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Journalism of Courage
Meeting of people of Indian origin
JOHANNESBURG: More than 400 delegates representing about 22-million people of Indian origin from around the world are arriving in South Africa for a three-day conference under the auspices of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin GOPIO in Durban from July 10 to 13.
Towering rownot yet
PARIS: The Eiffel Tower will stay French despite the ongoing privatisation of state assets, Paris Deputy Mayor Jean-Antoine Giansily said on Wednesday. The tower would not be controlled by a United States firm that has shown interest in acquiring the state-owned Land Mortage Bank Credit Foncier de France, which owns 70 per cent of the Eiffel Tower8217;s operating company, Giansily said during a session of the municipal council. A councillor voiced fears that the tower, a symbol of French national pride, might fall into American hands.
Beatle8217;s bad notes
NEW YORK: Yoko Ono says she isn8217;t betraying John Lennon by selling his art works, because he always intended them to be sold. That8217;s the word from her spokesman, Elliot Mintz, who said that Ono is being unfairly criticized by Julian Lennon, John8217;s son from his first marriage.
The younger Lennon said selling off the former Beatle8217;s art 8220;is not what he is about.8221; The former Beatle didn8217;t create these works, 8220;and sign and date them sothey wouldn8217;t be seen or sold,8221; Mintz said of Lennon8217;s drawings and lithographs, copies of which are selling for 400 to 12,000. During his lifetime, he 8220;personally released a series of lithographs and made them commercially available. 8221;
More clones coming
TOKYO: Two days after successful birth of two cloned calves, the Japanese government has reported pregnancy of 29 cows with embryos cloned from somatic cells. One of these cows, implanted with an embryo cloned from somatic cells by the National Institute of Animal Industry, is scheduled to give birth this month at the Kagoshima Prefectural Institute on Improvement of Beef Cattle, according to a survey.
The survey results were released on Tuesday, two days after the successful birth in Ishikawa Prefecture of twin calves produced by cloning somatic cells taken from an adult cow with unfertilised eggs, the world8217;s first calves cloned using this technique. All but five of the 29 are pregnant with embryos cloned using an adult cow8217;s somaticcells, many of which came from the uterine tube or the ovaries. The rest used somatic cells taken from cow foetuses. A cow8217;s period of pregnancy is about 280 days.
Snub for Spice Girls
LONDON: Prince William is in but the Spice Girls, biggest pop phenomenon since the Beatles, have yet to find a place in the international who8217;s who. England soccer manager Glen Hoddle lost out in the world cup but along with France8217;s World Cup organiser Michel Platini is included in the 1998-99 edition of the world8217;s most powerful, influential and gifted men and women. Richard Fitzwilliams, editor of the London-based Bible of VIPS8217;, said on Tuesday that the omission of the Spice Girls, the five-girl band that has taken the world by storm in the past two years, was not intended as a snub.
8220;Personally I am an admirer of theirs. But they have had a bit of trouble with the departure of Geri Ginger Spice.8221; 8220;It is simply the policy of international who8217;s who that you8217;ve got to have staying power before you areincluded,8221; Fitzwilliams said. Prince William, 16-year-old son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, is included for the first time this year. Other new additions include formula one motor-racing boss Bernie Ecclestone, Prime Minister Tony Blair8217;s wife Cherie Booth, American Actor George Clooney, Estonian Prime Minister Mart Silmann, Taiwan Premier Vincent Slew, racing driver Jacques Villeneuve and tennis star Martina Hingis.
