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Saddam Hussein `arrested' in Iraq (Go To Top) Baghdad, Dec 14: Ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was 'captured' by the US-led forces in Iraq on Saturday night. He was found hiding in a cellar in his ancestral hometown of Tikrit. The cellar was a six-eight feet deep spider hole with an exhaust fan fitted in it. At least two AK-47 rifles, one pistol and 750,000 dollars were recovered from his possession. He did not resist while being apprehended, said Lt Gen Ricardo Sanchez, US Commander in Iraq, while addressing a press conference in Baghdad. A DNA test conducted on him confirmed that he was Saddam Hussein only. Saddam has been held at an undisclosed location in Iraq, said the BBC on Sunday. The report said that two men were also arrested along with Saddam, but their identity has so far been kept a secret. Meanwhile, people have started celebrating the capture of their former President in the streets of Baghdad and the northern Iraqi city Kirkuk. Hundreds of people were seen rejoicing at the Baghdad Square. Some fired shots in the air as a mark of celebration after the arrest. Giving details about the "Operation Red Dawn" launched for capturing Saddam, Gen Sanchez said around 600 soldiers, including defence experts, were involved in the operation. A brief video footage was shown to the journalists. It showed Saddam Huseein with unkept beard and long hair, but in good health. Later, he was shown after being shaved. The pictures showed Saddam very much similar to his earlier photos. He had no bodily injuries, the medical examination conducted on his person confirmed. But more tests would be conducted to prove his identity. Gen Sanchez said at the time of the arrest Saddam looked tired. It could not, however, be confirmed as to for how long he had been staying in the spider hole. The former Iraqi leader was last seen in television footage shot in April at a Baghdad market just before the city fell to US forces in the recent Iraq conflict. US authorities had offered a 25 million US dollars reward for information leading to his capture. On 22 July his sons, Uday and Qusay, were killed in a raid by US forces in the northern city of Mosul. In October, US officials said they had intelligence indicating Saddam Hussein was hiding in Tikrit. They said he seemed to be moving around various safe houses with the aid of family members, often in disguise. Musharraff escapes bomb blast (Go To Top) Islamabad, Dec 14: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had a narrow escape from a bomb blast in Rawalpindi on Sunday as the bomb planted on a bridge went off a few minutes after his convoy passed by. There were no casualties either although the bridge was partially damaged. Several houses in the neighbourhood had their windowpanes broken in the impact of the blast. Some witnesses said they also heard the sound of firing after the blast. The President was returning home from the city's airport after a visit to Karachi. He had survived two other attempts on his life in the past. Earlier during the day Indonesian President Meghawati Sukarnoputri had arrived at the Chaklal airport on a three-day visit to Pakistan. Pak registers complaint against India fencing LoC (Go To Top) Islamabad, Dec 14: After raising a hue and cry about India fencing along the Line of Control (LoC), Pakistan has lodged a formal complaint with the Indian High Commission here. An official of the Indian High Commission was summoned at the Foreign Office (FO) and he was handed over an official complaint to be conveyed to the Indian government, said a report in the Daily Times here Saturday. Later, a FO press release said: "Pakistan has conveyed its serious concerns on Indian efforts to erect a fence on the LoC and the Working Boundary. A demarche was made to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. The serious concerns were conveyed in a demarche made to the Indian High Commission today." Meanwhile, the Indian Army maintains that it is fencing a 460- km stretch of the LoC to prevent the infiltration of Islamic militants from across the Pakistani side of the border. PTV to launch Kashmir channel in Feb (Go To Top) Islamabad, Dec 14: The Pakistan Television (PTV) will launch its new 'Kashmir Channel' from Muzaffarabad on February 5, the Daily Times reported Sunday. All the arrangements have been made, said the paper. "PTV acquired a portion of the Radio Muzaffarabad building and has bought the latest equipment for Rs 200 million. Installation is expected to be complete by the end of January," an official was quoted as saying. He reportedly said that the TV channel was decided for Pakistan- occupied-Kashmir (PoK) last year to highlight Kashmiri culture and problems. The programmes prepared by PTV and aired on the new channel will focus on refugee issues, news and discussions to counter Indian propaganda, sources said adding that the Information Ministry wanted to convert the Muzaffarabad television station into a representative channel for Kashmir issues. Benazir prays for Indo-Pak peace (Go To Top) Ajmer, Dec 14: Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Sunday prayed for Indo-Pak peace. Praying at the mausoleum of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti here, Bhutto said she also prayed for the return of democracy in her country. "I hope that peace prevails in my country and democracy should also be there. Because one democracy does not go to war with another democracy. And when our relations worsen, the democracies suffer," she said after visiting the tomb. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since independence from Britain in 1947. Relations between the two countries worsened in December 2001 after an armed raid on Indian Parliament, which killed 15 people including the five assailants. But tensions have reduced since April this year but New Delhi says infiltration still continues and has refused to resume formal peace talks with Islamabad until infiltration is halted completely. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is due to visit Islamabad next month for a SAARC Summit. Protest against killing in Srinagar (Go To Top) Srinagar, Dec 14: More than 2000 people protested here on Sunday against the death of a man during a gun-battle in the region. A state official said 35-year-old Ghulam Nabi, an auto-rickshaw driver, was caught in crossfire during a battle on Sunday between militants and Border Security Force troops. Police said two people, including a militant from outlawed Pakistan-based rebel group Jaish-e-Mohammad, were killed in the Srinagar shootout. "A Border Security Force party was on duty. They had information on movement of terrorists. A motorbike was stopped and when they were asked to prove their identity, the motorcyclists retaliated. In the exchange of fire, one militant and one civilian were killed," said Javrad Gallani, Srinagar SSP. The protest comes days after at least 10 people were wounded when police used teargas to disperse protesters demonstrating in Srinagar against alleged human rights violations in the region. Underworld don Fazlur Rehman's aide arrested in Capital (Go To Top) New Delhi, Dec 14: The Delhi Police claimed to have arrested a key female aide of the Gulf-based extortion kingpin Fazlur Rehman here on Sunday. The female, a 29-year-old woman, believed to be heading Rehman's Delhi operation, was working as a personal secretary to a businessman. Police said she was tracked after her employer received a five million rupees extortion call from a Dubai number. Originally from Bihar, Rehman moved to Dubai under the aegis of Babloo Srivastava, a long-time aid of Dawood Ibrahim, now officially termed as an international terrorist. Rehman has since then gone to establish himself as independent mafia don and is now running operations in several cities across India. His associates mainly constitute school dropouts, rural bumpkins, small-time criminals and women driven by mercenary motives. Rehman and his associates are wanted in over 30 cases of murder, kidnapping and extortion. Laloo demands ban on Hindu fundamentalists (Go To Top) Ranchi Dec 14: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Laloo Prasad Yadav has demanded a ban on Hindu radicals in Jharkhand. He blamed the ruling BJP of harbouring the radicals. "All these right-wing Hindu radical parties are trying to form their bases in the state. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, its Praveen Togadia........they should be ousted. The BJP, which harbours them should also be ousted from the state," Yadav said at a public rally here Sunday. Earlier this year, Bihar had prevented the entry of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) general secretary Praveen Togadia anticipating communal tension. The VHP is spearheading a campaign to build a controversial temple dedicated to Hindu god Lord Ram on the ruins of a razed 16th century mosque in northern Ayodhya town. The VHP believes the spot where a frenzied mob brought down the Babri mosque in December 1992 was the birthplace of Lord Rama, and have long been demanding a temple there. More than 3000 people died in riots that erupted across the country after the mosque was brought down. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has ordered a ban on any activity at the site until they give a verdict. Thousands throng Dalai Lama festival (Go To Top) Dharamshala, Dec 14: A three-day International Himalayan festival to honour Nobel laureate and Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama was held in India's northern hill town of Dharamasala earlier this week. The Dalai Lama was conferred the Nobel peace prize in 1989 for his non-violent drive to free Tibet from Chinese occupation. At least 20,000 people from India and abroad joined the Tibetans dressed in their traditional costumes, at the main Dalai Lama temple for the colourful function. Besides paying tributes to the spiritual leader, the festival also aimed to encourage tourism in the state. An ecstatic Ram Swaroop, secretary of the Indo-Tibetan friendship association, the main body behind this festival, said a record number of tourists had attended the celebrations this year. "This is the ninth festival and it is a matter of great pride for us that it is growing more and more popular. This year the tourist inflow has been beyond our expectation, in the excess of 4,000 to 5,000 tourists as compared to expected number," he said. Yeshi Phunstok, a local monk, added that it was like reliving the past. "This is a confluence of cultures of both countries, of our traditions and our customs. It is like reliving the 17th century in the 21st," he said. Mark Walberg, an Austrian tourist, said the festival gave him the rare chance to see both Indian and Tibetan culture. "I am interested in both Indian and Tibetan culture and I think it's a very good opportunity at such festival to bring these two cultures, these two nations together," he said. Tourism is the mainstay of the Himalayan region's economy while Tibetan Buddhist culture has cast its influence on Dharamsala's lifestyle. Every year hundred thosuands of devouts and peace enthusiasts throng the town in search of blessing from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Since fleeing Tibet in 1959 after a failed revolt against Chinese rule, the Dalai Lama has made Dharmasala his home.
`Sir' Mick Jagger snubs Keith Richards' jibes! (Go To Top) Washington, Dec 14: All's not rocking among the Stones! Rocker Sir Mick Jagger has accused bandmate Keith Richards of being jealous of the accolade of the former being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. According to a report in ratethemusic.com, the "Paint It Black" singer said that his Rolling Stones bandmate, who has accused him of "selling out" by accepting the award from "the establishment when they did their very best to throw us in jail" - was upset he had not been given a similar honour. "It's very nice to have honours given to you as long as you don't take it all too seriously. You should wear them lightly and not get carried away with your own self-importance. "I think Keith would probably like to get the same honour himself. It's like being given ice cream - one gets one and they all want one. It's nothing new. Keith likes to make a fuss," Jagger was quoted as saying. Jagger was joined by his 92-year-old father Joe and daughters Karis and Elizabeth for the investiture. He opted against wearing the traditional top hat and tails and arrived in a black suit with a leather jacket. Victoria fears conspirators! (Go To Top) London, Dec14: Pop singer Victoria Beckham has claimed that conspirators are out to get her. According to Hello Magazine, apparently believes unnamed antagonists are trying to undermine her career. "Somebody's got it in for me," declared Victoria. "I don't know who it is or why it is, but it's true." Speaking in an interview with I-D magazine, the former Spice Girl also said successful women are not highly regarded in the UK. "You have to bear in mind that in Britain good businessmen are seen as good businessmen," she remarked, "and good businesswomen are seen as bitches." Madonna has found a new faith and a new role! (Go To Top) Washington, Dec 14: Pop queen Madonna is seeing herself in the new role of a teacher as she has begun imparting knowledge to those around her. According to ratethemusic, Madonna has become a devout follower of the Kabbalah faith, a branch of Jewish mysticism. The pop idol says, "If I taught people earlier in my career, it was by default. I wasn't consciously thinking of sharing in any way. I was just showing off. I felt full of myself. Now I'm a teacher." Meanwhile, the "Music" star has denied that her controversial on- stage smooches with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at this year's MTV VMA Awards were merely a publicity stunt. Madonna explained to website "Pagesix", "We were playing with lots of post-modern iconography." Britney on lookout for a 'quirky' man! (Go To Top) New York, Dec 14: Pop princess Britney Spears is on the lookout for a new man, but she has one condition - he must be "quirky". According to a report in ratethemusic.com, the "In The Zone" beauty longs to enjoy a hot new romance with someone special. However, after her heartbreaking split from Justin Timberlake last year, she has a very specific type of man in mind. "I'm looking for a guy who's quirky, somebody I can laugh with. I enjoy my independence, but there are times when I go to bed and I'm like, 'OK, here I am, all by myself,'" the 22-year-old songstress said. "You know, you get used to having those phone calls at the end of the day when you hear a guy say, 'I love you. Good night.' And I don't have that anymore. I'm not going to call my mom for that," she added. New man in Uma Thurman's life! (Go To Top) New York, Dec 14: The "Kill Bill" star Uma Thurman has blown away husband Ethan Hawke's hope to win her back. According to a report in ratethemusic.com, the actress is reportedly romancing New York hotelier Andre Balazs, who is a long-term acquaintance, after separating from Hawke in September this year. Hawke's affair with Canadian model Jen Perzow on the set of upcoming thriller "Taking Lives" caused Thurman such heartache, her brothers threatened to "kill" the "Reality Bites" hunk. But now Uma - who has two children Maya and Roan with Hawke - is said to be resisting her ex's attempts to salvage their marriage. A source close to Uma said of Balazs, "They've known each other for years, but they just started seeing each other about a month and an half ago. It's very recent, but they seem intense." -ANI |
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