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Hindu Leaders Plan Parliament Gherao NEW DELHI: Hardline Hindus on Sunday vowed to continue with their campaign to build a temple on a bitterly contested site that is also claimed by Muslims. The programmes include a gherao and march on Parliament on Monday. A 16th-century mosque on the land in Ayodhya city, around 650 km east of New Delhi, was razed by a Hindu mob in 1992, triggering the country's worst communal riots in which around 3,000 people were killed. The dispute over the land has dragged on for years in courts, which have banned any construction on the land until they settle the issue. The Supreme Court is expected to give a decision on removing restriction on "undisputed" part of the land on March 6. Thousands of Hindu leaders and saints who had gathered in the national Capital for their Dharam Sansad which concluded on Sunday will march to Parliament on Monday to protest against the Government for not allowing them to build the temple. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a hardline affiliate of Central alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party will also be supporting the march. Ayodhya Temple Deadline Moved to 2004 (Go To Top) NEW DELHI: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Sunday threatened to go ahead with the construction of a Ram temple on the controversial land in Ayodhya. Firebrand Praveen Togadia, VHP general secretary, said on the concluding day of the Dharam Sansad in New Delhi that no further dates would be announced and that the temple construction could be undertaken any time before next general elections due by October, 2004. (Earlier, the Dharam Sansad - meeting of saints - was scheduled to take a decision for immediate construction on Saturday. The sansad instead scaled down their programme to mobilisation of protests) Thousands of Jharkhand Policemen Go on Mass Leave (Go To Top) RAIPUR: Thirty thousand police personnel went on mass leave in Jharkhand on Saturday night, leaving the entire police and administrative services in the State to a standstill. To add to the Government's problems, the Hhome Guards in the State also joined the strike. The policemen are demanding Central pay-scale, and time-bound promotions, besides other allowaces. The situation worsened on Sunday morning when the striking policemen refused to surrender their arms and took out a procession in police lines.They have threatened to launch an armed struggle if their demands are not fulfilled. Laxmi Paswan, vice-president of the policemen's association, said, "If they want to hold talks, we are ready for that. But if they do not invite us for talks then after five days of strike, we will come on roads, loaded with weapons. And the DGP and Uttaranchal Government will be responsible for the consequences." Iran Refuses Snap Nuclear Inspections (Go To Top) TEHERAN: Iran has refused snap inspections by the UN atomic energy agency of nuclear facilities which has alarmed Washington, but agreed to promptly inform the Vienna-based watchdog if it decides to build any new ones, reports the News. But at a joint press conference with visiting International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed El Baradei, Iran's nuclear energy agency chief on Saturday said the country was ready to further discuss the inspection issue. "We assured El Baradei that all-out activities are under IAEA control and we have left the door open for further discussions," Gholamreza Aghazadeh said. At the top of El Baradei's agenda since his arrival on Friday was trying to convince Iran to sign the additional protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which allows for snap inspections of both declared and undeclared nuclear sites. "This is not just about Iran, but for all countries," El Baradei said. World Being Destabilised by US: Pak Seminar (Go To Top) KARACHI: American unilateralism and its attempt to bypass the United Nations are significantly contributing to global instability after the 9/11 incident and the situation must be reversed, reports Dawn. This was the consensus among the participants of a workshop - The World After September 11: Challenges and Opportunities - organized on Saturday by the Department of International Relations, Karachi University, under its programme on peace studies and conflict resolution, in collaboration with the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The "preventive defence" paradigm of the US, which means bypassing the UN, was considered a "very dangerous notion", especially as it focuses mainly on the Muslims the world over. Questions were also raised about the American definition of terrorism and it was emphasized that the UN was the best medium to resolve conflicts. It was noted that the biggest casualties of the 9/11 incident were Pakistan-India relations and the SAARC summit. In his keynote address, Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema of the Policy Research Institute, Islamabad, said the tragic event of September 11 had not only led to the international coalition against terrorism but also caused the US-led war against Afghanistan. Now another consequence could be seen in the preparations for war against Iraq. One of the speakers, Ross Masood Hussain, defined terrorism as a form of low-intensity warfare. He said the world-wide surge of terrorist activities was a result of the interplay of political, social, economic, cultural and psychological factors that had released a process of socio-psychological disruptions causing sharp ideological, ethnic, linguistic, class, religious, cultural, economic and communal divisions and conflicts. Another speaker in his paper held that terrorism was a major destabilising factor even before 9/11, but things had taken a critical turn with the United States and its allies launching a major offensive against Al-Qaeda and intensifying pressure on various groups and States. He said it was time to objectively analyse the situation and reach some logical conclusions. Earlier, during the inaugural session, Dean of Karachi University's Faculty of Arts, Dr Abu Zar Wajidi, expressed the view that terrorism was a special form of political violence aimed at creating a climate of extreme fear in a wide target. Wajidi maintained that 9/11 had posed a challenge to the United Nations Security Council and the international community, and that it should be met through concerted efforts.
Justin's Double Act! (Go To Top) LONDON: In a startling revelation, pop Casanova Justin Timberlake has been reported to have had a relationship with singer Dannii Minogue (31) - just hours after an episode involving pop diva Kylie's rear during a raunchy stage duet at the Brits. According to a report in the sun.co.uk, the US charmer had joined both Aussie beauties for dinner and at an after-Brits party held by the pop star's EMI record label at a top London hotel. But he later jumped in a car with Dannii and sped to his own hotel, the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge. Zeta Worried by Skin Rashes (Go To Top) LONDON: Hollywood Beauty Catherine Zeta Jones is a worried woman these days. According to a report, the actress recently revealed she had a rash on her chest and neck.The pregnant Chicago actress, 33, showed the angry red blotches as she left a Welsh hotel with superstar hubby Michael Douglas and son Dylan. The rashes could well be the outcome of the stress caused by her high-profile legal battle with Hello! Magazine as stress-related rashes are extremely common. The Sun's GP Carol Cooper said, "People often think they are a sign of an allergy when they are in fact caused by stress or a stressful situation. The skin and the brain are made from similar cells so it's no wonder the emotions and skin are so closely linked. "Stress increases hormone levels such as adrenalin and cortisol, both of which make the skin sweat and more greasy. These hormones also dilate the blood vessels, so more blood flows to the skin. That means what you can get when you are stressed is flushing, blushing and angry, red rashes on your skin," he further said. Dr Cooper added, "Being pregnant can also make rashes show up more and cause the skin to itch. And stress can also make lots of skin rashes worse." Catherine, who has been staying with her family in Swansea, is suing Hello! for publishing unofficial snaps of her November 2000 wedding in New York after she and hubby Michael had sold the exclusive rights to a rival magazine. Heather May Never Be Able to Conceive (Go To Top) LONDON: Amid all the rumours about her pregnancy, Sir Paul McCartney's wife Heather Mills has revealed she may never be able to conceive. According to a report, Mills revealed she had suffered cancer of the uterus plus two ectopic pregnancies and there was little chance that she could give birth. Heather said, "The rumours about my pregnancy are really hurtful, considering the cancer and two ectopic pregnancies." Heather, who wed 60-year-old Paul in Ireland in June last year, added: "I'm sure for any woman out there it's hard enough when your family keeps saying, When are you going to have a baby then?" Further denying tensions with hubby Paul's dress designer daughter Stella, Heather blamed the talk of conflict on the media. Aniston's Reverse Interest (Go To Top) WASHINGTON: If you thought life becomes boring once you attain all the fame and money in the world, think again. Jennifer Aniston has done it all. Marriage to Brad Pitt, getting awards galore, notching up a money-spinning 10th series of Friends and enjoying critical success in her first serious role in 'The Good Girl'. However, it seems the charming actress' appetite is not yet full as she is now planning an all-out assault on the pop charts too. She has been taking voice and guitar lessons in preparation for a new film in which she will sing. The as yet untitled film will be released in the summer and she plans to release the offering into the charts. While the recent past has seen many pop divas in the form of Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears showing interest in acting, Aniston seems keen on reversing the trend. -ANI |