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PM grants aid to Bismillah Khan

          New Delhi, June 20: Prime Minister AB Vajpayee has ordered a grant of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund for the treatment of aged and sick shehnai maestro ustad Bismillah Khan who is leading a life deprivation at his native place in Varanasi. The ustad has expressed his gratefulness to the Prime Minister for the gesture of goodwill. The financial assistance followed reports in the press that the ustad's appeal to the Prime Minister for help had been ignored. He has been sick after a heart attack recently.

Rain paralyses Mumbai

           Mumbai, June 20: Heavy rains lashed Mumbai on Friday disrupting train and bus services as the monsoon advanced into the north-western part of the country. Trains on the city's commuter rail network, which carry more than 6.4 million people every day, were running up to two hours behind schedule and bus services were severely scaled dawn. "We have been waiting for the train since 7 O'clock in the morning. It is not that trains are not coming but they are not halting here," said Aadesh Kambli, a local train passenger. Amul Upadhaya, another passenger, said, "It is raining heavily since morning and no train is stopping here and I think that I won't be able to reach my office today." "Since morning we have been waiting for the train but it is not coming," said Nandita, a lady passenger. The disruption of transport services also hit the bond, currency and stock markets. Met office said parts of the city had received nearly 160 mm (6.5 inches) rain over the past 24 hours and the downpour would continue for another day.

          Meanwhile, heavy rains have also lashed parts of Rajasthan over the past two days. The state has been reeling under a severe drought for the last four years. Met office said that the monsoon rains had now covered most of the country. The Indian farm sector relies heavily on the monsoon, and the economy, Asia's third largest, in turn depends on this sector to boost economic growth.

Organ transplant racket smashed, 13 arrested

          Hyderabad, June 20: The police in Hyderabad claim to have busted a thiriving human organ transplantation racket with the arrest of 13 people. The Additional Commissioner of Hydrabad Police, AK Khan, said the police also seized 30 fake rubber stamps of government departments, cellphones and computer systems from the accused. The gang has been in operation for the last two years and had so far arranged kidneys for 51 patients, according to him. "The 51 cases that we have identified till now are all from the five hospitals in the city. They include both cooperative and other private hospitals in the city. The accused have given the statement that the doctors of the hospitals were aware of the racket and used to take commission apart from the fee for surgery," Khan added.

          The arrested men include seven donors and six middlemen who fabricated government documents and illegally arranged kidneys for transplantation. Officials informed that the gang used to arrange donors for patients who underwent kidney transplantation in five cooperative hospitals and created fake documents to show that the donors and patients were close relatives. The donors received around Rs 80,000 while the middlemen pocketed Rs 50,000. Unauthorised transplantation of kidneys and other organs is a crime under an Indian law, Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994. It stipulates that only a person related or emotionally attached to the recipient and who is willing to act as a donor can be allowed to donate his organ. But extreme penury and umemployment drive many to desperation, forcing them to sell their organs.

Shetty surrenders before police (Go To Top)

          Surat, June 20: Surendra Shetty, father of actress Shilpa Shetty, surrendered at Umra police station on Friday and was immediately taken into custody. He is an accused in a case of extortion. The Gujarat High Court had earlier rejected his application for bail. Shetty, his wife Sunanda and two gangsters face the charge of extorting money from Pankaj Agarwal, owner of Prafful Sarees, to recover Rs 8 million in dues payable to Shilpa for appearing in an advertising film. The police say they recorded telephone talks between Shilpa's parents and Agarwal which allegedly indicated that the latter was threatened.

15 injured in two grenade attacks in Srinagar (Go To Top)

          Srinagar, June 20: At least 15 people were wounded on Friday in two separate grenade attacks in Srinagar. Two policemen and one man in police custody were wounded when guerrillas fired a grenade from a rifle at a police station in Charar-e-Sharief, west of Srinagar. "They were militants and they hurled grenades on us while we were sitting in the mess area of the police station. It happened in the morning. Two policemen and one civilian have got injured," said one of the injured policemen. In the second attack, 12 civilians were hurt when the rebels hurled a grenade at a police patrol in a busy market in Pulwama, 55 kilometres south of Srinagar. Police said these were the first such attacks by suspected Islamic militants in nearly a month. No one has claimed responsibility for either attack.

Tainted minister not to be re-inducted until proved innocent: Mayawati (Go To Top)

          Lucknow, June 20: UP Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday ruled out the possibility of re-inducting of Amar Mani Tripathi in her ministry till such time he is found innocent by the CBI. Tripathi has been accused in the Madhumita Shukla murder case. Mayawati, addressing a press conference here, said, "Amar Mani Tripathi would be reinducted in her ministry not on the basis of any declartion by Madhumita's mother but only after he is cleared by the CBI". Mayawati said she had taken the decision not to re-induct Tripathi now "to maintain high standards of morality in public life".

          While referring to Madhumita's mother Shanti Devi's letter on Thursday saying that she never levelled charges against Tripathi and that his dignity should be restored, the chief minister said "her (Shanti's) mental condition does not appear to be sound". "I have received a second letter from Madhumita's mother. In this she had demanded that investigation of Madhumita's murder case should be once again handed to CBCID instead of CBI. I have taken this letter seriously. It shows that the mental condition of Madhumita's mother is not fine. She has tried to malign the state government without any proof. This is not right," Mayawati added.

Notice on no-trust motion against Pak Speaker (Go To Top)

          Islamabad, June 20: The combined Opposition submitted its no-trust move notice against the National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain on Friday, reports the News quoting the Geo news channel. A delegation of the Opposition MPs submitted the notice with the NA Secretary Mehmood Salim at his office. Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Naveed Qamar of PPP, Liaquat Baloch of Muttahida Majlis Amal, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Sherry Rehman and other parliamentarians were among the delegation. The Opposition leaders later said that after the Speaker's disputed ruling on LFO, they had no option but to file a no- confidence motion. MMA leader Liaquat Baloch told reporters that the Speaker has violated Articles 238 and 239 by issuing his disputed ruling on the Legal Framework Order, the daily said.

Pandits for international recognition as refugees (Go To Top)

          Jammu, June 20: As the world observes Refugees Day on Friday, migrant Hindus from Kashmir demanded international recognition as refugees. Thousands of Kashmiri Hindus have fled from Jammu and Kashmir after a bloody revolt against rule by New Delhi broke out in 1989. According to the National Human Rights Commission, about 300,000 Kashmiri 'Pandits', as Hindus are known by locally, have been forced to leave Kashmir because of the separatist rebellion. While some Kashmiri Hindus have made their way to New Delhi and other parts of the country, about 200,000 bitter and disillusioned Pandits are still languishing in Jammu, and still targeted by Islamic guerrillas.

          Many Kashmiri Pandits say they should be granted the same status and previleges as any other international refugee. "There is a movement going on under which the protection which is given to international refugees should be given to internally displaced people as well. I don't know to what extent that proposition has moved forward in international forum but I must say that Kashmiri Pandits are internally displaced and it is a mass displacement which is unique to us, not happening elsewhere across the country," said Ajay Chrungoo, a Kashmiri Pandit. "All of us people are forced to move out of Kashmir, we did not move out of our will but were shunted out. This is not migration, it is basically internal displacement," said Kamal Krishnan, another migrant. Many of them are forced to lead a miserable life in camps or in temporary shelters. "To live in our own country like a refugee is the biggest curse one can get. This is a curse and we pray to God today that He does not make anybody else a refugee," said Kuldeep Raina.

           However, many Hindu refugees who had migrated from Pakistan- controlled Kashmir to the Muslim-dominated Srinagar, summer capital of Indian Kashmir, during the India-Pakistan partition in 1947, are not willing to go back. "We are very well settled here now. We love this place and we love it and don't want to go back to our place," said Ashish Raina. The Kashmiri Pandits demand a separate federally administered territory to be carved out of Indian Kashmir for themselves. Members of the Hindu community began fleeing Kashmir Valley fearing for their lives after Muslim separatist movement turned violent in 1989. By 1992, the majority of the Hindu Pandits had left the Valley for safer areas in different parts of India. Nearly 100,000 of them are reported to be living in New Delhi alone.

Let's prevent felling in Himachal, Bahuguna tells children (Go To Top)

          Shimla, June 20: Indiscriminate cutting of trees in Himachal Pradesh is adversely affecting the environment of the picturesque hill state, says noted environmentalist Sunder Lal Bahuguna. Bahuguna, who has been in the news for his protest against the construction of the Tehri Dam on Bhagirathi river in Uttaranchal, was addressing school children here on Thursday as part of a "One Tree - One Child" campaign by a local NGO. Despite a Supreme Court ruling, illegal felling of trees in the forest-rich Himalayan state continues for the sake of human settlement and timber business. Encouraging schoolchildren to save and plant more trees, Bahuguna said awareness about preserving the environment should be spread among people. "It is important to promote awareness among people. They should realise that in greenery is our happiness. We should not just plant trees for the sake of it but also take care of our forests," Bahuguna said.

Bottomlines

A secret Rowling feast in store! (Go To Top)

          Washington, June 20: Harry Potter author JK Rowling has revealed that she is writing a secret book that might be for adults. The millionaire writer says that she began working on the project three years back but had to put it on hold as she finished her latest kids' blockbusters. She says, "I was writing something else, which was really great. It was good and I might go back to that." When asked if it was an adult novel she replied, "Mmm. It's just something completely different. It was very liberating to do it."

          Presently, Rowling's 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' is up for launch. This book is the fifth in a series of seven books about the boy wizard. According to a report in the Sun, the writer confessed that she suffered from low self-esteem before writing her blockbusters, which ended up selling 200 million copies worldwide. She now reveals that she is planning to introduce some romance in her future Potter books, saying that Harry and his pals will get '"hormonal. She also hints that the hero might never grow old as he may eventually be killed off .

'Good Girl' Aniston tops Forbes' celebrity list (Go To Top)

          London, June 20: If the Forbes Global Celebrity List fascinates you, then just pose on a dozen magazine covers and you are sure to join the elite 100. Or at least this is how Jennifer Aniston seems to have made it. The 'Friends' actress has topped the Forbes' annual list of world's most rich and famous, according to the Telegraph. So thanks to Aniston's press coverage, she has been declared the world's most powerful celebrity, her meagre earnings of 35 million dollars notwithstanding. Aniston's biggest claim to fame has been the hugely popular teleserial, 'Friends', slated to end next year as also her movie, 'Good Girl', that evoked a good critical response. Even then, it is surprising to see the competition she beat to get to the top of the list.

          In contrast to this, director Steven Spielberg, who took home a whopping 120 million dollars, making him the highest earning celebrity in Hollywood, stood at a disappointing fourth place. Continuing the Aniston trend has been singer Eminem at the second position. Other celebrities to have made the list are Aniston's 'Friends' co-stars Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow and Courtney Cox at 25th, 30th and 41st places, respectively.

          The list also comes as a surprise as far as the omissions are concerned. While Aniston sits at the top of the list, husband Brad Pitt failed to find a mention. Also missing are some big names like Madonna, Eric Clapton and band U2. Another major omission is that of pop star Britney Spears, last year's numero uno. The list also saw Britain making quite a headway in a primarily American domain with seven Britons figuring in there. Beatles singer Paul McCartney took the sixth position while Rolling Stones were voted 10th. Birmingham born Ozzy Osburne stood at the 12th place with writer JK Rowling following in at a close 15th. However, football star David Beckham with his 56th position, clearly failed to impress the US crowd. Singer Robbie Williams and actor Simon Cowell were the remaining Britons to be voted in. A host of European names were also seen on the list including F1 champion, Michael Schumacher, golfer Annika Sorenstam, tennis stars Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova. Models Milla Jovovich and Heidi Klum along with culinary writer, Alain Ducasse were also a part of the list.

Kylie, the new face of Australian tourism? (Go To Top)

          Washington, June 20: Kylie Minogue is about to take on an offical role in the Australian Tourist Commission. After years of unpaid work on their behalf, the tourist commissioners are now planning to talk to the singer's management team in a bid to get her to do for her own country what she's already been paid to do for the likes of British Airways and Eurostar.

          According to a report in People News, the commission has other stars also in mind for a series of ads highlighting different aspects of the country. Cate Blanchet and Nicole Kidman are being considered in connection with the fashionable sophisticated urban centres, while crocodile-wrestler Steve Irwin has everywhere else covered. However, Tony Mayell of the ATC warns, "You have to be pretty wary of using celebrities. As soon as you go down that track and you hang a total strategy off one face then you have to accept that you automatically alienate a segment of the market." But friends of the evergreen pop star feel that Kylie's face is strong and versatile enough to look after itself.

Elton's 800,000 pounds auction (Go To Top)

          London, June 20: In a bid to refurbish one of his homes, Sir Elton John is auctioning off the entire contents of that home for an estimated 800,000 pounds. The 56-year-old rock legend wants to strip his mansion in Holland Park, West London, so that he can display more works of art, according to a report in the Sun. More than 400 items, including furniture and books, will be auctioned at Sotheby's in London in September, the report said. "I want to have the opportunity to display more contemporary work in one of my UK homes", the singer said.

J.Lo's clothing line to be Hilfigered (Go To Top)

          New York, June 20: Pop star Jennifer Lopez's global clothing brand has taken another step forward with reports that it will be bought over by casual wear designer Tommy Hilfiger. Sweetface Fashions, the company which own the 'J.Lo by Jennifer Lopez' clothing line, is keen, hoping that their image and sales will be boosted, according to a report in PeopleNews. Hilfiger, on the other hand, is looking to J.Lo and her trademark tracksuits to change its fuddy duddy image and inject a bit more youth and vigour. The rather unlikely union was brought about by Andy Hilfiger, Tommy's brother, who just happens to be J.Lo's partner in Sweetface Fashions.

Wedding bells for Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster? (Go To Top)

          New York, June 20: Could this mean that Rod Stewart and model Penny Lancaster will soon walk down the aisle? Well, a new ring on Penny's engagement finger has got people wondering. The couple was spotted at the Ascot races the day after Rod's ex- wife Rachel Hunter filed for divorce, according to a report in People News.

           Speculation is rife of wedding bells for another couple, Liz Hurley and Arun Nayer. The pair insisted that staff at the Clivedon Hotel, where they stayed last weekend, address them as Mrs and Mr Nayer. The couple also convinced fellow guests that they were planning to wed in the near future (hopefully after Arun gets divorced), the report added.

Now it's Diaz in Justin's life (Go To Top)

           New York, June 20: The next in pop hunk Justin Timberlake's life is Hollywood star Cameron Diaz, who recently parted with Jared Leto. Timberlake has been linked to a number of stunners since his split with pop princess Britney Spears last year, including Janet Jackson, Alyssa Milano and Tatyana Ali, according to a report in TeenHollywood. And now reports have emerged that Justin, 22, and Cameron, 30, went out dancing together at Hollywood hot-spot AD after hanging out together at April 12th Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. Four days later the couple was again spotted together at popular Los Angeles burlesque club Forty Deuce, the report said. "They have gone on casual dates and they speak all the time", a source told American magazine US weekly. Diaz was also an expected front-row guest at Timberlake's concert in Los Angeles.

From Posh's knickers to face creams - Beckham's many fetishes (Go To Top)

          London, June 20: Posh Spice has a habit of shooting her mouth about hubby dearie's fetishes, the latest revelation being that David Beckham gets his eyebrows plucked, according to a report in the Sun. Moving on from Beckham's fetish for wearing Posh's knickers as admitted four years back, the 29-year old former Spice Girl said that the English soccer captain loves using moisturiser to keep his skin as soft as baby son Romeo's. The former Manchester United player squirmed as his better half giggling away, blurted out in Japan: "David loves to have facials and massages. He also likes to get his eyebrows plucked." Baring her husband's tweezer antics in Japan, Victoria claimed that her Adonis was a big fan of a face cream she had been endorsing, costing a whopping #175.

          "I am sure there are lots of people who would love to feel how soft his skin is - his skin is like our baby's," she proudly announced. A visibly embarrassed Beckham who was last summer spotted with pink nail varnish, admitted to having massages and facials, coupled with manicures and pedicures. "I do like to look after myself. I think it is important for men to look after themselves," the soccer player maintained. He also explained that his latest hairstyle, featuring two ponytails tied at the back, was inspired by a samurai warrior.

Who's who in Becks 100,000 pound farewell bash (Go To Top)

          London, June 20: The Beckhams are throwing a party worth 100,000 pounds to say goodbye to their friends before they move to Spain. Beck has been transferred to Real Madrid and has to join the Spanish side by July 2, soon after he returns from his overseas trip that is earning him 10 million pounds. Victoria and David are hosting the farewell party at a newly opened venue called the Nell's bar, which is the best Latin club in the Big Apple. Posh, who is with David on his ten-day promotional tour of the Far East, will fly home by herself to organise the bash.

          A close friend of hers says, "Victoria wants to make it a party to remember and money is no object. She is considering having a Spanish theme to celebrate their move, with sangria, tapas and flamenco dancers." She is also planning to ask party organisers at the club to buy in cases of 200 pound-a-bottle Cristal bubbly and hold a free all-night bar. Their guest list includes famous faces like Sir Elton John and other big names from the world of movies and pop like Naomi Campbell, Liz Hurley and Spice Girls. David hopes most of his Manchester United teammates and other big soccer names would also make it to the party. The Beckhams, known for their extravagant parties, had thrown a Japanese-themed party at their Beckingham Palace home last year before the World Cup. In this 2 million pound party, the 350 guests were asked to wear white tie and diamonds for the bash that was held in a huge tent in the back garden.

Beckham too 'Posh': Ferguson (Go To Top)

          London, June 20: Soccer superstar David Beckham was the dream of any manager, but the dream went tangy when he married former Spice Girl Posh. Or so claimed Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in an interview with Sports Illustrated magazine. His remarks are bound to fuel further malice between Beckham and his former father figure, according to a report in The Australian. Ferguson told the magazine that Beckham, whose talent he had nurtured from an early age, had changed when he married Victoria. "He was blessed with great stamina, the best of all the players I have had here. After training he had always been practising. But his life changed when he met his wife. She is a pop star and David got another image. He has developed this fashion thing. I saw his transition to a different person", he said.

          It is one of British football's worst kept secrets that Beckham's personal and professional lives were clashing. Tales of how Ferguson had become irked at the way his star player had sought to develop his image as a fashion and lifestyle icon were leaked like a sieve, the report said. And for any apparent lapse in Beckham's form or commitment, Ferguson blames Victoria. However, the already florid Ferguson had turned scarlet when Victoria dismissed his anger, saying her husband's first priority should be to his family not his club.