26/11: Kasab's trial concludes, verdict on May 3

MUMBAI: Almost a year after the 26/11 attacks case began in a special court here, the trial of Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab, accused of slaughtering 166 people, and two Indians charged with taking part in the conspiracy concluded on Wednesday. The verdict will be pronounced on May 3.

The prosecution examined as many as 653 witnesses to prove their case that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) carried out the dastardly attacks in Mumbai by sending 10 jehadi terrorists from Karachi.

The court also examined four witnesses, including two National Security Guard (NSG) commandos, who led the teams in operations to fight the terrorists. Police filed the chargesheet on February 26 last year and the case was committed from magistrate's court to a sessions court on March 9, 2009. A separate court was established in high security central prison here to hear the case.

On April 17, before the trial began, Kasab had pleaded that he was a juvenile, but the court rejected his claim after examining prosecution witnesses and experts and ruled that he was above 20 years. On May 8, the first witness stepped into the box, saying he had seen Kasab gunning down sub-inspector Tukaram Ombale at Girgaum Chowpatty.

After examining 653 witnesses, including 30 eye witnesses, Nikam opened arguments this month, saying there was evidence to suggest that the security apparatus of Pakistan was involved in the attacks on India's financial nerve centre.

Nikam argued for 13 days before the trial court and filed a 675-page written submissions. Kasab's counsel K P Pawar argued for three days while R B Mokashi, lawyer defending Faheem Ansari, argued today. Ejaz Naqvi, the lawyer of co-accused Sabauddin Ahmed, would argue tomorrow.

Nikam has sought conviction of the accused on various charges under IPC, including waging war against nation, and other laws such as Foreigners Act, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Properties Act, Customs Act, Passport Act, Arms Act, Explosives Act, Explosives Substances Act and Bombay Police Act.

Swami Nityananda quits as head of his ashram, its trusts

BANGALORE: Self-styled godman Swami Nityananda, who was purportedly caught in sleazy video footage, on Tuesday announced his decision to resign as head of his Dhyanapeetam ashram and from all trusts associated with it, living a life of "spiritual seclusion" for an indefinite time.

"I have decided to live a life of spiritual seclusion, for some indefinite time....and to enable the Dhyanapeetam to function with such amended agenda as may be necessary, I am resigning as the head of the Dhyanapeetam and from all the trusts associated with it," he said addressing his followers on his official website.

"In view of the developments in the last three weeks following the media reports about me as the head of Dhyanapeetam, (located at Bidadi near Bangalore), I had met some of the leading acharyas of Hindu Dharma at Haridwar Kumbh Mela," Nityananda, facing criminal cases, including that of rape, said.

He said he had briefed them about what was fact and what was fiction. "Candidly discussing what had happened, I had sought their spiritual and moral support, guidance for me, and their views on the future course of Dhyanapeetam."

"I had also undertaken that I would act entirely in accordance with their counsel," the swami, whose purported sleazy acts in company of a Tamil actress were aired by TV channels on March 3, said in the message, also telecast on Youtube.

"I have decided to live a life of spiritual seclusion, for some indefinite time, to which the acharyas have agreed in principle," said the swami, whose plea for anticipatory bail and quashing of the cases against him has been turned down by the Karnatka High Court.

"In view of this, and to enable the Dhyanapeetam to function with such amended agenda as may be necessary, I am resigning as the head of the Dhyanapeetam," the 32-year old Nityananda said.

"A board of trustees consisting of sadhakas of Dhyanapeetam who are non-controversial, will henceforth manage Dhyanapeetam," he said.

Urging his devotees to continue on the path of spiritualism, he said, "Whenever if required I will return and talk about all that had happened as an independent witness to my conduct with a clean heart and clean soul and also in a less prejudiced atmosphere."

The swami, whose whereabouts are not known, has claimed that the images in the video have been morphed and he had not done anything illegal.

In his petition in the high court, he alleged that one of his former disciples and driver Kurup Lenin (who he has claimed to have leaked the sleaze video) conspired to defame him and his ashram by levelling such charges against him.

The court termed as "unfounded" Nityananda's apprehension that he could be arrested and directed him to approach the proper forum to seek bail.

Karnataka CID police had on Monday sought information from "victims" of the godman against whom it has launched a probe.

Nityananda has been booked under various sections of IPC relating to deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religious beliefs, rape, unnatural sex, cheating, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy.

26/11: Rana sticks to 'not guilty' plea

CHICAGO: Pakistani-Canadian terror suspect Tahawwur Hussain Rana, charged with involvement in the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks, will not change his 'not guilty' plea to avoid a trial in court, according to his lawyer.

Pakistan-born Rana, 49, dressed in an orange jump suit, appeared before Judge Harry Leinenweber in the US District court here Monday for a pre-trial conference where prosecutors moved to declassify some information related to his case.

US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who was present at the hearing, said he hopes to declassify a substantial amount of material gathered in the investigation against Rana. By doing so, the government would have to rely as little as possible on extraordinary secrecy procedures, which would be preferable, Fitzgerald said.

Next hearing for scheduling the handling of classified information in the case has been set for May 11. A ruling on the move to declassify documents is not expected until September, with the trial beginning some time after that.

It was Rana's first appearance in the court since his alleged co-conspirator, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley, pleaded guilty on March 18 for his role in plotting the Mumbai attacks. Rana faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Rana's lawyer Patrik Blegen later told reporters his client will not change his 'not guilty' plea and they will go ahead with the trial. He said he was not surprised that Headley had pleaded guilty, but believed Rana still has a "strong case".

Rana, a Canadian citizen who is also accused of helping plan an attack on Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten for publishing cartoons of Prophet Mohammed in 2005, has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to provide material support to terrorists in both Denmark and India.

Rana has claimed that he was duped by Headley. But Headley has confessed he shared with Rana details of his trips to Pakistan and his association with LeT. In turn, Rana extensively helped him carry out the attacks in Mumbai.

Rana also allowed Headley to use his business, First World Immigration Services, as a cover while he scouted for terror targets in Mumbai, according to Headley's plea agreement.

Rana, who moved to Canada in 1997, and Headley have been friends since they were children in Pakistan. Before his arrest, he divided most of his time between his Ottawa home and looking after his business interests in Chicago.

Somali pirates capture 120 Indians sailors

Somali pirates have struck again. In the biggest hijacking ever, they captured 8 boats taking nearly 120 Indian sailors hostage. The sailors were on their way from Somalia to Dubai.

TIMES NOW spoke to the relatives of one of the sailors, who said they have appealed to the government for help in securing their release.

Meanwhile, sources said that the hijacked Indian vessels have been traced near Seychelles.

The sailors belong to the Saurashtra and Kutch regions of Gujarat. They had anchored last in the rebel territory of Kismayo in Somalia where they loaded cargo into their boats. But moments after leaving the port, pirates captured them. So far, the pirates have not asked for any ransom.

Sources in the Indian Navy have confirmed the news of the hijack and have said efforts are on in full swing to contact the pirates and get the Indians back safely.

India has remained a target within the pirates' radar. Somali Pirates have many a time attacked Indian ships and taken Indians crew members hostage.

On December 23 last year, an Indian ship named M T Agrasen was attacked by armed pirates just 300 nautical miles off the Indian coast of Maharashtra. The 41 member crew, however, managed to fight off the attack and thwart the attempted seige.

On December 15, pirates seized Indian vessel Laxmi Sagar off the Somalian coast and took 10 members on board hostage.

Indians were taken hostage on October 24 along with two Burmese nationals when a Panama flagged ship Al Khaliq was hijacked. The ship was however released later after receiving a ransom of 3.1 million dollars.

In September 2008, a merchant ship, MT Stolt Valor was hijacked along with 18 Indian sailors on aboard. However, after intense government pressure, the ship was finally released after a 60-day ordeal.

Suicide bombers target Moscow Metro, dozens dead

MOSCOW: Two suicide bombers blew themselves up Monday on trains on Moscow's metro system, killing at least 34 people during morning rush-hour, emergency workers and prosecutors said.

The first explosion took place on a train after it had stopped in the Lubyanka station in central Moscow, close to the headquarters of Russia's FSB security service, a spokeswoman for the Russian emergencies ministry said.

Minutes later, a second explosion went off in a carriage as the train was on the platform at the Park Kulturi metro station, also in central Moscow.

Moscow's chief prosecutor said that the attacks, the deadliest in the capital for several years, were caused by suicide bombers wearing belts packed with explosives.

The first blast at the Lubyanka metro station killed 22 people and wounded 12. The second at Park Kulturi station left 12 dead and 7 wounded.

Rescue workers rushed to the scene but the ITAR-TASS news agency said that emergency services were impeded from accessing the site of the blast due to the early morning rush hour traffic.

At Lubyanka Square, next to the metro station of the same name, dozens of orange and red trucks from the emergency services and fire department were present, a correspondent reported.

An emergency services helicopter landed on Lubyanka Square, home to the FSB security service, the successor to the notorious Soviet KGB secret police.

While the affected stations and lines were shut, some metro lines were still open and police were checking people's suitcases and large bags.

Around the Lubyanka metro station, crowds of people were calling loved ones but phone lines were busy as the network became overloaded, a correspondent said.

The Russian capital has been hit over the last decade by a string of deadly explosions claimed by militants from its turbulent southern region of Chechnya but such events had become less frequent in the last years.

The authorities were quick to blame the blasts on militants.

"An inquiry has been opened according to article 205 of the Russian criminal code -- terrorism," Russian news agencies quoted the spokesman of the investigative committee of prosecutors, Vladimir Markin, as saying.

The head of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Alexander Borotnikov was putting together a report for President Dmitry Medvedev. Meanwhile, the authorities denied rumours of a third blast at another metro station.

The Interfax news agency quoted a security source as saying that the first explosion could have been triggered by a suicide bomber.

"There is information that the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber," the source said.

However another source later told Interfax that the explosive material could have been detonated by mobile phone.

"Experts will start working once all the wounded have been helped and everyone has been evacuated," said the source.

Chechnya itself has seen a worrying rise in violence over the last months as the pro-Kremlin local authorities seek to clamp down on an Islamist uprising.

Citing better security, Russia last year abolished an "anti-terror" operation in Chechnya that has been in place for the last decade but its confidence has been belied by the spike in violence.

Increased violence in the nearby majority-Muslim regions of Ingushetia and Dagestan had also raised fears on the part of the authorities that the unrest could spread to Moscow.

LeT expanding to other South Asian nations: Top US military official

WASHINGTON: Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, predominately a threat to India, is fast expanding operations to other South Asian countries including Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives, a top US military official told US lawmakers today.

The dangerously expanding influence of LeT, which was responsible for the Mumbai attack in 2008, is an issue of concern for the Obama Administration, said Admiral Robert Willard, Commander of the US Pacific Command in his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"Right now our concern is the movement of Lashkar-e Taiba, the terrorist group that emanates from Pakistan that was responsible for the Mumbai attacks in India, and specifically their positioning in Bangladesh and Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka," Willard said in response to a question from Senator George Lemieux.

He said the US was working "very closely with the Indians" and within to develop the necessary plans to counter LeT and its movement into the Asia-Pacific region.

Asked specifically if the LeT is a regional threat or a threat to India, Willard said as of now Lashkar is predominately a threat to India.

"We're attempting to develop a further understanding of the extent to which they're a regional threat. If you'll recall, Lashkar-e-Taiba was evidenced in Chicago with the arrest of Headley," he said.

"And we have certainly knowledge of their influence within the region beyond the countries that I just mentioned. The extent of that influence is what we're taking under study," he said.

Responding to a question from Senator Daniel Akaka, Willard said the military-to-military relationship with India has been evolving over the last decade and has also started at the tactical level service-to-service type interaction.

He said he had first hand experience of the military cooperation some of which he experienced while he was the 7th Fleet commander in hosting executive steering groups with his counterparts in the Indian navy.

"At the same time, we've had in the past modest exercise series with the Indians that have grown over the years to become, now, complex exercise series with the Indians," he said.

Willard said as part of military-to-military exchanges, the two countries are now holding strategic-level discussions and "very complex military discussions regarding our respective advancements and our future in terms of exercising together".

India successfully tests N-capable Prithvi II, Dhanush missiles

BALASORE: India today successfully test-fired indigenously developed ballistic missiles 'Prithvi II' and 'Dhanush' from different locations off the Orissa coast, adding more firepower to the armed forces.

"The tests were successful. Both the missiles test-fired early today met all the parameters," the director of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, S P Dash, told PTI.

While the 'Prithvi II' was test-fired from complex-3 of ITR Chandipur, 15 km from here, from a mobile launcher at around 0548 hours, the 'Dhanush' was fired from INS-Subhadra in the Bay of Bengal near Puri at around 0544 hours by the Navy personnel as part of user training exercise.

The test firing of the short-range, surface-to-surface 'Prithvi II' ballistic missile having a range of 295 km, which has already been inducted into the armed forces, was a user trial by the Army.

The sleek missile is "handled by the strategic force command", the sources said.

Prithvi, the first ballistic missile developed under the country's prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), has the capability to carry 500 kg of warhead and has liquid propulsion twine engine.

With a nine-metre length and one-metre diameter, Prithvi II uses an advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory and reach the targets with a few metre accuracy.

The entire trajectory of today's trial was tracked down by a battery of sophisticated radars and an electro-optic telemetry stations were positioned in different locations for post-launch analysis, defence sources said.

The nuclear-capable 'Dhanush', the naval version of Prithvi, followed the pre-designated trajectory with text-book precision and two naval ships located near the target have tracked the splash, sources said.

The 350-km range missile will give the Navy the capability to attack enemy targets with great precision.

The sophisticated radar systems located along the coast monitored its entire trajectory, the sources said.

The single stage missile, weighing six tonnes, is powered by liquid propellants.

SC dismisses PIL seeking withdrawal of cases against MF Husain

NEW DELHI: In a major setback to controversial painter M F Husain, the Supreme Court on Friday refused to direct the government to take steps to ensure his return to India and withdrawal of cases against him.

A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan refused to entertain a petition seeking a direction to the government to withdraw all criminal cases against the 95-year-old artist to ensure his return to the country.

"If he is in Doha, what is the problem," the bench queried while asking the petitioner to withdraw his plea.

“Husain has every right to return to India, but he has to take a decision,” SC said.

Husain had recently given up his Indian passport and accepted Qatari citizenship. He has been living in self-exile for nearly four years following a spate of cases in India over his controversial paintings of Hindu goddesses.

"The prayer made in the petition cannot be granted," the bench said.

The judges were hearing the petition filed by Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party Chief Bhim Singh in which he had pleaded that the court should ask Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take steps to bring Husain back to India.

The apex court said it cannot direct the Union of India to withdraw the cases as the complaints were filed by private individuals.

The bench pointed out that it had transferred all the cases against him for adjudication in Delhi.

Major fire at Panagarh army depot in West Bengal

KOLKATA: A major fire broke out early today in one of the largest ammunition depots of Indian Army at Panagarh in Burdwan district of West Bengal, gutting a store house containing a large number of small arms and ammunition.

"The fire broke out in shed number 16 (store house) of the depot at 1.30 am. Within five minutes, the entire fire fighting machinery of the Army was activated to battle the blaze," Wing Commander M Upasani of Eastern Command told PTI.

The fire was brought under control at around 3.30 am but the shed was totally destroyed, he said. There was no loss of life or injury, the defence spokesman said.

A crisis management team of the Army, led by Colonel A D Sethi, rushed to the site and controlled the fire, which destroyed a large number of small arms and ammunition, he said.

The Wing Commander said Maj Gen Chowdhury of the Eastern Command rushed to the site for an immediate probe. The cause of the fire was not known, he said.

Panagarh, about 120 kms from here, has one of the largest ammunition depots of the Indian Army and is also an important air force base.

Did rejection as artist turn Hitler into monster?

LONDON: Hitler was a "pretty marginal and mediocre" artist and the works he put together as a 19-year-old student in a failed attempt to join the Vienna Academy of Art were of "moderate" standard. The anger at being rejected back in 1908 could have shaped Hitler into becoming the Nazi dictator who sparked the Second World War, an expert hinted.

"There's no latent genius here and not much beyond a moderate GCSE. Probably if the artist was at school today you wouldn't encourage him to keep the subject up at A level," said Michael Liversidge, emeritus dean of arts at Bristol University after going through the paintings that included nudes and landscapes.

"They just don't suggest he was more than pretty marginal and mediocre for a potential art school entrant then or now," Leveridge was quoted as saying by Daily Express.

Richard Westwood-Brookes, who is selling the archive at an auction next month, said: "We know Hitler was twice turned down by the Vienna Academy of Art. These works make up a collection that he would have submitted. It is possible that Hitler's rejection was something that helped turn him into the monster he became.

"It's the first time the pictures have come to light and can be seen by the general public."

Pak priest sacrifices 3 daughters

ISLAMABAD: A Hindu priest committed suicide after killing his three minor daughters, all under 6-year-old, to please Hindu goddess Kali Mata in Bhemomal area of Sind province on Tuesday.

According to police and eyewitnesses, religious rituals were regularly performed at the Kali Mata Temple established on the first floor of a house owned by Tekam Das Meghwar in Bhemomal. Reports say that Tekam Das Meghwar first slaughtered his three daughters, Parwati, 6-year-old, Reena, 4, and Aarti, 1, with a sharp knife and then slit his own throat to make Kali Mata happy.

Moulchand, brother of deceased Tekam Das Meghwar said, “My deceased brother was Hindu priest of Kali Mata and he performed pooja the whole night but in the early morning when power supply failed he slaughtered his three daughters before committing suicide with a sharp weapon.”

SHO Taluka police Rasool Bux Thaheem told media that after post mortem the bodies of the three sisters and their father were handed over to their heirs.

Initial police investigation suggested that Tekam Das Meghwar, early on Tuesday morning, entered the residential portion of the house, asking his wife, Pavi, to bring milk from a nearby shop. Investigators believe that taking advantage of solitary Tekam Das slit throats of his three daughters.

The ill-fated mother told police that "when I returned home, I saw heads of three girls in a cradle placed in room. Body of Tekam Das also lay in a pool of blood with his throat slit." She started screaming on which neighbours rushed to the house.

Another Hindu priest Bhagat Ashok told media that act of Tekam Das was foolish and it was illegal to offer sacrifice of even animals in Hindu religion. The incident spread panic in the town of Mirwah Gorchani as hundreds of people gathered at the spot.

Pope faces fresh claims of child sex abuse cover-up: Report

WASHINGTON: Fresh pedophilia cover-up claims hit Pope Benedict XVI late Wednesday as church files suggested he had failed to take action against a US priest accused of molesting up to 200 deaf boys.

The documents obtained by The New York Times include correspondence between the accused priest, who worked at a school for deaf children in the US state of Wisconsin, and the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1996.

Ratzinger, then part of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was alerted to the accusations against Reverend Lawrence C. Murphy in two letters written to him by the Wisconsin archbishop.

But he failed to respond to the letters, and a secret canonical trial authorized by his deputy was halted after Murphy wrote to the future pope begging that the proceedings be stopped, the Times said.

"I simply want to live out the time that I have left in the dignity of my priesthood," Murphy wrote to the future pope, according to files. "I ask your kind assistance in this matter."

The documents contain no response from Ratzinger, and Murphy died two years later still a priest, the newspaper said.

Murphy worked at the school from 1950 to 1974, and despite multiple allegations against him was afterwards moved to another diocese where he was allowed to continue working freely with children, the Times reported.

The church files are included in four lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, brought by five men whose lawyers handed the long-secret documents to the newspaper over opposition from the Catholic Church.

The latest revelations come amid a wave of revelations over long-running sex abuse involving Catholic clergy in several other countries, including Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

The scandals have been inching closer to the pope himself.

In a case in his native Germany, the Munich and Freising diocese said recently that while archbishop there in 1980, Ratzinger approved giving church housing to a priest suspected of child sex abuse while he received "therapy."

The pope on Saturday apologized for child sex abuse carried out by Irish priests in a pastoral letter, but victims there argued it did not go far enough to address the scandal.

The Wisconsin church documents, the Times said, show that three successive archbishops in the state were informed that Murphy was sexually abusing children but the incidents were never reported to authorities, either criminal or civil.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told the Times that the cases were "tragic" and said Murphy had abused "particularly vulnerable" children.

But he also pointed to the late notification of the Vatican in 1996, and noted that years earlier authorities had investigated and dismissed the case.

Victims of Catholic priests say they are angered not only by the scale of abuse committed by clergy, but also by what they deem a pattern of complicity and complacency by senior Vatican officials.

They say high-ranking church officials failed to take abuse claims seriously and effectively covered up crimes, rather than punishing priests and admitting their abuses.

Niqab for Muslim women banned in Canadian province

TORONTO: After France, Muslim women have been banned from wearing niqab in Canada's French-speaking Quebec province.

A bill tabled Wednesday will not allow government services to women wearing the niqab.

The bill comes after protests triggered by an Egyptian immigrant's refusal to remove her niqab in her French languages classes in Montreal, forcing the school and the provincial government to throw her out.

The college says the Muslim woman was given the front seat in the class so that all male students sat behind her. She was even allowed to make presentations from the rear of the classroom with her back to the class which had three male and 17 female students.

However, students and the college authorities were shocked when one day the woman asked male students to move away from her and refused to sit with them around a U-table to converse and learn French pronunciation.

Three weeks ago, the woman, a mother of three, moved the provincial human rights commission as the government toughed its stand on the niqab.

The government last week ordered that every niqab-clad woman must uncover her face to confirm her identity when applying for her medicare card. Wednesday's bill will be the first such step in North America to curtail any religious dress.

According to the bill, women seeking medical and auto insurance services will have to remove their veil, adding that face coverings will not be tolerated in people's dealings with government officials.

Speaking to the media, Quebec premier (equal to chief minister in India) Jean Charest said the step was needed for maintaining gender equality and secular character of public institutions.

"This (bill) is a symbol of affirmation and respect - first of all, for ourselves, and also for those to whom we open our arms. This is not about making our home less welcoming, but about stressing the values that unite us.

"An accommodation cannot be granted unless it respects the principle of equality between men and women, and the religious neutrality of the state,'' the premier said.

Canadian Muslim leaders called the bill a "knee-jerk'' reaction. Canada has about one million Muslims in its population of 34 million, and their population is expected to triple in the next two decades.

Though a majority of Canadian Muslim women don't wear the hijab or niqab, the veil is now quite visible in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver where most Muslim immigrants live.

Yuvraj breaches security again, complaint sent

CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh Police have again sent a written complaint to the Kings XI Punjab management and Indian Premier League (IPL) authorities after star cricketer Yuvraj Singh slipped away from the team's hotel without informing the security officer.

"Yuvraj had gone out of the hotel late Tuesday night without informing the security in-charge. It could lead to a major problem. He is breaching the security cover repeatedly," H.S. Doon, superintendent of police (security), Chandigarh, said on Thursday.

"Forces have been deployed 24 hours for their (cricketers) security and such things are intolerable," he said.

Doon added: "Besides informing his team franchisee on Wednesday, we also apprised the IPL officials in Mumbai about the issue. We have told them to take appropriate action to curb such incidents."

The Kings XI Punjab team is staying at hotel Mountview in Sector 10 here. It was outplayed by Rajasthan Royals Wednesday night in an IPL match at Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium in neighbouring town Mohali by a margin of 31 runs.

The Chandigarh police had accused Yuvraj of flouting the security norms before another IPL match against Delhi Daredevils March 12. Yuvraj and another player V.R.V. Singh had slipped away from the hotel without informing the security officials.

Abducted Amity student's body found in Aligarh

NOIDA: The body of an Amity University student, who was abducted on March 20, was found in Aligarh on Thursday.

Rohit Kumar was a BTech second year student from Amity and belonged to Aligarh, police said.

Sources said a ransom of Rs one crore had been demanded for Rohit's release.

Police have taken Rohit's friend into custody for questioning in connection with the case.

72-inch water pipeline bursts in Mumbai

MUMBAI: A 72-inch water pipeline at Mulund in suburban Mumbai burst today leading to flooding and traffic jams in the area, civic officials said.

"A 72-inch water pipeline burst at Mulund near government run-Kamghar hospital at 1230 hours. This has led to flooding in the area and traffic jam from Johnson Company to Mulund check naka," the officials said.

"Once we isolate the pipeline we will have to drain out all the water so that we can repair it. After it dries up, we will be able to weld it. The quantity of water lost has not yet been estimated," Deputy Municipal Commissioner Dinesh Gondalia said.
Earlier, an over 100-year-old water pipeline burst on March 15 at Bhiwandi in neighbouring Thane district due to which additional 20 per cent water cut was imposed.

Also, on February 12, a water supply tunnel was damaged due to illegal digging of a borewell resulting into an underground tunnel burst in Malad.

Hillary all praise for Indian women

NEW DELHI: Hailing Indian women for their role in ensuring socio-economic stability, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today said due to these "profound contributions", women now have even greater opportunities to shape a bright future for the nation.

In a letter to women leaders who attended a reception hosted by US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer here, she said, "I am delighted to offer my sincere gratitude and heartfelt congratulations to the leaders and supporters of women's empowerment assembled here.

"Your many contributions to the welfare, socio-economic stability, education, and equality of women in India have left an indelible mark. Indeed, women have made profound contributions in every aspect of Indian society and have helped weave the vibrant tapestry of India's rich history.

"Thanks to all of you here today, women now have even greater opportunities to shape this nation's bright future," the letter said.

She said, "the presence of such extraordinary leadership in India gives me great hope and certainty that we will continue to see remarkable things from the people of India through the examples, creativity, courage, and entrepreneurial spirit present in these women and countless others like them."

India second most spam originator worldwide: Study

HOUSTON: Indian is the second most spam originator worldwide, with 10.98 per cent of spam being sent globally from Indian IP addresses, according to a study.

Brazil, Vietnam, Korea and US are among the top five countries from which most spam was sent during the first two months of 2010, said the study by PandaLabs, Panda Security's malware analysis and detection laboratory.

The five million emails analysed by PandaLabs came from nearly one million different IP addresses, meaning that on average, each address was responsible for five spam messages.

And, the cities from which spam was being sent, Seoul topped the list, followed by Hanoi, New Delhi, Bogota, Sao Paulo and Bangkok.

The spam messages themselves are used primarily to distribute malware or sell illicit products, such as videos or photos of Brazilian girls.

CPM politburo meets in Delhi, Buddhadeb stays away

NEW DELHI: The top brass of the CPM met in New Delhi on Thursday to finalize its strategy on bringing together secular parties to target the government on the Nuclear Liability Bill and budget and decide on the meeting of extended Central Committee slated later this year.

The two-day politburo meeting, which is being held at the AKG Bhavan, is being attended by party general secretary Prakash Karat, M K Pandhe, Brinda Karat, Manik Sarkar and Pinarayi Vijayan, among others.

West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was not present at the meeting due to the ongoing state assembly session.

"Political situation will be reviewed and strategy will be finalised. The meeting also will also decide on the venue of the extended Central Committee meeting to be held in August. We will also decide who all should be invited to it," Pandhe told reporters.

The extended CC meeting is being convened to decide on the political line since the CPM has postponed the Party Congress to 2012.

The meeting would review the progress made by the party in its inner-party rectification campaign, especially in states like West Bengal and Kerala.

Besides reviewing the prevailing political situation and the upcoming assembly polls in Bihar later this year, the Polit Bureau will also finalise its tactics to unite all non-BJP parties to corner the Congress-led coalition both inside and outside Parliament.

The party is planning to coordinate actively with the opposition parties in Parliament to take on the UPA government particularly on the rise in petro product prices and the overall increase in prices of essential commodities during the remaining part of the budget session.

The CPM and other Left parties have expressed their clear intent to oppose the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill, saying that it was nothing but a huge hidden subsidy to the US equipment suppliers and aimed at promoting private nuclear power plants.

Despite their opposition to the women's bill, the CPM has been making calculated efforts to forge unity with socialist elements like those in the JD(U), Samajwadi Party and RJD. Efforts in this direction are being made ahead of the assembly elections in Bihar slated in November.

Two days ago, Karat had called for unification between communists and socialists to forge a "Third Force" in the national polity.

Referring to the erstwhile Congress Socialist Party in the 1930s which had leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia, Jaiprakash Narayan and veteran communist leader E M S Namboodiripad, he said after initially sharing the same platform, socialists and communists parted ways.

Maintaining that time was now ripe for them to unite, he had said, "In today's environment, it is important that a viable political alternative is available".

Mulayam unapologetic for 'sexist' remark

LUCKNOW: Under attack for his controversial 'sexist' comment on the Women's Reservation Bill, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday justified his remark that quota for women would help only those belonging to elite families whom youths would whistle at.

At a meeting of party workers at the SP headquarters here, Yadav asserted that his statement was not a slip of tongue but was made after evaluating all aspects so as to initiate a debate on the issue.

The SP chief has drawn flak from women's groups and political parties for his remark that only women belonging to affluent class including those from families of industrialists and bureaucrats would get the benefit of the bill.

"I don't like to say this, but they would be the women youth would whistle at," Yadav had said here on Tuesday at a function to mark Ram Manohar Lohia's birth centenary.

800 varsities, 35,000 colleges needed in next 10 years: Sibal

NEW DELHI: India will need at least 800 more universities and another 35,000 colleges in the next 10 years to increase the percentage of students going for higher education from the present 12.4% in the country, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said on Wednesday.

"India has about 480 university and about 22,000 colleges. If we were to increase that figure of 12% to 30%, we will need another 800 to a thousand universities in the next ten years. We will need another 35,000 colleges in the next ten years...we are still below 40% which I think is critical," he said.

Sibal was speaking at the first contact group meeting of Parliamentarians for Education of the UNESCO South Asia Cluster, in which delegates from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka and other south Asian countries participated.

Highlighting the importance of human resource development, Sibal said, "When the global economy is doing well and the stock market is in the up swing, the developed nations share their prosperity with us." But it is not the case when global economy is not doing well and the stock market is on decline, he said.

"And I think that if we in this part of the world recognise the facts, we will realise how important education is for a developing economy," he said.

Sibal said the energy of a nation ultimately depends on its youth. "The energy of a nation does not depend on parliamentarians who are over 60 years," he said.

He said that in the 21st century, acquisition of physical or tangible assets will not be the wealth of any country but it will be the acquisition of intangible assets which are created not in the stock market but in the university system of nations.

India insists US allow access to Headley for interrogation

BANGALORE: India on Wednesday insisted that US must provide a direct access to its investigators to interrogate Pakistani-American David Headley, who has confessed to plotting the Mumbai terror attacks.

"....one day or the other, (the) US will have to agree and expedite the issue that Headley will have to undergo interrogation by our agencies", Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily told reporters, a day after Washington said no decision has been taken to this effect.

Asked if the US denying access to Indian investigators is "unfair" and "unjustified" as the Indian government had allowed the FBI to interrogate gunman Ajmal Kasab in Mumbai, he said "we don't want to pass a value judgement on their policy and matter".

However, Moily added: "But this is a matter we need to hard press our argument and you know we have a strong bargaining and tell them (the US) what's necessary...we have to make a strong case which we have already made out. Here (Mumbai attacks) he (Headley) is involved, he is really involved".

Four days after US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Robert Blake publicly stated in Delhi that Indian investigators would have an access to Headley, US Ambassador Timothy J Roemer in a statement yesterday said "no decision on direct access for India to David Headley has been made."

Sources in the Home Ministry had said on Monday India is likely to send a team of investigators in April to question 49-year-old Headley.

Top Naxal leader Kanu Sanyal found dead in his house

SILIGURI: Kanu Sanyal, one of the founding members of Naxalite movement, was found hanging at his residence at Seftullajote village, 25 km from Siliguri, on Tuesday.

78-year-old Sanyal, a bachelor, was suffering from old-age related ailments.

The body has been sent for postmortem, Inspector General of Police (North Bengal) K L Tamta said.

Sanyal was a founder of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) formed in 1969.

The Naxalite movement started from Naxalbari, a small village in North Bengal on May 25, 1967. It was led by Charu Majumdar and Sanyal.

Major fire in Kolkata

KOLKATA: A major fire has broken out in the heart of Kolkata on Park Street. The fire broke out in a multi-stories building called Stephen House which houses the iconic Flury’s confectionery house and a large music store called Music World and several other offices. Several people are feared trapped inside the building.

At least 10-15 fire tenders have been rushed to the spot with over a 100 firefighters battling the fire. The area has been cordoned off and rescue operations are on. According to reports, the lift of the fifth and sixth floors of the building caught fire.

The building is situated close to the Park Hotel.

One person was seriously injured when he jumped from one of the higher floors

Railways ad goof-up shows Delhi in Pakistan

KOLKATA: In a major goof-up, an advertisement inserted in newspapers by the Eastern Railway showed Delhi in Pakistan and Kolkata in the Bay of Bengal.

The advertisement was to announces inauguration of luxury tourist train 'Maharaja's Express' by railway minister Mamata Banerjee from Kolkata.

A small box inside the advertisement panel showed the train route from Kolkata to Delhi via Gaya, Varanasi, Bandhabgarh, Khajuraho, Agra and Gwalior.

As the faint background of the outline of a small map of India showed Kolkata in the Bay of Bengal and Delhi in Pakistan, ER Chief Public Relations Officer Samir Goswami said, "It is a great mistake. We apologise for this. The advertising agency has been suspended."

When contacted, owner of the advertising agency said the route alignment had been given for the benefit of passengers. "The map and the alignment are an artist's impression and not to scale. It is never our intention to create a controversy," he said.

Anti-Sikh riots: Sajjan to face trial after court declines plea

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday declined to take on record an application of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar seeking certain documents related to the chargesheet filed against him in 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases, saying it was aimed at causing hindrance in the progress of the case.

It sent the case for trial before a Special CBI Court against Kumar and others.

"I am not impressed with the arguments and contentions of the accused. It seems that the application has been filed to cause further hindrance in committing the case to the Sessions court," additional chief metropolitan magistrate Lokesh Kumar Sharma said.

"Under the garb of application the accused is trying to set up his defence by placing his documents and records," he said.

Kumar had sought certain documents and statement of witnesses recorded by the investigating agency during the probe into the matter.

"So far as withholding of records is concerned, it is for the prosecuting agencies to suffer consequences. The application filed by the accused is not directed to be taken on record," the Court said.

Senior advocate IU Khan, appearing for Kumar, submitted that the CBI has failed to supply the documents, necessary for the just decision of the court. He had a tough time convincing the court with regard to the contents of the documents running into over 100 pages.

"I have gone through the contents of the application and perused the documents. The bunch is so bulky, it is humanly impossible to examine the same within a short span of time," the ACMM said.

India can interrogate David Headley, says US

NEW DELHI: The US today said it will allow Indian investigators to interrogate David Headley, who has pleaded guilty to his involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks, but made it clear that he cannot be extradited to India. Asked if Indian investigators would be provided access to interrogate Headley, US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia Robert Blake said "Yes". Blake ruled out Headley's extradition to India but left the options open on such a move in case more charges came up against him in the future. "With respect to the Headley case, the plea bargain agreement was announced and part of that agreement was that the US would not extradite Headley either to India or Pakistan or Denmark for the charges for which he has now admitted guilt," Blake told reporters after attending a CII organized event here. "But that does not mean that at some future date, some additional charges could not be brought. I do not want to speculate much on the future charges, but at least on these charges he cannot be extradited," he said. 49-year-old Pakistani-American Headley had pleaded guilty before a US court to all the 12 charges against him of conspiracy involving bombing public places in India, murdering and maiming persons and providing material support to Pakistan-based LeT, besides aiding and abetting the murder of six US citizens in the 26/11 attacks that killed 166 people. Blake responded to questions from reporters on Headley and the US approach to Pakistan in dealing with terror outfits operating from that country. "We think it is very important for Pakistan to tick off the LeT threat. Not just because of the security and stability of the US, but also India and other countries," "So this is something, I will be discussing on my trip to Pakistan," Blake, who will be travelling to Islamabad and Afghanistan from here, said. Asked if US would bring pressure on Pakistan to act against the terror groups operating from its soil, Blake noted that Pakistan had always said it would not allow terrorists to operate from its soil and the US and its friends expected Islamabad to abide by that "very important" commitment. The US official said the "greatest concern" now for the US and India were Lashkar-e-Taiba operations and its "increasing global scope and ambition". To a query on the perception in India that Washington was not cooperating with New Delhi on the Mumbai terror investigations, the US official refused to agree with the view and pointed out to the Headley case. He said the "cooperation is exceptional" between the two countries on the Mumbai attacks and it would continue to make progress. "Your home minister P Chidambaram had a very successful visit to the US last fall and as a result of that visit we are proceeding in a number of directions to expand our consultations on specific cooperation," he said, noting that law enforcement agencies of the two countries have had a "wide web of exchanges" in recent times. "We are very satisfied on the significant progress that has been made. I cannot speak for the Indians, but I am sure they are as well," he said. On the concerns over US arms supply to Pakistan being directed against India, he said America was "aware" of the Indian concerns and there has been a "good" dialogue in this regard between the two countries. "We assure our Indian friends that the arms sales to Pakistan....the character and nature of our military relationship is changing now in Pakistan. "We are increasingly focused on counter insurgency capabilities of the Pakistan military so it can deal with the very important challenges on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and effectively prosecute the war against al-Qaida and against various Taliban elements that are located in Pakistan. There is good progress on that. So that is the sort of long term trend that is taking place. Another long term trend that is important to talk about, Blake said "is that increasingly we are placing a much greater emphasis on civilian sector assistance and less on the military component, in a way of enhancing Pakistan's democracy, economic and energy development and helping the Pakistan government to be able to deliver services, to get at some of the conditions that give rise to terrorism in the first place".

Anti-hijacking law gets tougher, death sentence included as punishment

NEW DELHI: The UPA government on Friday made the anti-hijacking law much tougher by including death sentence as a punishment.

The Cabinet was expected to consider the proposal moved by civil aviation ministry to amend Anti-Hijacking Act of 1982 to make it more stringent to deter hijackers from using an aircraft as a missile.

With enhanced terror threats, a group of ministers headed by home minister P Chidambaram had cleared the "tougher" proposals paving the way for civil aviation ministry to move the amendments for Cabinet approval.

The Cabinet’s approval paves the way for amending section 4 of the 1982 Act, which provides for life imprisonment and a fine for hijacking, to include death penalty also.

The government is likely to place the proposed amendments before Parliament in the budget session itself once the House meets again after the recess.

The GoM had also decided to incorporate a new clause to cover the aspect of conspiracy to hijack an aircraft which does not exist in the 1982 Act.

The fresh move to ensure legal sanction to anti-hijacking policy comes almost five year after the Cabinet Committee on Security had cleared it in August, 2005. The policy allows shooting down of a "hostile plane if there is conclusive evidence that it is likely to be used as a missile to blow up strategic establishments".

The policy recognises that hijacked aircraft can be transformed into a "hostile" entity. It also prescribes surrounding of hijacked planes by fighter aircrafts in Indian airspace.

The law will authorise Indian Air Force to take quick steps for scrambling fighters to guard and guide hijacked aircraft and force land it in an Indian airport.

To avoid Kandahar-like situations, the policy also provides that no negotiations whatsoever would be held with hijackers. The policy talks about immobilisation of an aircraft and not allowing it to take off if the hijacking takes place on Indian soil, besides scrambling of IAF fighters if the hijacked plane remains in Indian airspace.

Headley escapes death, extradition; but India to have access

WASHINGTON: Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley aka Daood Gilani has avoided extradition to India and a possible death sentence in the Mumbai terror case, but New Delhi can access him in the United States under a plea bargain he has reached with US federal authorities.

Shacked and wearing an orange prison jump suit, Headley, 49, pled guilty on Thursday to 12-count indictment in a Chicago court. But a plea deal reached with federal authorities states that Headley "must... when directed by the United States Attorney's Office ...fully and truthfully testify in any foreign judicial proceedings held in the United States by way of deposition, video-conferencing or letters rogatory."

The caveat to a reduced sentence does not specifically mention the judicial process in India, but it is evidently aimed at placating New Delhi, where there is resentment that Headley is being let off the hook. Plea bargain is a long-standing part of the US criminal justice system under which prosecutors offer defendants the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.

In this case, Headley pled guilty to all 12 counts in return for recommendation of a lighter than maximum sentence that could have been a death penalty. The counts are:

• Conspiracy to bomb public places in India;
• Conspiracy to murder and maim persons in India;
• Six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of U.S. citizens in India;
• Conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in India;
• Conspiracy to murder and maim persons in Denmark;
• Conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in Denmark;
• And conspiracy to provide material support to terrorist Lashkar

In fact, plea agreement indicates that Headley can even escape life imprisonment if he cooperates to the satisfaction of US authorities.

"In light of Headley's past cooperation and expected future cooperation, the Attorney General of the United States has authorized the United States Attorney in Chicago not to seek the death penalty against Headley," the US Department of Justice said in an explanatory statement The plea agreement calculates "an anticipated advisory sentencing guideline of life imprisonment" it said, but added that if Headley "continues to provide full and truthful cooperation, the Government will ask the Court to grant an unspecified departure from the sentencing guidelines."

In other words, if Headley cooperates to the US government's satisfaction, it will ask the court to give a lesser sentence than even life imprisonment. "The sentencing discretion will be entirely up to the court," Randall Samborn, a spokesman for the US Department of Justice, told ToI. Samborn also declined to go into aspects of India getting access to Headley, saying that will require him "to speculate about the process."

However, in a statement following the plea deal, US Attorney General Eric Holder indicated that the Chicago proceedings were just the starting point in unearthing the full dimension of the terror plots that Headley and Lashkar-e-Taiba were involved in, and which goes back to Pakistan. "Today's guilty plea is a crucial step forward in our efforts to achieve justice for the more than 160 people who lost their lives in the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Working with our domestic and international partners, we will not rest until all those responsible for the Mumbai attacks and the terror plot in Denmark are held accountable," Holder said.

"Not only has the criminal justice system achieved a guilty plea in this case, but David Headley is now providing us valuable intelligence about terrorist activities. As this case demonstrates, we must continue to use every tool available to defeat terrorism both at home and abroad," he added.

One of Headley's co-defendants, Tahawwur Rana, 49, of Chicago, who is also his peer and schoolmate was indicted in January on three counts -- conspiracy to provide material support to the Mumbai attacks; conspiracy to provide material support a plot in Denmark; and providing material support to Lashkar -- has pleaded not guilty and remains in federal custody in Chicago while awaiting trial. Two others, Abdur Rehman and Ilyas Kashmiri, both formerly with the Pakistani military, who were charged in the same indictment with conspiracy to murder and maim persons, are believed to be "absconding" in Pakistan.

The plea agreement reveals some new facets in the terror case, including how in March 2009, a Lashkar member advised Headley that Lashkar put the Denmark newspaper attack on hold because of pressure resulting from the Mumbai attacks. In May 2009, Headley and Abdur Rehman again met with Kashmiri in Waziristan. Kashmiri told Headley to meet with a European contact who could provide Headley with money, weapons and manpower for the newspaper attack, and relate Kashmiri's instructions that this should be a suicide attack and the attackers should prepare martyrdom videos beforehand.

Kashmiri reportedly stated that the attackers should behead captives and throw their heads out of the newspaper building to heighten the response from Danish authorities, and added that the "elders," whom Headley understood to be al-Qaida leadership, wanted the attack to happen as soon as possible.

Headley was arrested on Oct. 3, 2009 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, intending ultimately to travel to Pakistan to deliver the approximately 13 surveillance videos to Abdur Rehman and Kashmiri, the plea agreement states.

HC dismisses former Andhra governor ND Tiwari's plea over paternity suit

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed former Andhra Pradesh governor N D Tiwari's plea challenging the paternity suit filed by 34-year-old Rohit Shekhar who claims to be his son.

Providing relief to Shekhar, a division bench of Justices Vikramjit Sen and Manmohan Singh dismissed Tiwari's plea and said there was ample evidence to prove the jurisdiction of this court.

Senior advocate PS Patwali, who argued for Shekhar, stressed that Tiwari's denial in accepting him as his son was the reason for filing this civil suit.

According to Shekhar's petition, Tiwari began neglecting Shekhar and his mother Ujjawala Sharma after 1995 and refused to meet him at Tiwari's residence in Delhi and in Uttranchal when he became the chief minister.

Tiwari's five-decade-old political career came to a virtual end after a news channel showed clippings of an elderly man purported to be the 86-year-old Tiwari with three young women in bed last year.

A few days later, Tiwari resigned as the Andhra Pradesh governor citing health grounds.

American terror suspect Headley to plead guilty before US court on March 18

CHICAGO: In a new twist, American national David Headley, charged by FBI with conspiring in the Mumbai terror attack, will plead guilty before a US court on March 18, his lawyer has said.

"Yes, he (Headley) will be pleading guilty on March 18," John Theis, Headley's lawyer said.

The Chicago court has set March 18 as date for 'change of plea' hearing for 49-year-old LeT operative, who has been charged with conspiring in the Mumbai terror attack.

"...scheduling David Coleman Headley for a change of plea hearing on March 18, 2010, before US District Judge Harry Leinenweber," the court entry read.

Theis said that discussions were going on with the government regarding plea bargaining.

"We are working on it and negotiating the plea deal. Yes, I expect this is what is going to happen on March 18," he added.

Meanwhile, US Attorney spokesperson Randall Samborn said he would not be able to comment on whether Headley is changing his 'not guilty' plea or whether a deal has been reached between Headley and the government.

Hillary Clinton rebukes Netanyahu over housing unit plans

WASHINGTON: US secretary of state Hillary Clinton warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday his government sent a "deeply negative signal" by taking steps that undermined renewed Middle East peace talks.

Clinton telephoned Netanyahu and expressed frustration over Israel's announcement on Tuesday of new settlement construction, a move that deeply embarrassed visiting US Vice President Joe Biden and imperiled US plans to launch indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

State department spokesman PJ Crowley said Clinton told Netanyahu the announcement was a "deeply negative signal about Israel's approach to the bilateral relationship ... and had undermined trust and confidence in the peace process."

"The secretary said she could not understand how this happened, particularly in light of the United States' strong commitment to Israel's security," Crowley said.

"She made clear that the Israeli government needed to demonstrate not just through words but through specific actions that they are committed to this relationship and to the peace process," he said.

The "quartet" of Middle East peace mediators -- the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia -- issued its own condemnation on Friday of the settlement plan and said it would assess the situation at a previously scheduled meeting in Moscow next week.

"The Quartet has agreed to closely monitor developments in Jerusalem and to keep under consideration additional steps that may be required to address the situation on the ground," the group said in a statement, without providing further details.

Clinton, speaking in New York during talks with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said the Moscow meeting would be an opportunity "to take stock of the progress that has been made in moving toward relaunching negotiations."

A rebuke

Clinton's rebuke of Netanyahu capped a week of tense exchanges between the United States and Israel, which announced it was building 1,600 settler homes in an area of the occupied West Bank it annexed to Jerusalem.

The announcement infuriated the West Bank-based Palestinian leadership, which threatened to pull out of US-brokered indirect "proximity" talks with Israel that Washington hoped would be the first step toward relaunching full peace negotiations after more than a year.

It also embarrassed Biden, who repeated calls for talks despite Palestinian demands that Israel first cancel the settlement project.

Crowley said US Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell and assistant secretary of state Jeffrey Feltman had made numerous calls to regional leaders, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and underscored commitment to the plans for the indirect talks.

Mitchell is due to return to the region next week and US officials hope the indirect talks might begin then.

Israel has so far balked at Palestinian demands that the indirect phase include talk of "final status issues" including the delineation of borders, the fate of Jewish settlements on the West Bank and the status of Jerusalem.

The Obama administration wants indirect talks to cover issues of "consequence" but has yet to spell out publicly what that would entail. Palestinians have called the settlement announcement a deliberate attempt by Netanyahu to sabotage peace talks in which he could come under pressure to trade land for a deal.

Netanyahu has said he did not know the announcement was coming and castigated his interior minister, while noting that nothing would actually be built in the area for years. But his relationship with the Obama administration was already under heavy strain, and Clinton made clear that Washington would hold him responsible.

"We accept what Prime Minister Netanyahu has said, but by the same token he is the head of the Israeli government and ultimately is responsible for the actions of that government," Crowley said.

Daniel Levy, director of the Middle East Task Force at the New America Foundation, a Washington think tank, said the Biden visit and the settlement issue might usher in a new dynamic in the US-Israel relationship.

"Perhaps America will present Israel with a real choice and with consequences for recalcitrance. Thus far, that has not been the case," he wrote in a blog for Foreign Policy magazine's website.

That Singh King Feeling

The testosterone level during the Hola Mohalla festival at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab is so high, even the beasts of burden twirl their moustache. TOI-Crest gives you a ringside view of the high-octane mock battle fest.

It's the thundering hooves that do it really. As dozens of horses charge down a corridor of jostling spectators, carrying riders fiercely intent on spearing small clumps of hay a few feet away, atavistic memories flicker into life in my head. So that's what facing a cavalry charge feels like, I note, before I'm elbowed aside by fierce-looking Sikhs armed to the teeth with scimitars, spears and hatchets. Carl Jung would have been delighted.

Sikh warriors charging imaginary targets is the penultimate act at the Hola Mohalla festival, celebrated every Holi at Anandpur Sahib, a small town by the Sutlej in north-east Punjab. Nestled in an oddly dusty plain beneath gently rolling hills, Anandpur is famous for its many gurudwaras. And for Hola Mohalla.

In an extraordinary coda to three days of worship and festivity, the Mohalla celebrations conclude with displays of traditional Sikh martial prowess on a grassy plain by the Charan Ganga River.

Festivities begin at noon with gathka exponents carrying an array of traditional weapons onto the field. Gathka is a Sikh martial art that uses a variety of weapons and strangely balletic movements. Eager young fighters are supervised by older instructors as they stage mock battles with sticks, knives, axes and swords. Gathka schools from across Punjab send teams to compete in the event. No prizes though, shrugs Gurmeet Singh, as he awaits his turn and swats another noisy apprentice with his rhino hide shield. A teenage gathkabaaz from Patiala, he's been training since he was nine.

It's clearly carnival time for the hundreds gathered. A Punjab police band with its bagpipes and kilts adds a surreal hue to an already special afternoon. Other teenagers next to me begin tittering as the band strikes up its next tune. It's the title song of the Bollywood hit Singh is Kinng — a popular memory in these parts. Obviously.

Hola Mohalla is a 300-year-old tradition. Greatly irked by rising Mughal intolerance in the 17th century, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, raised the Khalsa, a fighting force of warrior monks and bade them to prepare for combat here at Anandpur. Defending Sikh honour was made essential to the faith, as was the need to sport distinctive symbols of Sikh attire from then on. Elements of language were toughened up too. Several words were converted to the masculine. Holi became Hola.

It is a proud martial tradition that is celebrated on Hola Mohalla. One that saw various jathas and misls — Sikh legions — take on fading Mughals forcefully, slap down pesky invaders from Nadir Shah to Ahmad Shah Abdali, and — under Maharaja Ranjit Singh — finally conquer large parts of Afghanistan. No mean achievement that.

Not surprisingly, the British Raj, inspired in large part by Sikh prowess, and its own obsession with classification, came up with the curious concept of ‘martial races'. At Anandpur on Hola Mohalla, there's little doubt what the burra sahibs meant. Martial is firmly welded to race, with large dollops of testosterone thrown in.
But that part of the party only kicks into high gear when the Nihangs (from the Persian for crocodile) come marching in. Camped all around town in chhaawnis (armed camps), they pay obeisance at Anandgarh, an old fort and gurudwara complex, before ritually marching to Charan Ganga in the early evening.

Despite being told to watch out for them, nothing prepares you for the sapphire sea of humanity that pours in. Hordes of Nihangs in electric blue gowns flood the ground, many mounted on every sort of beast domesticated for combat: horses, elephants, decorated mules, even the odd camel. A dragon or two dropping in wouldn't make much of a difference. Other Sikhs — brandishing rifles, sunglasses and manicured moustaches — arrive in SUVs, jeeps, tractors and trucks.

Splendidly turbaned and bearded, sporting saffron sashes and motley regalia on their blue chogas (robes), the Nihangs carry banners, ornamented spears, ceremonial fans and, of course, swords. Lots of swords. Sects and clans converge at a central spot. This is as much annual conclave as it is martial display. Various Sants, Babas and Jathedhars are honoured; old acquaintances are renewed. The ceremonial fighting and charging soon follow.

That's when the ground shifts to Planet Testosterone. Hola Mohalla is machismo on overdrive. Even the dust soon appears redolent of traditions of martyrdom and honour. Loudspeakers recall Sikh history. The martial mien is everywhere. There aren't too many women, I notice, even in the audience.

The animals appear to sense the testosterone too. Tetchy looking horses keep snorting and eyeballing my camera ominously , as do some of their masters. I'm left impressed again — even the beasts appear warlike though bhang mixed with animal feed, I'm later told, might probably be the reason.

But all is not about martial valour alone. Equality and service to fellow men are important credos in Sikh tradition. Walking around Anandpur at night offers ample evidence.

At one of the many camps, Karnal Singh, farmer and volunteer, sword dangling by his side, is stirring something in a dek big enough to boil a couple of Mughal foot soldiers. Dal for tomorrow's langar, he tells me, to be served with rotis and a subzi or two. Langars, communal kitchens integral to all gurudwaras and Sikh festivals, are the principal means of feeding pilgrims.

Over 20 lakh people come to Anandpur Sahib for Hola Mohalla, says the manager at the main shrine, the Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib. Preparing for them is quite a task. The Punjab government makes special arrangements to cope with the rush. Many pilgrims appear to cope by themselves.

Billeted in large tents everywhere, asleep inside and underneath vehicles, and in makeshift trailers attached to tractors, most appear intent on worship at the gurudwaras. And in attending the many melas that have sprung up everywhere.

From Ferris wheels to Walls of Death — one with a Maruti 800 complementing the usual motorcycle — Hola Mohalla is one big party: an extraordinary funfair for the faithful like few others. Even in India.

As cries of ‘Wahe Guru Da Khalsa, Wahe Guru Di Fateh' echo around the Charan Ganga ground at dusk, no visitor would disagree that for one day every spring in Punjab's dusty plains, Singh is truly King.

OK to say 'jihadi terrorism': Chidambaram

NEW DELHI: Home minister P Chidambaram on Friday disregarded the objection of Kuwaiti ambassador Sami Al Sulaiman to justify the use of "jihadi terrorism" for Pakistan-backed terror groups and al-Qaida.

The home minister said people opposed to terrorism were constrained to use the term since jihad is invoked by several terror groups.

"I find that Hafiz Saeed uses the word in every speech that he makes. He made three speeches last month. In every speech, he used the word jihad. I find that al-Qaida leaders use the word jihad. I find LeT leaders using the word jihad. We have voice transcripts of attackers of Mumbai and their handlers using the word jihad. So, for the wrong reason perhaps and unfortunately when terrorists use the word jihad, those who oppose terrorism are forced to use the word jihad," he said.

Moderate quake shakes Northeast, no damage

SHILLONG: A moderate intensity quake shook parts of Northeast early on Saturday.

The quake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale had its epicentre at a place along the Indo-Myanmar border and occurred at 4.50am, Met officials said.

The tremor was felt in many parts of the region including Guwahati. There was no report of any loss of life or damage to property.

Mukesh Ambani, Lakshmi Mittal among world's top ten billionaires: Forbes

WASHINGTON: Indians Mukesh Ambani and Lakshmi Mittal figured among world's top ten billionaires as Mexican tycoon Carlo Slim Helu beat Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to become the wealthiest person on earth.

Besides fourth ranked Reliance Industries chairman Ambani and fifth placed steel czar Mittal, four other Indians were among top 50 in 2010 Forbes list of the World's Billionaires released Wednesday with as many 49 Indians joining company with the planet's 1,011 richest people.

With his fortune swelling to an estimated $53.5 billion, up $18.5 billion in 12 months, Slim surged ahead of Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, who had held the title of world's richest 14 of the past 15 years, the US business magazine noted.

Gates, now worth $53 billion, is ranked second in the world. He is up $13 billion from a year ago as shares of Microsoft rose 50 percent in 12 months. Buffett's fortune jumped $10 billion to $47 billion on rising shares of Berkshire Hathaway. He ranks third.

Eleven countries have at least double the number of billionaires they had a year ago, including China, India, Turkey and South Korea.

Fourth placed Mukesh Ambani with a fortune of $29 billion has global ambitions, Forbes said. So has his younger brother Anil Ambani ranked 36 with a $13.7 billion fortune.

Fifth ranked Lakshmi Mittal with a fortune of $28.7 billion is "looking to expand in his native India; wants to build steel mills in Jharkhad and Orissa but has not received government approval," Forbes noted describing him as "London's richest resident" who oversees ArcelorMittal, world's largest steel maker

Azim Premji with a fortune of $17.0 billion was ranked 28. "Software czar chairs $5.5 billion (revenues) Wipro, country's third-largest software exporter. Reported jump in net profits in last 2 quarters, signaling a rebound for US-dependent outsourcing giant."

Shashi & Ravi Ruia brothers took the 40th spot with a fortune of $13.0 billion. Their "$15 billion (revenues) Essar Group has weathered downturn and embarked on an expansion drive in all its businesses, including steel, oil and power."

Last among the Indians in top 50 was Savitri Jindal, ranked 44th, with a fortune of $12.2 billion. She took over as head of OP Jindal Group after her husband died in a helicopter crash in 2005.

Among other Indians on the billionaires list were Kushal Pal Singh (74), Kumar Birla (86), Sunil Mittal (87), Anil Agarwal (113), Adi Godrej & family (148), Shiv Nadar (201), N.R. Narayana Murthy & family (616), Rahul Bajaj (880) and Vijay Mallya (937).

Govt sounds terror alert for Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore

NEW DELHI: The government on Monday sounded a terror alert for three cities -- Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore -- after interrogation of Indian Mujahideen suspect Salman Ahmed.

The danger to these cities was highlighted by the TOI on Sunday.

According to official sources, home ministry has asked the governments of these states to be on the lookout for terror attacks. "We are not taking any chances on whatever information we have received. So, we have alerted the concerned state governments to take all necessary security measures immediately," a home ministry official said.

During his interrogation, Salman, who is suspected to be involved in serial blasts in Ahmedabad, Varanasi and Gorakhpur, confessed that Indian Mujahideen had set up bases in Karachi, Kathmandu, Dubai and a few places in Middle East under its so-called `Karachi Project'. Salman also confessed to the existence of the Karachi Project, which is a plan by Pakistan's ISI to train motivated Indians to attack targets in India, so as to create a degree of separation with Pakistan.

The home ministry official, who declined to be named, said Salman "confessed that IM cadres go to Pakistan either through Nepal or Bangladesh for training". Salman, for instance, had returned from Pakistan as recently as January, around the time that India asked Pakistan to return to bilateral dialogue.

In fact, security forces have arrested two IM terrorists who were residents of Uttar Pradesh and had come from Bangladesh. More arrests are likely in the coming days.

As TOI reported on Sunday, Salman, an active member of IM, was wanted for the serial blasts in Jaipur, Ahmedabad and other places and a reward of Rs 1 lakh was on offer for information leading to his capture. He disclosed that the masterminds of Karachi Project were keen on engineering serial bomb attacks in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. The cells tasked with executing this plan had been instructed to target foreigners, he said.

Salman provided details of the training he received at an ISI-run facility in the Karachi region. Amir Raza Khan, convenor of the Karachi Project, and the Bhatkal brothers, Riyaz and Iqbal, were in charge. He saw other Indian youth there, who had travelled to Karachi via Dubai.

All of Salman's revelations tally with the statement of another IM jehadi recruited for the Karachi Project, Khawaja Amjad of Hyderabad. After he was arrested, Amjad told police that IM commanders in Karachi were under pressure from the ISI-Lashkar bosses to organise fresh terror attacks.

Salman was instructed to re-activate the IM cells which had gone dormant since the crackdown on the gang in 2008.

Maoists release kidnapped teacher

JHARGRAM(WB): School teacher and CPM leader Ranjit Duley, kidnapped by Maoists at gunpoint from a school in Bankura district on March 4, was released unharmed in West Midnapore district early on Tuesday, police said.

Duley was released at a remote place between Goaltore and Pingboni at around 1:15am to a select team of electronic media, which took him to Lalgarh police station, the police said.

The teacher was on March 4 taken away at gunpoint from Barulia Madhyamik Siksha Kendra in Sarenga of Bankura district while he was invigilating an examination. Maoists had initially demanded the release of six cadre arrested for the killing of Sarenga police station in-charge Rabi Lochan Mitra on February 25.

The joint forces, after receiving a tip-off that the teacher had been taken to Bhalukbasa jungle in West Midnapore district, had cordoned off the area and traded fire with the Maoists, killing a cadre on Sunday. Following this Sidhu Soren, a leader of Sidhu Kano Gana Committee, the militant wing of People's Committee against Police Atrocities, had asked Duley's son to hold a press meet and demand the release of the Maoists, besides 37 villagers detained by the joint forces for obstructing them during encounter at Bhalukbasa jungle, sources said.

Director General of Police Bhupinder Singh had said there was no question of releasing the Maoists. "The Maoists are under pressure and have been scaling down their demands," he had said last evening.

Ban appoints Swedish woman as UN's top cop

UNITED NATIONS: Marking International Women's Day, UN Chief Ban Ki-moon has appointed Ann-Marie Orler as Police Adviser for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, which makes her the first woman to hold the top rank.

"Now, the United Nation's top cop is a woman. That is a wonderful way to celebrate International Women's Day," Ban told journalists here yesterday.

"Gender equality and women's empowerment are among my top priorities. Women are central to the Millennium Development Goals and all our hopes for progress and peace and stability and human rights," he noted.

Orler worked with the Swedish National Police for almost 20 years before joining the United Nations, and has served as UN's Deputy Police Adviser since 2008.

"This is a challenge but it's also exciting to be assuming the position of police advisor," Orler said shortly after Ban made his announcement.

"Today I feel extremely proud to be entrusted on this particular international women's day with the honour of leading the group of police professionals in peacekeeping operations," she said.

Presently, there are approximately 13,000 international police officers from 100 member-states serving in 17 peacekeeping operations.

Referring to the contingent served by Indian police officers, Oler said, "In Liberia, the presence of an all female UN foreign police unit is giving new impetus to gender awareness in improving the host government's female police in general.

BMW hit-and-run exposé: Anand tenders unconditional apology to SC

NEW DELHI: Noted criminal lawyer R K Anand, who was held guilty of attempting to influence the course of justice in the infamous BMW hit-and-run case, has tendered an unconditional apology to the Supreme Court.

Anand tendered his "sincere and unqualified unconditional apology" for all acts imputed to him in the sting operation carried out by a news channel in 2007 and as observed in the Supreme Court judgement.

The reply by the advocate came on the apex court's show cause notice as to why he should not be given more punishment.

Anand pleaded before the court that his punishment should not be enhanced under section 12 of Contempt of Court Act.

The apex court had on July 29, 2009 upheld the conviction and stripping the status off senior advocate of Anand for contempt of court for attempting to influence the course of justice in the hit-and-run case.

A three-judge bench of apex court had asked as to why the quantum of punishment for Anand, who was the defence lawyer in the BMW case, should not be enhanced.

The apex court had held that the sting operation carried out by a news channel showing the defence and prosecution lawyers trying to influence controversial witness Kulkarni as not a typical case of trial by the media but undertaken in public interest.

The Delhi High Court had held guilty two senior advocates-- R K Anand and I U Khan, for obstructing administration of justice and, as a punishment, debarred them from appearing in courts for four months.

However, the apex court had set aside the conviction of Khan from charges of contempt of court.

10 killed as buses collide in Punjab

JALALABAD (Punjab): At least 10 people on their way to a wedding were killed and 30 injured when two buses collided head-on in Punjab's Jalalabad town, police said on Monday.

The accident in Ferozepur district's Jalalabad town, 250 km from Chandigarh, took place Sunday night. Both buses were carrying people going to attend weddings, police said.

"The injured have been shifted to civil hospitals in Jalalabad and in neighbouring towns. According to eye-witnesses, some people were sitting on the roofs of the buses," a police officer said.

"According to hospital officials, 10 people have succumbed to their injuries while others are out of danger," the officer said.

Austrian tourist attacked in Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW: A 30-year-old Austrian tourist was attacked, robbed and left unconscious near a rail track in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district, police said on Monday.

Mario Max was found Sunday evening in Auragabad locality, some 300 km from here. He has been moved to a hospital.

"It appears some miscreants attacked Mario with sharp-edged weapons and made away with his valuables," police inspector Somveer Singh said.

Mario, a devotee of Lord Krishna, reportedly reached Mathura a few days ago and took up a room at a lodge in Aurangabad. Police have detained some workers of the lodge.

Indian Navy aircraft crashes into residential area

HYDERABAD: A Surya Kiran aircraft of the Indian Navy on Wednesday crashed into a residential area during an air show in Hyderabad. The plane crashed near the Begumpet airport here.

The Kiran MK-II plane, which was part of the 'Sagar Pawan' aerobatic team participating in a display at the India Aviation show, crashed into a building, Hyderabad police commissioner A K Khan said.

"The pilot is dead. So far one building is damaged. We have to see how many people were inside it... Four persons have been injured," he said.

While earlier TV reports said the pilot of the aircraft had managed to eject safely and television cameras showed the pilot ejecting from the falling plane, the Hyderabad police chief later said the pilot had ejected but he did not survive the impact of the fall.

The plane fell into a thickly populated area and the third floor of a residential building in the area took the maximum impact of the exploding aircraft.

Witnesses said they heard a loud boom, after which the plane went down. A thick cloud of smoke rose to the sky near the Begumpet airport following the accident. Rescue efforts are on.

The plane was part of a three aircraft of the Sagar Pawan, Indian Navy's Goa-based aerobatic team which was seen to be coming out of a Y-formation at the time of the mishap. Two of the planes landed safely.

The HAL Kiran HJT-16 (Ray of Light) is an Indian two-seat basic jet trainer built by Hindustan Aeronautics. The Sagar Pawan is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Indian Navy's Aviation Arm, one of the only two naval aerobatic teams in the world, the other being the Blue Angels of the US Navy.

All top ranking aviation officers were present at the airs how. The Indian Aviation 2010 event, a five-day conference and exhibition of international aviation, is organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Aviation biggies like GE Aviation, Bell, Textron, Gulfstream and Hawker are participating in the air show.

Holi Celebration By YNE

Racial attacks: Shane Warne mingles with Indians to allay fears

MELBOURNE: Australian spin legend Shane Warne on Tuesday stepped in to mend his country's fractured ties with India, attending a picnic here with the Indian community, which has been targetted in a series of violent attacks in the past few months.

Warne met the community members of Victoria state, talked to them, posed for photographs and tried to allay fears of the students, saying Australia is a "great" place to live in.

"I think the state sells itself, it's just such a great state, it's a great city to live in. I'll keep pushing the message across over there, I love India, I love Rajasthan when I play cricket there, so to me it was a natural thing," Warne said.

"I want to listen, really, to hear what the students have to say and see what these guys, how they're feeling about things," said Warne, who is quite popular among the Indian diaspora here.

Victorian government had asked the iconic cricketer to help them boost the state's image in India after recent attacks on Indian students in Melbourne tarnished its reputation.

The leg-spinner, also dined with the Indian students on the occasion and told the crowd: "It's important for me as a Victorian... to keep building the relationship with India and Australia, and in particular Victoria."

Warne will leave for India on Thursday to lead the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League commencing March 12.

Meanwhile, Victoria Premier John Brumby, who was also present at the picnic, hoped Warne's presence in India for the IPL would help improve Australia's image.

"Shane's been great in the support that he's given the State just over the last year, particularly in relation to the bushfires, and where the sort of support that he can provide is so important in lifting spirits and giving people hope for the future," Brumby said.

"We need to bear in mind all the great things about our state and we are a very warm, open, welcoming state. We love sport, we're very multicultural, we've got nearly half of our population born overseas and with one of their parents born overseas, and we've got a good story to tell about all of us, about the great multicultural society that is Victoria, so we just need to get a bit of balance back into this debate," Brumby added.

Modi, IPL franchises bugging England players like crazy: PCA

LONDON: England's Cricketers' Association claims that IPL commissioner Lalit Modi and the franchises are "bugging players like crazy" to commit participation in the lucrative Twenty20 event but are refusing to acknowledge their security fears.

Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) director of legal affairs Ian Smith said Modi, who had earlier claimed that "heavens won't fall if international players refuse to come for the Indian Premier League (IPL)", has been "bugging players like crazy" to commit.

Smith, however, said the security situation in India seems better then a few weeks ago but a some concerns still remain.

"The situation is a hell of a lot better than it was a week ago," Smith said.

"I am cautiously optimistic that we can reach a point before the start of the tournament where Reg can say it is safe enough to travel. We are getting closer. Ultimately it comes down to individual players and their individual circumstances," he added.

Smith said the firm handling IPL's security was up to mark but the players' bodies were looking for assurances from the government of India.

"They are excellent guys and it is a good plan. The question is whether the states and the Government can implement it. Have they not signed off because they can't or because they won't? Nobody is prepared to say, 'Yes we can do it'," Smith said.

Smith criticised Modi's refusal to acknowledge players' bodies' concerns.

"It has been a most frustrating period because guys feel thwarted and partly angry because of the way Lalit has chosen to spin it as a political move on our part. We cannot seem to get it into his head that we are genuinely interested in the safety of the players," he fumed.

Meanwhile, Graham Napier left to join Mumbai Indians on Monday, while Kings XI Punjab batsman Ravi Bopara, who had earlier claimed that "cricket is not worth dying for", is scheduled to leave on Tuesday for the tournament starting March 12.

I never penned any article for a newspaper in Karnataka: Taslima Nasreen

NEW DELHI: Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen on Tuesday said the appearance of an article in a Karnataka newspaper purportedly written by her, which triggered violent protests in Shimoga and Hassan towns, is a "deliberate attempt to malign" her and "misuse" her writings to create disturbance in the society.
Nasreen said in a statement that she never penned any article for a newspaper in Karnataka.
"The incident that occurred in Karnataka on Monday shocked me. I learned that it was provoked by an article written by me that appeared in a Karnataka newspaper. But I have never written any article for any Karnataka newspaper in my life," she said.
Nasreen said, "The appearance of the article is atrocious. In any of my writings I have never mentioned that Prophet Muhammad was against burkha. Therefore this is a distorted story."
The author said, "I suspect that it is a deliberate attempt to malign me and to misuse my writings to create disturbance in the society. I wish peace will prevail."
The violence in Shimoga, the home town of Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, left two persons dead, one of them in police firing on Sunday.
Nasreen, staying in an undisclosed destination due to security reasons since her return to India last month, had her visa extended recently by six months till August this year.
Replying to a question, she said she would not like to say anything other than the statement issued by her.