Karunanidhi demands a separate homeland for Tamils in Lanka

Chennai: Under pressure from its rival AIADMK and others, Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK has jumped into the 'Eelam' bandwagon demanding a separate homeland for Tamils in Sri Lanka. In a bid to match competing rivals, DMK chief and chief minister M Karunanidhi said on Wednesday night that he would make all efforts for creation of 'Eelam'. "We have ensured a fair quantity of relief for Sri Lankan Tamils. As a next step, they should get Eelam and I assumed responsibilities of making all efforts to ensure that 'Eelam' is created", he said in an appeal to DMK workers. Karunanidhi's remarks came after AIADMK supremo Jayalaltihaa made a dramatic turnaround from her party's known stand and pitched for a separate homeland for Tamils in Sri Lanka in the election manifesto. Later, she also said that if the Lok Sabha polls returned a "favourable" government, she would ensure the Indian army was sent to Sri Lanka to help create 'Eelam'. AIADMK's allies in Tamil Nadu include pro-LTTE and pro-Eelam parties like MDMK and PMK.

Sonia Gandhi votes, flashes inked finger

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi voted today in the Lok Sabha elections and flashed her inked finger to reporters but declined to answer any questions. Gandhi turned up at the polling station at the Nirman Bhawan building in the heart of the city with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and the party's New Delhi Lok Sabha candidate Ajay Maken. After casting her ballot, Gandhi walked up to journalists and flashed her finger to show she had voted. But she made a quick exit from the scene even as reporters kept shouting questions at her.

Sonia Gandhi breaks security cordon to accept bouquet

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi's bodyguards went into a tizzy when she stopped her car on seeing a man on a wheelchair and accepted a bouquet of flowers from him today. There was a flurry of activity among the security personnel in Gandhi's entourage when she suddenly stopped her car soon after leaving Nirman Bhavan in the heart of the capital, where she cast her vote. Ashok Nagpal, 42, had come all the way from Patel Nagar in West Delhi to meet Gandhi. "I have been coming here during all the elections and giving a bouquet to Sonia Gandhi. Now she recognises me. I had been waiting here since early morning. I knew she was coming to vote," Nagpal said. Gandhi received the bouquet and thanked Nagpal, who has been seeking votes for the party. "I am not a Congress worker but I have been roaming throughout the city on my wheelchair asking people to vote for the Congress," Nagpal said.

Don't teach me law, I was once chief minister: Mulayam Singh

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh had an argument with a poll official in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri constituency after his bodyguards were stopped from entering the polling booth along with him. The former chief minister, who has Z plus security, got angry when an election official at the polling station in Saifai locality, said that as per the norms only one person could accompany him into the booth. "Hume Kanoon mat sikhao, hum chief minister reh chuke hain (Do not teach me law, I was once the chief minister)," Mulayam Singh told Malay Amitash, the poll official. Mulayam Singh also asked the official which cadre he belongs to. "I am a Karnataka cadre official and am in Uttar Pradesh on poll duty," replied Amitash. Mulayam Singh also questioned the deployment of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel close to the electronic voting machines. "Why are the ITBP cops standing so close to the EVM machines and voters, especially women? Are they trying to scare them?" he asked Amitash. However, Amitash was finally able to calm down an angry Mulayam Singh.

Mayawati: Varun has no right to use Gandhi surname

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today said Varun Gandhi had "no moral right to use Gandhi as his surname" because of his "violent behaviour". "A person with violent behaviour can never be a Gandhi," Mayawati said referring to Mahatama Gandhi "who was the greatest exponent of the doctrine of ahimsa (non-violence)". "So, Varun has no moral right to use Gandhi as his surname," the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief said at an election rally in Pilibhit, from where Varun is contesting the Lok Sabha election as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate. Hitting out at Varun who recently said he did not want to be known by his Gandhi surname but for his work, Mayawati said, "To prove that he is a Gandhi by work, he should have to leave the path of violence he has adopted." Calling Varun a "nautankibaaz" (theatrical), Mayawati said the BJP leader was trying to hoodwink the people by talking about promoting and strengthening nationalism. "For getting a better understanding of what nationalism is all about, Varun must understand the constitution of our country he should not hate a particular community and show respect towards other. He must believe in equality." Attacking Varun's mother and former union minister Maneka Gandhi, the BSP chief said: "Both mother and son have always looked down upon the poor and the downtrodden, particularly Dalits." Pilibhit, some 250 km from Lucknow, votes in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections May 13.

15,000 weddings on poll day to spoil voter

New Delhi: Political parties are concerned that an estimated 15,000 weddings on the polling day on Thursday could play a spoiler for the capital's voter turnout. According to priests, on Thursday is a very auspicious day for weddings and thousands will be tying the knot. "There are around 10,000 to 15,000 weddings scheduled for Thursday. It is Narsimha Jayanti - a very auspicious day. It is said that the time and planetary movements will be favourable for a marriage as the wedding will last forever," Ravinder Nagar, head 'acharya' (head priest) of the Lakshmi Narayan Temple, said. Apprehensive of a lower voter turnout affecting the political equation in the capital, several candidates are making personal appeals to people to find time and vote. "In a wedding, family and friends may not find time to vote. Still, if there is a low voter turn out it is likely to affect everybody. The Congress vote share will also be affected because we feel most people are inclined to vote for us," said Krishna Tirath, northwest Delhi's Congress candidate. Tirath like other candidates has been briefing party workers and polling agents to appeal to families involved in weddings to come and vote early. "I am aware that this would affect the voter turnout. Still we are trying our best. We have instructed our polling agents to tally with voter list from time to time and talk them into coming early to vote. This should work to some degree," Virender Sachdeva, Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party secretary said. Over 11 million people are eligible to vote to elect representatives from Delhi's seven Lok Sabha constituencies on Thursday. Voting will begin at 7 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. at 11,348 polling booths across the capital. Incidentally, on November 29, 2008 when the Delhi assembly elections were held, nearly 20,000 weddings had reportedly taken place. The voter turnout then was 59.78 percent. "People are free to engage in social functions - we wish the families luck but we want them to realize that the voting time is not too long. So they must spare time and come vote early in the morning," Delhi Deputy Electoral Officer Uday Bakshi said. Bakshi added that although voter turnout in other places has not been high, Delhi voters despite the weddings should "take the lead and vote in full force". Virender Kaur, a resident of south Delhi, said: "My daughter is getting married on Thursday evening. There are preparations to be done. I don't think I will have time to vote. But we will try."

India may face US pressure on Kashmir

New Delhi: Former US ambassador to India Robert Blackwill has warned India that it is likely to be subjected to pressure from the US over the Kashmir issue as a fallout of Pakistan's stand that tension with India over the dispute is preventing it from fully participating in the war against terror. Blackwill, who was speaking at a CII gathering, described Pakistan as the "most dangerous foreign policy problem" that Washington is facing. "The possible effect of such an enveloping US preoccupation with Pakistan seems on its way to re-hyphenating the US-India relationship, leading the administration to see India largely through the lens of deeply disturbing developments in Pakistan," said Blackwill. "This will produce an understandable and growing US interest in trying to reduce tensions in India-Pakistan relationship, not least because Pakistan will argue that tensions with India and the Kashmir dispute are preventing it from moving robustly against the Islamic terrorists," he added. Blackwill also expressed concern that there may be a "substantial change" underway in the quality and intensity of US-India relations which goes counter to the good intentions of the two sides. He stated that China appears to be on a substantially higher plane in UN diplomacy than India which seems to have been downgraded in the Obama administration's strategic calculations. Though it wants genuinely good relations with New Delhi, there could be a substantial change viz-a-viz the policies of the Bush administration and it would take "very hard work and skillful diplomacy" from both the governments to keep the US-India relationship on its current level, he said. Blackwill said there were preliminary indications that the Obama administration had a different policy orientation towards India. "First, it is not clear that the Obama administration has the same preoccupation with the rise of Chinese power and India's balancing role in it. Rather, Washington is now naturally focused on US-China economic relations." The former ambassador said Afghanistan presented another set of potential differences between India and Pakistan. "For Washington to believe that India will not be a major player in the long-term future of Afghanistan is to ignore centuries of history, culture and mutual interaction between the two," he stated. He listed Iran as another "knotty" issue in US-India relations and a potential source of bilateral tension.

Indo-Pak dialogue to resume after elections: Zardari

Washington: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says he proposes to start a fresh peace dialogue with India after the Indian elections are over later this month. "Democracies have never gone to war. No Pakistani democratic government has gone to war with India. We've always wanted peace. We still want peace with India," Zardari said on a local news channel in an interview on Tuesday. "I'm waiting for the (Indian general) elections to be over so that all of this rhetoric is over and I can start a fresh dialogue with the Indian government," he said. Zardari was responding to a question whether what President Barack Obama called Islamabad's "obsession with India as the mortal threat to Pakistan" was indeed "misguided". Zardari said Pakistan also wanted a commercial relationship with India. "We want a commercial relationship with them. I'm looking at the markets of India for the industrialists of Pakistan and hoping to do the same." Asked about US concern that most of about $10 billion provided by US to Pakistan since 9/11 has been used to beef up its arsenal against some sort of threat from India, Zardari said: "Let's say they've given $10 billion in 10 years, a billion nearly a year for the war effort in-against the Taliban, and the war that is going on." Zardari is in Washington to meet US President Barack Obama in a trilateral summit with the Afghan President Hamid Karzai today. The trilateral meetings would continue Thursday.

Shah Rukh Khan turns silent after Knight-mare

Mumbai: SRK came, SRK saw, but SRK didn't speak. It's usually hard to keep Shah Rukh Khan mum but the Kolkata Knight Rider's disappointing performance at the ongoing IPL series and the controversy surrounding Saurav Ganguly's captaincy kept King Khan from interacting with the media at an event in Mumbai on Monday evening.

Also adding to SRK's vows was the rather luke warm response at the Box Office to his last release Billu Barber, but Shah Rukh still managed to wear a smile and meet his fans and the contest winners of an online Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi contest.

Not one to shy away from the press, SRK's rather mute interaction left everyone wondering if there was something after all to all that buzz about the actor having second thoughts about retaining the ownership of the Knight Riders.

Nepal army chief row: After PM, Prez to go next?

Kathmandu: With Nepal's first Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda exiting from power on Monday following a protracted bitter row with army chief General Rukmanga Katawal, is it now the turn of Nepal's first President Ram Baran Yadav to go?

The 61-year-old former health minister became embroiled in the dispute after he allegedly stepped out of his constitutional limits and reinstated the chief of the army, who had been sacked on Sunday by the ruling Maoist party.

The intervention made Prachanda resign in protest on Monday, accusing the President of trying to set himself up as a parallel centre of power.

Not to be outdone, the President's office also issued a press statement in reaction, saying he had the authority to reinstate the sacked general in his role as the custodian of the constitution and supreme commander of the army.

Now the out-of-power Maoists have started a fresh battle against the president and the army chief, asking for both to be removed.

The president's fate depends on the Supreme Court that on Tuesday began hearing a petition against him.

Inhured International, Nepal's oldest rights organisation, on Monday moved court, accusing the President of having overstepped his jurisdiction.

The single bench of judge Balram KC began hearing the petition that would have an important bearing on the unfolding political scenario.

If the court finds the president had exercised powers he does not enjoy as a ceremonial president, it would mean the exit of Yadav.

Should that happen, the mollified Maoists would be ready to join a consensus government or support the new government from outside.

If the court finds the president acted in accordance with his powers, the Maoists would keep up protests, which would badly affect the peace process and the writing of a new constitution.

A third scenario could be the president tendering his resignation and providing a way out, just as Prachanda's resignation did.

Nepal's major parties are happy to leave the decision to the apex court.

While the Nepali Congress, the second largest party after the Maoists, says it supports the presidential move, the Communists, who are the third largest, are divided on the issue.

Though the standing committee of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) said the step was unconstitutional, it is however not yet condemning the President, preferring to wait for the court verdict.

"Though there are questions about the legality of the President reinstating the army chief, we realise that it was done to resolve the growing crisis," said UML lawmaker Shanker Pokhrel.

"While we feel the Maoists acted unilaterally by sacking the army chief when it was not endorsed by any other party, we are happy to leave the issue of the president to the court."

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AI plane rams into aerobridge at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: A Mangalore-bound Air India aircraft, with 172 passengers and six crew onboard, hit the aerobridge here while taxiing on Tuesday, delaying the flight by almost one-and-a-half hour.

All passengers are safe, Air India spokesperson said, adding "the passengers were transferred to another aircraft and flight took off at 12.20 pm."

"The incident is being looked into to fix responsibility," the spokesperson added.

The incident occurred at around 11.00 am when the aircraft hit the aerobridge while taxiing and resulted in

damaging its door, airport sources said.

All 172 passengers onboard were deboarded and another aircraft was arranged to facilitate their journey to Mangalore, the sources said

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India clear of swine flu, five suspects test negative

New Delhi: India continues to be free from swine flu infection with three of the five people suspected to have influenza A (H1N1) testing negative for the disease, officials said on Tuesday.

"The clinical samples of three passengers who were under observation in a government hospital in Delhi have been found to be negative for influenza A(H1N1). We have received samples of two passengers who reported flu symptoms in Kochi and results are expected by Wednesday," an official at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) said.

A health ministry official said the three people who were quarantined in Delhi - two of whom came from the US and one from Canada - were discharged Tuesday after they tested negative for swine flu.

The two in Kochi had come from Dubai after visiting the US and Britain.

India has intensified measures to tackle swine flu by beefing surveillance at border road posts besides airports and ports.

The 21 airports in the country where screening is being done are Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, New Delhi, Varanasi, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Srinagar, Tiruchirapalli and Tiruvananthapuram.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 21 countries have officially reported 1,124 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection.

Mexico has reported 590 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 25 deaths. The US has reported 286 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death.

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Obama bailout: Say no to Bangalore, yes to Buffalo

Washington: 'Say no to Bangalore and yes to Buffalo,' seems to be the latest mantra of US President Barack Obama as he struggles to bring the ailing American economy back on track.

Meeting one of his major election promises, Obama announced end to years of tax incentives to those US companies which create jobs overseas in places like Bangalore.

Instead, the incentives would now go to those creating jobs inside the US, in places like the Buffalo city – bordering Canada in upstate New York.

"We will stop letting American companies that create jobs overseas take deductions on their expenses when they do not pay any American taxes on their profits," Obama said at White House announcing the international tax policy reform.

"We will use the savings to give tax cuts to companies that are investing in research and development here at home so that we can jump start job creation, foster innovation, and enhance America's competitiveness," Obama said.

The new tax laws are expected to majorly hit countries like India, China and Philippines, where US companies have been outsourcing their work.

Hitting hard at the current taxation system, to which he had been very critical since his election days and as a Senator, Obama said, "It's a tax code that says you should pay lower taxes if you create a job in Bangalore, India, than if you create one in Buffalo, New York."

Reiterating his campaign rhetoric, the US President said, "The way we make our businesses competitive is not to reward American companies operating overseas with a roughly two per cent tax rate on foreign profits; a rate that costs taxpayers tens of billions of dollars a year."

Obama said he wants US companies to remain most competitive in the world. "But the way to make sure that happens is not to reward our companies for moving jobs off our shores or transferring profits to overseas tax havens," he argued.

Announcing a set of proposals to crack down on illegal overseas tax evasion, close loopholes, and make it more profitable for companies to create jobs here in the US, Obama said his series of tax reforms would save $210 billion in the next 10 years.

Under new measures, American companies would also have to disclose before the IRS details of the income American citizens are generating in overseas accounts. "For years, we've talked about stopping Americans from illegally hiding their money overseas, and getting tough with the financial institutions that let them get away with it," he said.

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Contest hots up for the best job in the world

Melbourne: Sixteen hopefuls for "the best job in the world," including Indian radio jockey Anjaan, arrived at the picturesque Hamilton Island on Sunday with each vying to be the temporary caretaker of the tropical paradise on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

The finalists, whittled down from over 35,000 entries, arrived in Brisbane on Sunday night and explored the state capital. Some have travelled from as far as Europe and North America in a bid to win the $100,000 six-month job.

Hailing from Bangalore, 28-year-old Anjaan used to host shows for the Radio One station.

During the next five days of fun, adventure, fine dining and partying, Queensland Tourism will decide the winner.

"Everyone is nice and friendly now, but when the interview process starts I suspect it might become more cut-throat," 26-year-old Korean entrant Juweon Kim was quoted as saying by the Australian media.

The contestants have been told they are being judged at every moment until the winner is announced on May 6.

Meanwhile, Clare Wang from Taiwan, who won a wild card spot in the contest, is being touted as the likely winner. An interpreter by profession, Wang made it to the competition by securing over 151,000 votes from across the world last month.

According to betting agency PinnacleSports.com, Wang has emerged as the hot favourite among all the contestants.

The hopefuls will be vying to become caretaker of Hamilton Island.

In my life, mission is everything, no ambition: Modi

New Delhi: He has a mission but no ambition, says Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as speculation mounts about whether he will be the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) next prime ministerial candidate. In an interview broadcast on a local news channel, Modi indicated that he was not in the race for the prime minister's post. "In my life, mission is everything, no ambition," he said, answering a query if he was looking to graduate to national politics from the platform of Gujarat. Modi has been projected as a future prime minister by several BJP leaders with rivals citing these statements as lack of confidence in the prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani. "Work is my principle. Even if I was a municipal chairman, I would have worked as hard as I am as chief minister." Asserting that the BJP would get "full majority" in the Lok Sabha elections, he said: "In the BJP, we believe that even a one-person party in parliament should be considered for support in the current scenario that the country is facing." Regional aspirants, he added, should be honoured. "Not only in Gujarat, everywhere in India, people are fed up with vote bank politics. They want change. They want development. That is the only driving force to change this government this time," he said.

Prachanda quits as Nepal PM after army row escalates

Kathmandu: Nepal's first Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda today announced his resignation in a televised address to the nation sending shock waves through the nation and raising grave questions about peace and stability in the turbulent Himalayan republic. The former revolutionary's resignation came after two major allies of his coalition government pulled out Sunday following a long quarrel over the sacking of the army chief, leaving the Prachanda government under the cloud of a no-trust vote in parliament and likely defeat. In his brief message, the 55-year-old, who rose from the grassroots to lead a 10-year armed uprising against the government, blamed the political parties, which included the opposition as well as his own allies, as well as "foreign powers" for the lack of progress made by his eight-month government. Without naming India, he also accused the southern neighbour of interfering in Nepal's internal matters and said the country would never bow down before foreign masters. The prime minister also charged President Ram Baran Yadav of going against the constitution by reinstating army chief Gen Rookmangud Katawal who, he said, had been dismissed by an elected government to ensure the sovereignty of the people. The presidential move was a death blow to Nepal's "fledgling republic", he said. At the end of the address, during which Prachanda fumbled and looked ill at ease, he announced his resignation, evoking images of a similar televised address by deposed king Gyanendra three years ago when the monarch stepped down as head of government after widespread protests. The resignation was welcomed by the opposition Nepali Congress party that Monday had begun calling for Prachanda's resignation. "It was a good decision," former minister and NC lawmaker Prakash Man Singh said. "Since his government became a minority one with the pullout of the communists and the Nepal Sadbhavana Party, there was no moral ground for it to continue." The alienation of the Maoists, who won the highest number of seats in the last election, was underscored Monday when a crucial cabinet meeting called by Prachanda hours before his resignation was boycotted by the two remaining allies, the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum and Communist Party of Nepal (United). Singh said his party had begun consultations with the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) for the formation of a new government. "We are likely to support a UML-led government from outside," he said. Fears of violence spread through the nation as public rallies erupted in the capital, Banepa and Birgunj cities. While Maoist cadres condemned the president, eight sister organisations of the NC, joined by the UML's youth wings, criticised the "despotic" nature of the Maoist government. To pre-empt clashes, Kathmandu authorities prohibited rallies and demonstrations in front of the army headquarters and Shital Niwas, the residence and office of the president. The fall of the Maoist government raises fresh fears about the fate of the fragile peace process, especially the proposed merger of their guerrilla fighters with the Nepal Army and the drafting of a new constitution by next year. It also creates a bad precedent of the army and constitutional head of state locking horns with an elected government. While there was no immediate reaction from the international community, the UN, watching the developments with rising concern, called for restraint and consensus. "The secretary general is seriously concerned about the current political crisis in Nepal centred on the relationship between the government and the chief of army staff and the possible risks posed to the peace process," a statement issued by the UN chief's office in New York said. "The secretary general calls on all concerned to resolve the crisis through dialogue and consensus, with full respect for the provisions of the constitution."

Two with suspected swine flu admitted to Kerala hospital

Kochi: A 25-year-old woman and an 11-year-old boy who arrived at the international airport here from Europe were admitted to hospital with symptoms of swine flu today, an official said. The two arrived here on an early morning flight and were found to have influenza but it was not clear whether it was swine flu, which is influenza A (H1NI). They were shifted to the government-run hospital in Permbavoor sub district. "On medical tests at the airport it was found out that both of them had flu. For some time they were kept in the airport and then shifted to the hospital. We are waiting for the arrival of the kit to transport the samples taken from them. All the tests will be done in Delhi," said Ernakulam district medical officer K.T. Remani. The boy from London and the woman from Vienna both hail from Aluva near here. Since the outbreak of influenza A (HINI) in several parts of the world, all the three international airports in the state have opened counters to screen all incoming passengers for the infection.

Two held for Ambani chopper sabotage

Mumbai: Two employees of aircraft maintenance firm Air Works India Engineering Pvt Ltd were today arrested for their alleged role in the sabotage of industrialist Anil Ambani's helicopter, police said. "Our investigations show that the two have played a major role in the conspiracy leading to the tampering of the Bell 412 helicopter belonging to the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG)," a police official said. The duo have been identified as Palraj Thevar and Uday Warekar, working as technical helpers in the company. They would be presented before a magistrate at the metropolitan court later Monday, he added. Apart from the two, the police are also interrogating a former Air Works employee, Vijay Patankar, who was detained Sunday, the official said. ADAG had written to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan demanding a Crime Branch inquiry into the conspiracy after a technician found pebbles and mud in the fuel tank of the chopper April 23 near the Air Works hangar in Santacruz Airport. It had alleged that business rivals may be behind the "attempt to murder" the industrialist by trying to sabotage his helicopter. Air Works was maintaining the chopper under a contract with ADAG since 2006. Following the incident, ADAG cancelled its contract with Air Works last Wednesday. Air Works officials were not available for comment. What made the incident murkier was the mysterious death of the aircraft technician Bharat Borge, who discovered the pebbles in the chopper's fuel tank. His body was found on the railway tracks April 28.

Sri Lanka hails Indian medical aid to war displaced

Colombo: Sri Lanka has hailed neighbouring India for providing urgent healthcare assistance to thousands of civilians fleeing the island's northern war zone where the troops and the Tamil Tigers are locked in a fierce battle. Visiting the Indian field hospital at Pulmoddai in the eastern port city of Trincomalee, senior presidential adviser and legislator Basil Rajapaksa on Sunday said Sri Lankans would "never forget how India came to the assistance of civilians who were affected by LTTE atrocities". Nearly 200,000 people have fled the war zone and come to the government-controlled areas since the beginning of this year. They have been temporarily housed at refugee camps and welfare centres in the northern Vavuniya town. According to reports, the 62-member Indian medical team, including eight doctors, treated more than 10,000 civilians since March 12 at the field hospital, which is equipped with all modern facilities including surgery theatres. Basil Rajapaksa, who is the younger brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has said the programme launched by India to provide urgent medical assistance to the war-displaced "has achieved tremendous success and India deserves the commendations from all segments of Sri Lankan society". "The Indian medical team has made the (Sri Lankan) security forces' mission to free innocent civilians from the clutches of terrorists easier," the state-run Daily News has quoted Basil Rajapaksa as saying. Accompanying Rajapaksa to the Pulmoddai hospital, Indian High Commissioner Alok Prasad said the full fledged mobile hospital set up by India was aimed at promoting health facilities for the displaced civilians. "The hospital has been able to cater to the medical needs of all civilians brought to Pulmoddai by ship. This hospital symbolises how India is concerned for its neighbour, Sri Lanka and the people," the Indian High Commissioner has been quoted as saying. India Thursday handed over its second consignment of 900 tonnes of humanitarian relief assistance to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to be distributed among thousands of war-displaced civilians in the north. The Sri Lankan military say that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which had been fighting to carve out a separate state in the northern and eastern region of the island nation over a quarter century, has now been cornered into a small coastal land strip of less than ten square kilometres where they were "facing an inevitable defeat".

Congress, SP and BSP have always deceived Muslims: Modi

Lucknow: The Congress, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) may project themselves as "custodians of Muslim rights" but had always deceived the community they saw as a vote bank, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said today and termed Manmohan Singh a "weak prime minister". "Congress, SP and BSP have always deceived Muslims. After exploiting Muslims, the parties kick them like a football," Modi said at an election rally in Aligarh district, about 300 km from here. Accusing the Congress of appeasing Muslims to get political mileage, Modi said: "The Sachar committee (set up to look into the social, economic and educational status of Muslims) was constituted by the Congress-led central government only to misguide Muslims." The chief minister, who has often been asked to apologise for the 2002 Gujarat riots, said the condition of Muslims in Gujarat was better than that in other states. Terming Manmohan Singh a weak prime minister, Modi criticised him for not taking any action over the atrocities committed on Sikh community in Pakistan, being targeted by Taliban militants in the restive tribal areas. "I want to know what action our PM has taken in this regard?" he asked. Only three members of the Gandhi family - Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi - had been describing Manmohan Singh as a strong and successful PM, while the fact was he had failed to deliver his responsibilities, Modi said. He also accused the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of not taking any concrete steps to counter the illegal cross border migration from Bangladesh. Blaming BSP and SP for backwardness in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said: "Earlier, criminals used to ride bicycles (election symbol of the SP) and now they are riding the elephant (election symbol of the BSP) and creating obstructions in the development of the state."

Fake IPL player lights up Kolkata Knight Riders camp in South Africa

Ponting was originally purchased by the Kolkata Knight Riders before citing relaxation before the Ashes. And since his decision, the Indian Premier League outfit has won once in seven matches and for the last two weeks has seen revelations escalate on the internet thanks to a rogue blogger.

The unknown poster, who goes by the name of 'Fake IPL Player', claims to be part of the KKR squad and has been a huge irritant to owner Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood star and Kolkata's owner, who has been nicknamed 'Vinnie Dildo'.

The blogger has posted frequent missives on the web by using nicknames for players while revealing subjects from secret team meetings to tension-filled nights out. Skipper Saurav Ganguly has been labelled "Lordie" while other IPL stars such as Sachin Tendulkar have been referred to as "Little Monster" and Yuvraj Singh as "Prince Charles of Patiala".

In one of his posts, he wrote: “My team has a superstar captain...err sorry...ex-captain. We have a megalomaniac as our owner. Our coach comes with loads of attitude and baggage. Some of our international players are interesting characters. Unfortunately, our biggest international player has dropped out this time. Otherwise, the scenes would have been even more interesting."

The blogging saga - which has enlightened the plethora of matches, TV time-outs and general IPL mass-marketing machine - appears to point at a frustrated fringe player after posts became less frequent as players were sent home.

Kolkata coach John Buchanan, who also came under fire when Fake IPL player said that 'Bhooka Naan' might as well send his "laptop in to bat the next time, given the amount of time he spends with it", recently released Aakash Chopra and Sanjay Bangar but the team have quelled speculation as to their blogging merits.

KKR CEO Joy Bhattacharya wrote on the team's offical website: "There is a blog spot which a team member showed me this morning which purports to be from a member of the KKR entourage.

"Poison pen writing of the dirtiest variety, but far too many factual errors. Who ever it is out there is obviously very sick, perverted and has far too little information or insight to successfully pretend to be a part of us."

However, the blogs have clearly caused a rift in the team dressing-room as Fake IPL player has grown in popularity, while Google Trends reported a massive surge in hits for the website.

With so many IPL matches still to run, the rumours will run as to the blogger's true identity. But as he wrote on his most recent post, thoerists will have to wait. "I have decided to retire from all forms of cricket after IPL. I will disclose my identity on our last match day."

**Rumours have suggested that Aakash Chopra is the mystery blogger after he was released to fly home

Defeat the Left Front, Rahul tells Bengal

Baharampur, West Bengal: Speaking in the Communist bastion of West Bengal, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi today asked people not to vote for the Left Front and said it only indulges in big talk but does little for the poor. "The Communist government here does not work for the poor, tribals and backward classes. They always indulge in tall talk but when it comes to implementation, they just do nothing," he said at a rally here during his second campaign visit to the state for the Lok Sabha elections. "The people of West Bengal will have to think and take their decision. It's incumbent on them which government they will choose at the centre. They also have to bring change, defeating the ruling Left Front government in the state." Rahul Gandhi also accused the Communist government of not implementing the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) and failing to work for the development of the poor. "I used to think the Communist government here works for the betterment of backward sections. But I am surprised to see the real situation," he said, adding: "They can only criticise the policies formulated by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre". He said under the NREGS, there was a guarantee of 100 days work, but in West Bengal people only get 17 days of work. "What type of a Communist government is this, which does not work for the poor?" he asked. Gandhi was in Murshidabad district, about 250 km from state capital Kolkata, to campaign for Congress candidate and local strongman Adhir Chowdhury who is contesting from the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat. Earlier in the day, Rahul visited Murshidabad constituency, which goes to polls in the next phase of Lok Sabha elections May 7. There he spoke out against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), accusing it of trying to divide the country into rich and poor. "The NDA wants to divide the country into two - one comprising a chosen few and another with the common people and backward sections," he said, referring to the 'India Shining' campaign of the NDA during the 2004 elections. "The NDA government forgot farmers, but we gave Rs.700 billion to farmers (in loan waivers). We have opened the bank doors for farmers who were unable to take loans as they were already indebted to banks. But now they can take loans," Rahul Gandhi said. Three-phased Lok Sabha polls are being held in West Bengal, of which two are still left.

8 awarded life imprisonment for killing four in MP

Ratlam (MP): A special court here convicted eight persons to life imprisonment and ordered a fine of Rs 1,000 each on them for killing four persons, including a tribal. However, the Special Judge P S Patidar on Friday freed five others, including two minors, who too were accused in the killings. According to the prosecution, names of the convicts are Babulal Gujjar, Rakesh, Dileep, Gudda, Jamuna Lal, Shakilal, Ganesh and Kailesh killed Bablu alias Sanjay, Kaka Vishnu Yadav, Haria and Rama Adivasi. The convicts after killing the four persons with sharp-edged weapons threw their bodies near a railway track under Raoti police station area on November 2, 2005, the prosecution added. The deceased Bablu had a land dispute with the convicts and a case in this regard was going on in a court in Ratlam. The dispute took a violent turn when the convicts killed Bablu and three others along with him, the court was told.

Government diluting tobacco warning under pressure

Chennai: Former central health minister Anbumani Ramadoss today alleged the government had succumbed to pressure from the tobacco and cigarette manufacturers' lobby to dilute the pictorial warning specifications on cigarette packets. Addressing the media here, he said: "I understand the government has decided to have pictorial warning of 40 percent only on retail cigarette and beedi packets and not on other bulk packages." According to him,the minimum pictorial warning sign on one side of the packet is 30 percent internationally. In India, it is going to be 20 percent on one side as the government has decided on 40 percent norm. "I had recorded in the minutes of the meeting of Group of Ministers chaired by (External Affairs) Pranab Mukherjee held on Feb 3 that no decision on pictorial warning was taken. The minutes of that meeting seems to be changed after I quit the government," he alleged. With the country in poll mode, he queried the necessity of the government in taking a policy decision changing the cigarettes and tobacco packing rules, violating the electoral conduct code and also when a case on this issue is pending in the Supreme Court. Exempting gunny bags and other bulk tobacco packaging modes is contravention of the existing laws, Ramadoss added. Images of skull and bones, scorpion (the zodiac sign for cancer), lungs are some of the pictorial warning options. The new rule is expected to come into effect from May 31 onwards. Expressing fear of large scale violence in the seven Lok Sabha constituencies (six in Tamil Nadu and one Puducherry) in which his party Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) is contesting, he alleged opposing parties had roped in 1,000 criminals to disrupt polling. Confident of the AIADMK-led alliance in which PMK is one of the constituent would sweep the Lok Sabha polls, Ramadoss said: "There is a wave against the ruling DMK party in the state. If elections are held today, our alliance will win 36 seats out of 40 (39 in Tamil Nadu and 1 in Puducherry)." Asked about the remaining four seats and how the alliance partners are going to win over the voters he said: "That is our poll strategy which cannot be disclosed now.

23 Sea Tigers killed; Lanka Navy foils escape

Colombo: Sri Lankan forces on Friday foiled another desperate attempt by Tamil Tigers to break out, sinking their three boats in a pre-dawn strike killing 23 Sea Tigers and in a further embarrassment for the rebels 58 child soldiers, including a senior female LTTE leader, surrendered.

The Lankan warships who have blockaded the small coastline off Mullaittivu, still held by the Tigers noticed an attempt by three LTTE boats to take to sea and sank them after challenging them, a Naval spokesman said.

This is second time in less than four days that Sri Lankan navy has thwarted attempts by Tamil Tigers to put their boats to sea. The encounter comes as reports say that the entire LTTE leadership including its Supremo V Prabhakaran are holed up in a small stretch of land.

The Tamil Tigers also on Friday took their war into the cyberspace by hacking into the official website of the Sri Lankan army.

The hackers believe to be Tiger computer experts replaced the contents with photographs of civilians killed in military action in the north east.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa rejected the calls for a cease-fire. "We fearlessly stood up to a brand of terrorism that the entire world believed was invincible," he said in a May Day address.

Government forces, meanwhile, have tightened their siege of the last strip of land on the island still controlled by Tamil Tigers and are poised for a final assault, the military said.

"The Tigers have no land escape routes left," a military official said. In the battle-front, three Divisions of the Sri Lankan force estimated to number around 22-30,000 have surrounded the Tigers, whose fighting cadres are reported to be around 900-1,200.

"We have troops in place to move in at anytime," the official said.

Thirty-eight boys and 20 girls aged between 14 and 17 years surrendered to the authorities in Kilinochchi on Thursday, the army said.

The child soldiers were produced before the Vavuniya district court which ordered they be immediately sent to the rehabilitation center in Amberpussa in the region.

Meanwhile, a senior female LTTE cadre 'Sudharmali' surrendered to the Samanthurai police station in Eastern Ampara. She gave herself up through the Red Cross on Thursday.

"Thiyagaraja Kamaleshwari alias "Sudharmali" is known to be one of the most senior member of the LTTE for three years," the defence ministry said, adding she was a resident of a nearby area.

US to Pak: Destroy Taliban in 2 weeks or face action

New Delhi: The US has served an ultimatum to the Zardari government. Top US General, General David Petraeus - who is the head of the US Central Command - has hinted at direct action from his country if Pakistan doesn't destroy the Taliban within two weeks.

The stern warning from General Petraeus comes at a time when the US is urging Pakistan to act instead of talk. He was hinting at a possible move from military aid to military intervention.

Petraeus also put Pakistan's army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani above the Zardari government and said the army will fight and survive the Taliban unlike the government.

Briefing the Obama administration, Petraeus said, "The Pakistanis have run out of excuses. We have heard it all before. I am looking to see concrete action by the government to destroy the Taliban in the next two weeks before determining the United States' next course of action."

A few days ago, Petraeus had said that extremist elements were the most serious threat to Pakistan.

"The threat posed by the extremists internal to Pakistan represents what most observers assess to be the most significant threat to the very existence of Pakistan, as opposed to the traditional threat that the Pakistani military has focused on to the east with India," General Petraeus said.

However, in response to a question General Petraeus said the nuclear weapons of the country are safe at present. "We are confident in the security of their nuclear weapons and their storage and handling of those," he said.

"It's an enormous shift for the Pakistani military to change from a focus that is almost exclusively on conventional military operations -- in other words, offense and defense along their eastern boundary with India -- to focus more on dealing with the irregular warfare threat posed by the internal extremists."

He also noted that there was a significant offensive operation underway in parts of the North-West Frontier Province in Pakistan and that there was a determination by Pak military to roll back some of these advances by the Pakistani Taliban.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has rejected the deadline saying, "US should respect that democratic countries can't be dictated to. We are doing our level best to finish off all terror elements from the country. We have shown in the past also that we don't accept any timelines. We are working hard."

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has chosen to set the record straight saying the army is under the government and not the other way round.

"The army works under the civil government and whenever the civil government wants, it can ask the army to step in," Gilani stated.

Pakistani army's offensive against the Taliban in Buner and Dir has entered the fourth day on Friday. Five militants have been killed in a fresh offensive by security forces in the Maidan area of lower Dir.

Heavy artillery shelling and firing by gunships conitnues in the area and six civilians have been killed in the shelling in Buner. Meanwhile, the Taliban has released the 10 abducted policemen from Upper Dir, but claims it has attacked a security convoy killing 60 personnel. Police stations in Swat have been vacated fearing the Taliban after four policemen were abducted.

There are indications that if the situation dteriorates, the army may launch its next offensive in Swat. Meanwhile, Sufi Mohammad has accepted the government's offer for talks which will be held in Timergarah town in Lower Dir on Friday.

Clean chit for Reliance men in Borge death case

Mumbai: The Government Railway Police (GRP) on Friday gave a clean chit to three Anil Durubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) officials, including former Maharashtra Director General of Police K K Kashyap, in the alleged suicide of Bharat Borge.

Railway Police claim the three officials were not involved in the death of Borge in any way. The three security officials of ADAG had met Borge on the evening of April 27 to thank him.

The two other officials are retired assistant commissioner of police Shailesh Kale and retired Wing Commander Pradip Chawla.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Prakash Sawant said that the officials he had questioned had nothing to do with Borge's death.

"I took Wing Commander Pradip Chawla and security officer Sailesh Kale's statements. They had gone there to do their work. They commended him for detecting the pebbles and mud, and then they went away." said Sawant.

Borge was the first person to notice mud and pebbles inside the filter tank of Anil Ambani’s Bell 412 helicopter on April 23. The billionaire businessman and nine Reliance Infocomm officials were scheduled to fly in the helicopter to Navi Mumbai on April 24.

The ADAG filed a complain alleging that the sabotage was an attempt to kill Ambani.

Four employees of Airworks Indian Pvt Ltd, the company that maintained the helicopter, were arrested and then released after questioning.

Forty-five-year-old Borge, a senior technician of Airworks, was found dead on the railway tracks near Vile Parle level crossing on April 28 with severe head injuries.

Police have sought help from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and have sent the pebbles to Forensic Science Laboratory to determine type and composition and aid the investigation.

Relief for Varun Gandhi, parole extended till May 14

New Delhi: Supreme Court on Friday extended the parole granted to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Pilibhit Lok Sabha seat Varun Gandhi till May 14.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan heard Varun's petition challenging the imposition of National Security Act (NSA) on him by the Mayawati government for his hate speech intimidating Muslims.

The two other Justices on the bench were P Sathasivam and J M Panchal.

The Supreme Court had released him on two-week parole on April 16 subject to the rider that he would give an undertaking to jail superintendent Etah and also to the apex court that he will not deliver any provocative speech.

The apex court had ordered his release on parole despite stiff opposition by the Mayawati government to his release which said that Varun Gandhi was a national threat and his release could lead to serious public order problem.

The UP government had invoked NSA on March 29 against him, following violence in Pilibhit on March 28 during his surrender before a local court.

Varun had allegedly delivered the hate speech on March 8 during a public meeting.

The apex court, however, felt that invoking NSA against Varun was too drastic a step.

Pilibhit, from where he is contesting LS elections, goes to polls on May 7.

According to Varun, imposition of NSA against him is politically motivated and has no legal basis.

Varun unhurt as dais collapses

Lucknow: A dais that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Varun Gandhi was standing on collapsed on Friday in his Pilibhit constituency in Uttar Pradesh, but he did not suffer any injuries, police said.

"The four-feet high dais collapsed just before Varun was about to start his public address in the Bithaura area of Pilibhit," Additional Superintendent of Police D K Chaudhary said.

Pilibhit is about 250 km from Lucknow.

The stage prepared by party workers could not bear the load of around 15 people who had climbed on it, he said. According to police, no one was injured in the incident.

The Supreme Court on Friday extended Varun Gandhi's parole till May 14, one day after balloting concludes in India's five-phase general elections.

He was charged under the National Security Act by the Uttar Pradesh government and arrested on March 28 for reportedly making communally inflamed remarks. The Supreme Court had released him on two weeks' parole till May 1 after he gave an undertaking that he would not deliver hate speeches.