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Duma debate
MOSCOW, Aug 28 (PTI) — The Lower House of Russian
Parliament, Duma, will hold its special sitting on Monday
to debate on the confirmation of Viktor Chernomyrdin as
the new Prime Minister of Russia. According to the
Russian constitution, the Lower House is required to hold
debate on the confirmation of the new Prime Minister
within seven days after the President’s formal
nomination.Fergie
comforts victims
NAIROBI, Aug 28 (AFP) — The Duchess of York, Sarah
Ferguson has visited victims of the Nairobi US embassy
bombing in their hospital beds. Fergie’s surprise
visit yesterday to comfort the wounded at Nairobi’s
Kenyatta hospital came during a Kenyan safari holiday. In
a meeting with hospital officials before visiting the
wards, she promised to launch an awareness campaign to
raise funds in favour of the big hospital and its
patients.
Voting machines
NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (UNI) — The Delhi High Court today
issued show cause notices to the Central government and
the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Mr M.S. Gill on a
public interest petition (PIL) seeking a CBI inquiry into
the bulk purchase and non-utilisation of electronic
voting machines worth Rs 73.5 crore. A Division Bench
comprising Acting Chief Justice Mahinder Narain and Mr
Justice Mukul Mudgal directed the respondents to reply to
the petition within two weeks and fixed October 7 as the
next date of hearing.
Refund scheme
NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (PTI) — The S.B. Petroleum, a
Lucknow-based company floated by a relative of former
Congress stalwart Kamalapati Tripathi and accused of
defrauding public to the tune of Rs 12 crore, today
undertook before the Supreme Court to submit a scheme for
the repayment of money. A three-judge Bench, comprising
Justice S.C. Agrawal, Justice B.N. Kirpal and Justice
V.N. Khare, took strong note of the fact that the company
had collected Rs 12 crore from the public in the guise of
giving LPG dealership and consumership but a meagre Rs 11
lakh had been refunded.
Shelling in
Kinshasa
KINSHASA, Aug 28 (Reuters) — The sound of heavy
weapons fire echoed over the capital of the Democratic
Republic of Congo today and civilians fled suburbs in the
East of the city. Forces loyal to President Laurent
Kabila combed the city of five million people for rebel
infiltrators. In the suburb of Kimbanseke a witness
reported loyalist tanks attacking rebels in houses and a
hospital after evacuation warnings. Witnesses said there
was no immediate sign of an all-out assault on rebels
holed up in nearby Masina.
Stock prices
plunge
LONDON, Aug 28 (AP) — Stock prices plunged around
the world today, as the turmoil in Russia sparked more
wild sell-offs and left jittery traders wondering when
the carnage might end. Tokyo blue chips dove to a 12-year
low, Hong Kong’s key index fell 1.2 per cent despite
heavy buying by the government and red ink spread wildly
through European exchanges early in the day. The drops
are so large. It’s not just fundamentals driving
this, people are scared,’’ said Mr Robert Allen
Feldman, chief economist at Morgan Stanley (Japan) Ltd.
The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 357.36 points
yesterday or 4.2 per cent as the deepening crisis in
Russia and doubts about Japan’s handling of its
recession jolted markets.
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