Musharraf to travel to Amritsar in hot-air balloon

          Lahore, Aug 13: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has reportedly accepted an invitation to travel to Amritsar in Punjab in a hot air balloon. Former parliamentarian and Congress Party member Vishwa Bandhu Gupta, who is currently the president of the World Hot Air Balloon Association, extended the invitation, the Daily Times reported. According to him, Musharraf had accepted the invitation, while remarking that it would be as daunting a task as finding a solution to breaking the stalemate in Pakistan-India relations.

22 bodies recovered from ONGC chopper's wreckage

           Mumbai, Aug 13: Twenty-two bodies have so far been recovered from the wreckage of the ill-fated ONGC helicopter that fell into the Arabian Sea off the Mumbai coast two days ago. ONGC sources said the wreckage of the chopper was lifted on to the multi-support vessel early on Wednesday. "The MI-72 chopper was lifted at around 3.15 am and so far we have recovered and identified 22 bodies," an ONGC spokesperson said here. "Post-mortem examination would be carried out on the bodies before they are handed over to the relatives," the spokesperson said. The rear door of the chopper had to be broke open to take out the bodies trapped inside, she said. While two ONGC employees survived the crash, three bodies were recovered a few hours after the helicopter plunged into the sea even as two more are yet to be accounted for.

RJD MP Shahabuddin surrenders

          Siwan (Bihar), Aug 13: RJD MP Mohammed Shahabuddin, who faces charges in four criminal cases, surrendered before a local court on Wednesday and was remanded to judicial custody till August 25. Bihar police had issued arrest warrants against Shahabuddin for kidnapping and murder of CPI-ML activist Munna Chaudhury. Before his surrender, Shahabuddin had sought an anticipatory bail, which was rejected by the court on August 7. Later, an order to attach his property was passed by the Chief Judicial Magistrate on August 8. Finally, he surrendered before the CJM on Wednesday. No bail application was filed in any of the cases, as a Siwan court issued non-bailable arrest warrents against him in February 2001 in the Munna Chaudhary murder case. Shahabuddin had been evading arrest since then.

One killed, 24 injured in Srinagar market blast (Go To Top)

          Srinagar, Aug 13: One person was killed and 24 were injured on Wednesday as a powerful explosion ripped through a crowded market in Kashmir. The blast occurred about 12.30 a.m in the main bazaar of Bandipora, 60 km north of Srinagar. The injured were admitted to a local hospital. "There was a blast in Bandipora, right next to a bank. We were in a nearby shop and we got hurt," said an injured. "I was coming back from college and was running behind a bus to catch it, then suddenly there was a blast around 12.30 and I got hurt," said another injured. Condition of eight of the injured, including two paramilitary personnel and a policeman is stated to be serious. Local media reports said the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device planted in a bicycle near a hotel. No militant group has claimed responsibility for the blast. The blast took place two days before the 56th Independence Day celebrations. Militants have in the past tried to disrupt Independence Day celebrations in Kashmir and elsewhere across the country by targeting traditional flag-hoisting ceremonies and planting bombs in buses, trains and public places.

Security tightened in Delhi for I-Day celebrations (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, Aug 13: Security has been stepped up in the national capital to thwart any militant attack during Independence Day celebrations on Friday. Armed policemen, including elite commandos, have been deployed along major traffic points and the historic 17th century Red Fort, venue of Friday's celebrations. Delhi police officials told reporters that they were being extra cautious following threats by militant groups. "For Independence Day there are some general inputs and a few uncorroborated inputs also, to do something spectacular on this occasion. But if we see the inputs that have come in the past, they are indicating specific threats to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister and a few prominent leaders. Keeping these aspects and a few uncorroborataed inputs from the Lashker-e-Taiyaba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad we had to be extra cautious and accordingly the Delhi Police has taken a series of specific measures to neutralise this threat," S.K Kain, Special Commissioner of the Delhi Police, said.

          Anti-aircraft guns would be deployed at the Red Fort and air force helicopters would patrol the city on Friday morning when Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee addresses the nation from its ramparts. Lashker-e-Taiyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammad are among a dozen Muslim militant groups fighting New Delhi's rule in Jammu and Kashmir, which lies at the heart of a conflict between nuclear India and Pakistan. Militants have in the past tried to disrupt Independence Day celebrations in Kashmir and elsewhere across the country by targeting traditional flag-hoisting ceremonies and planting bombs in buses, trains and public places.

Two new Pak buses to India (Go To Top)

          Islamabad, Aug 13: Pakistan has indicated that it will soon start two new bus services on the Lahore-Delhi route to facilitate cross-border travel for more passengers. "The inclusion of two more buses in the Lahore-Delhi bus service would help accommodate a large number of visitors from both sides," said Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Rais Munir Ahmad while announcing this here on Tuesday night. He claimed that the new bus service would also act as tourism promotion tool for places like the scenic and hilly northern area (NA), which was as beautiful as Europe. The federal government was trying to attract tourists by establishing motels and providing reliable transport facilities. Ahmad also announced that Britain and Pakistan would sign an agreement to promote tourism and entertainment facilities in the country. Pakistanis living in Britain had forwarded a proposal to set up amusement parks at Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, which the government was considering seriously, he said.

Coke withdraws petition from SC (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, Aug 13: Multinational Coca Cola on Wednesday withdrew its petition to seek testing of its product by experts from the Supreme Court after the court refused to entertain its plea. Expressing its wonder at how some soft drink manaufacturers had approached the Delhi High Court, while others had come directly to the apex court, a three-judge bench comprising Justices S. Rajendra Babu, A.R. Lakshmanan and G.P. Mathur told the petitioner, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd, that the court could not be drawn into a repeated plea to convert the petition into a public interest litigation to protect the rights of the consumer. Reacting to counsel Kapil Sibal's plea that it was not correct of municipalities in West Bengal, Punjab and Rajasthan to ban the sale of Coca-Cola based on tests conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the bench said: "Can one not say that he does not want to drink soft drinks? You approach whichever forum you think appropriate to enforce your right, but we will not entertain this petition."

          Coke's rival Pepsi had approached the Delhi High Court on Friday with a demand for an independent evaluation of CSE's "damaging" report, which it calimed was "suspect". Making its findings public last week, the CSE had said that "Twelve major cold drink brands sold in Delhi and around contain a deadly cocktail of pesticide residues". According to the tests conducted by Pollution Monitoring Laboratory (PML) of CSE, all samples contained residues of four extremely toxic pesticides and insecticides: lindane, DDT, malathion and chlorpyrifos.

          Since then, several state governments have ordered fresh tests on these MNC brands determine whether pesticide levels were within permissible limits with Kolkata leading the pack in enforcing an unofficial ban on soft drinks. Coke has already petitioned the Bombay High Court against shutting down its Pune bottling plant while Pepsi's petition in the Delhi High Court is awaiting fresh test reports. Several schools and colleges across the country have also virtually banned these soft drinks. Meanwhile, the Department of Food Processing Industries is believed to be reviewing the two companies' licence for bottling soft drinks in the country.

24 hurt in Baramulla explosion (Go To Top)

          Srinagar, Aug 13: A powerful explosion in Kashmir's Baramullah district injured 24 persons, six of them seriously, on Wednesday. Officials contacted said the blast occurred outside a restaurant at Bandipora Chowk at around 12.35 p.m. The injured have been shifted to hospital. Those seriously hurt have been brought here for specialised treatment, the officials said. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast so far.

LS adjourns again over PAC issue (Go To Top)

         New Delhi, Aug 13: Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi on Wednesday adjourned house proceedings after the Opposition raised a hue and cry over the government's consistent refusal to make the Central Vigilance Commission's (CVC) report on the Kargil coffin scam available to the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Joshi, who sought comments from Defence Minister George Fernandes on a privilege notice issued against him on the issue, had to suspend business for the day after opposition members broke rank and stormed into the Well of the House. Muslim League member G.M. Banatwala gave the notice to Fernandes. "I have called for comments of the Minister of Defence in the matter. I will take a decision in the matter on the receipt of said comments," Joshi said, sparking off an uproar. In another ruling on a privilege notice against Law Minister Arun Jaitley that alleged dilution of charges against the accused by CBI in the Babri Masjid demolition case, Joshi said he had referred the matter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat as Jaitley was a member of the Upper House. The second notice was tabled by Banatwala and Congress chief whip Priyarajan Dasmunsi.

150 fall ill after taking 'prasad' (Go To Top)

          Muktsar (Punjab), Aug 13: At least 150 people fell ill after eating lunch at a holy feast in Punjab on Tuesday. Police said the devotees started complaining of vomiting and diarrhoea after having the prasad (holy offering) at a shrine. "We had gone there for prasad. I just had vegetables and sweets. I came back and went off to sleep. Then I started feeling uncomfortable and was admitted to the hospital," Babbu Singh, a patient, said. "I started feeling dizzy and uncomfortable after having the holy feast," Bakshish Singh, another patient, added. Known as 'langar' (community kitchen), such feasts are common across northern India where shrines and temples offer lunch to people, free of cost. Devotees believe the feast to be blessed by the divine. Authorities say all the affected are now out of danger.

Steve sympathises with Shane (Go To Top)

          Sydney, Aug 13: Expressing support and sympathy for Shane Warne and his family, Australian Test cricket captain Steve Waugh said in Sydney that the full story had not come out and Warne deserved a fair chance. Champion legspinner Warne, who is serving a 12-month drug suspension, has been accused by South African woman Helen Cohen Alon of pestering her with unwanted SMS messages. "I am part of the cricket side and we have some loyalty to each other ... I feel for Shane and what's happened. He's human, he makes mistakes and I think he pays for his, pretty heavily. I certainly support Shane and his family", the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Waugh as saying.

 

Bottomlines

'I survived Gigli' t-shirts offer to `Gigli' survivors (Go To Top)

          Washington, Aug 13: An American radio station is offering prizes to those who sit through the Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's flop movie 'Gigli,' during the final showing of the movie at the Boston picturehouse this week. According to ratethemusic.com, the Boston American station WBCN is offering 'I Survived Gigli' t-shirts to anyone left in their seats when the lights come up after the show. "We're doing this because the movie's been such a bomb," says WBCN Creative Services Director Chachi Loprete. The critically-slammed movie has recovered only 6 million dollars of its 55 million dollar investment since its release in America at the beginning of the month.

Naomi becomes a soccer wife (Go To Top)

          Washington, Aug 13: A British television show, 'Footballer's Wives', will now star glamorous supermodel Naomi Campbell. The programme deals with the scandalous sex and drugs lifestyle of the wealthy wives of a fictional soccer club. According to a report in RatetheMusic.com, the 33-year-old approached bosses at British television network ITV and it paid off - as she'll appear in the third series commencing in January 2004. "They're in final negotiations and writing her into the script as we speak", said a source to the Daily Mirror.

Daryl Hannah, Playboy's November cover girl (Go To Top)

          Washington, Aug 13: She may be in her forties, but she is dishy as ever. In fact Daryl Hannah's perfectly sculpted figure will grace the cover of Playboy. The stunning blond actress will bare all for the November issue, thanks to a sizzling nude pictorial she shot at her Malibu home, reports New York Post. Hannah, 42, is said to be in the best shape of her life - thanks to a rigorous regimen of karate and sword-fighting during the making of the upcoming Quentin Tarantino epic, Kill Bill,' in which she plays an assassin.

Guy Ritchie true to his Kabbalah beliefs (Go To Top)

          Washington, Aug 13: Guy Ritchie's latest project 'Revolver' has been rejected for release by Sony, with the company executives claiming that the crime caper movie contains too many references to the Jewish cult Kabbalah. According to People News, the director has been asked to rewrite the script. "It made Sony very uncomfortable. Kabbalah is seen as a kind of cult in some circles and no one wanted to be associated with it," says a source. Richie, who has faced a lot of movie flops including Madonna's 'Swept Away,' was expected to bow to studio pressure and rewrite the script but he refused and even fired the agent William Morris. "Guy apparently felt he had to be true to his kabbalah beliefs and not stick with the rewrite," confirmed the sources.

Diaz's `Cameron Diaz nude' net nightmare (Go To Top)

         Washington, Aug 13: Actress Cameron Diaz is contemplating suing a slew of internet sites that show unauthorized nude pictures of her. According to TeenHollywood.com, the 'Charlie's Angels' beauty, who just won a battle to keep her 11-year-old topless pictures out of the public eye, is worried that such sleazy sites will ruin her clean image. "The Internet is loaded with provocative shots of the actress. A simple Google search of 'Cameron Diaz nude' turns up numerous sites that show multiple photos of the actress or someone who looks like her, in various states of undress," says an insider. "Cameron is sweet, but she's certainly not Mother Teresa and has not been shy about showing her body on a number of occasions," adds the insider.

-ANI