tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Thursday May 20, 1999
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Bihar Cabinet expanded
PATNA, May 19 (UNI) — The Chief Minister of Bihar, Mrs Rabri Devi, today expanded her Cabinet by inducting five new ministers. With this, the strength of the Cabinet rose to 81. The Governor, Mr B.M. Lal, administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly-inducted ministers at a function at Raj Bhavan.

Jawan killed in blast
IMPHAL, May 19 (PTI) — Three persons, including two underground activists and one jawan, were killed and another person was injured in extremist-related violence in different parts of Manipur today. According to official reports, a jawan of India Reserve Battalion (IRB) was killed when a bomb planted by extremists exploded in the island area in Imphal district this morning. Another IRB jawan sustained serious injuries. In another incident, IRB and police personnel shot dead two extremists in an encounter in Thoubal district.

Sarpanch kidnapped
HYDERABAD, May 19 (UNI) — A Telugu Desam Party sarpanch was kidnapped allegedly by Praja Pratigatana Naxalities in Parkal town in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh late last night. The police here said that according to their information, three persons had approached the sarpanch, Moluguri Bikshapati, and asked him to follow them to an undisclosed place.

CRPF deployed
NAWADA (BIHAR), May 19 (UNI) — The CRPF was today deployed in the Warsaliganj police station area following tension in the wake of the killing of six persons in Bhualchack village in the district. Magadh Range DIG S.K. Bhardwaj said here that the CRPF, which was stationed in the extremists-affected areas of the district, had rushed to Warsaliganj police station area to prevent any possible law and order problem after last night's incident. He said patrolling has been intensified at vulnerable places.

Nepal poll
KATHMANDU, May 19 (UNI) — The Prime Minister, Mr Girija Prasad Koirala, once again romped home from both his traditional parliamentary constituencies as his Nepali Congress (NC) marched relentlessly capturing 72 of the 124 seats filled so far today in the third general election in the Hindu Himalayan Kingdom in nine years. The NC also maintained leads on 25 of the 40 constituencies counting trends from which were available late this afternoon. The NC has already got more than one third of the seats in the 205-member Pratinidhi Sabha.

Dutch Govt quits
THE HAGUE, May 19 (DPA) — The Government of Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok resigned today following five hours of crisis discussions, the Government Information Service announced. The crisis developed after the rejection overnight of draft legislation which provided for the inclusion of referendums in the Constitution. The Left-Liberal Party had said that if the legislation, which it had presented, failed to gain approval it would leave the government.

End blockade: India
WASHINGTON, May 19 (UNI) — India today asked the USA to end the blockade of nearly $ 3 billion of development loans to New Delhi from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, saying such blockades were against the charter of the two institutions. The attitude of the Clinton Administration in blocking the loans following the Indian nuclear tests was harmful in the long run not only to the Indian but also American business, India's Ambassador to the U.S. Naresh Chandra, told the US-India Business Council here.