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Chinese
PM's US visit from April 6
BEIJING, April 2 (PTI) — China today ended
uncertainty over Premier Zhu Rongji's maiden official
trip to Washington saying he would visit the USA and
Canada from April six to 20. Foreign Ministry Spokesman
Sun Yuxi had refused yesterday to confirm the dates at a
regular Foreign Ministry briefing, leading to
speculations that Zhu might emulate his Russian
counterpart Yevgeny Primakov by postponing his trip to
Washington over NATO air strikes on Kosovo.UP dissidents
LUCKNOW, April 2 (PTI) — BJP dissidents in Uttar
Pradesh, claiming support of 30 legislators, have decided
to meet central party leaders including the Prime
Minister in New Delhi to press their demand for removal
of Chief Minister Kalyan Singh for his "style of
functioning". Neeraj Chaturvedi, BJP MLA from
Kanpur, who is leading the group of dissident legislators
today claimed they have already sought an appointment
with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Home
Minister L.K. Advani on April 4.
Ram mandir
LUCKNOW, April 2 (UNI) — President of the Uttar
Pradesh unit of the Shiv Sena Vijay Tiwari today said his
party would announce a package next month on construction
of the Ram temple at Ayodhya. The package would be
unveiled by the party's senior leader Udhav Thackeray at
Ayodhya. "We (Sena) have chalked out a comprehensive
strategy on the construction of temple, a declaration
about the plan would be now made." he told a press
conference here.
Kedarnath temple
develops cracks
RUDRAPRAYAG (UP), April 2 (PTI) — The famous
Kedarnath temple here has developed cracks due to last
week's earthquake, police said today. A vigilance squad
of the police said after a visit that the temple had
developed cracks in the walls in its storeroom and
entrance hall.
4 hurt in blast
MADURAI, April 2 (PTI) — Four students were injured
in a freak blast in a village high school in Tirunelveli
district of Tamil Nadu yesterday, police said here today.
They said the blast occurred when one of the students
attempted to provide battery connection to a mysterious
object which his friend had picked up from the road and
brought to the school in remote Vadakkankulam village.
300 feared drowned
PORT HARCOURT, April 2 (AFP) — Three hundred persons
were feared dead after an overcrowded boat sank off the
south-eastern coast of Nigeria, officials said today. The
boat, MV George, was seen by fishermen late yesterday
floating upside down, about 60 nautical miles off the
coast, a local maritime union official said. The boat had
set out form Port Harcourt yesterday with at least 300
persons aboard. No survivors were reported.
Strikes on Iraq
BAGHDAD, April 2 (AP) — Iraq's military said enemy
planes bombed southern Iraq today, destroying two houses
in the first US-led airstrikes reported in more than two
weeks. Aircraft, including F-14B, F-16S and Tornadoes
carried out 18 sorties from Kuwaiti skies and 33 from
Saudi skies, the official Iraqi news agency quoted an
unidentified spokesman for the air defences command as
saying.
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