tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Thursday, August 19, 1999
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Jain TV to launch 24-hr news channel
NEW DELHI, Aug 18 (PTI) — Close on the heels of Doordarshan launching its 24-hour news channel, Jain TV today announced its comeback with a round-the-clock "hard" news channel. Beginning tomorrow, the free-to-air channel, which will try to capture the elections cenario, will run news bulletins in Indian languages, J.K. Jain, former MP and President of Jain Satellite Television, said at a press conference here.

Bomb on rail tracks
GUWAHATI, Aug 18 (PTI) — A powerful bomb was detected on railway tracks at a place about 40 km from here, barely hours before two express trains were to pass through it in close succession, a railway spokesman said. He said patrol man Bijnor Ali from Rangia station in Kamrup district of Assam noticed some exposed wires on the ground and one of them was attached to the tracks between Rangia and Ghograpar section.

LIC strike
NEW DELHI, Aug 18 (UNI) — Employees of the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) will go on a two-hour walkout strike tomorrow, demanding early settlement of their demand for wage revision, according to the All-India Insurance Employees Association (AIIEA), which is spearheading the agitation. Their other demands include recruitment of staff in view of mounting overload of work, a Northern Zone Insurance Employees' Association said in a statement.

Rs 1.35 cr fraud
NEW DELHI, Aug 18 (UNI) — An income tax officer swindled Rs 1.35 crore by issuing false refund orders to his relatives and other individuals, according to a CBI case filed against him. The officer, posted in Hyderabad, issued 35 refund orders for Rs 1.35 crore in the names of several individuals, including his kith and kin, and these were encashed from various banks in that city.

Lankan violence
COLOMBO, Aug 18 (PTI) — Seventeen Sri Lankan security personnel and six LTTE guerrillas have been killed in separate incidents in the troubled north-east region, Army sources said. Eleven soldiers were killed when LTTE rebels today blew up an army truck with a land mine near Omanthai on the Vavuniya-Jaffna highway in the northern Vanni region.

3 kidnapped
GUWAHATI, Aug 18 (UNI) — Suspected extremists kidnapped three engineers of the North Eastern Power Corporation (NEPCO) from Assam's North Cachar hill district at about 1.30 pm today, official sources said. The engineers, who were travelling in a vehicle, were kidnapped from Gobindapur under Umrangchu police station of the district. The driver was asked by the militants to report to authorities to arrange a ransom for their release.

New Health Minister
NEW DELHI, Aug 18 (UNI) — Dr A.K. Patel, who is at present the Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, has been given additional charge of the Health and Family Welfare (independent charge). According to a Rashtrapati bhavan communique, Dr Patel assumed his additional charge today.