Former Kerala CM Nayanar dies
New
Delhi: Former Kerala Chief Minister E K Nayanar died
on Wednesday after protracted illness. The CPI(M) veteran
was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences
on April 26 for treatment of diabetes and foot ulcer. Later
on May 6, both his kidneys failed and he suffered a massive
heart attack. An angioplasty was done on him and a block
in the heart valve was removed. He was on life-support system
since then. CPI(M) Politbureau Members Prakash Karat, Sitaram
Yechury and S Ramachandran Pillai have rushed to the hospital.
Pak to acquire 4 warships from China
(Go
To Top)
Hong
Kong: Pakistan will soon purchase four frigates from
China as part of the ongoing co-operation in defence sector
between the two countries, The News reported Wednesday.
The deal was reportedly discussed at a meeting between Pakistan
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Shahid Karimullah, on a visit
to China, and Chinese Defence Minister General Cao Guangchuan
here Tuesday. General Cao assured that his country would
continue to strengthen its relations with Pakistan in the
defence sector. It was decided that the two navies would
continue to cooperate in different fields of their mutual
interest, including training in order to strengthen their
defence capability. Karimullah's visit is a part of high-level
exchanges between the two countries, aimed at establishing
comprehensive partnership in all fields of bilateral interest.
The Pakistan Navy chief said that his country was willing
to join China to further explore and improve the relations
between the two armies.
Threat to attack foreign missions in
Pak (Go
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Islamabad:
The Pakistan government has learnt that some unidentified
anti-US elements have threatened to attack foreign missions,
including those of Saudi Arabia, Spain, China and South
Korea. Quoting sources, the Online News reported on Wednesday
that Islamabad has also received threats of blowing up foreign
missions by suicide attacks. According to the report, following
intelligence agencies' information forwarded to Interior
Ministry, the ministry has directed the Islamabad Police
top officials to convene a meeting to evolve a strategy
to ward off any possible terrorist assaults. The sources
added that an anonymous letter written to Principal of a
Saudi school in sector F-10/1 said that if the Principal
of School did not leave the country along with his family
within 10 days, his body would be riddled with bullets.
The letter added: "Don't try to contact any security agency
otherwise you would face pre-mature death." Threats to blow
up South Korean embassy as well as airline and transport
system have also been received, the unnamed sources maintained.
Meanwhile, in another incident, a widow of an Uzbek terrorist
has threatened to avenge her husband's killing (by Pakistani
forces) by committing suicide attacks. Sources learnt that
some women were also being trained in the mountainous northern
areas of the country for carrying out suicide attacks.
Becks former bodyguard gunned down in
Iraq (Go
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London:
British soccer captain David Beckham's former bodyguard,
Brian Tilley, 47, has been shot dead in Iraq. According
to the Sun, Tilley, an ex-Royal Marine, was hired by the
Real Madrid star after his wife Victoria and he were the
target of a kidnapping plot in 2002. Brian had shared a
friendly relationship with the Beckham family. He was gunned
down by rebels near Baghdad where he was believed to have
worked for an Egyptian firm on a communications project.
Brian, who had a long-term girlfriend Elaine Readenall,
was all set to fly home last week after spending five months
in the city. Unfortunately, he missed his flight and was
waiting for another when he was killed at a house in the
Al-Dawrah district. Brian's close friend Pete Oxley has
described him as a real life action man. "Despite his adventurous
lifestyle he was always very safe - his military training
taught him to calculate every risk and err on the side of
survival," the report quoted Brian as saying. Brian was
an adopted son of his parents who are now dead. He was brought
up in Derby and also served with the special boat service.
Brian had been a part of the action in Northern Ireland,
the Falklands and The Gulf and was awarded the Queen's Gallantry
Medal for bravery in 1997, adds the report. The gallant
Brian was also a qualified paramedic, mountaineer and diver.
He had given valuable tips to the Beckhams' civilian bodyguards
on how to improve their close protection tactics.
Second bone scan confirms Shoaib's rib
injury (Go
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Karachi:
A new bone scan carried on Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib
Akhtar's body has confirmed the stress fracture injury in
his rib cage, The News reported Wednesday. "They advised
me to get the second bone scan done, the results of which
show that I am still carrying that injury," Shoaib said.
The paper quoted him as saying that the old problem of the
stress fracture on his 11th rib cage on lower left side
still existed. "I have still not got the reports of the
bone scan but as soon as I get them I will send them to
the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)," he said. Shoaib, however,
added that the injury was not one that would prevent him
from playing but said doctors had advised him proper rest
in between matches. "They say the injury will heal with
required exercises and with time. In the meantime I can
play but a limited number of matches and Durham have basically
agreed to do this," he said. According to the fast bowler,
he had the bone scan under the guidance of the Durham physiotherapist
and he had been surprised after learning of the injury that
the Board had not sent to the county the reports of the
first bone scan conducted at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial
Hospital in Lahore. "He (physiotherapist) was surprised
that the Board has neither sent them the report nor the
findings of the medical commission on my injury," he added.
The report said that the Pakistan fast bowler is getting
a contractual fee of over seven million Pakistan rupees
for the season from Durham for whom he also played last
year.
Sonia refuses to back down, Cong MPs
threaten to resign (Go
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by
Ashok Dixit
New
Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi continued to
remain steadfast and adamant on Wednesday morning about
her decision not to be the next Prime Minister of the country,
sending signals of all round disappointment through the
party's rank and file. Informed sources close to 10 Janpath
said that Gandhi has continuously been beseiged by telephone
calls since late last night and early this morning from
Congress and allied leaders, besides other party workers,
urging her to seriously reconsider her decision of Tuesday.
But she refused. Some of the party's MPS have reportedly
threatened to resign from their positions if Gandhi does
not retract. Notably among them, was Sachin Pilot, the son
of the erstwhile Congress stalwart late Rajesh Pilot of
Dausa. Informed reports and sources said that leaders of
the Congress- led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), including
Sonia Gandhi, have converged at the residence of CPI (M)
leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet to assess the present political
climate and the steps to be taken from hereon. Gandhi is
also expected to meet separately with Rashtriya Janata Dal
chief Laloo Prasad Yadav and Lok Jan Shakti leader Ram Vilas
Paswan after 12 p.m. Decks are more or less cleared for
nominating former Finance Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh as
the UPA's prime ministerial candidate. Singh has emerged
as the frontrunner after Gandhi is said to expressed her
support for him. She is also scheduled to meet President
A.P.J.Abdul Kalam to inform him about her decision A meeting
of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) is scheduled to
take place this afternoon or evening to probably finalise
this decision.
Celebrations in Manmohan Singh's native
town (Go
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Amritsar:
Residents of Amritsar are overjoyed with the prospect
of having former finance minister and senior Congress leader
Manmohan Singh as the country's next prime minister. Seventy-one
year old Singh is the most likely the consensus candidate
for the Prime Minister's post after Congress president Sonia
Gandhi refused to take the job. The sleepy Khoti Bazaar
locality of Amritsar where Singh has lived for about 15
years, suddenly woke up to the news that he is tipped as
the next prime minister. There was joy in the family which
has been receiving several congratulatory calls from friends
and well-wishers on Singh likely to be sworn in as India's
first Prime Minister from the Sikh community. "We will get
to know about his work later. As a finance minister, the
world came to know how good he was, but as a prime minister,
they will soon know," said Daljit Singh, brother of the
former minister. Friends could not stop raving about Singh
whom they called an uncomplicated and matured person. "He
is a family friend, a very humble man, very uncomplicated
and matured person. We are happy that he is going to be
the country's next prime minister," said Amarjit Singh,
friend. Manmohan Singh, a member of the Upper House of parliament,
has held the post of the finance minister from 1991- 1996,
apart from being the governor of Reserve Bank of India.
Since its humiliating loss in last week's election, the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has run a bitter campaign against
Gandhi because of her Italian background, with BJP leaders
threatening to quit parliament and tonsure their heads in
protest. Left-wing parties, with more than 60 seats, who
are opposed to reforms, are supporting Gandhi's decision
to appoint Singh despite the fact that he ushered reforms
in the socialist oriented ecomony in 1991 under a different
Congress government.
