S P O T L I G H T

US plane catches fire, lands in Kuwait
Kuwait, August 23
A US military transport aircraft landed safely in Kuwait early today after one of its engines caught fire, a newspaper reported. The aircraft, a Boeing Co C-17 Globemaster, caught fire shortly after taking off from a Kuwaiti airbase just after midnight on its way to Florida via Spain. Reuters

Bihar RJD MP chargesheeted
New Delhi, August 23
The Delhi police has chargesheeted RJD MP from Bihar Mohammad Shahabuddin, his alleged associate Bhupinder Tyagi, alias Avdesh, and nine others for allegedly conspiring to eliminate tehelka.com CEO Tarun Tejpal and one of its journalists. The charge sheet was submitted in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Rajneesh Kumar about a week ago after completing the investigation into the case. PTI

Central aid
New Delhi, August 23
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today announced a Central assistance of Rs 100 crore to the Maharashtra Government to tackle the drought in the state. Mr Vajpayee made the announcement after an all-party delegation from the state met him. PTI

Truck set afire
Imphal, August 23
A truck loaded with LPG cylinders was set afire by miscreants today at Tadubi, under Mao police station, in Senapati district of Manipur. The police said the truck was proceeding towards Imphal from Zakhama despite the indefinite economic blockade called by the Naga Youth Front of the district. UNI

Russian missile
Washington, August 23
Russia has disclosed details of a new, deadly, high-speed underwater missile, “Shkval-E,” which is suspected to have sunk the “Kursk” submarine, and against which the USA is understood to have limited defence. The missile, which is fired from a torpedo tube, travels underwater at a speed of 320 to 358 km per hour, three to four times faster than conventional torpedoes. PTI

CPR Ex-Chief in dock
New Delhi, August 23
The Delhi High Court today initiated a perjury case against Mr V.A. Panandiker, the ousted Director of the Centre for Policy Research, (CPR), for allegedly lying under oath while replying to contempt charges. Issuing a notice, Mr Justice S.N. Kapoor ordered Mr Panandiker to file his reply. UNI