Cameras capture Hampton Court 'ghost'!, Increased terror threat against US cities, US open to talks on UN role in Iraq, Mistaken for guerillas, US troops kill three Iraqi policemen, DMK opts out of Vajpayee Government, Punjab police take Daler Mehndi on transit remand, Security beefed up in Tripura, Meerut doctors strike work over colleague's killing, Seven ultras killed in J and K, boy rescued, India test-fires Trishul surface-to-air missile, 96 feared dead in Philippines landslides, Bail granted to Nakeeran editor Gopal, 'Pipe bomb' detected at Jackson's attorney's property, Bhajji out of Pak tour too, PCB says Pak veterans touring India without clearance, Tom Petty to voice cartoon characters!, Murray and Johansson nominated for Golden Globes!, Chris bans Gwyn from riding her scooty!, Masumi's German tryst, News from India; News for Tourists and Travellers; India Travel Times; India News; India News Times; Indian News; Travel News; Travel; Tourism

Cameras capture Hampton Court 'ghost'! (Go To Top)

London, Dec 20: Hampton Court Palace in south-west London has always been at the centre of contention for ghostly activities. Although, never before has anything truly suspicious been captured on film. According to a report in Telegraph.co.uk, closed-circuit security cameras captured a mysterious pale figure, dressed in a long black coat, tampering with a set of fire doors.

"We are baffled too. It's not a joke. We haven't manufactured it", Vikki Wood, a Hampton Court spokesman said when asked if the photo the palace released was a Christmas hoax. "It is incredibly spooky because the face just didn't look human. My first reaction was that someone was having a laugh, so I asked my colleagues to take a look. We spoke to our costumed guides, but they don't own a costume like that worn by the figure. It is actually quite unnerving", one of the security guards said.

The palace, built in 1525 on the River Thames about 15 km west of central London, is a popular tourist attraction. The former home of Henry VIII has been the scene of many dramatic royal events and already is supposed to have a few ghosts. Henry VIII's third wife Jane Seymour died there giving birth to her son and his fifth, Catherine Howard, was held under house arrest before her execution.

Though the palace has maintained the footage provided conclusive evidence that ghosts exist, Pro Richard Wiseman, a psychology researcher from Hertfordshire University, cast doubt on the footage. "It is either a publicity stunt by the palace, which I doubt, or it is a member of the public thinking they were being helpful by shutting the doors," he said.

Terror threat against US cities (Go To Top)

New York, Dec 20: American intelligence intercepts in the past 48 hours suggest an increase in terrorist threats to a number of US cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Washington, a foreign news agency reported. There was a threat to New York involved a suicide bomber, possibly a female, although no specific target had been identified. The information was coming from a number of sources, including intelligence intercepts and US interrogation of recent detainees. Discussions between local and Federal law enforcement officials are currently under way to develop a response.

US open to talks on UN role in Iraq (Go To Top)

Washington, Dec 20: The United States has said that it has discussed with United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan his proposal for three-way talks in mid-January on the UN role in Iraq. Secretary of State Colin Powell, recovering from prostate cancer, discussed with Annan by telephone a possible January 15 meeting date, a US State Department spokesman told newsmen on Saturday. The United Nations, the US-led coalition in Iraq and the interim Iraqi Governing Council would participate in the meeting, which Washington is not opposing. "We certainty appreciate the secretary-general's interest in exploring ways to get the UN more involved, more actively involved, in Iraq," he added. "We certainly welcome a dialogue between the UN and the Iraqis that would lead to a closer on-the-ground working relationship in Iraq itself and we would certainly be willing to play a supportive role in that process," he added.

Mistaken for guerillas, US troops kill three Iraqi policemen (Go To Top)

Baghdad, Dec 20: Three Iraqi policemen, mistakenly taken for guerrillas, were killed overnight by American troops near Salman Pak, south of the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, an Iraqi policeman was quoted as saying by a foreign news agency on Saturday. The police had set up a roadblock on the road linking Kirkuk and Baghdad. An American patrol arrived around 11 p.m. GMT Friday and opened fire, taking the police to be guerillas, said Second Lieutenant Salam Zankana. The three dead men were named as Ahmed Hussein, Abdelrahman Saleh and Saqr Naji Hussein. The US army said it was investigating the incident.

DMK opts out of Vajpayee Government (Go To Top)

Chennai, Dec 20: Tamil Nadu's Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Saturday announced that it was withdrawing its ministers from Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's government. Talking to reporters after a meeting of the party's central committee, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said that the DMK, however, would continue to extend outside support to the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as long as it did "not deviate from the national agenda of governance." Karunanidhi, who is the president of the DMK, said that a resolution to this effect had been passed.

Punjab police take Daler Mehndi on transit remand (Go To Top)

New Delhi, Dec 20: Noted Punjabi pop singer Daler Mehndi, accused in a human trafficking case, was on Saturday taken into custody by Punjab Police after a court in Delhi granted it a one- day transit remand to produce him before a court in Patiala on Sunday. Amid tight security, Daler was produced before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Reena Singh Nag, who allowed Punjab Police request to take him in their custody. Daler was picked up on Friday from a friend's house in a posh colony after being on the run for nearly three months.

Mehndi's counsel had earlier submitted to the Supreme Court that the singer would surrender on January 8 before the trial court. Mehndi had sought protection from the apex court alleging that he was tortured by Patiala police during interrogation. His bail petition will now be heard on January 16. Police say that the pop star was allegedly helping his brother Shamser Singh Shera in cheating people by promising to take them abroad along with their pop troupe. There are 31 complaints against him. Mehndi, who hit headlines in 1998 when he signed a Rs.25 million contract with Magnasound to become the country's highest-paid pop singer, has denied any wrongdoing.

Security beefed up in Tripura (Go To Top)

Agartala, Dec 20: Security has been tightened across Tripura in the wake of a 48-hour shutdown declared by the rebel National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) on Saturday in protest against the anti- insurgency operation by the Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) in Bhutan. The state's Director-General of Police GM Srivastava was quoted as saying that a special alert has been sounded in the entire state and security forces have been asked to maintain strict vigil to prevent untoward incidents. He also confirmed that additional forces have been deployed in sensitive spots, adding that special security had been provided to people from Bhutan, who had come here to sell winter clothes. Meanwhile, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) have also issued calls for a 48- hour shutdown across Assam, North Bengal and in some other North Eastern parts of the country. In a statement issued today, the NFLT said that the shutdown had been called to establish the solidarity of the freedom loving people of Kamtapur, Bodoland and Assam.

Meerut doctors strike work over colleague's killing (Go To Top)

Meerut, Dec 20: Doctors here have gone on an indefinite strike to protest the murder of a fellow practitioner. Officials said, SM Rastogi, a private doctor, was shot dead on Friday night while on his way home from his clinic. Demanding action from the authorities, the medical community's representatives said they would be on strike till the killers were nabbed. "Till the time culprits are nabbed we will remain on strike. It will be a total strike by the medical fraternity. And, those who are associated with us like chemists, should also support us and others should also come forward to help us," Dr. Nanda, the president of the Meerut wing of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), said. Meanwhile, police are still trying to find out the motive behind the murder.

Seven ultras killed in J and K, boy rescued (Go To Top)

Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir), Dec 20: Security forces in Kashmir's Poonch sector have killed seven militants and rescued a kidnapped boy overnight. Zaffar Iqbal, the rescued boy, said that the militants had killed two other boys, while they were attempting to escape from their clutches. "Two days we were hiding underneath the rocks and after two days when we commenced our journey then we were fired at. Those two who went with me were killed and then I ran away. Later I met with the army then I came back with them," Iqbal said. Iqbal, 11, said he was abducted by the militants in February this year and was kept in captivity in the jungles. Army officials said the militants belonged to the Lashkar-e- Taiba, and were challenged while trying to cross the border. The Poonch encounter took place even as Pakistan reportedly offered to drop its demand for a plebiscite to decide the future of Muslim-majority Kashmir to speed a peace process with India.

India test-fires Trishul surface-to-air missile (Go To Top)

Balasore, Dec 20: For the fourth time in three days, Trishul, India's most sophisticated short range surface-to-air missile, was test-fired from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near here on Saturday, ITR sources said. The sleek missile, indigenously developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was fired from a mobile launcher at 12.57 p.m. The missile was directed at a airborne target. The solid fuel propellant missile, which can carry a warhead weighing 15 kg, has a triple battlefiled role for the army, navy and air force and has a range of nine km. The ongoing trials were intended to gauge the accuracy and various ther parameters of the missile, the source said.

96 feared dead in Philippines landslides (Go To Top)

Manila, Dec 20: Ninety-six people are feared dead after landslides, spawned by heavy rains, hit the central Philippine island of Leyte, officials said on Saturday. Rosete Lerias, Governor of Southern Leyte province, said 13 people had been confirmed dead so far and another 83 were missing and feared dead after landslides hit several towns late Friday. He said over 250 people had been rescued from the avalanche. Military and relief officials are in the affected areas to search for the missing, civil defence officials said.

Bail granted to Nakeeran editor Gopal (Go To Top)

Chennai, Dec 20: The Madras High Court on Saturday granted bail to RR Gopal, editor of Nakeeran magazine, who had been put behind the bars on a POTA charge. Gopal had mediated between the government and the country's most wanted sandalwood smuggler Veerappan during the sensational kidnapping of matinee idol Rajkumar. The country's apex court in September had cancelled his earlier bail, also granted by the Madras High Court. The court gave its order on a habeus corpus petition moved by Gopal's brother Guruswamy that claimed that the charges levelled against him were not clearly defined. The release also came days after the Supreme Court observed that those arrested under Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) could not be denied normal provisions of justice unless criminal intent had been established.

Gopal was arrested in April for his involvement in the murder of a police informer by Veerappan in 1998 and for possessing unlicensed weapons. Gopal gained fame when he acted as the emissary of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka state governments during the abduction of matinee idol Rajkumar by Veerappan about two years ago. Veerappan released Rajkumar after more than 100 days in custody. Forest outlaw Koose Muniswamy Veerappan is believed to have ties with Tamil extremists and is an accused in 120 cases of murder. The brigand, said to be in his mid-50s and famed for his long, twirling moustache and his fondness for military attire, is also an accused in the killing 2,000 elephants.

'Pipe bomb' detected at Jackson's attorney's property (Go To Top)

New York, Dec 20: Mark Geragos, troubled pop star Michael Jackson's attorney, has revealed that a bomb was detected on his private property earlier this month. "I've had - recently, within the last 10 days - a pipe bomb placed at my house," ratethemusic.com quoted Geragos as saying. "We've had some construction work and one of the workers discovered a pipe bomb in the front of the house and the police actually came, closed the street off and detonated the bomb." "The threats are so greatly outnumbered by the overwhelming support, but there are crazies out there and there are people who will do anything."

Bhajji out of Pak tour too (Go To Top)

Sydney, Dec 20: Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh will miss the rest of the Indian cricket team's current tour of Australia as well as the much awaited tour to Pakistan in March. Disclosing this in Melbourne, where Bhajji underwent a successful surgery of his right hand on Friday, Indian physio Andrew Leipus said the bowler could take up to four to five months to recover and to play competitive cricket again. "Harbhajan is doing fine, but he won't be able to start practice before three-four months, and only after four-five months he will be able to bowl again in matches," Leipus was quoted as saying. "He is essentially out of the Pakistan tour scheduled in March next year," he added. Harbhajan's right hand is in plasters after he underwent surgery for a torn ligament. He, however, will be staying with the team for at least 10 days. The off spinner had sustained the injury during a one-day international in Dhaka earlier this year.

PCB says Pak veterans touring India without clearance (Go To Top)

Karachi, Dec 20: Controversy seems to have surfaced again within the Pakistan cricket establishment, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) saying that the ongoing Pakistan Veterans cricket tour to India has been undertaken without its clearance. According to informed sources, this is a surprising development as the team had as one of its members former Test captain Majid Khan, who was the PCB's chief executive between 1996 and 1998. PCB sources told the News that it was difficult to have a proper system of clearance or supervising selection of the veteran teams for such private tours because of the existence of at least two or more bodies which claim to represent and run veterans cricket in Pakistan. Majid spearheads one of the bodies, while the other is headed by Zaheer Abbas. In such a situation no one is aware who supervised or even if a proper selection process was held to select the Pakistan veterans team touring India.

Observers point out that any team representing Pakistan abroad or wearing the Pakistan cricket logo should come under the preview of the PCB. Majid Khan who organized the tour in the first place, however, has not travelled to India with the team due to his preoccupations and Shafqat Rana is managing the 14-member squad. The Pak team members include Sadiq Muhammad (captain), Tasleem Arif, Azmat Rana, Aamir Malik, Mansoor Elahi, Mansoor Akhtar, Mehmood Rasheed, Ali Zia, Mohsin Kamal, Ejaz Ahmed, Ashraf Ali, Tahir Shah and Saadat Ali. The team is taking part in the NTPC Indo-Pak Goodwill series comprising three one-day matches with Indian veteran cricket players at Jalandhar (December 19), Delhi (Dec 21) and Agra on December 24. It lost the first match on Friday.