OID‰‰†‰KOID‰‰†‰OID‰‰†‰MOID‰‰†‰C New Delhi, Monday,April 7, 2003www.timesofindia.com Capital 36 pages* Invitation Price Rs. 1.50 International Delhi Times Sport Mona Lisa’s smile DDAgate: Hot ‘stuff’ Camilla wades through is pregnant with surfaces from CBI Chinese sea at Japan meaning: BBC tapes on Sharma Open badminton Page 11 Page 3 Page 18 WIN WITH THE TIMES SARS SPELL Established 1838 DEATHS: 93 worldwide. Beijing Bennett, Coleman & Co., Ltd. Surrounded, Baghdad defiant • reports the death of second You can’t say civilisation ● AFP expert, Finnish ILO official Pekka don’t advance - for every war, 18 more die in Aro. WHO expert Carlo Urbani, they kill you in a new way. who identified the disease, died — Will Rogers friendly fire last month. NEWS DIGEST • CHINA: Epicentre of SARS is ● the southern region. 51 deaths, Agni-III: India is making efforts to Saddam, 2 sons 1,247 infections. test-fire Agni-III by the year-end, said defence minister George Fer- may have fled • HONG KONG: Two die on nandes. P5 Sunday. 42 new cases surface. TOEFL test: The US has decided By Chidanand Rajghatta • CANADA: Worst-hit after Asia. to test the English speaking profi- TIMES NEWS NETWORK 3,500 in quarantine. 187 ciency of foreign students as part of Washington: American forces com- TOEFL. P11 infections. Eight dead. Ninth pletely surrounded Baghdad on Sun- case suspected. Delhi tops in business: Delhi day, and in an effort to stop anyone emerged as the number one city in from fleeing the besieged capital, they • KUWAIT: First suspected case the ranking of business friendly used air power to mistakenly fire on detected SARS. places among 36 cities in the coun- convoys of its own troops, Kurdish al- try. It has the best communication • SINGAPORE: Task force set up lies, and Russian diplomats. to deal with the crisis. penetration and good hotels, ac- In yet another ghastly incident of cording to a CII ranking. P13 friendly fire American jets strafed a • MALAYSIA: First death. Don’t joint convoy of US troops and Kurdish panic, says PM I don’t deny that I continue to fighters killing at least 18 and wound- AUSTRALIA: SARS becomes meet politicians, but my interac- ing 45. Among those killed was the • tion with them has nothing to do brother of Massoud Barzani, leader of “quarantinable” after 4 child with politics, says Vice-President the Kurdistan Democratic Party visitors are suspected carriers. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat . (KDP). Also injured in the incident See Edit page • DELHI: Sushma Swaraj says all was BBC television’s world affairs edi- cases will be sent to Infectious tor,John Simpson, who suffered shrap- YOU SAID IT by Laxman nel wounds in the leg. Diseases Hospital in Kingsway ‘‘I’ve counted 10 or 12 bodies around Camp. us, so there are Americans dead. It was Reports on pages 5 & 11 an American plane, dropped the bomb right beside us. I saw it land about 10 to 12 feet away,’’ Simpson told the BBC moments after the blast. US officials Armed Iraqis cheer on a US Abrams tank destroyed during a fierce battle 25 km south of Baghdad’s city centre. said the incident was being investigat- ed and made no mention of American AFP Shanta Kumar ● casualties. Heavy artillery fire east of ‘‘This is just a scene from hell here, THE BATTLEFRONT Baghdad all the vehicles are on fire, there are ● US troops stream across quits Cabinet bodies burning, there are bodies lying Euphrates to bolster positions TIMES NEWS NETWORK around, there are bits of bodies on the DAYDAY 1818 around Baghdad ground,’’ Simpson said. US officials New Delhi: A day after the BJP meanwhile warned against people ● Two major highways leading out of Baghdad seized national executive concluded, senior driving out of Baghdad if they were to party leader and rural development save their lives. Toll ● British forces push into minister Shanta Kumar resigned from The project never came up! There were also reports from heart of Basra the Union Cabinet. Moscow about US forces firing on a US, UK Anyway, as it claimed it did bring 107 ● US troops battle into centre He met Prime Minister Atal Bihari prosperity, but only to government Russian convoy that included TROOPS Vajpayee on Sunday evening and sub- officials and ministers...! Moscow’s ambassador to Iraq, of Karbala IRAQI mitted his resignation, which the PM Vladimir Titorenko, who was leaving 1252 ● BBC’s John Simpson injured in forwarded to President A P J Abdul indiatimes.com POLL Baghdad through Damascus along CIVILIANS friendly fire and NBC’s David Kalam. The President has accepted it, with a small core team of diplomats. Source: Reuters Bloom dies of blood clot reliable sources said. Yesterday’s results: Do you think Russian officials said Moscow had in- Union urban development minister Saddam’s exit will improve the formed Washington about the evacua- Ananth Kumar is likely to be given ad- lives of Iraqis? tion ahead of time. dad after reporting that they had killed ing from the Americans. US officials Congress, and US European allies and ditional charge of the rural develop- Yes 47% No 53% The two latest incidents come after between 2000 to 3000 Iraqi fighters dur- hope to be in complete control of Bagh- the United Nations on the other, about ment ministry,the sources said. US planes had also fired and killed al- ing their first sortie through the city’s dad by Tuesday and install an interim the post-war scenario in Iraq. Though no immediate reasons were • The poll reflects the opinions of Net users who chose lied British soldiers, leading to plenty southwestern quadrant. One US sol- administration as early as Tuesday. Comment: The messy endgame begins to participate, and not necessarily of the general public. given for Shanta Kumar’s sudden ac- of bad blood between British and dier was reported killed and there was The US plan, a military occupation now, with casualties of both combat- tion, he was in the eye of a storm after Today’s question: Do you think Saddam American forces. Edgy American no account of civilian casualty. in all but name, envisages the Penta- ants and non-combatants likely to rise the defeat of the ruling BJP in the re- will disappear to fight a guerrilla troops have also shot and killed its own While some reports spoke of Sad- gon calling the shots at the expense of steeply, and concerted international war against the US? cent assembly elections in Himachal soldiers. In one incident, US troops dam Hussein having fled Baghdad for not just the United Nations, but also its political pressure being exerted on the Pradesh. At one time, there were reports Cast your vote on shot dead a GI who was not in uniform Tikrit with his two sons, most ac- allies and even the state department. coalition of the ‘willing’. that he may be asked to step down for www.indiatimes.com or SMS ‘Poll’ to 8888 and was loitering beside an Iraqi tank. counts suggested that the Republican There are differences between the See Edit: Post-war Games his outburst against the then chief min- Meanwhile, US forces are getting Guard and fidayeen fighters were put- White House and the Pentagon on one See article ‘Criticise, not Condemn’: Page 12 ister P K Dhumal. ready for another swing through Bagh- ting up a resistance despite the batter- side, and the State Department, the See Dubyaman: Page 11 AP WEATHER Max. 34.2oC/ Min. 18.7oC Moonset: Monday — 2343 hrs. Moonrise: Tuesday — 1005 hrs. Sunset: Monday — 1842 hrs. Sunrise: Tuesday — 0604 hrs. Mainly clear sky. Maximum temperature on Monday will be around 35oC. Maximum rel- ative humidity on Sunday 52 per cent and minimum 13 per cent. Book your Classifieds 24 hours service: “51-666-888” Mahesh Bhupathi (left) and Leander Paes in action against New Zealand’s Mark Nielsen and Alister Hunt in the Davis Cup doubles match in Kolkata on Sunday. India won the tie 4-1. Report on page 15 Times InfoLine “51-68-68-68” The ATM of information The Largest Classifieds Site Nanda takes the Claridges cake TIMES NEWS NETWORK revamp will begin this year. * 18 + 8 pages of Delhi Times Revamping legacy Claridges Hotel was set up in 1950 + 10 pages of Education Time New Delhi: Claridges Hotel, the when a Dutch manager convinced city’s landmark of musty nostalgia, • The Khanna family have sold their holding to Suresh Nanda the owners to build a hotel with a has been sold to Suresh Nanda. British name and decor. The family Hopefully, the bitter chocolate cake • Nanda in talks with internation- accepted his advice, and to this day, will continue to taste the same. al chains to manage the prop- Claridges has a loyal following — Fifty-three years after setting up a erties under a joint brand many fussy,long-term visitors. hotel modelled on Delhi’s imperial The hotel is located on toney Au- past, the Khanna family have sold will continue with the Claridges rangzeb Road. Its Dhaba, Pickwicks, their 20 per cent holding in the Clar- brand but will look at adding the Jade Garden, Corbett have a dedicat- idges chain to Suresh Nanda — son name of our international partner,’’ ed clientele. Its pastry shop has held of defence agent Admiral Nanda — Nanda told The Times of India. its own among the trendier newcom- for Rs 96 crore. Nanda added that he has already ers. In the wedding season, baraatis The remaining 80 per cent is held chalked out expansion plans at an in- bhangra lustily at its entrance.