tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Wednesday, November 3, 1999
weather today's calendar

Tamil MP killed in Colombo
COLOMBO, Nov 2 (PTI) — Unidentified gunmen today shot dead Sri Lankan Tamil member of Parliament Ramesh Nadarajha, whose increasingly pro-LTTE stand in recent months had earned him the ire of moderate Tamils, and his driver in Central Colombo. The motor cycle-borne assailants fired several shots at Mr Nadarajha’s car near the Wellawatta railway station, killing him instantaneously, the police said. The driver of his car died on way to hospital.

NHRC Chairperson
NEW DELHI, Nov 2 (TNS) — Former Chief Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma has been appointed Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission. Justice Verma, who succeeds Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah, is likely to assume charge on Thursday. Justice Verma was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court in June, 1989. He was Chief Justice of India from March 25, 1997 to January 18, 1998.

Malaviya quits party
NEW DELHI, Nov 2 (PTI) — Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) General Secretary Satya Prakash Malaviya today resigned from the primary membership of the party. He did not give any reason for the same.

Quake in Taiwan
TAIPEI, Nov 2 (AP) — An earthquake off Taiwan's eastern coast shook the island early today, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, seismologists said. The tremor, with a magnitude of between 6.0 and 6.5 on the Richter scale, was centered in the Pacific Ocean. An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale jolted North China's Shanki and Hebei provinces last night. One person was injured, Xinhua news agenchysaid, adding 6,000 houses were damaged.

Musharraf’s assets
ISLAMABAD, Nov 2 (ANI) — Pakistan's Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf has declared all property owned by his family. According to an ISPR press note issued in Rawalpindi yesterday, General Musharraf said his family consisted of his parents, wife, son and daughter. He said his son and daughter were married. The note also said General Musharraf had paid all taxes (income, wealth and agriculture) till the financial year ending June 30, 1999.

EC special envoy
ISLAMABAD, Nov 2 (DPA) — A European Union special envoy sent to study the military takeover in Pakistan today said the E.U. would watch the performance of the military regime before taking any action. "We will watch the benchmark of performance," the envoy, Finish Foreign Secretary Jukka Valtasaari, said after meeting Gen Pervez Musharraf and representatives of political parties here.

CBI charge sheet
NEW DELHI, Nov 2 (PTI) — The CBI charge sheet against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, Dubai-based former Bofors agent Win Chadha and three others in the Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case will come up for scrutiny before a special court here tomorrow. Special Judge Ajit Bharihoke had fixed November 3 for further proceedings on the charge sheet which had named former Bofors President Martin Ardbo and former Defence Secretary S.K. Bhatnagar as accused.

B'desh ex PM
DHAKA, Nov 2 (UNI) — Former Bangladesh Prime Minister and Opposition Jatiya Party leader Kazi Zafar Ahmed was today sentenced to 15 years' rigorous imprisonment for embezzling Taka 10 lakh from government fund in the name of establishing a cancer hospital. Zafar was not present in the court when Special Divisional Judge M Azizul Haque pronounced the verdict in the case filed by the Bureau of Anti-Corruption in 1994.

EU delegation
ISLAMABAD, Nov 2 (PTI) — The visiting European Union (EU) delegation today called for giving legal and constitutional rights to deposed Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and former Law Minister Kahlid Anwar, among others. EU's fact-finding mission, which came here to monitor the post-military coup situation in the country, told mediapersons that it was concerned over the safety of Mr Sharif, Mr Anwar and other leaders of Mr Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (PML).