At a glance

At a glance

SEOUL: US Defence Secretary William Cohen was forced to enter sOUTH Korea's defence ministry through a back entrance on Saturday to avoid protestors who hurled eggs at a US military jeep, witnesses said. The group of around 50 demonstrators hurled about 10 eggs at the vehicle as it entered the ministry through the main gate, apparently carrying officers to a meeting between Cohen and South Korean Defence Minister Cho Sung-Tae. Four people travelling in the covered four-wheel drive vehicle appeared dumbfounded as the eggs landed on the vehicle, smearing its windows. Cohen's car later avoided the main gate and entered the ministry through a back gate as the protestors at the Front chanted `Yankee Go Home' and unfurled banners denouncing alleged crimes committed by US soldiers stationed here. The protestors also held up a US flag with a Nazi emblem on it.

NEW YORK: According to a New York Times report, the world's two major auction houses, Christie's and Sotheby's shared privileged client lists during the last five years. The clients, from some of the world's wealthiest families, were placed on what the two houses referred to as `grandfathered' lists, in which, as sellers, they paid reduced fees. The shared lists, which contained some 50 names were described as an important device for the companies to use in enforcing a form of price control. The newspaper also said that the ``collaboration by the two longtime arch rivals'' could become part of a possible prosecution on price-fixing and collusive practices under study by the Justice Department. It said at least five people, with different links to both auction houses and the investigation had confirmed the list-sharing arrangement, speaking on condition of anonymity.

CHERIE'S SISTER ATTACKS NHS
The sister of Cherie Blair, wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, on Thursday attacked the British health service after suffering a miscarriage. Lauren Booth said she had been given "potentially fatal" advice by a National Health Service (NHS) telephone advice line, set up last year by Tony Blair's Labour government.

Booth told the New Statesman magazine she believed the much-publicised service -- NHS Direct -- was a "placebo for hypochondriacs". She said a miscarriage three weeks ago had left her in agony and unable to get to her doctor. During a telephone call to NHS Direct she was told to "go to bed with a hot water bottle".

RUSSIAN ACTOR NOT FOR MIR
The Russian actor cast to star in a $ 200 million movie set on the Mir space station will not be blasting off after all, the Russian space agency announced on Thursday. Vladimir Steklov will remain behind when the film crew blasts off after the US-Russian film company behind the film, The Last Voyage, could not agree on terms with Mir's operating company to send him into orbit. "Certain conditions of the contract signed between Energuia, in charge of Mir's operation, and an American company that was to finance the project have not been fulfilled," the space agency press service said.

Agency spokesman Sergei Gorbunov told Moscow's Echo Radio that the film shoot would go ahead without Steklov and that the Russian cosmonauts, Sergei Zaeltine and Alexander Kaleri, would do the filming. The pair are due to take off for Mir on April 4, the agency said. Steklov, 50, had been training for his role at Russia's Star City since June last year.

DICAPRIO'S BROTHER HELD
The step-brother of film star Leonardo DiCaprio is being held for questioning over allegations that he attempted to murder his girlfriend, The Sun newspaper reported in London on Friday. The mass-circulation daily said DiCaprio was "devastated" after Adam Farrar, 28, was taken into custody. The Sun said the actor had cancelled business in New York to fly home to Los Angeles, where his step-brother is being held in the County Jail. DiCaprio, 24, whose movies included The Beach and Titanic, is close to Farrar, the daily said. The pair grew up together after his father married Farrar's mother.

-- Agence France Presse