KLM joins fare-warNEW DELHI: A fare-war has begun between international airline companies to lure one-another's passengers from India during the slack season up to March 31. The Dutch airlines, KLM-Northwest, joined the war on Wednesday by announcing `fabulous offers' for its customers in India.Koyna mishapPUNE: AT least 15 persons from Kharoshi village in the Koyna dam forests were feared drowned when a ferry they were travelling in capsized in the tail waters of the dam, some 30 kms south of the hill-resort of Mahabaleshwar, late Tuesday evening. Five bodies had been fished out and search operations in this remote area were still on late on Wednesday evening. Of the 20 on board, only five persons, including a nine-year old boy, could swim to safety. Satara police, quoting the survivors, said the wooden boat was quite old and overloaded.Chetia extraditionDHAKA: Bangladesh has decided to extradite the arrested United Liberation Front of Assam general secretary Anup Chetia to India on the request of Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral, a Bengali daily said on Wednesday. Muktakantha, quoting highly placed sources, said the decision to this effect taken in `principle' by the Bangladesh Government has been conveyed to India.Ali against VajpayeeLUCKNOW: Film director Muzaffar Ali, who shot into fame with his award winning film Umrao Jaan, will challenge Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Atal Behari Vajpayee from Lucknow constituency in the coming Lok Sabha election. Ali, who belongs to a royal family which once ruled a princely state in Uttar Pradesh, has been fielded by the Samajwadi Party. The party has also decided to field bandit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi once again from Mirzapur despite her reluctance to enter the fray.
