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Ranchi Archbishop leaves for Vatican

     New Delhi: Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, the Archbishop of Ranchi, left for the Vatican today to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II. While leaving for the Vatican, Toppo said, "I am going for the funeral of the Holy father. Now according to the laws we will decide on the new pope. There is only one Holy father and I hope we are able to select him". The body of Pope John Paul II, laid upon a red velvet bier, was carried on Monday in a solemn procession from the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, and presented to a reverent public in St. Peter's Square. The most revered Roman Catholic pontiff, Pope John Paul II, passed away on his Vatican bed at his Papal apartment on Saturday at 9.37 p.m. The cardinals, who assumed temporary control of the Roman Catholic Church and took an oath of secrecy about their deliberations after the Pope's death, have scheduled the pope's funeral for Friday at 10 a.m. Immediately after the funeral, the pope will be buried in a crypt below the basilica, the popes' traditional place of burial.

Chinese PM lands in Pakistan (Go To Top)

     Islamabad: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived for his first visit to Pakistan Tuesday, during which the close allies would sign a raft of economic, trade and investment agreements, officials said. Wen is making his maiden South Asian tour as premier, a week-long swing through the economically important region that will also include trips to India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, reports The News. Local residents banging drums and waving Pakistani and Chinese flags lined Islamabad's main boulevard and the city was decked with banners welcoming Wen, who landed at Chaklala airbase near the capital just before 6:00 pm. In Islamabad, Wen, accompanied by a 70-strong Chinese delegation of officials and businessmen, will deliver a keynote address to a 26-member forum of ministers from Asian and Middle Eastern countries to take place Wednesday and Thursday. Wen, who assumed office in March last year, is also set to meet Pakistani military leader Pervez Musharraf and hold talks with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. China is Pakistan's strongest ally and provides its neighbour with both development funding and weapons. On the eve of Wen's visit, Islamabad said it would buy four Chinese-built frigates for the Pakistani navy.

UK general elections on May 5 (Go To Top)

     London: The general election will be held on 5 May, Tony Blair has formally announced. Speaking after asking the Queen to dissolve Parliament next week, Blair said Labour had a "driving mission" for a third term in office. The Conservative and Liberal Democrat leaders pre-empted the announcement by starting nationwide tours of key seats. According to the BBC, Michael Howard accused Mr Blair's government of "losing the plot" while Charles Kennedy said he would focus on people's hopes, not their fears.

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