesterday, confounding the villagers and officials alike. According to reports received here, the metallic ball with a diameter of one metre, weighed 45 kg. On one side of the ball, there was also a deep hole. Residents rushed to the field where it fell and put out the fire.

Illegal workers
ABU DHABI, Sept 22 (AFP) — Immigration inspectors have arrested 62 illegal Asian workers in the United Arab Emirates capital as part of a continuing crackdown, The Khaleej Times reported today. Interior Minister Mohammed Saeed al Badi has launched a nationwide sweep, the newspaper said, adding that the pre-dawn raid in Abu Dhabi yesterday netted a record number of offenders for the capital.

Serbs quit UN body
PRISTINA, Sept 22 (Reuters) — Serb community leaders today said they had quit the highest body advising Kosovo's UN administration in protest at the creation of a protection corps to include in former ethnic Albanian guerrillas. "This is an institution which is not Kosovar. It is Albanian and does not have the function of creating a multi-ethnic Kosovo," Mr Momcilo Trajkovic, leader of the Serbian resistance movement, told reporters here.

Diana Ross held
LONDON, Sept 22 (Reuters) — American singing star Diana Ross was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport today after allegedly assaulting a woman security officer, the British police said. The alleged incident took place when the woman, together with other passengers, was going through routine security checks prior to boarding a flight. She's currently in custody at Heathrow police station," a police spokeswoman said.