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Journalism of Courage
Furore over a different8217; book on Di
LONDON: A new detective novel that tells of a plot to shoot Britain8217;s Princess Diana with a crossbow bolt infected with the HIV virus has sparked an outcry among national charity groups and the country8217;s Muslim community, British Sunday newspapers said.
A storm broke out last night over a new book written by an ex-SAS soldier which tells of a plot to shoot Princess Diana with a crossbow bolt infected with the deadly AIDS virus, the Sunday Mirror said.
The book by author Barry Davies, called Royal Blood, centres on a Right-wing plot to stop Diana, the divorced wife of the country8217;s heir to the throne Prince Charles, marrying a Muslim.
Creamy headache
LONDON: Grab a refreshing icecream on a hot summer8217;s day and you could be in for a headache. The latest issue of the British Medical Journal reports that one in three icecream eaters ends up with a headache, described as a stabbing pain first felt just a few seconds after the ice comes into contact with the gums.
Thirty to 60 seconds later the pain is at its height, to subside within another 20 seconds, though in individual cases the headache can persist for up to five minute.
Hangover risk
HAMBURG: While doctors do not as a rule regard a moderate alcohol intake as harmful, heavy alcohol consumption can be dangerous, writes the journal Aerztliche Praxis medical practice, published in Graefelfing, near Munich.
A Finnish study found that people who wake up several times a month with a hangover double their risk of suffering heart attacks and a stroke.
The study involved examining the drinking habits of 2,160 middle-aged men.
Six years after the first survey, twice as many of those who admitted to having a hangover at least once a month had died from heart attacks or strokes.
Falling bell
BONN: The bell of St. Paul8217;s Church in Frankfurt, weighing 1,810 kg, came loose during an exhibition of photographs of crimes committed by Wehrmacht, Germany8217;s World War II Army.
Reasons for the bell suddenly falling onto the floor of the church last Saturday night are not yet clear.
The exhibition was immediately closed but was reopened yesterday.
The exhibition has elicited strong response from the German public because it allegedly proves that the Wehrmacht also committed war crimes in Serbia, Russia and Belarus and not just the Nazis, something history books do not mention.
Dolphins8217; scare
KARACHI: The endangered blind dolphin in Pakistan8217;s Indus River is on the verge of extinction under the threat of environmental degradation and fishermen who believe its oil can impart sexual strength.
Excessive hunting of the blind dolphin, whose habitatused to stretch over 2,800 kilometers covered by the mighty Indus River, has forced the marine mammal into a 170-kilometre section of the river between the Sukkur and Guddu dams.
Although the stretch of water has been declared a dolphin reserve, wildlife conservationists fear the blind dolphin may be facing its last years before being driven to extinction.
8220;There are only around 400 blind dolphins all over the world and all of them are found in the Indus River,8221; said conservationist Najam Khursheed.
tioAcirc;not;Utacirc;euro;ordm;9Acirc;frac14;Ttacirc;euro;ordm; on England8217;s statute titled Matrimonial Causes Act, 1857, which granted the right of divorce to Christian women for the first time.
England effected several changes in this statute in the years that followed, including irretrievable breakdown of marriage8217; as a ground. But Agnes argued that the laws governing Indian Christian marriages remained unchanged, while the Parsi, Hindu and Muslim marriage laws have undergone several changes and have even recognised divorce by mutual consent.
Agnes also cited several Law Commission reports which have affirmed the need for such an amendment. Moreover, the Christian community has jointly presented a Bill endorsing the changes in the Christian marriage and divorce law.
Desai feels that courts have acted as agents of 8220;social reform8221;. 8220;The amendment is in keeping with the Christian community8217;s demand to simplify the divorce procedure. But the State governments have been characteristically apathetic. We are glad that courts took the initiative in striking down the offending provisions,8221; he says.
Advocate Bagaria said this was indeed a landmark judgment. 8220;Earlier, couples applied for judicial separation and nullification of marriage under Section 19. Farcical grounds8217; like allegation of impotency, lunacy or second marriage were put forth to sever the ties.8221; Over 50 claims for judicial separation are pending in the BHC itself. Most of these claims are likely to be amended, and couples might seek divorce straightaway. Members of the Christian community have also welcomed the judgment. In fact, a reform Bill, jointly drafted, including by the Catholic bishops, has already been submitted to the Government. But this Christian Marriage and Matrimonial Causes Bill, 1994, is still to be considered. All India Catholic Union President Norbet D8217;Souza says: 8220;It is in line with our efforts to remove the lacunae in the law. We welcome the decision.8221;
The BHC, however, has gone a step further than the KHC ruling. It has also struck down Sections 17 and 20 of the Indian Divorce Act which state that if an order of divorce or annulment is passed by a district court, then it needs to be confirmed by a three-member Bench of the High Court. No such confirmation will now be required.
