At a glance

The plan came to light when the navy, acting on a tip-off, arrested a Tamil youth who had come to Colombo from LTTE-held northern Vanni and taken shelter in a temple a few weeks ago. The youth confessed that the LTTE had planned a two-pronged attack on the Colombo harbour, the most profitable venture of Sri Lankan government, to cause maximum damage to its infrastructure, the reports said.

Iranian deputy army chief assassinated in Tehran

TEHRAN: A senior Iranian army officer was killed on Saturday by armed terrorists, Tehran Radio said. Themotive for the murder of deputy army chief Ali Sayad-Shirazi was unknown, the radio said, without giving further details. General Sayad-Shirazi was a renowned army officer without political ambitions. His succession of promotions followed a series of military achievements, especially during the 1980-88 war against Iraq.

Interpol launches manhunt to arrest Berezovsky

MOSCOW: Russia has sought Interpol8217;s help to arrest business tycoon Boris Berezovsky and his aides who are facing money-laundering charges. Berezovsky and his two associates in the Aeroflot company fled the country soon after Prosecutor-General Yuri Skuratov issued arrest warrants against them.

Berezovsky is reported to be in Paris. Warrants have also been issued against several bankers and abettors, who helped the tycoon amass fortunes illegally. Once a Yeltsin loyalist, Berezovsky is accused of exploiting his contacts in the Kremlin to build his fortune, worth billions of dollars, according to sources.

He has some four to fivebillion dollars to his credit in various foreign banks, which he stashed away after successfully diverting them from the state exchequer. Rebutting the charges levelled by the Russian authorities, he told Russian daily, Segodnya in Paris that 8220;Yeltsin is losing power and anti-reform forces are gaining upper hand in Russian politics.8221;

Disease outbreak in Nepal kills 820 in 2 months

KATHMANDU: An epidemic of viral influenza and other diseases sweeping parts of Nepal has claimed 820 lives in the past two months, medical authorities were reported as saying on Saturday.

The northwest districts of Kalikot and Jumla were the worst affected with 483 dead and more than 25,000 requiring treatment, the state-run RSS news agency said quoting the Epidemiology and Disease Control division. In the 14 worst-affected districts, 31,914 people have been affected by viral influenza, malnutrition, asthma, pneumonia, diarrhoea and measles, the report said. Disease Control division director Mahendra Bahadur Bistasaid the outbreaks were under control. But local newspapers say the unofficial death toll is 975.