PORT HARCOURT: Three hundred people were feared dead after an overcrowded boat sank off the southeastern coast of Nigeria, officials said on Friday. The boat -- MV George -- was seen by fishermen late Thursday, floating upside down about 60 nautical miles off the coast. No survivors were reported.

INSAT-2E launch

BANGALOREI:India's most advanced satellite, INSAT-2E, will be in orbit early Saturday morning, giving a major boost to the country's telecommunication and meteorological services. The 2550-kg satellite is set to be blasted into space from Kourou in French Guyana.

Azhar out of final

MUMBAI:Skipper Mohammed Azharuddin will not play in the tri-series one-day cricket final against arch rivals Pakistan at Bangalore on April 4 due to his shoulder injury, BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele said on Friday.

Pak Navy threat

PUNE: Vice-Admiral Madhvendra Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command has warned that Pakistanposed the biggest threat to the country on the western coast saying that Pakistan had an edge over India in submarine capabilities and long range maritime patrolling.

Exide chief missing

CALCUTTA:Exide India chairman S B Ganguly was reported missing on Friday after he failed to return from his morning walk at the Agrihorticultural Society of India garden at Alipore in South Calcutta, police said.

570 houses gutted

BERHAMPUR:About 12 people were injured and 570 houses gutted in a fire which broke out in Buguda village of Ganjam district on Thursday.