Militants kill 21 in Tripura; Both India, Pakistan ready to resume flights; 'No let-up in Pak infiltration'; Kolkatans watch rare celestial event; Court stays probe against Mulayam; Pak woman to die for drug offence; Carrey as God blows Aniston's breasts bigger and bigger, prowling husband Brad Pitt watching from behind the sets!; I don't have a boyfriend, a lonely star in tears; Robbie Williams will roar in lion's role; Beckham armed with two new Latin tattoos; Kate-Sam street romance makes public blush; Diana's bed to be centre of public attraction; News from India; News for Tourists and Travellers; India Travel Times; India News; India News Times; Indian News; Travel News; Travel; Tourism;

Home Contact Us Dateline New Delhi, Wednesday, May 7, 2003

Militants kill 21 in Tripura

Agartala, May 7: Militants belonging to two separate terrorist organisations killed as many as 21 persons in separate incidents in Tripura on Tuesday night. Six persons were also injured in the two attacks. In one incident, militants belonging to the banned All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) raided Sidhai village of West Tripura district and gunned down 18 persons. In the other incident, National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) militants raided Kumarghat village of North Tripura district and shot dead two non-tribals. Official sources said a manhunt was launched in both the districts to track down the terrorists.

Both India, Pakistan ready to resume flights

New Delhi/Islamabad, May 7: Even as the saga of confidence- building measures is on, both India and Pakistan are ready to resume the suspended air links. But what is awaited is the mandatory nod from the two respective governments. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Wednesday said that they have decided to operate six flights a week to India after the two countries finalise restoration of air links. PIA sources were quoted as saying that the airline will operate two flights a week from Karachi to New Delhi and two to Mumbai. Besides, two flights would be operated from Lahore to New Delhi in a week, they added. The flights would begin within ten days of the Pakistan government giving the go-ahead, the sources said.

Pakistani daily News quoted PIA marketing director as saying, "everything was ready and we are waiting for instructions from the government." A contingency plan has been prepared for the restoration of flights for and over India, he reportedly said. On the other hand, in New Delhi Civil Aviation Minister Shahnawaz Hussain said flights would be resumed only after the Union Government gives its nod. "We are ready to resume the flights to Pakistan. But it would be done only after the situation between the two countries normalises and the Centre gives green signal," he told reporters. Apart from the air links, Pakistan is also reportedly planning to resume the rail links by operating Samjhauta Express. This is the only rail link between the two countries. According to an estimate, the train service ferried around 150,000 passengers every year before it was suspended.

It may be recalled that India and Pakistan had severed all air, road and rail links after the December 13, 2001 terrorist attack on Indian Parliament. During the past two weeks the two countries had been involved in confidence-building measures. The process began with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee expressing a desire, while on a visit to Jammu and Kashmir, to hold talks with Pakistan if the latter stopped cross-border terrorism. It was welcomed by the neighbouring country when Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali extended a formal invitation to Vajpayee to tour the country. Later, both the countries decided to appoint high commissioners in each other's Capital.

'No let-up in Pak infiltration' (Go To Top)

New Delhi, May 7: Over one thousand Pak-trained militants are ready to cross over to Indian territory. This was stated by Minister of State for Home Harin Pathak in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The Centre along with the Jammu and Kashmir government has evolved a multi-pronged strategy to contain cross-border terrorism perpetrated by Pakistan's ISI. Pathak added that there is no let-up in ISI efforts in supporting, aiding and abetting terrorism in various parts of the country.

Kolkatans watch rare celestial event (Go To Top)

Kolkata, May 7: In a rare celestial occurrence on Wednesday, planet Mercury touched the disc of Sun, an event last witnessed by Indians in 1993. Various organizations all over the country held special sky observation programmes for the unique event, which occurs only 13 times in a century. In Kolkata astronomy lovers gathered in a club to watch the event, with elaborate arrangements made by the city's Skywatchers' Association. Three huge telescopes were installed in the open for the benefit of the viewers.

The event was visible in India between 10:43 am and 4:00 pm (local time). Planet-watchers, who included students, office-goers and housewives, had their eyes glued to the skies to watch the Mercury pass across the Sun. Transits of only Mercury and Venus are visible from earth and the transit of Venus, which is bigger in size, is rarer. The last transit of Mercury took place on November 15, 1999. Mercury transits 13 times in a century. The next transit of Venus will be on June 8, 2004.

Court stays probe against Mulayam (Go To Top)

Lucknow, May 7: The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday restrained the Uttar Pradesh government from proceeding with investigations against Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav and his arrest till August 19 next in connection with the cases registered against him for alleged misuse of the chief minister's discretionary fund. A Division Bench comprising Justices Vishnu Sahai and Abdul Matin asked the state government not to conduct investigations in any of the FIRs or any other case it proposed to file regarding alleged misuse of discretionary fund during Yadav's two tenures as chief minister.

Yadav, who was the chief minister of the state from December 5, 1989 to June 29, 1991 and again from December 4, 1993 to June 3, 1995, filed the petition seeking quashing of the FIRs. Counsel for Yadav Ram Jethmalani contended that the FIRs relating to the chief minister's discretionary fund deserve to be quashed as they have been lodged with malafide intentions at the behest of UP Chief Minister Mayawati after a long gap of eight years.

Additional Public Prosecutor Jyotendra Mishra and L P Mishra, appearing for Mayawati, contended that the FIRs were in connection with serious offences and the law should take its course. After hearing both the parties, the court granted eight weeks time to file counter affidavit and four weeks to file rejoinder affidavit. The matter will now be heard on August 19 next.

Woman to die for drug offence in Pakistan (Go To Top)

Lahore, May 7: A city court for the first time sentenced a woman to death for drugs offence. The court also fined the woman, 44-year-old Osfatu Bose Oweiye from Nigeria, Rs 4 lakh. Oweiye was arrested in 1999 after officials from Pakistan's Anti- Narcotics Force (ANF) found 20 kg of heroin in a Lahore hotel. The verdict comes a day after Pakistani customs officials claimed to have seized the biggest-ever haul of heroin in NWFP area. ANF officials alleged that Oweiye was the head of a drug- trafficking ring and had been involved in high-profile smuggling cases elsewhere. They also said she had drugs convictions in other countries. Oweiye's arrest four years ago came after police questioned five Nigerian men in connection with the discovery of the heroin in the Lahore hotel. Police said the heroin was to be smuggled out of Pakistan to be sold in other countries.

Washington, May 7: Husband Brad Pitt proved to be a distracting presence on the set of Jennifer Aniston's new movie 'Bruce Almighty'. According to a report in TeenHollywood.com, Aniston's co-star Jim Carrey confesses that Pitt offered him a few words of warning during steamy kissing scenes. However, Pitt was more than pleased when Carrey's character - who becomes God for a day - uses his powers to make screen lover Aniston's breasts grow. As Carrey said, "Brad turned to me and said, 'Thanks man!'".

London, May 7: The 'Chicago' star Rene Zellweger seems to be craving for love in her life. "A man to date" - that's what the actress said she is desperately looking for in her lonely life. The actress stunned guests at a dinner party in Los Angles by crying openly as she blurted out how "desperate she was for love" and how she spent lonely nights watching television with her pet dog, according to a report in the Sun. The Texas-born star has not had a serious boyfriend since splitting with comic actor Jim Carrey three years ago.

The outburst and her honest confession mirrored Renee's hit film 'Bridget Jones's Diary', in which the heroine longs to have a boyfriend, an onlooker present in the party said. "It was like a scene out of Bridget Jones," said another guest. Renee, who has just turned 34, had tears rolling down her cheeks as she told the get-together: "I'm so lonely. I don't date. I feel like I'm going to grow old alone." Meanwhile, 'Striptease' star Demi Moore, who was sitting just next to Renee, tried to console the lovelorn actress by vowing to take her out on the town to find romance.

London, May 7: Pop star Robbie Williams, 29, will be roaring soon . He has been chosen to voice a lion character for a television film titled 'Pride', based on real footage of lions. For the BBC film, by Simon Nye who made Men Behaving Badly, the singer has been cast as Linus, brother of Suki, played by Kate Winslet, according to a report in the Sun. Other stars of the movie include Sean Bean and Helen Mirren.

London, May 7: It seems that David Beckham is not satisfied with the tattoos of his wife, two young sons as well as that of famous guardian angel on his body. Now, the England football captain has added two Latin phrases, four and five-and-a-half inches long, etched on his forearms at a cost of 150 pounds. Beckham arrived at the Middleton Tattoo Studio in Manchester in his Bentley and got the words 'Perfectio In Spiritu' or 'Spiritual Perfection' etched beneath the No7 tattoo on his right arm. His left arm now reads 'Ut Amem Et Foveam,' meaning 'So that I love and cherish.' Beckham "is meaning Perfectio In Spiritu to refer to the number seven, which in Biblical times was regarded as the perfect number. The other tattoo comes from the Latin marriage vows," a source close to Beckham was quoted as saying by the Sun.

Washington, May 7: The 'Titanic' actress Kate Winslet and her boyfriend, the 'American Beauty' director Sam Mendes, seems to be lost in love as the couple displayed their intense passion for each other quite openly in a busy New York sidewalk. The duo, who has been dating for 18 months since Kate split from husband Jim Threapleton, smooched and fondled each other in public, unaware of the fact that they shocked passers-by to the core. "They didn't have a care in the world, wandering along the street and gazing into each others eyes. They kissed so passionately it was almost embarrassing," said one witness. The 27-year-old actress is in the city shooting Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with Jim Carrey, while Sam, 37, is finishing his Broadway play Gypsy in the Big Apple.

London, May 7: Visitors to Princess Diana's family home will now be able to get a glimpse of her private things, including her bed. In an attempt to attract more visitors, Diana's brother Earl Spencer has decided to make her old bed as the centerpiece. He is also cynically renaming the room where his sister used to sleep with Prince Charles, the Princess of Wales bedroom. For generations it had been the Prince of Wales room in honour of a visit by Queen Victoria's son who became Edward VII. But soon members of the public who buy a 10.50 pound ticket will be able to nose around the princess's private room, which has been left much as it was before her death. They will even be able to see her elaborate four-poster bed, reports mirror.co.uk. The ornate room is being promoted as a new attraction at the Althorp estate in Northamptonshire when it opens again in July. The princess and Charles used the bedroom when they visited the house, particularly when they would break the journey from Balmoral at Althorp. Diana also stayed in the room alone and it has been closed to the public since she died in 1997.