Back to Main Page                                                                 Archives

 

Kylie mesmerises guests at Mittal wedding

          Sydney: Pop diva Kylie Minogue, whose appearance at the wedding of steel magnate Laxmi Mittal's daughter was the highlight of the grand event, reportedly got an exorbitant sum of 520,000 dollars for a half-hour show. Guests at the wedding were elated when the star emerged on stage and charmed them with her mellifluous voice. According to news.com, the gathering of 1000 guests was pleasantly surprised when just after midnight, a husky voice started singing off-stage and within seconds Minogue emerged, wearing a short, black dress to mesmerise them with her songs.

IIMs retain old fees (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: All six Indian Institutes of Management have decided to retain the old fee structure while ensuring that the poor students do not suffer due to financial constraints, HRD Minister Arjun Singh announced here on Tuesday. Directors of the IIMs from across the country conveyed their unanimous decision to Singh at a meeting here. "The IIMs have taken this decision in the larger public interest and in the interest of their respective institutions. While fee structure would remain the same, poor students would not be deprived of quality education through the provision of scholarships", Singh said addressing his maiden press conference after assuming charge as HRD Minister.

Rise to the occasion, PM tells CMs (Go To Top)

         New Delhi: After sweeping elections on promises of eradicating poverty and bringing succour to rural poor, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has begun strengthening its village councils and planning for development. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday chaired his first meeting with the chief ministers of 29 states and seven Union Territories, in New Delhi. "The challenge before all of us is to collectively rise to the task ahead of us in terms of increasing rural incomes, getting rid of chronic mass poverty and giving control to the local levels to plan for themselves thereby strengthening the democratic process that has placed us all here," Singh said in his address to the conference. Singh's Congress-led alliance swept the watershed election wooing the rural poor, mostly farmers, who account for about 70 percent of the country's population of more than one billion.

          Thousands in the farm sector are saddled with huge debts in India, driving many who are unable to repay their debts to suicide. Though a good monsoon last year brought some relief, earnings were siphoned off by moneylenders and middlemen, taking large cuts for marketing the produce for the farmers, most of whom are illiterate. Angry and disillusioned, farmers say New Delhi revelled in impressive growth figures, completely oblvious of their dying colleagues and starving children in the remote pockets of the vast nation. Moving quickly on the damage control, finance minister P. Chidambram last week announced a package of measures aimed at helping farmers in distress and promised to increase the flow of credit to them by around 30 percent. Panchayati Raj or village council minister Manishankar Aiyer assured work would begin on a war footing at both rural and urban levels and concerns of the poor reflected in the economic policies.

           But all is not well for the leftist-backed coalition. The Congress after coming to power in Andhra Pradesh has not been able to arrest the spate of farmers' suicides and sceptics have already begun to question the coalition's policies. The new government will present its keenly awaited budget for the fiscal year to March 2005 on July 8. Investors are keen to see how it will balance its budget given its promises to step up spending in key social sectors such as health and education, which analysts say could widen the fiscal deficit in the absence of any plans to increase tax receipts.

Iraq to get legal custody of Saddam  (Go To Top)

          Baghdad: Iraq's Prime Minister Iyad Allawi on Tuesday said that Saddam Hussein will be transferred to Iraqi legal custody on Wednesday. He made the announcement during his first news conference held since the US-led coalition transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi interim government. He will face charges before an Iraqi court this week. Saddam however, will remain in a US-run jail for now because his government does not have a suitable prison. Allawi promised an open proceeding when Saddam faces war crimes charges, including genocide. Eleven other "high-value detainees" are also expected to face justice, said Allawi during his first news conference since the US-led coalition handed over sovereignty to his government on Monday.

Shujaat elected leader of Pak House (Go To Top)

          Islamabad: Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain was on Tuesday elected leader of the House by getting 190 votes of the members of the National Assembly. His opponent Makhdoom Amin Fahim bagged 76 votes, while Muttahida Majalis Amal members were not voted in the election, according to The News. Earlier the National Assembly began voting to approve the military's choice of temporary prime minister, in a political game of musical chairs that will see a former banker and technocrat eventually take charge. Shaukat Aziz, credited with reviving the economy as finance minister since 1999, is the pro-military government's choice as permanent replacement for Zafarullah Khan Jamali, who resigned on Saturday after falling out with President Pervez Musharraf. Aziz needs to win a seat in the lower house of parliament before he can qualify, meaning Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, a backroom negotiator loyal to military ruler Musharraf, will take over in the interim period of up to 50 days. Hussain, who heads the PML, may use his short time in office to iron out differences within the PML, as well as soothe an opposition that wants Musharraf to step down as army chief by the end of the year. The change of prime minister has been criticised by opposition parties and commentators, who call it another slap in the face for democracy by a powerful military that prefers to run the country on its own.

Shaukat Aziz accused of leaking national secrets (Go To Top)

          Islamabad: Pakistan prime minister-in-the-waiting Shaukat Aziz has been accused of passing on photographs of Khan's Research Laboratories (KRL) to the Pentagon and CIA. According to the Daily Times, the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) information secretary Muhammad Siddiqul Farooq levelled the accusations against Aziz here Monday. "The nation does not expect Shaukat Aziz, who represented the United States and provided the CIA and Pentagon with photos of Khan's Research Laboratories, to promote Pakistan's national interests," the paper quoted Farooq as saying in a press statement. Aziz becoming the country's next prime minister is said to be a foregone conclusion as he enjoys the full confidence of President Pervez Musharraf. Within a few weeks from now, after becoming a Member of the National Assembly (MNA), Aziz is slated to take over from Shujaat Hussain, who is most likely to occupy the top post today.

Hailstorms destroy apple crops in Uttaranchal (Go To Top)

          Nainital: Weather god has been more than unkind to the apple growers in Uttaranchal. Orchard owners in Nainital say that bad weather conditions over the past six months have ruined chances of a bumper crop this season. Orchards which are normally laden with apples during this season present a dismal sight, all due to the unseasonal pre-monsoon shoewrrs, coupled with hailstorms. Besides adverse weather conditions, fungal diseases have also affected the crop. "This year we have suffered losses in apple crops because of the weather and the Uttaranchal government is also not helping us. Hailstorms have ruined our crops, and many of the apples have developed spores. So we are unable to get a good price for our yield," said Ajay Sharma, an orchard owner. "We are unable to sell our produce as many of them are spotted. They are just lying waste here, and cannot be used now in any form now," said Ramesh Chandra Pant, another orchard owner. Apples are grown on around 30 percent of the total cultivated area in Uttaranchal. Apple cultivation is the mainstay of Uttaranchal's rural economy.

Uri Gellar 'Bent it for Beckham'  (Go To Top)

          London: Spoon bender Uri Geller on Monday night revealed that he may be to blame for David Beckham's missed penalty in Euro 2004. The 57-year old Israel born psychic said that while trying to transmit "positive energy" to the England players he may have caused the ball to bend over the bar. "I'm not a miracle worker, but I do believe in the power of consciousness. I was trying to send positive energy", the Sun quoted him as saying. Meanwhile, Rebecca Loos, whose alleged affair with Beckham was news for several days, laughed off speculation that she was the reason for his missed penalty. "Friends have been phoning me, saying, 'Becca, look at what you've done'. But that is not true", the paper quoted her as saying.