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Churchill wanted to arrest de Gaulle, kill Hitler (Go To Top)

    London: Winston Churchill, Britain's World War II prime minister, was keen on arresting General Charles de Gaulle of France and electrocuting Adolf Hitler of Germany. According to reports that go on display at Britain's National Archives in Kew, southwest London, Churchill was determined to send Adolf Hitler to the electric chair if he was ever captured. The pugnacious British prime minister also believed that senior Nazis should be summarily executed without the benefit of a trial.

   Churchill's brutal attitude towards his enemies is revealed in newly-published records from meetings of the War Cabinet. The notes, taken by Deputy Cabinet Secretary Sir Norman Brook in his own style of shorthand, provide the first detailed insight into what was said during debates on crucial issues. But the new documents show the Cabinet held a series of discussions about how to deal with war criminals between 1942 and 1945. At one meeting in December 1942, Churchill commented: "Contemplate that if Hitler falls into our hands we shall certainly put him to death. This man is the mainspring of evil." According to the records, the prime minister even indicated his favoured mode of execution. Capital punishment in Britain at the time involved hanging, but Churchill suggested electrocution equipment could be obtained through the US's Lend-Lease scheme for providing goods to its Allies. Two-and-a-half years later, the question of whether Nazis deserved their day in court was vexing ministers. Churchill agreed that a trial for Hitler would be "a farce": "All sorts of complications ensue as soon as you admit a fair trial." However, within weeks it had become clear that both the US and Russia backed court proceedings. Churchill proposed that they "negotiate" with figures such as Gestapo head Heinrich Himmler - who had already sought secret peace talks with the British government - and then "bump him off later". His view was initially backed by Foreign Secretary and fellow Tory Anthony Eden, but Labour ministers Atlee and Morrison eventually won him over by arguing the attacks were an unnecessary diversion. Churchill finally abandoned the plan.

     Churchill was prepared to have French resistance leader General Charles de Gaulle arrested if he tried to leave Britain. The animosity between the pair, both revered in their homelands as heroes of the Second World War, is revealed in the first detailed records of British wartime Cabinet meetings to be made public. Describing the French resistance leader as having "insensate ambition", Churchill also said De Gaulle was a barrier to "trustworthy" relations between the two countries. In March 1943 when his request to visit Free French troops was turned down, the general, who had fled to Britain in 1940 after the German invasion, complained that he was being treated as a prisoner of war. Churchill's response was that the Frenchman must be told "bluntly" to do as he was told and must be kept in the country. "And arrest him if he tries to leave, eg by Fr(ench) destroyer. Security measures should be laid on to prevent that," Churchill said, according to notes taken by Deputy Cabinet Secretary Sir Norman Brook.

    The British leader feared that De Gaulle's requested visit would jeopardise ongoing discussions between the United States and its favoured General Giraud, De Gaulle's rival. However, future Labour prime minister Clement Attlee warned against trusting US judgment on Giraud. "Don't pin all hopes on (Giraud) as tho' he was v good. Remember too that the name 'de G' stands throughout France as the spirit of resistance: the man who never gave up etc ... US views v unreliable, they know nothing about France," Brook's notes read. By April 1945, Churchill judged that there was "no hope of trustworthy relations with France until we are rid of de Gaulle". However, that year De Gaulle returned to a hero's welcome in Paris and was given the presidency of the provisional government. The general would go on to repeatedly block Britain's entry into the European Economic Community. Though he didn't trust De Gaulle, Churchill's views on Stalin were more positive, according to the released files. Having met the Russian leader in Moscow, he told Cabinet in August 1942 that Stalin was a "large man: great sagacity".

Jane launches violence against women crusade (Go To Top)

     Washington: Veteran actress Jane Fonda is lending her voice to a Valentine's Day campaign to stop violence against the female sex. As a part of the campaign, the actress will appear in a US public service announcement for an upcoming celebration of women's rights, on the 14th of February. Fonda said that the day of love was the perfect day for the campaign. "When violence against women and girls ends I'll be able to talk to my men friends the way I talk to my women friends. Let V-Day become the world," Contactmusic quoted her, as saying.

'Da Vinci Code' may premiere at the Lourve (Go To Top)

    Washington: Movie bosses of the eagerly awaited film version of author Dan Brown's best-selling novel 'The Da Vinci Code' are reportedly considering hosting the movie's European premiere at the Lourve art gallery in Paris. According to Contactmusic, film executives believe that Dan Brown's book is the reason why the more people than ever before visited the famous gallery, which houses the 'Mona Lisa' among other great works, that they are contemplating holding the premiere at the place where the story first unfolds. Figures show that the gallery scored a new record attendance when more than seven million people visited it last year.

Spielberg dashes Mary Poppins screen dreams (Go To Top)

     London: Fans of the beloved literary character 'Mary Poppins' may be in for a disappointment with the two time Academy award winning director Steven Spielberg denying reports that he was considering bringing the London stage show to the silver screen. Spielberg's representative Marvin Levy said that the director had no plans whatsoever to recreate the classic, especially one that has been made by Disney in the first place. "I never heard of this and couldn't imagine Steven ever doing a remake of a classic - and a Disney classic at that. There's a Broadway show from Disney but nothing involving us in any way," Femalefirst quoted him, as saying.

Wills seals his love with a public kiss (Go To Top)

     London: Prince William seems to have sealed his love for girl friend Kate Middleton, with a kiss in public for the first time. The couple who is on a ski break in Klosters, Switzerland, days before Wills' army career gets underway, shared an intimate moment as they skied down Casanna Alp, dashing speculations that their relationship was on the rocks. "As Kate caught her breath, William placed an arm round her shoulders and pulled her close for a long, slow kiss on the lips. It was very romantic and lasted several moments," an onlooker was quoted by The Sun, as saying. William will start his officer training stint at Sandhurst on Sunday and will be barred from seeing Kate for five weeks. "Although their lives are about to change, theyre determined not to let that spoil what theyve got," a friend of the couple said. Klosters is the same place where Prince Charles took Diana on their first ski trip in 1987.

Lindsay Lohan reveals her bulimia and doping hell (Go To Top)

     Washington: Lindsay Lohan has finally shed some light on rumours about her incredibly shrinking body, admitting in the new issue of Vanity Fair that her low body weight is due to 'bulimia'. She also confessed she experimented with drugs, owing to problems she faced at home. In an interview to the magazine, Lohan has disclosed how dealing with a messy divorce battle between her parents, her father's numerous run-ins with the law and subsequent jailing and several driving-related mishaps, depressed her, forcing her to find solace in doping, but felt disgusted with her skeletal figure, brought about by her eating disorder. "I was sick. I had people sit me down and say, 'You're going to die if you don't take care of yourself,'" E!Online quoted her, as saying. However the teenage starlet, who was recently hospitalized in Miami after suffering an asthma attack, quickly tried to retract the admission and denied that she had taken cocaine, insisting to have "gotten that out of my system." "I don't want people to think that I've done...you know what I mean? It's kind of a sore subject," said Lohan. Earlier a year ago, Lohan was hospitalized and treated for extreme stress and exhaustion, and shortly after she was released, she split from her first serious boyfriend, Wilmer Valderrama, and her curvy figure began to noticeably diminish in size. In the Vanity Fair interview, Lohan also claimed her relationship ended because she smothered Valderrama until he was basically forced to break up with her, "because I didn't have anyone [else] to go to" with problems.