DHAKA: A Bangladeshi domestic airliner carrying 89 people on board was forced to make a belly landing late on Monday night near the Sylhet Osmani airport, 300 kms northeast from here, airline sources said. All 84 passengers and five crew on board were safe. However, some passengers, who received injuries while the plane made the ``unusual'' landing, were shifted to the hospital. Heavy fog forced the Biman flight BG-609 to land on its belly in a paddyfield.

Jordan wins `oil for food' contracts

ANNAN: Jordanian companies have secured a further 30 million US dollars in contracts with Iraq as part of the UN oil-for-food programme. The 25 new contracts, including deals to supply Iraq with plastic bags, cooking fat and water pumps, have been approved by the UN Security Council sanctions committee. The oil-for-food programme allows Baghdad, under UN sanctions since it invaded Kuwait in August 1990, to export upto two billion dollars worth of oil every six months to buy humanitarian supplies. The new contracts bring Jordan's total income from the programmes to around $ 175 m.

Nepal party to abide by Constitution

KATHMANDU: The chairman of the Nepal Communist Party-United Marxist and Leninist said his party would abide with the constitution and abandon plans to set up a republican-style government, party sources said. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Adhikari said here on Monday, ``None of our party's programmes can be official if it goes beyond the limits of the Nepalese Constitution,'' Adhikari said. ``We are going ahead believing that we can implement our party programme by working within the multi-party-based democratic system,'' Adhikari said.

Telescopes approved to sight moon

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has authorised the use of a telescope in sighting the moon which determines the start of each month in its lunar calender, especially the start of the holy month of Ramzan and its end which marks the Eid-ul-Fitar feast. The decision was taken during the cabinet's weekly meeting on the recommendation of the country's consultative Shura Council.

In Saudi Arabia, the moon has to be sighted with the naked eye.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.