tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Sunday, January 10, 1999
weather today's calendar

Vajpayee in Gujarat
BARODA, Jan 9 (PTI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee arrived here tonight for a day-long visit to Dangs district affected by communal violence. He was received by Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel and Union Textile Minister Kashiram Rana, among others. The Prime Minister will visit affected villages of Dangs district tomorrow and after will go to Nasik in Maharashtra.

Gold seized
NEW DELHI, Jan 9 (PTI) — Customs sleuths seized gold biscuits worth over Rs 17.5 lakh from a passenger coming from Sharjah at Indira Gandhi International Airport here today. The passenger arrived by the Indian Airlines flight and tried to hide a packet carrying 33 gold biscuits in the toilet of the Immigration Hall but was arrested later, Commissioner of Customs (General) Vijay Zutshi said. A day earlier, 195 mobile phones valued at over Rs 23 lakh were seized from two black handbags lying unclaimed in the transit lounge of the Departure Hall of the airport.

‘Terminator tech’ banned
NEW DELHI, Jan 9 (PTI) — The use of "terminator technology" in agriculture has been banned by 16 research institutes including one in India working under the Consultative Committee on International Agricultural Research. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics in Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, is a member of the Washington-based body. The member organisations would not use "terminator technology" in their crop improvement programmes.

10-minute silence
GULBARGA, Jan 9 (PTI) — The Centre has issued a common circular to all educational institutions in the country to observe 10 minutes’ silence from 11 a.m. on January 30, the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, as a mark of respect to the Father of the Nation. Union Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, told reporters here yesterday it had also been decided to observe ‘sarva samarpana bhav day’ on the day in New Delhi in which leaders from all sections of society will participate.

9 miscreants killed
PATNA, Jan 9 (PTI) — At least nine miscreants have been killed in separate incidents in Katihar and the state capital since yesterday, the police said. A Katihar report quoting Police Superintendent U.P. Singh, said six anti-socials were killed in an exchange of fire between two rival gangs in Choti-Mohanpur police said. A gang raided a shop-cum-residence of one Gobardhan Prasad and when the members attempted to escape with cash and valuables, Gobardhan’s teenaged daughter, Mamata raised the alarm. As the miscreants fired at Mamata, angry residents overpowered them and beat them to death.

Emergency landing
BHOPAL, Jan 9 (PTI) — A Sahara Airline plane on its way from New Delhi to Bangalore made an emergency landing at the Bairagarh airport here today. According to Pradeep Sinha, an official with Sahara Airline, the pilot of the plane decided to land after he detected a technical sang. The plane landed safely and no one was injured, he said.

60 hurt in clashes
MIDNAPORE (WB), Jan 9 (PTI) — Tension prevailed as the Rapid Action Force and Eastern Frontier Rifles flag-marched in nine villages, where 60 rival political party activists were seriously injured and 100 houses torched here since last night, the police said. Prohibitory orders were promulgated to bring the situation under control as fresh clashes broke out between Trinamool Congress and CPM activists at Soladia village this morning.