Nation pays homage to Kargil martyrs

The Prime Minister led the nation in paying homage to the Kargil martyrs at a solemn ceremony at the India Gate on Sunday morning.

Dr Manmohan Singh laid the wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti to mark the Kargil Vijay Diwas. He was accompanied by the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal PK Barbora and the Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Noble Thamburaj. Also present on the occasion were Defence Minister AK Antony and Minister of State for Defence, Dr. MM Pallam Raju.

As the Prime Minister laid the wreath, a contingent of the tri-services guards presented the Salami Shastr (salute) and Shok Shastr (salute with reverse arms). Buglers sounded the Last Post as the Prime Minister stood in rapt attention. A two-minute silence was observed in memory of the 610 officers and men, including five Air Force personnel and two civilians, who laid down their lives.

On July 26, 1999, the Indian Armed Forces broke the back of a Pakistani misadventure in the forbidding heights of Batalik, Kargil and Drass sectors after a 59-day war. In spite of heavy losses suffered while fighting the well entrenched enemy perched on strategic heights, India allowed the Pakistan Army to withdraw behind the Line of Control and later handed back safely the Prisoners of War through the International Red Cross.

The Indian Air Force achieved a rare feat, flying missions for the first time at altitudes of over 18,000 feet and without violating the LoC in a narrow air corridor. The Indian Navy was not directly involved in the Kargil operations but secured the Arabian Sea and deterred the Pakistan Navy, which had mobilized its forces in Ormara, Passni and Wada West, from escalating the conflict into a full-scale war.

World's top ten weird attractions

Travellers seeking a bit of novelty on their journeys can study toilets from 2,500 BC or join a red-carpet duck parade, according to a list of top 10 weird attractions reviewed by a travel portal.

1.Sulabh International Museum of Toilets, Delhi, India

Synonymous with public toilets in India, the Sulabh company also runs "Delhi's wackiest museum." A tour provides insight into the history of hygiene, from 2,500 BC to the present with walls of offbeat photos, one-of-a-kind toilets, and trivia.

2. Texas Prison Museum, Huntsville, Texas, USA

This museum, run by former prison employees, has a list of star attractions including "Old Sparky," a decommissioned electric chair, a contraband exhibit, and a collection of items from the Texas Prison Rodeo and the Bonnie and Clyde death car.

3. Peabody Duck March, Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Twice a day, every day, five mallards and their human duckmaster waddle the red-carpet from the Peabody hotel's fountain to its elevator and back. What began as a joke in 1933 is now a tradition at all three Peabody locations with Orlando and Little Rock the newer additions.

4. Jellyfish Lake, Rock Islands, Palau

Even experienced divers and snorkelers call this dive site "the weirdest experience" in all their years. The water is thick with non-stinging jellyfish and swimmers can float among the normally threatening creatures and hold them without danger.

5. Beer-Drinking Burros, Isla La Roqueta, Mexico

A short hop from Acapulco by boat, Isla La Roqueta is known for beaches and burros, or small donkeys. The latter have developed a taste for cold beer and are frequent fixtures at restaurant tables.

6. Haines Shoe House, Hellam, Pennsylvania, USA

Since its construction in the late 1940s, the house of Mahlon "Shoe Wizard" Haines has been a must-see for shoe fetishists or kitschy-Americana enthusiasts. An architectural oddity built in the shape of a giant shoe, it has served as an advertising gimmick, a haven for honeymooners, an ice cream parlor, a private home, and now an attraction open for tours.

7. Joe's Scarecrow Village, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

This collection of scarecrows, including straw versions of Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret Thatcher, and Ronald Reagan, is definitely unique. Located in Cap Le Moine, the dozens of figures are clever, quirky, and something a little different for those driving the Cabot Trail.

8. Christ of the Abyss, Key Largo, Florida, USA

This 9-foot (3 meter) sculpture is a main attraction of America' first undersea park, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, and a popular site for diving and undersea weddings.

9. Puzzling World, Wanaka, New Zealand

New Zealand's South Island offers no shortage of dramatic peaks, but you can't miss the plastic Leaning Tower of Wanaka as it tilts at a 53-degree angle in front of Puzzling World's repository of weird and wonderful stuff. Enjoy freaky illusion rooms and a difficult maze in a place where even the toilets are a lesson in perspective.

10. Moosefest, Roslyn, Washington, USA

Picturesque Roslyn, Washington, has staged its share of quirky celebrations -- years past saw the Manly Man Festival and the Wing Ding Parade -- but it's most famous as the onetime set of the TV show Northern Exposure. Every summer, devoted fans of the 1990s show arrive at Moosefest to pay homage to Roslyn.

Jackson's hair made into diamonds -- for real

Since Michael Jackson's sudden death on June 25, the rumor mill over details of his bizarre personal life has ground away nearly non-stop, and on Friday, one company said it was turning his hair into diamonds. That one is true.

The claims this week included a report in Rolling Stone magazine that a prosthetic nose he wore apparently went missing when he was taken to the morgue, and a British tabloid trumpeted a headline that he fathered a secret love-child.

In one by-product of the "Thriller" singer's death, a Chicago company said on Friday it had obtained some of the hair Jackson burned while filming a 1984 Pepsi commercial and planned to create a limited edition of diamonds from it.

"Absolutely this is for real," said Dean VandenBiesen, founder of LifeGem, which has a patent on a process that extracts carbon from hair, turns it into crystals and then into high-quality laboratory diamonds.

VandenBiesen told Reuters he thought the company could make about 10 diamonds. No sale price has been set but VandenBiesen said LifeGem created three diamonds from locks of Beethoven's hair in 2007, and sold one of them for around $200,000.

Separately, the Aug. 6 issue of Rolling Stone magazine reported that not only was the left arm of Jackson's dead body "scored with needle marks" -- claims that have arisen before -- but he wore an artificial nose that was missing when he was taken to the Los Angeles county morgue.

"The prosthesis that he normally attached to his damaged nose was missing, revealing bits of cartilage surrounding a small dark hole," the magazine said in an unsourced report.

While that report could not be confirmed, Los Angeles coroner's officials did say earlier this week they were probing security breaches in their offices.

The coroner's office is expected to release an official cause of death next week which could shed light on some of the reports, including Jackson's possible use of powerful drugs.

And even as custody of Jackson's three children is set to be decided in court on Aug. 3, The Sun newspaper speculated the singer may have had a love-child raised in Norway.

Omer Bhatti, 25, sparked interest when he was spotted sitting with the singer's immediate family at Jackson's public memorial earlier this month. Bhatti reportedly spent time with Jackson at his Neverland Valley Ranch in the 1990s and was known as "Little Michael".

But another of Jackson's former proteges, singer Ricky Harlow, told celebrity website People.com on Friday that although they were close he doubted Bhatti was Jackson's son.

"They had a father-and-son type of connection," Harlow, 26, told People, "but I never thought he (Jackson) was his biological father."

In Jackson's 2002 will, the singer listed only three children now living: Prince Michael Jackson, Jr, Paris Michael Kathering Jackson and Prince Michael Joseph Jackson II.

Baba Sehgal new tonic-comedy

Rap and pop singer Baba Sehgal shot to fame in the 90s but moved to hosting shows like Santa and Banta News Unlimited and acting in soaps like Jugni Chali Jalandhar and now, he's back again on television to judge a stand-up comedy show called Hasne Aur Hasane Ka Tonic, Ladies Special on Zee TV. Sehgal, who was in town during the promotion of the show, shares his tonic about the show in an interview with Abhijat Shekhar Azad.

What prompted to you take up this new challenge?

I believe Hasne Aur Hasane Ka Tonic, Ladies Special is great show. When Zee Network asked me to take up this assignment, I accepted it as the concept and script of the show is really marvellous.

This show is all about comedy. Then how are you going to manage the judge’s seat?

No it’s not like that. I have around 17 years of experience as a singer and actor. I am very familiar with comedy and can clearly analyse facial expressions. It will not be a problem for me and if any difficulty arises Tabassum ji is there and she is experienced and an expert in this genre. I will surely take advice from her.

What are your criteria for judgment?

We see the overall package of the theme; sense of humor, the message and the facial expression, which is vital for comedy. We see the nature of the content, the body language of the performer and massage she wants to convey. After observing all these things, we announce our judgment.

What are your next projects?

My recent film is My Friend Ganesha. In that I am a father of a boy. By next month my new album is going to be released - Apni life ki gaddi ko dhakka maar.

Travel agents unhappy with budget

Rajji Rai, president, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) said on Tuesday that budget 2009 is a major disappointment for the whole of travel industry as the industry has been ignored.

“Budget 2009 is a major disappointment for the whole of travel industry. Despite repeated requests from various sections of the industry made to the Finance Minister, the industry has been ignored blatantly. No area of industry – travel, tourism (inbound & outbound), hospitality has been given any exemptions or allocations in the Budget,” Rai said.

“We hope that our recommendation for regularisation of State Luxury Tax, abolition of Service Tax, revival of 80HHD of Income Tax Act, reduction of taxes on ATF (which directly impacts airfares), etc will be reviewed once more and appropriate mechanisms will be put in place to implement the same,” Rai added.

Travel and tourism industry has been contributing major pie to the GDP of India and certain assertive measures are needed for the growth in this industry which is currently reeling under global recession, the members of association opined.