S P O T L I G H T

1500 taken ill
Nasik, December 1
Over 1500 persons, including women and children, were taken ill after consuming a sweet at a marriage party in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar district, the police said. Several guests who partook in the marriage feast at Alkhed village of Shahada taluka vomited and complained of giddiness after they ate the ‘anguri-ras-malai’. They were immediately rushed to government hospitals. PTI

‘Kursk’ sinking
Moscow, December 1 
Russian President Vladimir Putin today sacked three Admirals, including Commander of the Northern Fleet, and several top naval officers are being penalised for the sinking of nuclear submarine ‘Kursk’ last year. Commander of the Northern Fleet Adm Vyacheslav Popov and his Chief of Staff, Adm Mikhail Motsak, are among the officers dismissed by the President. UNI

Vikas engine tested
Bangalore, December 1
Crossing another milestone, ISRO has successfully tested an up-rated version of the liquid propellant Vikas engine, which has the potential to increase the payload capability of Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). PTI

UN inspection
New York, December 1
The USA is on “a roll” in its campaign against Taliban in Afghanistan and that President George W. Bush intended to use the momentum to force Iraq to open its borders to the UN inspectors looking for weapons of mass destruction, a State Department official has said. PTI

SSB withdrawn
Tezpur, December 1
The Special Services Bureau (SSB), which had played a vital role in guarding the 5122-km eastern borders for the past 38 years, is being partially withdrawn from the North East, according to a source here. PTI

ULFA ‘sincere’
Guwahati, December 1
The banned ULFA is ‘fully committed, sincere and ready’ for peace talks with the Centre if it was ready to accept its three earlier preconditions. The outfit was ready for parleys on condition they were held on the issue of sovereignty, outside India and under the supervision of the UN ULFA Publicity Secretary Mithinga Daimary said in a statement. PTI

Scindia's son
Gwalior, December 1
The son of late Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia will be fielded as the party candidate in the by-election to the Guna Parliamentary constituency of his father, Congress General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said today. UNI

35 taken ill
Ratlam (MP), December 1
As many as 35 persons took ill after they consumed poisonous liquor at Hewdakala village, 3 km from here, today. The police said the spurious liquor was taken at a local family function. UNI

SP rules out pact
Kanpur, December 1
Samajwadi Party President Mulayam Singh Yadav has ruled out the possibility of a pre-poll alliance with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh in the next Assembly elections. PTI