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Sophie Monk slept in Saddam's bed

          Sydney: Sophie Monk has finally made her Baghdad experience public. According to news.com, Sophie broke her silence about performing for troops in Baghdad and how she slept in one of Saddam's palaces, for the first time on Merrick and Rosso's Nova 969 Breakfast Show. Last week the blonde popette was flown out to Iraq in top secrecy to cheer the troops. Sophie also revealed that she spent a night in one of the usurped leader's former homes which has now been re-named as Camp Victory by the coalition forces. The palace, on the outskirts of Baghdad, was adorned with chandeliers, gold-framed mirrors and a marble bathroom. Sophie even slept in Saddam's king-sized bed. "You could see where the bridge had been bombed. The kitchen had been kicked in," she was quoted as saying. "They're all so down to earth and none of them whinge. They were just absolutely amazing," she said about the troops. Sophie admitted that her finding a hairdryer was a big challenge for her during her trip.

Meteorite the size of a house falls Down Under (Go To Top)

          Sydney: Just days after a meteorite crashed through the roof of a house in New Zealand, another meteorite is reported to have been spotted in Australia. According to news.com, the meteorite was spotted by the locals in New South Wales and is reported to have been the size of a house. However, the police are yet to find any space debris. Authorities were first alerted when a driver on the Hume Highway near Menangle reported an object the size of a house falling from the sky. The news was later confirmed by workers at the Sydney Airport Tower, who said they saw the meteorite at around 9 p.m. The meteorite has been described as glowing silver in color and similar to an artillery shell when it exploded with a bright flash on impact. Police are now ruling out the possibility of finding the debris, unless someone stumbles across them by mistake. "We went out to check if it was something bad, like a plane. However, we didn't find anything - there was no bloody great rock sitting in the middle of the highway, anyway," said a police spokesperson.

Modi plot: Doubts cast over LeT encounter (Go To Top)

          Mumbai: The Thane police today said that the girl, killed in Tuesday's encounter in Ahmedabad may not have been a terrorist. "We have still not found any evidence that can link her to any terrorist group," ACP Amar Jadhav said. The Mumbra-based girl, Israt Jahan Shaikh, was killed in an encounter for allegedly plotting to kill Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The Thane Crime Branch officials carried out a thorough search of Israt's residence in Mumbra. A team also visited her Gurunanak Khalsa College in Matunga, central Mumbai. "We are checking on who her friends were, when she was admitted to the college. We are conducting a full and thorough investigation," said Sub-Inspector Patil. Meanwhile, college authorities have been quoted as saying that Israt was a regular student and had secured admission to second year BSc this year, opting for Maths and Statistics. "She was regular in her practical and theory classes, her performance and attendance was good," said Ajit Singh, principal, Khalsa College However, the police also held that one cannot entirely rule out the possibility of any terror links. "I am not in a position to comment on the Mumbai girl killed in the Ahmedabad encounter yet. However, it is incorrect to assume that a college student cannot be involved in a terror organisation. After all look at the people arrested from SIMI," said Satyapal Singh, JCP, crime, Mumbai. Ahmedabad police had killed Israt, along with three other alleged terrorists in the encounter. According to the cops, Ishrat was possibly being used as a cover for the fidayeen team.

Security tightened for Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad (Go To Top)

          Ahmedabad: A tight security cover has been thrown over Ahmedabad ahead of the inauguration of a chariot procession of Lord Jagannath, one of the most revered festivals in India. This year, authorities are keeping an extra vigil after police foiled an assassination attempt on the chief minister Narendra Modi early this week. KR Kaushik, the Police Commissioner of Ahmedabad, said besides about 15,000 police personnel, 64 companies of paramilitary forces had been deployed. "Alongwith the state police, we have additional troops of SRP (state reserve police), home guards and from the centre we have CRPF, BSF, RAF (paramilitary forces). We also have got forces from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh's reserve force will also be there to assist us," said Kaushik. Police personnel will also man the procession route, he added. The 127th annual Rath Yatra or procession of Lord Jagannath, is attended by thousands. The procession has sparked off tension and violence since the bloody religious riots of 2002 as it passes through many Muslim- dominated areas. The three chariots are pulled by devotees over a 24 km route through the city's bylanes.

Sainiks in Varanasi attempt suicide to protest lesbian film (Go To Top)

         Varanasi: Hardline Hindu activists in Varanasi consumed poison on Thursday to register their protest against the screening of a Bollywood film about a love affair between two women. The move came after days of violent protests by right- wing Hindus who vandalised cinemas in the city against the screening of the Bollywood film, "Girlfriend", which they said violated India's traditional culture. Thursday's incident occurred right in front of the residence of the District Magistrate, where the hardliners were protesting. The five protesters who had consumed poison were then rushed to a nearby hospital where the doctors have stated their condition to be serious. Meanwhile, police officials dismissed the incident as just a gimmick to attract attention. "According to schedule of the protestors, they were supposed to demonstrate in front of the house of District Magistrate. They called themselves Shiv Sainiks. They drank something from a bottle and fell unconscious. We are sure that all this is just a hoax. It will be confirmed only after we receive the doctors' report," said Gyaneshwar Tiwari, Superintendent of Police. Doctors, however, said that the protestors had definitely consumed some poisonous substance, and stated the condition of all of them to be serious. "They have certainly drank something because they are drowsy. Most probably, I think it must be sleeping pills. If they tell us what they have taken, we can treat them likewise," said R.R. Roy. Police have been posted outside dozens of cinemas, including many swanky multiplexes showing "Girlfriend" in Mumbai, New Delhi, and several northern cities. Members of the Shiv Sena said they planned more protests over "Girlfriend."

Punjab farmers sign petition in blood (Go To Top)

          Ludhiana: Farmers in Punjab on Thursday signed a petition in blood refusing to share any water from the state's rivers with neighbouring Haryana. Farmers in Punjab form an influential pressure group in the country's granary and have strongly opposed the sharing of the river waters, saying ground water levels were at an all-time low and diverting water would lead to acute scarcity. Punjab has been delaying the construction work for the Sutlej- Yamuna Linkage (SYL) canal for more than a decade but the Supreme Court earlier this month ordered for its completion. Agitated farmers refused to accept the verdict with the authorities also promising to fight the battle tooth and nail. "Our activists here have proven that they consider the water of Punjab more precious than their blood. We will present these papers to the President of India who is a neutral person and will think of everybody's benefit," Gurcharan Singh Garewal, a protester, said.