Archives

Sino-Indian border talks to begin immediately: Vajpayee

          New Delhi, June 27: Talks between the special representatives of India and China on solving the boundary dispute will "start immediately", according to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.  (Contd)

---

          Muzzafarpur, June 27: About 50 villages have been inundated by flooded rivers in Bihar forcing more than 50, 000 people to shift to higher ground. With water entering the roads, traffic has come to a halt. Eeastern part of India is regularly flooded during the monsoon season that lasts from June to September.

---

          Washington, June: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said a four-pronged approach must be followed to amicably resolve the Kashmir dispute. He said first India and Pakistan must come forward to hold dialogue, then accept the centrality of the Kashmir dispute, discard whatever is unacceptable to India, Pakistan and Kashmiris, and lastly, evolve a solution which suits to all the three parties. Musharraf, who was here on a three-day official visit, said that the US officials accept that step-by-step approach was the realistic way for moving forward toward the resolution of the Kashmir dispute for peace in South Asia He said this while speaking to newsmen after meeting the US legislators at the Committees of International Relations here on Thursday, the News reported.

          Earlier, during the meeting with the legislators, he urged the House and the Senate to review the situation in the context of human rights violations, such as rampant killings and the events taking place in Kashmir in view of the presence of some 700,000 Indian troops. He once again favoured third-party mediation between India and Pakistan to resolve the bilateral issues. The President said his country wanted peace and cordial relations with India, and that it could come only after resolving the Kashmir issue. Apparently hinting at not giving up Kashmir merely for the sake of ensuring peace in the region, the erstwhile military ruler said, "every country has an inherent right to guard its sovereignty. Pakistan also talks on the basis of sovereign equality and guards it jealously. Nothing can coerce us and no one can dictate to us on these parameters."

VHP to have a role in decision on temple, says BJP (Go To Top)

          Chennai, June 27: Bharatiya Janata Party said on Friday that any decision on building a Ram mandir on the ruins of Babri mosque in Ayodhya would involve the Vishwa Hindu Parishad which spearheads the temple construction movement. "At the end of the day, before coming to any conclusion, the government will take everybody into confidence including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad," BJP president Venkaiah Naidu said at a news conference here. Naidu also welcomed the initiative taken by Sankaracharya of Kanchi, Sri Jayendra Saraswati, for an out-of-court settlement with Muslims on the Ayodhya tangle. "We need not have any apprehensions that something will happen behind the back of anybody. I think it is an initiative taken by the Hindu seer to have a dialogue," Naidu said.

          Last week, the pontiff submitted a proposal to the All India Muslim Personal Law Board which will consider it on July 6. Reports say the proposals include allowing construction of a temple at the site and reconstruction of the mosque some distance away with guarantees that Hindus would forsake claims to two more disputed sites in Kashi and Mathura towns. However, the VHP ruled out allowing reconstruction of the Babri mosque at or in proximity of the periphery of the disputed site. Some Muslim leaders have rejected outright any suggestion to relocate the mosque. Meanwhile, a high court continues to sit in judgement on the Ayodhya case lingering for over two decades now. The Supreme Court has banned permanent structure on the site where now a make-shift temple dedicated to Lord Ram stands.

Prayer meeting on Karmapa Lama's 18th birthday (Go To Top)

          Dharamsala, June 27: The 17th Karmapa Lama, Ugyen Thrinley Dorje, celebrated his 18th birthday here on Thursday with a special prayer ceremony. Dorje, the only senior Lama to be recognised by both Beijing and exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, chanted hymns and was joined by hundreds of other monks and devotees as they prayed for peace and harmony. Thrinley's spokesman, Ngodup Burkha, said he had benefited greatly from his interactions with the Dalai Lama. "His Holiness Karmapa had the opportunity to receive guidance from the Dalai Lama. This I think has benefited him greatly," Burkha said. The boy Lama, who fled to India two years ago, is now settled in Dharamsala where he arrived in January 2001 after an arduous 1,400-km journey through the snow-bound Himalayas. Thrinley is the head of the Karma Kagyu sect of Buddhism, headquartered at Rumtek monastery in Sikkim. He has been granted refugee status by the Indian government

Drugs for votes, a new era in Punjab politics (Go To Top)

          Malwa (Punjab), June 27: Electioneering is taking a wholly new complexion here. The gullible voters are being seduced with poppy husk and heroin since panchayat polls are at the doorstep. These take place on Sunday. Both the Akali Dal and the Congress are in the game, according to reports in a TV channel. Earlier, during Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, cash and liquor formed the standard bait of all political parties. However, both the contending parties blame each other for dishing out drugs to villagers. "The Akali candidate is trying to buy votes in this village. They are giving wine, poppy husk and heroin to poor voters. We are not doing it," said Atle Barar, Congress candidate.

          But the Akali Dal candidate Baltej Singh denies the accusation. "Other parties are using drugs to buy votes. They intimidate our supporters and urge them to change their loyalty and say that if they don't do it, they will be framed in some false cases," he claimed, reports the television channel. One drug addict added a touch of humour by saying that "they should have elections more often because it makes sure we are adequately supplied". According to GS Virk, DSP, Muktasar, the police conduct raids at places where drugs are consumed but still the practice goes on.

Marxists uneasy over Vajpayee's `China success' (Go To Top)
-by Gautam Ghosh

          Kolkata, June 27: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's successful visit to China and the Chinese leaders' reported eagerness to develop party-to-party relationship with the BJP have apparently caught the CPI(M) on the wrong foot. The Chinese Communist Party's open praise for the economic reforms undertaken by the NDA government has also jolted the CPI(M) which continues to be the most stringent critic of the Centre's economic policies. The Marxists, who have always called for improvement of India's relationship with the largest communist country in the world, appear cool to the warmth and respect with which the saffron party's leader was greeted in Beijing. The conclusion of a number of agreements between the two governments during Vajpayee's short visit was somewhat unexpected to the CPI(M) leaders who continue to regard the BJP as their number one political enemy.

          The Marxists' current discomfiture over the success of Vajpayee's China visit is apparent from the manner in which the CPI(M)'s state organ, 'Ganashakti,' has been underplaying it. The CPI(M) mouthpiece initially gave front-page coverage to the visit, but later carried the reports on its inside pages. Unlike other major dailies, the party organ declined to comment on the visit in the initial stage. Nor have the party's central committee members so far issued any statement hailing the Prime Minister's initiative to improve bilateral ties with communist China with which they have carefully nurtured a growing party-to-party relationship. The CPI(M) organ, however, in a late response to the premier's China visit, today carried an editorial describing the joint declaration by the two governments as an "important and positive development."

          The CPI(M) has, of course, reasons to feel embarrassed by the comments appearing in the CPC-controlled 'Global News.' The daily's Tuesday edition hailed India's growth of foreign exchange reserve and the GDP as a result of economic reforms undertaken by the Delhi government during the past five years. It also predicted that India would become "a great power" and achieve remarkable progress in the spheres of science and technology due to its economic policies. The Chinese leaders' desire to have party-to-party relations with the BJP has also come as a bolt from the blue to the Marxists. 'China Daily' has already reported the CPC's intention to "strengthen its ties with the BJP" in the interest of the people of the two countries. A number of CPC politburo members are believed to have expressed a resolve to exchange views with the BJP to improve bilateral relationship between India and China.

           Vajpayee's initiative to normalise relationsip with Pakistan has also upstaged the CPI(M) which used to hold the NDA government responsible for deterioration in India's relations with the neighbouring country. The Marxists have always taken meticulous care not to adopt a very critical stand vis-a-vis Pakistan in order to safeguard its vote bank among the minority community. However, the incidents of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, coupled with the threat of terrorist attacks at the behest of Muslim fundamentalists, has compelled the CPI(M) to modify its earlier stand. The Left Front government led by CPI(M) politburo member Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has also initiated a number of steps to contain ISI activities as directed by the Centre. Viewed in this backdrop, the Prime Minister's move to improve Indo-Pak relationship in the interest of peace in the sub- continent may have a positive impact on the common Muslim voters, something which will certainly upset the Marxists' political calculations bfore next year's Lok Sabha polls.

           However, the issue over which the CPI(M) seems to be feeling politically insecure is the possible outcome of Vajpayee's decision to engage Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati of Kanchi to find an amicable settlement to the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid dispute through negotiations with leaders of the minority community. Wary of a positive fallout of the Sankaracharya's move to achieve an out-of-court settlement of the delicate problem, the Marxists have questioned the religious leader's credentials and described his mission as "the BJP's face-saving device" with an eye on the next Lok Sabha elections. The CPI(M) is obviously apprehensive of the saffron party's return to power and will only be happy to see the Kanchi seer's efforts to solve the problem ending up in smoke.

Sino-Indian border talks to begin immediately: Vajpayee (Go To Top)

          (Contd) Special representatives from the two sides will try to settle the issue in quick time, he told correspondents on his return from China. Answering a question, he said the two men (Brajesh Mishra and Bingguo) "will start talks immediately and the effort would be to resolve the disputes as early as possible." Vajpayee dismissed the reports of uncertainty over Chinese recognition of Sikkim as belonging to India and said the north- eastern state will be accepted by Beijing as a part of this country with the passage of time. Vajpayee was received at the airport by Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and other Cabinet colleagues. He described his six-day official visit as "good" and said new avenues of cooperation have been found.

          Earlier, in Shanghai, the Indian Prime Minister told a press conference on Friday that his visit was very fulfilling as it met with the objectives of improving ties and building trust with its neighbour. "I believe that in the last few days we have moved in the right direction. The road is long but it is a good beginning," said Vajpayee. Vajpayee said he had detailed discussions with Chinese leaders on all the issues and expressed satisfaction at the progress made. He said the appointment of a representative each from both the countries would help expedite the resolution of the border dispute between the two countries. "Never before we had such detailed discussions on the border issue. It has been decided to find a solution to the issue, " he said.

          The two Asian powers are locked in a bitter dispute over their 4,500-km border disputes in Kashmir and the north-eastern region of India since the two countries went into a brief war in 1962. China holds about 20 per cent of the bitterly disputed territory of Kashmir. This comprises a small area which India says Pakistan ceded to China and the Aksai Chin area in Ladakh region. China claims large parts of the north-eastern states of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. India and China have been holding talks since 1988, when the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi undertook a historic visit to China. But the progress has been very slow as the two countries have not been able to delineate the Line of Actual Control.

         Vajpayee said his visit to China would help deepen economic ties between the two countries. "The steps that we have taken and will be taken in the future in the economic field will add a new chapter in our economic ties," he said. The two countries are eyeing to achieve a target of 10 billion dollars by 2005. The bilateral trade now stands at 5 billion dollars.

Bottomlines

Harry Potter to die? (Go To Top)

          London, June 27: This is one news that will not go down very well with kids, especially 'Harry Potter' fans. In a startling revelation, author JK Rowling has said that the boy wizard may be killed off. When asked whether she would write about Harry as an adult here on Thursday night, JK told a live audience of 4,000 kids at the Albert Hall and millions of fans around the world via the internet that, "You have to wait and see whether he survives to be a grown-up. I'm not saying he won't, but I don't want to give anything away." The writer, who plans two more Harry Potter books, also answered questions from fans in 36 countries on the net. And surprisingly she admitted that she doesn't believe in magic "I really don't believe in magic. I believe in some kinds - the magic of imagination and the magic of love. But waving a wand and making things happen, no," JK was quoted as saying by the Sun.

Beckham now rules the catwalk! (Go To Top)

          Sydney, June 27: David Beckham has set the trend for next summer's menswear. In Milan, stylists are mimicking the British soccer celebrity's hair, androgynous flair and his penchant for wearing slides with slick white suits. His clones have materialised everywhere on catwalks from the flamboyant Versace to classic Valentino. Vivienne Westwood's models sported sports-injury bandages and Beckham hairdos. Versace and Valentino imitated his flowing white tunics and silk trousers. And Dolce & Gabbana named a pair of loose-fit jeans in his honour. According to a report in the Australian, Dolce & Gabbana warned off Giorgio Armani, who produced a Beckham jacket last season. "David has never worn that jacket. There are no photos of him wearing it. We're the ones who dress him." To push the point the Sicilian stylists sent a bunch of Beckham look-alikes on to the runway in plain suits, loose jeans and t- shirts with 'David' written on them.

`Imperial' Eltons 10 mln pound champagne and Caviar bash (Go To Top)

          London, June 27: Elton John reigned over his 10 million pound extravagant `Imperial Russia' theme party as the bash, the celebrity coterie turned up in full strength to glug vodka, champagne and caviar. The list of celebrities who stepped into Elton's mansion near Windsor, Berks, included the Duchess of York, Liz Hurley, Elle MacPherson, Kylie Minogue, Naomi Campbell, David and Victoria Beckham, Jemima Khan, Dame Judi Dench, Damon Hill, Nick Faldo, Lulu and Sting.

          Supermodels Liz and Naomi bedazzled all present with diamonds worth 2 million pounds from posh jeweller Chopard. Liz clothed in a gown slashed to the thigh, sported a glittering tiara, while Elle, in a spectacular red frock, arrived with diamonds loaded on her. Singer Kylie Minogue was seen at the do minus her actor boyfriend Olivier Martinez, who is out filming in Canada. Crooner Elton and his partner David Furnish wore matching morning suits. The centrepiece at the party marking the 10th anniversary of Elton's Aids Foundation, was a giant marquee covered with real gold leaf representing a Russian church. Guests at the social gathering also shelled out 1,500 pounds for a ticket to help raise 1.5 million pounds for Elton's charity. The prime attraction was a raffle with alluring prizes as diamond watches worth 10,000 pounds and a 27,000 pound Audi TT sports car. The singer had been compelled to increase security around his 37- acre estate, after last weekend's royal gatecrashing drama at nearby Windsor Castle.

Renee gets her pound of Clooney flesh (Go To Top)

          London, June 27: John Travolta may land up the part of the love interest in Bridget Jones 2 if leading lady Renee Zellweger has her way. Although the film's producers wanted George Clooney for the part, it seemed that Renee wasn't very happy with the idea having been dumped by Clooney a few years ago. "Renee was adamant on this point, and would not be swayed. The producers had toyed with the idea of getting a new leading actress, and keeping Gorgeous George, but how many actresses are likely to put on two stone? Not very many," a movie source was quoted as saying by PeopleNews. Meanwhile, 'Grease' and 'Pulp Fiction' star Travolta is reportedly very interested in taking on the part, as long as he gets the right price. He currently commands 20 million dollars a movie.

Minnie's new `Demi,' toy boy (Go To Top)

          London, June 27: Following in the footsteps of Demi Moore, Minnie Driver is reportedly dating a man who is 12 years younger than her - Robby Ginepri, a 21-year old US tennis player. The 33-year-old Irish actress was recently seen cheering an unseeded Robby at Wimbledon as he lost his five-set match to Arnaud Clement of France, according to People News. After the match, the two, who are believed to have met at the Stella Artois championship two weeks ago, were spotted strolling hand-in-hand. It seems that Minnie has a soft corner for American men. In the past, she has dated a string of them - from actors Harrison Ford, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin to a New York businessman. She even claimed last year that British men were `cheap' and that she was happier going out with strictly Yanks only.