S P O T L I G H T

Sri Lanka lifts ban on LTTE
Colombo, September 4
Sri Lanka today lifted a four-year-old ban on Tamil Tiger guerrillas, clearing the way for historic peace talks in Thailand, Defence Minister Tilak Marapone said. Mr Marapone told the Cabinet that he used his powers as Minister of Defence to lift the January 1998 ban on the rebel LTTE, conceding to a key demand of the rebels. President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who had opposed the lifting of the ban, was not present at the meeting. AFP

Planning Commission
New Delhi, September 4
The full Planning Commission, chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, will meet on October 5. The meeting is expected to approve the draft 10th Five-Year Plan. TNS

8 die in Gujarat
Vadodara, September 4 
At least eight persons were killed in rain-related incidents in Gujarat since yesterday as flash floods in the Narmada inundated several talukas in Bharuch and Vadodara districts. UNI