Senior US official arrives in Pakistan to discuss terrorism
Islamabad, Jan 5 (IANS) United States Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher has arrived in Pakistan to discuss terrorism issues in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, a senior diplomat said here Monday.

He said that Boucher will meet President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and senior officials to deliberate on Pakistan's relationship with India after the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai.

The US official in charge of South Asia in the outgoing Bush Administration ... Read More

I have to live somewhere if India denies me shelter: Taslima
London, Jan 5 (IANS) Noted Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen has refused to scotch reports that she is about to settle down in Paris, saying repeated denials of shelter by New Delhi and Dhaka means she has to find some other place to live in.

"I have to settle somewhere if I am repeatedly denied by the Bangladesh government as well as Indian government to live in Bangladesh or India where I belong," Nasreen said in written ... Read More

Lankan troops enter southern end of Elephant Pass: official
Colombo, Jan 05 (IANS) Sri Lankan troops fighting their way northwards from the recently captured former LTTE stronghold of Kilinochchi Monday entered the southern end of Elephant Pass despite resistance from the rebels, an official said here.

Geared up after their latest success of capturing the politico-administrative town of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after a decade, the troops backed by armour, artillery and aerial bombardment were poised to retake the next major landmark ... Read More

After Pashupatinath, Maoists lock horns with army
Kathmandu, Jan 5 (IANS) After dragging Nepal's revered Hindu shrine of Pashupatinath into a furious dispute, Nepal's Maoist government has now locked horns with the republic's army, triggering a fresh battle over new recruitment.

The former guerrilla party, which during its 10-year insurrection regarded the state army as its arch enemy, is now once again locked in a fierce verbal war with its former bête noir as Maoist Defence Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal Monday warned ... Read More

ULFA training Tripura rebels in Bangladesh, say former militants
Agartala, Jan 5 (IANS) Four top tribal separatist leaders, who surrendered before authorities in Tripura, revealed they were trained by the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in Bangladesh, officials said Monday.

A police spokesman said the four militants, two of them women, of the outlawed All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), surrendered before the police late Sunday.

ATTF leader M. Debbarma and Royal Debbarma and their wives fled from their camps ... Read More

No decision yet on handing over Prabhakaran to India: Sri Lanka
Colombo, Jan 5 (IANS) Sri Lanka has said that it has not yet taken a decision whether or not to hand over Tamil Tiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran to India if he is caught alive by its troops, who are currently approaching the last major rebel bastions in the jungle district of Mullaitivu.

According to a local media report, defence spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has said Colombo would consider the matter seriously if India was to make ... Read More

Pakistan committed to friendly ties with India: Minister
Islamabad, Jan 5 (IANS) Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that Pakistan remains committed to maintaining friendly ties with all neighbouring countries, including India, and seeks a regional approach to tackle terrorism so as to stop the recurrence of Mumbai-like incidents, a media report said.

The News daily quoted Qureshi saying in his hometown Multan: "The Mumbai attack was a big incident, which caused great damage and we need to get to the bottom ... Read More

Pakistan confirms receiving evidence on Mumbai attacks
Islamabad, Jan 5 (Xinhua) Pakistan Monday confirmed it has received evidence regarding Mumbai terror attacks from India, and "concerned authorities" were "examining the material".

India's Extrenal Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday said that India has handed over evidence on the Mumbai attacks to Pakistan and expected a prompt investigation. Mukherjee said this material is linked to elements in Pakistan.

"The material has been received in Pakistan now and is being examined by concerned authorities," said ... Read More

Big B cancels Nepal trip due to Pashupatinath row
Kathmandu, Jan 5 (IANS) Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan cancelled his scheduled visit to Nepal this week at the last moment due to the deepening row over the hallowed Pashupatinath temple that has pitted Nepal's Maoist government against priests and Hindu devotees, said a report Monday.

Former Indian defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was also chief minister of Uttar Pradesh - once one of India's biggest states - and heads the powerful Samajwadi Party, told Nepal's ... Read More

Seven killed, 25 injured in Pakistan blasts
Islamabad, Jan 4 (IANS) Seven people were killed and 25 others injured Sunday in two blasts in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, GEO TV reported.

According to the report, the blasts occurred near a college in Dera Ismail Khan city. The injured, including security personnel, were rushed to hospitals, it said.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani have strongly condemned the blasts. ... Read More

Protesters attacked at Pashupatinath temple
Kathmandu, Jan 4 (IANS) After a week of simmering tension, violence erupted on the hallowed premises of Nepal's Pashupatinath temple Sunday as a mob, alleged to be Maoists, attacked a rally by temple helpers who were protesting the ouster of three Indian priests and the controversial appointment of two Nepalis in their place.

Ten people, including Rajbhandaris - Nepalis who have traditionally been assisting priests during worship at the 17th century temple - as well as ... Read More

Troops tighten hold on Kilinochchi, vow to hunt down Prabhakaran
Kilinochchi (Sri Lanka), Jan 4 (IANS) Sri Lankan troops consolidating their positions in this former Tamil Tiger stronghold have vowed to continue their fierce offensive campaign till they hunt down the elusive rebel chief, Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Two days after the battle-hardened soldiers seized Kilinochchi, a town the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had controlled over for 10 long years, the army is busy consolidating its control over the sprawling area.

A group of reporters and ... Read More

Zia, opposition give miss to parliament swearing-in
Dhaka, Jan 4 (IANS) Begum Khaleda Zia and the lawmakers-elect of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) stayed away from Sunday's swearing-in ceremony in parliament, but assigned no reason.

The BNP, which received a severe drubbing winning only 29 of the 300 seats of the hosue, has alleged that the poll was "stage managed" and had large-scale rigging. But it has also indicated its desire to join parliament and cooperate.

The BNP decided not to take ... Read More