Archives

Pop star Daler Mehndi arrested (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, Dec 19: The Delhi police on Friday arrested Punjabi pop star Daler Mehndi. He had been on the run since October after being charged with involvement in a human trafficking racket. Announcing this, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Ashok Chand said: "We have detained him and have informed the Punjab police about it." Daler was picked up from Vasant Vihar on Friday afternoon, he added. Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court postponed to January 16 hearing on his application for bail, asking the accused to surrender before the Patiala court immediately. Police teams from Punjab had come in search of the singer on a number of occasions but had returned empty-handed. Apart from searching his properties here, Punjab police teams had visited Mumbai too.

          Daler, his brother Shamsher, and their wives have been charged with running an immigration racket and duping people of Punjab and Haryana of millions of rupees by promising them residence permits abroad. Shamsher was arrested in Patiala, 70 km from here, on October 5 following a complaint by a man named Bakhshish Singh who complained he had been duped. In all 20 complaints of fraud and cheating had been registered against the Mehndi brothers.

Samjhauta Express will run from Jan 15 (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, Dec 19: India and Pakistan will resume rail links from January 15. An agreement to this effect was signed between officials of the two sides here after two days of talks that concluded here Friday. A joint statement issued here said: "Samjhauta Express and freight services will resume with effect from January 15, 2004 as per the earlier time-table. The fare structure will be announced shortly." Rail links between the two countries were broken off two years ago amid tensions following the December 13, 2001, Parliament attack. Pakistan Railways additional general manager Muhammad Iqbal Khatari was leading a four-member Pakistan delegation for talks with the Indian railway officials. The delegation reached India on Wednesday.

Musharraf has alternative to Kashmir plebiscite: Rashid

          Islamabad, Dec 19: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is ready to offer alternative to the demand for plebiscite in Kashmir, Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid said in an interview with a foreign news channel here Friday. Pakistan is not dropping the call for plebiscite, Rashid said, adding that "we can think of certain other things; we have some alternative proposals." The minister declined to outline the alternative proposals, saying only that President Musharraf would raise them with Indian leaders when "serious talks" are held. Meanwhile, the foreign office has said that Musharraf was earlier quoted out of context on giving up on the UN resolution on Kashmir.

Vajpayee to meet Musharraf on January 4 (Go To Top)

          Islamabad, Dec19: Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will meet Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad on January 4 when he hosts a dinner for the seven heads of the SAARC governments on the opening day of the summit. The meeting is likely to overshadow the summit. According to the News, a "quiet diplomacy" has been going on for some time to ensure that positive strides are taken by both Islamabad and New Delhi. Some officials, however, told the paper that the face-to-face meeting would not be the only one between the two leaders. The engagement would be preceded by a 15-minute call on Musharraf by all SAARC leaders.

          They also indicated the possibility of a bilateral meeting between Vajpayee and Musharraf. "The Indian Prime Minister would be here for three and a half days. We cannot rule out the possibility of more encounters, including a bilateral meeting between Gen Musharraf and Mr Vajpayee," a senior official in the Foreign Office said. As per the tentative programme, Vajpayee is scheduled to arrive here from New Delhi by a special flight on the evening of January 3. As of now he has no official engagements on the day of his arrival prior to the inaugural session of the summit on January 4.

          The Indian leader would also be present at a dinner to be hosted by Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali on January 5. On that day the SAARC leaders are to have a retreat at Jamali's residence. Vajpayee is also expected to have several bilateral meetings with SAARC leaders after the summit concludes on the morning of January 6 and before his return to India the same evening. Vajpayee's media managers are reportedly toying with the idea of a meeting between Vajpayee and some of the intellectuals in the federal Capital to provide an opportunity for a heart to heart talk. Foreign Office sources have also not ruled out the possibility of bilateral meeting between Indian External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri. Sinha would arrive here on January 1 to take part in the ministerial level meeting of SAARC ahead of the summit.

India can attain 6-8 pc GDP growth: WB (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, Dec 19: The World Bank is optimistic that Indian economy can grow by 6-8 per cent in the coming years but has asked the government to improve social services like education and health. "In comparison to most industrialised nations, India is likely to achieve an impressive growth as the potential is enormous. GDP growth could be much higher at 6-8 per cent," World Bank country director Michael Carter said. He added that it would depend crucially on external economy, state of the capital markets, and global trade. GDP growth would also depend on how the country addresses domestic economic factors including fiscal consolidation and improvement in social services, Carter said at a seminar organised here by Oxford Cambridge Society of India on Thursday night.

Jackson charged with child abuse (Go To Top)

          Los Angeles, Dec 19: Pop star Michael Jackson has been formally charged with seven counts of child abuse, it was reported Friday. Jackson was arrested last month following a highly publicised police raid on his Neverland Ranch in California. The singer is accused of abusing a 14-year old boy. If convicted, he would face up to 24 years imprisonment. The pop star, out on a three million dollar bail, has called the allegations a "big lie" and will appear in court on January 16.

Trishul test-fired again (Go To Top)

          Balasore, Dec 19: For the second time in two days, Trishul, the country's most sophisticated short-range surface- to-air missile, was test-fired from the integrated test range (ITR) at Chandipur near here Friday, ITR sources said. The sleek missile, indigenously developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was fired from a mobile launcher at 11.20 am. The sources said that the missile was directed at a moving object. The solid fuel propellant missile, which can carry a warhead weighing 15 kg, has a triple battlefield role for the army, navy and air force and has a range of nine km. The ongoing trials were intended to gauge the accuracy and various other parameters of the missile, they said. Trishul, which flies at supersonic speed, is part of India's Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). It is about three metres in length and 200 cm in diametre.

Madanlal Khurana appointed Rajasthan Governor (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, Dec19: Delhi BJP president and Lok Sabha MP Madan Lal Khurana was on Friday appointed as Governor of Rajasthan. The formal announcement in this regard will be made within a few days by the state government, informed sources said. Merely a couple of weeks ago the party assumed power after comfortably deteating the Congress in Assembly polls. Following the appointment, Khurana resigned from the party chief post saying he was no longer keen on continuing in "active electoral politics". Currently, Khurana is a Lok Sabha member from Delhi Sadar. In the recently held Delhi Assembly polls, he had successfully contested from Moti Nagar Assembly constituency, from where he resigned on Wednesday. His party, BJP, could secure only 20 seats and was way behind from forming the government in Delhi. Meanwhile, BJP national vice-president and MLA Harshvardhan has been appointed as the new party unit president in place of Khurana.

Nepal, Bangladesh for tripartite water resource initiative (Go To Top)
-by Nazrul Islam

          Dhaka, Dec 19: Bangladesh and Nepal have both expressed their urgent desire for a tripartite initiative involving the two countries and India to harness water resource usage in these three countries. A Bangladesh Foreign Ministry spokesman told reporters on Thursday evening that both Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and visiting Nepalese Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa had expressed their urgency for tripartite water management arrangement without discussing any specific India-related water project. While discussing bilateral issues, the two prime ministers also agreed in principal to start talks on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to boost bilateral trade in line with such talks with India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Fog disrupts traffic: trains, flights delayed (Go To Top)

          New Delhi/Amritsar, Dec 19: A thick blanket of fog engulfed the northern parts of the country early on Friday leading to slow traffic and delayed trains and flights. Life came to a virtual standstill in the Capital with traffic on the main roads moving at a snail's pace due to poor visibility. The vehicles moved with their taillights and fog lights switched on to avoid accidents.

          "Today we are facing a lot of problems because there is fog on the roads and we are unable to drive as there is zero visibility," said Agrasen Sharma, a scooterist. However, the fog failed to dampen the spirits of the devotees at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. "People are able to enjoy this season but as far as the number of pilgrims coming to Golden Temple is concerned, it has not been affected at all," said Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) general secretary Rajinder Singh Mehta. Amritsar at five degrees centigrade was the coldest place in Punjab. Foggy conditions coupled with cloudy weather resulted in a dip in temperature by a few degrees in most parts of the region.

Dalai Lama returns from foreign tour (Go To Top)

          Dharamsala, Dec 19: Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama returned to his headquarters here Thursday after a long foreign tour. Tibetan Buddhist clergy held special prayers in the town's main monastery to mark the occasion. Large number of Tibetan followers eagerly waited on roads to welcome their spiritual head. The Dalai Lama was on a month-long tour to Italy and also many places in India. He paid a brief courtesy visit to the Vatican. The Dalai Lama's visit to Italy stirred controversy because no meeting was planned with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

          The Dalai Lama runs a government-in-exile in Dharamsala in the country after fleeing Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He now seeks greater autonomy for the Himalayan region.

`Dizzy' out of third Test (Go To Top)

          Sydney, Dec 19: It's official. Aussie pacer Jason `Dizzy' Gillespie will not play in the third Test against India beginning at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26. The 28-year-old was forced to leave the field during the just- concluded second Test at the Adelaide Oval due to a groin strain. "Jason has strained his right groin and although the medical staff is confident it will resolve over the short term, we felt it was prudent for him to miss this next Test match," AAP quoted Australian team physiotherapist Errol Alcott as saying. Gillespie said he was disappointed at missing the match but would now look towards being right for the fourth and final beginning at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 2. Australia is expected to announce the squad for the Melbourne Test on Monday.

McGrath expects Lee to stop the Indian juggernaut (Go To Top)

          Sydney, Dec 19: Glenn McGrath believes that the return of fellow pacer Brett Lee in the Aussie squad will halt the Indian juggernaut. Both McGrath, 33, and Lee underwent ankle surgery in October, but while the latter has recovered, the former hasn't. Lee will now play in the third `Boxing Day' Test beginning at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26, while McGrath has been ruled out of all four Tests. "When Brett made his debut, it was against India in Melbourne, so hopefully he can go back to the form he showed there," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted McGrath as saying.

Bottomlines

Silver car cuts accident risk (Go To Top)

          London, Dec 19: If you are planning to buy a car, choose a silver colour for your own safety. According to a Kiwi study published in this week's Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal, silver cars are less likely to be involved in accidents than cars of other colours. After examining over 1,000 drivers who took part in the Auckland car crash injury study between 1998 and 1999, researchers found a significant reduction (about 50 percent) in the risk of serious injury caused by accidents involving silver cars compared with white cars. There was a significantly increased risk of a serious injury in brown, black and green cars. The risk of a serious injury in yellow, grey, red, and blue cars was not significantly different from that in white cars.

'Cold Mountain' has its day at Golden Globe nominations! (Go To Top)

          Sydney, Dec19: 'Cold Mountain' has got eight Golden Globe nominations. Nicole Kidman is up for best actress, Renee Zellweger for best supporting actress and Jude Law for best actor. It has also made the shortlist for best motion picture, screenplay, director, original score and song. According to AAP, Watts was likely to be nominated for her critically acclaimed role in '21 Grams'. However, the Globes' judges and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association decided not to give her a nomination for the January 25 awards ceremony. Other Australians nominated in Los Angeles are Sydney born director Peter Weir, TV actor Anthony LaPaglia and Judy Davis, for her portrayal of Nancy Reagan in the controversial TV movie 'The Reagans'. Peter Weir has fair chances of getting another Globe for his movie 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'. Competing against Master and Commander are, 'Cold Mountain', 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King', 'Mystic River' and 'Seabiscuit'. Crowe, nominated for Master and Commander, has tough opposition in the best actor in a film drama. He is competing against Tom Cruise, Ben Kingsley, Jude Law and Sean Penn. Moreover, 'The Office' star Ricky Gervais is up for best actor in a comedy series and Helen Mirren could clinch the best actress in comedy for 'Calendar Girls'. 'Bend It Like Beckham' has made it to the best comedy/musical picture shortlist.

Sitcom, the final destination for Britney's sis! (Go To Top)

          New York, Dec 19: Sitcom seems to be the "final destination" for celebs' siblings nowadays. According to a report in ratethemusic.com, Britney Spears' kid sister Jamie Lynn has landed her own sitcom deal with kids' TV network Nickeldeon. A day after Beyonce Knowles' sister Solange landed her own show with UPN in America, Jamie Lynn will star in an untitled boarding school comedy series. The 12-year-old has already showed off her talent for laughs as a cast member on Nickelodeon sketch comedy show All That.

John Travolta wants to fly to the moon! (Go To Top)

          New York, Dec 19: "Saturday Night Fever" star John Travolta might fly to the moon. According to a report in ratethemusic.com, the actor has made a personal bid to get to the moon by offering his services to American President George W Bush. The action hero has already been invited to join space agency NASA on one of their missions, but is having trouble fitting the trip into his hectic film schedule. His enthusiasm, however, remains undimmed and was evident as he helped Bush commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight in North Carolina. After crooning the opening lines of classic "Come Fly With ME" and listening intently to the President's speech, the "Grease" star took the stand after hearing Bush may back another flight to the moon, saying excitedly, "I volunteer to go on the first mission."

Charlotte Church threatened by ex beau! (Go To Top)

         London, Dec 19: Pop sensation Charlotte Church has fled to a secret location after her ex-boyfriend, Steven Johnson threatened her life. According to the Sun, 'The Voice of an Angel' singer had dumped Johnson after he confessed about his philandering ways to her. Meanwhile, Johnson turned up at 4.30 am at the luxurious Cardiff, Wales, flat that he used to share with Church and screamed in abusive language that he would kill her. Johnson allegedly kicked her door several times but she did not open the door. A terrified Church phoned the guard but by the time the guard arrived, Johnson and his friends had fled. However, Church's concerned mom Maria has shifted her daughter to an undisclosed location. A close friend of Church says, "She was terrified. He called round with his mates and tried to kick the door in. He screamed all sorts of things. He started getting aggressive and shouted words to the effect of, 'I'm going to have you, I'm going to f***ing kill you.' "Charlotte was upset but didn't want to get the police involved. She won't be staying in the flat anymore. She has gone somewhere else, but obviously the location is a secret. It seems Charlotte's mum was right in not liking Johnson."

Mel Gibson is America's most popular film star (Go To Top)

          New York, Dec 19: Last year, he occupied the runners-up spot but this year Mel Gibson has gone one up to emerge as the most popular film star in the U.S. The Aussie-born "Braveheart" star has been in top five every year since the Harris poll began in 1993. Another Oscar-winner in the form of America's Sweetheart Julia Roberts occupies the second spot. The 36-year-old "Pretty Woman" beauty was number three last year and numero uno in 2001. She is the only representative of the fairer sex in the top 10 this year. Harris Interactive conducted the 2003 poll online, collecting the film star preferences of a nation-wide sample of 1,102 adults between November 17 and 23, reports EOnline! Apparently the American public is consistent about what it likes, nine out of the top 10 stars were also in the top 10 last year. The sole new addition to the list is Johnny Depp, who replaced Sandra Bullock from the number 10 position. Tom Cruise is up from a low number nine to share the number five slot with Harrison Ford, who was ranked four last year. Sean Penn jumped from number five to number three and the late John `The Duke' Wayne slipped to number seven, his lowest ranking yet. Wayne, who died in 1979, is the only dead film star ever to make it into the top 10. 1. Mel Gibson 2. Julia Roberts 3. Sean Connery 4. Tom Hanks 5. Harrison Ford (tie) 5. Tom Cruise (tie) 7. John Wayne 8. Clint Eastwood 9. Denzel Washington 10. Johnny Depp.

-ANI