S P O T L I G H T

Basu blames Left for Midnapore clashes
KOLKATA, Feb 3 (PTI) — veteran cpm leader and former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu today surprised his party by blaming it and the administration for the Midnapore clashes involving the ruling cpm and Trinamool Congress(TC). Mr Basu also admitted that he was not informed about the situation in the trouble-torn district for one year, despite being in office. “There were lapses on our part.The TC goons were moving about in the area on motor cycles with illegal arms.I don’t know where they got the money from. Where was our party then? Where was the administration?” Mr Basu asked while addressing a women’s rally here. Stating that as Chief Minister he had no information about the situation in the district for nearly one year, he said, “I apologise for this.” Mr Basu, however, said on receiving information about the situation, he instructed the district administration to take steps so that the people who had fled their villages could return, irrespective of their political affiliation.

Sharif’s nephew held
LAHORE, Feb 3 (AFP) — A nephew of Pakistan’s exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was arrested here today following his return home from Saudi Arabia, the police said. Yusuf Abbas (18) was taken into custody from his residence, a senior police official said.

B’desh clashes
DHAKA, Feb 3 (AFP) — Three persons, including a policeman, were killed and at least 100 injured today in clashes between the police and Muslim hardliners during a one-day general strike here, witnesses and the police said.

Tremor in M’rashtra
NEW DELHI, Feb 3 (UNI) — An earthquake of slight intensity hit the Koyana region of Maharashtra tonight, according to India Meteorlogical Department (IMD). The quake of 2.9 magnitude on the Richter scale was epicentred at 17.3°N latitude and 73.8°E longitude, IMD said in a statement here. The tremor struck at 11.14 p.m.

ULFA men surrender
NAGAON (Assam), Feb 3 (PTI) — Thirteen hardcore ULFA militants today surrendered before the Army authorities at the Missa Army camp, official sources said. The militants, two of them trained in Myanmar, surrendered before Brig R.S. Sujlana. The arms surrendered included .303 rifles, one Chinese pistol, two .22 revolvers, two 12-bore guns.

Kukis set trucks afire
DIPHU (Assam), Feb 3 (PTI) — Kuki militants set ablaze six trucks which were on their way to load ginger in central Assam’s Karbi Anglong district late yesterday, according to official sources here today. A group of armed ultras stopped the six trucks at Dasamdi in the Singhasan hill tracks and asked them to pay extortion money before proceeding to load the ginger. When the truck owners refused to pay up the money the extremists set the vehicles on fire.