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Mayawati order to stop Taj work Lucknow,
June 21: UP Chief Minister Mayawati on Saturday ordered the
chief secretary to stop construction activities inside the Taj heritage
zone and an enquiry into the issue. The Chief Minister said stern
action would be taken against the guilty officials once the report
was submitted to her. She said she would visit Agra on June 25.
Prime Minister AB Vajpayee has released a grant of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund for the treatment of 86-year old, ailing shehnai maestro ustad Bismillah Khan who is leading a hand-to-mouth life in Varanasi. Chinese PM calls for peaceful Kashmir settlement (Go To Top) Beijing, June 21: Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on Saturday said China looked forward for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute. In an interview to the Indian media, ahead of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's state visit to Beijing beginning Sunday, he said India and Pakistan should settle their bilateral disputes through dialogue. Wen Jiabao expressed the hope that Vajpayee's visit would have a positive impact on bilateral relations and regional peace and stability. To a question about China's border disputes with India, he said Beijing was ready to advance the pace of talks for a fair and mutually acceptable solution to the Sino-Indian boundary issue. He underlined the need for maintaining peace and tranquility along the border. The boundary issue is a historical burden on our two countries left over by the colonialists, he remarked. Trade is the panacea: Analysts
in China on ties with India (Go
To Top)
Beijing, June 21: Notwithstanding the contentious border dispute between China and India, people here feel that the two neighbouring countries stand to benefit a lot if they succeed in breaching the barrier of suspicion. They say it is high time the two countries stopped looking at each other with suspicion. Ma Ji Xia, a Beijing University student, is excited that Indian Prime Minister Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee will be the first world leader to visit the country still recovering from the SARS expidemic. She said it reflects the deep desire among the Indian leadership to forge closer ties with China "It would send out strong signals that the two countries are serious in leaving behind the baggage of history and want to move ahead," she said. When asked about the border dispute, Ma said the fact that India and China did not have any confrontation since 1962 spoke about the political maturity between the two Asian powers. Her colleague Fan Guang Wen said it would be better for the two countries, which share one-third of the population of the world, to make progress on other issues while continuing dialogue on the border dispute. "The two countries can supplement each other in economic fields if they join hands. We wish the visit of Mr. Vajpayee turns out to be a landmark," he said. Officials and analysts also agree that economics could bond the countries together. Noting that neither side considered the other a threat, Straits Times reported a senior Chinese Foreign Ministry official last week as saying: "There are still issues in bilateral relations but these issues will not affect China-India relations." Professor Zheng Ruixiang, a senior South Asia scholar at the China Institute of International Studies also felt that bilateral trade could help improve relations. "Increasing economics and trade pushes political relations forward. In turn, improving political relations greatly facilitate growth in economics and trade. This is a virtuous cycle that creates the conditions for resolving bilateral issues," he said. Bilateral trade topped nearly five billion US dollars last year. In the first quarter of this year, it shot up by a whopping 70 per cent, with analysts predicting it will hit eight billion US dollars by this year-end. Vajpayee undertakes a six-day visit to China from June 22 during which he would have wide-ranging talks with President Hu Jintao, whom he met early this month at St.Petersburg, and his counterpart Wen Jiabao aimed at nurturing the contacts between the two neighbours at the highest level. The visit is the first by an Indian Prime Minister in a decade since PV Narasimha Rao visited China in 1993. The boundary dispute has bedeviled the relations between the two Asian neighbours which went into a brief war in 1962. Since then there has been slow progress in resolving differences over the 4500-km Himalayan frontier. Qazi wants US to declare Kashmir a disputed territory (Go To Top) Karachi, June 21: Qazi Hussain Ahmed, opposition leader and a fierce opponent of Pervez Musharraf's dual role as president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, is cautiously hopeful that President Musharraf's current visit to the United States would open new arenas for the resolution of the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan. "If president Musharraf can bring some solution and if he can pressurize the Indian government to accept that Kashmir is not the integral part of India but it is a disputed territory this will be an achievement. If America can exert pressure on India to accept Kashmir as a disputed territory and to stop telling world the lie that Kashmir is integral part of India, it will open different ways for the resolution of Kashmir dispute", said Ahmed. Last year both India and Pakistan came to the verge of waging fourth war over Kashmir and massed over million men along their borders. However, they were pulled back from the brink by the hectic diplomatic efforts exerted by the United States. Musharraf, a key ally of the United States on its war against terror, is locked in a bitter dispute with a coalition of Islamist opposition parties at home, over his extensive powers, and dual role as president and commander in chief of the armed forces. Islamist coalition allies have angered moderates and drew comparisons with Afghanistan's former Taliban regime this month when they voted to impose Islamic sharia law in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Govt approves Maruti share cut-off price (Go To Top) New Delhi, June 21: The government on Saturday approved a cut-off price of 125 rupees per share for divestment of its 25 per cent stake in car maker Maruti. The Initial Public Offer (IPO), priced at a minimum premium of 110 rupees for a share of five rupees each, had received a huge response and was oversubscribed 10 times, a rarity in the primary market in recent years. "The floor had been mandated by the CCB at 115 per share but because of the enthusiastic response, the floor price now, the price at which the shares are being accepted, now is 125," Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie said on Saturday during a video conferencing from Malaysia. The government also decided to retain the 10 per cent oversubscription as a result of which the total sale of equity would be 79.4 million shares. Rain makes Barmer farmers smile (Go To Top) Barmer (Rajasthan), June 21: Pre-monsoon showers have brought joy to the people of Barmer town, situated to the west of Jaipur, the capital of the desert state of Rajasthan which suffered four consecutive years of drought. The villagers in Barmer have started tilling their lands and look forward to a good winter harvest this year. "For years there has been a drought. Now it has rained, it has rained a lot and we are now tilling our land," a happy farmer declared. According to Met officials, the good spell is likely to continue for the next one or two days. Apart from Rajasthan, northern parts of the country, including Delhi, Haryana and Punjab, recieved heavy rains this week. Tinsukia oil tank blown up (Go To Top) Guwahati, June 21: ULFA militants blew up a crude oil tank even as two CISF men and one militant were killed in an encounter in upper Assam's Tinsukia district, police said on Saturday. About 10-12 militants of the banned outfit first hijacked a bus carrying staff of Oil India Ltd (OIL) and took it to the crude oil tank at Nagajan in the district at around 10 pm on Friday, the sources said. As the patrolling central industrial security force personnel challenged the activists, an encounter ensued in which two jawans and an ULFA activist were killed. The militants almost simultaneously blew up the empty crude oil tank with a rocket launcher, the sources said. Nine Assam tribal militants gunned down (Go To Top) Guwahati, June 21: Nine tribal separatists were killed and a large cache of arms was recovered by security forces in two separate incidents in Assam, official sources said Saturday. An army spokesman said troops shot dead seven militants of the outlawed Hmar People's Convention (HPC) in Cachar district, 350 km from Guwahati. The HPC rebels numbering about 10 were holed up inside a fortified bunker when troops raided their hideout, killing seven militants, the army official said. A large quantity of arms and ammunition, including AK-47 assault rifles, were recovered from the slain militants. The HPC is a militant group fighting for greater autonomy for the Hmar tribe living in parts of southern Assam and adjoining Mizoram. Six of Andhra family hacked to death (Go To Top) Hyderabad, June 21: A family of six, including a child, was beaten and hacked to death on Saturday in Andhra Pradesh apparently over a land dispute, police sources said. The people were dragged out of their homes and hacked to death by a gang armed with swords and sticks, a police officer said. The head of the family, Killari Anjanalu, was said to the a local politician and leader of the village of Kodicheru in Prakasham district, some 300 km of the state capital Hyderabad. Police investigation is on but it seems the reason for the killing was more a land dispute than political rivalry, said an official. Amnesty call to free Suu Kyi immediately (Go To Top) London, June 21: Amnesty International has expressed its concerns at the news that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is being held in Insein Prison under the 1975 State Protection Law. "We strongly reiterate calls on the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi," Amnesty International said in a statement on Friday. "We also call upon the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to release U Tin Oo, National League for Democracy (NLD) Deputy Chairman, and the at least 130 people who reportedly have been held on account of their peaceful political activities after the incident on 30 May 2003." " Despite claims that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is being held for her protection, she is being held under provisions that fail to protect her basic human rights and deem her a threat to state sovereignty and security," the organization continued. Benazir writes her own
50th birthday poem (Go
To Top)
London, June 21: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto celebrates her 50th birthday today, and to mark the occasion she has written a poem to herself to express the thoughts of an exile separated from the home she loves and to which she craves to return. Before recording it on video exclusively for ANI, she said: "I wanted to give a birthday present to myself, and I thought the best birthday present that I could give to myself, that marked half a century, was to tell the story of my exile." The poem takes its inspiration from a story written by a famous mystic Sindhi poet - the story of a heroine who pined in exile for her homeland several centuries ago. Her story caught the pining of Bhutto's heart - "but this is my story" she declared. The verse is composed in English, but there are versions in Sindhi and Urdu.
Prince William's moving account of brother and parents (Go To Top) London, June 21: Family was the centrestage of Prince William's emotional interview that he gave to mark his 21st birthday on Saturday. William said he and 18-year-old Harry have a strong brotherly bond, adding: " We've grown up around the same things and the same people and we'll always have that common bond. We ring each other quite a lot. He usually rings me up to tell me some incredibly amusing story and the things he gets up to. He is a very nice guy and he's very caring." Celebrating his 21st birthday by posing for a series of portraits with Mario Testino - one of mom Diana's favourite photographers, William posed with his chin resting on his hand exactly as she did during a photo session with Testino just before her death. And he bore an uncanny resemblance to her, says a report in the Sun. Speaking candidly about the influence both his parents have had - and continue to have - on him, he stated that Prince Charles was a real inspiration for him. The major influence on his life, however, has been that of his mother. And he is determined to copy her by using his influence and royal patronage to help those less fortunate - particularly the homeless. "I was influenced a lot by my visits to hostels with my mother when I was younger. I learned a lot from it, more so now than I did at the time. My mother used her position very well to help other people, as does my father. And I hope to do the same", said William. According to the report, over-riding all his passions is his love of fast motorbikes. William rides his motorbike mainly at Highgrove and around the country roads of Gloucestershire. He is the proud owner of a Yamaha 600 trials bike - and it has been hinted he might get a new one as a birthday gift. But not from dad Charles. He said: "I've dropped many hints to my father about pretty much everything. He'll do the paternal thing and decide what he thinks is best - I'm sure he'll give me something lovely." A significant aspect of his personality has echoes of Diana - a refusal to be dominated by royal courtiers. "I like to be in control of my life", he explained, "A lot of people think I'm hugely stubborn - but you have to be slightly stubborn because everybody wants you for one reason or another. I could lose my identity. I'm not an over-dominant person. I don't go around and expect everyone to listen to me the whole time." Crowe, who?, Ask police in Sydney (Go To Top) Sydney, June 21: Hollywood actor Russell Crowe, now a resident of Sydney, was forced by the local police to identify himself during his morning paddle in a kayak on Sydney Harbour. According to an Australian agency report, the security was tight because five US ships carrying 6400 US marines were docked on the harbour en route from the Persian Gulf. Russell's Australian agent Wendy Day says, "Russell, who is now a local, was out kayaking with his personal trainer and there were a lot of police out on the water because there was a big boat coming in." She said that the police didn't recognise the Oscar winner but once he told them who he was, they moved away. 'Troublemaker' Tara Reid banned from clubs (Go To Top) Washington, June 21: 'American Pie' actress Tara Reid is so much of a party freak that she has become notoriously famous among doormen and party planners in Los Angeles. According to a report in New York Post, the doorkeeper from White Lotus club says that the actress always causes problems. "She always screams, `Do you know who I am? I'm Tara Reid'." As a result, she has been barred from some clubs as she's considered a "troublemaker." L.A. event planner Brian Rabin, who has worked for Madonna and Stella McCartney, also says that "Reid has ruined her career by going out too much." 4 comical villains in 1 Syl Stallone (Go To Top) Washington, June 21: Hollywood superstar Sylvester Stallone is playing four different roles at the same time in his new movie 'Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over.' According to a report in the Sun, the 'Rocky and Rambo' star is playing four comical villains at once. First he appears as power- hungry Toymaker who has been banished to cyberspace. Then he has his alter egos, Sly, 56, as a hippy, a dictator and then a scientist. All the characters appear on screen at the same time thanks to computer wizardry. In the movie, the child agents Juni Cortez, played by Daryl Sabara, and sister Carmen, Alexa Vega, journey inside a virtual reality 3-D video game to battle Toymaker and save the world. Sylvester says for his role, "This is a man having all these struggles in his brain. I'm stretching the emotional rubber band." The movie will hit the theatres on August 1. All the characters will be seen in a 3-D effect for which the viewers will need special glasses to watch them. Tailing Eminem, Rapper 50 Cent's story to grace celluloid (Go To Top) London, June 21: Following in his mentor Eminem's footsteps, Rapper 50 Cent is planning to tell the story of his life on celluloid on screen. '50', as he is lovingly called has been holding talks with Sopranos writer Terry Winter, about a script for the film, according to a report in the Sun. With an interesting story line in tow for an action-filled film, the celluloid representation could just catapult Cent to dizzy heights like what '8 Mile', based loosely on Eminem's life, did to the rap star. A crack dealer by the age of 12, Cent was shot nine times and lost his mum when he was only eight years old. In an interview to Radio 1, the rapper also confirmed rumours of Slim Shady, Eminem's alter ego dating Mariah Carey. However, when questioned whether he too had bedded the troubled singer, Rapper vehemently denied, "No. Em was with Mariah Carey. I'm single." Incidentally, the soundtrack of '8 Mile' earned Eminem an Oscar for best song for 'Lose Yourself' and brought him praise for his acting. Cruz and Cruise still on a cruise! (Go To Top) London, June 21: Whoever said that Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz were headed towards splitsville, need to take a jig. The recent pics of Cruise and Cruz sporting a happy, madly-in-love couple look defy all rumours and have set wagging tongues to rest, a report in the Sun said. Apparently, at the National Mentoring Gala in New York, where the 'Top Gun' star was receiving an award, the duo just couldn't keep their passion and their hormones in check, with enough demonstrations of love. A visibly delighted Cruise just looked too happy with the exquisite-looking Penelope, arms linked together as they set shutterbugs in a frenzy, setting all suspicion of splitting to rest. Cage is cagey about showbiz, seeks monkhood! (Go To Top) London, June 21: Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage is planning to take it easy these days and wants to just chill for a while, as he contemplates becoming a monk, reported the Sun. According to the actor's buddies, Cage is tired of showbiz and wants to take a breather while recuperating from his divorce from Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley. However, his lofty plans of embracing celibacy may come as a washer to 'Lara Croft' Angelina Jolie, whom the 'Face-Off' star is supposedly dating. "Nic is tired of the weird world of Hollywood and he has decided he wants out. Despite his tough-guy image, he is still getting over his break-up from Lisa Marie," a close friend was quoted as saying. Apparently, the 'ConAir' star feels that he got a raw deal and is nursing his injury and hurt. -ANI |
