Archives

Manipur Minister's kidnapped daughter found dead

          Imphal, Nov 12: The body of Lungnila Elizabeth, kidnapped by militants over a week ago, was on Wednesday recovered from near her school, about 3 km from here, officials sources said. The body of the eight-year old daughter of Manipur Minister for General Administration Francis Ngajokpa was found in a sack dumped in a pond at Sangaiporou Sathokpam area, about one and half km west of Little Flower High School, where she was a student of standard three. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, the sources said, adding, it was not known when the child was shot dead.

India, Russia to step up cooperation against terror
-from N Bhadran Nair

          Moscow, Nov 12: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Wednesday said that religious extremism is threatening the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of both India and Russia and called for efforts to curb this menace. Speaking at the Russian Academy of Sciences here, Vajpayee appreciated Russia's consistent and support to India's campaign against terrorism.

           He said both India and Russia are multi-ethnic, pluralistic, democratic countries. "Therefore intellectuals, scientists and all public figures have an important role to play in the fight against the forces of intolerance and violence," said Vajpayee. Expressing his concern over the low volume and quality of bilateral economic ties, Vajpayee said that it "does not conform to the excellent level of our political relationship." "We need to convert the extraordinary goodwill between India and Russia into a thriving, visible, vigorous and mutually beneficial economic relationship," he added.

          The prime minister sought to hard-sell to the Russians India's capabilities in IT, communication and biotechnology sectors. "India is now a nation on the move - stronger, more prosperous and more self-confident than ever before," said Vajpayee. Vajpayee said his visit to Moscow is to inject a note of realism. "We should not rest on past laurels. Otherwise, stagnation would set in. We must follow a determined course towards continuous strengthening of political, economic, scientific and cultural ties," he added, and called upon the Russian Academy of Sciences to play a lead role in this regard.

          Later, in a joint declaration signed at the end of talks between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Russian President Vladimr Putin both the countries reaffirmed their determination to enhance cooperation in tackling the evil of international terrorism and threat to global security like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iraq situation. They resolutely declared that international terrorists, whatever be their stated objectives and the causes they espouse, will never succeed in bringing the world to its knees.

Deadlock in Colombo (Go To Top)

          Colombo, Nov 12: Talks between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe ended in a deadlock on Wednesday, according to official sources. The President and the Prime Minister met behind closed doors for about two hours but neither side showed signs of compromise, the sources said. A source close to the prime minister said he did not press for the re-instatement of the three ministers sacked by Kumaratunga, but wanted her to take over the Norwegian-backed peace process. Wickremesinghe is said to have argued that he cannot handle the peace process with Tamil rebels unless he was in full control of the government, including the defence, interior and information portfolios taken by Kumaratunga. Kumaratunga, on the other hand, made no commitments, but expressed her serious concerns about the security situation in the country. Both, however, agreed to have another round of talks next week.

Mumbai's top cop charged in fake stamp scam (Go To Top)

          Mumbai, Nov 12: A Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the 30 billion rupee revenue stamp paper scam, on Wednesday charged a top police official in its interim report. SIT officials say Mumbai police commissioner RS Sharma's role in the scam has been identified. Owing to the high-profile nature of the case its details have not been made public and the report will instead be submitted directly to the Chief Minister. Prosecution lawyer Ashwin Bhalekar, said: "An interim report has been presented by the Special Investigative Team (SIT) in which the role of Mumbai police commissioner RS Sharma has been identified ... how he monitored the whole investigation. The copies of the report will not be made public. It is clear that there are some allegations against Sharma, so the high court has ordered that the report should be sent to the state chief minister."

          Abul Telgi, the main accused, ran a massive fake revenue stamp scam spanning over six states before being arrested in 2001. Telgi was apparently working in network with dozens of local politicians and police officials. Investigations into the case, mired in red tape, were close to reaching the dead end, till noted activist Anna Hazare filed a petition demanding a special probe. Elated at the latest developments Hazare said the developments were positive. Joint Commissioner of State Intelligence, Sridhar Vagal, is already in police custody. The SIT has said it is still examining the evidence recovered during raids at Vagal's residence and has asked for more time to study the 56 audio tapes it recently sought from Karnataka, where Telgi was apprehended. It will submit its final report on November 27.

22 killed in suicide bombing of Italian base in Iraq (Go To Top)

          Baghdad, Nov 12: Twenty-two people are reported killed in a bomb attack on an Italian base in the Iraqi city of Nasiriya. Italian officials said 11 of the dead were paramilitary police officers and three were soldiers. Local hospital officials said eight Iraqis were also killed. These are the first deaths to hostile action among the 2,400- strong Italian force in Iraq. The powerful explosion - said to have been detonated by a suicide truck bomber - tore the entire front of the three-storey building.

          Eyewitnesses said the bomber rammed his vehicle through the gate of the Italian compound and detonated his bomb in front of the Carabinieri building, setting it on fire and trapping people under rubble. Others spoke of two vehicles being involved in the attack. Secondary explosions from ammunition stored on the compound rocked the area moments after the main blast.

          Italian paramilitary police - known as Carabinieri - are part of a post-war deployment of about 2,400 Italian troops in Iraq. They serve under British command in southern Iraq as part of the US-led coalition. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said the attack would not derail Italy's commitment to helping Iraq, but the Italian opposition has demanded the withdrawal of the country's troops from Iraq.

Delhi braces up for Trade Fair (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, Nov 12: Asia's largest annual trade fair is all set to open in New Delhi as authorities work overtime to ensure safety for the large number of visitors. Nearly two million people are expected to visit the fortnight-long India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2003, to be inaugurated by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Friday at the permanent venue, Pragati Maidan.

          The fair, which has delegates from 27 countries participating, is an acid test for the police in crowd and traffic management. The city police is facing flak for a spate of robberies and sensational rape cases, including that of a Swiss diplomat. The incident happened at a posh locality hosting an international film festival, despite heavy police and public presence leading to a massive public outcry. The authorities are yet to trace the culprits. Officials said they are taking extra measures to ensure absolute safety for all visitors, particularly women.

          Apart from doubling the police presence, hi-tech closed circuit cameras have been installed across the venue and ticket prices have been hiked by 60 percent to cut out the non-serious crowd. "We have put in place some very extensive security arrangements. We have all the parking lots, we will have good lighting. We'll have a lot of our own people manning these parking areas. Within Pragati Maidan, apart from the Delhi police, our own security people will be patrolling. Some of them will be going around in plain clothes, to keep a watch on activities inside (the fair). We're also putting up some towers for Delhi police to keep an eye on things within the Pragati Maidan," Ashok Jha, Chairman of the India Trade Promotion Organisation, told a news conference. The 14-day multi-product show will be focusing on the theme of tourism and promoting exports of small and medium enterprises.

BJP eyes anti-incumbency factor to win polls (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, Nov 12: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday said it would ride an anti-incumbancy wave to grab power in five states going to the polls shortly. "In the four states the environment is in our favour, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Delhi ... because in all the four states the Congress is ruling and they have failed on all their agendas ... they are facing many allegations. None of them has any answers to the charges," BJP president Venkaiah Naidu said in the Capital.

          Naidu was accompanying Madan Lal Khurana, the party's chief ministerial candidate in Delhi who filed his nomination papers. Four states, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi are set to vote on December 1 while Mizoram will vote on November 20. The Congress party is in power in the four states except Mizoram. The elections are seen as a litmus test for both the main contenders ahead of the general election in 2004. "This is why, we have assesed that we will win, form government in all four states and this will be a beginning for next year's general elections," Naidu added. The BJP has suffered a string of failures in recent state elections and has only three states in its kitty compared to the Congress party which rules 15 states.

          Meanwhile, Hafi Ahmad Hafari, a washerman by profession, who filed his papers to contest from an east Delhi constituency, took everyone by surprise with his entourage of donkeys. Hafari said he would champion the cause of the backward class people. "The main agendas will be that the backward classes should get their due rights," Hafari said.

AICC continues to play "cat and mouse game" with ticket-seekers (Go To Top)
-by Pankaj Yadav

          New Delhi, Nov 12: Even as the Congress party's senior leadership continued to keep the candidates' list for the forthcoming Delhi Assembly elections close to their chest, the AICC (All India Congress Committee) office remained abuzz with hectic activity on Wednesday also. Amid heavy deployment of the police, the Akbar Road offices of the AICC, Sewa Dal and the front gate of party president Sonia Gandhi's residence, was blocked from both the sides. A sea of people had emerged even as supporters of the candidates who smelt a rat in ticket distribution shouted slogans against the party's decision.

          Party sources said that the tickets would be announced by late night on Wednesday, or early Thursday. Friday is the last day for submitting nominations. Though the senior leaders maintained that nothing has been decided regarding tickets for Delhi, hundreds of supporters of Chaudhary Sheeshpal, the sitting MLA from Tughlaqabad, gathered in front of the 10, Janpath residence of Sonia Gandhi, demanding a tete-a-tete with her. "The party is considering to give the ticket to Bir Singh, who was virtually a nobody in our assembly segment. Ch Sheeshpal has successfully contested and is an able person to get the ticket. If the party does not heed to our demand, then it's sure we will field him as an Independent and assure the official candidate's defeat," one of Sheeshpal's supporters said: The two Congress councillors from Tughlaqabad - Meenakshi Sharma and Chaudhary Bhagbir - were also seen among the supporters pleading Ch. Sheeshpal's case.

          Meanwhile, a group of voters from the Mandawali Assembly constituency are camping outside the party office for the past eight days opposing the candidature of sitting MLA Meera Bharadwaj. Demanding that she not be given a party ticket this time, the protesters described her as an irresponsible and a failed leader. Kailash Chand Gupta, the vice-president of East Delhi District Congress Committee, said: "She treats the men folk very badly and abuses publicly. Whenever we go with any problem, she asks us to wait for hours." Among the protesters were also a number of disgruntled women activists' voicing their resentment against their local MLA. Some of them performed fictitious last rites in Meera Bharadwaj's name in front of the AICC gates.

          By and large, senior leaders continue to evade party workers, preferring to hold their parleys behind close doors at 10, Janpath. One Congressman loitering outside the AICC office quipped, "to avoid bickering from the disgruntled ticket-seekers, these leaders will flash the lists to the newspaper offices in the dead of the night, and catch flights to outstation destinations, after a month-long tiring work."

LoC as suggested by India will not be accepted: Pak FM (Go To Top)

          Islamabad, Nov 12: India's moves to internationalise what it deems to be the Line of Control (LoC) will never be acceptable to Pakistan, said the country's Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri, though he added, that Islamabad was keen to work out modalities for promoting people-to-people contact. Maintaining Pakistan's "principled stand" on Kashmir, Kasuri said: "We want contact between people living on both sides of Line of Control but the objection is that we do not recognize Kashmir as part of India as it is a disputed territory." He was speaking to reporters after his return from a three-nation EU tour that included visits to Spain, Britain and Belgium.

Bottomlines

Spouse hits Christian Slater: 20 stitches on his skull! (Go To Top)

          London, Nov 12: Hollywood star Christian Slater needed 20 stitches on his skull after his wife Ryan Haddon smashed him with a glass during a heated argument. Las Vegas police reached the couple's hotel suite and found a blood-soaked Slater with his wife who was in a hysterical state. According to the Sun, the 5 feet 8 inch Slater with a green belt in karate reported to the police that Ryan had smashed the glass over his head in a fit of wild rage. Ryan was arrested and held in jail for 24 hours on the charges of domestic battery. Slater was taken to the hospital where doctors stitched his wound. Police spokeswoman Lt Juanita Good said: "Police received a call saying there was a fight at the hotel. When they arrived they found a female and a male who had received an injury to his head." The star of True Romance and Windtalkers had married TV producer Ryan in February 2000. They have a son and a daughter from the marriage.

Michael Jackson wants seven more children! (Go To Top)

          New York, Nov 12: This is the latest in Michael Jackson's life. The "King of Pop" wants to adopt more children. According to ratethemusic.com, the baby-dangling star, who already has three kids (Prince Michael Junior, Paris and Prince Michael-II), wants to adopt at least seven more. "I want a big family, more and more children," he recently told L.A. radio host Rick Dees, adding that he eventually would like to have more kids than his father did. There were nine siblings in the Jackson family.

I don't shower everyday: Sarah Jessica Parker (Go To Top)

          London, Nov 12: Sarah Jessica Parker admits that in real life she is not the fashion-obsessed Carrie Bradshaw in TV's Sex and the City, the envy of women all over the world. According to the Mirror, she is more comfortable in baggy tracksuits than designer frocks and she cannot be bothered to shower every day. The actress, who has just finished filming the final eight episodes of the Channel 4 series, confessed, "I have certain sweat pants I've owned for many, many years and old T-shirts that the greatest couture gown can't compete with."

          Sarah Jessica, 38, whose son James is now one, also revealed that she didn't go clubbing, or hang out in bars till three in the morning like the columnist character she has played for six series. She has dated all of four men in her life, which include husband Matthew Broderick, Nicholas Cage, Robert Downey Jr and the late John F Kennedy Jr. Despite the toned figure and glowing skin Sarah Jessica does not follow a gruelling beauty and exercise regime. "I don't work out much. I think it's just a genetic code that says I'm going to be skinny. After the baby, I did yoga when he was about three months old. But I actually walk a lot." She also revealed she has never had plastic surgery, despite pressure to look good and that she would be more comfortable with the characters of a mother, a teacher, a drunk, a lesbian, a dog walker, anything that's a bit different.

Beyonce, Jay-Z share 'great chemistry' on-stage! (Go To Top)

          London, Nov 12: Hip-hop's hottest couple Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z proved just how explosive their romance is when they teamed up for a duet at a London show. According to the Sun, the Destiny's Child beauty, who has kept silent on the subject of her superstar boyfriend, delighted fans at the Wembley Arena on Monday by bringing "Big Pimpin" star on stage. The couple performed their international smash hit "Crazy In Love". "There was great chemistry between them," one excited onlooker gushed.

Tom Cruise came an inch from being beheaded! (Go To Top)

          London, Nov 12: Now this sounds highly dangerous. Hollywood hunk Tom Cruise almost died on the sets of his new movie, "The Last Samurai", when a co-star came close to cutting off his head. According to the Sun, the screen legend was filming a sword fight scene opposite co-star Hiroyuki Sanada for the dramatic action movie. He was on an off-camera mechanical horse while Sanada swung the weapon about. But it all nearly went horribly wrong. The machine stopped working suddenly and failed to move Cruise out of slashing range at the crucial moment. "I swung my sword at Tom's neck to behead him and the horse didn't work. I stopped the blade just one inch from his neck," Sanada said.

Salma Hayek's love for lingerie! (Go To Top)

          Washington, Nov 12: Hollywood actress Salma Hayek has discovered the secret to peace of mind, lots of sleep and lovely lingerie. According to rate the music.com, the Frida star's fixation with all things frilly and lacy developed when she was growing up in her native Mexico. Hayek, who particularly likes La Perla lingerie says, "The closest thing to your body is the most important, you build from there. My mother always wore beautiful night gowns when I was growing up. When my father was away, I would cuddle with her in bed, and she always felt like silk and smelled like roses. She was a queen." The memories have helped create Hayek's nightly routine. She says, "Take a good bath, make yourself smell nice and put on a wonderful night gown even if you're sleeping alone. Then give yourself this incredible night when you escape out of your body and think, 'I worked hard today, didn't steal from anyone, even if it was a bad day, I survived.'"

Britney's g-string gyrations! (Go To Top)

          New York, Nov 12: Does Britney Spears still have it? Ask her delighted audience at a New York show on Monday night, where she wowed the crowd with a provocative underwear-baring performance. According to ratethemusic.com, the sexy singer, who bowed out of last week's MTV Europe Awards claiming "exhaustion", was back in fine form at her open-air gig in Times Square. Britney wore former beau Justin Timberlake-style trilby, a shirt slashed wide across her chest and leather trousers cut low in the front to reveal her purple g-string. One thrilled fan said, "It was a great performance. She was obviously doing all she could to get to number one." Insiders have expressed fears that the songstress' recent illnesses will affect the performance of her comeback single "Me against the Music", which features Madonna. The song and her new album "In the Zone" have so far failed to impress critics.

-ANI

Go To Top