US Distributing Masks to Pentagon Staff for Protection During Gulf War
Bush says no new UN resolution on Iraq is needed to start military action

          WASHINGTON: US President George W Bush has said that no new UN resolution on Iraq is needed to start military action and warned Baghdad that only "full disarmament" can avert war. The US leader on Wednesday predicted ... (Contd)

OIC Move to Use Oil as Weapon in Anti-war Drive

          KUALA LUMPUR: Islamic States have discussed using oil as leverage in their campaign to oppose moves to wage war in Iraq. Countries meeting for informal talks of the Organization of Islamic Conference discussed the possibility of using oil as a weapon in the anti-war campaign, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad said at a news conference following consultations. Mahathir said participants acknowledged there would be repercussions if they sought to use their control over the world's oil market in their campaign to avert a war against Baghdad, but said some felt they should start thinking about this option.

           Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia says there is no point in holding an emergency summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference on Iraq as proposed by Qatar, sources said. Such a meeting would have no use for Arabs and Muslims and would lend nothing new to the Iraqo issue, a Saudi official told media..

No Hike in Rail Fare, Freight for Now (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI: The Government announced some rail freight cuts and kept passenger fares untouched in the railway budget for 2003-04 presented in Parliament on Wednesday in what analysts said was a vote-catching move ahead of State and national elections. Congress leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi said that the Government might raise the fares later.

          Railway minister Nitish Kumar said passenger fares have been kept on hold with relaxation in fares of Express trains. Surprisingly, the passenger segment saw a drop of three per cent during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year. In a move to fight stiff competition from rival transporters, announced freight rate cuts for many commodities. Petrol freight rates will be lowered by 10.7 per cent while reductions for transporting other commodities such as crude oil, chemicals, edible oils and cement will range from 3.7 per cent to 9.5 per cent. Kumar also announced a plan to borrow 29.70 billion rupees from the market to finance various projects. The minister forecast the railways would carry 540 million tonnes of freight in the financial year starting April 1, up from an estimated 515 million tonnes in the current year.

           Despite the rapid growth of airline and car travel, most of India's more than one billion people still depend on the over 63,000-km network to get from one part of the huge South Asian country to another. The world's second-largest rail network ferries more than 13 million passengers a day, even though carriages are at times dilapidated and the platforms are often filthy. The railway network is also the economic backbone of the country, transporting about 40 per cent of India's goods traffic, including petroleum, coal, grain and steel.

Violence-free Polling in Four States (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI:  Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland went to the polls on Wednesday to elect new Assemblies. Voting began on a dull note due to cold and snow in Himachal Pradesh in a key test for the ruling BJP ahead of a national election. In Nagaland police said a separatist rebel was killed and several hundred party workers were kidnapped to disrupt voting. Counting for all four States begins on Saturday with results expected that night.

           A by-election was also held in Kashmir despite a boycott call given by militant Hizbul Mujahideen. The by-election in the Assembly constituency of Pampore on the outskirts of Srinagar was held after militants shot dead Abdul Aziz Mir, a law-maker of the area and a leader of Kashmir's ruling People's Democratic Party, in December. Voting for by-election to the Sattankulam Assembly constituency of Tamil Nadu was brisk.

Five of a Family Gunned Down (Go To Top)

          ARWAL (Bihar): Gunmen killed five members of a family at remote Arwal district in Bihar on Tuesday. The incident occurred at around 11 pm at remote Kharasin village in Arwal. Eyewitnesses said heavily armed assailants beat up the villagers before taking them to an open field, and gunned them down. The area has been ridden with violence over the past many years with ultra Marxist-Leninst groups fighting high caste people in the deeply caste-ridden society. But police officials ruled out the hand of any Maoist group.

           An eyewitness, who was taken along with the five members but escaped the attack, said he was clueless as to why the attack took place. "They caught and brought us here with our hands tied, then fired on all of us. We do not know the reason behind it," said Bhutan. "At around 11 pm when these people were sleeping they started hitting them. Then they brought these five members of the family to a square and killed them," said Sunil Kumar, a villager.

Badal Amassed Thousands of Crores, Alleges Amarinder (Go To Top)

          CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh has said that since corruption flows from the top it is more important to catch the "larger fish" rather than prosecuting the lower rung Government officials. He said Badal had amassed wealth to the tune of "thousands of crores of rupees" during his corruption-ridden regime. Singh said this in an exclusive interview with ANI TV recently. The chief minister was apparently defending his crackdown on his predecessor Prakash Singh Badal.

Hurriyat-Vohra Talks Yet to Take Off (Go To Top)

          SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir's main separatist alliance on Wednesday said it was yet to take a decision whether to hold talks with New Delhi's latest representative. The Central Government had earlier this month appointed NN Vohra, a retired bureaucrat, as its main interlocutor, to hold talks with a range of groups in the State in an effort to end the 13-year old rebellion in the region. "Our meeting is going on ... it is a collective leadership and we take decisions only after reaching a consensus. We might talk on this (about NN Vohra's election as interlocutor), we don't know whether there will be a decision," said Abdul Gani Bhat, chairman of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC).

Cong Leader Slams Jogi Govt (Go To Top)

          RAIPUR: In yet another bid to prove his mettle in State politics, veteran Congress leader VC Shukla has criticised his own party Government headed by Ajit Jogi. He charged that the State Government was "neglecting" farmers' interests despite the worst-ever drought the State witnessed last last year.

          The former Union minister told a public rally organised by farmers under the banner of Chhattisgarh Sangharsh Parishad here on Wednesday that Shukla was one of the front-runners of the chief minister's post after the first Assembly elections in the newly- formed State. But, due to the "closer equations" with 10 Janpath (party president Sonia Gandhi resides there), Ajit Jogi emerged as the dark horse and grabbed the front seat. Since then Shukla had been expressing his "annoyed criticism" at Jogi's style of functioning.

           Later, talking to reporters, Shukla said, "All the problems related to the farmers in the State are overlooked by the State Government. For example, the crops are being insured but the farmers are not getting their legitimate money."

Let's Have Peace: Musharraf to Vajpayee, But Rules Out Talks (Go To Top)

          KUALA LUMPUR: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in a message to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has said, "the people of both countries have suffered a lot, let's have peace now. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Musharraf said, "Even though I am a military man, I don't like war. The people must not be made to suffer". However, the President said Pakistan would not hold dialogue with India any more, "as India has ignored a number of our offers for dialogue".

Masks to Pentagon Staff for Protection During Gulf War (Go To Top)

          (Contd) ... that Iraqi president Saddam Hussein would seek to avert military action by offering piecemeal cooperation with UN disarmament demands and asserted that the world must not let him keep "gaming the system." Bush and top aides have vowed to contact all 14 other members of the UN Security Council to win passage in a vote Washington wants to closely follow a March 7 report by chief UN disarmament inspector Hans Blix.

          The US defence department has started distributing thousands of masks to staff at its Washington headquarters in case of a biological, chemical or even nuclear attack. There are 24,000 civilian and military employees at the Pentagon complex, which was one of the targets of the September 11 attacks in 2001. But 80,000 masks costing 150 dollars each have been bought to cover department annexes and visitors as well.

           Meanwhile, the Iraqi President has told a television reporter that he has no intention either of going into exile or of setting fire to Iraqi oil fields in case of a US-led military invasion. Iraq will not destroy its dams and wealth, he said and invited Bush for a dialogue on TV.

Future with Boyfriend Nayyar not so Rosy for Liz (Go To Top)

          WASHINGTON:  Liz Hurley and Indian millionaire Arun Nayar may not be an item after all. It has been reported that Nayar has a wife back home, and it's a fact not unknown to Liz. In fact, she happens to be a friend who introduced her hubby to Liz in the first place. Model Valentina Pedroni has been granted with making "the schoolgirl error of introducing luscious Liz to hubby Arun. 'It looks like she's lost her husband to someone she thought was a friend," close friend Jan Piromallo was quoted as saying in People News.

           But old-school parents Vinod and Gunar Nayar reckon otherwise. "He is still married to Valentina. He runs around with all sorts of women. He likes a good social life," said Arun's worldly-wise father. "He juggles his friends with his wife," added mum-knows-best Gunar, reassuring a distraught and juggled Val. "There is no talk of separation or divorce," Val told People News.

Justin Was Inspired by Elvis, Says His Dad (Go To Top)

          LONDON: Justin Timberlake's sizzling performance last week at the Brit's award along with Kylie Minogue has once again won him the title of one of pop's biggest talents. He has been dubbed the new Michael Jackson, thanks to his sensational dance moves and high-pitched vocal style. But the N'Sync star was actually inspired by Elvis Presley, reveals his dad in an exclusive interview with the Sun.

          From the age of three, Justin sang along to the King's songs as he strummed his toy guitar. He grew up in Memphis, Tennessee - home to Elvis's Graceland mansion - and Justin's family were always playing Presley records. Now 22, he has enjoyed massive success with the boyband N'Sync, and his album, Justified, topped the British charts for a second time last Sunday.

           Justin's musician father, Randy, split from the star's mother Lynn when Justin was two. But he has followed his boy's career closely. Speaking from his home in Memphis, Randy told the Sun: "Justin was surrounded by music from the day he was born. We never had to teach him how to sing. Even as a toddler, he would sing and dance for us. When he was just two or three he would jump on stage when my band were playing and pretend to play his toy guitar", he added. "Justin was raised very close to where Elvis lived and that was a big influence. Elvis was always around you in Memphis and Justin was a big fan. He was always listening to his records and singing along."

Chelsea Clinton Fails to Get McKinseys Job (Go To Top)

          LONDON: Chelsea Clinton is no longer a candidate for the much talked-about 100,000-dollar-a-year job at the London office of International management consultants McKinseys. "I think one factor was that they (McKinseys) doubted her commitment to staying in England," a source was quoted as saying by People News. However, `Bun,' as the 23-year-old only child of former US President Bill Clinton and New York Senator Hillary Rodham is nicknamed by fellow students at Oxford, has still managed to secure for herself a highly lucrative post in New York. Meanwhile, a spokesman for McKinseys said that "I can neither confirm nor deny the story."

Pitt, Kidman Are Mr and Mrs Smith (Go To Top)

          WASHINGTON: Golden Globe and BAFTA winner Nicole Kidman is all set to star opposite Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt in a forthcoming film called Mr and Mrs Smith. In the film directed by Bourne Identity-director Doug Liman, the pair will play an unhappily married couple. Bored with their marriage, they find life spiced up when they consider murder, and discover they are assassins hired to kill each other, reports People News. The action flick is being described as `the War of the Roses Meets True Lies.' This will be the first time that Pitt and Kidman, recently voted the silver screen's Most Glamorous in a survey, would be appearing in a film together.

JK Rowling Makes Her Way into Simpsons(Go To Top)

          LONDON: The Simpsons will soon be visited by none other than JK Rowling. The 36-year-old Harry Potter creator is all set to make a wizard appearance in a special London episode of the cult US cartoon series. "The Simpsons (family) bump into JK Rowling outside a bookshop and they talk all about Harry Potter. We're very excited about the episode and rest assured every British cliche will be trotted out to get a laugh," Don Payne, executive producer of the Simpsons, was quoted as saying by the Sun.

           Sir Ian McKellen, Lord of the Rings star, also appears in the episode. He is first hit by falling scaffolding, then struck by lightning. The Simpsons go to see him perform on stage in Macbeth, but bring him bad luck by saying the play's name aloud - a theatrical superstition. Simpsons bosses are also desperate for British Prime Minister Tony Blair to provide his voice for the episode.

-ANI