tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Wednesday, January 13, 1999
weather today's calendar

Patel to continue as CM
NEW DELHI, Jan 12 (PTI) — Mr J.H. Patel will continue as Karnataka Chief Minister, the Janata Dal Political Affairs Committee decided here today rejecting the dissidents’ demand for his removal. The PAC also decided that Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will replace Mr B.L. Shanker as the state party President. It also authorised the Chief Minister to reconstitute the ministry in consultation with former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, who backed the dissidents demand for change of leadership of the government, senior leader S.R. Bommai and Mr Siddaramaiah, party President Sharad Yadav told reporters after the meeting.

30 LTTE men killed
COLOMBO, Jan 12 (PTI) — Thirty LTTE tigers were killed when naval gunboats attacked a rebel flotilla off the northeastern Mullaithivu coast today, a Sri Lankan Navy spokesman said. The spokesman said fast moving naval craft attacked six LTTE boats off boulder point, near Mullaithivu coast, early today, sinking two boats and damaging three. "Thirty guerrillas belonging to the LTTE were killed in the action," the spokesman claimed.

Russia's fighter jet
MOSCOW, Jan 12 (AFP) — Russia today unveiled its first "stealth" fighter jet, more than 12 years after a blueprint of the radar-eluding plane appeared on a military draft board. The MIG jet, still without a formal name but known here as MFI and in the West as "project 1.42", according to Russian media reports, was shown off to Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev and other top ministers at a suburban Moscow airfield. The fighters is meant to rival the US F-117 "Stealth" jets.

Missile fired
WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (Reuters) — A US F-16 fighter plane fired a missile at a radar site in northern Iraq’s no-fly zone today, said a spokesman for the US National Security Council. There were no US casualties and the plane returned safely to its base in Incirlik, Turkey, after the incident, said spokesman P.J. Crowley. It was the second such military clash in the northern exclusion zone this week.

2 Dawood men held
NEW DELHI, Jan 12 (FOC) — The Crime Branch of the Delhi police today arrested two accomplices of Dubai-based underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. The arrested persons were identified as Bahadur Rehman and Mohammad Naeem Khan. They were arrested while they were planning to supply arms and ammunition to their contacts. While Rehman was arrested on January 4 from Nizamuddin railway station, Mohammad Naeem Khan was apprehended on January 6, the police said. The police seized one TNT, two detonators, a fuse, one stengun, two magazines and 46 cartridges from their possession.

Employees’ stir
PATNA, Jan 12 (PTI) — The functioning in the state government offices across Bihar was affected as over six lakh non-gazetted employees went on strike to protest against "inordinate delay" of the government in fulfilling their charter of demands. The employees owing allegiance to the Bihar State Non-Gazetted Federation (Yogendra group) held demonstrations in all 55 districts of the state to press their demands, federation joint secretary Manjul Kumar Das said.

Arunachal MLAs
ITANAGAR, Jan 12 (PTI) — The newly-formed Arunachal Congress (M), a breakaway group of the ruling Arunachal Congress, today presented 25 legislators before Speaker of the state assembly Chowna Mein, and sought his recognition, in a tactical move seeking to corner beleaguered Chief Minister Gegong Apang ahead of the trust vote next week. Mr Mein spoke to the legislators and reserved his ruling, AC (M) sources said.