S P O T L I G H T

LCP district chief shot
Lucknow, May 1
A Loktantrik Congress Party (LCP) district president was shot dead by assailants at his residence in Pratibha Colony of Aligarh this morning. According to a Home Department spokesperson, Thakur Harpal Singh, Aligarh district president of the LCP, was shot dead by some assailants known to him. He was killed on the spot. The assailants, said to be five in number, talked to the victim at his house before shooting him. UNI

14 Maoists killed
Kathmandu, May 1
At least 14 Maoists had been killed in battles with the Nepalese security forces in the west of the Himalayan kingdom, the defence ministry said today. The rebels died in seven clashes on Monday, it said. The highest toll was in the Syangjha district, where four Maoists were shot dead. Security forces recovered arms and ammunition from the clash sites, including grenades, the ministry said in a statement. AFP

Clash at Nagaur
Jaipur, May 1
Tension prevailed at Nagaur town in Rajasthan as two groups clashed over the construction of a boundary wall of a graveyard yesterday, the police said today. The police and administrative authorities are trying to sort out the issue by talking with the leaders of both communities. UNI

Jail fire kills 17
Algiers, May 1
A fire ripped through an Algerian high security jail, killing 17 prisoners and injuring eight others, the jail chief said today. “Three of the 11 injured prisoners died at hospital and the death toll has risen from 14 reported earlier to 17,’’ Mr Bachir Adda told reporters. Reuters