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Missionaries Attacked in Kerala Recovering THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 67-year-old American missionary and his Indian colleagues seriously injured in a gang attack by suspected Hindu hardliners near Thiruvananthapuram are stable and recovering fast. The Christian missionary, Joseph Cooper, his Indian colleague, Benson, and Benson's wife and two daughters were walking home from a gospel meeting on the outskirts of Kerala's Capital late on Monday (January 13) when the attack occurred.(Details) Shinde Replaces Deshmukh MUMBAI: Sushil Kumar Shinde will be the next chief minister of Maharashtra. After being eluded of the 'honour' for a number of times, Shinde's candidature for the chief minstership was finalized after the CLP left the issue of announcing the new leader to the party high command through a one-line resolution. Thus, days of speculation and uncertainty in Maharashtra came to an end. The resolution was moved by parliamentary affairs minister Rohidas Patil and seconded by industry minister Patangrao Kadam, both of whom were believed to be in the race. The deck for Shinde was cleared as the independents and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party agreed to extend their support to the candidate nominated by the Congress high command. From a bailiff in a Solapur sessions court and then a sub-inspector of police, Sushil Kumar Shinde has come a long way to be all set to become Maharasthra's first Dalit chief minister following his election as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party. Born on September 4, 1941 in Solapur, he was first elected to the Maharashtra Assembly in April 1974 from Karmala constituency and later shifted to North Solapur reserved constituency. A second time member of the Lok Sabha from Solapur, the veteran Congressman has been All India General Secretary of the party and was nominated to the Congress Working Committee. Despite belonging to the Scheduled Caste, he has been elected from a general constituency. Meanwhile, Vilasrao Deshmukh is yet to officially submit his resignation and is expected to do so before 11 am tomorrow. Sushil Kumar Shinde would also be elected as new head of the Democratic Front coalition at Vidhan Bhavan tomorrow. Alleged FBI Raid on Madrassa in Islamabad(Go To Top) ISLAMABAD: A local madrassa was allegedly raided and intensively searched by FBI agents early on Wednesday although the police and the interior ministry have denied that any such incident took place. The agents reportedly took away all the records. The raid at Subhania occurred when the inmates were fast asleep, says the Nation, quoting Maulana Fida Mohammed Khan, head of the seminary. Both the ministry spokesman and the SSP concerned said that no reports of such a raid reached them. But according to Maulana Mohammed, the intruders entered the premises at 1 am (Wednesday) and searched every corner of the school. They also questioned about Al-Qaeda and Taliban through an interpreter as well as about the expenditures incurred by the madrassa and its attendance register. The investigation continued for half an hour and then the cook was taken away by them only to be left in a jungle near Islamabad highway, he added. The Maulana said that he had established the madrassa to educate the people in religious subjects. Almost all the students were from the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad and a few from Malakand agency. Harivanshrai Bachchan Falls Sick(Go To Top) MUMBAI: Noted Hindi poet Harivanshrai Bachchan (96) has been placed under doctors' care at home after he complained of breathlessness on Wednesday night. According to family sources, Amitabh Bacchan, his actor-son, has cancelled all his engagements for a couple of days. Delhi Still Wrapped in a Shroud of Fog (Go To Top) NEW DELHI: The nation's Capital was buried under a thick blanket of fog early on Thursday, putting life at a standstill. Traffic on the main roads moved at a snail's pace due to poor visibility. The tail lights and fog lights of the vehicles were switched on to avoid accidents. The fog also disrupted train schedules and forced closure of the runway at the airport. (Details) 'Osama Visited Kabul After Sept 11 Attacks' (Go To Top) KARACHI: A Pakistani suspect arrested for plotting a suicide car bomb that killed 11 French nationals said on Wednesday that Osama bin Laden met al-Qaeda members in Kabul a few days after the September 11 attacks in the US. Mohammad Bashir, who has confessed to a role in the May 8 attack, told reporters at a police station that he was in Kabul when the twin attacks in New York and Washington took place in 2001. "There were a lot of celebrations among the Mujahedin" gathered in Kabul's suburban Darulaman base. "Osama once visited Darulaman the same month," he said. "On that day I was on the front, fighting alongside Taliban troops. When I came back, my friends told me that bin Laden came here (Darulaman), shook hands with all Mujahedin, including Arabs. I felt sorry and was sad that I could not personally see him," he said. Bashir said he returned to Pakistan the next month because the "situation was getting worse in Kabul." Kasuri Asks US to Lift INS Curbs(Go To Top) ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has asked the United States to lift INS curbs as the difficulties Pakistanis are facing in America will affect their relatives here as well as the Government of Pakistan, reports the News. In an interview with the Voice of America, he said: "The issue holds much importance, as our Pakistani brothers are residing in the United States and when they face difficulties, it also affects their relatives and the Government in Pakistan". He said the relations between the United States and Pakistan are very useful for both the countries. "We have tried to convince them that Pakistanis are very peace-loving people and they are residing in the US for economic reasons. We think that Pakistan must be excluded from the list," the minister said. US Seeks NATO Military Support: Rumsfeld (Go To Top) WASHINGTON: The United States has asked NATO to brace possible military action against Iraq with AWACs radar surveillance aircraft force protection and other means, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was quoted to have said on Thursday. President George W Bush has, however, made no decision to use force to disarm Iraq, Rumsfeld said. But, it does take time to plan, and just as we are planning with individual countries seemed appropriate, to the extent NATO wished to, to begin that planning process," he told a Pentagon press conference. Delhi High Court Admits Geelani's Appeal(Go To Top) NEW DELHI: Justices Usha Mehra and Pradeep Nandrajog of Delhi High Court on Thursday admitted the appeal of college lecturer SAR Geelani, who has been sentenced to death in the Parliament attack case. Admitting his appeal, the Bench issued notice to the prosecution directing it to file a reply by February 3. A notice was also issued to the Delhi Government on a separate application filed by Geelani seeking directions to the jail authorities to supply him reading and writing material and access to the jail library. India and France to Sign Extradition Treaty (Go To Top) NEW DELHI: India and France are to sign an extradition treaty on January 24. "The treaty will be signed during Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani's two-day visit to Paris on January 23 and 24," said external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna here today. Advani is reaching Paris from Qatar's Capital Doha. Sarna said, "during his visit, Advani will call on French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy and justice minister MD Perben." -ANI |