SAARC takes important decisions: External Affairs Minister Madhavision Solanki Friday said the just concluded SAARC Foreign Ministers meetings in Maldives had taken several important decision on Economic Development and on ways to curb terrorism, PTI says from New Delhi. ’
Expressing satisfaction at the outcome of the meeting Solanki who returned form Male yesterday told reporters that the ministers had agreed on mutual cooperation and help for the development of the economies of the SAARC nations
Foreign Secretary Muchkund Dubey said two important decisions taken at the meeting related to the establishment of a technical committee on tourism and agreement to extend SAARC cooperation to hardcore economic areas of trade and manufactures.
6 die, dozens missing in Soviet rain: At least six people died dozens were missing and scores were injured as torrential rains and hailstorms swept over the southern Soviet republic of Moldavia overnight Thursday, Tass news agency reported Friday, AFP from Moscow says.
Water level rose up to 12 metres (40 feet) in northern and central regions affected by floods of ,the destiny and Prut rivers and their affluents, a crisis committee set up in the Moldavian capital of Kishinev said.
Dozens of villages were flooded, several bridges and thousands of houses damaged or destroyed, roads railway tracks and electrical lines cot, Tass said.
Relief teams arrived in the affected area overnight and first aid was provided during the day.
Quake death toll now 22 in Indonesia: The death toll from Thursday’s powerful earthquake on the eastern Indonesian island of Alor has risen to 22 and could grow further, officials said Saturday, reports AFP from Jakarta.
Smaller tremors meanwhile continued to haunt Alor, a chain in the lesser Sunda island^, throughout Friday, the officials said.
The holiday island of Ball, to the west of Alor, was also shaken by a small quake of magnitude 4.6 on the open-ended Richter scale Friday but there were no reported casualties, officials said.
Some 165 people were injured and a total of 708 government buildings, churches and houses were demolished after the first tremor on Thursday night which reached 6.2 on the Richter scale, said Sabinus Kantus, Assistant Governor of Nusa Tenggaia Timur province.
Slovenia releases POWs:!^^.^ war prisoners, captured by Slovenia during its clashes with the Yugoslav army, began heading home Friday relieved but fearing for the future. AP reports from Ljubljana.
Serb, Croat, ethnic Albanian and Macedonian soldiers left Ljubljana wondering whether some day they would be fighting each other instead of facing a common foe.
Ethnic rivalries in the nation of 23 million run deep. Many fear the recent violence in Slovenia could seem trifling com pared to the bloodshed likely to ensue if major' ethnic conflict broke out.
Slovenia on Friday agreed to release 2,316 prisoners It captured during the fighting that followed federal army Intervention in the republic. The army mobilized after the republic declared independence June 25.
The Yugoslav armed forces are estimated to number 180.000, of whom 70,000 are professionals. The rest aqe conscripts of all nationalities doing their obligatory one-year service. The officer corps is dominated by Serbs.
NATO to strengthen ties with Romania: NATO Secretary General Manfred Womer said in Bucharest Friday that NATO hopes to strengthen its diplomatic ties with Romania and is willing to help the country, says Xinhua from Bucharest
Worner. the first NATO Secretary General to visit Romania, said In a press conference that the security of NATO countries is closely connected with that of Romania and other European countries.
He added that officials and experts from NATO and Romania will hold talks on security and other Issues of mutual Interest.
The two sides will also Increase military contacts.
Floods destroy dam in China : a
dam was destroyed near Shanghai on Friday to stop flooding which has damaged thousands of home and claimed 330,000 hectares (815.000 acres) of Farmland. China's official Xinhua news agency reported, AFT says from Hong Kong.
The Hongqi Dam. built 33 years ago, was blown up to allow water from overflowing lake Taihu to drain Into the Huangpu River, Shanghai's principal waterway. Xinhua said, quoting a local government official.
The diversion was expected to inundate an extra 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of Farmland, Xinhua said.
Ukraine presidential polls Dec 1: The Ukraine parliament of Friday set presidential elections for December 1. Tass news agency announced. AFP from Moscow says
According to provisions adopted by parliament, the President of the southern Soviet Republic will have executive powers, be elected by universal suffrage and permitted to run once only for re-election.
No post of Vice President will be created.
The Interfax news agency said incumbent Leonid Kravchuk would be a likely winner tn the presidential race. Kravchuk is a moderate nationalist and ally of Soviet President Mikhail
Peace rally in Vslavia:
The speaker of the Croatian and Slovene parliaments crossed the Austrian border on Friday to take part in a demonstration for peace tn Yugoslavia called by the government In the southeastern Austrian region of Styria, which borders Slovenia, organisers said, AFP reports'from Vienna.
Speakers Freance Bucar and Zarko Domljan, respectively of the Slovene and Croatian parliaments, joined some 2,000 other people on the March, which was held In the main Styrlan town of Graz
Marchers called for "peace and freedom in Slovenia and Croatia"