BEIJING: China showed no sign Tuesday of throwing its support behind new sanctions against Iran following talks with Britain’s foreign minister, who had hoped to persuade Beijing to join a growing international consensus for more stringent measures.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi maintained that sanctions weren’t the solution to disagreements over Iran’s nuclear program and that more talks were the way forward.

“Sanctions do not provide a fundamental solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. Ultimately, this issue has to be appropriately resolved through peaceful negotiations,” Yang said at a joint news conference with Britain’s David Miliband following their discussions in Beijing.

With Russia appearing to move closer to supporting new sanctions, China — which depends on Iran for much of its energy needs — would be the only one of five veto-wielding permanent U.N. Security Council members opposed to the measures.

Further punishment of Iran is among a host of issues dividing the nations, whose relations deteriorated badly last December after China ignored personal appeals from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown not to execute 53-year-old Akmal Shaikh for drug smuggling.

Shaikh’s family said he was mentally unstable and was lured to China from a life on the street in Poland by men playing on his dreams to record a pop song for world peace.

Brown said he was “appalled” by the execution — China’s first of a European citizen in nearly 60 years — prompting a warning from Beijing that such comments threatened to damage ties.

Even before that exchange, the two had clashed over who was to blame for the failure to reach a binding agreement on emissions reductions at December’s U.N.-sponsored Copenhagen climate talks.

Neither Yang or Miliband offered indications of a clear improvement in ties following the discussions.

However, a state television report about Miliband’s courtesy call on Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was somewhat more upbeat.

China “highly values” relations with Britain and invites British companies to explore opportunities in the booming Chinese economy, CCTV quoted Wen as telling Miliband.

Miliband said rights dialogue was a part of Britain’s “strategic partnership” with China and indicated Beijing’s diplomatic disputes with Europe were not seen as part of a larger rivalry.

“I don’t believe China is a political competitor of the European Union,” he said.

On Iran, Miliband said international concern was rising over its nuclear intentions, citing Iran’s refusal to agree to stop processing uranium and instead accept shipments of nuclear fuel processed overseas and the U.N.’s inability to exclude the possibility of military dimensions to the Iranian nuclear program.

Without mentioning sanctions directly, Miliband said China and other nations remained united behind the goal of ensuring Iran does not become a nuclear weapons state.

“The fact that we have a shared goal leads me to believe that we can find the tactics to achieve it,” Miliband said.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was greeted with shouts from protesters accusing him of being a war criminal when he arrived at the public inquiry into Britain’s role in the Iraq war.
Brown insisted that he was provided with all details by his predecessor Tony Blair on the effects and consequences of the Iraq war.
Brown added that his own intelligence briefings had convinced him that Iraq was a threat that “had to be dealt with”.
Brown reminded that if the international community could not act together over Iraq, Mr Brown said, he feared the “new world order we were trying to create would be put at risk”.

MUMBAI INDIA: It’s a departure in every which way for this Bollywood actress on the ascendant. She is playing a deglamorised politician and the Hindi has to be perfect too, but Britain born Katrina Kaif says her role in “Rajneeti” excites her more because she is now comfortable with the language.

Katrina, who has delivered a string of hits playing the urban hip young woman, gets a makeover in Prakash Jha’s “Rajneeti”. Dressed in cotton saris and speaking chaste Hindi, this is a challenging role that she’s looking forward to. But the Hindi is passe now for the actress, whose accented Hindi meant that her many early films had to be dubbed.

“I am excited about the part (in ‘Rajneeti’), but I am not very excited about speaking Hindi because I spoke Hindi in my last 10 films. It’s a great role and a great film and I certainly hope people enjoy it,” Katrina said.

“Rajneeti” is Katrina’s first political thriller and she says she wants to keep her options open by not restricting herself to any particular genre.

“If it’s a good film and I enjoy it and I think the audience will enjoy it then I will do it,” said the actress, who has given the most hits in last two years, including romantic comedies “Namastey London”, “Partner” and “Welcome”.

In “Rajneeti”, she will be seen rubbing shoulders with veterans like Nana Patekar and Naseeruddin Shah along with talented actors Ajay Devgn, Manoj Bajpai, Arjun Rampal and Bollywood’s new sensation Ranbir Kapoor. Produced by Ronnie Screwvala and directed by Prakash Jha, it is releasing June 4.

Katrina reportedly had a tough time dubbing for her last outing, “Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani”, because director Raj Kumar Santoshi was very particular about her Hindi.

The 25-year-old, who was initially dubbed by professional artists and still faces flak for her pronounced British accent despite a successful Bollywood career, isn’t worried about her Hindi accent. In fact, she is thrilled with the way her career has shaped up.

“It’s been a wonderful ride so far and I’ve had wonderful support from a lot of people. The audience has been very supportive and I hope that I keep getting the opportunity and the good work and as long as that’s there, I am happy,” she said.

Apart for her Hindi in “Rajneeti”, the actress has also been in the news for watching actress Madhuri Dixit’s videos to prepare for a dance number in Farah Khan’s directorial venture “Tees Maar Khan”.

“No, I haven’t gone through them (the videos) yet… We have a very high energy, fun Indian song which is kind of an item song and it has some kind of resemblance to the kind of songs that Madhuri was famous for but that’s kind of where it stops,” said Katrina who has once again teamed up with Akshay Kumar in the film.

“Farah is unique as a director and what she gives in her sense of glamour and presentation is something which I am very excited to be part of and I hope that we make a great film,” she added.

Expected to release Dec 24, “Tees Maar Khan” also stars Akshaye Khanna.

Asked about her reported projects like the Hindi version of “The Italian Job” and “Dostana 2″, she said: “At the moment, I am working on ‘Rajneeti’ and Farah Khan’s ‘Tees Maar Khan’… Anything else is yet to be announced.”

The actress has been recently roped in by Lux as the face of their new variant – Purple Lotus & Cream – a soap with claimed anti-ageing properties.

Dubai’s police chief plans to seek the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of Israel’s spy agency over the killing of a Hamas leader in the emirate.
Dahi Khalfan Tamim said that he would ask the Dubai prosecutor to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and the head of Mossad, a news channel reported. Tamim has said he is almost certain that Israeli agents were involved in the killing of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh at a Dubai hotel in January, calling for Mossad’s boss, Meir Dagan, to be arrested if it is proved responsible. Tamim said that Mossad had “insulted” Dubai and Western countries whose fraudulent passports were used by suspects in the assassination. Dubai has asked the US Federal Bureau of Investigation to look into prepaid cards issued by the Meta Financial Group’s MetaBank which the suspects used, a United Arab Emirates newspaper said. Citing an FBI source, The National newspaper said the investigation would look into any Israeli involvement in the killing. Thirteen of the 27 suspects used prepaid MasterCards issued by MetaBank, a regional American bank, to purchase plane tickets and book hotel rooms, the newspaper said, quoting Dubai police. The UAE, a US-allied Arab state that backs the Palestinian drive for an independent state and an end to Israeli occupation, has no diplomatic relations with Israel. But it has established low-level political and trade links in recent years, with some Israeli officials attending events in the Gulf Arab state. Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer competed in the Dubai Championships last month. Members of the hit squad used fraudulent passports from Britain, Ireland, Germany, France and Australia. Residents of Israel with the same names as the suspects, holding dual nationalities, have said their identities appear to have been stolen. The passport abuse has drawn criticism from the European Union, and some of the governments involved have summoned the Israeli ambassadors to their countries to protest.

Milan has long claimed its place among the top fashion capitals of the world but calendar woes have fashionistas asking whether it is losing influence.

While top names like Giorgio Armani, Gucci and Versace gave their all at the autumn/winter 2010-2011 catwalk shows and won wide praise for their lines, the talk of fashion week has centered on the intensive schedule of its cramped calendar.

Organizers were left scrambling to fit the major names into four days out of the Feb. 24 – March 1 run after powerful fashion editor, Vogue’s Anna Wintour, reportedly said she planned to shorten her attendance to go to Paris fashion week and then to the Oscars in Los Angeles.

Both local and international press have written about the “Wintour effect” on the northern Italian city and how designers were bowing to the demands of the international press.

Mario Boselli, the chairman of Italy’s National Chamber of Fashion — who organizes Milan fashion week — said Italian designers often showed they were not conscious of their power “and instead give in to the pressure of the foreign press.”

“I think the big masons should speak up. We are smaller but we had to schedule our show accordingly with the calendar,” Maurizio Modica, one of the designers at Frankie Morello, told. “The influence of Anna Wintour? It’s a reality.”

Milan has long relied on its status of the same big name brands that have been around for decades and whose creations are lapped up around the world. But main rival fashion capitals New York and Paris have longer schedules for this season. Industry observers also noted that there have been few internationally recognized young designers to emerge here in the last few years.

PRACTICAL PROBLEMS

Many buyers and fashion reporters have complained about the practical problems of a shortened schedule, with shows running at least 30 minutes late. They said more shows were usually more punctual at the preceding London Fashion Week.

“It’s extremely hard and it’s very disappointing to have to fit so much into four days,” Marigay McKee, fashion and beauty director at Britain’s Harrods store said.

British fashion reporter Hilary Alexander said the short schedule was not fair on anybody.

“I don’t know why it has become so short, Milan is like an economic powerhouse for fashion and there are so many major brands here,” she said. “It would be nice to have a slightly longer schedule like we normally do..six, seven days.”

Wintour has been known to curtail her stay in Milan before as well as in Paris but the French capital has not changed its calendar as a result.

Several designers and businessmen have voiced concern that a short show week would reduce the strength of Italy’s fashion industry especially at a time when the economic crisis has hit demand. Turnover for the sector fell 15 percent last year to 56.5 billion Euros. An improvement is forecast for this year.

“The real problem is that a shorter calendar not only damages fashion shows but also the business,” Michele Norsa, CEO of Salvatore Ferragamo, told Reuters. “This creates a sense of anxiety for those who come here from abroad. We need to have more time for the shows and our business contacts.”

Boselli has promised a new calendar for the September shows with “five strong days”. While Wintour declined to speak with Reuters when approached at Milan fashion week, the editor of Italian Vogue, Franca Sozzani said the calendar was “awful.”

“It will last longer in the next season,” she said. “You always need to hit the bottom then come back up to float.”

The head of the army has warned that British troops are facing a crisis of deteriorating morale on the home front that risks undermining the war in Afghanistan.
In a confidential draft memo prepared for ministers, General Sir David Richards, chief of the general staff (CGS), said that recent cuts to the defence budget are having a “cumulative and corrosive effect on our soldiers and their families”.
Cuts to housing, shortages of training equipment and even the cancellation of sports events between soldiers’ tours of duty were making them and their families feel “undervalued”, the army chief wrote.
The leaked memo will be seized on by the Tories as opening a new front in the tussle between army chiefs and ministers over the politically sensitive issue of defence cuts.
It echoes the row last year when Richards’s predecessor, General Sir Richard Dannatt, stepped down after speaking out about equipment shortages as well as poor pay and conditions. It later emerged that government figures had tried to smear him over his expenses.
A senior military commander emphasised yesterday that it was not Richards’s intention to criticise ministers: “He’s not whingeing. He’s simply trying to flag up what he believes is a vital issue that needs their urgent attention.”
In the memo to the defence board, which comprises ministers and service chiefs, Richards shifts the focus of criticism from the war effort in Afghanistan to the treatment of troops on their return home.
While there had been “significant progress” on the front line, Richards said, the treatment of soldiers when they returned for 24 months between tours is so poor that it is threatening to undermine the war effort.
Marked “restricted”, the memo reports a summary of an internal “poll” of 5,000 soldiers and their families at units in Britain, Germany and Cyprus over the past four months.
The survey was discussed at the executive committee of the army board this month. Its results appear to be so alarming that Richards decided to alert ministers to its key findings. “My greatest concern … is the deteriorating experience of soldiers and their families … between tours which, the [survey] team reports, is disaffecting attitudes, damaging morale and risks undermining our ability to sustain the campaign . . .” he wrote.
“We need our soldiers to be ready, mentally and physically, to endure repeated tours in Afghanistan, in a harsh environment, with the real prospect of significant casualties each time. “To maintain the necessary morale and cohesion, they must see tangible signs between tours that they and their families are valued.”

Burberry made history by unveiling the world’s first silmutaneous event broadcasted live in 3D globally, when the British luxury brand showed its Autumn/Winter 2010/2011 colletion in London.
The Autumn/Winter 2010/2011 Prorsum womenswear show, broadcasted to custom screening sites designed by Burberry’s Creative Director Christopher Bailey in Paris, Dubai, New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo. Bailey paid homage to the services with the latest collection, referring to Britain’s long involvement with the military. From runway to reality, the 150-year-old label brought the future of fashion to the runway. Burberry’s CEO Angela Ahrendts said it was important to have the iconic brand back on home turf. It’s magical having it in London. We are a British brand and we’d like to think one of the greatest British luxury brands to date so we are at home having it here, she said. Anna Wintour, the most powerful woman in fashion as the editor-in-chief of U.S. Vogue, said it was important to back Bailey and the label. I think it’s wonderful for British London Fashion Week and I think it’s wonderful that Christopher has decided to stay here for a second time. I’ve come all the way from New York this morning just to be here to support him, she added. Actress Kate Hudson said she has been a long fan of Burberry. I think throughout the years the trench coats have been staples for me, especially in movies. I think there are three movies that I have worn a Burberry trench coat. Across the globe in Dubai, the Middle East, a glamourous crowd gathered in a stunning ballroom to see 3D and fashion merge.

British parliamentarian Dr. Liam Fox Calls on Sri Lanka President, A parliamentarian of the Britain’s main opposition Conservative Party and Shadow Defence secretary called on the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa today at the Temple Trees.

Ministers Rohitha Bogollagama, Prof. G.L Peiris, Secretary to the President Lalith Weerathunge, and Secretary of Foreign affairs Romesh Jayasinghe also participated in the discussion.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh and met with Saudi King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal.

Clinton continued to urge Iran to reconsider its nuclear policy and said that US must work with the international community to convince Iran to change its course. International solidarity is critical in dealing with Iran.

We are working actively with our regional and international partners in the context of our dual track approach to prepare and implement new measures to convince Iran to change its course, she told a news conference. Clinton, on a visit to the Gulf, is seeking to enlist more Arab diplomatic pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions and to win greater Arab support to revive frozen Israel-Palestinian peace talks. US President Barack Obama has made little headway in his effort to restart peace talks or persuade Iran to rein in a civil nuclear program which the West, as well as many Arab states, suspect is a cover to develop atomic weapons. The United States is leading a push for the UN Security Council to impose a fourth round of sanctions on Iran, which says its nuclear program is to generate electricity so it can export more of its valuable oil and gas.

A British couple were revealed as the winners of the Euromillions lottery draw from Friday night.

Nigel Page and partner Justine Laycock won 56 million pounds (87.5 million USD) to become Britain’s biggest ever lottery winners. Justine Laycock told a press conference in Bath, England that they just laughed when they realised they had won. When asked by the interviewer what Nigel Page gave Justine for Valentines day he replied, well, I was planning on going out on Saturday to get some flowers and chocolates and a card but with one thing and another, I didn’t actually manage to get her anything. Mr Page and Ms Laycock are now considered to be richer than Oasis stars Noel and Liam Gallagher and film director Guy Richie and are placed 980th in Britain’s rich list