tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Monday, October 19, 1998
weather today's calendar

100 die in Nigerian pipeline fire
WARRI, Nigeria, Oct 18 (Reuters) — More than 100 persons died today after a burst fuel pipeline of the state-owned petroleum products marketing firm caught fire in southern Nigeria, witnesses said. "Hundreds of persons rushed to the scene to scoop up petroleum when suddenly there was a fire and all got burnt," one witness said. Unconfirmed reports said more than 400 persons were injured and were rushed to hospital for treatment as efforts were made to put out the raging fire. "Early indications are pointing towards sabotage," one resident of Warri, about 10 km from the scene of the incident, told Reuters.
Typhoon Zeb kills 12 in Japan
TOKYO, Oct 18 (Reuters) — Typhoon Zeb, which killed at least 100 persons in the Philippines and Taiwan, kept to its deadly path over Japan toady, leaving at least 12 persons dead and one missing, the police said. Zeb, with winds of 90 kph, was downgraded to a tropical storm this morning, but meteorological agency officials said it could still cause more damage and casualties. The typhoon marched across the Philippines and Taiwan on Thursday and Friday and hammered on Japan's door on Saturday. It blitzed across the Japan archipelago over the weekend.

30 die in blast
BOGOTA, Oct 18 (AFP) — Thirty persons were killed and 100 injured in an oil pipeline explosion in a rural area of northwest Colombia today, authorities said. A local doctor, Guillermo Franco Leon, told RCN radio that the toll could rise because many of the injured might succumb to the severe burns they sustained in the blast 600 km northeast of Gogota. The cause of the explosion had not yet been determined but investigators were probing whether terrorists were involved.
Taliban attack
KABUL, Oct 18 (AFP) — Taliban fighters have launched a two-pronged attack against a northern stronghold of opposition commander Ahmad Masood, an opposition spokesman said today. The religious militia launched a coordinated attack yesterday from Ghorband and Nejrab districts against the positions of Masood's troops in Parwan and Kapisa provinces, spokesman Mohammad Aref said. "The attack through Ghorband has been rebuffed. But heavy fighting is still going on in Nejrab," Aref said speaking by satellite telephone.
Onions from Iran
NEW DELHI, Oct 18 (PTI) — The Delhi Government proposes to airlift 400 tonnes of onions per day from Iran to ease shortage of onions in the Capital. Chief Minister Sushma Swaraj told reporters the onions from Iran would start arriving in the country in the next four days. She said the government had decided to airlift onions to meet the immediate requirement of the people since shipment of the commodity would take time. This arrangement would continue till regular shipment supply starts, she said.
Sen's visit deferred
CALCUTTA, Oct 18 (PTI) — Amartya Sen, this year's Nobel laureate for economics, may reschedule his programmes to Santiniketan in December. His sister Supurna Dutta said today he had already communicated to their mother Amita Sen that his preoccupations would compel him to reschedule his programmes. "I may not be present at Santiniketan on the date already fixed because of my preoccupations," he told his mother over telephone. Mr Sen visits Santiniketan, where he was born and brought up, every year in December to meet his 85-year-old mother.
Report on riots
NEW DELHI, Oct 18 (UNI) — The Supreme Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh Government to file in the court within two months a summary of the report of the Parekh Commission which probed the 1982 Meerut communal riots. The government was directed to also file the action taken report along with an affidavit by the Home Secretary. The directives were issued in three pending writ petitions filed by Mr Fazalur Rehman and other residents of Meerut, drawing the attention of the court to various aspects arising out of the communal riots.
50 fishermen missing
MUMBAI, Oct 18 (PTI) — As many as 200 fishermen, reported missing in the turbulent waters of the Arabian sea in cyclonic weather since Thursday, have returned while 50 others were still to be traced. The president of the Machchimar Kruti Samiti, Mr Vijay Bhandarkar, said here today two fishing trawlers from the area — "Durbar" and "Mayur Prasad" — were yet to return. Meanwhile, "Hernlata" of Satpati in Dahanu area had capsized last night off the Mumbai coast.