SATANIC ASPERSIONS: Jemina (left) denies meeting Rushdie

Salman Rushdie's satanic verses has returned to haunt Jemima Khan, wife of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan. A rival party has alleged that Jemima's dissertation at Bristol University was reviewed by Rushdie and that her reading list included The Satanic Verses. Jemima is categorical in denial: "I have never even met the man. I even condemned his book in a letter to The Times newspaper in London." It is all a part of Pakistani politicking, she says. "To date, I have been accused of being a Hindu sympathiser, a Zionist, an infidel and smuggler ... Imran's political opponents know that they cannot tarnish his reputation except by baseless attacks on his wife," rues Jemima. Imran's clansmen have responded with a fatwa. Noor Mohammed Burki, a clan chieftain, has called for retribution against anyone who dares besmirch the cricket hero's family name.

SCANDAL
Major-Currie Affair Shocks London

MAJOR MUCK: Currie (right) reveals her affair with the former premier in her diaries

The colourless former British prime minister John Major has changed colours. His former junior health minister Edwina Currie, in her diaries published last week, recounts the affair she had with Major 15 years ago. After an initial silence, Major admitted to the relationship saying "it was one event in my life of which I am most ashamed". Currie was stung into replying, "He was not very ashamed of it at the time."

Currie definitely was not. She writes, "Then B (Major's code name in the diaries) came along, and he was so bloody nice and so attractive, and so quiet in public that it was a challenge to unearth the real person, and to seduce him-easy! And it was unexpectedly spectacularly good, for such a long time." The four-year affair ended in March 1988. "The words just aren't there. Still, the memories are, and the sweet taste, and the giggles, and the sadness at putting a stop to it all," she says.

Major bided his time in putting a stop to it. His "back to basics" policy had forced 11 members of Conservative Party to resign after their dalliances were exposed. Major asked his ministers to resign for an act of which he himself was guilty.

It is not just the party Major has to answer to. Scallywag, a magazine, is planning legal action. In 1993 Major had issued notices over articles linking him to Clare Latimer, a caterer. Latimer now alleges she was being used as a "decoy" for the Currie affair. A spicy tangle this.

-Ishara Bhasi

UN Bound

UNWANTED ADVISER: Agnihotri

The diplomatic saga of India's ambassador-at-large Bhishma Agnihotri has taken a fresh turn. After the US State Department and the Indian diplomatic corp in Washington refused to accept his credentials, Agnihotri has been despatched to the Permanent Mission of India (PMI) at the UN as an adviser. V.K. Nambiar, the new PMI chief, has the unenviable task of piloting the appointment through the UN red tape. The designated function of the ambassador-at-large-to deal with non-resident Indians-does not rhyme well with the UN work rules, though there is a precedent of Cyprus having an adviser. Agnihotri is at his diplomatic best: "I have left the issue to the Government of India."

-Anil Padmanabhan