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Aishwarya Rai Injured in Accident During Shooting

          MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai suffered injuries on Wednesday when a jeep skidded over her during the shooting of film 'Khaki' at Trimbakeshwar, about 25 km from Nasik. The accident occurred at about 5.45 pm when Rai was watching the rehearsal of a scene along with Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar. The movie is being directed by Rai Kumar Santoshi. She was rushed to a hospital. Her condition is stable.

SARS Viral Infection Toll Mounts to 66

          HONG KONG: With two more deaths in Canada and one in Thailand, the global toll from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) went up to 66 on Wednesday. The two deaths in Toronto area brought the Canadian SARS toll to six, making the country the hardest hit by the outbreak outside of Asia. A Hong Kong national became the second victim of the virus in Thailand when he died on Tuesday while visiting relatives and after reporting symptoms of the atypical pneumonia, a hospital source said. World Health Organisation (WHO) doctor Carlo Urbani, who first alerted colleagues to SARS in Vietnam, died of the disease in the Thai Capital last Saturday.

US Troops Closing in on Baghdad

          BAGHDAD: American forces came close to Baghdad in a two-pronged movement on Wednesday, securing a vital Tigris river bridge and sweeping past the Shi'ite holy city of Karbala after a massive blitz on the Republican Guard. It has been reported that the troops were just 30 km from the southern edge of the Iraqi Capital. Forward units of a second advance, from the south-east along the Tigris river valley, were as near as 40 km away. Officers of the US Third Infantry Division west of the Euphrates river near Karbala, 110 km south of Baghdad, have been quoted by agencies as saying that their advance had met less resistance than expected.

Blasts Rock Baghdad, 'Big Push' by Coalition Troops Soon (Go To Top)

          BAGHDAD: Huge explosions shattered the silence in Baghdad early on Wednesday while in Britain, the English media predicted an "imminent" attack on the Iraqi Capital by the coalition forces. Blasts rocked the centre of this city and a plume of white smoke rising from the southern end of the Old Palace grounds. More explosions hit Baghdad in the 30 minutes after the first blast at 3 am. Afterwards, the sound of intermittent explosions and occasional bursts of anti-aircraft fire could be heard in the distance, reports the News.

           The Old Palace, the ceremonial seat of Government on the west bank of the Tigris, is also home to a camp for the Republican Guard. Hours earlier, President Saddam Hussein called for a jihad on the US-led "aggressors", according to a statement read on Tuesday night by his information minister.

           The "big push" by the allied troops for Baghdad would begin "within 48 hours" with an intensive artillery bombardment supported by close air cover before the main body of soldiers stepped forward, said the Times quoting senior military sources at US Central Command in Qatar. The assault, it is reported, may start in the south-west of Baghdad with an initial strike to breach Iraq's elite Medina division's lines north of Karbala and head on to the Capital. The reports came as a senior defence official in Washington said US troops had fought Republican Guard near Karbala, 80 km south of Baghdad.

           The battle marked the first time "ground forces have been fully engaged against Republican Guards," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, a Danish freelance photographer who disappeared one week ago in Baghdad has been freed by Iraqi authorities after being accused of spying for the CIA. Johan Spanner (28) told the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in Copenhagen that Iraqi forces had arrested him along with four other foreigners, and alleged he was spying for the CIA as well as the Pentagon. All the five were placed in isolation for six days, some 30 to 40 km from Baghdad. On Tuesday, they were driven to the Iraqi-Jordanian border and released, he added.

Pilgrims Back Home from Iraq, Safely (Go To Top)

          LUCKNOW: It was a special occasion for Ali Nawab, who expressed it with a smile. "Allah is great", he said as his anxious family members greeted him. Nawab was part of the batch of 67 Muslim pilgrims who returned safely to their homes in Lucknow on Tuesday amidst heavy pounding in Iraq. Nawab, who had gone to Baghdad for Muharram prayers, said the Iraqis disliked the American invaders but also wanted an end to to President Saddam Hussein's regime.

           "There is no tension among the public there. But they do not want any American attack on their land and dislike them. They dislike Saddam too. But they do not show it. The public wants Saddam to leave the country," he said. Nazir Abbas, another Muslim pilgrim, remarked: "It feels very good to be back to your own land and meet your own people because when we left, we did not know whether we would be able to meet our people again."

Navratri Festival Begins (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI: The first day of the nine-day 'Navratri' festival was celebrated here with religious fervour on Wednesday. Navratri heralds the beginning of a festive season in India. The festival, which symbolises the triumph of good over evil, is marked by prayers, processions and musical programmes. Both Lord Rama and Goddess Durga are worshipped all over India in different forms. The festival is called Durga Puja in West Bengal while in the rest of the country it is known as Navratri.

Threats of Attack at Vaishno Devi, CRPF Beefs Up Security (Go To Top)

          KATRA: Security forces guarding the Vaishno Devi shrine have gone into a tizzy in the wake of threats of terrorist attacks during the 'Navaratras', which began on Wednesday. Following the threats, the Central Reserve Police Force has decided to deploy one more company along the 14-km route to the shrine situated atop the mountains.

Four Policemen Kidnapped by PWG Naxalites (Go To Top)

          HYDERABAD: Suspected Naxalites belonging to the banned People's War Group (PWG) kidnapped at least four policemen, including one of sub-inspector rank, on Wednesday. This reportedly happened in the Nallamalla forest in Prakasam district. Highly placed district officials said the miscreants first stopped the vehicle in the forest area and then took the victims away forcibly. They said the police party had gone to Katamraj to provide security on the occasion of 'Ugadi', the Telugu new year. The cops were returning in a vehicle after duty at the time of the abduction.

Rolling Stones Happy to be in India (Go To Top)

          BANGALORE: The Rolling Stones, the group that likes to call itself the world's greatest rock'n roll band, has said that "they were pleased to eventually be in India." The band members, who arrived here on Tuesday night, will present two concerts in the country. The lead singer Sir Mick Jagger, the eccentric guitarist Keith Richards along with Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts, interacted in fine-tuning with a full house media at a press conference. "We are very pleased to eventually be here in India and our first show is coming up in Bangalore. Then we'll be going to Bombay for another and it's nice to see you all. This is our first visit to India as a band and our first concert in India. We are looking forward to that very much," said Mick, who also welcomed everyone by talking in Hindi.

          The tour will be the first by the band in India, and is part of its ongoing '40 Licks World Tour'. The group, which had a sold-out show in New York last month, will perform in Bangalore on April 4 and the second concert will be held in Mumbai on April 7. Rolling Stones has just completed the first half of its '40 Licks World Tour' with 50 sell-out gigs in the United States and eight in Australia. But the rock-and-roll band had to cancel shows in Hong Kong and China following a health scare due the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the region. Indian fans of the Rolling Stones were earlier disappointed when it was heard that the band had cancelled its tour of China and Hong Kong. Rolling

           Stones, famous for their unforgettable songs as 'Sympathy for the Devil', 'Honky Tonk Woman', 'Ruby Tuesday' and 'Starfucker' has been part of the rock music circuit for almost four decades now. India has not really been a part of the rock music circuit. However, a select crowd is ready to welcome different music and welcomes rock performers. Deep Purple, Bryan Adams and The Scorpions have performed in Bangalore in the past year.

Vyapar Mandal Leader Shot Dead in Muzaffarnagar (Go To Top)

          MUZAFFARNAGAR: Despite initial differences between various trade unions, all commercial activity came to a halt in Muzaffarnagar on Tuesday in response to the bandh called in protest against the implementation of the controversial Value Added Tax. The bandh later took a violent turn when a leader of the yapar mandal, Rakesh Pawar, was shot dead by two unidentified assailants when he was returning in his car from the rail roko andolan.

Gere Opening Spa in Tibet to Boost Tourism (Go To Top)

          WASHINGTON: Aiming to make Tibet one of the world's favourite holiday destinations and boost its tourism, 'Chicago' actor Richard Gere is planning to open a large spa retreat in the country. The 53-year-old actor and his wife Carey Lowell, who are both Buddhists and count the Dalai Lama as a friend, have plans for a huge complex holiday retreat to be called Spa Tibet.

           The complex, described as an 'upmarket Butlins' by an insider, will consist of monasteries, hot baths and meditation rooms and Gere ambitiously hopes it will boost the Tibetan tourist business and take a step closer to freeing the country. According to Richard, the spa would attract "an influx of Westerners and Chinese to the new spiritual destination, filling Communist coffers, thereby alleviating the economic drain that China perceives as Tibet."

Landmine Blast Kills 8 Coal Workers in Pakistan (Go To Top)

          ISLAMABAD: Eight coal miners have been killed and five injured in a landmine explosion in the Loralai district of western Pakistan. The workers were in a truck when it hit the landmine at Chamalang in Baluchistan, reports BBC. A local official told correspondents that the accident was a result of a tribal feud, in which many landmines had been laid to settle scores between the Looni and Marri tribes.

Sino-Pak Charter on Defence Cooperation Signed (Go To Top)

          BEIJING: China and Pakistan have signed a charter on bilateral cooperation in defence industry and technology. It was signed on Tuesday following talks held by the visiting Minister of State for Defence Production Habibullah Khan Waraich with his Chinese counterpart Zhung Wei Min.

           During the talks, the two sides reiterated their resolve to maintain the ongoing interaction in strengthening their defence industry. Habibullah arrived here on Monday at the head of a five-member delegation. Chinese Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan met Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali in Beijing last week.