M A I N   N E W S

Irina is Sri Lanka Open golf champ
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 5
Seventeen-year-old Irina Brar of Chandigarh has emerged as the Sri Lanka Open Amateur Ladies Golf champion. She clinched the trophy after defeating another Chandigarh girl, Parneeta Garewal, in a 36-hole decider on the 35th hole at Kandy in Sri Lanka yesterday. Three Indian girls and five Sri Lankans were among the eight qualifiers for the final round. India also won the team championship in the tournament played at the Victoria Golf Club.

Clinton to visit Jaipur

Jaipur, April 5
Former US President Bill Clinton will visit Jaipur for two days from April 8.

Mr Clinton, who is arriving here on a private visit, would stay at Hotel Raj Vilas, where he was put up during his last visit to the state, an official press note said here today. He may prefer to go to Nayala village for review of the panchayati raj action plan and programme of women empowerment which he launched during his official visit on March 23, 2000.

AHMEDABAD: Mr Bill Clinton on Thursday took stock of the quake-ravaged Gujarat by holding meetings with representatives of the state government and NGOs.

Mr Clinton, who visited the worst-affected Kutch district on Wednesday, held an interactive session with NGOs for about two hours on ways to utilise the money raised by the American-Indian Foundation (AIF), which he heads.

Later, Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel made a presentation to Mr Clinton, who is heading a 40-member AIF delegation.

Mr Clinton said the AIF planned to come out with a focused strategy aimed at, among other things, providing education to child and employment to the jobless.

There was chaos outside Hotel Taj Residency Ummed, the venue of the meeting, as a large number of journalists representing international, national and local media were prevented from covering the function and made to stand outside for hours.

Agitated mediapersons gheraoed state Home Minister Harin Pandya, who expressed helplessness, saying that only the AIF was authorised to allow the media inside.