People

Spice Girl Mel B has scrapped her plans to marry.

Spice Girl Mel B has scrapped her plans to marry.

Known to her army of young fans worldwide as Scary Spice, Melanie Brown called off her engagement to Jimmy Gulzar, a dancer performing with the band on their world tour, six weeks after he proposed, the Sun reported yesterday. The relationship hit the rocks while the band was touring the United States.

Malaysia's outspoken Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (73) "would have been lethal with a handbag", former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher is reported to have said.

Thatcher, who was launching a collection of Mahathir essays in London, was quoted by Bernama news agency as saying she had "great admiration" for the Malaysian leader.

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Recalling that they were "close colleagues" during the 1980s, she noted they shared more in common than the year they were born. "We both believe in speaking our minds," Thatcher said.

Chinese film maker Zhang Yimou said yesterday he will direct a $15 million production of Puccini's opera Turandot in Beijing's Forbidden City where it was originally set.

Prince William arrived at St James's Palace unexpectedly and came face to face with his father's lover Camilla Parker Bowles for the first time, it emerged last night. The chance meeting, during the second week in June, was said to be amicable and lasted under an hour with just 16-year-old William, Mrs Parker Bowles and the Prince of Wales present.

The Netherlands' Foreign Minister, Hans van Mierlo, announced yesterday he is quitting politics to make way for new blood in his centre-left party, D66.

D66, which Van Mierlo founded in 1966, rose in popularity eight years ago, sweeping the former journalist to the post of foreign minister. But supporters abandoned the party in droves during the last legislative election in May.