S P O T L I G H T

China joins WTO
Doha, November 10
After 15 years of tough and acrimonious negotiations, China today become the 143rd member of the World Trade Organisation and Taiwan will be admitted tomorrow. The accession will now go to the Chinese Government for ratification of the terms of the membership. The ratified terms will then be sent back to the WTO Secretariat in Doha. PTI

3 killed in mishap
Shimla, November 10
Three persons were killed when a Maruti van fell into a gorge near Bhawanagar in Kinnaur district, some 200 km from here, today, official sources said. The deceased have been identified as Kishan of Uttaranchal, Sher Singh and Ravinder Kumar of Kaza in Lahaul and Spiti districts of Himachal, the sources said. PTI

Robinson in India
New Delhi, November 10 
Ms Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, arrived here tonight on the first leg of her official visit to India. Ms Robinson, who will stay till November 13 and visit the country again from November 15 to 19, will receive the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development 2000 on November 19 at Rashtrapati Bhavan. PTI

Parcel train
Mumbai, November 10
Opening a new vista in the rail-route cargo sector, Indian Railways today launched its Millennium Parcel Express leased out to a private courier. The weekly 10-bogey parcel train was flagged off by Union Minister of State for Railways Digvijay Singh at Turbe in Navi Mumbai. PTI

8 burnt to death
Kathmandu, November 10 
At least eight persons were burnt to death after a diesel tanker they were travelling in hit a wall on a highway in western Nepal and burst into flames, the police said today. Two persons were seriously injured when the diesel tanker late yesterday collided with a roadside wall, burst into flames and then tumbled 92 metres down the mountains, the police said. AFP

Kids escape captors
Bujumbura, November 10
As many as 100 children kidnapped by a rebel group in Burundi have managed to escape from their captors, one of the mostly teenaged boys said. “There was shooting between the army and the rebels, they told us to head east, and we took advantage of a moment of inattention to escape,” Edmond Nsimirimana said. Nearly 100 of the youths kidnapped by rebels in a raid at Musema High School yesterday escaped in the afternoon, confirmed Mr Come Hatungimana, administrator of Butaganzwa town, where the school is located. AFP

LTTE kills 8
Colombo, November 10
Tamil Tiger guerrillas carried out a spate of attacks against government forces in north-eastern Sri Lanka today, killing six soldiers and two children, defence officials said. AFP