Gayle shines, Bangalore beat Mumbai to reach IPL 4 Final

Breaking News! The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) thrashed Mumbai Indians by 43 runs in the playoff to reach the grand finale of IPL 4. They will take on Chennai Super Kings in the final tomorrow, on June 28.

The devastating Chris Gayle yet again proved his power, as the Royal Challengers Bangalore scored 113/0 in 10.4 overs after being asked to bat first by Mumbai Indians.

Mayank Agarwal was put for 41 off 31 balls. Chris Gayle continued his onslaught and scored 89 off 47 balls with 9 boundaries and 5 sixes. At one stage, RCB were 148/2 in 14.4 overs.

The Mumbai Indians made a comeback and restricted them to 185/4 in 20 overs. AB de Villiers remained unbeaten on 21. For Mumbai Indians, Munaf Patel took two wickets.

Chasing a victory target of 186, Mumabi Indians lost wickets at regular intervals. Only Sachin Tendulkar offered some resistance. No other basmen clicked when the mattered the most.

The Mumbai Indians finished at 142//8 in 20 overs and lost the match by 43 runs. Tendulkar scored 40 off 24 balls. For RCB, Daniel Vettori took three wickets, while Sreenath Aravind and Syed Mohammad took two wickets each. Chris Gayle was declared 'Man of the Match'.It was his sixth 'Man of the Match' award in the IPL. Gayle, who joined the RCB in the middle of the tournament, has scored 608 runs so far with two hundreds.

This is the second time the RCB has qualified for the IPL final. They will be looking forward to avenge their defeat against the Chennai Super Kings in the first playoff.

Lashkar as big a threat as al-Qaida, admits US

The US has acknowledged that ISI-backed terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is as big a threat as al-Qaida.

US secretary for homeland security Janet Napolitano said, "I think in my judgment, the LeT ranks right up there in the al-Qaida and related groups as terrorist organisations, one that seeks to harm people and takes innocent lives." The statement of the US official, who is here for a bilateral security dialogue, comes in the wake of strong evidence that Lashkar had outgrown its initial focus on J&K to emerge as a global terror threat, matching al-Qaida in aspiration, resources and reach.

"Our perspective, the US perspective, is LeT is very very, I do not want to say important as that gives it too much credibility, but an organisation that is of the same ranking as the al-Qaida related groups," Napolitano said after the first homeland security dialogue with home minister P Chidambaram on Friday.

Napolitano was talking against the backdrop of the Chicago trial of Pakistan-born Lashkar jihadis David Headley alias Dawood Gilani and Tahawwur Hussain Rana in connection with the ISI-scripted 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai.

Headley has disclosed to the US's Federal Bureau of Investigation that Lashkar, which set out by seeking to wage jihad to wrest "Muslim lands" of J&K, Hyderabad and Junagarh, has now set its sight farther afield, plotting to assassinate the editor of a Danish newspaper which had published offending cartoons of Prophet Mohammad.

During the Mumbai attacks as well, the Lashkar terrorists targeted westerners, killing six Americans among others.

Pre-26/11, Pakistan had consistently held that Lashkar, being devoted to the "liberation" of Kashmir, posed no threat to the US. The alibi had started wearing thin after Lashkar terrorists were found to be involved in terror plots in the US and Australia before 26/11 and the mounting evidence of its collaboration with al-Qaida in Afghanistan alerted the Americans to the grave threat.

Napolitano said the US had worked with India on investigations into the Mumbai attacks and would grant Indian investigators further access to Headley.

"The United States has given India full access to the witness and once the case is over, more access will be given. It is an example of how our two countries cooperate," she said. She, however, did not respond to questions on if the US should influence Pakistan in extradition of one of the most wanted men -- Hafiz Saeed.

Earlier in the day, Chidambaram had described Pakistan as the most "difficult neighbourhood" in the world. In his opening remarks to the homeland security dialogue, he said, "The global epicentre of terrorism is in our immediate western neighbourhood. The vast infrastructure of terrorism in Pakistan has for long flourished as an instrument of state policy."

The minister added, "Today, different terrorist groups, operating from the safe havens in Pakistan, are becoming increasingly fused. The society in Pakistan has become increasingly radicalised. Its economy has weakened and the state structure in Pakistan has become fragile." Terming terrorism as the "principal challenge" for both the countries, Chidambaram pushed for the need to address challenges, including counterfeit currency, narcotics trafficking, threats and risks in cyber space. In a joint statement, the two countries expressed the need for cooperation in tackling money laundering and fake currency menace, cyber security, illicit financing, transnational crimes besides cooperation in issues related to cross-border terrorism.

The two leaders agreed to strengthen intelligence exchange, information sharing, forensics and investigation, access and sharing of data relating to terrorism and security of infrastructure. The two sides are expected to meet after six months to review progress.

On the issue of Krittika Biswas having sued New York City, Napolitano said she sympathized with her but did not want to comment on the matter as it was in court.

Napolitano also met finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on cooperation and assistance in money laundering, counterfeiting of currency, cross-border terrorism, cyber security and secured cargo.

In the meeting, Mukherjee stressed on the need for cooperation in investigations relating to money laundering, drug-money flow, stashing of black money abroad and transfer-pricing mechanism.

Accidents Clijsters, Sharapova Escapes Scare Teens French Open

PARIS (AFP) - Kim Clijsters crashed at Roland Garros on Thursday, its worst result in nine Grand Slam, while Russian Maria Sharapova escaped humiliation at the hands of a young French intrepid 17.

Clijsters, seeded second set and lost a 5-2 lead and squandered two match points to close with a magnificent 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 second round defeat to the Netherlands Arantxa Rus, the World number 114.

Seventh seed Sharapova returns a set and 1-4 to win 11 straight games to defeat world number one 188 Caroline Garcia, playing in his tournament-Second Round, 3-6, 6-4, 6 - 0.

Although he has not played a match on clay in preparation for Roland Garros due to a shoulder problem, then an ankle injury in freak dancing at the wedding of a cousin, said Clijsters she was ready to compete.

"I'm glad I gave myself a chance If I had said." It 'best not to be "a real loser would be the attitude," said U.S. and Australian Open was played in Paris the first time since 2006.

"I was well trained. Physically everything was fine. I was completely ready. "

On a cold and windy field Foundries Cat Philip, 27 for runner-up in 2001 and 2003, has committed a total of 65 unforced errors and 10 double rooms.

Slim Rus 1.80 m, is named after the Spanish Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, three-time champion at Roland Garros, said: "It 's been my greatest triumph of Kim is my hero, I played tennis a fantastic ... "

Rus is the first Dutchman to make the third round of a Grand Slam by Michaella Kracijek Wimbledon in 2007 and next face Russia's Maria Kirilenko, who organized the last 16

Sharapova, the former world number one and winner of three Grand Slam title, set to monitor Clijsters out of the tournament.

But the star of Russia called his famous fighting spirit to create a showdown with Taiwan's Chan Yung-Jan for a place in the last 16 after a bruising experience.

"It's never over till it's over. No matter what situation you are, you have to keep fighting," said Sharapova, who was scheduled to face Clijsters in the last eight.

"I never felt comfortable. He served well, but I felt his pace has slowed as the game progressed, especially on his serve. And maybe at first I was too focused on the conditions instead of myself."

It was a clinical performance by Garcia, 57, $ 000 in career earnings pale in comparison to the wealth Sharapova on the court about 15 million, and that dominated the first half of the tie.

Garcia, the daughter of Lyon real estate agent, do not trust going to match the biggest sporting drawcard support confidence of being the world leader in the near future.

He regularly found in the corners and the lines of the famous Court of surgical precision when Sharapova heavy legs and struggling to find his usual clinical, great game.

After wrapping the first set, it was soon 4-1 ahead in the other direction and celebrated a triumph.

But Sharapova, who has never reached the final in Paris, were not to go quietly and leveled 4-4.

Thus, a crucial over-rule in his favor at 30-30 in the next game swung tie stuck in her favor and she did not look back as she romped to victory against visibly tiring Garcia.

"From the second set, I was hitting the ball much harder, and the nonsense he did in the first set, which makes them," Garcia said.

Even the last 32 were fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, which has facilitated seed Pauline Parmentier past French 6-0, 6-1 and sixth, China's Li Na, who saw off Spanish qualifier Silvia Soler-Espinosa, 6 -4, 7-5.

Australia runner-up Li face Sorana Cirstea of ​​a place in the last 16 after Romania, quarter-finalist in 2009, defeated the 27th seeded compatriot Alexandra Dulgheru 6-2, 7-5.

Tournament Dark Horse Petra Kvitova, ninth-seeded czech, who won the Madrid Masters earlier this month, beat Zheng Jie 6-4, 6-1.

Kim Clijsters Upset At French Open, Nadal, Murray, Soderling Move On

Second-seeded Kim Clijsters # 1 above, which was mounted on a 15-match Grand Slam winning streak, you can see flashes of his dominant form at some point before losing to an enemy of the Dutch 20, 3-6 , 7-5, 6-1. Clijsters groping for the way in the game, but also accumulated an impressive 65 unforced errors and lost 11 of their last 12 games over second-round match.

Kim Clijsters saw her attempt to return to Roland Garros final collapse Thursday as the two-time French Open runner-up succumbed to Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands in the round of 64.

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Another former No. 1-seeded Clijsters, who had been riding a 15-match Grand Slam winning streak, has managed to show flashes of his dominant position at one stage before losing his enemy of 20 years, Dutch, 3 -6, 7-5, 6-1.

After cruising to a victory in the first game, the Belgian superstar a chance to reach the world No. 114: e Dutch woman while leading 5-2 in the second set, but the Russian champion in 2008 Australian Open junior saved match point.

The Clijsters, 27, groping for the way in the game and has amassed an impressive 65 unforced errors and lost 11 of their last 12 games over second-round match.

Russia will face No. 25: th seed Maria Kirilenko of Russia, a straight sets win Chanelle Scheepers South Africa.

Other winners included seeds Day 5 ninth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitoval, No. 12 seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and No. 21 Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium.

Call on the man, five-time defending champion Rafael Nadal, the three-time Grand Slam runner-up Andy Murray in the fifth-seeded Robin Soderling Swedish led the winners in the second round on Thursday.

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who come from a thrilling five-set marathon against the towering American John Isner, won another tough test against fellow Spaniard Pablo Andujar 7-5, 6-3, 7 - 6 (7-4).

When you win, reigning U.S. Open, Wimbledon and French Open champion Nadal improved to an impressive 40-1 in life when Roland Garros.

At the end of last year, Nadal Soderling in mind to use French Open title he held for four consecutive years from 2005 to 08. Soderling was responsible for a major tournament point Nadal in 2009, when he surprised the Spanish in the round super room.

Nadal, seeking to match a record sixth title here, will face Croatia hilly Antonio Veic, who ousted No. 28: E-seeded former top-five Russian Nikolay Davydenko in five sets on Day 5

Fourth-seeded Scot Murray, who is about to advance to the quarterfinals of her first clay tournament of the only Grand Slam Italian Simone Bolelli survived by 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 7-5.

Two-time finalist Soderling, however, relegated Spanish qualifier Alberto Ramos away with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

In other matches, seed, 10th-seeded American Mardy Fish and No. No. 16 Fernando Verdasco of Spain also booked a place in the third round.

Reyes Blue Jays Games Without A Win With A Record Of The Early 28th

NEW YORK - The Blue Jays Jo-Jo Reyes tied a major league record by making his 28th start recording a consecutive win.

Reyes was pulled after the third inning of play Wednesday against the New York Yankees at Toronto behind 5-0. Mancino ago all five on five hits and two walks, including a two-run homes, which are Andruw Jones and Mark Teixeira.

Reyes has not won a game since June 13, 2008, when he beat the Angels in Los Angeles as a member of the Atlanta Braves.

Matt Keough's athletics record for consecutive starts without a win on 6 September 1978, August 8, 1979. Keough slapped a complete game in his next start on September 5, breaking series with a 6-1 win against the Brewers.

AP Source: Edwards Will Be Prosecuted In The Coming Days

RALEIGH - Federal prosecutors have conducted a comprehensive study of political relations and John Edwards may charge the candidate for the presidency twice for a few days, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

Edwards may still reach an agreement means to avoid an indictment, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case-sensitivity.

Federal investigators have been Edwards' poll for more than two years. Their interest is very excited about the political career of Edwards, examining issues such as whether he did nothing wrong during his time in the U.S. Senate. And in a network of organizations linked to Edwards, including a political action committee to nonprofit and a so-called 527 political group.

Much of the research, however, focused on money that ultimately went to mistress Rielle Hunter remained in hiding with the former campaign aid Andrew Young, who claimed paternity of the child in 2007, while Hunter Edwards could continue White House campaign without tarnishing your business reputation. Researchers have examined whether these funds are considered campaign donations, and that probably helped his candidacy for president.

Officials of the Ministry of Justice has reviewed the issue in Washington in recent weeks.

Raleigh U.S. Attorney declined to comment Wednesday. Edwards' spokesman did not immediately return a message seeking comment, although his lawyers have said they rely on more than one senator from North Carolina does not violate campaign finance laws.

Young said that Edwards agreed in mid-2007 to request the money from Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, widow 100 years of banking heir Paul Mellon. Young said he has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in checks Mellon, some of them hidden in boxes of chocolate.

Mellon lawyer said he knew where the money went, but want a personal gift.

Investigators also examined by silver Edwards campaign chairman finance old Fred Baron, who died in 2008. He said he helped the young and Hunter moves across the country. Baron said that Edwards was not aware of the support, but Young said in a book that Edwards was aware of the money baron.

Hunter was hired in 2006 to make videos of Edwards as he prepared for his second try in the White House. Records show that his video production business generated about $ 100,000. A lawyer for Edwards, said his nonprofit, the Center of promise and opportunity, to share the cost of video work and paid a similar amount.

Edwards initially denied having an affair with Hunter, but she finally admitted in summer 2008, several months after he abandoned the presidential race. He continued to deny paternity of a child with Hunter until last year. His wife, Elizabeth, died of cancer in December.

Obama, Cameron play table tennis with students

President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron are playing table tennis with London students.

President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron play table tennis with students during a visit to the Globe Academy in London

Obama met Cameron at his official 10 Downing St. residence after the president and his wife, Michelle, spent much of Tuesday at Buckingham Palace in the company of Queen Elizabeth II, her husband Prince Philip and other royal family members.

The two leaders shared Obama's limo for the ride to the Globe Academy in London's Southwark neighborhood. The school has more than 900 students, ages 3 to 16.

Obama and Cameron saw some science exhibits, then rolled up their sleeves for a match against two teenage boys. It wasn't known who won. Reporters were escorted from the room with the game in progress.

Obama is on a two-day state visit to England.

Terror groups work under ISI, Headley tells US court

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON: Hatred of India arising from Pakistan's defeat in the 1971 war drove him to the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, David Coleman Headley, the Pakistani expatriate who involved in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack told a Chicago court on Monday while implicating Pakistan's spy agency ISI in nurturing terrorism.

Headley, who took the stand as a prosecution witness on the opening day of the trial of his once close buddy Tahawwur Hussain Rana, told the court that he disliked Indians for "dismembering" Pakistan and was haunted by memories of his junior school being bombed. He and Rana shared room at a military boarding school where he said India and Indians were frequently discussed.

Headley was still being questioned sequentially about his involvement in terror and the nexus between the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and the terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba when the court broke for lunch, but his initial answers appeared to implicate ISI in planning and fostering terrorism.

"These groups operate under the umbrella of the ISI... They coordinate with each other," Headley told the court, recalling that one time, when he suggested that LeT sue the US government for designating it as a terrorist organization, LeT leader Zaki-ur Rehman said "he would have to consult the ISI."

Headley also related how his LeT handler Ali took his phone number and told him that a "Major Iqbal" would be calling him about an operation in India. The prosecution case mentions a "Major Iqbal," believed to be a serving ISI officer, who is alleged to have coordinated the Mumbai attacks.

Much of what Headley said is related in the prosecution's chargesheet but his elaboration under oath from the witness box puts Pakistan's terrorism sponsorship under the arclights. At many points during his testimony, Headley provided graphic details of his interactions with ISI and LeT personnel and their close ties.

Headley spoke of attending LeT lunches with the organization's supremo Hafiz Saeed, currently under state protection, and operations commander "Zaki," presumably Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, currently under arrest. He said he told them he wanted to fight in Kashmir but "I was told they (LET) would find something better and more suitable for me." That assignment turned out to be scouting Mumbai for the 2008 terrorist attack.

Wearing a casual grey jacket over a grey T-shirt, Headley began testifying after both the prosecution and the defense completed opening arguments that each lasted 45 minutes. In appearance, he looked more Caucasian than Pakistani, a fact that he himself remarked about when he spoke of the circumstances under which he changed his name.

Headley said when he was arrested in 2005 near Peshawar, the Pakistanis did not believe him when he said he was one of them. "They thought I was a foreigner." Subsequently, prior to the Mumbai attack, he said he changed his name, under "Zaki's advice," so that "nobody would be able to tell I was a Muslim or a Pakistani."

Earlier, maintaining that "not every player carries a weapon" in the terror game and supporters are equally as critical, the prosecution portrayed the defendant Rana as a maniacal plotter who was heard saying after the Mumbai carnage that the dead terrorists "should get Pakistan's highest military honor."

But the defense responded with a picture of Rana as a model student who went on to medical school and served as a doctor in the army, even as Headley, previously known as Daood Gilani, went astray. "David Headley is a master manipulator who made a fool of Doctor Rana," defense attorney Charlie Swift maintained.

The courtroom drama aside, disclosure of ISI-LeT nexus and their involvement in the Mumbai attack comes at a time Pakistan's role in terrorism is under worldwide scrutiny, particularly after the U.S elimination of Osama bin Laden, even as the country itself is under attack from terrorists it has allegedly fostered. Headley's initial testimony, as widely expected, has exposed Pakistan as a state perpetrator of terrorism, even though its people are also victims of the same menace.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Terror-groups-work-under-ISI-Headley-tells-US-court/articleshow/8541662.cms

Al Qaeda releases posthumous bin Laden audio recording

(Reuters) - Al Qaeda released a posthumous audio recording by Osama bin Laden in which he praised revolutions sweeping through several Arab countries, and called for more Muslim "tyrants" to be toppled.

Islamists have conspicuously been absent in the uprisings in the Middle East that have largely been led by ordinary citizens angered by autocratic rule, corruption and mismanaged economies.

Al Qaeda and other militant groups have waged bloody, but unsuccessful, campaigns to topple these same rulers and by praising the revolts, bin Laden, who was killed in a U.S. Raid on May 2 in Pakistan, appeared to be trying to make the Islamists relevant again.

Al Qaeda had said bin Laden, who masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, recorded a message a week before his death. The audio was included in an Internet video more than 12 minutes-long and posted on Islamist websites.

"The sun of the revolution has risen from the Maghreb. The light of the revolution came from Tunisia. It has given the nation tranquility and made the faces of the people happy," the speaker, whose sounds like bin Laden, said.

"To the Muslim nation -- we are watching with you this great historic event and share with you the joy and happiness. Congratulations for your victories and may God grant your martyrs mercy, your injured recovery and your prisoners freedom."

Tunisia's president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown by mass protests in January, followed by Egypt's Hosni Mubarak.

Bin Laden praised the Egyptian revolution and urged Arab protesters to maintain their momentum, adding: "I believe that the winds of change will envelope the entire Muslim world."

"This revolution was not for food and clothing. Rather, it was a revolution of glory and pride, a revolution of sacrifice and giving. It has lit the Nile's cities and its villages from its lower reaches to the top," he said.

"To those free rebels in all the countries -- retain the initiative and be careful of dialogue. No meeting mid-way between the people of truth and those of deviation."

Bin Laden made no specific reference to Libya, Syria, Bahrain and Yemen, where pro-democracy protesters have had less success than in Egypt and Tunisia, but said Israel, reviled by many ordinary Arabs, was worried by the unrest.

REVOLUTION CALL

Bin Laden called on young Arabs to consult "those of experience and honesty" and to set up a framework that would allow them to "follow up events and works in parallel... to save the people that are struggling to bring down their tyrants".

But he did not mention or advocate democratic rule, which was a key demand of protesters in Egypt, Tunisia and Bahrain in particular. Al Qaeda figures usually pour scorn on Western-style democracy which they see as contradicting Islamic values.

"Tunisia was the first but swiftly the knights of Egypt have taken a spark from the free people of Tunisia to Tahrir Square," said bin Laden, adding: "It has made the rulers worried."

U.S. commandos killed bin Laden in a compound in Abbottabad, a garrison town near the Pakistani capital. The incident embarrassed Pakistan's military and spy agencies and led to calls by members of the U.S. Congress for a tougher approach toward the country.

Al Jazeera television, citing Pakistani security sources, said on Wednesday that al Qaeda had appointed Egyptian Saif al-Adel as temporary leader following bin Laden's death, but bin Laden's number two Ayman al-Zawahri, another Egyptian, is widely seen as best placed to take over the whole organisation.

Audio and video announcements from bin Laden largely dried up in recent years while Zawahri recorded frequent messages. But Zawahri, an Egyptian medical doctor, is seen as lacking the charisma and oratorical skills of Saudi-born bin Laden, who has Yemeni roots.

Al Qaeda has an active wing in Yemen but has not managed to establish itself in Egypt, the most populous Arab nation.

Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/05/19/idINIndia-57117920110519

Al Qaeda releases posthumous bin Laden audio recording

(Reuters) - Al Qaeda released a posthumous audio recording by Osama bin Laden in which he praised revolutions sweeping through several Arab countries, and called for more Muslim "tyrants" to be toppled.

Islamists have conspicuously been absent in the uprisings in the Middle East that have largely been led by ordinary citizens angered by autocratic rule, corruption and mismanaged economies.

Al Qaeda and other militant groups have waged bloody, but unsuccessful, campaigns to topple these same rulers and by praising the revolts, bin Laden, who was killed in a U.S. Raid on May 2 in Pakistan, appeared to be trying to make the Islamists relevant again.

Al Qaeda had said bin Laden, who masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, recorded a message a week before his death. The audio was included in an Internet video more than 12 minutes-long and posted on Islamist websites.

"The sun of the revolution has risen from the Maghreb. The light of the revolution came from Tunisia. It has given the nation tranquility and made the faces of the people happy," the speaker, whose sounds like bin Laden, said.

"To the Muslim nation -- we are watching with you this great historic event and share with you the joy and happiness. Congratulations for your victories and may God grant your martyrs mercy, your injured recovery and your prisoners freedom."

Tunisia's president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown by mass protests in January, followed by Egypt's Hosni Mubarak.

Bin Laden praised the Egyptian revolution and urged Arab protesters to maintain their momentum, adding: "I believe that the winds of change will envelope the entire Muslim world."

"This revolution was not for food and clothing. Rather, it was a revolution of glory and pride, a revolution of sacrifice and giving. It has lit the Nile's cities and its villages from its lower reaches to the top," he said.

"To those free rebels in all the countries -- retain the initiative and be careful of dialogue. No meeting mid-way between the people of truth and those of deviation."

Bin Laden made no specific reference to Libya, Syria, Bahrain and Yemen, where pro-democracy protesters have had less success than in Egypt and Tunisia, but said Israel, reviled by many ordinary Arabs, was worried by the unrest.

REVOLUTION CALL

Bin Laden called on young Arabs to consult "those of experience and honesty" and to set up a framework that would allow them to "follow up events and works in parallel... to save the people that are struggling to bring down their tyrants".

But he did not mention or advocate democratic rule, which was a key demand of protesters in Egypt, Tunisia and Bahrain in particular. Al Qaeda figures usually pour scorn on Western-style democracy which they see as contradicting Islamic values.

"Tunisia was the first but swiftly the knights of Egypt have taken a spark from the free people of Tunisia to Tahrir Square," said bin Laden, adding: "It has made the rulers worried."

U.S. commandos killed bin Laden in a compound in Abbottabad, a garrison town near the Pakistani capital. The incident embarrassed Pakistan's military and spy agencies and led to calls by members of the U.S. Congress for a tougher approach toward the country.

Al Jazeera television, citing Pakistani security sources, said on Wednesday that al Qaeda had appointed Egyptian Saif al-Adel as temporary leader following bin Laden's death, but bin Laden's number two Ayman al-Zawahri, another Egyptian, is widely seen as best placed to take over the whole organisation.

Audio and video announcements from bin Laden largely dried up in recent years while Zawahri recorded frequent messages. But Zawahri, an Egyptian medical doctor, is seen as lacking the charisma and oratorical skills of Saudi-born bin Laden, who has Yemeni roots.

Al Qaeda has an active wing in Yemen but has not managed to establish itself in Egypt, the most populous Arab nation.

Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/05/19/idINIndia-57117920110519

Taliban bomber attacks U.S. vehicles in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A Taliban suicide bomber rammed his motorbike into an armored vehicle taking American officials to the U.S consulate in northwest Pakistan on Friday, in a strike the militants said was in revenge for the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Two Americans suffered minor injuries, but one Pakistani passer-by was killed and at least 10 others were wounded in the attack in the city of Peshawar, officials said. The strike was the first on Westerners since the May 2 raid by American commandos on bin Laden's hideout in an army town around three hours from Peshawar.

The Pakistani Taliban, an al-Qaida-allied group behind scores of attacks in recent years, claimed responsibility.

"We say to the Americans and NATO that we will carry out more deadly attacks and we can do it," Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan said in a phone call from an undisclosed location. "We had warned that we will avenge the martyrdom of Osama."

The Americans were traveling in two cars from their homes to the heavily protected consulate building when the bomber on a motorbike struck one of the vehicles, said U.S. Embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez. The Americans from the hit car were whisked away from the scene in the second vehicle. The most serious wound was a possible broken hand, he said.

Pakistani police's initial reports contradicted Rodriguez's account by suggesting it was a car bomb, and made no mention of a suicide attacker. But the police were still investigating.

Rodriguez declined to say what job the Americans held. The consulate is home to diplomats, security contractors and — it is widely believed —CIA staff hunting al-Qaida and associated groups. Both the consulate building and a previous top officer there have been attacked in the past.

Peshawar lies just outside Pakistan's tribal regions, where al-Qaida and the Taliban have bases.

The city has witnessed many of the suicide and other bombings that have scarred Pakistan over the past five years, the vast majority against Pakistani government and security force targets. Foreigners in Pakistan have also been targeted, but not nearly as much.

Last week, the Pakistani Taliban killed more than 80 Pakistani recruits for a paramilitary border force in double suicide attacks close to Peshawar. They said those blasts were also in revenge for the death of bin Laden.

Pakistani TV footage showed that the car that was hit was a large, sport utility vehicle. It appeared to have veered into a pole and the hood was damaged. Nearby buildings also were damaged in the blast.

In August 2008, Lynne Tracy, then the top U.S. diplomat at the consulate, survived a gun attack on her armored vehicle. In April last year, militants used car bombs and grenades to strike the consulate, killing eight people. None of the dead were U.S. citizens, but several were security guards working for the consulate.

The U.S. raid that killed bin Laden in Abbottabad has badly damaged Pakistani-American relations.

Pakistan is angry it was not warned in advance that the Navy SEALs team would storm bin Laden's compound, and insists it had no idea the terror mastermind was hiding there. U.S. officials have visited Pakistan in recent days to try to patch up differences, and assure Pakistan's continued cooperation in the battle against al-Qaida and allies Islamist militant groups.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-05-20-us-consulate-pakistan_n.htm

IMF chief resigns, says to fight sex charges

New York: Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned as head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying he needed to devote all his energy to fight charges that he sexually assaulted a hotel maid.

His arrest after he was pulled from a plane in New York on Saturday dashes Strauss-Kahn’s prospects of running for the French presidency in 2012 and has sparked debate over the more than 60-year tradition that a European is appointed as the head of the Fund.

“I deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me,” Strauss-Kahn said in his letter of resignation, released by the IMF and dated 18 May.

“I want to devote all my strength, all my time, and all my energy to proving my innocence.”

Later on Thursday, the former French finance minister will make his second request to be allowed out of jail on $1 million cash bail and placed under 24-hour house arrest until his trial on charges of attempting to rape a hotel maid, his lawyers said.

He is being held in New York’s Rikers Island jail.

“Yes there will definitely be a bail hearing tomorrow,” Manhattan District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Erin Duggan told Reuters on Wednesday.

A police mug shot of Strauss-Kahn, 62, taken more than 24 hours after he was detained, showed him exhausted, his eyes downcast and half-closed and wearing a rumpled, open-neck shirt.

The photograph is likely to fuel outrage in France over the way the man seen as a strong contender for the French presidency was paraded before the cameras in what is called the “perp walk” before he had a chance to defend himself in court.

Polls released in France on Wednesday showed 57% of respondents thought the Socialist politician was definitely, or probably, the victim of a plot.

The woman Strauss-Kahn allegedly tried to rape, a 32-year-old widow from West Africa, testified on Wednesday before a grand jury. It will decide in secret whether there is enough evidence to formally press charges with an indictment.

Timeline Emerges

New details have emerged about the sequence of events surrounding the alleged attack.

Strauss-Kahn left the Sofitel near Times Square in Manhattan around 12:30 on Saturday and about an hour later, hotel security called police to report an alleged sexual assault, a law enforcement source said.

New York investigators are questioning why officials at the hotel waited an hour to call police after the IMF chief had left in a hurry.

He has been charged with attempted rape, sexual abuse, a criminal sexual act, unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching. If convicted, he could face 25 years in prison.

The woman he is accused of assaulting is an asylum seeker from Guinea with a 15-year-old daughter.

In the only public hint of Strauss-Kahn’s possible line of defense, his attorney Benjamin Brafman told his arraignment hearing on Monday that the evidence “will not be consistent with a forcible encounter.”

Any trial could be six months or more away.

Who will next head IMF?

Stauss-Kahn’s resignation will intensify the debate over who should next lead the Fund and whether it is time to ditch the tradition, in place since it was set up in 1945, of having a European as managing director.

Emerging market economies, which are anyway demanding a greater say in how the IMF is run, have also been pressing their case for the global economy’s financial manager to be drawn from their ranks.

China, Brazil and South Africa have all suggested a new approach to selecting to next managing director.

Mexico and Japan called for an open process.

“As agreed at G20, heads of international financial organizations and senior leaders should be chosen based on their ability through and open and transparent process, so I think a suitable person should be chosen through such a process”, Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said after Strauss-Kahn’s resignation.

Strauss-Kahn’s departure comes at a sensitive time given the IMF’s dominant role in helping euro zone states like Greece, Ireland and Portugal deal with massive debt problems.

And Europeans argue that because of the euro zone debt crisis it makes sense for them to retain the post.

John Lipsky, the Fund’s number two, is acting managing director until the IMF executive board selects a successor to Strauss-Kahn.

Source: http://www.livemint.com/2011/05/19101015/IMF-chief-resigns-says-to-fig.html

'Woods still remains biggest sports celebrity'

Los Angeles: Former world number one Tiger Woods' golf game may have taken a turn for the worse, but his star power remains almost as bright as ever.

The 35-year old American continues to be the biggest sports celebrity in the world, sitting at No. 6 on Forbes magazines annual 'Celebrity 100' list of the most powerful people in the entertainment business.

Woods, who has not won a golf tournament in the past year and a half, is the highest ranked athlete on the Forbes list. There are 19 athletes listed including NBA basketball player LeBron James (10th), tennis star Roger Federer (25th) and soccer icon David Beckham (tied for No. 35).

Woods' last victory was the 2009 Australian Masters. He is expected to drop out of the world golf rankings top 10 next week. It will make the first time he with be out of the top ten in 14 years.

In 2008, Woods won the most recent of his 14 majors at the US Open in San Diego, California after which his career slumped, firstly due to a crippling knee injury that required surgery, and then over the infidelity that wrecked his marriage.

Forbes said the 19 athletes on the list this year earned a combined $647 million.

Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao was 55th on last year's list but dropped out of the top 100 this year. Controversial American cyclist Lance Armstrong also tumbled off the list after placing 65th last year.

Source: http://www.zeenews.com/news707415.html

Obama's Mideast speech offers punishment, praise

Washington: In his first comprehensive response to revolts across the Arab world, President Barack Obama is doling out punishment and praise, targeting Syrian President Bashar Assad for attacking his people but also promising fresh US aid to nations that support democracy. Obama is also trying to erase any doubt that the US supports the call for change.

Obama was expected to use his Middle East speech Thursday to sharply defend new sanctions on Assad as the US government toughens its message for the repressive leader: Embrace democracy or get out. In a primary thrust of his address, Obama also was announcing aid for Egypt and Tunisia, the two nations seen as models while protests for freedoms elsewhere have been crushed.

Collectively, Obama's economic proposals will account for much of what's new in a speech that, by design, is intended to look back and let him put his imprint on the massive change across the Middle East and North Africa over the last six months. The core of what Obama will argue is that the United States must help nations modernize their economies and give job opportunities to their young people so that democracy can take hold and thrive — the kind of regional stability that is deeply in the political interests of his government.

The president plans to forgive roughly $1 billion in debt owed by Egypt to free up money for job-creation efforts there. And he will reveal other steps to bolster loans, trade and international support in Egypt and in Tunisia, where uprisings led to dictators being overturned. Protesters in Bahrain, Yemen, Syria and other nations have endured brutal setbacks.

Senior administration officials offered some details of the speech in advance only on condition of anonymity. The president was speaking Thursday morning at the State Department.

Obama also was expected to recalibrate the US position on the flailing Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He will warn both sides that they face greater risks by not coming together on a peace deal than by going their own ways. It is an effort in which he has sunk his own political capital and will spend more before his heavy week of Mideast diplomacy ends.

Overall, Obama will try to convince American audiences that the fate of countries in the region is worth the money and attention of the United States even during weak economic times at home. To his global audience, Obama wants to leave no doubt that the US stands behind those seeking greater human rights even as it has had to defend its responses to crises.

Obama's speech was expected to be roughly split into thirds: a review of the political changes across the region for better and worse, country by country; the economic aid package; and the push for better security in the region, which will include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It will all be presented in the context of a future with al Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden dead and gone.

The White House on Wednesday announced the sanctions on Assad and six senior Syrian officials for human rights abuses over their crackdown on anti-government protests.

It was the first time the US personally penalized the Syrian leader for the actions of his security forces. More than 850 people have died since the uprising began in March.

Obama, in an executive order, said the Syrian government leaders were being held to account for "attacks on protesters, arrests and harassment of protesters and political activists, and repression of democratic change."

Source: http://www.zeenews.com/news707341.html

India fuel price panel to meet next week - reports

(Reuters) - An Indian ministerial panel is to decide on hiking fuel prices next week, local media reported on Sunday, a day after state-run oil firms raised petrol prices by a record amount as the government risks fuelling high inflation as it battles to bolster public finances.

The group of ministers tasked with discussing a rise in diesel, LPG and kerosene prices had previously postponed its meeting as the government looked to defer a decision until after the results of recent state elections.

"A decision will be taken on raising prices of these items when the (panel) meets next week," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who chairs the panel, told reporters.

State-run oil firms raised petrol prices by 5 rupees a litre at midnight on Saturday, two days after the ruling Congress party-led coalition survived a major voter backlash in five state elections.

Last June, the government allowed state-run oil firms to fix the price of petrol but continued to control the prices of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas to protect the poor and try to tame inflation.

Headline inflation in India stands at just under 9 percent. Asian rival China last month raised gasoline and diesel prices by about 5 percent.

One oil ministry source said last week the government could consider raising diesel prices by more than 4 rupees a litre, the steepest hike in about a decade, to counter the impact of high global crude prices.

Even a small rise would help limit the government's fuel subsidy burden to a budgeted $5.2 billion for 2011/12 and help it meet its fiscal deficit target of 4.6 percent.