S P O T L I G H T

5 pilgrims killed in J&K mishap
Jammu, November 2
Five Vaishno Devi pilgrims were killed today when their car collided head-on with a truck on the Jammu-Pathankot highway near Samba, about 45 km from here, the police said. All five pilgrims in the car, on its way from Katra to New Delhi, were killed on the spot when it collided with the truck at Chichi Mata near Samba at around 1.50 pm. The deceased have been identified as Lieut Colonel (retd) Gurcharan Singh Mehta, Captain Rajat Mehta and his wife Leena Mehta of Yamunanagar in Haryana and Sanjeeta Mohini and her daughter Priyanka Mohini of Rohini in Delhi. The driver of the truck fled away from the spot after the accident. The truck has been seized and a case has been registered against the driver. PTI

PM calls on Kalam
New Delhi, November 2
Days before his departure for his two-nation tour of Cambodia and Laos, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee tonight called on President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Mr Vajpayee leaves on November 5 for Cambodia for the first-ever India-ASEAN Summit on that day in Phnom Penh. According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesman, the PM-President meeting lasted nearly 90 minutes. TNS

6 die in fire
Moga, November 2
Three women of a family were among at least six persons who were charred to death while three others were injured in a fire caused by cracker explosions in Sirsiri village near Faridkot last night. The fire broke out in the house of Prem Singh, engaged in making firecrackers. A cracker rocket fell in a ‘chullah’ and its sparks caused fire in crackers lying in the adjacent room. UNI

12 Maoists killed
Kathmandu, November 2
At least 12 Maoist insurgents were killed by securitymen in separate incidents in Nepal, the defence ministry said here today. A child who was used as a human shield by the Maoists was rescued by security forces in Dang district in western Nepal. The security forces also recovered some arms, ammunition and explosives from the rebels. UNI

Quake in Kashmir
New Delhi, November 2
An earthquake of moderate intensity struck north-western Kashmir in the early hours today. The earthquake, which measured 5.2 on the Richter scale, was centered around 35.8 degrees north and 74.4 degrees east. UNI