tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Friday, November 6, 1998
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47 die as bus falls into river
CUTTACK, Nov 5 (PTI) — Fortyseven passengers were killed and 37 injured when a Cuttack-bound private bus fell into the Mahanadi this morning, the police said. The mishap occurred when one of the tyres of the bus carrying nearly 90 persons burst as it approached the end of the 2 km-long bridge while trying to overtake another vehicle. It broke through the railings and plunged into the river.

STF inspector shot dead
GHAZIABAD, Nov 5 (PTI) — A police inspector in the Special Task Force who shot dead criminal Shiv Prakash Shukla was gunned down by unidentified assailants here this morning, the police said. The assailants shot at Inspector Pitam Singh with an AK-47 rifle outside his house in Kavi Nagar around 7 a.m. and fled in a white car, bearing Delhi's registration number.

Veerappan aide dead
CHENNAI, Nov 5 (PTI) — Vellaiyan, an associate of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, was found dead with stab injuries at Kattur Kattuvalavu near Pennagaram in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu yesterday, the police said today. The police suspects that Vellaiyan had been murdered in a belated retaliation for having kidnapped four members of a family in 1993. A case of murder has been registered.

Plane grounded
COIMBATORE, Nov 5 (UNI) — An Indian Airlines aircraft, bound for Sharjah, was grounded after it suffered a bird hit at the airport here last night. The passengers were accommodated in another flight, which landed here from Sharjah and continued their journey to Sharjah via Bangalore, according to an Indian Airlines spokesman.

7 electrocuted
BHAGALPUR, Nov 5 (PTI) — Seven bus passengers were electrocuted and 12 seriously injured today when one of them touched a live wire near Lodipur village in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, the police said. The incident took place when one of the passengers sitting on the roof of a crowded minibus stood up and accidentally came in touch with an overhead live wire, Zonal Inspector-General of Police R.K. Kataria said.

King Birendra
KATHMANDU, Nov 5 (UNI) — Nepal's King Birendra suffered a heart attack late last night but was today stated to be in a ‘‘comfortable’’ condition. According to a Royal Palace communique issued here today, King Birendra (54) experienced ‘‘chest discomfort last night’’ and physicians attending on him said he had suffered ‘‘cardiac ischaemia’’.

Jiang's visit
BEIJING, Nov 5 (PTI) — China today announced the rescheduled visit of President Jiang Zemin to Russia and Japan and hoped that the forthcoming tour will deepen China's ties with the two countries. Announcing Jiang's itinerary to Moscow and Tokyo, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao hoped that the ailing Russian President Boris Yeltsin will recover soon to meet Jiang on their first ‘‘no-tie’’ informal summit.

Teacher killed
AGARTALA, Nov 5 (PTI) — A tribal schoolteacher was killed and four persons were kidnapped by NLFT militants in Tripura, the police said today. Swapan Rupini, a Kakborak language teacher, was shot dead by suspected NLFT militants after they kidnapped him from Champaknagar in West District last night, they said.

Indo-US talks likely on Nov 19
WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (PTI) — India and the USA are expected to hold the next round of crucial talks on nuclear and non-proliferation issues including the CTBT on November 19 in Rome, official sources here said today. This would be the seventh round of parleys between Prime Minister’s speal envoy Jaswant Singh and the US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott since the May Pokhran tests and the subsequent US sanctions against India.