tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Thursday, July 23, 1998
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China, Russia ask India, Pak to sign CTBT
BEIJING, July 22 (PTI) — China and Russia today rejected Indian and Pakistani demands for recognition as nuclear powers and asked the two South Asian neighbours to unconditionally sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
China’s official Xinhua news agency said Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and visiting Russian counterpart Yevgeny Primakov discussed the South Asian situation after India and Pakistan conducted nuclear tests and "reaffirmed their positions" not to recognise the two countries as nuclear powers.
"It is important for China and Russia, both influential countries and permanent members of the UN Security Council, to conduct close consultation and coordination on issues concerning regional and world peace and security," the two Foreign Ministers agreed, the report said.
The main purpose of Primakov’s five-day visit is to chalk out the agenda for the scheduled informal summit between Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Russian President Boris Yeltsin in Moscow early September.
Tang Jiaxuan and Primakov are scheduled to meet tomorrow for detailed talks covering a wide range of bilateral matters and international affairs.
Crackdown on UP power engineers
LUCKNOW, July 22 (PTI) — The Uttar Pradesh Government today began a crackdown on the electricity board engineers taking punitive action against 20 even as the Army was deployed at power stations in the state to meet the situation arising out of the indefinite strike which entered the fourth day. Energy Minister Naresh Agarwal said the services of eight striking engineers have been terminated and 10 were suspended while two others were compulsorily retired for "sabotaging" power generation and supply at the Aobra and Anpara power units. The Army personnel along with district administration officials were manning power stations across the state.

Chidambaram visa
NEW YORK, July 22 (PTI) — The US today said that it did not refuse visa to the Chairman of Indian Atomic Energy Commission, Dr Rajagopal Chidambaram, but put on hold request to allow him entry to the country as Washington is currently reviewing its scientific relationship with New Delhi for conducting nuclear tests. "We’re in the midst of a review of our whole science and technology relationship with India and while that review is going on, we thought it best" not to act on the request, State Department spokesman James Rubin told the New York Times.
Dy Speaker's poll in this session
NEW DELHI, July 22 (PTI) — The election for the Lok Sabha Deputy Speakership is expected to be held before the end of the current Budget session of Parliament, Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi said today. Talking to newsmen here, Mr Balayogi said he would be holding consultations with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madan Lal Khurana on this matter soon. The BJP has been staking its claim for the post, while the Congress has decided to field a candidate for the post.
Gelatine sticks
COIMBATORE, July 22 (UNI) — Coimbatore city rural police seized 25 gelatine sticks and an equal number of detonators and a country-made gun from the house of an alleged illicit arrack distiller at Chinnakalipalayam, near Tirupur, during a prohibition raid on Monday. Fifty litres of illicit arrack was also seized during the raid. Illicit distiller Subramaniam and his son were arrested, the police said. The police denied that there was a bomb explosion at Rakkiapalayam village in Anupar Palayam police limits, near Tirupur, last night.
Motion adopted
LUCKNOW, July 22 (PTI) — The Uttar Pradesh Assembly today adopted a motion by voice vote for postponing the election to the post of Deputy Speaker. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Hukum Singh, who moved the motion, sought the cancellation of all six nominations for the post for which election was scheduled today. A consensus candidate could not emerge either from the Opposition or from the ruling party till date and the election to the post should be put off, he said.
Panel for children
NEW DELHI, July 22 (PTI) — The government proposes to set up a national commission for children to ensure allround development of children in the country, Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi said today. Inaugurating a two-day conference of state ministers and secretaries in charge of women and child development, Mr Joshi said the government was giving more importance to early childhood development and education with particular reference to girl child.
Rural bank staff
Tribune News Service
NEW DELHI, July 22 — Employees working in rural banks are planning to demonstrate in the Capital on July 24 to protest against the non-implementation of the national rural bank scheme. The employees are also demanding the implementation of the sixth bipartite settlement and revision of pay and allowances and other benefits of regional rural banks at par with sponsor banks.

Rajasthani language
NEW DELHI, July 22 (UNI) — A demand was made in the Rajya Sabha today for the inclusion of the Rajasthani language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Raising the issue through a special mention, Mr Onkar Singh Lakhawat (BJP) said successive governments had promised to nearly 80 million Rajasthani people that their demand for recognising the Rajasthani as a national language would be seriously considered but nothing had been done so far. He drew support from his party colleague Govindram Miri.
Flood situation
GUWAHATI, July 22 (UNI) — All the rivers, including the Brahmputra, were in spate today inundating low-lying areas and disrupting road communication in Barpeta district of Assam, official reports said. In Dhubri district also the Brahmputra was rising over the red mark inundating low-lying areas. About 124 villages comprising over 129,000 population were affected and the standing crops in an area of 10,236 hectares had been damaged. Altogether 35 relief camps were set up in the district, the report said.