tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Monday, April 5, 1999
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Part of Lok Sakthi merges with TMC
CHENNAI, April 4 — (PTI) — A predominant section of Tamil Nadu unit of Lok Sakthi, including its expelled state president, today merged with Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) at a function here. The group of Lok Sakthi volunteers, who joined TMC, were led by its state president 'Tamizharuvi' Manian, who had been recently expelled by Lok Sakthi for alleged 'anti-party' activities.

Properties attached
DALTONGUNJ (Bihar), April 4 (PTI) — The police has attached the properties of Chotanagpur-Santhal Pargana Congress Seva Dal chairman Kamlesh Kumar Singh and BJP’s Palamu district vice president M. Gupteshwar Singh in connection with a shootout case. The properties were attached yesterday following a civil court directive as both the leaders were evading arrest since February 27.

10 die in mishap
DHAKA, April 4 (PTI) — At least 10 persons were killed and 29 injured when a truck in which they were travelling met with an accident in Sherpur district on the Dhaka-Mymansingh highway in northern Bangladesh today, the police said.

Freedom fighter dead
BHUBANESWAR, April 4 (PTI) — Freedom fighter and veteran Congress leader Bijay Kumar Pani died here today after a cardiac arrest. Pani (80), who returned from Chennai on Friday after getting his eye examined, complained of chest pain this afternoon. He breathed his last on way to hospital, family sources said.

MAIDA activists
AIZAWAL, April 4 (PTI) — Thirtyeight Hmar militants belonging to "Mizoram Accord Implementation Demand Army" (MAIDA) today surrendered before the state government, the police said. The government is still at dark as to why the number of militants increased to 38 today as only 22 militants were supposed to surrender, Inspector-General of Police K. Lalchhunga said.

24 killed
COLOMBO, April 4 (PTI) — Twenty Tamil rebels and four soldiers were killed in fresh fighting between government troops and LTTE guerrillas in the north of Sri Lanka, army said here today.

Christian-Muslim clash
JERUSALEM, April 4 (Reuters) — Seven Israeli Arabs were wounded in street battles between Christians and Muslims on Easter today in Nazareth, the police said. The head of the Roman Catholic Church in the holy land, Latin patriarch Michel Sabbah, appealed in an Easter message for "prudence and calm" to ease communal tensions between Christians and Muslims in Nazareth and Palestinian-ruled Bethlehem.

CWC Bill approved
ISLAMABAD, April 4 (PTI) — The Pakistani Cabinet has approved a Bill for implementation of the chemical weapons convention (CWC), which Pakistan ratified last year along with 169 countries including India. The convention aims at prohibiting development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons.

Chinese dissidents
BEIJING, April 4 (AFP) — Chinese dissidents today stepped up protests during the Festival of the Dead, visiting the graves of victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square bloodshed and defying an unwritten ban on returning from exile.