DEC 12: DHAKA: Seven people were killed and over 150 injured, several of them seriously, when police opened fire on clashing villagers in eastern Bangladesh, reports said here today. The incident took place yesterday at Habiganj when more than 15,000 villagers of 17 villages fought with knives and sticks over who would stage a folk drama, leading Bengali daily Bhorer Kagoj said.

Turkey sacking

ANKARA: The Turkish Army has dismissed 55 officers and non-commissioned officers for involvement in fundamentalist activities, press reports today said. The decision was taken yesterday by the supreme military council which is chaired by Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz. Reports added that another seven officers and non-commissioned officers were dismissed on charges of involvement in illegal activities, such as drug trafficking and kidnapping.

Iran-Iraq ties

TEHERAN: Iran and Iraq has called for an opening of a new chapter in bilateral relations after two decades of hostilities and war, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported. The two states should look forward to a new chapter in ties and Iran has full goodwill to solve the problems with Iraq, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami told visiting Iraqi Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramedhan in Teheran yesterday.

Russia collision

MOSCOW: A cargo plane struck a helicopter today on a runway in northern Russia, killing eight people, a spokesman said. An MI-8 helicopter with 16 people aboard had landed at the airport in the city Naryanmar when it was clipped by the wing of a landing AN-12. Eight people aboard the helicopter died, but the other eight escaped unharmed.

Spain leader

SPAIN: Gunmen believed to be members of the Basque separatist group Eta entered a bar and killed a politician from the ruling Popular Party as he ate dinner, Spanish national radio reported. Jose Luis Caso, a town councilman in the Basque town of Renteria, was killed last night in Irun on the border with France. Authorities blamed the separatist group Eta for the killing.

California crash

CALIFORNIA: A fiery chain-reaction crash killed at least five people, including a young girl, and injured 26 others on a foggy section of a busy highway. The crash yesterday on Interstate 5 California's main north-south route involved nine big rigs and 28 passenger cars and pickup trucks. Fire from the crash burned for nearly two hours, sources said.

Colombia attack

BOGOTA: Suspected Leftist rebels stormed two towns in north-eastern Colombia, blowing up a police station, gunning down three officers and kidnapping two politicians. Rebels stormed Mogotes yesterday, where they killed the three policemen and took Mayor Dorian David Rodriguez and family members hostage, police said. In a later attack on Guaca town, rebels blew up the police station, injuring 14 officers.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.