January 7
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The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been closed to the public for the first time in 800 years amid speculation the structure is on the verge of toppling over. Over the past 100 years the belfry at the top of the mediaeval tower has moved 9.6 inches (nearly a quarter of a metre). The tilt is currently 16ft (4.9m) off the perpendicular and increases by about one-twelfth of an inch (2mm) every year because the layer of clay and sand on which it is built is softer on the south side than on the north. So, the Italian government has set aside 100bn lire (?7m) and appointed an international team of experts to come up with a detailed plan within three months to save the building from collapse. The 13th century monument, which took more than 200 years to build, attracts in excess of one million visitors each year, many of whom climb to the top to enjoy the panoramic view of Pisa. The tower's closure is therefore bound to have a significant impact on the city's tourism industry. The eight-storey structure began tilting almost immediately after it was completed in 1350 and although there are no plans to completely straighten it, experts believe urgent work is required to reverse the tilt. Attempts have been made in the past to stop the building moving. Mediaeval builders tried to correct the tilt but their efforts resulted in the upper section of the tower leaning at a different angle to the lower section. The Leaning Tower's ornate and unique exterior balconies were built to enable local dignitaries to be seen by the populous during religious processions in the Middle Ages. Mrs Gandhi's triumph virtually wiped out her party's two major contenders. Neither the Janata nor the Lok Dal party gained the requisite 54 seats to qualify for recognition as the official opposition. Underscoring the extent of her victory, was the election of her son Sanjay, who had been blamed for many of the excesses of the emergency rule. He is out of prison on appeal against his conviction for stealing then destroying the master copy of a film satirizing his mother's rule. Mrs Gandhi, who had ruled India for 11 years until 1977, successfully appealed to India's rural masses with her two election slogans, "Banish Poverty" and "Law and Order". During the 63-day campaign, the 62-year-old gave up to 20 speeches a day during a 40,000 mile tour of 384 constituencies. But Mrs Gandhi's political comeback will be viewed with suspicion. During the 19 months of emergency rule, introduced after she was accused of electoral malpractice, democracy was suspended, many opposition politicians were imprisoned and a compulsory birth control programme was introduced. When Mrs Gandhi sought to have the regime legitimised through the polls, she was defeated by Morarji Desai's Janata party. The last time she appeared in parliament was in 1978 when she was expelled on charges involving harassment of government officials during the emergency. She is still under investigation on charges of abuse of power, although the assumption is these will now be shelved. Her electoral victory is partly due to the break-up last summer of the fragile coalition which formed the Janata party, leaving caretaker prime minister Charan Singh in control. As news of Mrs Gandhi's victory spread, strings of coloured festive lights were strung up around her New Delhi home. Thousands of people have converged on the bungalow, which was built for officials of the Raj. |
