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Last updated :THURSDAY 15 MAY 2008

China quake toll mounts to 20,000
Beijing, May 14: China today rushed more troops and air-dropped relief supplies in areas cut off near the epicentre of the devastating earthquake in southwest Sichuan province as the toll mounted to nearly 20,000 with thousands of people still buried, trapped or missing.
As troops reached the quake-battered areas near the epicentre, the state media reported that the death toll in Mianyang city alone rose from 3629 to 5,540 with 18,486 more buried and 1,396 missing.
In Yingxiu of Wenchuan county, only 2,300 people were believed to have survived out of 10,000 people living in the town near the epicentre, official Xinhua news agency said. It had earlier reported a toll of over 12,000 in the quake.
The toll was expected to rise further once rescuers reach other towns in Wenchuan.
Some towns near the epicentre have been “razed to the ground” with no houses left standing, a police official was quoted by the state media as saying.
“The losses have been severe. Some towns basically have no houses left. They have all been razed to the ground,” Wang Yi, head of an armed police unit sent into the disaster zone, was quoted as saying by Sichuan Online news site.
Around 20,000 soldiers had landed in the disaster-struck areas, another 30,000 en route by air, road and rail and on foot and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has ordered 30,000 more troops to reinforce the disaster relief, the agency said. The first batch of elite soldiers from airborne special force were parachuted into Maoxian county. Inclement weather had initially hampered rescue operations. Survivors desperately need medical help, food and water, officials were quoted as saying in Yingxiu, where people had to dig with their hands after cries for help were heard from under the debris of a school. Blocked roads prevented rescue teams and machinery from reaching the site. Rocks were still rolling down from the mountains.
Military helicopters air-dropped food, drinking water and medicine in Yingxiu, Xinhua said. “Time is life”, Premier Wen Jiabao told rescuers as he arrived at Beichuan county, one of the worst hit by Monday’s deadliest earthquake in three decades, where the death toll is estimated between 3,000 and 5,000. Racing against time amidst flickering hopes, soldiers and civilians were still searching for survivors in Beichuan, a mountainous county, where the quake toppled 80 per cent of the buildings with 1,000 students buried under rubble of a six-storey school building.
“The ground was moving and I felt as light as a tree leaf. In a minute or two, I thought the ground cracked and the mountain slid and I lost consciousness. When I woke up again, rubbed my eyes and saw the whole county had disappeared in front of my eyes,” the state media reported quoting a teacher who survived in Beichuan. After reaching the quake-battered areas battling against inclement weather and damaged roads, rescuers were pulling out bodies from the heaps of rubble of schools, hospitals and houses, with hopes for survivors. Seven PLA helicopters had delivered 9.1 tonnes of disaster relief goods to Wenchuan and its neighbouring counties till noon. The supplies included satellite communication systems, medicines and quilts. (PTI)

Malaysia’s top court quashes Indian leaders’ bid for freedom
Kuala Lumpur, May 14: Malaysia’s top court today refused to free five ethnic Indian leaders detained indefinitely under a draconian security law, dashing hopes of the community which has been campaigning for their release.
Dismissing an appeal of the five leaders of Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), held for organising a massive rally of ethnic Indians to protest their alleged marginalization, the Federal Court held the detention as lawful.
The court’s three-man panel led by Chief Judge of Malaya Alauddin Mohd Sheriff said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in his capacity as the then Internal Security Minister had rightly issued the detention order and had complied with the procedural requirements under the Internal Security Act.
The bench unanimously upheld the High Court’s decision to quash the leaders’ habeas corpus application seeking release from detention under ISA.
The Act allows indefinite detention without trial.
The Hindraf five — lawyers M Manoharan, 46, who has been recently elected a state assembly member, P Uthayakumar, 46, V Ganabatirau, 34, R. Kengadharan, 40, and Hindraf coordinator T Vasantha Kumar — were represented by lawyer and opposition Democratic Action Party leader Karpal Singh who said he would file for a review petition against the ruling on Monday.
The respondents were represented by Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail.
Family members and relatives of the five were present at the Federal Court. Several were seen sobbing after the decision, media reports said.
The five were detained in December last year for organising the rally, declared “illegal” by the authorities, in November. Last week, Hindraf supporters had appealed to the Home Minister to send Uttayakumar to the National Heart Hospital claiming that the Hindraf leader’s health was not good.
On Monday, Uttayakumar’s mother too appealed to the Prime Minister to ensure that her son was sent to the heart hospital for treatment.
Indian dissatisfaction over alleged discrimination is seen as one of the contributing factors to the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition’s poor performance in March general elections, when it lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament. (PTI)

 

Vignettes
Kelly Brook and Billy Zane back together?
English model and actress Kelly Brook is back with actor Billy Zane, according to reports. The pair, who split up last month, is said to have rekindled their romance once again. According to sources, Brook cut short a girls’ holiday for a summit with Zane in London.
After a string of heart-to-hearts, Zane persuaded the model to give their relationship a second chance. “He’s the one,” The Sun quoted Brook, as telling a friend. Sources revealed that the Titanic actor flew to London from a film set in South Africa and bought chocolates and roses for Brook. They were seen spending the night together at a posh West London hotel after Zane had persuaded her to give their 4-year love another chance. “Kelly was giggling and looked very happy. She kept touching his arm,” a diner said. However, Brook’s 35,000 pounds engagement ring could not be seen anywhere. (ANI)

Nicolas Cage to star in Bad Lieutenant remake
Nicolas Cage has signed on to star in Werner Herzog’s remake of the 1992 cult classic Bad Lieutenant, for Nu Image/Millennium Films.
Pressman Film Corp. will produce the new version of its original Abel Ferrara NC-17 film about the depraved New York police officer, who was heavily involved in drugs, gambling, sex and stealing, reports Variety. Cage takes the role originated by Harvey Keitel, with TV police show writer Billy Finkelstein scripting. Production of the film, which is due to be announced at Cannes, begins late summer. Stephen Belafonte is also producing, while development was financed by producers Alan and Gabe Polsky. Along with Avi Lerner, Nu Image/Millennium’s Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short and Boaz Davidson will executive produce with Elliot Rosenblatt and Alessandro Camon. Randall Emmett and Cage’s Saturn Films are also producing. (ANI)

I don’t think sex is a big deal: Alba
Jessica Alba admits that sex is something she has never taken very seriously.
The ‘Fantastic Four’ star told Allure magazine in an interview for their June issue that she has never believed that women need to be in love before they experiment with sex, reports the New York Daily News. “I never believed women had to be virgins when they got married, or that a woman has to fall in love with a guy just because they’re having sex. I don’t think sex is a big deal,” she told the mag.
Alba, currently expecting her first child with fiance Cash Warren, also admitted that falling pregnant wasn’t a ‘total accident’. “I can’t say it was a total accident. Because you’re aware of when you’re being careful and when you’re not. It just happened so soon,” she says. And, pregnancy certainly has made her do some crazy things - like kicking her beau out of their Beverly Hills House. “Yes I kicked him out. But it wasn’t like that. ...When you’re pregnant your emotions are more tense. If the shoes are in the wrong place you kind of lose your mind,” she says. (ANI)

Celine Dion owns over 3,000 pairs of shoes
Obsession for something is okay as long as it stays within the limit. But singer Celine Dion’s passion for shoes has gone overboard - with up to 3,000 pairs of shoes. The 40-year-old singer recently admitted that she is unable to stop herself from buying footwear. “My hobbies are shopping and golfing,” The Sun quoted her as saying. “I own between two and three thousand pairs of shoes,” she added. Dion, a mum-of-one, also revealed that she would like to have another child with manager hubby Rene Angelil. “To be a mother is my most important role,” she added. (ANI)

Father of Malawian tot supports Madge’s bid
Madonna’s adoption of Malawian tot David Banda has received support from the boy’s biological father. The pop superstar is set to appear in a Malawian court on May 15 for what she is hoping will be the final ruling on the long-running case.
And she will face no opposition from Banda’s father Yohane, reports Contactmusic. “I have no problem with the government’s recommendation to allow Madonna to get the child,” he said. However, his only condition in the adoption process is a request that Madonna bring the child home for visits. (ANI)

 

High-level PPP meeting to discuss impasse over judges
Islamabad, May 14: In a last-ditch effort to save the six-week old fragile coalition in Pakistan, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari will meet the top leaders of his party today to find a way out of the deadlock with PML-N over the issue of restoration of deposed judges.
The political crisis gripping the country deepened with nine ministers belonging to PML-N of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resigning yesterday after the coalition failed to meet a second deadline to reinstate the judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf last year.
PPP said a joint meeting of the party’s parliamentarians, senators, legislators from Punjab province and members of the central executive committee and federal council from Punjab will he held in Zardari House here this evening.
Zardari will preside over the meeting to “take stock of the latest political situation in the country,” it said.
Sharif has been pressing hard for bringing back the judges, a move that may spell trouble for Musharraf who removed them in November fearing a verdict against his re-election. Keen on keeping the path for reconciliation open, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, apparently on instructions from the PPP chief, refused to accept the resignations and called for a “last-minute effort” to save the coalition. “Let’s do a last-minute effort so that this issue is somehow resolved,” he told Sharif’s aides.
On his part, Sharif assured Gilani that his party would continue to support the government.
The meeting will decide whether to accept the resignation of ministers from the PML-N, Zardari told reporters last night on returning to the federal capital from a foreign trip.
Zardari is scheduled to address a press conference this evening after the meeting. (PTI)

Canada varsity honours Akshay Kumar
LONDON, May 14: Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar has been awarded a Honorary Doctorate of Law by the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada for his outstanding work in film industry and contribution to social work.
The 40-year-old actor is not only the Indian ambassador for the Special Olympics, he has also helped raise money for Trillium Health Care Centre in Mississauga and the Vancouver Children’s Hospital, his spokeswoman said in London.
Now Akshay has joined the list of Bollywood personalities like Amitabh Bachchan, Yash Chopra, Shabana Azmi and Shilpa Shetty who were conferred honorary doctorates from foreign universities in the past. “Wow! This really is one of the most nerve-racking days of my life. My hands are shaking,” Akshay said receiving the Doctorate at a ceremony at the University Chapel in Ontario, crammed with his fans.
He said: “I don’t think even an Oscar would mean as much as this means to me. Indians believe that our success lies at the feet of our parents. It’s not I who should be receiving this award, but my parents.”
Paul J Rennick, the President of the University, said: “We take particular pride and pleasure in honouring men and women of achievement and altruism, whose lives manifest the values of integrity, discipline and learning that are at the heart of the University.” (PTI)

‘LTTE left talks offering lame excuses’
London, May 14: Sri Lanka has accused Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam (LTTE) of not reciprocating to its efforts for a dialogue while seeking global support in defeating the rebel force. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, addressing the Oxford University Student Union at the institution yesterday, stressed that he did not believe in a military solution to the ethnic problem.
“We have attempted talks with the LTTE on several occasions - thrice since my election as the President - but they have not reciprocated,” he said.
“They have always left the talks, with lame excuses. We are still ready to talk, once we are certain of their genuine intent for a political solution and their readiness to give up arms,” Rajapaksa told a packed house of Britons and expatriate Sri Lankans.
Urging global support for his country to deal with the Tamil Tigers, the President said: “If Sri Lanka fails in its war against the LTTE, the world will fail in its fight against terrorism and democracy will be the victim. This is the plain truth”.
Terming the LTTE as “the most brutal terror outfit the world has ever seen”, Rajapaksa said defeating it required global support.
“What Sri Lanka is doing in my opinion is fighting this terror outfit single-handed to ensure that democracy and respect for human life prevail in the world,” he said.
Rajapaksa also noted that country’s development thrust had its own obstacles because of the continuing three-decade long conflict particularly through the use of suicide bombers. (PTI)

Nine killed as trains collide in Bangladesh
Dhaka, May 14: At least nine persons were killed and 30 others injured when two passenger trains collided in the central Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh early today, officials and witnesses said.
Northeastern Sylhet-bound Upaban Express hit the waiting Noakhali Express at Ashuganj railway station from rear, killing eight people on the spot and damaging its own engine and six coaches of the two trains, district police chief Ataul Kibria told PTI.
Both the trains started their journey from Dhaka late last night. Kibria said the injured passengers, some of them with critical head injuries, were being treated at Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital and other nearby facilities.
Witnesses reached here by phone said a ninth person died at a local hospital as he was being treated there. (PTI)

 

 

 

 

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