tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Friday, August 21, 1998
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20 LTTE men dead
COLOMBO, Aug 20 (PTI) — At least 20 LTTE rebels and six security personnel were killed in fresh clashes between soldiers and rebels in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. Thirteen security personnel were injured in clashes yesterday, a defence press note said here today. In a separate incident, troops ambushed a large group of LTTE rebels and killed 10 militants at Kattaparichchan village in north-eastern Trincomalee district. In another incident, eight LTTE men and three soldiers were killed and eight injured.
Assam floods
GUWAHATI, Aug 20 (UNI) — The flood situation in Assam's Nalbari, Kamrup and Barpeta districts turned critical today as surging waters submerged vast areas of habitation and disrupted road communication, official reports said. In Barpeta district, almost all rivers, which were in high spate and flowing over the danger mark, had inundated low-lying areas. Roads had also been submerged disrupting communication. People took shelter on high lands in different areas of the district. The Guwahati-Hajo road in Kamrup district was also submerged.

MLA attacked
CHENNAI, Aug 20 (PTI) — AIADMK MLA P.R. Sundaram was injured in an attack by a group of persons at Salem while talking to officials of the district Central Cooperative Bank on their non-acceptance of nomination papers from opposition parties for the forthcoming cooperative bank elections, the police said today. As Mr Sundaram was coming out, the group members pounced on him and attacked him. The MLA was hospitalised, the police said. The AIADMK chief, Ms Jayalalitha, in a statement here has condemned the incident and demanded severe action against those who attacked the MLA.
Prabir Sengupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 20 (PTI) — Petroleum Secretary Prabir Sengupta today took over as the new Secretary of the Defence Production and Supplies Department. Mr Sengupta succeeds Mr T.S. Vijayaraghavan, who has been appointed Petroleum Secretary. An IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre of the 1965 batch, Mr Sengupta was earlier Secretary of Heavy Industry and Adviser to the Planning Commission.
13 killed in Algeria
ALGIERS, Aug 20 (AFP) — Thirteen persons were killed and 39 injured today in a bomb blast in a public square in the town of El-Khemis, near Ain Defla, south-west of the capital, national security services said. Seven of the injured were in serious condition, the security services said, adding that the blast went off at 1.30 pm IST. Rescuers and security troops "immediately rushed to the site to help the victims of this criminal act", an official communique said.
AMU Pro-VC
ALIGARH, Aug 20 (UNI) — Prof H.A.S. Jafri has been appointed pro-Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), according to an AMU release, today. This will be in addition to his usual duties, the release added.
Tourism scheme
MUMBAI, Aug 20 (PTI) — Indian Airlines (IA) has introduced a new scheme by offering a 15 per cent discount on "package tours" for promotion of domestic tourism through its approved agents and tour promoters. The new scheme, which comes into immediate effect and is valid upto September 30, 1999, offers the discount on the package tour for a minimum of four full fare paying passengers, performing a round trip or circular trip on the domestic sectors only, according to an IA press note today.