Gulmarg Has Fresh, Heavy Snowfall

          GULMARG: Heavy snowfall lashed the picturesque Gulmarg region in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. Meteorologists said the snowfall was the heaviest since 1990. Revellers came out of their lodges, hotels and guest houses to enjoy the snowfall. While the locals preferred to stay indoors, tourists had a great time out in the snow. However, travellers had to face road blockades. The roads were never blocked for 2-3 days like this time.

Iraq on Hold: Fresh UN Open Session; US to Revise Resolution

          NEW YORK: The Security Council has agreed to hold a third open session to allow all UN member-States to air their views on Iraq as opposition hardened to disarming that country by force. Diplomats said the open session beginning Tuesday would be held at the level of ambassadors and last two days. In each of two previous such meetings more than 60 countries, almost a third of the UN membership, took the floor, the vast majority arguing against military action.

           The United States, in the meantime, postponed vote on Iraq resolution, at least until later in the week. The Bush administration signaled willingness to revise its troubled resolution endorsing the use of force. State department spokesman Richard Boucher confirmed that revising the tough resolution in a bid to gain support was being considered.

           Meanwhile, a report from Islamabad quoting a spokesman for the ruling party said on Tuesday that Pakistan will abstain from voting in the Security Council on a US-backed resolution approving military action against Iraq.

Tazia Makers in Gujarat Under a Cloud (Go To Top)

          AHMEDABAD: Muslims in riot-hit Ahmedabad have started preparations to observe the holy month of Muharram, which marks the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Propet Mohammad. Still reeling under last year's communal riots that tore apart Gujarat, Muslims in the State's main city are hoping that this year the mourning period would pass off peacefully.

           Looking forward to it most are makers of tazias, replicas of Imam Hussain's tomb, who are hoping that this year's Muharram brings some relief to their sagging business. The artisans, who have adopted 'Taziawalas' as their surname, are busy getting the tazias ready for this year's Muharram procession on Friday. Though preparations are almost complete, some tazia makers who after being rendered jobless for two consecutive years, in 2001 due to earthquake and in 2002 due to communal riots, are sceptical about business picking pace this year. "Right now almost 50 per cent of the work is complete but the question is whether tazia processions would be taken out or not? Only if there are processions, our business will progress. If not then we will suffer the most," said Rehman Taziawala.

           During the procession, mourners carry the tombs reciting memorial hymns and beating their chests which is regarded as one of the most important rituals of the mourning. Tazia makers' families sustain on the one-month Muharram sale of tazias till the next season arrives. More than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed in a wave of revenge killings across Gujarat last year. Residents say the two communities (Hindus and Muslims) are still deeply suspicious of each other. Though there is little interaction between them, attempts are being made to bury the hatchet. Muharram processions have in the past often sparked off Hindu-Muslim riots and local administration very often clamps restrictions to avert clashes.

Two Hurriyat Leaders Confer with French Diplomats in Delhi (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI: Two senior leaders of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) on Tuesday met officials from French embassy in New Delhi to discuss the situation in the troubled Kashmir. The Hurriyat had last month said Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, former APHC chief, and Yasin Malik, president of the Jammu and Kahsmir Liberation Front, would hold talks with diplomats, politicians and others in New Delhi on the vexed Kashmir issue. Neither the Hurriyat leaders nor the French embassy staff gave details of the meeting.

          The Hurriyat has been campaigning for implementation of a 1949 United Nations resolution which called for a plebiscite to ascertain the wishes of people of the State whether they wanted to join India or Pakistan. It also calls for talks between India and Pakistan and representatives of Kashmir to resolve the issue, the cause of two of the three wars between the two nuclear arch-rivals.

           Last month, the Central Government appointed former bureaucrat NN Vohra to hold talks with various political parties and groups in a hope to bring peace to the bloodied region. But it is not certain whether Vohra will meet Hurriyat leaders. Nearly a dozen militant groups are fighting New Delhi's rule in Jammu and Kashmir, the country's only Muslim-majority State. India says Pakistan foments the rebellion in Kashmir by arming and sending militants to fight New Delhi's rule in the State, where at least 38,000 people have died in 13 years of rebellion. Separatists peg the number closer to 80,000.

750 Bighas of Assam Land Occupied by Bangladesh: Minister (Go To Top)

          GUWAHATI: The Assam Government has confirmed that over 750 bighas of land in Karimganj district are under Bangladesh occupation. At the same time, chief minister Tarun Gogai has stressed the need to modernise the police force for combating the insurgents. Both the revelation and the statement were made in the Assembly on Monday. Minister of state for home Rockybul Hussain told the House, in reply to a question, that more than 750 bighas of land of villages Dumabari, Lathitila Baraputhiri and Karkhanabuthini of Patharkandi revenue circle of Karimganj district were in the possession of Bangladesh. He added that the State Government has asked the Director of Land Records, Assam, to take up the matter in the next working group discussion of Indo-Bangla boundary conference.

VHP Mounts Pressure as ASI Begins Work at Ayodhya (Go To Top)

          DEHRA DUN: Right-wing Hindu groups began mounting more pressure on Tuesday as archaeologists surveyed a disputed holy site in Ayodhya that sparked some of the country's worst Hindu-Muslim clashes. A high court last week gave the Archaeological Survey of India four weeks to excavate the site to find out whether a Ram temple existed under the ruins of a 16th-century mosque that Hindu fanatics razed in 1992.

           Hindus say the mosque was built by Moghul emperor Babar after he destroyed a temple built on the birthplace of Ram, one of the most revered deities in the Hindu pantheon. Muslims, who make up 12 per cent of India's mainly-Hindu population of one billion, say there is no proof of this. "We believe that this was and is the birthplace of Lord Ram. Our religious texts bear testimony to that fact. When the structure built by Babar was demolished, at that time there were enough proofs. But despite all this if the court feels that there is another scientific proof required then VHP is welcoming its efforts only," said Praveen Togadia, general secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

           Eleven years ago, 3,000 people died in the worst religious riots since India's independence from Britain after a Hindu mob tore down the Babri mosque in the Uttar Pradesh town of Ayodhya. After the mosque's destruction, Hindu militants built a makeshift temple atop the rubble and a small army of masons in Ayodhya have been building a prefabricated temple, chiselling pillars and gods out of pink sandstone. The Supreme Court has banned a permanent structure on the land until the dispute is resolved. But militant Hindu groups allied to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have announced a new drive to push the Government to allow a temple to be built before a legal verdict. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad said it would begin a week-long sit-in on March 27 in New Delhi to demand the handing over of the disputed land for building the temple. "We have two demands - that Parliament should pass a law and declare the undisputed land as Ram Janambhoomi and hand it over to us with respect urgently. If this is not resolved, we will court arrests in front of Parliament," Togadia said.

          Critics have accused the BJP and sister groups of hoping to gain political mileage from the issue ahead of a general election due in 2004. Last week, the Government asked the Supreme Court to end a ban on religious activity near the mosque. Meanwhile, prominent Hindu seer Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati Swamigal weighed in with his opinion on the issue, saying the court verdict should be upheld by all parties concerned. "Whatever the court says, everybody will have to abide by it. It's neither a question of religious order being followed nor of justice, it's about the court verdict," said the seer. The BJP rode to centrestage in the late 1980s on the back of a Hindu revivalist campaign that included building the temple.

Marxists Observe a Day-long Shut-down in Kerala (Go To Top)

          THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Normal life was affected in Kerala on Tuesday due to a shutdown called by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The CPM has been demanding a judicial probe into a recent police shoot-out on tribals. Shops and commercial establishments remained closed while private buses, autorickshaws and taxis went off the roads. Government offices and public sector organisations also reported thin attendance. Children appearing for high school examinations had tough time reaching their centres. Last month, several agitating tribals were injured when police opened fire on them. They were protesting against the failure of the Government to distribute land to landless tribals in Muthanga forests in Kerala.

Gangu Ram Musafir Himachal Assembly Speaker (Go To Top)

          SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday unanimously elected Congress MLA Gangu Ram Musafir as the Speaker. A motion sponsoring his candidature was moved by chief minister Virbhadra Singh and seconded by irrigation and public health minister Kaul Singh Thakur. Four nominations were filed on his behalf by Virbhadra Singh, power minister vidya stokes, Himachal Loktantrik Morcha leader Mohinder Singh and former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. The Opposition had supported the motion and Musafir was elected unanimously.

Kylie Invites Boyfriend Oliver to Meet Her Parents; Gooding Flees to Spain (Go To Top)

          WASHINGTON: Pop diva Kylie Minogue at last seems to have found true love, for she reportedly has invited new boyfriend Oliver Martinez to meet her parents. The couple had a romantic day at a football match and it emerged that she has invited the French film hunk to go with her to Australia on Thursday to meet Carol and Ron Minogue. Kylie has been enjoying a whirlwind romance since getting together with Olivier less than two weeks ago, reports News.com.au.

           She is heading home for the Melbourne fashion festival and has booked a plane seat for Olivier in anticipation of his company, a source close to Kylie was quoted as saying in the report: "Kylie called her mum last Friday to ask if she and Olivier can stay at their home. "Carol is overjoyed at the prospect and is eager that Kylie finds love. Both Ron and Carol have always had reservations about her relationship with her ex-love James Gooding and are secretly glad it's completely over."

           Kylie and Oliver have only been dating for two weeks following her split from model Gooding. Kylie met some of Olivier's family members in Paris last week. Meanwhile, Gooding has reportely fled to Spain after his kiss-and-tell revelations in Sunday's News of the World. He hopes to get over his bust-up with Kylie and his subsequent depression.

Beckhams Go House-hunting in Milan (Go To Top)

          LONDON: Rumours surrounding England captain and Manchester United star David Beckham's plans to play football in Italy next season may turn out to be true. According to reports, Beckham's wife, the former Spice Girl Victoria, has been secretly house-hunting in Milan. Victoria, better known as Posh Spice, was in the city last week for fashion shows and took time off to speak to estate agents and told them to find her a two-million-pound family home. Italian papers also say that Victoria met Massimo Moratti, president of the Italian footballing giants Inter Milan, during her trip.

           Beckham has been linked with Inter since last month when his relationship with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson hit a new low. Sir Alex kicked a football boot when the club went down to arch-rivals Arsenal in the FA Cup tie that hit Beckham's eye. Moratti allegedly agreed to pay Beckham six million pounds a year - nearly doubling his current pay and making him one of the game's top earners. Meanwhile, Flavia Fabiani, an estate agent, has revealed that she has found "a lovely villa" for the Beckhams overlooking the beautiful Lake Como.

Oh! Now Madonna with Her Legs Behind Her Head! (Go To Top)

          LONDON: Pop Queen Madonna has posed in a different style, with her leg bent behind her head, for one of the most extraordinary photographs of her career giving details about herself in a sensational interview. The 44-year-old singer-actress, a yoga practitioner, was snapped in that position during a stunning photoshoot after calling normal poses "boring", according to a report in the Sun. "I'm not interested in just going for a fashion shoot. If I don't feel like I'm creating something that means something, I don't want to do it," she observed.

'Diana Show Shocking, Outrageous' (Go To Top)

          LONDON: 'The Spirit of Diana', a TV show on a couple of psychics contacting the late Princess of Wales, has been labelled "the sickest show" ever by critics. Craig and Jane Hamilton-Parker led two seances in London and one in Paris - and even re-enacted Diana's death in the programme. A version was shown in Britain on Monday night. They drove through the Parisian tunnel where she died in August 1997 and said they picked up messages from her and boyfriend Dodi Fayed, says a report in the Sun.

          The show was first shown in the US on Sunday. Viewers had to cough up the equivalent of 9.30 pounds to watch it on a pay-per-view channel. It has raked in millions of dollars for its makers. Dodi's father, Mohamed Fayed, Diana biographer Andrew Morton, her friend the psychic Simone Simmons and astrologer, Penny Thornton, took part. The UK version - without the seances - was on cable channel Living TV.

          A friend of Diana's family said: " The family are shocked that a programme like this could be made. It is disgraceful." Royal author Ingrid Seward, who watched the seance, then discussed it as part of the UK show, complained: "The royal family, including William and Harry, will just have to rise above it. They cannot fail to be upset by this commercialisation of their mother." Historian Harold Brooks-Baker fumed: "There are two sons alive and to do this to them is not only outrageous but extremely unChristian. Some rules of good taste and common decency should apply."

          In scenes that shocked viewers, the Hamilton-Parkers claimed the Princess told them from beyond the grave that she was "having fun" and that she had loved Dodi. Holding hands with a group that had met the Princess, Jane also said Diana wanted "the letters destroyed" - a reference to love notes owned by James Hewitt. A third sick seance - fronted by American medium Patricia Bankins - took place less than a mile from where Diana died. She said the crash was "definitely an accident" and Diana had not been pregnant "but wanted a child with Dodi". Andrew Morton, who wrote 'Diana: Her True Story', said: "I think Diana would have found all of this ridiculous and dismissed it out of hand."

Liv to Play Pin-up Legend Bettie Page (Go To Top)

          WASHINGTON: Gorgeous actress Liv Tyler has at last landed the role she has been wanting to play for a long time. Liv is to get low down and dirty in her next role, playing 1950s pin-up legend Bettie Page. Insiders say the Lord of the Rings actress has been chasing the role of the leather-loving centrefold since 1999 and is delighted to have landed it, says a report in PeopleNews.

          "Liv Tyler is still attached and she's more enthusiastic than ever," said Mark Mori, who controls the rights to Page's story. "When I first met her, Liv told me: 'I was born to play Bettie Page' ". A modelling superstar of the 1950s, Page was a Playmate of the Month in 1955 who had "a saucy innocence," according to ancient Playboy Hugh Hefner. She disappeared from public view in the 1960s, and tried brief stints as a housewife and a Christian missionary.

'Spiderman' to Wed (Go To Top)

          WASHINGTON: Spiderman star Tobey Maguire is planning to tie the knot with Jennifer Meyer, daughter of Universal Studios chief Ron Meyer. The wedding will reportedly take place this summer and best friend Leonardo DiCaprio will be Tobey's best man. "Tobey and Jennifer have been friends for years and have been dating since late last year," a friend was quoted as saying in PeopleNews. "They're madly in love," he added. Tobey, whose 'reputation' as a womanizer was enforced by his membership of Leonardo DiCaprio's gang, has been linked to Nicole Kidman and Spiderman co-star Kirsten Dunst, and was even engaged to Jennifer's best friend.

Fame Awaits Amanda Holden on American TV (Go To Top)

          WASHINGTON:  Amanda Holden's stars are on the rise. An American network has decided to buy the rights of the BBC sitcom 'Kiss Me Kate' in which she plays the lead role. The actress, estranged wife of Les Dennis, stars alongside Caroline Quentin in the sitcom. Holden plays a feisty secretary to Quentin's therapy counsellor, the role with which she first made a name for herself on British Television, reports PeopleNews. Carlton, which made the programme for the BBC, has sold 20 episodes to a Britcom-friendly channel in the US, who intend to screen the show in Boston, Dallas, Denver and other cities.

Ginger Spice Has an Oscar Job (Go To Top)

          LONDON: Come the Oscars on March 23 and former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, better known as Ginger Spice, will don a new role. She will comment on the stars' dresses and fashion disasters for the network ABC. In fact, she has already flown out to Los Angeles to prepare for the ceremony. Wearing a John Galliano dress, the singer will stand on the red carpet as the stars arrive. "Geri is delighted she will be on the red carpet with all the stars. She will be commenting on their outfits as they arrive. She is hoping this job will launch her as a presenter in the United States," a friend was quoted as saying by the Sun.

Russell Crowe Builds 200,000 Pound Wedding Chapel (Go To Top)

          LONDON: For his upcoming wedding to singer-actress Danielle Spencer, Oscar winning actor Russell Crowe has reportedly built a 200,000 pound chapel in his native Australia. Dubbed as St Russell's Basilica by the local people, the building will feature stained glass windows and mahogany carved pews, with the centrepiece being a huge crucifix currently being shipped from Milan, Italy, where the couple bought it two weeks ago. The wedding, a sunset ceremony on Crowe's property in the village of Nana Glen on the New South Wales coast, will take place on April 5, reports the Sun.